Randy Green's Blog, page 413
March 7, 2014
Oohs and Aahs – Part 1
(The Lord said to Elijah), “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing [1 Kings 19:11-12].
Elijah was the Lord’s Numero Uno prophet in northern Israel under the divided kingdom. During his day Israel was in a bad way, which is why the Lord used Elijah to perform fantastic feats of nature (i.e., miracles). The king of Israel was the no-account scoundrel Ahab, who married none other than Jezebel, princess of Sidon—you know, the Jezebel of byword notoriety.
Well, the Sidonians worshiped Baal. So it surprised no one when Jezebel brought Baal worship to northern Israel, after marrying King Ahab. That just didn’t sit right with the Lord. He alone is the true God and idols are merely the work of men’s hands. The practice of idolatry was a cardinal sin, and the worship of Baal was doubly so.
So the Lord sent Elijah into combat atop Mount Carmel. Elijah stood on one side, 450 prophets of Baal on the other plus another 400 prophets of Asherah. In reality the Lord stood on one side and some vain idols on the other. It was a foregone conclusion: the Lord won! All 850 false prophets were tossed off the mountain head first.
When Ahab returned to Jezebel in the city of Jezreel, he reported to her all that had transpired on Mount Carmel. Enraged, Jezebel sent an email to Elijah, threatening to do to him what he had done to her false prophets. And she swore to accomplish the feat before day’s end.
We should think that big bad prophet Elijah, the macho man, would have taken wicked old Jezebel’s threat with a grain of salt. After all, he just faced down 850 men, so what was a puny little woman, huh?
Alas, but it was not to be so. Elijah beat a fast retreat to Mount Horeb—you know, Mount Horeb as in Mount Sinai on the far southern end of the Sinai Peninsula. Consider that Mount Carmel was in northern Israel, all the way north as far as the Sea of Galilee but near the Mediterranean Coast.
To get to Mount Horeb from Mount Carmel, Elijah had to go south all the way to Judah, then keep going to the southern border of Judah, enter the Sinai Peninsula, and then cross practically the entire peninsula! Not only did Elijah flee out of Jezebel’s jurisdiction, but he fled out of all Hebrew territory. As if this wasn’t far enough away, he then continued across an entire peninsula too! Methinks that, when it came to women, Elijah was a scaredy-cat!
Oops! Time’s up. We’ll have to finish this topic tomorrow. See you then, and don’t forget to visit with Jesus before going to bed.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Elijah was the Lord’s Numero Uno prophet in northern Israel under the divided kingdom. During his day Israel was in a bad way, which is why the Lord used Elijah to perform fantastic feats of nature (i.e., miracles). The king of Israel was the no-account scoundrel Ahab, who married none other than Jezebel, princess of Sidon—you know, the Jezebel of byword notoriety.
Well, the Sidonians worshiped Baal. So it surprised no one when Jezebel brought Baal worship to northern Israel, after marrying King Ahab. That just didn’t sit right with the Lord. He alone is the true God and idols are merely the work of men’s hands. The practice of idolatry was a cardinal sin, and the worship of Baal was doubly so.
So the Lord sent Elijah into combat atop Mount Carmel. Elijah stood on one side, 450 prophets of Baal on the other plus another 400 prophets of Asherah. In reality the Lord stood on one side and some vain idols on the other. It was a foregone conclusion: the Lord won! All 850 false prophets were tossed off the mountain head first.
When Ahab returned to Jezebel in the city of Jezreel, he reported to her all that had transpired on Mount Carmel. Enraged, Jezebel sent an email to Elijah, threatening to do to him what he had done to her false prophets. And she swore to accomplish the feat before day’s end.
We should think that big bad prophet Elijah, the macho man, would have taken wicked old Jezebel’s threat with a grain of salt. After all, he just faced down 850 men, so what was a puny little woman, huh?
Alas, but it was not to be so. Elijah beat a fast retreat to Mount Horeb—you know, Mount Horeb as in Mount Sinai on the far southern end of the Sinai Peninsula. Consider that Mount Carmel was in northern Israel, all the way north as far as the Sea of Galilee but near the Mediterranean Coast.
To get to Mount Horeb from Mount Carmel, Elijah had to go south all the way to Judah, then keep going to the southern border of Judah, enter the Sinai Peninsula, and then cross practically the entire peninsula! Not only did Elijah flee out of Jezebel’s jurisdiction, but he fled out of all Hebrew territory. As if this wasn’t far enough away, he then continued across an entire peninsula too! Methinks that, when it came to women, Elijah was a scaredy-cat!
Oops! Time’s up. We’ll have to finish this topic tomorrow. See you then, and don’t forget to visit with Jesus before going to bed.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
March 6, 2014
One of My Favorite Days
Not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption [Hebrews 9:12].
In the Old Testament the Lord employed visible physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths. The holidays of Israel are no exception to this. The high priest was a type of Jesus, our great High Priest. The other priests were types of the Christian.
The tabernacle/tent of meeting was a type of heaven, or rather a type of a meeting place between heaven and earth. It was broken down into two compartments. The outer one went by the name the holy place and symbolized man’s meeting place with the Lord. The inner compartment bore the name the most holy place and represented heaven, the abode of God. The one tent of meeting was divided in half by a veil, thus forming the two compartments.
The holy place was where the priests entered daily to trim the menorah and burn incense on the golden incense altar. No one was allowed to enter the most holy place because sin separated man from God and the Lord dwelt in inside the most holy place. He appeared in the form of the Shekinah cloud of glory, perched atop the mercy seat which covered the Ark of the Covenant.
There was one exception to this interdiction from entering the most holy place, however. Once a year on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) the high priest, dressed in his sumptuous regalia, took the blood of the sin offerings inside the most holy place. Inside he sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat. When he came out alive, it signified that the Lord accepted the blood covering over Israel’s sins for another year.
The holidays of Israel followed a yearly cycle, just as our holidays do today. They taught Israel’s history from the time of the exodus out of Egypt to the end of the Millennium. Thus each year represented the fulfillment of Israel’s history. This means that on Yom Kippur, when the high priest entered the most holy place to sprinkle the blood of the sin offering, it symbolized that he did so once and only once. He did so every year, yes, but each year represented all of Israel’s history.
Now recall who the high priest and the other priests typified. And don’t forget what the holy place and most holy place typified. Do you recognize what is symbolized by Yom Kippur?
Jesus Christ is both the high priest and the sin offering. He died on the cross (symbolized by the bronze altar) for man’s sins, was buried, and three days later He rose out of death and ascended into heaven. As our High Priest He entered heaven and sprinkled His blood on the throne of God. He did this once-for-all (symbolized by the Yom Kippur holiday occurring only once in the year).
We as priests minister before Him by offering up prayers. This was symbolized by Israel’s priests entering the holy place to minister to the Lord at the golden incense altar. We also see by the light of the Lord, symbolized by the 7-branch menorah in the holy place. We also feed upon the sinless body of our Lord, symbolized by the unleavened bread of the presence on the golden table in the holy place.
In all of this we minister in the holy place outside of heaven (i.e., the most holy place), while only our great High Priest Himself enters into heaven, and that only once. I state this in the context of Yom Kippur, not in any other context. Jesus enters heaven more than once, but not to sprinkle His blood as payment for the penalty of our sins.
Now that Jesus has entered heaven and sprinkled His blood there, man is no longer shut out of the Lord’s presence. We who are born again have ready access to the throne of grace, where we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. No temptation is more than we can handle because the Lord provides us a means of escape. We find it at the throne of grace in heaven, where we are most welcome.
This is indeed marvelous spiritual truth, dear friends. I can’t contain myself. I must needs hie off to the prayer closet and avail myself of my Savior’s presence. I want to sit at His feet at the throne of grace a while, while He teaches me His Word. Care to join in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
In the Old Testament the Lord employed visible physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths. The holidays of Israel are no exception to this. The high priest was a type of Jesus, our great High Priest. The other priests were types of the Christian.
The tabernacle/tent of meeting was a type of heaven, or rather a type of a meeting place between heaven and earth. It was broken down into two compartments. The outer one went by the name the holy place and symbolized man’s meeting place with the Lord. The inner compartment bore the name the most holy place and represented heaven, the abode of God. The one tent of meeting was divided in half by a veil, thus forming the two compartments.
The holy place was where the priests entered daily to trim the menorah and burn incense on the golden incense altar. No one was allowed to enter the most holy place because sin separated man from God and the Lord dwelt in inside the most holy place. He appeared in the form of the Shekinah cloud of glory, perched atop the mercy seat which covered the Ark of the Covenant.
There was one exception to this interdiction from entering the most holy place, however. Once a year on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) the high priest, dressed in his sumptuous regalia, took the blood of the sin offerings inside the most holy place. Inside he sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat. When he came out alive, it signified that the Lord accepted the blood covering over Israel’s sins for another year.
The holidays of Israel followed a yearly cycle, just as our holidays do today. They taught Israel’s history from the time of the exodus out of Egypt to the end of the Millennium. Thus each year represented the fulfillment of Israel’s history. This means that on Yom Kippur, when the high priest entered the most holy place to sprinkle the blood of the sin offering, it symbolized that he did so once and only once. He did so every year, yes, but each year represented all of Israel’s history.
Now recall who the high priest and the other priests typified. And don’t forget what the holy place and most holy place typified. Do you recognize what is symbolized by Yom Kippur?
Jesus Christ is both the high priest and the sin offering. He died on the cross (symbolized by the bronze altar) for man’s sins, was buried, and three days later He rose out of death and ascended into heaven. As our High Priest He entered heaven and sprinkled His blood on the throne of God. He did this once-for-all (symbolized by the Yom Kippur holiday occurring only once in the year).
We as priests minister before Him by offering up prayers. This was symbolized by Israel’s priests entering the holy place to minister to the Lord at the golden incense altar. We also see by the light of the Lord, symbolized by the 7-branch menorah in the holy place. We also feed upon the sinless body of our Lord, symbolized by the unleavened bread of the presence on the golden table in the holy place.
In all of this we minister in the holy place outside of heaven (i.e., the most holy place), while only our great High Priest Himself enters into heaven, and that only once. I state this in the context of Yom Kippur, not in any other context. Jesus enters heaven more than once, but not to sprinkle His blood as payment for the penalty of our sins.
Now that Jesus has entered heaven and sprinkled His blood there, man is no longer shut out of the Lord’s presence. We who are born again have ready access to the throne of grace, where we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. No temptation is more than we can handle because the Lord provides us a means of escape. We find it at the throne of grace in heaven, where we are most welcome.
This is indeed marvelous spiritual truth, dear friends. I can’t contain myself. I must needs hie off to the prayer closet and avail myself of my Savior’s presence. I want to sit at His feet at the throne of grace a while, while He teaches me His Word. Care to join in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
March 5, 2014
Long Live the King! – Part 2
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes [Judges 17:6; 21:25].
We concluded our last study by noting that the Lord led His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt and to the Promised Land in visible appearance as the Shekinah cloud of glory. The Shekinah no longer appeared atop the ark of the covenant, once the Israelites came to the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. Thenceforth King YHWH’s subjects were to be governed by means of His Law.
The period of the Judges began at the death of Joshua bin Nun and all the second generation of Israelites who conquered the land under Joshua. A new generation came on the scene and didn’t place much stock in Torah (i.e., the Law of Moses). That explains what happened to the King YHWH’s Law.
Why didn’t the second generation rear their kids to fear the Lord and love His Law? Why did the second generation leave their kids to their own devices, to determine for themselves what they wanted to believe and do? That, dear people, goes to the heart of the matter. That was the deciding factor.
In today’s antichrist society, there is no king in the good ol’ USA. The Bible has been lost in the Temple somewhere, while the citizens are out and about, worshiping the gods of the shopping malls and restaurants. This behavior defines what is right in our own eyes today.
If we take a time-telescope and look backward at prior generations, we can trace a downward spiral from one generation to the next to the next. The founders of our country were much more committed to the Word of God. They left the old world to get away from state churches. They longed to read the Word of God and decide for themselves what it says and what the Lord wants from each person.
Gradually from generation to generation, each new generation accepted the doctrines of men instead of reading their own Bibles. It wasn’t long before the Bible was lost in the church building someplace, and doctrinal statements and denominational dogma about the Bible sufficed for knowing King Jesus.
Trouble was, this isn’t knowing King Jesus! It amounts to knowing some man’s ideas about King Jesus. Does anyone really think the Lord went through so much effort over the past two millennia to commit His Word to writing, and then to preserve it from adulteration through thick and thin, only to have it replaced by man’s ideas? Perish the thought! That is blasphemous, dear soul!
If we truly want to know the Lord Jesus personally, and want the same for our spouses and children and extended family, nothing can substitute for daily time alone with King Jesus and His authoritative Word.
We must commit to a regimen of quiet time each day, both we and our spouses and our kids. We must spiritually discipline ourselves to keep our scheduled time with the Lord Jesus each day. If we put Him first, everything else that matters will fall into place. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all else will be added unto you.
What say ye? Will you be one of those who does what seems right in your own eyes? Or will you be a loyal subject of King Jesus by learning His Word and obeying it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We concluded our last study by noting that the Lord led His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt and to the Promised Land in visible appearance as the Shekinah cloud of glory. The Shekinah no longer appeared atop the ark of the covenant, once the Israelites came to the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. Thenceforth King YHWH’s subjects were to be governed by means of His Law.
The period of the Judges began at the death of Joshua bin Nun and all the second generation of Israelites who conquered the land under Joshua. A new generation came on the scene and didn’t place much stock in Torah (i.e., the Law of Moses). That explains what happened to the King YHWH’s Law.
Why didn’t the second generation rear their kids to fear the Lord and love His Law? Why did the second generation leave their kids to their own devices, to determine for themselves what they wanted to believe and do? That, dear people, goes to the heart of the matter. That was the deciding factor.
In today’s antichrist society, there is no king in the good ol’ USA. The Bible has been lost in the Temple somewhere, while the citizens are out and about, worshiping the gods of the shopping malls and restaurants. This behavior defines what is right in our own eyes today.
If we take a time-telescope and look backward at prior generations, we can trace a downward spiral from one generation to the next to the next. The founders of our country were much more committed to the Word of God. They left the old world to get away from state churches. They longed to read the Word of God and decide for themselves what it says and what the Lord wants from each person.
Gradually from generation to generation, each new generation accepted the doctrines of men instead of reading their own Bibles. It wasn’t long before the Bible was lost in the church building someplace, and doctrinal statements and denominational dogma about the Bible sufficed for knowing King Jesus.
Trouble was, this isn’t knowing King Jesus! It amounts to knowing some man’s ideas about King Jesus. Does anyone really think the Lord went through so much effort over the past two millennia to commit His Word to writing, and then to preserve it from adulteration through thick and thin, only to have it replaced by man’s ideas? Perish the thought! That is blasphemous, dear soul!
If we truly want to know the Lord Jesus personally, and want the same for our spouses and children and extended family, nothing can substitute for daily time alone with King Jesus and His authoritative Word.
We must commit to a regimen of quiet time each day, both we and our spouses and our kids. We must spiritually discipline ourselves to keep our scheduled time with the Lord Jesus each day. If we put Him first, everything else that matters will fall into place. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all else will be added unto you.
What say ye? Will you be one of those who does what seems right in your own eyes? Or will you be a loyal subject of King Jesus by learning His Word and obeying it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
March 4, 2014
Long Live the King! – Part 1
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes [Judges 17:6; 21:25].
We have two constructs expressed in those words, words which appear twice in the Book of Judges. Let’s enumerate them.
1. there was no king in Israel
2. every man did what was right in his own eyes
A king is a central authority. A king makes the laws for his kingdom, enforces his laws, and judges the lawbreakers. He determines what is right and what is wrong.
The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery by marching into Egypt and whupping Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The mighty King of kings put the puny king of Egypt in his place.
Then the Lord marched the Israelites out of Egypt in martial array (cf., Exodus 13:18). The Lord was King YHWH and the Israelites were King YHWH’s subjects, you see. The Lord brought His subjects into His land, the Promised Land, defeated the denizens of the land, and bequeathed the land to His people.
The Lord was King of His land, the new citizens were His subjects, and He laid down the Law as the legal code to govern His subjects. The Lord was King, and the Law expressed His Word for His people. They were not free to do whatever they pleased. In fact they were micromanaged, so to speak, in every facet of living.
This brings us to the second construct contained in the quoted text with which we began this study: every man did what was right in his own eyes. They did this because there was no king in Israel. Without a king, without a central authority, each person had his own opinion of what should be done. So everyone was off somewhere or other doing whatever pleased him.
If the Lord was King of Israel, and if His Law defined every aspect of living in minute detail, that left no room for anyone to do what was right in his own eyes. This brings us face-to-face with a conundrum, dear friends.
• what happened to King YHWH?
• what happened to His Law?
King YHWH, the Lord, led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the desert in visible appearance as the Shekinah cloud of glory. When the Israelites came to the Jordan to cross to the west bank (i.e., Canaan), the Shekinah cloud ceased to appear.
Thenceforth the ark of the covenant became the visible symbol of the Lord’s presence. It symbolized the throne of King YHWH, but there was nothing visible atop the ark any longer. King YHWH no longer led His people visibly. In the Promised Land He led them by means of His Law.
Let us draw this study to a close. The hour is late. The night is falling. We must needs meet with the Lord Jesus before we fall asleep.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We have two constructs expressed in those words, words which appear twice in the Book of Judges. Let’s enumerate them.
1. there was no king in Israel
2. every man did what was right in his own eyes
A king is a central authority. A king makes the laws for his kingdom, enforces his laws, and judges the lawbreakers. He determines what is right and what is wrong.
The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery by marching into Egypt and whupping Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The mighty King of kings put the puny king of Egypt in his place.
Then the Lord marched the Israelites out of Egypt in martial array (cf., Exodus 13:18). The Lord was King YHWH and the Israelites were King YHWH’s subjects, you see. The Lord brought His subjects into His land, the Promised Land, defeated the denizens of the land, and bequeathed the land to His people.
The Lord was King of His land, the new citizens were His subjects, and He laid down the Law as the legal code to govern His subjects. The Lord was King, and the Law expressed His Word for His people. They were not free to do whatever they pleased. In fact they were micromanaged, so to speak, in every facet of living.
This brings us to the second construct contained in the quoted text with which we began this study: every man did what was right in his own eyes. They did this because there was no king in Israel. Without a king, without a central authority, each person had his own opinion of what should be done. So everyone was off somewhere or other doing whatever pleased him.
If the Lord was King of Israel, and if His Law defined every aspect of living in minute detail, that left no room for anyone to do what was right in his own eyes. This brings us face-to-face with a conundrum, dear friends.
• what happened to King YHWH?
• what happened to His Law?
King YHWH, the Lord, led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the desert in visible appearance as the Shekinah cloud of glory. When the Israelites came to the Jordan to cross to the west bank (i.e., Canaan), the Shekinah cloud ceased to appear.
Thenceforth the ark of the covenant became the visible symbol of the Lord’s presence. It symbolized the throne of King YHWH, but there was nothing visible atop the ark any longer. King YHWH no longer led His people visibly. In the Promised Land He led them by means of His Law.
Let us draw this study to a close. The hour is late. The night is falling. We must needs meet with the Lord Jesus before we fall asleep.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
March 3, 2014
Christian Sophistry – Part 2
Thus says the Lord, “Where is the certificate of divorce by which I have sent your mother away? Or to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away [Isaiah 50:1].
Jesus charged head on at the religious sophistry of His day, whereby divorce was justified with an allusion to how the Lord divorced Israel. Yesterday we stopped there. Today we will begin there.
Jesus’ rebuttal was to emphasize that the Lord NEVER commanded anyone to get a divorce. Rather, He recognized its frequent practice and regulated it for the benefit of the women of that time. The Lord didn’t tell the Israelites, “Get a divorce!”
Contrary to such a preposterous notion, Jesus noted that, from the beginning of man’s creation, the Lord made humans male and female, and that when a man and a woman married they became one. Then He added, “What God has conjoined, let no man separate. The words “no man” apply to women too. Jesus was referring to divorce as the means by which spouses were separated.
So much for the context. Now let’s get to the second point, viz., reading the entire verse. Jesus’ exception to this law against divorce is specified by the words except for the reason of unchastity. The word unchastity in this context means “adultery”. And that is the same thing Isaiah emphasized to the Israelites in Isaiah 50:1. The Lord sent His wife Israel away (i.e., divorced her) because of her “iniquities” and “transgressions” (i.e., her adultery).
Israel was unfaithful to the Lord by bringing idols into her religious practices. This was spiritual adultery. Physical human adultery always follows the practice of idolatry, dear friends. Consequently, adultery was rampant in the backslidden Israel of Isaiah’s day. But Isaiah referred to Israel’s idolatry against the Lord as the reason for the Lord divorcing Israel. Israel was sleeping around with all the idols in town!
So Isaiah identified spiritual adultery as the Lord’s justifiable reason for divorcing His wife, Israel. Jesus identified physical adultery as man’s justifiable reason for divorcing his wife (or vice versa). Let it be added, though, that the Lord bore with Israel’s unfaithfulness for next to forever! He didn’t run out and divorce Israel the first or second or seven hundredth time Israel was unfaithful. He bore with Israel for centuries, attempting to work out the issue of her adultery within the context of His relationship with her.
So, too, should we spouses who face infidelity from our mates try to resolve the matter within the context of our marriage, rather than immediately terminate the marriage with a divorce. If a cheating spouse refuses to repent and snarls at his mate when she attempts a resolution; if he refuses to stop and continues being promiscuous—in that case divorce is absolutely justifiable.
If the cheating spouse repents, but then falls into the sin again—well, I cannot set a specific limit on the number of times to forgive such a one. Each person will have to decide for himself. Pray about it and have a heart to glorify the Lord by your decision.
But please, let’s get this issue right in the church. Divorce is sin! God hates divorce! Practically speaking, an adulterous spouse has already divorced his/her mate. A legal divorce in such a case is simply the acknowledgment of this reality, rather than creating the reality.
Let’s be in prayer about this issue. Pray for the people of God to stop living for self and start living for the Lord. If we return to the Bible in spirit and in truth, divorce will disappear of itself. May the name of the Lord Jesus be praised!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Jesus charged head on at the religious sophistry of His day, whereby divorce was justified with an allusion to how the Lord divorced Israel. Yesterday we stopped there. Today we will begin there.
Jesus’ rebuttal was to emphasize that the Lord NEVER commanded anyone to get a divorce. Rather, He recognized its frequent practice and regulated it for the benefit of the women of that time. The Lord didn’t tell the Israelites, “Get a divorce!”
Contrary to such a preposterous notion, Jesus noted that, from the beginning of man’s creation, the Lord made humans male and female, and that when a man and a woman married they became one. Then He added, “What God has conjoined, let no man separate. The words “no man” apply to women too. Jesus was referring to divorce as the means by which spouses were separated.
So much for the context. Now let’s get to the second point, viz., reading the entire verse. Jesus’ exception to this law against divorce is specified by the words except for the reason of unchastity. The word unchastity in this context means “adultery”. And that is the same thing Isaiah emphasized to the Israelites in Isaiah 50:1. The Lord sent His wife Israel away (i.e., divorced her) because of her “iniquities” and “transgressions” (i.e., her adultery).
Israel was unfaithful to the Lord by bringing idols into her religious practices. This was spiritual adultery. Physical human adultery always follows the practice of idolatry, dear friends. Consequently, adultery was rampant in the backslidden Israel of Isaiah’s day. But Isaiah referred to Israel’s idolatry against the Lord as the reason for the Lord divorcing Israel. Israel was sleeping around with all the idols in town!
So Isaiah identified spiritual adultery as the Lord’s justifiable reason for divorcing His wife, Israel. Jesus identified physical adultery as man’s justifiable reason for divorcing his wife (or vice versa). Let it be added, though, that the Lord bore with Israel’s unfaithfulness for next to forever! He didn’t run out and divorce Israel the first or second or seven hundredth time Israel was unfaithful. He bore with Israel for centuries, attempting to work out the issue of her adultery within the context of His relationship with her.
So, too, should we spouses who face infidelity from our mates try to resolve the matter within the context of our marriage, rather than immediately terminate the marriage with a divorce. If a cheating spouse refuses to repent and snarls at his mate when she attempts a resolution; if he refuses to stop and continues being promiscuous—in that case divorce is absolutely justifiable.
If the cheating spouse repents, but then falls into the sin again—well, I cannot set a specific limit on the number of times to forgive such a one. Each person will have to decide for himself. Pray about it and have a heart to glorify the Lord by your decision.
But please, let’s get this issue right in the church. Divorce is sin! God hates divorce! Practically speaking, an adulterous spouse has already divorced his/her mate. A legal divorce in such a case is simply the acknowledgment of this reality, rather than creating the reality.
Let’s be in prayer about this issue. Pray for the people of God to stop living for self and start living for the Lord. If we return to the Bible in spirit and in truth, divorce will disappear of itself. May the name of the Lord Jesus be praised!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
March 2, 2014
Christian Sophistry – Part 1
Thus says the Lord, “Where is the certificate of divorce by which I have sent your mother away? Or to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away [Isaiah 50:1].
Divorce is such a common thing nowadays, even in the church, that no one wants to listen to it denounced by the Word of God. We want to be Christians, you see, but we don’t want the Lord to be our Lord. We want to be our own Lord.
The result is that we use the word Bible profusely, but we don’t read it. We read other men’s words about the Bible and think that suffices for being a child of God and being spiritually astute. So we pick and choose from the Bible what we will eat—usually milk, with a little filler from other books tossed in to add worldly flavor—and we pretend the rest doesn’t exist.
Should anyone be so impertinent as to point out the other parts when we violate them, why, we become defensive and put our barriers up to keep them out. Whereas divorce dominates the American landscape today, both inside and outside the church, it is one such solid-meat teaching of the Lord that we cannot stomach.
I’ve even been challenged by thin-skinned Christians who are divorced, with a reference to the verse with which we kicked off this study. Their understanding of the verse is that the Lord divorced Israel, so divorce can’t be wrong.
What they fail to realize is two things:
1. we must keep the verse in context
2. the entire verse must be read, not a phrase out of context
Let’s diagnose the issue. The Lord divorced Israel, yes, but He did so for one reason only. He wasn’t fickle about it and simply walked out on Israel for every little thing! The Lord is perfect, so He makes no mistakes. If He divorced Israel, it was for a right reason. And guess what? This right reason He accepts from us mere mortals as well.
“So, then, what is this legit reason?” you ask. Listen and learn:
It was said, “Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce”; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery [Matthew 5:31-32].
Those words were spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. He noted how the Israelites quoted the Law of Moses to justify divorcing their wives for any reason they felt like. Suchlike fellows claimed the Lord commanded them to divorce their wives by giving their wives a certificate of divorce.
On the surface this argument appears plausible. But even the devil quoted Scripture at Jesus in the wilderness, in order to tempt Him to sin! Of course the devil took Scripture out of context each time. In reality this is a type of argumentation known as sophistry.
Oh, but we’re out of time again! Tomorrow we will hear Jesus’ rebuttal of the sophistry. For now let’s come apart with Him and allow Him to speak softly to us. We cannot help but be blessed abundantly when we do.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Divorce is such a common thing nowadays, even in the church, that no one wants to listen to it denounced by the Word of God. We want to be Christians, you see, but we don’t want the Lord to be our Lord. We want to be our own Lord.
The result is that we use the word Bible profusely, but we don’t read it. We read other men’s words about the Bible and think that suffices for being a child of God and being spiritually astute. So we pick and choose from the Bible what we will eat—usually milk, with a little filler from other books tossed in to add worldly flavor—and we pretend the rest doesn’t exist.
Should anyone be so impertinent as to point out the other parts when we violate them, why, we become defensive and put our barriers up to keep them out. Whereas divorce dominates the American landscape today, both inside and outside the church, it is one such solid-meat teaching of the Lord that we cannot stomach.
I’ve even been challenged by thin-skinned Christians who are divorced, with a reference to the verse with which we kicked off this study. Their understanding of the verse is that the Lord divorced Israel, so divorce can’t be wrong.
What they fail to realize is two things:
1. we must keep the verse in context
2. the entire verse must be read, not a phrase out of context
Let’s diagnose the issue. The Lord divorced Israel, yes, but He did so for one reason only. He wasn’t fickle about it and simply walked out on Israel for every little thing! The Lord is perfect, so He makes no mistakes. If He divorced Israel, it was for a right reason. And guess what? This right reason He accepts from us mere mortals as well.
“So, then, what is this legit reason?” you ask. Listen and learn:
It was said, “Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce”; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery [Matthew 5:31-32].
Those words were spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. He noted how the Israelites quoted the Law of Moses to justify divorcing their wives for any reason they felt like. Suchlike fellows claimed the Lord commanded them to divorce their wives by giving their wives a certificate of divorce.
On the surface this argument appears plausible. But even the devil quoted Scripture at Jesus in the wilderness, in order to tempt Him to sin! Of course the devil took Scripture out of context each time. In reality this is a type of argumentation known as sophistry.
Oh, but we’re out of time again! Tomorrow we will hear Jesus’ rebuttal of the sophistry. For now let’s come apart with Him and allow Him to speak softly to us. We cannot help but be blessed abundantly when we do.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
March 1, 2014
That doesn’t make sense, God!
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? [Habakkuk 1:13]
Men and women can sometimes have an impossibly difficult time communicating. Some refer to this by the contemporary adage, “Women are from Venus, men from Mars”. But all jesting aside, men and women by nature have a different mental framework. Their thinking processes are not identical.
This is not an indictment of men or women, just an accurate observation. By the same token Orientals and Occidentals in general also employ different thinking processes. In this case the thinking varies because Occidentals are trained to think, even if subconsciously, in terms of Aristotelian logic. But for Orientals this is not the case.
In the verse we cited at the start of this study, Habakkuk was faced with another example of different thinking processes. In this case the variation was between God’s thinking processes and sinful man’s. God is holy. All men are sinful.
God makes a distinction between born again folks and plain old born folks. Because born again folks have the Spirit of God living in them, they are capable of understanding the mind of Christ, which is equivalent to the mind of God.
We have to go through a spiritual growing process, just as babies in the physical realm do. But if we continue to spend time alone with Jesus—feeding on the Word of God, praying, and obeying—then we mature spiritually to understand how the Lord thinks and what He expects of us.
In Habakkuk’s case He had difficulty grasping how, on the one hand, God cannot bear to even look upon evil, much less tolerate it. On the other hand God permits the extremely wicked people to have the victory over those who are less wicked than them. As if to say, “What gives, God? That doesn’t make sense!”
At the heart of Habakkuk’s complaint lies the different thinking processes of God and sinful man. In God’s eyes sin is sin. He doesn’t label some sins as flagitious and others as peccadilloes. Any person who sins is a sinner. A rose is a rose. By any other name it stills smells sweet. A sin is a sin. By any other name it still reeks to high heaven!
So God is not being illogical, when He employs the devil’s kids to spank His kids for sinning. He will do much more than spank the devil’s kids when the time is right, viz., at the Great White Throne judgment. For the present time His business is to rear His own kids. Sometimes this entails visits to the woodshed, sometimes physical or mental afflictions, other times financial failures, and still other times making use of foreign invaders who are more wicked than His kids.
In the final analysis, though, the Lord disciplines His kids to spiritually mature them, but He casts the devil’s kids into the lake of fire for all eternity to be rid of them. During our lives on earth this side of eternity, the Lord does what it takes to get His kids to become like Him. This is well worth the cost to us because in eternity we will live with the Lord forever.
The devil’s kids have their good things now. In eternity they will beg for just a drop of cool water to wet their parched tongues. We have good things now too, just not the worldly good things the devil’s kids crave. In eternity we will enjoy our good things of all stripes and colors.
Let’s not question God’s motives. Let’s spend more time alone with Him and His Word, so that our minds are transformed into the mind of Christ. Life has such a grand appearance when we see through His eyes. What do you say. Can I have an “Amen”?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Men and women can sometimes have an impossibly difficult time communicating. Some refer to this by the contemporary adage, “Women are from Venus, men from Mars”. But all jesting aside, men and women by nature have a different mental framework. Their thinking processes are not identical.
This is not an indictment of men or women, just an accurate observation. By the same token Orientals and Occidentals in general also employ different thinking processes. In this case the thinking varies because Occidentals are trained to think, even if subconsciously, in terms of Aristotelian logic. But for Orientals this is not the case.
In the verse we cited at the start of this study, Habakkuk was faced with another example of different thinking processes. In this case the variation was between God’s thinking processes and sinful man’s. God is holy. All men are sinful.
God makes a distinction between born again folks and plain old born folks. Because born again folks have the Spirit of God living in them, they are capable of understanding the mind of Christ, which is equivalent to the mind of God.
We have to go through a spiritual growing process, just as babies in the physical realm do. But if we continue to spend time alone with Jesus—feeding on the Word of God, praying, and obeying—then we mature spiritually to understand how the Lord thinks and what He expects of us.
In Habakkuk’s case He had difficulty grasping how, on the one hand, God cannot bear to even look upon evil, much less tolerate it. On the other hand God permits the extremely wicked people to have the victory over those who are less wicked than them. As if to say, “What gives, God? That doesn’t make sense!”
At the heart of Habakkuk’s complaint lies the different thinking processes of God and sinful man. In God’s eyes sin is sin. He doesn’t label some sins as flagitious and others as peccadilloes. Any person who sins is a sinner. A rose is a rose. By any other name it stills smells sweet. A sin is a sin. By any other name it still reeks to high heaven!
So God is not being illogical, when He employs the devil’s kids to spank His kids for sinning. He will do much more than spank the devil’s kids when the time is right, viz., at the Great White Throne judgment. For the present time His business is to rear His own kids. Sometimes this entails visits to the woodshed, sometimes physical or mental afflictions, other times financial failures, and still other times making use of foreign invaders who are more wicked than His kids.
In the final analysis, though, the Lord disciplines His kids to spiritually mature them, but He casts the devil’s kids into the lake of fire for all eternity to be rid of them. During our lives on earth this side of eternity, the Lord does what it takes to get His kids to become like Him. This is well worth the cost to us because in eternity we will live with the Lord forever.
The devil’s kids have their good things now. In eternity they will beg for just a drop of cool water to wet their parched tongues. We have good things now too, just not the worldly good things the devil’s kids crave. In eternity we will enjoy our good things of all stripes and colors.
Let’s not question God’s motives. Let’s spend more time alone with Him and His Word, so that our minds are transformed into the mind of Christ. Life has such a grand appearance when we see through His eyes. What do you say. Can I have an “Amen”?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
February 28, 2014
How to Take Up the Mantle – Part 2
(Elisha) took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over [2 Kings 2:14-15].
We ended our last study with Elijah raptured to heaven and Elisha with a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and taking his place. There was Elisha, standing alone on the east bank with the Jordan River blocking his path to the west bank. Let’s continue at that point now.
When Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind, his mantle fell off. Elisha picked it up. It now was the property of Elisha, so he took it and struck the waters of the Jordan River. Then he gave an authoritative command to the waters, Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?
Those are the words from the Bible verse with which we began this study. And there is the moral to this story. Elisha hadn’t been a prophet before. He was Elijah’s protégé. Suddenly Elijah was gone and Elisha was on his own. What to do? We might think Elisha’s knees would buckle and knock together. He might let out an audible gulp and turn into a worry wart.
Not so! Elisha had received his request. He received a double portion of the Spirit of God. He was bold but not arrogant. He exuded confidence but tempered it with love. He didn’t worry one iota. He proceeded straightway to the Jordan, struck the waters with Elijah’s mantle, and imitated what he had seen from his teacher.
His command to the waters wasn’t a question, though he phrased it as one. He knew the waters would divide because Elijah had done it that way, and Elijah granted his request for a double portion of what Elijah had. The waters could not help but divide and permit Elisha to cross over on dry ground.
The moral to the story? Elijah was gone for good, speaking in terms of this earth. Elijah would never again be available for Elisha. But Elisha wasn’t afraid because the God of Elijah never left! The God of Elijah was the One who performed the miracles and commanded such a presence before men. The same one true God would do the same, and even more, in and through Elisha.
Dear friends, we need to spiritually exercise ourselves on a daily basis, so that our spirits grow strong while our flesh weakens. Otherwise we remain infants in spiritual matters. Instead of fixing our sight on the Lord Jesus, we fasten our attention on men. We expect the pastor or the Sunday School teacher or an author or some other man to serve as Jesus for us.
Alas, but every man will soon be gone. Notwithstanding this fact, the Lord Jesus will still be here with us and for us. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever [Hebrews 13:8]. So let’s learn to focus on the One on Whom we can depend, rather than on that which is passing away even as we speak.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We ended our last study with Elijah raptured to heaven and Elisha with a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and taking his place. There was Elisha, standing alone on the east bank with the Jordan River blocking his path to the west bank. Let’s continue at that point now.
When Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind, his mantle fell off. Elisha picked it up. It now was the property of Elisha, so he took it and struck the waters of the Jordan River. Then he gave an authoritative command to the waters, Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?
Those are the words from the Bible verse with which we began this study. And there is the moral to this story. Elisha hadn’t been a prophet before. He was Elijah’s protégé. Suddenly Elijah was gone and Elisha was on his own. What to do? We might think Elisha’s knees would buckle and knock together. He might let out an audible gulp and turn into a worry wart.
Not so! Elisha had received his request. He received a double portion of the Spirit of God. He was bold but not arrogant. He exuded confidence but tempered it with love. He didn’t worry one iota. He proceeded straightway to the Jordan, struck the waters with Elijah’s mantle, and imitated what he had seen from his teacher.
His command to the waters wasn’t a question, though he phrased it as one. He knew the waters would divide because Elijah had done it that way, and Elijah granted his request for a double portion of what Elijah had. The waters could not help but divide and permit Elisha to cross over on dry ground.
The moral to the story? Elijah was gone for good, speaking in terms of this earth. Elijah would never again be available for Elisha. But Elisha wasn’t afraid because the God of Elijah never left! The God of Elijah was the One who performed the miracles and commanded such a presence before men. The same one true God would do the same, and even more, in and through Elisha.
Dear friends, we need to spiritually exercise ourselves on a daily basis, so that our spirits grow strong while our flesh weakens. Otherwise we remain infants in spiritual matters. Instead of fixing our sight on the Lord Jesus, we fasten our attention on men. We expect the pastor or the Sunday School teacher or an author or some other man to serve as Jesus for us.
Alas, but every man will soon be gone. Notwithstanding this fact, the Lord Jesus will still be here with us and for us. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever [Hebrews 13:8]. So let’s learn to focus on the One on Whom we can depend, rather than on that which is passing away even as we speak.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
February 27, 2014
How to Take Up the Mantle – Part 1
(Elisha) took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over [2 Kings 2:14-15].
In keeping with the Word of God, Elijah summoned Elisha to the prophetic ministry. Elisha would be Elijah’s replacement. Well, the days went by and it was time for Elijah to exit the scene. Elisha would need to step up and fulfill the Lord’s task at hand.
So Elijah headed for the east bank of the Jordan River, where the Lord would remove him from the earth and promote him to eternity. At three separate locations Elijah told Elisha to wait behind, but Elisha would not budge. He had committed himself to the Lord and to Elijah, and he wasn’t about to leave Elijah at such a solemn time. So Elijah desisted from his attempts to dissuade Elisha.
Just before they crossed the Jordan, Elijah, knowing that his time was moments away, asked Elisha what he could do for him. Elisha responded to Elijah’s question, Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me (v.9).
A double portion in the Bible represented the right of the firstborn son. In effect Elisha put Elijah on notice that he wouldn’t be content to be just another prophet. He had to be Elijah’s replacement. Elisha admired Elijah and wanted to follow in his footsteps, you see. Elijah was the chief prophet at the time.
Elijah acceded to Elisha’s request, but with this proviso: You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so (v.11).
Well, lo and behold, as they walked along horses of fire and a chariot of fire came between them to separate them. Then a whirlwind carried Elijah to heaven. Elijah was raptured, you see. He went to heaven without first dying physically on the earth.
Elisha obtained his request. He did see Elijah when he was taken. He received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. This spirit was the Holy Spirit, dear friends. Elijah’s spirit was under the control of the Spirit of God. This is what enabled Elijah to do such outstanding miracles. The Lord worked in and through Elijah, and Elijah served as the Lord’s body on earth.
Now it was Elisha who was full of the Spirit of God. It was time for him to be surrendered to the Spirit and perform miracles, in order to continue Elijah’s ministry of leading the Israelites out of Baal worship. So what was Elisha’s first act. He returned to the Jordan to cross back to the west bank. The river blocked his path, so he imitated what Elijah had done to get across.
Oh, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what that was. We are out of time today! So go spend some time with the Lord Jesus a while. I love to be with Him!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
In keeping with the Word of God, Elijah summoned Elisha to the prophetic ministry. Elisha would be Elijah’s replacement. Well, the days went by and it was time for Elijah to exit the scene. Elisha would need to step up and fulfill the Lord’s task at hand.
So Elijah headed for the east bank of the Jordan River, where the Lord would remove him from the earth and promote him to eternity. At three separate locations Elijah told Elisha to wait behind, but Elisha would not budge. He had committed himself to the Lord and to Elijah, and he wasn’t about to leave Elijah at such a solemn time. So Elijah desisted from his attempts to dissuade Elisha.
Just before they crossed the Jordan, Elijah, knowing that his time was moments away, asked Elisha what he could do for him. Elisha responded to Elijah’s question, Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me (v.9).
A double portion in the Bible represented the right of the firstborn son. In effect Elisha put Elijah on notice that he wouldn’t be content to be just another prophet. He had to be Elijah’s replacement. Elisha admired Elijah and wanted to follow in his footsteps, you see. Elijah was the chief prophet at the time.
Elijah acceded to Elisha’s request, but with this proviso: You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so (v.11).
Well, lo and behold, as they walked along horses of fire and a chariot of fire came between them to separate them. Then a whirlwind carried Elijah to heaven. Elijah was raptured, you see. He went to heaven without first dying physically on the earth.
Elisha obtained his request. He did see Elijah when he was taken. He received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. This spirit was the Holy Spirit, dear friends. Elijah’s spirit was under the control of the Spirit of God. This is what enabled Elijah to do such outstanding miracles. The Lord worked in and through Elijah, and Elijah served as the Lord’s body on earth.
Now it was Elisha who was full of the Spirit of God. It was time for him to be surrendered to the Spirit and perform miracles, in order to continue Elijah’s ministry of leading the Israelites out of Baal worship. So what was Elisha’s first act. He returned to the Jordan to cross back to the west bank. The river blocked his path, so he imitated what Elijah had done to get across.
Oh, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what that was. We are out of time today! So go spend some time with the Lord Jesus a while. I love to be with Him!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
February 26, 2014
Mannequins in Style – Part 2
Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak [Matthew 26:41].
Yesterday we were presented with two different scenarios. Your actions were the same in each case, but the police response was quite different in each case. How do we explain this?
Weigh your actions in each case. They were the same, were they not? So why a different response by the police in each case? Answer: because the responses were to two different scenarios, obviously. A different scenario will evoke a different response.
We can describe the different scenarios as different contexts, dear friends. This illustrates the necessity to put things in context, when it comes to interpreting them. If we weigh the facts as if they occurred in a vacuum or consider them in the wrong context, the result will be fallacy rather than truth.
Consider the Bible verse we quoted today. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Judas brought the Jewish soldiers to arrest Him and have Him crucified by the Romans. He took His three closest disciples with Him and told them to pray. He wanted them to prepare themselves for His impending arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
That is the context for understanding His words. Jesus told His disciples to pray. He added that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. May I point out to you that the spirit is not willing and the flesh is very strong? I just contradicted Jesus’ words, and that’s not a good thing to do!
If I put my words into the context of Gethsemane, then I spoke falsely. If I put my words into the context of the old man, the old sinner who lives inside each one of us, then I spoke Gospel truth. In the old man the spirit is not willing to do righteousness, and the flesh is indeed powerful in its wickedness.
In the new man, the born again person, the spirit is absolutely willing; but the flesh is weak and succumbs at the thought of conducting spiritual warfare. The disciples were products of Jesus’ righteousness. Their spirits were willing, but they were so tired that the flesh gave in to weakness. Ergo, they slept instead of praying.
Let this be a lesson to us about putting things in context. It is the only way we can arrive at the correct conclusion. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Yesterday we were presented with two different scenarios. Your actions were the same in each case, but the police response was quite different in each case. How do we explain this?
Weigh your actions in each case. They were the same, were they not? So why a different response by the police in each case? Answer: because the responses were to two different scenarios, obviously. A different scenario will evoke a different response.
We can describe the different scenarios as different contexts, dear friends. This illustrates the necessity to put things in context, when it comes to interpreting them. If we weigh the facts as if they occurred in a vacuum or consider them in the wrong context, the result will be fallacy rather than truth.
Consider the Bible verse we quoted today. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Judas brought the Jewish soldiers to arrest Him and have Him crucified by the Romans. He took His three closest disciples with Him and told them to pray. He wanted them to prepare themselves for His impending arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
That is the context for understanding His words. Jesus told His disciples to pray. He added that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. May I point out to you that the spirit is not willing and the flesh is very strong? I just contradicted Jesus’ words, and that’s not a good thing to do!
If I put my words into the context of Gethsemane, then I spoke falsely. If I put my words into the context of the old man, the old sinner who lives inside each one of us, then I spoke Gospel truth. In the old man the spirit is not willing to do righteousness, and the flesh is indeed powerful in its wickedness.
In the new man, the born again person, the spirit is absolutely willing; but the flesh is weak and succumbs at the thought of conducting spiritual warfare. The disciples were products of Jesus’ righteousness. Their spirits were willing, but they were so tired that the flesh gave in to weakness. Ergo, they slept instead of praying.
Let this be a lesson to us about putting things in context. It is the only way we can arrive at the correct conclusion. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
