Psalm 66

An oft memorized verse on prayer is Psalm 66:18: If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.  I memorized it years ago under the title Hindrances to Answered Prayer.  It is worth remembering.  If I come to God, while giving a place in my heart to sin, God will not hear me.  Pure and simple. 

But as is ALWAYS the case, one should never memorize this isolated verse without reference to the context.  Verse 18 actually is the verse that helps make sense of Psalm 66 in its entirety.  Having read the Song let us note the major movements first and then we can see how this verse presents an important truth for us in making sense out of every part of our lives.

·         66:1-4 calls all the earth to worship God (and they will, v4).

·         66:5-7 calls all the earth to come and see God’s awesome works.  The writer points out two similar events in the Exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea when they first left Egypt and the crossing of the Jordon River at flood stage when they were ready to enter the Promised Land.  These (and many other works of God) give reason to praise Him.

·         66:8-12 calls all the earth to bless God.  Now pay special attention.  To bless (Heb: barak) God is to praise Him, to speak well of Him.  But notice why God is to be blessed.  It is because He has tested us, refined us as silver, brought us into the net, laid affliction on our backs, and caused men to ride over our heads.  We went through the fire and through water.  But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.  This kind of “treatment” by God would cause many to curse Him; but we are called to bless God for these things, to speak well of Him.  Notice what follows.

·         66:13-15 records the commitment of the Psalmist.  Having gone through the time of affliction He is lead to a deeper relationship with God.  He is at the Lord’s house offering sacrifice and fulfilling the vows made to God in the time of trouble.  These vows are not a bribe of some sort meant to get God to change His treatment of us; they are the response of the sinner who through the affliction has learned to trust God rather than himself.

·         66:16-20 call all who fear God to come and hear the testimony of the Psalmist who has cried out to God and been heard.  He did not regard iniquity in his heart; and God did not turn away his prayer but was merciful.

The fact is that we often come to God while having a regard for sin in our hearts, whether we know it or not.  God is to be blessed because by affliction He has pointed out our weakness, our unbelief, our pride.  If He did not do this we would never know the iniquity hidden in the nooks and crannies of our hearts.  We would never know that God has heard us.  We would miss out on His mercy!

Friend, bless the Lord today.  Thank Him for taking you through the fire and water.  Thank Him for purifying your heart!

Psalm 62, “Verily, verily” in Hebrew

I recently came across an OT word that is well worth the study.  The word is “ak … a particle of affirmation, surely; hence (by limitation) only (Strongs).”  I suppose when Jesus said “Verily, verily” or “truly, truly” He was, in Hebrew, using this term.  It is used 161x in 157 verses which is a long list for our posts.  But given the fact that, like me, you were not aware of the word, we are planning to camp on this. 

The first use is in Gen. 7:23: Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.  As in the “Verily” NT passages, the word is always at the beginning of a sentence or phrase, even if in the English translation it is found at the end.  In other words, it is telling us that what follows must be understood.  In this case, Noah and his family were the only survivors of the flood; the only ones! Period!

God, the Father (in the OT) nor the Son (in the NT) nor the Holy Spirit (in all of Scripture) did not use this term because other things He said were doubtful.  Rather, the term is there for the reader, to make sure he hears and understands what is being said!  All truth is true.  Some truth is more fundamental and must be emphasized.

I want to begin the list with Psalm 62 where the word appears 6x.  This will show us how it is used.

·       62:1: Truly, my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.

·       62:2: Only He is my rock, salvation, and defense.  I shall not be greatly moved.

·       62:4: Speaking of the Psalmists enemies, only they consult to cast him down from his high position.

·       62:5: My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.

·       62:6: He only is my rock … salvation … defense; I shall not be moved.

·       62:9: Surely men of low degree are a vapor … a lie … altogether lighter than vapor.

Now, here are more critical truths from Genesis:

·       9:4: But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

·       9:5: Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning.  “Life for life” is a fundamental truth.

·       18:32: Abraham, pleading for Lot, Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: suppoet ten should be found there.

·       20:12: Of his wife Abraham said, indeed she is my sister.  Is this a fundamental truth?  In the context, it was a critical fact for the Philistine king Abimelech.

·       23:13: But if you will give the field … I will give you the money. The term demonstrates Abraham’s deep desire to purchase the burial place for Sarah.

·       26:9: Now Abimelech used the term with Isaac: quite obviously she is your wife.

·       27:13: But Rebekah said to Jacob, Let your curse by on me, my son.

·       27:30: scarcely had Jacob gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

1 Peter 4:7-11, True Charismatic Christianity

We have two words in this post that are both from the family of “grace” terms.  The word for “grace” is “charis.”  “Charisma” literally means a “grace-thing.”  In other words, it is a gift of grace.  We are not just saying it is given graciously; it is in a sense a “piece” of God’s grace given.  The second word is a verb that speaks of the way the grace is given.

carisma (charisma, noun) gift

·       Ro1:11: Paul wants to see them to impart a spiritual (pneumatikos) gift to them.  Understanding this requires that you recognize that the “piece of grace” (gift) is spiritual.  But the gift itself is “grace.”

·       Rom 5:15-16: free gift is not like the sin; the grace of God and the gift (dōreas) by the grace of the one Man abounded to many; the gift arose fr. many sins resulting in justification. (Doreas is a gift given freely; charisma, the grace gift, in these verses is that free gift.)

·       Rom 6:23: gift of God = eternal life thru JC our Lord

·       Rom 11:29: gifts & calling of God are w/o repentance.

·       Rom 12:6: having then gifts differing acc. to grace, use them w/excellence.  It is emphasized here that what God gives to believers, that we call a “spiritual gift,” is actually a portion of His grace by which we may live and serve Christ.

·       1Co 1:7: Corinthians not lacking any gift.

·       1Cor 7:7: each man has his own gift (celebacy or marriage; i.e. God gives grace to live in the way that pleases Him).

·       1Co 12:4: diff gifts but same Spirit.  This “grace” is given by the Spirit.

·       1Co 12:9,28,30f: to another gifts of healing; so there is set in the church ... gifts of healings;  have all gifts of healings? NO.  Covet earnestly the best gifts, yet here's a more excellent way.  Note that in the remainder of 1 Cor. 12-14 charisma refers to the gift that all believers have receives only in 12:31; otherwise, it refers to a specific gift of healing.

·       2Co 1:11: many prayers result in many thanks for gift given to Paul thru prayer.

·       1Ti 4:14: neglect not gift that is in thee.

·       2Ti 1:6: stir up gift of God in them by putting on of my hands.

·       1Pt 4:10: as every man has rec'd, so let him minister as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  Again, if we have a “charisma” we have God’s grace.  In v11 there are two types of grace: those useful for serving and those for speaking.  Read the list in Rom. 12:1-8 and you will see this.

caritow (charitoō): to bestow favor on, bless

·       Lk 1:28: Hail Mary, thou are highly favored.

·       Eph 1:6: to praise of His grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved

Titus 1:10-16, The “Negative” Ministry of the Word

This is not a difficult study, as I believe the usual English translations carry the same sense as the Greek.  But it is an important study when it comes to how the word of God is to be communicated to others.  It’s importance rises in the current Evangelical society where there are times when Churches and church leadership are reluctant to effectively deal with sin. 

nouqesia (nouthesia, noun): admonition, instruction, warning

·       1Cor 10:11: OT things are examples, written for our admonition.  When you read the context (10:1-13) you see that the stories Paul has in mind involve sin and God’s attending chastening.

·       Eph 6:4: bring up children in the nurture (Greek paideia) and admonition of the Lord. 

·       Tit 3:10: reject a heretic after 1st & 2nd admonition.  These “heretics” were creating disunity in the Body.

Vine: literally a "putting in mind".  "Training by word", whether encouragement, reproof or remonstrance.  paideia stresses "training by act".  At home (and certainly in the Church also), teaching involves word and action/example.

nouqetew (noutheteō, verb): to admonish, warn, instruct

·       Ac 20:31: Paul didn't cease night & day for 3 yrs. to warn the Ephesians.

·       Rom 15:14: The Roman believers were able to admonish one another.  Perhaps their ability to do this stemmed from being full of goodness and filled with all knowledge.

·       1Cor 4:14: Paul wrote, not to shame them, but to warn them.  Quite often people feel shame when admonished, but they need to have a different response (submission to Christ) in order to grow in His grace and knowledge.

·       Col 1:28: Paul preached Christ, warning & teaching (didaska) all men

·       Col 3:16: in all wisdom we must teach (didaskw) & admonish each other

·       1Th 5:2: they should know those who admonish them (church leaders had a duty to admonish).  Two illustrations of this: Titus 1:10-16; Gal. 2:11-21).

·       2Th 3:15: he who obeys not Paul's letter to was be admonished as a brother, though not to be treated as an enemy.

Vine: diff than "teach" (didaskō)...admonish has in view things that are wrong & a warning.  Teach is impartation of positive truth.  Also diff. than remonstrance.  Admonish based on instruction; remonstrance is just reasoning with him, objecting to his actions.

An effective “ministry of the Word of God” requires both positive teaching and negative admonition.  It requires both teaching by the word and teaching by example. 

Luke 10:38-42, Care about this, Not about that!

The term “melei” (noun) refers to the thing that is the object of our concern.

melei: an object of care, concern; special care, interest, forethought

·       Mt22:16: Christ pays no attn to what men think of him (Mk.12:14)

·       Mk 4:38: d's to Christ: don't you care that we drown, perish

·       Lk 10:40: Martha to Christ: don't you care that I'm doing all the work

·       Jn.10:13: hired hand doesn't care for sheep

·       Jn.12:6: Judas didn't really care about poor, only wanted the money

·       Ac 18:17: Gallio showed no concern about beating of synagogue ruler

·       1Co 7:21: don't let being a slave "trouble" you, tho if you can change it

·       1Co 9:9: God's concern is not concerned about oxen but his servants

·       1 Pet 5:7: cast your cares (merimna) on Him for He cares for you

This is quite helpful in my view.  For example, Martha’s dinner needs to be fixed, so that is a legitimate concern; but what Martha did was to let that “care” take her attention away from Christ. Mary focused on Christ; she could have helped fix the dinner later.  Again, caring for the poor is a good thing; but Judas didn’t really care about the poor; he only cared about himself.  Peter says God will take care of our “cares” so they must be legitimate cares; Peter only wants us not to let those cares takes us away from the “caring about Christ.”

VINCENT: "anxious". He rejects idea of dividing interest or care. "The word is placed in a group which carried the common notion of earnest thoughtfulness. It may include the ideas of worry & anxiety & may emphasize these, but not necessarily. (I Cor. 7:32-34; 12:25; Phil. 2:20) In all these uses the sense of worry would be completely out of place. In other cases, the idea is prominent as Mt. 13:22/Mk. 4:19/Lk. 8:14 (parable of soils, seed sown among thorns); Lk.10:41 (“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things). (III,457).

VINE: "be anxious", (I,169)

INTERPRETATION: I think Vincent has it right.  Phil. 4:6 is tells us not to set our hearts on the necessary things of this life so that we no longer set our affection on Christ.  As Jesus indicated in the Parable of the Soils, this is a fundamental issue of faith.  A young believer will remain a child is he allows the cares of the world to keep him from growing in his faith.  It’s not that those cares are sinful in themselves; rather, devotion to those cares is aiming low, keeping us from the cares of the Kingdom of Christ.  It was right for Paul to care for the churches (2 Cor. 13).  It was right for the shepherd to care for the sheep (Jn. 10).

Phil. 4:1-9, “Be Careful” or “Be Careful for Nothing”

WORD STUDY: "careful" (merimnaw, merimnaō)

Phil.4:6 (KJV): "Be careful for nothing: but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

OTHER VERSIONS: NASV, NIV, ESV: anxious; Williams, Phillips: worried

Beck: worry; RSV, NEB: anxiety

CONCORDANCE STUDY:

The Greek verb “merimnaō” appears 19x in 17 verses; the noun “merimna” appears 6x in 6 verses; the negative adjective “amerimnos” is 2x in 2 verses.  (All those verses are mentioned somewhere in this post.)  It was also translated "careful" in Lk.10:41 KJV with the same context of "worry, anxiety". Often translated "take thought" in KJV. The root of these terms is a word that means to divide.  Thus we have the idea of a divided focus.

·       Mt.6:25,27,28,31,34 (Sermon on the Mount): all in context of being anxious for needs of this life & their supply.

·       Mt.10:19; Luke 12:11: don't worry about what to speak when under trial for Christ; the HS will give you the words to say.

·       Mt. 28:14: Jews told soldiers at the tomb they would appease the governor so they would be “secure” (without care).

·       Lk.12:22,25,26: worry about needs & their supply.  Different setting than Matt. 6; Luke records Jesus reply to the man who asked Him to get involved in the dispersing of his inheritance.

·       Lk. 21:34: take heed not to be weighed down by cares of this life so that the coming day takes you by surprise

·       I Cor. 7:32ab,33,34ab: husbands care for wife, family.

·       I Cor. 12:25: Christians care for other members of body

·       2 Cor. 11:28: Paul had troubles plus the care of the churches.

·       Phil. 2:20: someone to care for Philippians.

·       1 Pt. 5:7: cast all your care on Him for He cares (melei) for you.

In some cases we are told not to worry at all, in others the cares are legitimate.  How are we to differentiate?  Did the translators of the KJV have a reason not to use the stronger term “worry” that means you are worried about something you should not even think about?  Or did they make a distinction?  Before we come to our answer I want to add one more shore verse list in the next post. 

Isa. 49:1-13, Jesus is YESHUA (3)

Isa. 12:2ab,3: God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; Yah the LORD is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.  (Cf. John 7:37-39; 14:1.)

Isa. 25:9: When Christ comes to reign Israel will say, Behold, this is our God; we

have waited for Him and He will save us (yasa).  This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation (Yeshua).

Isa. 26:1: Judah will sing … God will appoint salvation for walls & bulwarks.

Isa. 26:18: Israel will say, they have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth.

Isa. 33:2: O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for You.  Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Isa. 33:6: Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation.

Isa. 49:6,8: To the Servant/Messiah God says, It is too small a thing that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob … I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.  Then He says, In the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth … Again, think about how all this was fulfilled in Christ.  He IS the New Covenant, for Israel and the all the nations.

Isa. 51:6,8: My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished. … My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation. (Again, the connection between salvation and righteousness in in Christ; Rom. 1:16-17; 2 Cor. 5:21).

Isa. 52:7: Those who bring the good news (gospel) proclaim peace, glad tiding of good, salvation, and the reign of God in Zion!

Isa. 52:10: All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Isa. 56:1: Keep justice, and do righteousness, for Ny salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.

Isa. 59:11: Israel, whose sins separated them from God (59:1f), say, we look … for salvation, but it is far from us.

Isa. 59:17: In order to bring salvation, God put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

Isa. 60:18: You shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

Isa. 62:1: For Zion’s/Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns.

Jonah 2:9: In the whale, Jonah said, Salvation is of the LORD.

Hab. 3:8: In chastening, God rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation.

How wonderfully Jesus bears the name YESHUA!  Praise His Name!!

Psalm 65

What a marvelous, encouraging Psalm.  Praise awaits God in Zion, He who is the confidence of all the earth.  Blessing from His house satisfies the one He has caused to come and worship Him.  What joy, what fullness there is for mankind, to be found in a relationship with their Creator!

Note several things of importance.

·         The blessing is offered “to all flesh” (v2) who come to God in Zion.  No matter how you consider it this is the case.  Today God’s blessing is extended to those who have come to the cross of Christ, the altar on which He was sacrificed for the sins of the world.  In the Messianic Kingdom all flesh will find their fulfillment in the One who sits on David’s throne in Zion.  By His own sovereign plan, the God of all the earth is the God of Israel.

·         Blessing is defined as being satisfied with the goodness of Your house.  To be satisfied is to be filled.  In the New Testament believers find this emphasis on fulfillment especially in Colossians.  Believers are complete in Christ.  This is true satisfaction of the soul.  Of your house means we experience God’s goodness by a relationship with Him.  His holy temple in Zion was where the people of Israel made pilgrimage, so as to fellowship with God.  Today, for believers, our bodies are the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20).  God dwells there.  But in both cases that relationship is only through Christ whose blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat of heaven.  There is NO OTHER WAY (Jn. 14:6).  David knew and believed in this: as for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them  (65:3).

·         God is the confidence of all the ends of the earth.  While God is the God of Israel, and Zion is critical to the story, He is the confidence of the whole earth.  God’s blessings in this Psalm (v6-13) are described in terms of the land.  He sends rain, visiting the earth (paying attention to earth), crowning the year (every season) with His goodness.  This fits the setting of Old Testament Israel (and of the future earthly kingdom of Christ).  Every spiritual blessing of believers today (Eph. 1:3) is dependent on God as our confidence.  Confidence is critical in the story of Job.  As Job suffers terribly the question keeps coming up.  Is his confidence in himself? Or in his own righteousness?  Or in gold or silver?  These are confidences that do not satisfy the soul!  They are like a spiders web that will not hold (Job 8:14; 31:24).  Solomon said, “in the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence” (Prov. 14:26).  That is the point of Psalm 65. 

David rejoiced in this song of Zion.  Praise to God for the atoning (satisfying) work of Christ.  Is your soul satisfied in the Confidence of the whole earth?

Psalm 62, Jesus is YESHUA (2)

Remember: the Hebrew term is Yeshua.  It has the same variety as the other “salvation” words, as we have seen “prosperity” and “help” so far.  Keep looking for Jesus in the uses of this word.

Ps. 28:8: The LORD is the saving refuge of His anointed.

Ps. 35:3: David desires the Lord to … Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation.’

Ps. 42:5,11; 43:5: I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

Ps. 44:4: You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob! (remember: think Christ!  He is our King, and our God!)

Ps. 62:1,2,6: Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. … He only is my rock and my salvation.  (Each of these verses begins with an adverb ak emphasizing the truth and certainty of what is said.)

Ps 67:2: That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Ps. 68:19: The Lord who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!

Ps. 69:29: Let your salvation, O God, set me up on high.

Ps 70:4: Let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified.’

Ps. 74:12: God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

Ps. 78:22: In the wilderness Israel did not trust in His salvation.

Ps. 80:2: Stir up Your strength, and come and save us!

Ps. 88:1: O LORD, God of my salvation..

Ps. 89:26: David will cry, “You are my Father, My God, the rock of my salvation.

Ps. 91:16: God will show His salvation to those who fear Him.

Ps. 98:2: The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.  (Jesus is salvation, and our righteousness.)

Ps. 98:3: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Ps. 106:4: Remember me … visit me with Your salvation.  (The Incarnation!)

Ps. 116:13: I will take up the cup of salvation!  (Read all the Psalm and see Jesus.)

Ps. 118:15: The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous.

Ps. 119:123: My eyes fail from seek Your salvation and Your righteous word.

Ps. 119:155: Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes.

Ps. 119:166: LORD, I hope for Your salvation.

Ps. 119:174: I long for Your salvation, O LORD.

Ps. 140:7: O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation.

Ps. 149:4: He will beautify the humble with salvation.

We will end with these Psalms portions and begin with Isaiah in the next post, a very powerful “prophet of salvation.”

1 Chron. 16:23-33, Jesus is YESHUA (1)

Now, in connection with the previous several days, let’s enjoy a study of “yeshua,” the Hebrew name “Jesus.”  “Yeshua” (which means “deliverance, salvation) and comes from the root “yasa.”  The NT name “Jesus” (Greek iésous) is, in Hebrew, Yeshua.  In the same way that Jesus was/is the personification of grace (Titus 2:11, when Jesus appeared grace appeared) and the kindness and love of God (Titus 3:3, ditto), so He is the personification of salvation.  He not only illustrated, He personified or was the detailed essence of “salvation.” 

Yeshua was also a shortened form of Yehoshua (Joshua, Yahweh is salvation).  Joshua was a type of Christ, being the faithful Israelite who led Israel into the promised land.

With that as background, let us begin the word list:

Gen. 49:18: Jacob said, “I have waited for thy salvation (Yeshua), O LORD.”  The salvation Jacob waited for, as he spoke of the last days (49:1), was that which would only come through Yeshua.  My point is that, as you wander through this list of 77 occurances in 76 verses, you should consider how Jesus personified the salvation (yeshua) spoken of by the OT saints.

Ex. 14:13; 2 Chron. 20:17: at the Red Sea (classic picture of salvation) Moses told Israel to “stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD … the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever” (as in Jesus, our triumph over sin is complete). The same words were spoken to Jehoshaphat.

Ex. 15:2; Ps. 118:14,21; Isa. 12:2: the song of praise after the Red Sea crossing, the LORD … has become my salvation; He is my God.  In Christ, God is our salvation.

Dt. 32:15: Israel scornfully esteemed the Rock (that Rock was Christ, 1 Cor. 10:4) of his salvation.

1 Sam. 2:1: Hannah prayed, I rejoice in Your salvation.

1 Sam. 14:45: Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance

2 Sam. 22:51; Ps. 18:50: Psalm of David, He is the tower of salvation to His king.

1 Chron. 16:23; Ps. 96:2: Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day (a Psalm the day David brought the Ark into Jerusalem).

Job 13:16: Job said, He also shall be my salvation

Job 30:15: Job spoke of his “prosperity” as having passed like a cloud.

Ps. 3:2,8: David’s enemies says there is no help for him in God.  Then he said, salvation belongs to the LORD.

Ps. 9:14: David: I will rejoice in Your salvation.  (See also Ps. 13:5; 20:5; 21:1; 35:9).

Ps. 14:7; 53:6: Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!

Ps. 21:5: The king’s glory is great in Your salvation.

Ps. 22:1: My God, My God, why house You forsaken Me?  Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning.

Micah 7:14-20, Salvation in the Prophets (4)

Hosea prophesied in the days leading up to the reign of Hezekiah, to both Israel and Judah.  Isaiah (primarily Judah) and Micah (both kingdoms) prophesied in a slightly later time-frame.  Zechariah is the lone post-exile prophet in this list.

Hosea 1:7: Israel saved--not by bow, sword, battle, horses, horsemen but the Lord

Hosea 13:4: Israel was to acknowledge no God, no Savior but LORD

Hosea 13:10: where is your king that he may save you?

Hosea 14:3: Assyria cannot save Israel

Oba 1:21: Deliverers will go up on Mt Zion to govern Esau

·       Micah 7:7: Micah waits in hope, waits for God my Savior

There is only one use but it is strategic in Micah.  And from Micah we learn the wonderful breadth of the term “salvation,” as involving both Israel’s physical deliverances as well as the spiritual deliverance involving atonement and the forgiveness of sins.  Having specifically detailed Migdol Eder (tower of the flock, near Bethlehem, 4:6-8) and Bethlehem-Ephrata (5:2-5a), which obviously are critical to Messiah’s atoning work, he then reminds Israel of the classic picture of salvation (from Egypt, 6:4), amazing Messianic prophecies of Balaam (6:5), as well as the grievous sins of Ahab that had become the sins of Judah, and that were the reason for the upcoming chastening of the Lord through the Assyrians and Babylonians (6:16).  So Jesus is promised to Israel, yet the lengthy delay because of sin is acknowledged. Thus Israel must “wait for the God of my salvation” (7:7).  When God does save it will include not only deliverance of the nation from captivity but also atonement, forgiveness, and the restoration of “emeth” (truth, faithfulness) and “checed” (mercy, lovingkindness, steadfast love) (v18-20).

Hab 1:2: How long must Habakkuk cry out "Violence" but God doesn't save

·       Hab 3:13: God comes to deliver people, save his anointed one

·       Hab 3:18: I will be joyful in God my Savior

Habakkuk prophesied in days before the Babylonians took Judah captive.  His message of salvation emphasized the need to trust God (2:4 is quoted in the NT).

Zep 3:17: The LORD your God is w/you, mighty to save, takes great delight in you, will quiet you w/his love, rejoice over you w/singing!!!!

Zep 3:19: God to rescue the lame

Zec 8:7: LORD Almighty says, "I will save my people"

Zec 8:13: Judah, object of cursing among nations, to be saved by Lord

Zec 9:9: "See you king comes to you righteous & having salvation..."

Zec 9:16: Lord will save Israel on that day as a flock of his people

Zec 10:6: God to strengthen house of Judah, save house of Joseph

Zec 12:7: Lord to save the dwellings of Judah first

Psalm 45

This Song is one of the truly greatest Messianic Psalms in all of God’s great hymnbook.  The opening verse says as much: “My heart is overflowing with a good theme.”  And it also says why: “I recite my composition concerning the King.”  There is no greater subject than the Messiah, the exalted Son of God.  That was true for the “sons of Korah” to whom this is attributed; that IS true for believers today for whom Jesus is to be their great obsession (e.g. Heb. 12:1-2).

This Psalm actually contains words spoken directly to the Church today, although the human author would not have understood.  In the heading this Psalm is called “a Song of Love.”  Indeed it is, a song about the King and His bride.  We know that bride to be the Church, the body of Christ (Eph. 5:22-33).  Note the simple outline:

·         V2-9: The Exaltation of Christ the King.

·         V10-17: The Exhortation to the King’s Bride.

A careful reading of v6-7 will reveal one of the strongest statements in the Old Testament of the Deity of the Messiah, a truth recognized by the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 1:8-9).  But that is not all.  Careful meditation of everything said about the King reveals the Son of God who will be established forever on the throne of Zion (Psalm 2:6-9).

§  V2: He is fairer than the sons of men.  But unlike King Saul who was physically exceptional, the Messiah excels by the grace that is poured on His lips.  His very words, as the Word of God, speak salvation.  Thus He is blessed FOREVER by God.

§  V3: He is noted for His “glory and majesty”.  We know of Christ in terms of His earthly life where there were only glimpses of His glory, but it was “the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). 

§  V4: He will rule prosperously because of truth, humility and righteousness.  What divine qualities were more characteristic of our Lord Jesus Christ in the days of His earthly ministry? 

We must stop with this kind of comment.  As the human author said, “My HEART is overflowing with a good theme.”  Words are difficult to come by in thinking of this magnificent King!  I exhort you to make this Psalm the object of meditation today.  Think of this King/Groom as He goes to take His bride.  How fortunate she is, how blessed this queen adorned in gold.  And it is all because of the One to whom she is joined!

The advice to the bride makes perfect sense.  “Forget your own people also, and your father’s house” (v10).  “Because He is your Lord, worship Him” (v11). 

Let us make one additional thought.  There is a principle of interpretation given to us in Eph. 5.  What is said of Christ and His bride is to be true of the Christian husband and wife.  Consider this as part of the application of this Psalm.  “Let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Eph. 5:33).

May our hearts overflow today with the glories of our King, our Lord!

Jer. 30:4-11, Salvation in the Prophets (3)

We now turn to the other “Major Prophets:” Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Jer 2:27: when Israel is in trouble she says, not to the tree or stone she has called “god” but  to  God on whom she had turned her back, "Come & save us." Thus …

Jer 2:28 Let your gods save you if they can. (This is in the context of Israel’s two sins: forsaking the fountain of living waters and hewing for themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water, 2:13.  The faith that saves is in the true God who, as Isaiah has made clear, is the only Savior.)

Jer 4:14: O Jerusalem, wash the evil fr your heart & be saved

Jer 8:20: harvest is past, summer has ended & we are not saved

Jer 11:12: idols will not help Israel when disaster strikes

Jer 14:8: God = Hope of Israel, it's Savior in times of distress (a true Savior who can help now, in time of trouble, and in the future as Israel’s hope).

Jer 14:9: Yet, God seems like a man, a warrior powerless to save. Why? (Israel is not finished with her “waiting”.)

Jer 15:20: God is with them to rescue & save them

Jer 17:14ab: save me, O Lord & I will be saved for you are the one I praise

Jer 23:6: In days of Righteous Branch (i.e. the Messiah) Judah will be saved.

Jer 30:7: terrible time of trouble for Jacob but he will be saved out of it

Jer 30:10: fear not, I will surely save you fr. distant place

Jer 30:11: Lord declares, "I am w/you & will save you"

It is quite appropriate that there are three references in this chapter that describes in precise detail the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” the future “Tribulation Period.”

Jer 31:7: "O Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel"

Jer 33:16: In those days Judah will be saved (Righteous Branch again)

Jer 42:11: God to be w/them, save, deliver fr. king of Babylon

Jer 46:27: God to save Jacob out of distant place

Lam 4:17: Israel looked in vain for help, to a nation that could not save them (we tend to look elsewhere, to our own “gods.”  We look in vain for help because the “gods” cannot save us.)

Ezek 34:22: God to save his flock

Ezek 36:29: God to save Israel fr her uncleanness

Ezek 37:23: God to save Israel fr sinful back-sliding

Salvation/deliverance intimates a difficult situation, something that enslaves people.  Israel’s uncleanness (immorality) and backsliding imprisons many people.

Isa. 63:1-10, Salvation in the Prophets (2)

·       Isa 45:8: Let salvation spring up.

Isa 45:15: you are a God who hides himself, O God & Savior of Israel

Isa 45:17: Israel will be saved by the Lord w/an everlasting salvation

Isa 45:20: Ignorant are those who pray to gods that cannot save

Isa 45:21: There is no God apart fr. Me, a righteous God & a Savior, none but Me

Isa 45:22: Turn to Me & be saved, all ends of the earth

(Notice there are 6 uses in this one chapter.  It begins with the prophecy of Cyrus as God’s Anointed Shepherd.  But none of the 6 refer to Cyrus.  The Sovereign LORD is the one and only Savior.  He may seem to be hidden, in the background.  But Israel will be saved by the LORD and it will be an everlasting salvation. Salvation is available only to those who turn to Him!)

Isa 46:7: idol cannot save him from his troubles

Isa 47:13: let astrologers, stargazers save you from what is coming

Isa 47:15: there is no one that can save you

Isa 49:25: LORD says "...your children I will save"

Isa 49:26: mankind will know I am your Savior, Redeemer, Mighty One of Jacob (60:16)

·       Isa 51:5: God: my salvation is on the way. (Note: in 51:6 the word “salvation” is the Hebrew yeshua, This word is also part of the “yasa” family but we have kept it separate and plan to dwell on this later.)

Isa 59:1: Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save

Isa 59:16: no one to intervene so his arm worked salvation for him (put these two together: no one is too sinful for the LORD to save; and the LORD will save, even though He will have no help).

·       Isa 61:10: God has clothed servant w/garments of salvation

·       Isa 62:11: Say to daughter of Zion, See, your Savior comes

Isa 63:1: crimson stained Messiah comes, mighty to save

Isa 63:5: God's arm worked salvation for himself

Isa 63:8: God said, "These are my people " so he became their Savior

Isa 63:9: In their distress he was distressed; angel of his presence saved them

The four uses in this chapter are profound because it describes the return of Christ, the “second coming.”  Jesus comes to judge the nations, and this happens in the area of Edom because the saved nation is hidden and protected by God in the wilderness.  Even though no one will join the LORD (cf. 59:16), yet He will work salvation for Israel because they are His people.  This was carried out by the “Angel of His Presence, the Messiah, yeshua.

Isa 64:5: God became angry, so how can Israel be saved (the need for salvation is always “for we have sinned”).

Isa. 43:8-15, Salvation in the Prophets (1)

First, there are two passages from Proverbs that give us insight on the means by which a person is “saved.”  Now, let us begin our journey through the Prophets.  It is a repeated term in the preaching of Isaiah, and to a lesser degree, Jeremiah.  And then it is prominent in the last half of Zechariah’s prophecy.

Prov 20:22: wait for the Lord & He will deliver you. (God’s salvation comes in His own time, which is a time best for us as well as most glorifying for Him.)

Prov 28:18: he whose walk is blameless is kept safe.  (God saves through His word.  Therefore, the blameless man, i.e. the man who lives by God’s word, is kept safe.  This man is not earning God’s salvation by his obedience; he is receiving God’s salvation by the obedience of faith.  Cf. Acts 6:7; Rom. 1:5; 16:26.)

·       Isa 17:10: Israel (the Northern Kingdom which is lumped together with Syria/ Damascus in this chapter) had forgotten God their Savior, their Rock & fortress.

Isa 19:20: In the Kingdom Egypt will cry out bec. of her oppressors and the Lord will send a Savior, a Mighty One to rescue them. Amazing: Messiah is for Egypt.

Isa 25:9: in that day, "Let us rejoice & be glad in his salvation." (Note the context.  This is Israel in the future, after the terrible affliction of the Babylonians, and then the tribulation of the future Day of the LORD.  Israel’s situation will be hopeless.  Yet, the saved nation will “wait for Him.”  In the future, the salvation of the nation of Israel will take the place of the Red Sea as the greatest picture of salvation.)

Isa 30:15: In repentance & rest is your salvation, in quietness & trust your strength (a verse well worth memorization; this is always true!)

Isa 33:22: the Lord is our Judge, Lawgiver, King; it is he who will save us

Isa 35:4: say to those w/fearful hearts, God will come to save you (note the connection between the vengeance of God and the salvation of God).

Isa 37:20: Lord, deliver us fr. Sennacherib so earth may know you are God (and here again is the purpose of salvation: the glory of God!)

Isa 37:35: God to defend Jerusalem, save it (fr Assyria, in the time of Hezekiah),

Isa 38:20: The Lord will save Hezekiah (his time of illness).

Isa 43:3: "I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior"

Isa 43:11: I, even I, am the Lord, & apart fr me there is no Savior (cf. with Titus 2:13 where Jesus is our Savior).

Isa 43:12: I have revealed (boldly declared that He would save) & saved (did what was necessary) & proclaimed (and then proclaimed His faithfulness, that He had kept His word)--I & not some foreign god.  (For that reason, Israel was to be His witness, to declare His glory above all gods.)

Psalm 64

Here is yet another Psalm that builds on Psalm 1 and the contrast of the righteous and the wicked.  What is the difference?  According to Psalm 1 it is

·         a difference in the focus (walking, standing and sitting in evil versus meditating on the word and things of God); and

·         a difference in fulfillment (a fruitful life versus a life like chaff which the wind blows away); and

·         a difference in fellowship with God (He knows the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly will perish).

There is further definition of this distinction in Psalm 64. 

·         There is a difference in formulations. 

Ø  The wicked are said to sharpen their tongue.  They speak against God, that no one will see as they carry out their evil plans.  “We have perfected a shrewd scheme” they say; they think deeply about the evil they want to do.  In the end, God brings retribution (the law of the harvest, getting caught in their own trap).  He will make them stumble over their own tongue!

Ø  But the righteous “declare” the work of God, a term that not only tells us what they say but indicates they will see God’s work so as to be able to declare it in praise.  The words of the righteous will express their gladness in the Lord and their trust in Him.

·         There is most profoundly, a difference in fear.

Ø  The meditation or complaint (v1) of the righteous is prompted by his fear of the enemy.  The word here is pachad meaning terror or dread.  It is easily illustrated these days by the terror that is going on today in Israel.  People have been fearful to be out because of the many stabbings and other acts of terror that are being perpetrated.  To live in that kind of fear is hardly the fruitful life promised to the righteous in Psalm 1.  So the righteous cry out to God because they fear the enemy.

Ø  The workers of iniquity are brash and arrogant.  They do not fear.  But this Hebrew word is different.  It is the same word as in v9 when, in the end, all men shall fear.  The Hebrew is yare and sure enough, it is the term meaning to revere, be in awe of.  Lack of this is the very reason the wicked devise their evil plans, certain they will get away with it.  Having this is the very reason the righteous cry out to the Lord when they fear the enemy.  The righteous know that in the end all men shall fear.

So friends, here is a powerful Song in the Sacred Hymnbook.  We see that in our relationship with God there is no need to live in fear-terror-dread.  It is true wisdom to live in fear-reverence-awe of God the LORD!  What a wonderful promise: The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him.  And all the upright in heart shall glory.