God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ, through whom the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5).

God has shed His love abroad in our hearts through the gift of holy spirit.  This spiritual enablement is what makes it available for us to love Him like He loves us.  This kind of love finds its fulfillment in performing what the object of that love desires.  This agapaō is to motivate us to greater and greater service for our Lord.  This love can change us from the inside out.  Our love for the master impels us to serve….  It constrains us.

II Corinthians 5:14-18:
For the love of Christ constraineth us; [It repeatedly encourages us to act.] because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more [after the flesh]. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [new creation]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

The love of Christ constraineth us.  In the Eastern culture of Bible lands, “constraining” involves an in-depth request.  In the East, if you invite me to dinner I will refuse to come even though I am really hungry and haven’t eaten all day long.  If you invite me, I offer reasons that I cannot come.  It isn’t lying, it is an oriental custom.  I must give at least two reasons why I can’t come before I can accept.  In America the minute somebody starts talking about dinner we say, “Yeah, I am ready, let’s go.”  But in the Biblical culture the proper thing to do was to refuse until the third request.  So, I say, “Oh, I am so sorry, I can’t come for dinner this evening because I have business to handle.”  But then you say to me, “We really want so very much for you to eat with us.”  I reply again, “I am really sorry.  I would love to come, but I must be on my way?”  Then you implore me the third time and you say, “Well, you must come, my wife has prepared apple pie.”  Then finally after the third time, I say to you, “Well, if this really is how you feel I’ll come?”

When I taught this in Florida, a lady from India who was raised in the Eastern culture shared that there is really nothing special about the number three.  Constraining doesn’t stop with three requests.  It continues until one acquiesces.  She remembered her parents going far beyond three requests plenty of times.

Here is this great truth in Corinthians which hardly anyone sees.  “For the love of Christ constraineth us. . . .”  Christ’s love constrains us; he pleads with us two, three, four, or five times, his love constrains us to live for him.  Verse fourteen also tells us why it constrains us.  II Corinthians 5:14 continues, “. , ,because we thus judge. . . .”

The word “judge” used here literally means “to pronounce the distinction and the final judgment.”  It’s a judicial term for rendering a verdict.  All the evidence has been presented, and it’s time for a decision.  Our decision, our verdict is he died for us.  The love of Christ constrains us because we have pronounced the final distinction and the final judgment and that is. . . that one died for all.

The word “if” in this verse (“that if one died”) must be struck out.  There is no critical Greek text except the Stephens text which contains the word “if.”  There is no “if” about it.  The beginning of the verse says, “For the love of Christ constraineth us.”  Because we love Christ, we are constrained.  Jesus Christ’s love constrains us to live for him who died for us, because we have judged that he died for us.

No greater love is there than that a man lay down his life for his friends.  That’s what Jesus did for us and that’s what he requires us to do for others. . . to love. . . to so love that we give of ourselves.  God so loved that He gave; Jesus so loved that he gave; we are to so love that we give.

It says this love constrains us, it doesn’t control us.  We have freedom of will.  We don’t always respond on the first request, but the love of God in our hearts will keep bringing us back to the Word unless we harden our hearts to God’s Word.  The love of God will always bring us back.  But remember that it doesn’t control; it constrains.  Our continued refusal to act can produce hardness of heart, but the spoken Word can penetrate even the hardest heart and let the love of God return us to His Word again.

The words “then were all dead” literally are translated “therefore all died [in him].”  Incidentally, that is the translation which appears in the American Standard Version.  Therefore, all born-again believers of the Church of the Body died in him.  When Jesus Christ died, all of us died with him.  When Jesus Christ rose again from the dead, we were raised with him.  When Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father we ascended and were seated with him; and when Christ returns to reign upon the earth, all believers will reign with him.  It is an accomplished reality for each and every believer.  Because God so loved us, Christ laid down his life.  He was the propitiation, the payment.  Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the law.  You can get saved with very little knowledge of God’s Word, but if you really want to live for God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, you will have to come to the deeper truths and principles of the Word.  Commitment is required.  Love is required.

Word Study Wednesday

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ who ascended up on high and led captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8).

II Corinthians 10:5-6 establish three important aspects of Paul and Timothy’s spiritual warfare.  Their warfare included:  casting down imaginations, bringing into captivity every thought, and having a readiness to revenge all disobedience…

All three of these verbs are present participles.  They go on at the same time as the main verb, war, in verse 4.  This is how Paul and Timothy warred, which was not after or according to the flesh.  Their weapons were not fleshly, but mighty.

“Casting down” is the verb form of the noun used in the previous verse translated “pulling down,” meaning a destruction.  What they cast down are the thoughts, ideas, and concepts held in the mind.  They pulled down fortifications in people’s minds.

“Bringing into captivity” is the Greek word aichmalotizō, “to lead away captive.”  It comes from aichmalotos; a captive, which is used only in Luke 4:18 “to preach deliverance to the captives…”  The root word for captive is aichmē, a spear.  It is only used three times.

It paints a very dramatic mind picture.  Roman soldiers leading away prisoners of war with spears.  The effectiveness of the leading captive increases as the power of the weapon increases.  (If you have ever got robbed at gun-point or have had someone pull a knife on you, you know how traumatic this can be.)  But we have to be careful to recognize that people are not the enemy led away at gun-point.  Rather, the enemies are ideas… the thoughts, imaginations, speculations, and reasonings that form the philosophies, the vain deceit, and the doctrines of devils that proceed from the father of lies, the devil himself.

The two other occurrences of aichmalotizō are in Luke and Romans.

Luke 21:24:
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive [aichmalotizō] into all nations and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Romans 7:23:
But I see another law in my members, warring against [antistrateuomai] the law of my mind [nous], and bringing me into captivity [aichmalotizō] to the law of sin which is in my members.

What do we allow to captivate our minds?  Those are decisions we all make personally, and so are the decisions to reverse the captivity and free our minds from the deceitful and malicious thoughts.

The NIV translates that phrase, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. . . .”  The NAS translates it, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. . . .”  These lofty arguments and speculations may sound all high and mighty.  It may engender the strongest of resolve and determination.  But, if they stand in opposition to God’s Word they must be cast down, brought into captivity, and revenged.

The RSV renders it, “We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God. . . .”  People have obstacles in their minds that keep them from the Word.  The adversary puts up “speed-bumps” and “road-blocks” to keep them from God’s Word.  We need to remove the barriers and clear the path for them.  If you believe that one person or one group has “all the answers” or somehow “has a corner on the truth” or has a special dispensation or revelation which gives them access to God denied to others, what kind of obstacle is that to learning the truth of God’s Word?

Here are some more:  DBY:  Overthrowing reasonings and every high thing that lifts itself up against the knowledge of God.  BBE:   Putting an end to reasonings, and every high thing which is lifted up against the knowledge of God.  NLT:  With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.  NJB:  Every presumptuous notion that is set up against the knowledge of God.  CNT:  We are engaged in confuting arguments and pulling down: every barrier raised against the knowledge of God.  MOF:  I demolish theories and any rampart thrown up to resist the knowledge of God.  KNX:  Yes, we can pull down the conceits of men, and every barrier of pride which sets itself up against the true knowledge of God.  PHI:  Our battle is to bring down every de­ceptive fantasy and every imposing defense that men erect against the true knowledge of God.  NEB:  We demolish sophistries and all that rears its proud head against the knowledge of God.

If I had time, I’d take a good English dictionary and look up each one of those words and read it to you.  Do you see that they all refer to what goes on within the mind?  Our challenge is to get people to think right or logically according to the Word.

II Corinthians 10:6:
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience [to the Word], when your obedience [to the Word] is fulfilled.

The words disobedience and obedience in Greek come from a root word meaning to hear.  Disobedience is an unwillingness or refusal to hear or listen and hence obey.  Obedience is a favorable or willing hearing that results in obeying.  As long as people refuse to even listen to you or hear what you have to say, how can you help them?  You can only help them when they are willing to listen and consider what you are saying.  People often fortify their strongholds by not listening to what we have to say.  Paul and Timothy were ready to help anyone who was willing to listen, and we should, too.

“Revenge” is the Greek word ekdikeō.  It means to help someone secure justice; to give justice to someone who has been wronged; to protect or defend one person from another; to avenge someone treated wrongly.  The way we give justice to someone who has been wronged, the way we protect or defend someone from another is by speaking the truth of God’s Word.  The right teaching will correct the wrong teaching after people are willing to listen.  We can bring justice with the truth, but they must be willing to hear and obey.  When people finally do listen they get delivered… the strongholds are demolished… their freedom of thought is returned.  The revenge comes in the reversal.  The good guys become the bad guys and the bad guys become the good guys.  Another way to say it would be, that the lies they once believed was the truth are realized to be lies, and what they didn’t accept as truth before, they now accept as the truth.  The light makes manifest the darkness, and people begin to see the truth.  Paul was not the bad guy, the false apostles were.  The revenge is satisfied when things are set right.

II Corinthians 10:7-8:
Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?  [That’s how the world judges, but God looks upon the heart.]  If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s. ⁸ For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority [exousia], which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction [kathairesis], I should not be ashamed:

Paul built up God’s people and tore down deceptive strongholds of wrong thinking.  He had been given authority to do so, and he did.  Look what Paul says in Philippians:

Philippians 3:17-19:
Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. ¹⁸ (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ¹⁹ Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly [seat of the emotional life], and whose glory is in their shame, who mind [phroneō, think] earthly things.)

We can spare people the destruction if they will only listen to the truth.  However some people have a mote in their own eye that prevents them from seeing circumspectly.  It takes spiritual warfare with weapons of might to help people entrenched in these strongholds of vicious and malicious thinking.

Don’t disarm people who are facing their enemies.  They will need all the weapons at their disposal.  We should follow Paul’s example and war a good warfare using all the armor of God.

Philippians 3:20-21:
For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹ Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

God and the Lord Jesus Christ are able to subdue all things.  There is no stronghold of the adversary that cannot be retaken by God’s people.  It might not be easy.  It may take some work.  Paul said the weapons of his warfare were mighty, and he was able to pull down strongholds.  Are you armed with those same weapons?  Are you ready to go to battle?  We have a lot of work to do.

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ the surety of a better testament (Hebrews 7:22).

Let’s take a look at this unique verse and see what we can learn about our surety, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119:122a:  Be surety for thy servant for good….

“Surety” is the Hebrew word, arab, used 22 times in the Old Testament, and is translated eleven different ways.  “Surety” translates arab nine times while “meddle,” “mingled,” and “pledges” occurs twice with “becometh,” “engaged,” “intermeddle,” “mortgaged,” “occupiers,” “occupy” and “undertake” occur only once.  With such variation in translation and such a wide range of meaning it’s hard to pinpoint an exact meaning.

Other translations render Psalms 119:122a

“Pledge me Thy word for good…” (Smith & Goodspeed)
“Pledge Thy word to succour me…” (Moffatt)
“Guarantee your servant’s well-being…” (Complete Jewish Bible)
“Give your servant a pledge of good…” (English Standard Version)
“Ensure your servant’s well-being…” (New International Version)

“Pledge Thy Word” is an interesting translation considering the occurrence of the many synonyms for the Word used in the psalm.  I believe a “pledge,” “guarantee” or “assurance” is at the heart of the meaning of arab.  A surety is “one who undertakes to pay another’s debt; or who pledges his own character, possessions, or life, to secure another man’s liberty or life.”  (James Large, Two Hundred and Eighty Titles and Symbols of Jesus, p. 516.)

The first two occurrences of arab give us a visual example that serves as a type of Christ as our surety.  Let’s look at those two occurrences in Genesis.  The first occurs when Judah pledges to be surety for his younger brother Benjamin to his father, Israel.  The second occurs when Judah tells Joseph of this pledge to his father.

Genesis 43:9:  [This is Judah speaking to Israel, his father.]
I [Judah] will be surety [arab] for him [Benjamin]; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee [Israel], and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:

Joseph guaranteed his father that he would bring Benjamin home or forever bear the blame for failing to do so.

Genesis 44:32:  [This is Judah speaking to Joseph, his brother.]
For thy [Joseph’s] servant [referring to himself] became surety [arab] for the lad [Benjamin] unto my father [Israel], saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

Arab is used here in the sense of security or pledge for a person.  This means that one person may become security for another, that such a one will do a certain thing at a time in the future.  Judah was “surety” to his father Jacob that Benjamin would safely return from Egypt (Genesis 43:9).  He pledged his life that the younger brother would return safely.  He tells Joseph (Genesis 44:32) how he had become surety for Benjamin, and offers to become Joseph’s slave for the sake of safe return of his brother.

The third occurrence is in Job 17:3.

Job 17:3:
Lay down now, put me in [in the sense of “provide for me”] a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me?  [Who is it going to be?]

Job desired God to provide a surety for him with.  The striking of hands [handshake] refers to the action or gesture by which the surety or pledge was publicly manifested and thus ratified.  Job here beseeches God to provide a surety for him, to pledge to him that some time in the future He will cause Job’s innocence to be made known.

In Isaiah 38:14 Hezekiah says, “O Lord, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.”  He wishes God to give him a pledge of some kind, to provide security for him in such a way that he will surely be saved out of his sickness and distress.  Jesus is called “the surety (enguos) of a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22).  Jesus is the pledge or surety that through Him we may obtain the assurance and certainty that a more excellent covenant has been established by God, and are assured also of the truth of the promises connected with it.

It is used to describe the practice of providing security for another by striking hands with that person and becoming responsible for money or any object loaned.  The Book of Proverbs unhesitatingly condemns the practice.  No mention is made of it in the Mosaic Law, as if the custom were then practically unknown.  The Book of Proverbs makes no distinction between a stranger and a neighbor; the person who does such a thing is likened unto an animal caught in a trap.  He is exhorted to sleep no more until he has got out of the trap, or freed himself from this obligation.

Proverbs 6:1-5:
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, ² Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. ³ Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. ⁴ Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. ⁵ Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

The wisdom of such advice has been abundantly verified by experience.  If you co-sign a loan you better be prepared to pay it.  However there may be special cases, where the practice may be justified.

Here are some other verses that also warn of the danger.

Proverbs 11:15:
He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.

Proverbs 17:18:
A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.

Proverbs 20:16: [Same as Proverbs 27:13]
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

Proverbs 22:26:
Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.

Types are figures or examples of something future, and are prophetic in nature.  Their value is found in helping us understand God’s sovereignty and His work throughout history.  The Genesis 43 account was not only a wonderful story about Judah’s pledge to save his brother and bring him safely home, but also an illustration of how Jesus our surety from the tribe of Judah would do the same.  God wanted to show us how a surety acted because Jesus Christ would ultimately do the same for us.  The presence of types is an indication that God (Who knows the beginning from the end) is at work in history and that He inspired the Old Testament writers to record these typological events.

Types occur most frequently in the Pentateuch, but are found, more sparingly, elsewhere.  The antitype, or fulfillment of the type, is found generally in the New Testament.  Scofield says two warnings are necessary:  (1) nothing may be insisted upon as a type without explicit New Testament authority; and (2) all types not so authenticated must be recognized as having only the authority of analogy or spiritual congruity.  (Bible note on Genesis 2:23 in the Scofield Study Bible.)

The phrase “shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:17 and Hebrews 8:5; 10:1) also shows the function of these types.  They foreshadow the truth they are designed to illustrate.  That’s what we have in Psalms 119:122.  The longing the psalmist describes for a surety displays his concern for being able to do all he knows he should do.  He wants God to provide someone to intercede should he fall short or fail.

A surety is in effect for the sake of a debt.  It is a confirmation or guarantee of payment.  Christ has become a surety in our place.  He took on the debt that mankind could not pay and completed the transaction with the Father.  God has appointed and accepted the suretyship of His son our lord.  God will not and cannot punish those who comply with His will in availing themselves of the gracious provision.

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ the surety of a better testament (Hebrews 7:22).

When I first began teaching Psalms 119, I noted the three deviations from the standard form that I mentioned in yesterday’s email.  However, the only thing I had to share about them was that they didn’t fit the apparent form the Psalms followed.  I would usually handle my lack of understanding by chuckling and saying, “It just goes to show you that when you think you have His Word figured out, He changes things up on us to let us know we are not as smart as we think we are.”

Then when I noticed that God marked each of the variations as important or emphatic with a figure of speech, I began to consider if there were deeper truths hidden in these exceptions.  The first two were obvious and easily noticeable, but the third baffled me for quite a while.  Then, one day when reading my Companion Bible my eye was draw to a not Bullinger had placed there which read:

“This is the only verse in this Psalms which has not one of the “ten words,” unless we may include the Living Word Himself, Who is the “surety” for His people.”

The use of “surety” in verse 122 is the figure of speech, type.  E.W. Bullinger points out in Figures of Speech Used in the Bible that most things theologians call types should not be.  Indeed, he asserts that a type should never be so called but for subsequent revelation that clearly declares it as such.  (Which Hebrews 7:22 seems to do.)  So perhaps we ought to call this a shadow or an analogy or an illustration rather than a type.  But for our purposes here let’s use “type” for simplicity.

Psalms 119, the magnificent Acrostic Psalm of God’s Word, displays God’s Word using 14 Hebrew synonyms and 11 English synonyms to communicate the grand spectrum and immensity of the written Word of God.  Certainly, many of these synonyms also apply to Jesus Christ, the Word in the flesh.  Jesus is the Word, the logos, in the flesh as the Bible is the Word, the logos, in writing.  Jesus also called himself the way and the truth (two more of the synonyms), and he fulfilled every jot and tittle of the law (another one of those synonyms).

As the red thread running throughout the entire Word of God, Jesus is the grand subject that binds together the Word of God from Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:21.  In Psalms, Jesus is the song.  “Song” is put by metonymy for the reason for the song.  He is the reason for our song of praise (Psalms 28:7; 40:3; 108:1), our song of deliverance (Psalms 32:7), and the new song in our hearts (Psalms 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1).

The only verse in the Acrostic Psalm of God’s Word that doesn’t contain one of the synonymous words for the written Word of God conceals a reference to the Word in the flesh, Jesus Christ.  E.W. Bullinger after the note I mentioned in His companion Bible earlier, he references Proverbs 11:15 and Hebrews 7:22.

Hebrews 7:22:
by so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant.

Jesus is a surety of our better covenant.  He is the guaranteer.

Proverbs 11:15:
He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.

Christ became surety for his people who were strangers (like it says in Ephesians 2:12) and he smarted for it.  He read from Isaiah what becoming surety would require and the price he would have to pay, but he did it anyway.

Isaiah 53:2-5:
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. ³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

We couldn’t pay our debt, so our surety paid it for us.

Isaiah 52:14:
As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

Since the earliest recording of the written Word of God men have desired the appearing of the seed of the woman, the redeemer, our messiah, the savior from sin.  We find Job speaking of his longing in what is likely the first book of the Bible ever written, Job.

Job 9:32-33:
For he [God] is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. ³³ Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

Job wanted a daysman, a mediator, to intercede for him with God.  The hope of the Old Testament believers was the first coming of Christ.  Our hope today is his second coming.  Just as we long today for his return, they longed for his first arrival.

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ the surety of a better testament (Hebrews 7:22).

Have you ever been amazed or astonished by the Scriptures?  I have.  There have been innumerable times when I have been amazed by what I read, particularly when its hunger for the truth that prompts me to open its pages.  I so long to know the Author and am astonished that He has made Himself known in this sacred text.

We all need encounters with the Word that have an impact.  Whether we read it or hear it preached or taught, the most satisfying interaction is that which captures our heart and imagination.  Astonishment can cause us to press the Scriptures to our souls.  When God’s Word awakens our affections (Colossians 3:2), it is more likely to find a home in our hearts.

It’s beholding the glory of the Lord that transforms us (II Corinthians 3:18).  It’s the brilliance and grandeur of what we see that impacts us with a more satisfied soul.  If we want to come away from our time in the Bible refreshed and astonished, we must let it capture our affections.  Then it can season our lives with flavors that are sweet and satisfying to our souls.  Indeed, God invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good.

The Bible is written specifically for us and to us, but it is not mainly about us.  It is about God and His son.  We go to the Word primarily to find out about them.  Although we want to apply the Word we read, and we want to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only.”  Our concern should be more about who we will see not what we must do.  As our picture of Who our loving heavenly Father and His only begotten son comes into focus, our days fill with delight.

The great design, the “red thread” of the whole Word of God, is Jesus Christ.  Apart from him, the Word of God cannot be understood.  He came to make known the Father; the Scriptures testify of Christ.  The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Scriptures, cannot be separated in the preaching of the Word.  If one is going to preach the Word, he will of necessity need to preach Christ.

Acts 17:2–3:
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, ³ Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

When Paul reasoned with them out of the scripture he opened and alleged about Christ.

John 1:45:
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Look at Philip’s excitement.  He knew he found Jesus because he knew what the scriptures said about him.  The scriptures testify of Jesus.

John 5:39:
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Jesus’ own words make the connection clear.  The scriptures testify of Christ.

Luke 24:44-45:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. ⁴⁵ Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.

As Jesus said, the Word contains the things concerning him.  The one subject of the whole Word of God is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God.  He is the master key to unlock the treasure house of God’s Word.

Once I saw the three notes that formed the chord of Psalm 119 (first person pronouns, second person pronouns and the synonyms for the Word of God), I thrilled at the template that it presented for developing one’s relationship with God.  I wondered if Jesus followed the template to develop his own personal relationship with his wonderful heavenly Father.  He certainly loved the written Word, and Psalm 119 might have provided Jesus with quite an appreciation of it.  Most of the 26 times that the phrase “It is written.” occurs in the four gospel accounts it came from the lips of Jesus, the living Word,

There are three exceptions to the standard form of Psalm 119, and God marks each with a figure of speech.  We do not find the chord in:
Verses 1-3 Benediction   not written in 1st person and not spoken to God.
Verse 115   Apostrophe    only verse after the intro not spoken to God.
Verse 122   Type              only verse that doesn’t contains one of the 14 Hebrew synonyms for the written word.

These 14 Hebrew synonyms for the written word, according to the Massorah, occur in every verse except 122.  In total, they occur 207 times, and form the foundation on which the Psalmist develops his intimacy with God.  He takes God at His Word, does what it says, and builds an experiential understanding that draws them together in such sweet communion.

God bless you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ who was frequently moved with compassion (Mark 1:41).

I remember standing at a sink at an airport quite a few years ago trying to wash my hands.  I had already acquired the soap from the dispenser, but I couldn’t figure out how to turn the water on.  I was pondering the situation when someone came up to another sink near me, acquired his soap, and began to wash his hands.  He just acted like the water was running and when he placed his hands under the faucet the water came out.  I chuckled as I thought, “One more new gadget.”  I began to spread the soap and placed my hands under the faucet and, sure enough, the water started to flow.

I no longer hesitate in those situations; I’ve learned to expect the motion sensor to do its job.  Not only does the water start when I place my hands under the faucet, but it stops when I remove them.  Efficient, economical, simple.  I expect it to work, and I proceed without doubt or concern.

That’s what we need to do in ministering situations.  As fellowlaborers with God, we do our part, and He does His.  If we have clear direction from His Word, we don’t wait on Him before we begin.  We do our part expecting Him to do His.  When we move our lips, throat, and tongues to formulate words we speak in tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance.  We act, and He energizes the utterance.  We speak the wonderful works of God and magnify God.

The simplicity that we learned regarding speaking in tongues should be applied to all the manifestations.  In all the manifestations we act, and God energizes.  We have become quite versatile and confident with speaking in tongues and we can do the same with all the manifestations.  Confidence develops with successful experience.  If we can learn to trust a motion sensor, surely, we can learn to trust the Lord God Almighty.  When it comes to many of the things of God, action precedes results.

When it comes to operating the power of God in your life, you do not need to understand it all before you begin.  Just start!  When you begin God will energize.  Your desire to operate the power of God is much more important than you knowing every detail about how to do it.  Don’t let it get complicated.  It is all as simple as speaking in tongues.

The power that it took to change Jesus to his exalted, glorious position at the right hand of God is available to each of us, as we believe.  God wrought the power when he raised Jesus from the dead and set him at His own right hand.  We are seated together with him.  We can reign in life with Christ Jesus.  God has moved!  It’s now our move.

Ephesians 1:17-23:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge [the full acknowledgment] of him: ¹⁸ The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ And what is the exceeding greatness of his power [dunamis] to us-ward who believe, according to the working [energeia] of his mighty [ischus] power [kratos], ²⁰ Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ Far above all principality [archē; refers to the rank, dignity, or jurisdiction of a prince.  It refers to the right to rule, to initiate actions and lead the way or champion a cause.  It emphasizes the position.], and power [exousia; refers to the authority or liberty to do as one chooses.  It emphasizes the authority.], and might [dunamis; refers to the potential power to effect the course of events of your life.  It emphasizes the ability.], and dominion [kuriotēs; refers to lordship.  It emphasizes allegiances.  There is no allegiance of people or evil forces that can now effect you.], and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: ²² And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, ²³ Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Now that’s power!  Do you have the power you need?  How does God work within you?  “According to His mighty power which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”  Can it really be that the power that brought Jesus to life and seated him at God’s righthand lives in us?  Absolutely!

We need to see the truth with our hearts.  Seeing things with our heads gives us information and gives us head knowledge which can puff us up (like it says in I Corinthians 8:1-2) if we are not careful.  Seeing things with our hearts adds an emotional element….  It adds a depth of commitment….  It has strength and solidarity behind it.  We want God’s Word to sink down into our hearts.  We want to acknowledge God and work with God on a heart level, not a superficial one.

Knowing things on a heart level makes it personal, special, and the impact is immeasurably increased.  The challenge before us is to open the eyes of our hearts today and see Christ seated at the right hand of God far above all else.  As we acknowledge our ability and authority, we will act more resolutely.  Being convinced of God’s will, will encourage us to pursue it at all times.

Figures Friday

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

The biggest danger to our liberty in Christ comes from both those who believe they have license to do anything and legalists who prescribe behavior in detail.  Those given to license recruit others to join them in their illicit activity and use addiction to pleasure to control others.  Legalists control with rules and regulations designed to breed condemnation and self-righteousness.  Both sides attack our liberty, our freedom in Christ.  Never let anyone beguile you of your freedom in Christ.

Philippians 3:2:  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

“Beware” in the Greek word, bleptō, one of the words meaning “to see.”  A more literal translation would be “watch out for,” or “look out for.”  In each of the three places in verse two “beware” is a present imperative.  That means it’s a command to continue to do something already started.  It’s continuous action; so, continue to beware don’t just beware once and then forget about it.  The warning is so emphatic because the danger is so great.

There is an element of being “proactive” to it.  Think of it like walking in a mine field.  If one of them goes off, it’s already too late.  Paul is telling them they are walking through a mine field.  We must watch every step; we must look carefully at every place we put our feet.  We do it ahead of time; we do it proactively.  We must continually be aware of the danger and beware as we walk.  It has the urgency of an APB (an All-Points Bulletin).  “Be on the look out for. . . !”  You can look at this as a big dose of preventative medicine.

The Holy Spirit marks out this verse by loading it with figures.  There are so many figures that it is difficult to retain them all in translation.  Each translation sort of picks and chooses which ones are retained.  We will see this as we read some different ones as they come up.  This makes verse two very poignant, very pungent.

The repetition of “beware of” at the beginning of each of these phrases is the figure of speech anaphora.  This triple play is a very big deal.  Of course, the emphasis is on the command “beware.”  The shortness of each phrase makes the anaphora even more powerful.  The fact that each of the words following “Beware!” begin with a “k” also adds to the intensity.  That’s not the proper figure alliteration which is the repetition of the same letter or syllable at the beginning of successive words.  However, when combined with anaphora as it is here this is the form it takes by necessity.

In the Aramaic the word “safe” and the word “beware” come from the same root.  That’s the figure of speech anadiplosis which is the repetition of the same word at end of one sentence and at the beginning of the next.  (Eg.  Genesis 1:1-2:  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void. . .”  Ephesians 6:13-14:  “Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth. . .”).  In the Aramaic it could read “. . .they caution you.  Be cautious. . . .”

The use of “dogs” is the figure hypocatastasis.  It’s the most poignant of the figures of comparison.  Don’t beware of people like dogs.  Don’t beware of people who are dogs.  Beware of dogs!  Do you see how the force of the figures increased as we went through them?  It refers to backbiters, vicious gossipers, those outside not allowed into the house.  Here it is used of the legalistic Judeans.  It was a term of distain used in Jewish culture of the Gentiles.  So, for Paul to turn it around and use it on them was deliberate and very powerful.

“The concision” is another figure; it is a play on words.  It’s a knock off of the word “circumcision.”  “Circumcision” is the Greek word “peritomē.”  “Concision” is the Greek word “katatomē.”  It literally means a cutting down into and was used of hacking or chopping up sacrificial meat.  It was also used in the LXX for the worshippers of Baal who cut themselves in I Kings 18:26.  It is a contemptuous word for circumcision (a hyperbole for circumcision) with the connotation of mutilation.  Then by metonymy for those who practice such mutilation.  Paul uses similar disparaging language in Galatians 5:12.

Galatians 5:12:  I would they were even cut off [apokoptō, cut themselves off] which trouble you.

A literal translation of this verse is:  “I wish those seditious agitators who want to circumcise you would emasculate themselves.”  “Cut off” here is a different word, but you get the idea of how Paul was so dead-set against these circumcision boys who always wanted to go around cutting everybody.  But here he takes it a step further.  He’s not referring here to just snipping off the end.  He wants them to cut back much further. . . take the whole thing off.  Later in Galatians 6:13 he says of these people that they desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

Paul uses this very blunt language in Galatians because they were familiar with it and the religious bastardization of such ritual.  Galatia was near Phrygia where they worshipped Cybele.  It was the practice for priests and devout followers to mutilate themselves by castration.  It’s as if Paul is implying that if you go this way in which circumcision is the beginning, you might as well go all the way to castration like these heathen priests.

Galatians 5:12:  [NAS]  Would that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.

Galatians 5:12b:  [NEB]  They had better go the whole way and make eunuchs of themselves.

Galatians 5:12:  [Jerusalem Bible]  Tell those who are disturbing you I would like to see the knife slip.

Let’s not forget the context in which we find this verse.  We just finished reading about the excellent examples of Jesus, Timothy, and Epaphroditus, and they are juxtaposed with these three epithets:  dogs [kuon], evil workers [kakos ergatēs], and the concision [katatomē].  Paul commits to Timothy and Epaphroditus, his fellowlaborers, but he warns the Philippians to avoid contact with these evil laborers at all costs.

Just who are these people of whom Paul is speaking… these dogs… these evil workers… these mutilators of the flesh.  Paul is not speaking about three different groups of people.  These are not distinct epithets; they overlap.  In fact, they overlap so much that all three are referring to the same people.  This is similar to a hendiatris, where three things are said, but one thing is meant.  It could be translated:  “Beware of dogs, yes destructively evil-working, mutilating dogs.”  Calling someone who prides himself on good works an evil worker is like calling a surgeon a butcher or an opera singer a hog-caller

The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) drops the anaphora and keeps the hendiatris:  “beware of the dogs, those evildoers, the Mutilated!”  The NIV retains both by substituting those for beware.  That causes one to lose the impact of the warning and shift it to the people we need to beware of:  “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.”  The New International Reader’s Version drops the anaphora, adds the hendiatris and tries to explain the play on words regarding the circumcision:  “Watch out for those dogs.  They do evil things.  When they circumcise, it is nothing more than a useless cutting of the body.”  The New Living Translation adds a historic comment to explain the reason for Paul’s disparaging comment:  “Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.”  That’s exactly what was going on.  These circumcision boys were going around saying that in order to be saved they had to be circumcised.  This is what was addressed at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.

Acts 15:1-2:  And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. ² When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

Paul doesn’t have issues with the Jews in general.  He loves them.  His heart was so big for them that it got him into trouble by going to Jerusalem when he should not have.  He didn’t have a problem with circumcision either or with people wanting to continue to circumcise their sons.  I circumcised my son.  Not so he would get the blessing of the covenant or so that he could be saved later, but because of health reasons.  The people the Gentiles needed to be warned about and prepared to oppose were those who subverted fellowship saying that circumcision and other forms of legalistic practices in the flesh were necessary for salvation.

God bless you in the exalted name of Jesus Christ, the lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5).

Dogs hold quite a difference of status in our current American culture than they did in the Eastern culture of the Bible.  In our Western culture “a dog’s life” epitomizes a life of ease devoid of anxiety.  However, dogs in the Bible lived in squalor and were forced to scavenge for food.  Although they were used as watch dogs (Isaiah 56:10) and for guarding flocks (Job 30:1).  Of all the domesticated animals, there was a particular revulsion for them.  They are on occasion juxtaposed with swine (Isaiah 66:3; Matthew 7:6; II Peter 2:22) for both were unclean animals whose repulsive behavior was a cause of distain.

To speak of oneself as a “dog” was to portray oneself as insignificant or irrelevant (I Samuel 17:43; 24 14; I Samuel 9:8) or to the miserable treatment one is receiving (I Samuel 17:43; II Samuel 3:8; II Kings 8”13).  To refer to someone else as a “dog” is an insult depicting them as among the lowest on the social scale (II Samuel 16:9).  Paul also called false apostles “dogs” (Philippians 3:2).  “Dog” was also a name the Jews used for Gentiles.  Jesus seems to also intentionally echo the same Jewish sentiments to the Gentiles when he rebuffs the Syrophoenecian woman in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30.

Matthew 15:21-24:
Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. ²³ But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. ²⁴ But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ²⁵ Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

This lady was not an Israelite.  We will read later on that she was a Syrophenician, a Gentile.  She had a daughter that was vexed, held captive, by a devil spirit, and she wanted Jesus’ help.  Jesus tells her that he came to minister unto the lost sheep of Israel.  How would that make you feel?  Under similar circumstances most of us would have given up, but not this woman.  First Jesus ignored her; then He said to His disciples, “I’m not here to help her.”  Still, she came she and worshipped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”  This Gentile mother wouldn’t leave Jesus alone!  Jesus seemed to keep putting her off, but perhaps he was waiting for something.  He finally responds to her saying:

Matthew 15:26-28:
But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. ²⁷ And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. ²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Jesus told her it wasn’t right to take the children’s bread and give it to dogs.  Did Jesus just call her a dog?  Most of us would have gone home angry.  But look at how she responds to Jesus:  “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”  She was really saying, “Lord, I don’t need the whole loaf.  Give that to the children, although most of them won’t take it.  Just give me a crumb.  I know what your bread will do.”

She was not talking about how much humility or faith she had; she was talking about how powerful Jesus’ bread is!  She was saying, “Call me anything you want, but heal my daughter.”  Then Jesus told her, “With faith like that, you can have anything you want!”  Jesus had taken this woman to the limits, and she’d passed the test. He knew her faith would turn His power loose.  We know Jesus had no animosity for this lady, but he knew his mission.  His comments to her were designed to build her believing or at least reveal it to him.  No one is an inconsequential “dog” in God’s eyes.

Great faith always takes God at His Word, and that’s what this Gentile woman did.  It paid to hang on and refuse to give up, because she received the answer she’d come for.  Her daughter was made whole!   This mother refused to accept anything less, she wanted her daughter to be healed, to be whole, to be clean and she would not stop.  She reached Jesus’ heart.  He saw the faith, the believing, she had for her daughter to receive it.  He just could not deny it.  She desperately wanted healing.  People have got to desperately want it.  Nobody likes to be sick, but do you believe God can do it?  If I believe it, I go.  Nothing is going to stop me.  Tear down the walls, whatever I have to do to get there.  That was the heart of this mother.

Mark 7:24-30:
And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. ²⁵ For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: ²⁶ The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. ²⁷ But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. ²⁸ And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. ²⁹ And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. ³⁰ And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

Jesus just spoke the Word and the devil was gone because the mother had faith for her daughter.  As parents, we have authority for our children.  She persevered, and she got it.  That is what we have to do whether we are ministering healing or receiving it.  We have to persevere when we are ministering, and we have to persevere when we need help.  No one is ever too insignificant to help or to deserve help.  No one should ever view themselves as unworthy of deliverance.  No one ever earns it; it’s bestowed by grace.  It only ever takes a crumb of the bread of life.  How far are we willing to go to get it?

We’ll do a little bit more on dogs tomorrow.

Word Study Wednesday

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ whose obedient example we are to follow (II Corinthians 10:5)

II Corinthians 10:4:
(For the weapons [hoplon; the Aramaic word is zaina, armor] of our [Paul & Timothy’s] warfare [strateia] are not carnal, but mighty [dunatos from dunamai: to be able, have power] through God to the pulling down [kathairesis; a destruction or demolition; this is a military term used only in II Corinthians 10:4, 8; 13:10.] of strong holds [ochuroma; literally, a castle, stronghold, fortress; then figuratively of anything on which one relies, particularly of the arguments and reasonings by which a disputant endeavours to fortify his opinion and defend it against his opponent.])

Proverbs 21:22:
A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

Proverbs 21:22 is a picture of someone taking a stronghold. A wise person is able to conquer the mighty. One whose strength is his wise, godly character is pictured as conquering another who trusts in physical fortifications.

Strongholds may be individual or collective. Individual strongholds are unique, shaped by personal history and development. Collective strongholds are when thinking patterns permeate and affect people functioning together. Deception and indoctrination spread corporate strongholds. People “buy into” mentalities or ways of thinking which are then reinforced and promulgated. They are more diverse than just legalism and license. Victim mentalities and elitist thinking are examples of corporate strongholds. They become like a snowball rolling down the hill, they often seem to have a life of their own. They are fortified positions used as a base of operation from which people are influenced and to which people are seduced and in which they become comfortable. Both types of strongholds capture minds and rob those seduced of the ability to think freely.

Strongholds, both personal and collective, are formidable obstacles to the healing process, for they are deeply embedded in the mind. They become fortified positions due to relentless repetition over a long period of time or due to traumatic incidents that severely effect the mind and heart of the captive. These fortresses of deception and illogic are not easily demolished, but they can be destroyed. God uses WARFARE as the analogy to communicate the urgency and relentlessness with which they must be attacked and pulled down. The stakes are high and the rewards are great, but it requires obedience to God and His Word and His ministers. Scripture offers us a model for entering into warfare against the automatic, practiced, and habitual ways of thinking that become strongholds that hold people captive, individually, in groups, and indeed even as entire nations.

Matthew 7:5:
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye.

That’s an example of someone operating from a stronghold of deception. They are wrong, practicing error, and they are not even aware of it. Corporate strongholds are shared ways of thinking. They are practiced and habitual. They form traditions or philosophies that actively control groups, masses, and nations.

Colossians 2:8:
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

They effectively rob us of rationality and our ability to recognize or contradict them. They consciously and sub-consciously rob us of free will in order to control us, and create tunnel vision. Strongholds take the mind and finally the soul captive. Satan blinds the minds in an attempt to block the word of God. It takes warriors who are a savor of life unto life to bring deliverance.

God knows all about strongholds. He is a stronghold for His people.

Proverbs 10:29: ASV
The way of Jehovah is a stronghold to the upright; But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

Isaiah 25:4: ASV
For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Jeremiah 16:19: ASV
O Jehovah, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, unto thee shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited nought but lies, even vanity and things wherein there is no profit.

Joel 3:16: ASV
And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel.

Nahum 1:7:
The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

God knows how to help people build positive strongholds in their minds. He also knows how to pull down negative ones. He’ll tell you how to take the adversary’s strongholds if you are willing to fight. When you come up against a stronghold, do you just want to give up? Are you willing to fight to take the stronghold? Strongholds are captured by people who are willing to fight… people with some resolve… people who can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. The Word of God and the spirit of God will show you how.

II Corinthians 10:5-6:
Casting down [kathaireō; verb form of “pulling down” in the previous verse] imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God [That’s what Paul and Timothy did in Corinth and other places.], and bringing into captivity [aichmalotizō] every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

These two verses establish three important aspects of Paul and Timothy’s spiritual warfare. Next Wednesday we will look at how to use them.

God bless you and greetings in the name of Jesus Christ who can save to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).

Psalms 19:16 declares, “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”  We don’t easily forget that which we delight in.  “Delight is also a great study in Psalms 119.  Like the Psalmist, we delight in God’s wonderful matchless Word.  Nine times in Psalm 119 it records his delight in the Scriptures (Psalm 119:16,24,35,47,70,77,92,143,174).  In verse 92 it says, “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.”  We can make it through any assault from our adversary when God’s Word is our delight.  In Job 23:12 while Job was under such great distress and attack, he boldly declared, “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”  Our love for God’s communication of Himself will bring delight to our souls, and keep us from perishing in our affliction also.

Our reverence and esteem for the Word of God demonstrates what we really treasure in life.  We want a true and vital spiritual relationship with God, and therefore we want to continue to develop our love and appreciation for His communication of Himself in His Word.  When we appreciate what God’s Word provides our resolve to remember is strengthened for as Psalm 119:93 says, “I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.”  It’s God’s Word that gives us life.  It provides the vitality strength and endurance it takes to live for Him.

It doesn’t matter what happens to us.  Whatever we go through we still cleave to God and His Word.  Like Psalms 119:61 says, “The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.”  Similarly Psalms 119:109 says, “My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.”  We can be in danger and the most precarious of positions, and our resolve to remember God’s Word will get us through.

There are things that ought to upset us.  Like when people disregard or treat God’s Word with contempt and derision.  Psalms 119:139 shows us that:  “My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.”  They may even belittle us, but as Psalms 119:141 says, “I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.”  It doesn’t matter what the world thinks of us.  Be we small and despise we still do not forget.  Like the psalmist, regardless of our affliction we still resolve to not forget.  Psalms 119:153:  “Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.”

Our remembrance of the truth is even more reason for His deliverance.  He will pursue and seek us out for the same reason.  The very last verse of the Psalm leaves us with great comfort.  It says, “Psalms 119:176:  “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.”

When Hannah prayed in I Samuel 1:11 she asked God to, “look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid.”  He didn’t and she gave birth to her son Samuel.  God also promised His people that He would not forget them,

Isaiah 49:15:
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

People are likely to forget, but God is not.  He will not forget us.

Psalms 44:17:
All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

There it is stated clearly again, whatever comes upon us we still never forget.  This truth is also stated positively.  We remember so that we can do what God asks.

Psalms 119:52:
I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.

Psalms 119:55:
I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.

I have awakened more than once in the middle of the night remembering something that I needed to do.  Usually startled I get out of bed to go do it or, at least, write myself a note so I do it in the morning.  Memory is usually more a direct function of the will.  We choose not to forget, we decide to remember things that are important to us.

If it’s a phone number or email repeating it a dozen or two times normally allows me to remember it until I can find someplace to write it down.  When it comes to Bible verses it generally takes that same repetition repeated consistently over a week or two before I can access it anytime and repeat it word perfect.  The way to get things into our heart so they issue in our lives (Proverbs 4:23) is by using our mouths and saying them over and over again.

Deuteronomy 30:14:
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

We use our mouths to get the words into our heart.  When they get to our hearts, we hold them fast by deliberate decisions of our will.  Proverbs 4:4 instructs us to “let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.”  This is one of the obvious reasons for scripture memorization.  Once we have hidden God’s Word in our heart, we can remember it and do it.

The Hebrew word for “retain” means “to grasp, lay hold of, or hold fast.”  As Charles Swindoll said in Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, “Scripture memory gives you a firm grasp of the Word — and allows the Word to get a firm grasp of you!”  When God’s Word is in our heart it provides sure footing.  We can more easily walk His Word when we know it.

Psalm 37:31:
The law of his [the righteous man’s] God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

Let’s get the Word in our heart so that we may do it.  As Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  Letting the Word light our way will make our footing sure and keep us from sliding off the path of God’s commandments.

I want to close with two final passages of scripture which capture my heart for you.

II Peter 1:12-15:
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. ¹³ Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; ¹⁴ Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. ¹⁵ Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

I speak great peace unto you who love God’s Word so nothing shall offend you (Psalms 119:165).

Psalms 46:1-11:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ² Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; ³ Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. ⁴ There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. ⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.  ⁶ The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. ⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.  ⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. ⁹ He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.