Romans 8:31-39, God is FOR Us!

I have been reading the writings of C. H. Mackintosh, a Plymouth Brethren pastor who lived and ministered in the 1800s.  He was born in Ireland, in the barracks occupied by his parents, his father being in a Highland Regiment (Scottish) of the British army.  He briefly worked in Limerick (where we happen to be at the moment) before settling in Dublin. A recent chapter entitled “God For Us” was a blessing to me and I want to pass on the skeleton of that message.  I was reminded that the LORD, in Ezekiel, on several occasions spoke of being “against” someone, most notably the “foolish prophets” who spoke in the name of the LORD but who had not, in fact, been sent by the LORD (Ezek. 13:8, cf. the entire chapter). That is a terrible thought though it is true.  Here are five “grand proofs” for the believer in Christ, that God is for us! 

·       The gift of His Son, John 3:16.  CHM develops the idea that, while Rom. 8:31 seems to apply to believers, John 3:16 applies to the world, to all people.  He did not say He loved a certain portion of the world, but He loved the world.  He affirms that there is no conflict between the doctrines of predestination, election and effectual calling and “the gracious outgoings of God’s love towards a lost world.”  Both lines of thought are laid out clearly in Scripture.  “The sinner has nothing to do with God’s unpublished decrees” but “he has to do with God’s published love – His proffered mercy – His free salvation – His glorious gospel.”

·       The death of His Son, Isaiah 53:10.  It pleased Jehovah to bruise Him.  He hath put Him to grief.  We would have been left with “the flames of an everlasting hell” if Christ had performed all His earthly ministry but not come to the cross.  “Without shedding of blood is no remission.”  Romans 8, upon telling us God is for us, then says, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all … and then we see, it pleased Jehovah to bruise Him.  Yes, God the Father did this for us all.  Truly, He is for us!

·       The raising of His Son, Rom. 4:25 (v16-25); Heb. 13:20.  Paul, speaking of Abraham who did not waver  but was strengthened in faith and was thus fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform, so that his faith was accounted to him for righteousness, then says that this was written also for us.  What did Abraham believe?  He believed that God could produce the Savior through his, Abraham’s, body that was already dead, unable to produce offspring.  What do we believe?  We believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.  Our sins brought Him to death.  But He is not still dead with our sins.  God raised Him from the dead to the place at His right hand.  And our offences are nowhere to be seen where Christ is now.  God if for us!

·       The descent of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-11.  CHM’s thought here is simple: three times in this passage we are told they, people from many nations, heard the word of God, the gospel, in their native language.  In Genesis 11 the languages of the world were created in judgment.  At Mt. Sinai God gave the law in one language.  But in Acts 2 everyone heard the wonderful works of God in their own tongue.  In Rev. 7 every language group will declare the praise of God in one tongue! 

·       The possession of the Holy Scriptures, Luke 16:29.  Jesus said of the brothers of the rich man in hades, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  So the Scriptures, God’s word written, are with us to this day, Scripture which can make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15). 

IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US!

Psalm 115

In another hillel (praise the Lord!) Psalm we have been brought face-to-face with the root question of humanity: in Whom do you trust?  The answer is either God or god because, by definition, that is what we call that in which we put our trust.  The clarity of our choice in answering that question could not be easier to see than in this Psalm.

·         115:1-2: The writer of the Hymn is concerned that God be glorified before the Gentiles.  God is known to the Psalmists for the familiar twin perfections: mercy (chesed, lovingkindness) and truth (emeth, faithfulness).  The people of the nations need to glorify Him as well.

·         115:3-8:  In contrast to the God of Israel, the God who is in heaven and who does as He pleases, are the images that are made by and worshiped by the nations.  These gods (and therefore the object of the faith of the Gentiles) are designed by men to have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, feet and throats; but none of them work.  They have no life in them; they are made of silver and gold.  Pay careful attention to 115:8: those who make the images and those who worship the images are alike; since they trust in something that is nothing they receive no help.  

·         115:9-11: How unlike the God of Israel.  Those who trust in Him find Him to be their help (a general, all-purpose term that simply says God does what is needed in each situation) and shield (He protects them).

·         115:12-15: Again, those who trust in the Lord, that is, who fear the Lord, will be blessed by Him.  Verses 14-15 call upon God to do just that: to cause His people to prosper.

·         115:16-18: The call to praise at the end is very basic.  God who made heaven and earth (the end of v15) has given the earth to mankind.  The Psalmist commits to bless God in response.

Paul said, To this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe (1 Tim. 4:10).  Think of this.  In contrast to the people of earth who trust in things they have made (fortunes, learnedness, status, a multitude of friends, etc.) and who cannot count on these to be merciful and true (remember 115:1), we trust in a God who is, 1) alive, eternal in the heavens, living and giving life to all; and 2) the Savior, the One who will deliver us, who will especially help those who believe in Him.

We have an opportunity to consider: truly, without hypocrisy, in Whom do I really trust?  Is my “god” the creation of my own hands, my own imagination?  Or is my trust in the God who created me?  This is not only a theological question; it is a practical question.  Who is my God according to my lifestyle?

Num. 25, Update on Balaam (2)

·       Num. 23:5: Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth … 23:16: Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth.  Balaam uttered for messages from God to the king of Moab.  With the first two we see that the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth.  But in 24:1 we see that Balaam willfully tried to get the LORD to change His message.  Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, by the set his face toward the wilderness.  Again, he wants the money from Balak.  This is the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness (2 Peter 2:15).  Jude, in a similar context as Peter, equates this to false teachers today who run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit (Jude 1:11).  Yet Balaam knew he could not tell the LORD what to do, so he only told Balak what the LORD said.

·       Note that before the third and fourth messages (which are given without interruption), when Balaam tried to do things differently in hope of a different outcome, that the LORD did not just put a word in his mouth. And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes, and the Spirit of God came upon him (Num. 24:2).  In the first two messages Balaam knew that he could not curse those whom God had not cursed, and that God was not a man that He should lie.  But in the last two messages, Balaam gave mighty prophesies concerning Israel and the Messiah, and for this he had to have the inspiration of the Spirit.  The result is that his eyes were opened, he heard the words of God, he saw in a vision of the Almighty, and fell down in worship with his eyes wide open.  Thus, in message #3 (24:3-9), Balaam prophesies Israel’s success in that age, in entering into the land and defeating the nations.  Then in message #4 (24:14-24) the Spirit takes Balaam into the “latter days,” prophesying of the Messiah and the ultimate victories over Israel’s greatest enemies.  He also prophesies God’s blessing on the Kenites, the family of Moses father-in-law, priest of Midian.  They were not Israelites, but they blessed Israel and thus were blessed by God.  This is yet another reminder that today, in the “latter days,” the promise is still in effect: I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you (Gen. 12:3).  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’ (Ps. 122:6).

·       Num. 25:3: So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.  “Baal of Peor” means “lord of Peor.”  They joined themselves to the local “god.”  In 25:14-15, the union of the children of leaders from Midian and the tribe of Simeon, was an attempt to bring the two together.  As when Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter and other foreign women.

This story is pertinent for today, and the prophesies of Balaam, received from the LORD, are certainly pertinent as we live in the “latter days.”

Num. 22:22-32, Update on Balaam (1)

In the past we have written on these four chapters in Numbers but that in a recent personal journey through that section of Scripture we were blessed with a few thoughts which we though we would share.  If there is “redundancy” we still see the value, as Peter said, in not being “negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know the truth and are established in the present truth” (2 Peter 1:12).

·       Num. 23:8: How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?  And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?  This is a word we need today, as in many places Israel is becoming more and more hated.  But in the USA no politicians will say this.  They might say we should support Israel because they are our friend, or they are the “only democracy in the Middle East,” and other such things.  But Balaam’s words, the words of a prophet who wanted so much to curse and denounce Israel so he might enjoy a great payday, are the bottom line.  We must stand with the LORD, Creator of heaven and earth!

·       Num. 23:19: God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.  Has He said, and will He not do?  Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?  The character of God, which includes the character of His word, is at stake with respect to the nation of Israel.  God has made promises concerning Israel and these must be, and will be, honored.

·       Num. 23:23: For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel.  It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’  Again, Israel is a testimony to the awesome, great, mighty ability of God.  You may ask, Balaam was talking to the king and princes of Moab perhaps 4000 years ago.  Is this still applicable?  Has not Israel forfeited the blessings promised by God?  Read the previous two notes.  This is not about Israel; it is about the God of Israel, and His eternal faithfulness.  He will keep His word!

·       22:4-6: … he sent messengers to Balaam … ‘Look, a people has come from Egypt.  …  Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me … for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”  22:15-17: Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable … ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; for I will certainly honor you greatly.’  Balak asked Balaam twice, and Balaam kept listening to their request and promise of honor and wealth.  Balaam had a reputation, likely established by the fact that he spoke for the LORD.  But as soon as he entertained Balak’s second group of messengers Balaam was liable for God’s judgment.  Remember: the first indicator as to whose slave we are is, “to whom do we listen.”  In both the OT (Heb. sama) and NT (Greek hupakouō) the primary word for “obedience” comes from the family of words that involve hearing.  If I am submitted to Christ as my Lord, then all contrary voices mean nothing to me!

Jonah 4, God of the OT vs God of the NT???

Sometimes there is a claimed dichotomy between the God of the OT (mean and cruel) and the God of the NT (loving).  That is the view of someone who has not read and believed the OT or NT.  Jonah gives evidence of this as well as his own “learning experience” on the matter.  In Jonah 4:2 he describes God’s reputation as “One who relents from doing harm.”  This comes from the “name of God” in Ex. 34:6-7, and from OT history.  In Jonah 4:10-11 the LORD Himself makes the point of His great love, contrasting Jonah’s “pity” for a plant and His “pity” for Nineveh. A comprehensive study of this word, Heb. hus, will help us see God who on occasion showed no pity and at other times did show pity.

·       Gen. 45:20: first use, God told Jacob not to be concerned about his good because he would have the best of Egypt.

·       Deuteronomy: In the law there was to be no “pity” on the people of Canaan (7:16), idolators (13:8), murderers (19:13), false witnesses (19:21), or a woman who, in a fight, grabbed  a man’s genitals (25:12).

·       1 Sam. 24:10: David spared Saul when he could have killed him.

·       Neh. 13:22: Nehemiah asks God to spare according to His great mercy.

·       Psalm 72:13: The LORD will spare the poor and needy.

·       Isa. 13:18: Those who carry out the LORD’s retribution on Babylon will have no pity (the more common term for compassion in the OT, raham) on children in the womb, will not spare their children.

·       Jer. 13:14; 21:7 twice joins three terms, denying pity (hamal, 41x), sparing and mercy (raham, 47x) to the people of Judah.  The variety of terms demonstrates the love of God in the OT.

·       Ezek. 5:11; 7:4,9; 8:18; 9:5,10: In each passage the LORD says, “My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity (hamal).”

·       Ezek. 16:5: When “no eye pitied” Israel (in her beginning days) or had compassion (hamal), God did. In 20:17 God spared Israel, not destroying her, when she sinned, and when they were in the wilderness.

·       Ezek. 24:14: As the siege of Jerusalem began the LORD said He would not “hold back” (para, let go) judgment, spare nor “repent” (naham, be sorry, regret) because of Judah’s sinful ways.

·       Joel 2:17: The priests pray, “Spare Your people” lest the nations doubt You.

Which brings us back to Jonah.  Those who doubt God’s love fail to see it towards His people and any people who seek or fear Him, and they fail to understand the extent of sin in situations where the LORD had no pity, either for His people or for the nations.  Review the Name in Ex. 34:6-7.  It’s all there!  It’s the same God we see in Jesus who overturned the tables in the temple and predicted the coming destruction of Jerusalem.  The same, yesterday, today and forever!

Luke 23:1-5,13-25: The Jews and Pilate Did not Understand

In our previous post we were asking about Elihu: did he have it all together?  He did not because he could not draw into his “opinion” Job 1-2.  God had not revealed that to him, or to Job or the friends.  God hid this information.

Now consider the following:

Deut. 29:29: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Prov. 25:2: It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

God concealed His work from Job.  Job’s need was to patiently wait upon the Lord, day by day, for strength to live in his trial.  He did not need to know what God did not tell him.  The same can be said of the children of Israel, that the “mystery of God” was hidden from them before it was revealed in the NT (Eph. 3:1-7).  They were not responsible for what God hid but were for what He revealed. 

Solomon tells us that God is intentional about this.  It is His glory to conceal, not because He gets the last laugh on us ignorant fools, but because He becomes for us the focus of trust.  What we don’t know about the future we put in his hands.

But then Solomon adds: the honor of kings is to search out a matter.  He is not saying the king is searching out the thing that God concealed.  Rather, the king has authority to investigate, to determine truth for the sake of justice, and so forth. 

This all came together for me (perhaps I gained some understanding) in my reading today, in Job, Proverbs and then Luke.  Pilate did what is honorable for a “king” (governor) to do: he searched out the matter of the charges against Jesus.  He was accused of “perverting the nation,” “stirring up the people,” and “misleading the people.”  These are accusations that would alarm Pilate.  But he did due diligence and searched out the matter, and again and again said, “I find no fault in this Man.”  And yet, in the end, he condemned Jesus to crucifixion. 

We can put it together, because what God hid from Pilate He has revealed to us. 

⁶ However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, ⁸ which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

God kept His plan a mystery until the right time.  This did not hinder anyone’s coming to saving faith. We are responsible for what God revealed, and by the Holy Spirit He has revealed the things that have been freely given to us by God (1 Cor. 2:12).  Having been revealed, we are now responsible for the receiving and acting on this grace extended to us in life.  For through Him (Christ) we both have access by one Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:18).

Job 36:1-12, Did Elihu Understand Job’s Situation?

Recently (July 29-31, 2026) in our blog we studied the NT words for “understanding,” the idea that someone who is able to pull together all relevant truths is able to understand a situation.  I want to give an illustration of this from the story of Job.  Job 1-2 tells us what God was doing in the situation with Job.  This information is not known by Job, his three “friends,” and Elihu, the young man who speaks later in the story (Ch. 32-37). 

Often I have heard fellow believers say they liked the words of Elihu, and that he was as close to sounding like the Lord in Ch. 38-41.  A careful reading, however, shows that Elihu had the same thought that Job and the friends had, that Job’s suffering was connected to sin in Job’s life.  Elihu, in his wrath (32:2), does reprove Job for questioning God’s righteousness. 

But there is a problem, and we can see it in Elihu’s 6 uses of the Hebrew dea.  It comes from the root yada which is the basic term for knowledge in the OT.  Here are those uses, as taken from the NKJV.

·       32:6: Elihu did not declare his opinion until the elders had spoken.

·       32:10: Now he calls Job to Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.

·       32:17: Again, I also will answer my part, I too will declare my opinion.

·       36:3: Here he declares that his knowledge is from afar, and in the process will ascribe righteousness to his Maker.  In other words, unlike the elders, he will indict Job without indicting God at the same time.

·       36:4: In this, Elihu claims to be perfect in knowledge.  As in the NT, “perfect” has the idea of maturity, completeness.  This phrase describes one who has “understanding,” who has it all together. 

·       37:16: Here he speaks of God, who is perfect in knowledge. 

The question is, did Elihu have it all together.  He did not because he was not able to include in his knowledge God’s conversations with Satan and the test that was applied to Job, a man whom God referred to as “blameless.”  What 36:4 and 37:16 are saying is that you can have knowledge without understanding.  Elihu had sound doctrine: a grand picture of God and a reproving picture of Job.  But in the end, like the others, he could only tell Job to repent and God would restore him.

In the Lord’s words (Ch. 38-41), we see One who truly understands, who is perfect in knowledge.  He paints the grandest description of Himself, and leaves it with Job to just trust Him.  That was Job’s sin.  He needed to wait, and rest, and wait, for God’s time.  That is why James (Jas. 5:11) spoke of the perseverance of Job, meaning patience in a time of suffering.  (Our posts July 3-7, 2025 dealt with the two “perseverance” words in the NT.)  Only the LORD had perfect judgments about Job’s situation.  We have a follow-up tomorrow on this tomorrow.