Randy Green's Blog, page 445
April 19, 2013
Vegetarian Delight – Part 1
Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see [Daniel 1:12-13].
I love pizza. But it’s got to be the real thing, if you know what I mean. No, I don’t mean it has to be genuine Italian-made, or deep dish from Chicago. I mean it has to be sausage…period. Well, okay. It can have crust too, and cheese and sauce. But anything else on pizza nullifies the “pizza” part of the food!
Daniel and his three friends were minding their own business in Jerusalem back in the day. For you novices, that would be the day of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I’m sure those four dudes were enjoying some kosher sausage pizza. Well, maybe not because sausage isn’t kosher! This is especially so for Italian sausage, er, I mean Babylonian sausage.
Anyway, along came ol’ King Cole, er, I mean ol’ King Neb. Accompanying our king-of-the-day was his army, a formidable bunch to be sure. When the dust cleared Daniel & friends no longer lived in Jerusalem. They had moved to Babylon, where they had the not so enviable job of waiting on ol’ King Neb and fulfilling his every fickle whim.
As slaves of the king their food came from the king’s kitchen. The king even assigned one of his stewards to be in charge of Daniel & friends. The steward was responsible to see that Daniel & friends learned the ropes of living in Babylon and waiting on ol’ King Neb.
Part of this responsibility required the steward to be sure Daniel & friends were strong and healthy. He had to make them brush their teeth before bed and wash behind their ears. Okay, I made that part up. But the steward did have to provide the four Hebrews with food from the king’s table. After all, if it kept ol’ King Neb healthy, it had to be good for his foreign slaves too.
Here’s the thing. Ol’ King Neb and all the Babylonians were idolaters. They presented their food to idols as offerings of worship. The false gods of Babylon received their portion of the food, and the remainder was enjoyed at the table of ol’ King Neb and his servants.
This created a major conflict for Daniel & friends. They were Hebrews who worshiped the one true God Whose name is YHWH (or Yahweh or Jehovah). As any card-carrying Hebrew could tell you, only YHWH could be worshiped. He alone is God and He demanded to receive all the worship from His people. It was on pain of death for any Hebrew to partake in pagan worship of idols.
Still, ol’ King Neb was in charge of Daniel & friends, now that they had been carted off from Jerusalem as slaves to ol’ King Neb. And he was quite content to worship his idols, thank you very much. So it wouldn’t have been wisdom for Daniel & friends to denounce Neb’s gods and refuse to eat the food offered in sacrifice to those false gods. Not because the idols would wreak their vengeance on the Hebrews, mind you. But ol’ King Neb would!
This presented a real conundrum for Daniel & friends. They just couldn’t bring themselves to desert the one true God YHWH, but they still had to get along with ol’ King Neb and his pantheon of gods. What to do? What to do? Hmm. That’s a toughie.
We’ll return same time same station tomorrow to finish the show. See you then. Enjoy some time with the Lord Jesus in the interim.
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...
I love pizza. But it’s got to be the real thing, if you know what I mean. No, I don’t mean it has to be genuine Italian-made, or deep dish from Chicago. I mean it has to be sausage…period. Well, okay. It can have crust too, and cheese and sauce. But anything else on pizza nullifies the “pizza” part of the food!
Daniel and his three friends were minding their own business in Jerusalem back in the day. For you novices, that would be the day of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I’m sure those four dudes were enjoying some kosher sausage pizza. Well, maybe not because sausage isn’t kosher! This is especially so for Italian sausage, er, I mean Babylonian sausage.
Anyway, along came ol’ King Cole, er, I mean ol’ King Neb. Accompanying our king-of-the-day was his army, a formidable bunch to be sure. When the dust cleared Daniel & friends no longer lived in Jerusalem. They had moved to Babylon, where they had the not so enviable job of waiting on ol’ King Neb and fulfilling his every fickle whim.
As slaves of the king their food came from the king’s kitchen. The king even assigned one of his stewards to be in charge of Daniel & friends. The steward was responsible to see that Daniel & friends learned the ropes of living in Babylon and waiting on ol’ King Neb.
Part of this responsibility required the steward to be sure Daniel & friends were strong and healthy. He had to make them brush their teeth before bed and wash behind their ears. Okay, I made that part up. But the steward did have to provide the four Hebrews with food from the king’s table. After all, if it kept ol’ King Neb healthy, it had to be good for his foreign slaves too.
Here’s the thing. Ol’ King Neb and all the Babylonians were idolaters. They presented their food to idols as offerings of worship. The false gods of Babylon received their portion of the food, and the remainder was enjoyed at the table of ol’ King Neb and his servants.
This created a major conflict for Daniel & friends. They were Hebrews who worshiped the one true God Whose name is YHWH (or Yahweh or Jehovah). As any card-carrying Hebrew could tell you, only YHWH could be worshiped. He alone is God and He demanded to receive all the worship from His people. It was on pain of death for any Hebrew to partake in pagan worship of idols.
Still, ol’ King Neb was in charge of Daniel & friends, now that they had been carted off from Jerusalem as slaves to ol’ King Neb. And he was quite content to worship his idols, thank you very much. So it wouldn’t have been wisdom for Daniel & friends to denounce Neb’s gods and refuse to eat the food offered in sacrifice to those false gods. Not because the idols would wreak their vengeance on the Hebrews, mind you. But ol’ King Neb would!
This presented a real conundrum for Daniel & friends. They just couldn’t bring themselves to desert the one true God YHWH, but they still had to get along with ol’ King Neb and his pantheon of gods. What to do? What to do? Hmm. That’s a toughie.
We’ll return same time same station tomorrow to finish the show. See you then. Enjoy some time with the Lord Jesus in the interim.
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...
April 18, 2013
Different and the Same – Part 3
When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way. But when the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out. When they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out [Ezekiel 46:8-10].
Our last study noted significant differences between the prince and the people. Let’s continue with this topic now.
The prince is the Lord Jesus, Who is simultaneously both God and man. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. He is always the same holy Person. Accordingly He cannot get into a rut and fall into a quagmire of ritualism and tradition. He can enter and exit the same way because He cannot become bogged down and perfunctorily go through the motions of religion.
The same cannot be said about sinful man. We are prone to finding a comfy corner and hanging out, doing the same old same old day after day. We don’t want to think and study and grow, at least not for long. We are finite, limited, and easily tired out, so we put forth a smidgeon of effort and then hasten to find a place of rest.
The history of mankind exposes man as ritualistic, apathetic, and feckless. We consolidate the Word of God into a set of dos and don’ts, establish a given format for church services to be repeated with no variation each week, and crown tradition as king.
This is where the provision comes in, of all the people entering through one gate and exiting through the other. God, you see, never changes. He enters and exits the same way always, and it is the right way, not simply a rut He is stuck in.
But man cannot exist this way or he will fall prey to rote religion and give no thought to God. He will turn the worship of God into activities and programs, all functioning thoughtlessly and carried out mechanically. The end game of man’s worship will become the activities and programs themselves, and God will no longer enter the picture. Man will wind up worshiping activities and programs, church, rather than God. Our god will then be church!
This is the spiritual truth taught by the contrasts between the prince and the people. They used separate gates and they entered and exited following different criteria. The reason is that the prince is qualitatively different than the people. The prince is God, and God is quite different than man and doesn’t suffer from our limitations.
Not to become distraught, dear friends. We still have a third spiritual truth taught in the quoted text. The prince and the people enter and leave the Millennial Temple together. The spiritual truth here is that the prince and the people are inseparably bound together in covenantal relationship. Though they are qualitatively different, they nonetheless are inseparable in their relationship.
The prince is the Lord Jesus and the people are those who know Him and love Him. The Lord Jesus is not only God: He is also truly man. He is one of us! He goes in with us, leaves with us, and remains with us. God and man are inseparably bound together by the God-man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. He is faithful even when we are not. He and we are inseparable. Nothing can separate us from the love of God given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing.
This is cause for the loudest hallelujahs to ring out across the earth! Let’s take our leave now and go to Him for a time a rest and fellowship. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Our last study noted significant differences between the prince and the people. Let’s continue with this topic now.
The prince is the Lord Jesus, Who is simultaneously both God and man. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. He is always the same holy Person. Accordingly He cannot get into a rut and fall into a quagmire of ritualism and tradition. He can enter and exit the same way because He cannot become bogged down and perfunctorily go through the motions of religion.
The same cannot be said about sinful man. We are prone to finding a comfy corner and hanging out, doing the same old same old day after day. We don’t want to think and study and grow, at least not for long. We are finite, limited, and easily tired out, so we put forth a smidgeon of effort and then hasten to find a place of rest.
The history of mankind exposes man as ritualistic, apathetic, and feckless. We consolidate the Word of God into a set of dos and don’ts, establish a given format for church services to be repeated with no variation each week, and crown tradition as king.
This is where the provision comes in, of all the people entering through one gate and exiting through the other. God, you see, never changes. He enters and exits the same way always, and it is the right way, not simply a rut He is stuck in.
But man cannot exist this way or he will fall prey to rote religion and give no thought to God. He will turn the worship of God into activities and programs, all functioning thoughtlessly and carried out mechanically. The end game of man’s worship will become the activities and programs themselves, and God will no longer enter the picture. Man will wind up worshiping activities and programs, church, rather than God. Our god will then be church!
This is the spiritual truth taught by the contrasts between the prince and the people. They used separate gates and they entered and exited following different criteria. The reason is that the prince is qualitatively different than the people. The prince is God, and God is quite different than man and doesn’t suffer from our limitations.
Not to become distraught, dear friends. We still have a third spiritual truth taught in the quoted text. The prince and the people enter and leave the Millennial Temple together. The spiritual truth here is that the prince and the people are inseparably bound together in covenantal relationship. Though they are qualitatively different, they nonetheless are inseparable in their relationship.
The prince is the Lord Jesus and the people are those who know Him and love Him. The Lord Jesus is not only God: He is also truly man. He is one of us! He goes in with us, leaves with us, and remains with us. God and man are inseparably bound together by the God-man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. He is faithful even when we are not. He and we are inseparable. Nothing can separate us from the love of God given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing.
This is cause for the loudest hallelujahs to ring out across the earth! Let’s take our leave now and go to Him for a time a rest and fellowship. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 17, 2013
Different and the Same – Part 2
When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way. But when the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out. When they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out [Ezekiel 46:8-10].
We paused our last study with a three-point list of spiritual truths which appear in the quoted text. Let’s continue with our study now.
Throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit employs visible physical realities for the purpose of teaching us invisible spiritual truths. We humans are finite creatures, so we haven’t an inkling about infinity and eternity. The only way we can grasp even the simplest eternal truths is by comparison with something from visible physical reality.
We humans exist within time, space, and matter. The spirit world exists in eternity, so we haven’t an inkling about invisible spiritual truths. The only way the Lord can teach these to us is by comparisons with visible physical realities. The comparisons are not identical by a long shot, but they do serve to enhance our understanding of things with which we have no experience.
This applies to the Millennial Temple of Ezekiel 40-48, dear friends. Our text today depicts invisible spiritual truths from the vantage point of a visible physical temple. We cannot become bogged down in an exposition of Ezekiel’s entire teaching on this subject. We must needs stick to the three points already presented. Not to fear though: a plethora of spiritual truths will yet be ours.
The “prince” refers to the Messiah. We now know this person to be the Lord Jesus Christ. He will rule the entire earth from His throne in Jerusalem throughout the Millennium, crushing all wickedness as iron smashes an earthenware vessel. The offices of prophet, priest, and king are combined in Him during the Millennium.
When the Lord Jesus goes to the Millennial Temple, He enters and leaves by the east gate. This gate is shut for six days of the week and opened on the seventh day for use by the Lord Jesus.
Everyone else, contrariwise, enters the Millennial Temple by either the north gate or the south gate. He who enters by the north gate exits by the south gate. The one who enters by the south gate exists by the north gate.
The prince has his private gate, while the people share two gates. This isn’t the only contrast between prince and people. The prince enters and exits by the same gate, while the people enter by one gate and exit by the other.
I know this is a bit arcane to most of you, an effort in futility perhaps. But don’t give up on me just yet. We’re just now ready to present an interpretation of these visible physical realities. You won’t want to miss out!
In fact this is an excellent location to pitch our tents for the night. That way you will have a chance to chew the cud of our study and collect your thoughts. Take time to be refreshed by the Lord and return for some more nourishment tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We paused our last study with a three-point list of spiritual truths which appear in the quoted text. Let’s continue with our study now.
Throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit employs visible physical realities for the purpose of teaching us invisible spiritual truths. We humans are finite creatures, so we haven’t an inkling about infinity and eternity. The only way we can grasp even the simplest eternal truths is by comparison with something from visible physical reality.
We humans exist within time, space, and matter. The spirit world exists in eternity, so we haven’t an inkling about invisible spiritual truths. The only way the Lord can teach these to us is by comparisons with visible physical realities. The comparisons are not identical by a long shot, but they do serve to enhance our understanding of things with which we have no experience.
This applies to the Millennial Temple of Ezekiel 40-48, dear friends. Our text today depicts invisible spiritual truths from the vantage point of a visible physical temple. We cannot become bogged down in an exposition of Ezekiel’s entire teaching on this subject. We must needs stick to the three points already presented. Not to fear though: a plethora of spiritual truths will yet be ours.
The “prince” refers to the Messiah. We now know this person to be the Lord Jesus Christ. He will rule the entire earth from His throne in Jerusalem throughout the Millennium, crushing all wickedness as iron smashes an earthenware vessel. The offices of prophet, priest, and king are combined in Him during the Millennium.
When the Lord Jesus goes to the Millennial Temple, He enters and leaves by the east gate. This gate is shut for six days of the week and opened on the seventh day for use by the Lord Jesus.
Everyone else, contrariwise, enters the Millennial Temple by either the north gate or the south gate. He who enters by the north gate exits by the south gate. The one who enters by the south gate exists by the north gate.
The prince has his private gate, while the people share two gates. This isn’t the only contrast between prince and people. The prince enters and exits by the same gate, while the people enter by one gate and exit by the other.
I know this is a bit arcane to most of you, an effort in futility perhaps. But don’t give up on me just yet. We’re just now ready to present an interpretation of these visible physical realities. You won’t want to miss out!
In fact this is an excellent location to pitch our tents for the night. That way you will have a chance to chew the cud of our study and collect your thoughts. Take time to be refreshed by the Lord and return for some more nourishment tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 16, 2013
Different and the Same – Part 1
When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way. But when the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out. When they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out [Ezekiel 46:8-10].
Our text for this study is somewhat longer than is customary for these studies. It cannot be helped, dear friends, but it will be well worth the learning. A wealth of precious ore is to be mined from this mother lode. So let’s not be caught dilly dallying around the Maypole. Roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work in the mine!
Ezekiel chapters 40-48 are a vision from the Millennium. Permit me to explain, please. The Lord Jesus will return again (His Second Coming) to bring the Great Tribulation to a close. The false trinity of Satan/beast/false prophet will be defeated, judged by the Lord Jesus, and be found wanting. The beast (antichrist) and the false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire.
Satan on the other hand will be bound and cast into the abyss for 1,000 years, locked up and unable to tempt mankind any longer. The word millennium is Latin for 1,000 years. During the Millennium the Lord Jesus will rule the entire earth from Jerusalem, and the Hebrew people will again be taken up by Him as His chosen people on the earth. All the Lord’s yet-to-be-fulfilled covenant promises with Israel will be fulfilled during the Millennium.
The Lord’s Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and all the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew) will go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord with the Jews there. The Holy Spirit graced Ezekiel with a vision of this Temple, as also a depiction of Israel’s organization during the Millennium. Our quoted text for today refers to this Millennial Temple.
With this context in mind, let’s mine the ore of this text. Valuable nuggets are there for the taking.
There are three fundamental spiritual truths we wish to learn from the text.
1. the prince leaves the Millennial Temple by the same route He enters it
2. the people leave the Millennial Temple by the opposite route they enter it
3. the prince and the people enter and leave the Millennial Temple together
We will stop for the time being now and spend some time alone with the Lord Jesus. I look forward to seeing you again on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Our text for this study is somewhat longer than is customary for these studies. It cannot be helped, dear friends, but it will be well worth the learning. A wealth of precious ore is to be mined from this mother lode. So let’s not be caught dilly dallying around the Maypole. Roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work in the mine!
Ezekiel chapters 40-48 are a vision from the Millennium. Permit me to explain, please. The Lord Jesus will return again (His Second Coming) to bring the Great Tribulation to a close. The false trinity of Satan/beast/false prophet will be defeated, judged by the Lord Jesus, and be found wanting. The beast (antichrist) and the false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire.
Satan on the other hand will be bound and cast into the abyss for 1,000 years, locked up and unable to tempt mankind any longer. The word millennium is Latin for 1,000 years. During the Millennium the Lord Jesus will rule the entire earth from Jerusalem, and the Hebrew people will again be taken up by Him as His chosen people on the earth. All the Lord’s yet-to-be-fulfilled covenant promises with Israel will be fulfilled during the Millennium.
The Lord’s Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and all the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew) will go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord with the Jews there. The Holy Spirit graced Ezekiel with a vision of this Temple, as also a depiction of Israel’s organization during the Millennium. Our quoted text for today refers to this Millennial Temple.
With this context in mind, let’s mine the ore of this text. Valuable nuggets are there for the taking.
There are three fundamental spiritual truths we wish to learn from the text.
1. the prince leaves the Millennial Temple by the same route He enters it
2. the people leave the Millennial Temple by the opposite route they enter it
3. the prince and the people enter and leave the Millennial Temple together
We will stop for the time being now and spend some time alone with the Lord Jesus. I look forward to seeing you again on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 15, 2013
Knock Knock. Who’s There? – Part 3
Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!” As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel.” [Ezekiel 1:28b-2:3a]
Ezekiel caught a vision of the Lord. As is to be expected from a godly person, he fell on his face in worship. Now let’s learn what followed next.
Before giving Ezekiel his commission, the Lord directed him to stand up. It was as if to say, “The time to worship is past, Ezekiel. Now I will commission you as My prophet and dispatch you to the stiff-necked Israelites, to rebuke them for their sins and call them to return to Me in repentance. You cannot do this on your knees, so stand up!”
Let’s itemize the steps in Ezekiel’s call to ministry from the Lord:
1. catch a vision of the Lord
2. bow in worship before Him
3. hear Him speak
4. get up and get to work
Is that about it? Uh, not quite yet. Something crucial is missing in a call to ministry here. We need to see the Lord, yes, and we need to respond to Who He is by worshiping Him. We most definitely need to understand what He wants with us as well, and then we need to arise and begin the work. However that much only leads to religion, not spiritual service. Something is missing, I tell you.
Ah, yes, I got it. To perform spiritual service we need the Holy Spirit! Accordingly we next learn, As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. At this point Ezekiel had the Spirit’s gifting and power to perform the work to which the Lord called him. Ezekiel was enabled to understand the Word of God for him personally, so he knew what ministry it was to which the Lord called him.
This is a fine blueprint for us today as well. In order to ever truly catch a vision of the Lord—and this precedes everything else if our hearts are to enter the equation—but to see the Lord for real, we need to be into the Word of God for real. A vision of the Lord can only be achieved by faith, and faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ.
So what say ye? Do you desire to know the Lord Jesus for real? Or are you satisfied with keeping Him in a box known as the church building? If we truly want to know the Lord personally, we must commit our lives to sitting quietly at His feet daily with Bible opened, ears attentive, and hearts willing to obey.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Ezekiel caught a vision of the Lord. As is to be expected from a godly person, he fell on his face in worship. Now let’s learn what followed next.
Before giving Ezekiel his commission, the Lord directed him to stand up. It was as if to say, “The time to worship is past, Ezekiel. Now I will commission you as My prophet and dispatch you to the stiff-necked Israelites, to rebuke them for their sins and call them to return to Me in repentance. You cannot do this on your knees, so stand up!”
Let’s itemize the steps in Ezekiel’s call to ministry from the Lord:
1. catch a vision of the Lord
2. bow in worship before Him
3. hear Him speak
4. get up and get to work
Is that about it? Uh, not quite yet. Something crucial is missing in a call to ministry here. We need to see the Lord, yes, and we need to respond to Who He is by worshiping Him. We most definitely need to understand what He wants with us as well, and then we need to arise and begin the work. However that much only leads to religion, not spiritual service. Something is missing, I tell you.
Ah, yes, I got it. To perform spiritual service we need the Holy Spirit! Accordingly we next learn, As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. At this point Ezekiel had the Spirit’s gifting and power to perform the work to which the Lord called him. Ezekiel was enabled to understand the Word of God for him personally, so he knew what ministry it was to which the Lord called him.
This is a fine blueprint for us today as well. In order to ever truly catch a vision of the Lord—and this precedes everything else if our hearts are to enter the equation—but to see the Lord for real, we need to be into the Word of God for real. A vision of the Lord can only be achieved by faith, and faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ.
So what say ye? Do you desire to know the Lord Jesus for real? Or are you satisfied with keeping Him in a box known as the church building? If we truly want to know the Lord personally, we must commit our lives to sitting quietly at His feet daily with Bible opened, ears attentive, and hearts willing to obey.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 14, 2013
Knock Knock. Who’s There? – Part 2
Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!” As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel.” [Ezekiel 1:28b-2:3a]
Ezekiel first caught a vision of the Lord, and then he responded by worshiping Him. The next step in his call to ministry, the third one, was to hear the Lord speaking to him. So it was with Ezekiel. The Lord directed Ezekiel to stand up and receive the Word of the Lord.
By way of an aside let it be noted that “God” didn’t call Ezekiel to the ministry. Look at the text again and see for yourself. “The Lord” gave the call. The word “God” refers to the high and mighty Creator, He Who is far above man and unapproachable by us. The word conveys deity in an impersonal aspect.
The phrase “the Lord” is quite different. In the original Hebrew “the Lord” is not a generic term or an expression of deity. It is the actual name of Deity, aka YHWH or Yahweh or Jehovah. When the phrase “the Lord” is used it conveys Deity as personally involved with man in a covenantal relationship.
Ezekiel’s call to ministry was personal involvement with the Lord. He was called to serve the Lord, and it doesn’t get any more personal than that! Hence the identifier “God” would have been out of place in this case. Ezekiel was called to the Lord’s personal service as His prophet.
The Lord told Ezekiel to stand up before hearing the Word of God. It would be easy to see no significance in this…except for the fact there was crucial significance! The Word of God which Ezekiel was about to receive was his call to ministry from the Lord.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Too many Christians believe they receive the Lord’s call to the pastorate, for example, only to take their ease and bask in the accolades heaped upon such a holy man of God. The ministry has no place for lazy folks, or for seekers of fame and fortune. The ministry is a position of work, hard work, grueling work. The fainthearted need not apply!
There is a time and a place for everything. The time to worship the Lord must perforce precede the time to serve our fellow man. Still, the time to worship must draw to a close and we must rise from our knees, if we will ever get around to serving our fellow man. We cannot float on a silver cloud while playing a golden harp forever. What use would we be?
Answer: we would be of no use at all! Perhaps we should pause at this point, in order to cogitate on this very point. Tomorrow we will bring this study to a close.
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...
Ezekiel first caught a vision of the Lord, and then he responded by worshiping Him. The next step in his call to ministry, the third one, was to hear the Lord speaking to him. So it was with Ezekiel. The Lord directed Ezekiel to stand up and receive the Word of the Lord.
By way of an aside let it be noted that “God” didn’t call Ezekiel to the ministry. Look at the text again and see for yourself. “The Lord” gave the call. The word “God” refers to the high and mighty Creator, He Who is far above man and unapproachable by us. The word conveys deity in an impersonal aspect.
The phrase “the Lord” is quite different. In the original Hebrew “the Lord” is not a generic term or an expression of deity. It is the actual name of Deity, aka YHWH or Yahweh or Jehovah. When the phrase “the Lord” is used it conveys Deity as personally involved with man in a covenantal relationship.
Ezekiel’s call to ministry was personal involvement with the Lord. He was called to serve the Lord, and it doesn’t get any more personal than that! Hence the identifier “God” would have been out of place in this case. Ezekiel was called to the Lord’s personal service as His prophet.
The Lord told Ezekiel to stand up before hearing the Word of God. It would be easy to see no significance in this…except for the fact there was crucial significance! The Word of God which Ezekiel was about to receive was his call to ministry from the Lord.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Too many Christians believe they receive the Lord’s call to the pastorate, for example, only to take their ease and bask in the accolades heaped upon such a holy man of God. The ministry has no place for lazy folks, or for seekers of fame and fortune. The ministry is a position of work, hard work, grueling work. The fainthearted need not apply!
There is a time and a place for everything. The time to worship the Lord must perforce precede the time to serve our fellow man. Still, the time to worship must draw to a close and we must rise from our knees, if we will ever get around to serving our fellow man. We cannot float on a silver cloud while playing a golden harp forever. What use would we be?
Answer: we would be of no use at all! Perhaps we should pause at this point, in order to cogitate on this very point. Tomorrow we will bring this study to a close.
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...
April 13, 2013
Knock Knock. Who’s There? – Part 1
Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!” As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel.” [Ezekiel 1:28b-2:3a]
I recall a time when I was going through the business of my day, all the while waiting on a phone call about a prospective job. I didn’t sit by the phone twiddling my thumbs, mind you. But my busy day could not dismiss from my consciousness the position I awaited, no matter how hard it tried!
Well, the phone never rang…but a knock on the door did! I opened it to behold a courtly gentleman standing before me, bedecked to play the part. He couldn’t be satisfied, it would seem, to dispatch a letter to me. Nor would it suffice for him to talk to a voice over the phone. He wanted to see me face-to-face because the position was too important to go through formalities in filling it.
His earnestness and gravity confirmed my own inclination to accept the position. This process was no small matter, and the solemnity portrayed by this true gentleman conveyed that he had the same understanding of the matter as I did.
We are privileged to observe this same solemnity in Ezekiel’s life, as we read the verses quoted to start this text. Ezekiel’s situation was a good deal more solemn than mine, I have to admit. I see a five part progression in the Lord’s call to ministry for Ezekiel, for that is what the verses record. Let’s take a bite and savor these, shall we?
To receive a job, a position, a ministry, we first need someone to offer the job to us. We also need to see the person who does this. And so it was with Ezekiel. He had a vision of the Lord God Almighty.
When any person—and it matters not whether he be human or angelic—but when anyone truly beholds the Lord God, his response is always the same, and that without fail. He falls on his face in awe and worship. The very nature of the Lord impels created beings to bow before their Creator. So it was with Ezekiel. He fell on his face before the Lord. He bowed in worship.
We would do well to emulate Ezekiel in this. Let’s pause here and do just that, shall we? We will continue in this vein tomorrow.
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...
I recall a time when I was going through the business of my day, all the while waiting on a phone call about a prospective job. I didn’t sit by the phone twiddling my thumbs, mind you. But my busy day could not dismiss from my consciousness the position I awaited, no matter how hard it tried!
Well, the phone never rang…but a knock on the door did! I opened it to behold a courtly gentleman standing before me, bedecked to play the part. He couldn’t be satisfied, it would seem, to dispatch a letter to me. Nor would it suffice for him to talk to a voice over the phone. He wanted to see me face-to-face because the position was too important to go through formalities in filling it.
His earnestness and gravity confirmed my own inclination to accept the position. This process was no small matter, and the solemnity portrayed by this true gentleman conveyed that he had the same understanding of the matter as I did.
We are privileged to observe this same solemnity in Ezekiel’s life, as we read the verses quoted to start this text. Ezekiel’s situation was a good deal more solemn than mine, I have to admit. I see a five part progression in the Lord’s call to ministry for Ezekiel, for that is what the verses record. Let’s take a bite and savor these, shall we?
To receive a job, a position, a ministry, we first need someone to offer the job to us. We also need to see the person who does this. And so it was with Ezekiel. He had a vision of the Lord God Almighty.
When any person—and it matters not whether he be human or angelic—but when anyone truly beholds the Lord God, his response is always the same, and that without fail. He falls on his face in awe and worship. The very nature of the Lord impels created beings to bow before their Creator. So it was with Ezekiel. He fell on his face before the Lord. He bowed in worship.
We would do well to emulate Ezekiel in this. Let’s pause here and do just that, shall we? We will continue in this vein tomorrow.
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...
April 12, 2013
Keep Your Eye on the Ball – Part 2
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness [Lamentations 3:21-23].
We left off yesterday by noting how Jeremiah had to endure the most raucous belligerence from the Israelites. He was the Lord’s prophet to them during a time of utter apostasy, and they hated him with a vengeance for proclaiming the Lord’s judgment on them. Jeremiah was daily beleaguered by his fellow Israelites.
That much in and of itself sufficed to make Jeremiah’s ministry unenviable. But then there came the cherry on top. After the Lord dispersed the Israelites into Babylonian exile, the remnant of the people kidnapped Jeremiah and forced him to hie off to Egypt with them.
This was in direct violation to the Lord’s express command to them to remain in the land of Israel and not go to Egypt. Consequently the Israelites were continuing in their rebellion against the Lord. This could only result in the Lord’s curses alighting on them…and Jeremiah was with them! Ergo, Jeremiah had to suffer God’s wrath right along with them.
Jeremiah is often referred to as “the weeping prophet”. He had to endure the sight of his people suffering the Lord’s vengeance for their outright apostasy. The people were conquered by the Babylonians and taken as slaves to Babylon. The city of Jerusalem was leveled and the temple ransacked and burned. Jewish women were raped in public, and Jewish babies were seized by the feet and their heads dashed against the rocks. Nothing was left of the Lord’s witness in Israel.
If anyone deserved to wallow in self-pity, Jeremiah qualified! But it wasn’t Jeremiah’s style. He was a true man of God, a prophet of the Lord who fearlessly proclaimed the true Word of God to his people, regardless of the consequences. Jeremiah succeeded at this without losing heart and becoming demoralized because of one thing: he didn’t walk by sight but by faith. He believed the Word of God which cannot fail, rather than eyesight which usually does fail.
Read the words quoted at the start of this study. Jeremiah didn’t look at how bad everything was and resign himself to helpless, hopeless defeat. He looked at the Lord and took Him at His Word. He knew the defeat was temporary. The Lord promised him that the Babylonian exile would last for seventy years and no longer. Then the Lord would return Israel to the land and rebuild the temple and city.
All around Jeremiah the temple was aflame and the city of Jerusalem a smoldering ruins. It didn’t deter Jeremiah. He looked away from the temporality of the world and turned his gaze to the Lord to see eternal reality. He ejaculated, “I have hope! The Lord never leaves me or forsakes me. He is faithful, even when I am not. His mercies never fail. They are new every morning.”
I learned a lot from Jeremiah, and I’m much the better for it. Permit me to encourage you to open your heart to the Word of the Lord through Jeremiah. You too will be better equipped to face life’s ordeals.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We left off yesterday by noting how Jeremiah had to endure the most raucous belligerence from the Israelites. He was the Lord’s prophet to them during a time of utter apostasy, and they hated him with a vengeance for proclaiming the Lord’s judgment on them. Jeremiah was daily beleaguered by his fellow Israelites.
That much in and of itself sufficed to make Jeremiah’s ministry unenviable. But then there came the cherry on top. After the Lord dispersed the Israelites into Babylonian exile, the remnant of the people kidnapped Jeremiah and forced him to hie off to Egypt with them.
This was in direct violation to the Lord’s express command to them to remain in the land of Israel and not go to Egypt. Consequently the Israelites were continuing in their rebellion against the Lord. This could only result in the Lord’s curses alighting on them…and Jeremiah was with them! Ergo, Jeremiah had to suffer God’s wrath right along with them.
Jeremiah is often referred to as “the weeping prophet”. He had to endure the sight of his people suffering the Lord’s vengeance for their outright apostasy. The people were conquered by the Babylonians and taken as slaves to Babylon. The city of Jerusalem was leveled and the temple ransacked and burned. Jewish women were raped in public, and Jewish babies were seized by the feet and their heads dashed against the rocks. Nothing was left of the Lord’s witness in Israel.
If anyone deserved to wallow in self-pity, Jeremiah qualified! But it wasn’t Jeremiah’s style. He was a true man of God, a prophet of the Lord who fearlessly proclaimed the true Word of God to his people, regardless of the consequences. Jeremiah succeeded at this without losing heart and becoming demoralized because of one thing: he didn’t walk by sight but by faith. He believed the Word of God which cannot fail, rather than eyesight which usually does fail.
Read the words quoted at the start of this study. Jeremiah didn’t look at how bad everything was and resign himself to helpless, hopeless defeat. He looked at the Lord and took Him at His Word. He knew the defeat was temporary. The Lord promised him that the Babylonian exile would last for seventy years and no longer. Then the Lord would return Israel to the land and rebuild the temple and city.
All around Jeremiah the temple was aflame and the city of Jerusalem a smoldering ruins. It didn’t deter Jeremiah. He looked away from the temporality of the world and turned his gaze to the Lord to see eternal reality. He ejaculated, “I have hope! The Lord never leaves me or forsakes me. He is faithful, even when I am not. His mercies never fail. They are new every morning.”
I learned a lot from Jeremiah, and I’m much the better for it. Permit me to encourage you to open your heart to the Word of the Lord through Jeremiah. You too will be better equipped to face life’s ordeals.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 11, 2013
Keep Your Eye on the Ball – Part 1
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness [Lamentations 3:21-23].
I’ve had my fair share of personal tragedies in my lifetime. In fact I’d venture to say that I’ve endured some of yours too! Some of these tragedies were difficult, not to understate the matter. Others were excruciating, in some ways crippling me for life.
Often I’ve looked around and wondered why I have to face so many trials, so many insurmountable obstacles. Why, Lord, can’t you let someone else enjoy them for a while? Why me, Lord? I didn’t volunteer to be a punching bag. I don’t qualify for the “He-man of the Year” award, that I should be considered strong enough to bear such a multitude of beatings! Why me?
You know, the longer I carried on suchlike verbiage, the worse off I became. It never failed. When I crawled on my belly and whined incessantly, things only became worse. And here I thought they couldn’t get any worse! Nothing constructive ever comes of pity parties, dear friends. And if they’re not constructive, guess what? They’re destructive! This is why things only got worse when I employed that approach. It is destructive.
But you know, there is much more to be garnered from these observations. When I whined to the Lord and felt sorry for myself—and it doesn’t matter whether or not, or how much, truth was involved in my complaints—but when I behaved in such a fashion, I had my eyes fixed on the problems and on myself. This is known in Biblical parlance as walking by sight. I determined reality based on what my eyes told me was real.
If anyone ever had real trials and tribulations to endure, Jeremiah sure qualified! He was badgered and beaten and abused pretty much his entire adult life, and this by his own countrymen. In fact the citizens of his own town, Anathoth, were the worst lot amongst his antagonists. You would think he could at least catch a break in his hometown!
Jeremiah had to bring the Word of the Lord to the Israelites during one of the most depraved periods in their history. Consequently they were about as virulent and vengeful as any apostate people could ever be. They contemned Jeremiah for speaking the true words of God because the Lord condemned them for their outrageous sinning, and they had no intentions of repenting!
Oh, dear. Out of time again. We will continue this topic on the morrow. Enjoy some time alone with Jesus now, why don’cha?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
I’ve had my fair share of personal tragedies in my lifetime. In fact I’d venture to say that I’ve endured some of yours too! Some of these tragedies were difficult, not to understate the matter. Others were excruciating, in some ways crippling me for life.
Often I’ve looked around and wondered why I have to face so many trials, so many insurmountable obstacles. Why, Lord, can’t you let someone else enjoy them for a while? Why me, Lord? I didn’t volunteer to be a punching bag. I don’t qualify for the “He-man of the Year” award, that I should be considered strong enough to bear such a multitude of beatings! Why me?
You know, the longer I carried on suchlike verbiage, the worse off I became. It never failed. When I crawled on my belly and whined incessantly, things only became worse. And here I thought they couldn’t get any worse! Nothing constructive ever comes of pity parties, dear friends. And if they’re not constructive, guess what? They’re destructive! This is why things only got worse when I employed that approach. It is destructive.
But you know, there is much more to be garnered from these observations. When I whined to the Lord and felt sorry for myself—and it doesn’t matter whether or not, or how much, truth was involved in my complaints—but when I behaved in such a fashion, I had my eyes fixed on the problems and on myself. This is known in Biblical parlance as walking by sight. I determined reality based on what my eyes told me was real.
If anyone ever had real trials and tribulations to endure, Jeremiah sure qualified! He was badgered and beaten and abused pretty much his entire adult life, and this by his own countrymen. In fact the citizens of his own town, Anathoth, were the worst lot amongst his antagonists. You would think he could at least catch a break in his hometown!
Jeremiah had to bring the Word of the Lord to the Israelites during one of the most depraved periods in their history. Consequently they were about as virulent and vengeful as any apostate people could ever be. They contemned Jeremiah for speaking the true words of God because the Lord condemned them for their outrageous sinning, and they had no intentions of repenting!
Oh, dear. Out of time again. We will continue this topic on the morrow. Enjoy some time alone with Jesus now, why don’cha?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 10, 2013
No Wiggle Room Allowed – Part 2
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted [Isaiah 53:4].
We concluded our last study by noting how Jesus came on the scene of history doing many good works. The sick were healed, the hungry fed, the naked clothed, the blind given sight. That was the good side of the coin. Now let’s take a gander at the bad side of the coin.
The bad side was that He suffered terribly from scorn, derision, persecution, and finally martyrdom. And here’s the thing, dear friends. Jesus didn’t take the bows when the good side of the coin was on the ascendant. No, but instead He gave the glory to His Father in heaven. And when the bad side of the coin had its day, He neither complained nor blamed.
Alas, but sinful man back in the day failed to take his cue from this holy behavior by the Son of man. Instead he continued deluging Him with the blame for every wrong He faced, while portraying the good He did as bad. Sinful man redefined the good side of the coin as “bad” and the bad side as “good”. No wonder they crucified the Lord of glory!
Isaiah foretold this roughly 550 years before it occurred. Methinks even the Hubble telescope could not see that far! But Isaiah did. So how’d he do it? Simply put, the Holy Spirit revealed it to Him. The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Godhead, so He knows everything always.
In the verse quoted to start this study Isaiah expressed this predilection of sinful man most incisively. On His part Jesus “bore our griefs and carried our sorrows”. Two sides are involved here:
1. Jesus
2. sinful Israel (and by extension sinful Gentiles too)
Jesus suffered and died, but it wasn’t for His own sins. It was for the sins of sinful man. This is known as substitutionary or vicarious atonement. One person suffers punishment on behalf of another.
Notwithstanding this truth, sinful Israel (and we Gentiles too) mocked and contemned Him during His sufferings, claiming He was being punished by God for His own sins. For the good He did they offered Him no appreciation. For the sufferings He bore they affixed the blame to His forehead. From their perspective Jesus could do no right, but He was adept at doing wrong.
We today are confronted with the same choice. Is Jesus never right but always wrong? Or is He always right and never wrong? Those are the only two choices, dear friends. He cannot be partially right and partially wrong. He doesn’t allow us that wiggle room. He claimed He was God. God can never be partially right and partially wrong.
This is the issue confronting every son of Adam today. Make your choice, my friends. Your eternity rides on which one you choose.
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...
We concluded our last study by noting how Jesus came on the scene of history doing many good works. The sick were healed, the hungry fed, the naked clothed, the blind given sight. That was the good side of the coin. Now let’s take a gander at the bad side of the coin.
The bad side was that He suffered terribly from scorn, derision, persecution, and finally martyrdom. And here’s the thing, dear friends. Jesus didn’t take the bows when the good side of the coin was on the ascendant. No, but instead He gave the glory to His Father in heaven. And when the bad side of the coin had its day, He neither complained nor blamed.
Alas, but sinful man back in the day failed to take his cue from this holy behavior by the Son of man. Instead he continued deluging Him with the blame for every wrong He faced, while portraying the good He did as bad. Sinful man redefined the good side of the coin as “bad” and the bad side as “good”. No wonder they crucified the Lord of glory!
Isaiah foretold this roughly 550 years before it occurred. Methinks even the Hubble telescope could not see that far! But Isaiah did. So how’d he do it? Simply put, the Holy Spirit revealed it to Him. The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Godhead, so He knows everything always.
In the verse quoted to start this study Isaiah expressed this predilection of sinful man most incisively. On His part Jesus “bore our griefs and carried our sorrows”. Two sides are involved here:
1. Jesus
2. sinful Israel (and by extension sinful Gentiles too)
Jesus suffered and died, but it wasn’t for His own sins. It was for the sins of sinful man. This is known as substitutionary or vicarious atonement. One person suffers punishment on behalf of another.
Notwithstanding this truth, sinful Israel (and we Gentiles too) mocked and contemned Him during His sufferings, claiming He was being punished by God for His own sins. For the good He did they offered Him no appreciation. For the sufferings He bore they affixed the blame to His forehead. From their perspective Jesus could do no right, but He was adept at doing wrong.
We today are confronted with the same choice. Is Jesus never right but always wrong? Or is He always right and never wrong? Those are the only two choices, dear friends. He cannot be partially right and partially wrong. He doesn’t allow us that wiggle room. He claimed He was God. God can never be partially right and partially wrong.
This is the issue confronting every son of Adam today. Make your choice, my friends. Your eternity rides on which one you choose.
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...
