Category: Spiritual

Proverbs 2:7; 2:1-5 (NRSV)

Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Believers must not despise wisdom; we must embrace it, otherwise our life won’t be meaningful. Believers must not despise instruction; we must embrace it too, or our living won’t be disciplined. We must   have a reverential fear – a fear that honors and respects the Lord for this fear is the source of knowledge. It requires us to surrender our ways and submit to the ruling of God and obedience to His word. Those who refuse to honor God and His way reject wisdom and instruction and are fools.

 How impressive it would be if every parent spoke passionately to their children as Solomon did his son, instilling in them the value of wisdom! We spend much of our time on earth seeking possessions, prestige, successful living, and riches. Most often these become our gods and the center of our focus. Wisdom is more valuable than riches because it centers our focus toward knowledge of the true and living God. Solomon teaches us of the benefits wisdom provides, but there are conditions we must meet to experience them.  

In verses four through eight Solomon offers eight conditional – if…then commands (paraphrased) and verse five is the reward for meeting the conditions. He advises his son that if he accepts his words and hides his commandments within him (v.1); inclines, or listens intently to wisdom and inclining his heart, making every effort to understand it (v.2); if he indeed cries out for insight, or discernment, and raises his voice for understanding (v.3);if he seeks it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures (v.4) – then he will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God (v.5). Solomon encourages his son to seek wisdom in the same eager manner men used in mines in days of old to search for silver. Search for her as for hidden treasures that required excessive labor and digging. Your labor will not be in vain for when you find it, you find spiritual treasure; that is your reward. Wisdom is not unreachable or illusive. Seeking it requires loyalty and commitment. Even though it is of God, only those who earnestly seek for it as silver, and search intensely for it as for hidden treasures will find it. Then we will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

Exodus 19:3-6 (KJV)

The beauty of making a promise is keeping it, yet anyone of us may make a promise and never fulfill it. But don’t you just love it because God is a promise-keeper? He promised Israel He’d make them a peculiar treasure to Himself; the promise was conditional.

 “ ³And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; ⁴ Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself ” (Exodus 19:3-4).

Moses went up to the mountain, and the Lord instructed him to tell Israel they saw what He did to the Egyptians. They had seen God triumph in the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh when Moses returned to Egypt. Pharaoh was a type of devil. In Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked “Who is the Lord that I should obey Him?” God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and sent ten different plagues on the land of Egypt. Pharaoh did let the children of Israel go. They saw how God bore them on eagles’ wings; this was figurative of God bringing His own from Egypt to Sinai, illustrating how God as a loving parent saves and protects His children just as an eagle cares for its young.  He wanted them to remember how He brought them to Himself. This foreshadows Christ’s death on the cross, bringing mankind back in a right relationship with Him. 

“ ⁵ Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; ⁶ and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel” (ESV).

In these two verses the Lord called Israel: “a treasured possession,” “a kingdom of priests,” and “a holy nation.” These titles were dependent upon two conditions for the nation of Israel and are so for us, the church, today – obedience to God and keeping His covenant. Then there are divine blessings which such a nation would experience: “for all the earth is mine;” the nation of Israel would belong especially to the Lord, representing Him in the earth and being set apart unto Him for His purposes. Is God’s promise relevant today? Yes, it is; He is a promise-keeper. He, and He alone is unique and sovereign and must be recognized as our only True and Living God. His peculiar treasure is to have no other gods before Him. He is jealous and all-powerful; no so-called god of man’s can stand against Him. We are God’s spiritual kingdom, “His treasured possession.” Let us represent.

John 1:1-2,14a ; 3:16 (NKJV)

One of the most memorized verses in the Bible is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This verse confirms God’s eternal love for the crown of His creation even though we are sinners – disobedient and undeserving of His favor. Man’s fall from God’s grace didn’t stop Him from loving us. Oh, how quick we are to stop loving each other with our imperfect, impatient selves! “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Centuries prior to the first Advent of Jesus, prophets foretold of the coming of a Savior born of a virgin who would save all who believed in him from their sins.  It was prophesied that his name would be called Immanuel which is translated, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). In Matthew 1:21 the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream, saying “you shall call His name Jesus,”literally meaning Savior. We have made promises we didn’t keep, but God did just what He said He’d do. He didn’t leave us wandering aimlessly as lost sheep in the wilderness – helpless and vulnerable to being attached and destroyed by wild animals. Nor has He left us sitting on the porch or the steps waiting for Him to come, and He never showed up.

He was actually here all the time: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:1-2, 14a). In Philippians 2:5-8 (paraphrased), even though Jesus Christ, being in the form of God, that is Spirit, did not think it was robbery, being equal with God to leave his home in glory and take on the form of a bondservant to save sinner man. Yes, by the power of the Holy Spirit God entered this world through the womb of a virgin named Mary. “God with us” is prophecy fulfilled. He became fully man and lived in this earthly realm, yet he maintained his nature as fully God. His Love for sinners manifested through the coming of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, Who came to give us life everlasting if we believe in. He humbled himself and became obedient to death of the cross. Now we are to humble ourselves and graciously accept the way of Salvation in the name of Jesus, the Savior of the world. He died for all, but only those who believe in Jesus, God’s only begotten Son will not perish but have everlasting life.

Matthew 1:18-25 (NKJV)

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (v. 18). Mary’s engagement to Joseph was a legally binding contract and required a divorce for it to be nullified. Before they came together, the Holy Spirit overshadows her, and she conceives a child. Once Joseph knew of her pregnancy he assumes that she had been unfaithful to him, but being just and righteous, and not wanting to publicly disgrace her, he planned to divorce her quietly. He was in a dilemma; Jewish customs and laws say that Mary could be disgraced or punished, and even Joseph could face humiliation from his peers. Mary would probably bear the brunt of the more harsh criticism from the sisters. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Oops, Mary hadn’t sinned; she had faith and responded to God’s call to carry His only begotten Son for nine months in her womb. Oh, what a privilege!

We make plans, but God can change them to accomplish His purpose. Joseph was thinking about his plans for handling this situation, when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, telling him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife “for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (v.20) “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (V. 21). Joseph showed great faith and love for Mary and the Lord and obeyed for the angel’s command to take her as his wife. Do we exercise that level of love and faith in the face of humiliation, or do we override the Holy Spirit out of fear of what someone might say?

Joseph exemplified obedience; we should do the same. Verses 22-23: ‘So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet [Isaiah] saying: ²³ Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”’ Matthew 1:24-25say that Joseph awoke from his sleep, and right away responded obediently to the command of the angel of the Lord and took Mary home as his wife. God trusted Joseph; he was self-disciplined and did not know her till she had given birth to her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus; He was the blessing that resulted from a humiliating dilemma, praise God.

Jeremiah 23:3-4

How many of us believe that nothing goes on without God’s foreknowledge and allowance? Yes, God knows beforehand; He’s omniscient; however, because of man’s free-will moral agent status, we choose disobedience or obedience. He is sovereign, and it is His predestined will that we should have eternal life through belief in His son Jesus Christ, but He never forces Himself on us. Disobedience is sin, separation from God; “the wages of sin is death.” Obedience is abiding in the righteousness of God; “the gift of God is eternal life.” The faithless pastors destroyed and scattered God’s people, and on behalf of God Jeremiah pronounced their indictment – “Woe to the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture” (23:1)!

After the prophecy of indictment, the Lord promises hope to His neglected people. “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply” (23:3).  God says that He will gather the remnant of His flock out of all the countries “where I have driven them.” He announced punishment on the pastors for destroying and scattering His sheep because of their evil and irresponsible leadership. His people were driven from the safety of their sheepfold, resulting in their dispersion and captivity because of their persistent disobedience. Now God says “where I have driven them” to assure us that nothing happens without His foreknowledge and allowance. After all, He is our Creator, giving Him full ownership of us for His good pleasure. He continues offering them hope of restoration; “I will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.” His chosen people were blessed to be in His favor as we are too.

“I will set up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, says the Lord” (23:4). Because the pastors failed to care for God’s people pre-exile, He promised that when he gathered the destroyed and scattered remnant home again, He would set up shepherds over them who would feed them physically and spiritually. Jeremiah continued the prophecy of the Lord, saying that when He gathered them home they will fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking.  “…for they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing” (Psalm 34:10b). We are His people and have the assurance from God that He will take care of us. How good and gracious our Almighty Father is!