Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "harbinger"
The Town Crier – Part 1
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You [Psalm 89:14].
The town was in a state of waiting and uneasiness. Folks hustled hither and yon to get the latest scoop on events of import to their community, as well as to share their gossip and opinions about the whole affair. You could cut the suspense in the atmosphere with a knife.
Inside the halls of government important decisions were being decided upon. The populace was divided over the issues and the results were bound to please some while alienating others to the extreme. No one wanted what could potentially transpire to actually occur, once the decisions were announced.
Outside in the streets it was getting dark. The town authorities had worked overtime trying to resolve what might ignite a powder keg of political upheaval. Law enforcement was put on the alert, and every officer was called into duty. The atmosphere was electric.
Suddenly a voice rang out through the night air, echoing like a ricocheting bullet down the streets and alleys of the town. It was the town crier, bedecked in his official garb of robe and breeches and boots, a tricorne hat on his head customary of colonial times. In his hand was a bell, and he was ringing it energetically.
“Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!” were his opening words. Every person stopped dead in his tracks. All tongues ceased to wag and every mouth was stopped. No one wanted to miss out on the official town announcement. The outcome of the governmental business conducted behind closed doors was about to be revealed.
The entire populace of the town hung on the town crier’s every word. Their fate was about to be revealed. Would the old country be imported to the new, or would the new country remain new? Whatever decision was made, serious and severe repercussions were certain to follow.
Such was the scene back in the day, when the town criers played such a vital role in political affairs. Truth be told, in extreme cases it was not a good thing to be the town crier. He was only the messenger, yes, but messengers have been known to pay the price for the decisions of their superiors. The adage “Don’t shoot the messenger!” comes to mind.
In our Bible verse today a town crier is making the rounds of the town streets. The governmental decisions of the King of kings and Lord of lords are announced by him. He too is bedecked in official garb, and it is most exquisite.
Why don’t you come along with me, and we will go and hear what announcements he has to make. I am sure the announcements will be quite relevant to our day-to-day existence. Indeed they will determine the course not only of our earthly existence, but also of our eternal state.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s prepare our hearts and minds to receive the announcements from our Lord. We will then go forth to hear them on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The town was in a state of waiting and uneasiness. Folks hustled hither and yon to get the latest scoop on events of import to their community, as well as to share their gossip and opinions about the whole affair. You could cut the suspense in the atmosphere with a knife.
Inside the halls of government important decisions were being decided upon. The populace was divided over the issues and the results were bound to please some while alienating others to the extreme. No one wanted what could potentially transpire to actually occur, once the decisions were announced.
Outside in the streets it was getting dark. The town authorities had worked overtime trying to resolve what might ignite a powder keg of political upheaval. Law enforcement was put on the alert, and every officer was called into duty. The atmosphere was electric.
Suddenly a voice rang out through the night air, echoing like a ricocheting bullet down the streets and alleys of the town. It was the town crier, bedecked in his official garb of robe and breeches and boots, a tricorne hat on his head customary of colonial times. In his hand was a bell, and he was ringing it energetically.
“Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!” were his opening words. Every person stopped dead in his tracks. All tongues ceased to wag and every mouth was stopped. No one wanted to miss out on the official town announcement. The outcome of the governmental business conducted behind closed doors was about to be revealed.
The entire populace of the town hung on the town crier’s every word. Their fate was about to be revealed. Would the old country be imported to the new, or would the new country remain new? Whatever decision was made, serious and severe repercussions were certain to follow.
Such was the scene back in the day, when the town criers played such a vital role in political affairs. Truth be told, in extreme cases it was not a good thing to be the town crier. He was only the messenger, yes, but messengers have been known to pay the price for the decisions of their superiors. The adage “Don’t shoot the messenger!” comes to mind.
In our Bible verse today a town crier is making the rounds of the town streets. The governmental decisions of the King of kings and Lord of lords are announced by him. He too is bedecked in official garb, and it is most exquisite.
Why don’t you come along with me, and we will go and hear what announcements he has to make. I am sure the announcements will be quite relevant to our day-to-day existence. Indeed they will determine the course not only of our earthly existence, but also of our eternal state.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s prepare our hearts and minds to receive the announcements from our Lord. We will then go forth to hear them on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Town Crier – Part 2
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You [Psalm 89:14].
The town crier of old has become a relic of the past. Internet and evening news have forced him into retirement. But his functions still remain, though now they are done by other avenues for spreading the news. The town crier was the newsman of his day, you see.
The Book of Psalms is composed of Hebrew poetry. Biblical Hebrew poetry does not function in the same way as contemporary poetry does. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and consider that the essence of poetry. In Scripture the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines as their form of poetry.
When the ideas presented rhymes of similar thoughts, we call it “synonymous parallelism”. The thoughts parallel each other with basically the same idea. They are synonyms of sorts. Should the ideas express opposite thoughts, then we refer to it as “antonymous parallelism”. The thoughts parallel each other as contrasting ideas.
Psalm 89:14 is an example of Hebrew poetry. We have two lines which parallel each other. Whether they express similar or opposing ideas is a little more difficult to determine.
The first line of our verse is a reference to the Covenant of Law. The second line introduces the Covenant of Grace. Both Law and grace come from the Lord, so in that sense they are not opposed to each other. However, the two concepts do contrast different aspects of God, and Psalm 89:14 portray this truth. Hence our Bible verse is an example of “antonymous parallelism”.
Both aspects are true of God at all times. He is both righteous and loving simultaneously. He requires that justice tempered with mercy exist together. God loves us, you see, but at the same time He is righteous and cannot allow the guilty to go unpunished for their crimes against His righteous rule.
Let’s itemize the parallel ideas of the two lines:
A. righteousness and justice
B. are the foundation of Your throne
A. lovingkindness and truth
B. go before You
The “A” and “B” before each phrase identifies which ones are parallel. “Righteousness and justice” come from society’s legal code. It is right to obey the rules of civilization. Each person is governed by the same rules. This is government by law. It is “justice”.
The Law of Moses was the legal code of the Israelites while they inhabited the Promised Land in Old Testament times. The Lord identified obedience to the Law as being righteous. When society functioned in that manner, justice prevailed and the Lord was pleased. Blessings followed this arrangement.
Contrariwise, when the Law was skirted and its authority rejected, then unrighteousness existed and justice was nonexistent. Rather than blessings, the Lord rained down curses on the people and the land under that scenario.
The Law, you see, served as the “foundation” of God’s throne, of His Kingship, of His rule over Old Testament Israel. Without obedience to the Law, the reign of God wasn’t visible in Old Testament times. The Law was “the foundation of God’s throne”.
We will assay the parallelism of the second line in our next study. For now let’s mull over the parallelism of the first line and learn from the the foundation of Law.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The town crier of old has become a relic of the past. Internet and evening news have forced him into retirement. But his functions still remain, though now they are done by other avenues for spreading the news. The town crier was the newsman of his day, you see.
The Book of Psalms is composed of Hebrew poetry. Biblical Hebrew poetry does not function in the same way as contemporary poetry does. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and consider that the essence of poetry. In Scripture the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines as their form of poetry.
When the ideas presented rhymes of similar thoughts, we call it “synonymous parallelism”. The thoughts parallel each other with basically the same idea. They are synonyms of sorts. Should the ideas express opposite thoughts, then we refer to it as “antonymous parallelism”. The thoughts parallel each other as contrasting ideas.
Psalm 89:14 is an example of Hebrew poetry. We have two lines which parallel each other. Whether they express similar or opposing ideas is a little more difficult to determine.
The first line of our verse is a reference to the Covenant of Law. The second line introduces the Covenant of Grace. Both Law and grace come from the Lord, so in that sense they are not opposed to each other. However, the two concepts do contrast different aspects of God, and Psalm 89:14 portray this truth. Hence our Bible verse is an example of “antonymous parallelism”.
Both aspects are true of God at all times. He is both righteous and loving simultaneously. He requires that justice tempered with mercy exist together. God loves us, you see, but at the same time He is righteous and cannot allow the guilty to go unpunished for their crimes against His righteous rule.
Let’s itemize the parallel ideas of the two lines:
A. righteousness and justice
B. are the foundation of Your throne
A. lovingkindness and truth
B. go before You
The “A” and “B” before each phrase identifies which ones are parallel. “Righteousness and justice” come from society’s legal code. It is right to obey the rules of civilization. Each person is governed by the same rules. This is government by law. It is “justice”.
The Law of Moses was the legal code of the Israelites while they inhabited the Promised Land in Old Testament times. The Lord identified obedience to the Law as being righteous. When society functioned in that manner, justice prevailed and the Lord was pleased. Blessings followed this arrangement.
Contrariwise, when the Law was skirted and its authority rejected, then unrighteousness existed and justice was nonexistent. Rather than blessings, the Lord rained down curses on the people and the land under that scenario.
The Law, you see, served as the “foundation” of God’s throne, of His Kingship, of His rule over Old Testament Israel. Without obedience to the Law, the reign of God wasn’t visible in Old Testament times. The Law was “the foundation of God’s throne”.
We will assay the parallelism of the second line in our next study. For now let’s mull over the parallelism of the first line and learn from the the foundation of Law.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Town Crier – Part 3
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You [Psalm 89:14].
In the prior study we itemized the parallel ideas of the two lines, and we observed that the first line depicts the Covenant of Law, while the second line portrays the Covenant of Grace. Here is how we delineated the lines:
A. righteousness and justice
B. are the foundation of Your throne
A. lovingkindness and truth
B. go before You
We descanted on the parallelism of the first line. God’s throne is symbolic of His rule. The foundation of God’s rule is “righteousness and justice”. The two go together like hand in glove, or better yet like fruit on the tree. It is inconceivable that God could be anything but righteous, is it not? Righteousness and His very character are indivisible.
The legal code of the Israelites while they inhabited the Promised Land was the Law of Moses. God legislated it as the Law for the Israelites in the Promised Land. He noted that obedience to His Law equaled “righteousness”. Justice resulted when the Law was obeyed. The Law was the tree, and it represented righteousness. Obedience to the Law typified the fruit of the tree, the justice which occurred when the Law was obeyed.
Now let’s delve into the second line of the Bible verse. This line portrays the Covenant of Grace. The Law is noted for its “righteousness and justice”. Grace is epitomized by “lovingkindness and truth”. The two are bound together indivisibly in the Person of God, yet they are anything but the same. This is why the Bible verse presents “antonymous parallelism” and not “synonymous parallelism”.
On the one hand God loves us and doesn’t want to sentence us to death for our sins. Yet the wages of sin is death, and so He must put sinners to death as the penalty for their sins. Anything short of this would be tantamount to unrighteousness. Can it even be envisioned, God being unrighteous? Egads, man!
Imagine a local judge in the courtroom. A person is tried and convicted of premeditated murder. His sentencing is underway. The judge looks at him sternly and tells him off for being a lowlife killer. But then the judge’s face changes to a look of leniency, a look of pity and spineless morality. He tells the convicted murderer,
Though you are most definitely guilty of first-degree murder and deserve to die, still I can’t bring myself to have you executed. So go your way and behave yourself. I am releasing you under your own recognizance.
I can smell impeachment proceedings. I can also smell the avenger of blood going to work post haste. That scenario doesn’t depict a “loving” judge. It depicts a spineless wonder, a pusillanimous pansy. Contemporary America is under the spell of middle class affluent morality, dear friends, and it parades itself in the churches as Biblical righteousness. Beware!
Let us ponder this warning in the presence of the dear Lord Jesus. We will conclude this study on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
In the prior study we itemized the parallel ideas of the two lines, and we observed that the first line depicts the Covenant of Law, while the second line portrays the Covenant of Grace. Here is how we delineated the lines:
A. righteousness and justice
B. are the foundation of Your throne
A. lovingkindness and truth
B. go before You
We descanted on the parallelism of the first line. God’s throne is symbolic of His rule. The foundation of God’s rule is “righteousness and justice”. The two go together like hand in glove, or better yet like fruit on the tree. It is inconceivable that God could be anything but righteous, is it not? Righteousness and His very character are indivisible.
The legal code of the Israelites while they inhabited the Promised Land was the Law of Moses. God legislated it as the Law for the Israelites in the Promised Land. He noted that obedience to His Law equaled “righteousness”. Justice resulted when the Law was obeyed. The Law was the tree, and it represented righteousness. Obedience to the Law typified the fruit of the tree, the justice which occurred when the Law was obeyed.
Now let’s delve into the second line of the Bible verse. This line portrays the Covenant of Grace. The Law is noted for its “righteousness and justice”. Grace is epitomized by “lovingkindness and truth”. The two are bound together indivisibly in the Person of God, yet they are anything but the same. This is why the Bible verse presents “antonymous parallelism” and not “synonymous parallelism”.
On the one hand God loves us and doesn’t want to sentence us to death for our sins. Yet the wages of sin is death, and so He must put sinners to death as the penalty for their sins. Anything short of this would be tantamount to unrighteousness. Can it even be envisioned, God being unrighteous? Egads, man!
Imagine a local judge in the courtroom. A person is tried and convicted of premeditated murder. His sentencing is underway. The judge looks at him sternly and tells him off for being a lowlife killer. But then the judge’s face changes to a look of leniency, a look of pity and spineless morality. He tells the convicted murderer,
Though you are most definitely guilty of first-degree murder and deserve to die, still I can’t bring myself to have you executed. So go your way and behave yourself. I am releasing you under your own recognizance.
I can smell impeachment proceedings. I can also smell the avenger of blood going to work post haste. That scenario doesn’t depict a “loving” judge. It depicts a spineless wonder, a pusillanimous pansy. Contemporary America is under the spell of middle class affluent morality, dear friends, and it parades itself in the churches as Biblical righteousness. Beware!
Let us ponder this warning in the presence of the dear Lord Jesus. We will conclude this study on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Town Crier – Part 4
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You [Psalm 89:14].
Contemporary America is under the spell of middle class affluent morality, and it parades itself in the churches as Biblical righteousness. Beware the leaven of the spoiled rich kids, dear people.
A judge’s role is not to be “loving”. He is there to be “righteous”. He is there to enforce the law. God didn’t just overlook man’s sins and send him away scot-free because God is such a swell guy. God the Father gave His one and only Son as a sin offering on man’s behalf. The Son died man’s death that we might live His life. Man’s sins were not overlooked. Their penalty, death, was paid by God Himself.
This is the essence of “grace”, dear friends. It flows from God’s love, not from anything stemming from man. Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life (cf., John 14:6). The Law came through Moses, but grace and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ.
Hence the parallelism in Psalm 89:14. God’s rule is righteous. That is its foundation. So God paid the penalty for man’s sins Himself, thereby maintaining His righteous rule. Sin was not overlooked: it was judged and the sinner executed. Man’s sins were placed on Jesus on the cross, making Jesus to be sin on our behalf.
After maintaining His righteous rule by condemning sin in the flesh, God now holds out His hand to man and offers us peace with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. This comes by grace through faith. It spells God’s “lovingkindness and truth”. The Law is the foundation of God’s rule, but grace goes before Him. Grace, you see, is the town crier.
The legal proceedings have been completed. The meeting is adjourned. The King has arrived at His decision: the soul that sins will die. Every head drops and every mouth is shut. No one can lift the head to look into the face of the King of kings and Lord of lords. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no, not even one. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.
But then the town crier goes before Him, goes ahead of the Law and announces the remainder of the King’s ruling. The town crier announces,
Though all of us have gone astray like sheep and turned to our own way, nonetheless the King has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. All that is required of us is to turn back to Jesus and repent of our sins, acknowledge them to Him, and ask Him for His forgiveness.
I think I like this town crier. He is a preacher of extraordinary ability. He is a prophet to proclaim glad tidings of good cheer. He is the lovely feet on the mountaintop who brings good news, who publishes glad tidings, who proclaims peace, who declares, “Our God reigns!”
Do you know the grace of God? Have you received His offer of peace through His Son, Jesus Christ? Go to Him now and receive Him. Kiss the Son, lest He smite you in the way.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Contemporary America is under the spell of middle class affluent morality, and it parades itself in the churches as Biblical righteousness. Beware the leaven of the spoiled rich kids, dear people.
A judge’s role is not to be “loving”. He is there to be “righteous”. He is there to enforce the law. God didn’t just overlook man’s sins and send him away scot-free because God is such a swell guy. God the Father gave His one and only Son as a sin offering on man’s behalf. The Son died man’s death that we might live His life. Man’s sins were not overlooked. Their penalty, death, was paid by God Himself.
This is the essence of “grace”, dear friends. It flows from God’s love, not from anything stemming from man. Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life (cf., John 14:6). The Law came through Moses, but grace and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ.
Hence the parallelism in Psalm 89:14. God’s rule is righteous. That is its foundation. So God paid the penalty for man’s sins Himself, thereby maintaining His righteous rule. Sin was not overlooked: it was judged and the sinner executed. Man’s sins were placed on Jesus on the cross, making Jesus to be sin on our behalf.
After maintaining His righteous rule by condemning sin in the flesh, God now holds out His hand to man and offers us peace with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. This comes by grace through faith. It spells God’s “lovingkindness and truth”. The Law is the foundation of God’s rule, but grace goes before Him. Grace, you see, is the town crier.
The legal proceedings have been completed. The meeting is adjourned. The King has arrived at His decision: the soul that sins will die. Every head drops and every mouth is shut. No one can lift the head to look into the face of the King of kings and Lord of lords. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no, not even one. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.
But then the town crier goes before Him, goes ahead of the Law and announces the remainder of the King’s ruling. The town crier announces,
Though all of us have gone astray like sheep and turned to our own way, nonetheless the King has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. All that is required of us is to turn back to Jesus and repent of our sins, acknowledge them to Him, and ask Him for His forgiveness.
I think I like this town crier. He is a preacher of extraordinary ability. He is a prophet to proclaim glad tidings of good cheer. He is the lovely feet on the mountaintop who brings good news, who publishes glad tidings, who proclaims peace, who declares, “Our God reigns!”
Do you know the grace of God? Have you received His offer of peace through His Son, Jesus Christ? Go to Him now and receive Him. Kiss the Son, lest He smite you in the way.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Town Crier – Part 1
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You [Psalm 89:14].
The town was in a state of waiting and uneasiness. Folks hustled hither and yon to get the latest scoop on events of import to their community, as well as to share their gossip and opinions about the whole affair. You could cut the suspense in the atmosphere with a knife.
Inside the halls of government important decisions were being decided. The populace was divided over the issues and the results were bound to please some while alienating others to the extreme. No one wanted what could potentially transpire to actually occur, once the decisions were announced.
Outside in the streets it was getting dark. The town authorities had worked overtime trying to resolve what might ignite a powder keg of political upheaval. Law enforcement was put on the alert, and every officer was called into duty. The atmosphere was electric.
Suddenly a voice rang out through the night air, echoing like a ricocheting bullet down the streets and alleys of the town. It was the town crier, bedecked in his official garb of robe and breeches and boots, a tricorne hat on his head customary of colonial times. In his hand was a bell, and he was ringing it energetically.
“Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!” were his opening words. Every person stopped dead in his tracks. All tongues ceased to wag and every mouth was stopped. No one wanted to miss out on the official town announcement. The outcome of the governmental business conducted behind closed doors was about to be revealed.
The entire populace of the town hung on the town crier’s every word. Their fate was about to be revealed. Would the old country be imported to the new, or would the new country remain new? Whatever decision was made, serious and severe repercussions were certain to follow.
Such was the scene back in the day, when the town criers played such a vital role in political affairs. Truth be told, in extreme cases it was not a good thing to be the town crier. He was only the messenger, yes, but messengers have been known to pay the price for the decisions of their superiors. The adage “Don’t shoot the messenger!” comes to mind.
In our Bible verse today a town crier is making the rounds of the town streets. The governmental decisions of the King of kings and Lord of lords are announced by him. He too is bedecked in official garb, and it is most exquisite.
Why don’t you come along with me, and we will go and hear what announcements he has to make. I am sure the announcements will be quite relevant to our day-to-day existence. Indeed they will determine the course not only of our earthly existence, but also of our eternal state.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s prepare our hearts and minds to receive the announcements from our Lord. We will then go forth to hear them on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The town was in a state of waiting and uneasiness. Folks hustled hither and yon to get the latest scoop on events of import to their community, as well as to share their gossip and opinions about the whole affair. You could cut the suspense in the atmosphere with a knife.
Inside the halls of government important decisions were being decided. The populace was divided over the issues and the results were bound to please some while alienating others to the extreme. No one wanted what could potentially transpire to actually occur, once the decisions were announced.
Outside in the streets it was getting dark. The town authorities had worked overtime trying to resolve what might ignite a powder keg of political upheaval. Law enforcement was put on the alert, and every officer was called into duty. The atmosphere was electric.
Suddenly a voice rang out through the night air, echoing like a ricocheting bullet down the streets and alleys of the town. It was the town crier, bedecked in his official garb of robe and breeches and boots, a tricorne hat on his head customary of colonial times. In his hand was a bell, and he was ringing it energetically.
“Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!” were his opening words. Every person stopped dead in his tracks. All tongues ceased to wag and every mouth was stopped. No one wanted to miss out on the official town announcement. The outcome of the governmental business conducted behind closed doors was about to be revealed.
The entire populace of the town hung on the town crier’s every word. Their fate was about to be revealed. Would the old country be imported to the new, or would the new country remain new? Whatever decision was made, serious and severe repercussions were certain to follow.
Such was the scene back in the day, when the town criers played such a vital role in political affairs. Truth be told, in extreme cases it was not a good thing to be the town crier. He was only the messenger, yes, but messengers have been known to pay the price for the decisions of their superiors. The adage “Don’t shoot the messenger!” comes to mind.
In our Bible verse today a town crier is making the rounds of the town streets. The governmental decisions of the King of kings and Lord of lords are announced by him. He too is bedecked in official garb, and it is most exquisite.
Why don’t you come along with me, and we will go and hear what announcements he has to make. I am sure the announcements will be quite relevant to our day-to-day existence. Indeed they will determine the course not only of our earthly existence, but also of our eternal state.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s prepare our hearts and minds to receive the announcements from our Lord. We will then go forth to hear them on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Town Crier – Part 2
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You [Psalm 89:14].
The town crier of old has become a relic of the past. Internet and evening news have forced him into retirement. But his functions still remain, though now they are done by other avenues for spreading the news. The town crier was the newsman of his day, you see.
The Book of Psalms is composed of Hebrew poetry. Biblical Hebrew poetry does not function in the same way as contemporary poetry does. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and consider that to be the essence of poetry. In Scripture the Hebrews rhymed ideas between lines as their form of poetry.
When the ideas presented rhymes of similar thoughts, we call it “synonymous parallelism”. The thoughts parallel each other with basically the same idea. They are synonyms of sorts. Should the ideas express opposite thoughts, then we refer to it as “antonymous parallelism”. The thoughts parallel each other as contrasting ideas.
Psalm 89:14 is an example of Hebrew poetry. We have two lines which parallel each other. Whether they express similar or opposing ideas is a little more difficult to determine.
The first line of our verse is a reference to the Covenant of Law. The second line introduces the Covenant of Grace. Both Law and grace come from the Lord, so in that sense they are not opposed to each other. However, the two concepts do contrast different aspects of God, and Psalm 89:14 portrays this truth. Hence our Bible verse is an example of “antonymous parallelism”.
Both aspects are true of God at all times. He is both righteous and loving simultaneously. He requires that justice tempered with mercy exist together. God loves us, you see, but at the same time He is righteous and cannot allow the guilty to go unpunished for their crimes against His righteous rule.
Let’s itemize the parallel ideas of the two lines:
A. righteousness and justice
B. are the foundation of Your throne
A. lovingkindness and truth
B. go before You
The “A” and “B” before each phrase identifies which ones are parallel. “Righteousness and justice” come from society’s legal code. It is right to obey the rules of civilization. Each person is governed by the same rules. This is government by law. It is “justice”.
The Law of Moses was the legal code of the Israelites while they inhabited the Promised Land in Old Testament times. The Lord identified obedience to the Law as being righteous. When society functioned in that manner, justice prevailed and the Lord was pleased. Blessings followed this arrangement.
Contrariwise, when the Law was skirted and its authority rejected, then unrighteousness existed and justice was nonexistent. Rather than blessings, the Lord rained down curses on the people and the land under that scenario.
The Law, you see, served as the “foundation” of God’s throne, of His Kingship, of His rule over Old Testament Israel. Without obedience to the Law, the reign of God wasn’t visible in Old Testament times. The Law was “the foundation of God’s throne”.
We will assay the parallelism of the second line in our next study. For now let’s mull over the parallelism of the first line and learn from the the foundation of Law.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The town crier of old has become a relic of the past. Internet and evening news have forced him into retirement. But his functions still remain, though now they are done by other avenues for spreading the news. The town crier was the newsman of his day, you see.
The Book of Psalms is composed of Hebrew poetry. Biblical Hebrew poetry does not function in the same way as contemporary poetry does. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines and consider that to be the essence of poetry. In Scripture the Hebrews rhymed ideas between lines as their form of poetry.
When the ideas presented rhymes of similar thoughts, we call it “synonymous parallelism”. The thoughts parallel each other with basically the same idea. They are synonyms of sorts. Should the ideas express opposite thoughts, then we refer to it as “antonymous parallelism”. The thoughts parallel each other as contrasting ideas.
Psalm 89:14 is an example of Hebrew poetry. We have two lines which parallel each other. Whether they express similar or opposing ideas is a little more difficult to determine.
The first line of our verse is a reference to the Covenant of Law. The second line introduces the Covenant of Grace. Both Law and grace come from the Lord, so in that sense they are not opposed to each other. However, the two concepts do contrast different aspects of God, and Psalm 89:14 portrays this truth. Hence our Bible verse is an example of “antonymous parallelism”.
Both aspects are true of God at all times. He is both righteous and loving simultaneously. He requires that justice tempered with mercy exist together. God loves us, you see, but at the same time He is righteous and cannot allow the guilty to go unpunished for their crimes against His righteous rule.
Let’s itemize the parallel ideas of the two lines:
A. righteousness and justice
B. are the foundation of Your throne
A. lovingkindness and truth
B. go before You
The “A” and “B” before each phrase identifies which ones are parallel. “Righteousness and justice” come from society’s legal code. It is right to obey the rules of civilization. Each person is governed by the same rules. This is government by law. It is “justice”.
The Law of Moses was the legal code of the Israelites while they inhabited the Promised Land in Old Testament times. The Lord identified obedience to the Law as being righteous. When society functioned in that manner, justice prevailed and the Lord was pleased. Blessings followed this arrangement.
Contrariwise, when the Law was skirted and its authority rejected, then unrighteousness existed and justice was nonexistent. Rather than blessings, the Lord rained down curses on the people and the land under that scenario.
The Law, you see, served as the “foundation” of God’s throne, of His Kingship, of His rule over Old Testament Israel. Without obedience to the Law, the reign of God wasn’t visible in Old Testament times. The Law was “the foundation of God’s throne”.
We will assay the parallelism of the second line in our next study. For now let’s mull over the parallelism of the first line and learn from the the foundation of Law.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Town Crier – Part 3
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You [Psalm 89:14].
In the prior study we itemized the parallel ideas of the two lines, and we observed that the first line depicts the Covenant of Law, while the second line portrays the Covenant of Grace. Here is how we delineated the lines:
A. righteousness and justice
B. are the foundation of Your throne
A. lovingkindness and truth
B. go before You
We descanted on the parallelism of the first line. God’s throne is symbolic of His rule. The foundation of God’s rule is “righteousness and justice”. The two go together like hand in glove, or better yet like fruit on the tree. It is inconceivable that God could be anything but righteous, is it not? Righteousness and His very character are indivisible.
The legal code of the Israelites while they inhabited the Promised Land was the Law of Moses. God legislated it as the Law for the Israelites in the Promised Land. He noted that obedience to His Law equaled “righteousness”. Justice resulted when the Law was obeyed. The Law was the tree, and it represented righteousness. Obedience to the Law typified the fruit of the tree, the justice which occurred when the Law was obeyed.
Now let’s delve into the second line of the Bible verse. This line portrays the Covenant of Grace. The Law is noted for its “righteousness and justice”. Grace is epitomized by “lovingkindness and truth”. The two are bound together indivisibly in the Person of God, yet they are anything but the same. This is why the Bible verse presents “antonymous parallelism” and not “synonymous parallelism”.
On the one hand God loves us and doesn’t want to sentence us to death for our sins. Yet the wages of sin is death, and so He must put sinners to death as the penalty for their sins. Anything short of this would be tantamount to unrighteousness. Can it even be envisioned, God being unrighteous? Egads, man!
Imagine a local judge in the courtroom. A person is tried and convicted of premeditated murder. His sentencing is underway. The judge looks at him sternly and tells him off for being a lowlife killer. But then the judge’s face changes to a look of leniency, a look of pity and spineless morality. He tells the convicted murderer,
Though you are most definitely guilty of first-degree murder and deserve to die, still I can’t bring myself to have you executed. So go your way and behave yourself. I am releasing you under your own recognizance.
I can smell impeachment proceedings. I can also smell the avenger of blood going to work post haste. That scenario doesn’t depict a “loving” judge. It depicts a spineless wonder, a pusillanimous pansy. Contemporary America is under the spell of middle class affluent morality, dear friends, and it parades itself in the churches as Biblical righteousness. Beware!
Let us ponder this warning in the presence of the dear Lord Jesus. We will conclude this study on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
In the prior study we itemized the parallel ideas of the two lines, and we observed that the first line depicts the Covenant of Law, while the second line portrays the Covenant of Grace. Here is how we delineated the lines:
A. righteousness and justice
B. are the foundation of Your throne
A. lovingkindness and truth
B. go before You
We descanted on the parallelism of the first line. God’s throne is symbolic of His rule. The foundation of God’s rule is “righteousness and justice”. The two go together like hand in glove, or better yet like fruit on the tree. It is inconceivable that God could be anything but righteous, is it not? Righteousness and His very character are indivisible.
The legal code of the Israelites while they inhabited the Promised Land was the Law of Moses. God legislated it as the Law for the Israelites in the Promised Land. He noted that obedience to His Law equaled “righteousness”. Justice resulted when the Law was obeyed. The Law was the tree, and it represented righteousness. Obedience to the Law typified the fruit of the tree, the justice which occurred when the Law was obeyed.
Now let’s delve into the second line of the Bible verse. This line portrays the Covenant of Grace. The Law is noted for its “righteousness and justice”. Grace is epitomized by “lovingkindness and truth”. The two are bound together indivisibly in the Person of God, yet they are anything but the same. This is why the Bible verse presents “antonymous parallelism” and not “synonymous parallelism”.
On the one hand God loves us and doesn’t want to sentence us to death for our sins. Yet the wages of sin is death, and so He must put sinners to death as the penalty for their sins. Anything short of this would be tantamount to unrighteousness. Can it even be envisioned, God being unrighteous? Egads, man!
Imagine a local judge in the courtroom. A person is tried and convicted of premeditated murder. His sentencing is underway. The judge looks at him sternly and tells him off for being a lowlife killer. But then the judge’s face changes to a look of leniency, a look of pity and spineless morality. He tells the convicted murderer,
Though you are most definitely guilty of first-degree murder and deserve to die, still I can’t bring myself to have you executed. So go your way and behave yourself. I am releasing you under your own recognizance.
I can smell impeachment proceedings. I can also smell the avenger of blood going to work post haste. That scenario doesn’t depict a “loving” judge. It depicts a spineless wonder, a pusillanimous pansy. Contemporary America is under the spell of middle class affluent morality, dear friends, and it parades itself in the churches as Biblical righteousness. Beware!
Let us ponder this warning in the presence of the dear Lord Jesus. We will conclude this study on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Town Crier – Part 4
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You [Psalm 89:14].
Contemporary America is under the spell of middle class affluent morality, and it parades itself in the churches as Biblical righteousness. Beware the leaven of the spoiled rich kids, dear people.
A judge’s role is not to be “loving”. He is there to be “righteous”. He is there to enforce the law. God didn’t just overlook man’s sins and send him away scot-free because God is such a swell guy. God the Father gave His one and only Son as a sin offering on man’s behalf. The Son died man’s death that we might live His life. Man’s sins were not overlooked. Their penalty, death, was paid by God Himself.
That is the essence of “grace”, dear friends. It flows from God’s love, not from anything stemming from man. Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life (cf., John 14:6). The Law came through Moses, but grace and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ.
Hence the parallelism in Psalm 89:14. God’s rule is righteous. That is its foundation. So God paid the penalty for man’s sins Himself, thereby maintaining His righteous rule. Sin was not overlooked: it was judged and the sinner executed. Man’s sins were placed on Jesus on the cross, making Jesus to be sin on our behalf.
After maintaining His righteous rule by condemning sin in the flesh, God now holds out His hand to man and offers us peace with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. This comes by grace through faith. It spells God’s “lovingkindness and truth”. The Law is the foundation of God’s rule, but grace goes before Him. Grace, you see, is the town crier.
The legal proceedings have been completed. The meeting is adjourned. The King has arrived at His decision: the soul that sins will die. Every head drops and every mouth is shut. No one can lift the head to look into the face of the King of kings and Lord of lords. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no, not even one. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.
But then the town crier goes before Him, goes ahead of the Law and announces the remainder of the King’s ruling. The town crier announces,
Though all of us have gone astray like sheep and turned to our own way, nonetheless the King has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. All that is required of us is to turn back to Jesus and repent of our sins, acknowledge them to Him, and ask Him for His forgiveness.
I think I like this town crier. He is a preacher of extraordinary ability. He is a prophet to proclaim glad tidings of good cheer. He is the lovely feet on the mountaintop to bring good news, to publish glad tidings, to proclaim peace, to declare, “Our God reigns!”
Do you know the grace of God? Have you received His offer of peace through His Son, Jesus Christ? Go to Him now and receive Him. Kiss the Son, lest He smite you in the way.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Contemporary America is under the spell of middle class affluent morality, and it parades itself in the churches as Biblical righteousness. Beware the leaven of the spoiled rich kids, dear people.
A judge’s role is not to be “loving”. He is there to be “righteous”. He is there to enforce the law. God didn’t just overlook man’s sins and send him away scot-free because God is such a swell guy. God the Father gave His one and only Son as a sin offering on man’s behalf. The Son died man’s death that we might live His life. Man’s sins were not overlooked. Their penalty, death, was paid by God Himself.
That is the essence of “grace”, dear friends. It flows from God’s love, not from anything stemming from man. Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life (cf., John 14:6). The Law came through Moses, but grace and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ.
Hence the parallelism in Psalm 89:14. God’s rule is righteous. That is its foundation. So God paid the penalty for man’s sins Himself, thereby maintaining His righteous rule. Sin was not overlooked: it was judged and the sinner executed. Man’s sins were placed on Jesus on the cross, making Jesus to be sin on our behalf.
After maintaining His righteous rule by condemning sin in the flesh, God now holds out His hand to man and offers us peace with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. This comes by grace through faith. It spells God’s “lovingkindness and truth”. The Law is the foundation of God’s rule, but grace goes before Him. Grace, you see, is the town crier.
The legal proceedings have been completed. The meeting is adjourned. The King has arrived at His decision: the soul that sins will die. Every head drops and every mouth is shut. No one can lift the head to look into the face of the King of kings and Lord of lords. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no, not even one. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.
But then the town crier goes before Him, goes ahead of the Law and announces the remainder of the King’s ruling. The town crier announces,
Though all of us have gone astray like sheep and turned to our own way, nonetheless the King has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. All that is required of us is to turn back to Jesus and repent of our sins, acknowledge them to Him, and ask Him for His forgiveness.
I think I like this town crier. He is a preacher of extraordinary ability. He is a prophet to proclaim glad tidings of good cheer. He is the lovely feet on the mountaintop to bring good news, to publish glad tidings, to proclaim peace, to declare, “Our God reigns!”
Do you know the grace of God? Have you received His offer of peace through His Son, Jesus Christ? Go to Him now and receive Him. Kiss the Son, lest He smite you in the way.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
