Isaiah 6, God’s Communicable Attributes (4, Holiness)

2)    Sensibility (desires). 

a)    Holiness: maintains His own moral excellence, abhors sin, and demands purity in His moral creatures.  [Scripture, both in Hebrew and Greek, emphasizes God’s uniqueness or “separation” as fundamental to holiness.  God people are “set apart.”  That is what the term “saint” means.  This is seen in the above definition by the reference to God’s “moral excellence.”]

Psalm 96:9 Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.  This is a call to worship the LORD, but that worship should be done in a way that exalts Him.  It should be done in the “beauty of holiness.”  “Beauty” refers to adornment.  God is adorned in holiness and it is beautiful. 

Psalm 99:3,5,9 Let them praise Your great and awesome name— He is holy. … 5 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His footstool— He is holy. … 9 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy.  God is incomparable.  In other words, there is no other God; there is none like Him.  This, and the succeeding cries of “holy” are built on this truth.

Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”  Here, it is the angelic beings in heaven that cry out His holiness.  Some have suggested the three words as fitting of the Triune Godhead.  But it can just as likely be a means of emphasis. 

Isaiah 29:23 But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel. To “hallow” is to “sanctify” which is to “make holy.”  Temple worship involved constant cleansing and purification.  Those who served (priests and Levites) had to be clean and made regular use of the wash basins in front of the temple.    We see this in the plan of salvation.  We must be cleansed from sin and guilt (our conscience) through the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14).  Then we are fit to come into God’s presence to worship Him in the beauty of holiness, to serve Him and to fellowship.  As Peter needed to have his feet washed (Jn. 13:10), so by confession of sin Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9).  We are purified daily by the word of God.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth (Jn. 17:17; cf. also Eph. 5:26).  To pray, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, is to pray that God will be seen by all as beautiful in holiness.

1 Peter 1:15 … but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.  Again, this is a “communicable” attribute.  We also are to be holy, set apart, excellent in our conduct.

Revelation 4:8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”  This cry from the angelic creatures comes in the context of God’s sovereign rule over all the earth. 

1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  This is also a statement of God’s holiness.  Its beauty is absolute because there is nothing about Him that detracts from it.

Prov. 8:22-31, God’s Communicable Attributes (3)

b)    Wisdom: perfect judgment and the right use of knowledge in a way that glorifies Him most.  Jer. 10:12; Rom. 11:33; I Cor. 1:24; Col. 2:3; James 1:5

Jeremiah 10:12 He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. The Bible is clear about this.  I would recommend Proverbs 8, Job 38-41 (God’s conversation with Job) as well as Gen. 1-2 on this.  What Proverbs says is that, when God created everything, Wisdom was there with Him.  That “Wisdom” we believe to be referring to Christ.  Science, and any observant human, sees all kinds of “laws” in “nature.”  We count on these laws.  If they were to change it would result in catastrophe.  We call it “nature” because we want to think it’s just natural.  But it is actually “creation,” something made by Someone with perfect wisdom. 

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! Here we see God’s wisdom in history.  The Bible speaks of God being very involved in the flow of life on this planet.  He actually has a plan, a goal for history  Men mostly rage against this thought.  But in the end God’s plan will be seen as perfect in accomplishing His purposes, including His purposes for Man.  The wisest humans are those who attach themselves to God’s plan.  In His wisdom we become wise.

1 Corinthians 1:24 … but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  This is speaking of the gospel, the centerpiece of God’s plan for the world.  In the Gospel, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dies.  That seems hopeless and not very wise for Him (God) to have come to earth.  But then He is resurrected.  Those events/facts are the focus of history and Mankind.  And they prove the great wisdom of God!

Colossians 2:3 … in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  This is speaking of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As we said, He was present at creation and He is the focus and goal of history.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  Again, we are studying “communicable” attributes.  We need wisdom.  The wisest thing we can do is to seek wisdom from the all-wise God who created us and the world in which we live.   

Before we move on to God’s attributes of “sensibility” let us consider His omniscience and wisdom in contrast to the teachings of evolution.  Some Christians feel we are showing our ignorance by rejecting evolution.  They seek to join the Bible and what they believe are evolutionary facts.  There are two problems here.  First, Science does not support evolutionary.  In other words, what is seen in the world, does not suggest the “chance” development of nature.  But furthermore, any attempt to do honor to evolution is a movement toward no all-knowing and/or all-wise God.  We are left in fear of the “natural world” in which we live.  Think about it.  The book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible tells us what it is like in the world of evolution: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all (Ecc. 9:11).  Ultimately, this uncertainty in evolution is because evolution has no answer to death.  But our all-wise God does!  Christ died for our sins and was raised that we might have life eternal (John 3:16)!

Jer.51:14-19, God’s Communicable Attributes (2)

1)    Intellect (directs).

a)    Omniscience: the ability, though not the obligation, to know all things possible and actual. 

Deuteronomy 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. The “secret things” that belong to the LORD in this passage are things not yet revealed to man.  But God knows them even if we don’t.  That is a comforting thought. 

Psalm 11:4 The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. God’s omniscience includes knowing about us things we may try to hide from Him.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties.  The other side of His knowledge of us is that those who fear Him can open themselves up to Him that He might cleanse us.

Psalm 147:4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. This is a beautiful and powerful statement of omniscience.

Matthew 11:21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  God is so accurate in His knowledge of the hearts of men that He can know what “might have been.”

Acts 15:18 Known to God from eternity are all His works.  He not only knows us perfectly; He knows Himself perfectly.

1 Peter 1:2 …elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.  I know the meaning of “foreknowledge” is debated by godly men, but it does at least mean He has knowledge of the future, the time that has not yet happened.

The definition says God is not obligated to know everything.  We have studied this recently, that there are things that God says He will forget.  This is not the forgetfulness of old age but the intentional striking of things from His mind.

Ex. 33:18-34:9, God’s Communicable Attributes (1)

God reveals Himself is a variety of ways.  In Scripture we have studied the “Names of God,” which is one of those ways.  Another way is that He both ascribes by word and by His works various attributes to Himself.  We are going to embark on a study of His “communicable” attributes.  But to understand what we mean by “communicable” we want to start with a reference to two names from the Old Testament. 

First, in Ex. 3:14-15, God revealed Himself as Jehovah/YAHWEH, as the “I AM.”  This name emphasizes incommunicable attributes of eternality and self-existence.  What we mean, of course, is that we do not share these attributes.  We are finite and given life from outside ourselves.  Thus, we might struggle to know how these things work, though we recognize God is incomprehensible. 

Then, in Ex. 34:5-9, we have what we like to call the “Manifold Name of God.”  The context for God revealing Himself to Moses by this name is that Moses pled with God to “show me Your glory” (Ex. 33:  He was seeking to know God more deeply.  The “I AM” contained a lot of mystery.  God’s answer to Moses here was, in essence, a collection of communicable attributes.  When God called Himself merciful and gracious, He spoke of attributes to which Moses could relate.  It’s not that there was not much to learn about God’s mercy and graciousness; but it was that Moses could identify with this in his own soul.

People are made in the image of God.  For that reason, it makes sense that we would share attributes with God.  We are going to follow Louis Berkhof’s approach (from his Systematic Theology) where he speaks of God’s communicable attributes as “personality” attributes and outlines them according to the categories of personality: intelligence, sensibility and will.  He does not use the term “emotions” which is a feeling but “sensibility” or “desires” which are yearnings or longings.

We hope you find this helpful.  We plan to incorporate a good number of verses from the Bible to help us in the renewing of our minds.  May you be encouraged by this study.  It is not just a matter of having some information about God.  It is intended to help us grow in our knowledge of God.  Understanding His attributes give us insight into His day-to-day work in our lives.  His attributes are often a part of the prayers of the saints in Scripture; perhaps this study will deepen our prayer lives also.  Perhaps you noticed that Moses, in 34:9, incorporated one of God’s attributes (grace) into his plea to the LORD to be among the people of Israel as they journeyed on from Mt. Sinai.

And one last matter: a study of God’s attributes will help us in differentiating between the true God and the “god” that we design.  Thus, we will be better equipped to do as John said: Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 Jn. 5:21).

Psalm 78:1-8, “The Psalm 78 Project” (God Remembers concluded)

Here's an idea that is fitting for this Memorial Day in the USA.  Psalm 78 is a Psalm of remembrance.  The Psalmist is concerned that succeeding generations hear about God’s work in previous generations.  This particular Psalm is about the reason that God rejected Shiloh as the location for the Tabernacle and the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant, and instead chose Jerusalem and Mt. Zion.  This was an incredibly important subject for the children of Israel. 

But I want to suggest that we need to make a record of God’s workings in our own lives as believers in Christ.  This record should be recorded for our children and grand-children and so on.  They should be made familiar with the stories of the Bible.  And then they should realize that God is still working.  They need to hear our testimony of faith in Christ and of God’s faithfulness as we walked with Him.

What we have today are some questions for you to answer from Ps. 78.  And then some ideas to help you make your own record for those who follow you.

·       What is it that succeeding generations need to hear from preceding generations? (78:4-6)

·       When younger generations hear this what three successive results follow? (78:6f)

·       What is the connection between remembering God’s deeds and keeping His commands? (v7)

·       What did Israel’s “forgetfulness” lead to in these passages?

o   78:9-11

o   78:40-42

Why not write your own Ps. 78, filling it with “praiseworthy” deeds of the Lord?  Remember, these deeds will include blessings AND disciplines, His giving AND His taking away, His responses to our obedience AND to our failings, His deeds in the Bible AND in modern times.  Here are a few “categories” of praiseworthy deeds from which you can begin writing your own Psalm 78.

ü Events, situations, people, verses, etc. God used to bring you to salvation in Christ.

ü Bible truths (promises, commands, warnings, etc.) and stories that made these real to you.

ü God’s character, leadership (in major and minor decisions), benefits, victories, disciplines.

ü Answers to prayer.

ü Our peak experiences (Rev. 2:7).

ü Special people God used in our lives and a story or two to illustrate.

ü God’s hand in newsworthy events.

Psalm 149

Here is another Psalm of praise to the LORD (Hillel).  This one is a call to praise especially for “His saints” (v9).  The saints or holy ones or those who have been separated to God in the immediate context are Israel, the children of Zion (v2).  Let us not ignore this truth.  Let us pray that today’s nation of Israel, and the Jewish people in every place, will sing this song of praise in spirit and in truth.

                But then let those who by God’s grace have put their faith in Jesus Christ recognize that they have been grafted into the tree and are properly called saints (1 Cor 1:2 and many other places in the New Testament).  Thus let us dwell on this song and be made beautiful in our salvation.    Here are my thoughts.  I beg you, recite your own observations to the LORD.

·         v2: Our Maker is our King.  This is how it must be.  By virtue of His being the Potter, He is Sovereign over the clay.  Note that the same is true of the idolater who makes an idol of wood or precious stones.  He, the worshiper, is in fact the sovereign over that lifeless form.  He gives it what attributes he wants it to have; he assigns to it what answers to prayer he desires.  What foolishness!  Rejoice in your maker; be joyful in your King.

·         v3: Praise should be exuberant.  To join singing with appropriate dance and appropriate instrumentation is simply a means of expressing the greatest command: to love the LORD our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

·         v4: The LORD speaks lovingly of His people.  It is interesting that in Jeremiah frequently God addresses “My people”, and yet the message is one of chastisement.  They never cease to be His treasured possession.  But notice that it is the humble, those who come to the Lord on bended knee, who are made beautiful.  And since praise itself is beautiful (Psalm 33:1), we are most beautiful when we give unhindered praise to our God!

·         v5: Even in the night, when the dread of fear and worry so often seeks to attract our attention, may we rather be joyful in glory, singing aloud.

·         v6-9a:  Does not this remind us of our Lord Jesus Christ who will someday come in judgment with a double-edged sword coming from His mouth (Rev. 1:16; 2:12)?  We often wonder what the saints will do when they come with the returning King of Kings (Rev. 19:14).  Perhaps this is the answer: they will shout the high praises of God while judgment is executed on His enemies.  Let us remember that these “nations” and “kings” are those who have arrogantly stood against God (Psalm 2).  These He “will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:9) when He comes to rule the earth in righteousness.

Father in heaven, my Maker and my King, truly I have no honor but to praise You!  May it be so this day!  Praise the LORD!

Ps. 137:1-9, God Remembers (4)

What should we remember, or forget, and why?

·       Deut. 9:7: We need to remember who we are/were without Christ.  Israel needed to remember this so that they would understand their weakness.

·       Dt. 24:9: They also needed to remember God’s chastening, and so do we.  Here, God had brought leprosy upon Miriam because of her pride.

·       Eph. 2:11-12: Paul says, “remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh … without Christ … having no hope.”  This is part of our “testimony.” When we remember this, we are more appreciative of what Christ has done.  If we forget, we are more liable to take Christ for granted.

·       Dt. 5:15: In like manner, Israel was to remember the bondage of Egypt.  One reason was so they would be compassionate toward others.  But more, so they would be thankful for God’s deliverance.

·       Dt. 32:7-9: The whole purpose of the Song of Moses (Dt. 32) was to be a reminder of God’s prediction of what Israel would do.  In this passage, they were to remember God’s past graces and care (cf. also Ezek. 16:22).

·       Ps. 137:1-9; 77:3-6: We should remember the heights of the good days as an encouragement in praying for today’s problems.

·       Rev. 2:5; Heb. 10:32-35: Here we are to remember the spiritual heights of former days so as to encourage present endurance, and to promote repentance and courage.

·       Ex. 13:3; 1 Cor. 11:24-25:  The Passover was a reenactment of what Israel did on the very night God delivered them from bondage.  So we also are to remember the sacrifice of our Lord and the meaning of His shed blood as we regularly gather at the Lord’s Table.  The point is remembrance!  Never forget what it is that God has done for you.  Never forget what gives us a deep relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, remember the past.  Certainly, as we consider the whole counsel of God, we realize that we do not live in the past.  Thoughts of the past have value for living today.  Lest we struggle with this, we are also taught in Scripture to forget the past.

·       Zech. 13:2: Under the New Covenant God wipes away the memory of yesterdays idols, so as to remove the temptation.

·       Isa. 43:18f: Here God says, “do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.”  The reason? So we can live in the “new thing” He is doing.

·       Ezek. 23:27: As we grow in Christ, the memory of past sins and bondage lose their grip and their intensity. 

·       Ps. 45:10: These words to the “Bride of Messiah/Christ,” to forget your father’s house, is a call to no longer trust in the things of the former life.  Through our trials, Christ will lead us to His abundant life. 

Ezekiel 16:60-63, God Remembers (3)

God remembers with perfection.  But God also forgets with perfection.  In Christ, under the New Covenant, because the ransom has been paid for redemption, God remembers our sins no more (Jer. 31:34).  What this means is that He no longer holds them to account or “mentions” them.  That is an aspect of the Hebrew term for “remember.”  Josh. 23:7 commanded the people of Israel not to “make mention” (i.e. remember) other gods.  That is how I would understand the New Covenant, that God remembers our sins and iniquities no more.

God remembers with perfection.  We also should have a good memory of God.  God’s people were to remember God.  When they prospered they needed to remember God, that He was the one who enabled them to create wealth (Dt. 8:18).  Israel’s “down times” during the period of the Judges were the result not remembering God (Jud. 8:34).  Solomon said it would be good for a person in their youth to remember their Creator, before old age comes and it is hard to remember anything (Eccl. 12:1).

God’s people were to remember God’s character, such as His righteousness (Ps. 76:16), His lovingkindness, praises and goodness (Isa. 63:7) and His name (Ps. 119:55; cf. Ex. 34:6-7 for the character of God that is bound up in His name).

God’s people were to remember His word.  The Israelites had tassels hanging from their garments that were intended to remind them of God’s commandments (Num. 15:39).  Joshua needed to remember the words of Moses who spoke for God, that He was giving the land to Israel (Josh. 1:13).  An important aspect of God’s word to be remembered were His covenants (1 Chr. 16:15).  Even if the people failed to keep their part of the covenants, God was always faithful to keep His part (2 Tim. 2:13).

God’s people were to remember His deeds and wonders and mighty works (1 Chron. 16:12).  The Law said, “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.”  The Sabbath was a reminder that God was the Creator and had rested on the seventh day. Frequently Israel was reminded to remember (note that we need to be prompted to remember) the Exodus when God delivered them from bondage in Egypt (e.g. Dt. 7:18).  The Passover served this purpose as did the “unleavened bread” they ate for a week after Passover (Dt. 16:3).  They were to remember how God led them in the wilderness (Dt. 8:2) so they would be assured of His continual leading.  Many of the Psalms were “historical” so as to remind Israel of God’s deeds in the past (a great illustration was Ps. 104-106 which covers from Creation to the time of the Psalmist). 

On these things we are to remember (call to mind, repeat them), meditate (think long and hard) and muse (think about regularly, even singing these things).

Psalm 25:1-10, God Remembers! (2)

God’s people will, at times, wonder if God has forgotten them.  We should not be judgmental towards people today who might feel that way.  Sometimes the trials go on for a long time, or our trial might be secret, something that very few know about.  Or perhaps we might just not have any people who check in on us or ask about how we’re doing.  Remember Job, the primary illustration of suffering.  Sometimes he wished God would forget him (Job 10:18); other times he bemoaned the sense that God had “hidden His face” from him (Job 13:24).

We have, in our previous post, noted some assurances that God does remember, even when we don’t sense His presence or activity in our lives.  Here’s another question: just what does God remember that is important to us?

·       God remembers our need and our frailty.

The Psalmist speaks of this often with various terms.  He remembers our “lowly state” (136:23).  “Remember how short my time is” (89:47).  “He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (104:14).  “He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again” (78:39). “Do not forget the life of Your poor forever” (74:19).  “Do not forget the humble” (10:12).  Job also counts on God to “remember that my life is a breath” (7:7) and “that You have made me like clay” (10:9).  And Jeremiah in The Lamentations, another book set in the suffering of God’s people, he pleads with God to remember and “behold our reproach” (5:1).  When God promised not to give us more trials than we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13) we know that He is fully aware of our limits.

However, a good con-man also will have some knowledge of our weaknesses, desiring to take advantage of them for his benefit.  Thus, it is critical for us that …

·       God remembers His mercy.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, in her song, recognized that it was the remembrance of God’s mercy that was involved in sending His Son (Lk. 1:54).  Here are three reminders for us.  The remembrance of His mercies pre-dates by sin (Ps. 25:6-7), brings salvation (Ps.98:3) and outlasts and limits wrath (Hab. 3:2).  Meditate on these magnificent passages.

Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old.  Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions, according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O LORD. 

He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel.  All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 

O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years!  In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

Psalm 77; God Remembers! (1)

God is perfect in all He is and does: perfect in knowledge, power, holiness, faithfulness, AND remembering and forgetting.  Let’s think about “remembering” and “forgetting.” 

There are times when it may seem to us that God has forgotten us.  Psalm 42 says that when Israel’s adversaries cry out, “where is your God” (42:3,10) that Israel also cries out to God, “why have you forgotten me” (v9)?  We see the same fear in Isa. 40:27, Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, and my just claim is passed over by my God?’ 

The wicked also claim that God forgets.  He has said in his heart, ‘God has forgotten; he hides His face; He will never see’ (Ps. 10:11).  Read Psa. 77 (esp. v3,5-6,9); Asaph was concerned that God no longer remembered him or Israel.

What assurances do we have of God’s memory?

·       God’s memory is anchored in His covenants.

o   Gen. 9:15-16: The rainbow was God’s sign He would always remember the covenant with Noah, never again to destroy the earth in a flood.

o   Ex. 2:24; 6:5: After over 400 years, because of His covenant with Abraham, God remembered the people of Israel in Egypt and delivered them.

o   Ps. 106:45: Again, because of His covenant with Abraham, after the captivity God again remembered His people and brought them back.  This is frequently stated: Ps. 105:8,42; Jer. 31:20; Isa. 45:15-16; Dt. 4:11 (after sin); Lk. 1:72 (the birth of John the Baptist, a sign God remembered His people).

o   Lev. 26:42,45: In the Mosaic Covenant God promised to remember Israel, even after His sever chastening of the nation (cf. Ezek. 16:60).

o   2 Chr. 6:42: Solomon’s prayer at the temple dedication was based in God remembering His covenant with David.

o   Psalm 119:45: Thus the Psalmist could pray, Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope.

·       God’s memory is prompted by prayer.  In each of the following there was a concern that someone was forgotten by God.  And yet …

o   Gen. 19:29: Abraham prayed that God would remember Lot in Sodom.

o   Gen. 30:22: Rachel prayed for a child; God listened and remembered.

o   Ex. 2:24; 6:5: Israel cried out for deliverance from bondage; God remembered.

o   Judges 16:28: Samson cried out at the end of his less than stellar life as a judge in Israel, and God remembered.

o   1 Sam. 1:11,19: Hannah prayed for a child and the Lord remembered.

o   Ps. 9:12: The righteous cry out to the Lord in the face of their enemies, and God remembers (cf. also Ps. 74:18,22-23; 89:50; 109:14; 137:7; and Rev. 16:19; 18:5 where the enemy is Babylon the Great).

Col. 1:9-13, The Living God (4)

We have been “dabbling” in our knowledge of God.  As we have said, we hope to go further in our studies of “theology proper.”  But at best, our knowledge of God will always be incomplete.  As Job put it, “these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him!  But the thunder of His power who can understand?” 

But when we say this, we do not mean that we cannot know about God and know God in truth.  Today we want to consider how it is that we can know God.  There are two questions.  First, how is it even possible for finite and sinful man to know anything about God?  Second, how can we grow in the knowledge of God?

The answer to the first question is that God has created mankind to be able to know Him and understand His “language.”  God did this for humans and not for any other part of His Creation.  He created us in His image (Gen. 1:26-27). He did this so that He could have a relationship with us.  This is evident from Genesis to Revelation.  God’s desire was to dwell with Man and to have fellowship (commune) with Man.  Being created in His likeness makes this possible.

Sin marred that likeness and set man at enmity against God.  But God sent His Son, who is the image of God because He is God (Heb. 1:3; 2 Cor. 4:4).  When we receive Christ (John 1:12), we become sons of God.  In other words, the image is restored and we are again able to know and fellowship with God.  We have put on Christ, the New Man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him (Col. 3:10).  Having Christ we are able to know God.

But how is this facilitated in our lives?  How can we grow in this?  It requires that we set our minds and hearts of Jesus, the One who is the likeness of God.  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). 

We behold Christ through Scripture.  Paul’s prayer in Col. 1:9-10 is all about this.  Paul asked that we may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  His will is the Bible.  The Holy Spirit enables us to know the Bible in wisdom, in a way that we know how it works in our lives.  Armed with the Word of God, we can then walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  We know God as we walk in His will.  It is not enough to just have our minds renewed by God’s Word.  For example, the Bible tells us God is love and tells us a lot about His love.  But it is only as we experience His love in our lives that we can say we know God and His love.  God wants us to know Him, and by His Spirit and grace, through His word, we can do just that!

Psalm 2, The Living God (3)

c)    God’s sovereignty – What is God doing?

i)      God created everything (Gen. 1:1; Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16).  This fundamental truth supports God’s “ownership” of all things.  Psalm 24:1-2: The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.  For He had founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.  Just how fundamental is this truth?  Paul quotes it twice in 1 Cor. 10:25-28, using it to support both sides of the argument about “eating meat sacrificed to idols.”  The point was, that whatever choice we make in the matter, it must be consistent with the fact that God created the meat as well as the saint trying to decide what is right.

ii)   God sustains everything (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3).  “Consist” means he stands with creation so it continues to serve it’s purpose.  “Upholding” means that He carries creation along to continue to serve Him as intended.

iii)            God rules in everything that comes to pass in the world.  Everything accomplished His purpose (Ps. 103:17-19; Matt.10:29-31; Rom. 8:28).  Every story in the Bible illustrates this.  Nevertheless, here are two that are worthy of study that we might be encouraged with God’s 24/7 rule.  First, the story of Joseph (Gen. 37-45) is specifically said to illustrate that a story intended to be evil on the part of Joseph’s brothers was actually a story about God’s intention to do good for them all (Gen. 50:19-21).  Second, the story of Esther is amazing because there are no specific references to God, and yet He was clearly in control at every step.

God rules in the affairs of men.  Napoleon, at the height of his career, is reported to have given this cynical answer to someone who asked if God was on the side of France: “God is on the side that has the heaviest artillery.”

Then came the Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon lost both the battle and his empire.  Years later, in exile on the island of St. Helena, chastened and humbled, Napoleon is reported to have quoted the words of Thomas a Kempis: “Man proposes; God disposes.”

We must make one additional thought on what God is doing, one that we touch on regularly.  What God has been doing since before the creation of the world is to exalt His Son.  We see this in Psalm 2 where, before time, God decreed that His Son would have the nations as His inheritance and so forth.  This is the “mystery” that the rulers of the world don’t understand (1 Cor. 2:6-8) but which will come to fulfillment in the latter days (Rev. 10:7; 15:1-4; 19:6-10).  To glorify God, which is the only option for His creation, it is His will that we glorify His Son (Phil. 2:5-11).

Psalm 148

How thrilling, better yet, how edifying, these Hillel Psalms that speak of God’s praiseworthiness in every setting.  Today it is a call to all “heaven and earth”. Here are my reflections.  Take time to record your own today!

Heaven, v1-6

·         v2: We are now in Jerusalem.  The latest Israel/Gaza conflict has an “angel” story in it.  Whether we see them or not they are real and perfectly serve their Creator.

·         v3: Around 2AM the morning of July 20 was the last time I saw the magnificence of the night sky that Montana offers.  I was with my son and granddaughter at Becker Lake in the Beartooth Mtns.  I stepped out of the tent on that moonless night.  The Milky Way glistened with brilliance.  The desire to praise the Creator was instantaneous and fulfilled.

·         v4: Much of this I don’t understand.  I need to visit again with our friend Mark Amunrud who always has well-thought-out ideas about these things.  But the glory of it all is the mystery of the Creator of heaven and earth.

Why are the heavens called to such praise?  Because the LORD commanded them into existence.  They are His handiwork and simply by their existence and function they declare His glory.

Earth, v7-14

·         v8: In these summer months in Jerusalem the gentle breeze calls for constant thanks to our good Creator and Sustainer.  Recently there was a well-attested story of a sudden wind blowing a Hamas rocket off course so it landed in the ocean rather than a populated area.  Israel’s Iron Dome failed to destroy it in 2 or 3 attempts.  Praise to the sovereign LORD.

·         v9: Walking around the Garden Tomb, we now have signs identifying many of the trees.  There are several fruit trees here that bear fruit at differing times of the year.  It is a joy when in the Arab and Jewish markets to always have an abundance and variety of Israel-produced fruit. Praise to our wise Creator.

·         v10: In the afore-mentioned backpacking trip in the Beartooths we were thankful to see one moose at first light Sunday morning.  While in Bryce Nat’l Park Cindy captured wonderful pictures of a deer, and even a crow (not my favorite bird).  ALL give unique praise to their exalted Creator. (And here is a 2024 addition to this as I am frequently sitting on the deck at the back of our house looking out towards Spring Creek in Lewistown. The deer and the amazing variety of birds all give glory to the Creator. Even this morning there was an amazing flyby of half a dozen good size birds of some sort that just zipped across the backyard and threw the willow trees to land on the creek.)

·         v11: Oh, that the rulers of the nations would acknowledge the Creator and His decreed Anointed One, our Lord Jesus.  The phrase “wars and rumors of wars” so fits our world today and especially Israel.  But all any of them talk about it seems are their armies, their weapons, their plans, their negotiations, their… Where is the glory due His Name?!

·         v12: Here at the Garden the praise of the LORD is so evident in the staff.  There are Palestinians and Israelis who work together in full honor of His Name.  And even in this slow time the praise of many who come into this Garden is evident.  The sound of songs of praise in many languages is a staple here.  Last night at dinner we shared with our fellow volunteers the joys of worship at Central Bible Church.  The little orchestra and the congregation just filled that auditorium with the sounds of joyful praise.  And well we remember on our way through Montana meeting with the small gathering of believers in a home in Lewistown; how their praise filled that home, praise for the exalted LORD. 

Why should everything on earth praise the LORD?  Because He alone is exalted!  His glory is above the heavens and earth.  AND … do not miss it … He HAS exalted the horn of His people Israel, the greater Son of David, Jesus the Anointed One.  He is now in the heavenlies, at the right hand of the Majesty on High.  How I/we give great praise for the faith of Abraham, exercised by all believers today.  We praise You, our God, that in Christ we have been grafted in to the tree.  We are your saints.  May our praise this day reflect that reality!

Psalm 8, The Living God (2)

Let us begin with a word about Ex. 34:6-7.  Notice that “the LORD descended” to Moses (cf. v5).  For us to have knowledge of God, God must humble Himself to enable us to know this.  He created us in His image so that we can understand.  But as sinners, we do not ascend to heaven to learn about God; God must descend to us, as He did in Christ (again, John 1:18).  David said this in Ps. 8:3-4 (paraphrased) when I consider the greatness of the heavens you created, how amazing that You even think about us, much less that You visit us!?  In Scripture, the “visit” term is used of …

·       God visiting Sarah that she might give birth to Isaac (Gen. 21:1).

·       God visiting the people of Israel while in bondage in Egypt (Ex. 4:31).

·       The Psalmist prayed for the LORD to “visit me with Your salvation” (Ps. 106:4).

·       God visited Israel through the birth of Christ (Lk. 1:68).

·       Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem was a “time of visitation” (Lk. 19:44).

·       Jesus’ return will occur on the “day of visitation” (1 Pt. 2:12).

Praise God that He has humbled Himself that we might know something of the beauty of His glorious perfections!  Here are a few more from Scripture (we plan, Lord willing, to add to this last in some future posts.)

ii)      Psalm 90:2: God is great.  Story: In 1715, Louis XIV of France died.  Louis, who called himself “the Great,” was the monarch who made the infamous statement “I am the State!”  His court was the most magnificent in Europe, and his funeral was spectacular.  His body lay in a golden coffin.  To dramatize the deceased king’s greatness, orders had been given that the cathedral should be very dimly lighted, with only one special candle set above his coffin.  Thousands waited in hushed silence.  Then Bishop Massillon began to speak.  Slowly reaching down, he snuffed out the candle, saying, “Only God is great!”

iii)   Ps. 99:3,5,9: God is holy.

iv)            Psalm 139:7-10: God is omnipresent.

v) 1 John 1:9: God is faithful and just.

iv)    1 John 4:8,16: God is love.

One of the confirming truths of” the three persons of the Godhead is the fact that the attributes of deity are applied to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Here is one illustration:

God is truth: Father: Dt. 32:4; Ps. 31:5; Son: Jn. 14:6; Spirit: Jn. 16:13.

Psa. 103:1-13,22, The Living God (1)

The pagan world was always haunted by the unknowability of God.  At best, men could but grope after his mystery.  “It is hard,” said Plato, “to investigate and to find the framer and the father of the universe.  And, it one did find him, it would be impossible to express him in terms which all could understand.”  Aristotle spoke of God as the supreme cause, by all men dreamed of and by no man known.  The ancient world did not doubt that there was a God or gods, but it believed that such gods as there might be were quite unknowable and only occasionally interested in mankind.  In a world without Christ, God was a mystery and power, desirable but never known.

Ah, but believers in Christ do not live in a world without Christ.  He is the image (exact representation) of the invisible God (Heb. 1;1-3).  He alone has seen God and has declared Him (John 1:18).  Following is a simple outline study of “theology proper” (i.e. the study of God Himself), with scriptures included along with a few additional illustrations.

1)    What can we know about God?

a)    God’s nature – what is God?

i)      How many true Gods are there?  ONE!  Deut. 32:36-39: There is no God besides Me, a truth quoted several times in Isa. 40-66.  Apparently Israel had forgotten this truth.  Since there is only one God, then, as the Shammah says (Deut. 6:4-6), The LORD is one!

ii)   What is God?  He is a spirit (Jn. 4:24) and Jesus made it clear, that a spirit has no flesh and bones (Lk. 24:39).

iii)            How many persons make up the “godhead?”  And what are their names?  There are three persons.  The Bible refers to God the Father, God the Son, God and Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).  Three persons existing in such unity that they are distinct, and yet there is only one God!

b)    God’s attributes – what is God like?  Some refer to these as God’s “perfections.”  Whatever term you use, we are talking about qualities attributed to God in His word, the Bible.  This list is not exhaustive.  While God is knowable, there is no thought our knowledge can ever be complete.

i)      Exodus 34:6-7: One of the richest troves of God’s attributes is found here, in what God says is His “name.”  We will quote it, and then continue in our next post: And the LORD passed before him (Moses on Mt. Sinai) and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.

Heb. 12:25-29; 1 Pt. 1:23-25, The Unchanging God (2)

The NT calls to our attention several things about our God that are unchanging or enduring.  Here are three more.

·       The faithfulness of God endures, 2 Tim. 2:13.  This is not a redundancy.  God’s faithfulness has to do with His keeping His word.  The question is this: is there ever a time when God decides He will no longer keep His word?  Particularly, will He renege on keeping His word if I fail to keep my word?  Often we have the thought that our sins will nullify God’s word.  For that reason, we have a double positive which is more emphatic. 

God’s faithfulness applies to His promises as well as His warnings.  Again, it applies to all of His word.  His word is pure and there is never a need to alter it.  Further, it applies to God’s conditional and unconditional promises.  For example, Israel’s idolatry triggered the consequences of the Mosaic Law (cf. Lev. 26; Deut. 28), which was conditional.  But her idolatry never has and never will cause God to renege on the unconditional covenants with Abraham/Isaac/Jacob (Gen. 12:1-3), or David (2 Sam. 7:12-16) or His Son (Ps. 2:6-9).

·       The kingdom of God endures, Heb. 12:25-29.  This passage builds on the previous point concerning God’s faithfulness, even when we sin.  Hebrews is written to Jewish believers.  The nation is about to be obliterated by the Romans.  It was common for the people of Israel to wonder if they had pushed God too far.  Read Isaiah 40:27-31 where the prophet calls Israel to task for believing their way was hidden from God and that they had been passed over by God.  He reminds them that God is not worn out nor neglectful.  They need to be those who “wait on the LORD.”  The believers receiving the Hebrews letter would have wondered the same thing as they knew the destruction of 70AD has nearly upon them.  The truth they are given is that, though the kingdom of their day was about to be destroyed, they had received, in Christ, a kingdom which cannot be shaken.  They are still servants of God and should worship Him appropriately.

·       The word of God endures, 1 Pet. 1:22-25.  God’s word is “living” (cf. Heb. 4:12).  It is through His word that we have life through faith in Christ.  Because His word endures, then we know that it will never cease to give life to those who have believed.  Our life is bound up in His Word, so let us continue or endure in it.   Never go beyond it (Num. 22:18).  Believe every word of it (1 Ki. 22:14).  Don’t add to or take from it (Pr. 30:5-6).  Let us find it faithfully coming from our lips.  Speak it boldly (Ac. 4:20,31).  Do not neglect it (6:2).  Accept it as God’s word (8:14).  Continue to increase in it and spread it (12:24) that the word of God might spread (6:7) in our families, communities and nation.

Let us praise our unchanging God! 

Heb. 7:15-19; Gen. 3:22-24, The Unchanging God (1)

One of my favorites, the Cathedral Quartet, sang this song:

Yesterday things were different. Today they’re different again.

Jesus will never, never change. Jesus is always the same.

Let’s consider our “unchanging God,” highlighting some of the things in the New Testament that are enduring.

·       The wrath of God endures, John 3:36.  Jesus combined “wrath” with the “forever” word in this passage.  Some (Catholics, some modernists) are unsure of this truth.  Others deny it altogether, teaching annihilation of the wicked soul after death or proclaiming universalism.  Jesus said, Then they will go away to eternal punishment and the righteous to eternal life (Mt. 25:46).  Punishment is as eternal as the life.  This doctrine is important for God’s people to understand and confess; it promotes the endurance of the saints (Rev. 14:9-12).

·       The purpose of God endures, Rom. 9:11.  God’s purpose stands.  It’s not just that God keeps His word.  It is that His word is a statement of what He is about.  Because of this doctrine, we can be sure that all things work for God for those who love God (Ro. 8:28); He works all things to be consistent with His will (Eph. 1:11); the Church is fully consistent with God’s eternal purpose in Christ; our salvation is the outworking of His own purpose and grace given to us in Christ (2 Tim. 1:9).  Everything in all of creation is moving towards the fulfillment of God promise to exalt His Son (Psalm 2:6-9).

·       The New Covenant of God endures, 2 Cor. 3:11.  As great a monument to God’s wisdom and sovereignty was the Law in the OT, it was temporal.  As Paul made clear, it had a purpose of revealing to us our sin.  But it was replaced by a more glorious covenant, one that remains.  Christ’s death made the Old Testament obsolete, freeing us from it’s claim (Heb. 9:15); Christ’s resurrection made the NT eternal because it was linked to His indestructible life (Hb. 7:15-19).

·       The righteousness of God endures, 2 Cor. 9:9 (from Ps. 112:9).  Don’t wait for God’s standard of righteousness to change.  It won’t!  Note these two related truths.  Because God’s righteousness endures we should not continue in sin (Rom. 6:1).  On the other hand, because God’s righteousness endures, therefore faith, hope and love abide (1 Cor. 13:12).

There is more to say.  But for now, consider how the enduring nature of God is tied to God the Son.  He came to earth so that He could die, which sounds like the end of the enduring God.  Yet, His death makes possible His resurrection, bringing about life that is eternal.  God barred Adam from the “tree of life” lest he eat it’s fruit and “endure” in his sinfulness (Gen. 3:22-24).  God in Christ, the Second Adam, endured the cross (Heb. 12:2) that we might eat of that tree (Rev. 22:2).