Reflecting on Nations - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 27:1,

"This is the list of the Israelites—heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men."

As a nation-state, Israel was organized under King David. In chapter 27 of 1 Chronicles we have the documentation of the commanders of the army with its divisions. Leaders of the tribes that made up the nation are provided, as well as various overseers - for the royal storehouses, farms, vineyards and wineries, orchards (including the supplies of olive oil), herds, camels, donkeys and flocks.

God's chosen people, the Israelites, comprised a nation among the family of nations of the earth (although a singularly unique nation). As such it was constituted and organized as a nation  would be. 

The thought reminds me that the church is of a different order. The church is made up of peoples of all nations - not a nation itself - not a member of the family of nations. Vatican City is an aberration - a feeble attempt at making the church into something the Lord never intended it to be. 

It further causes me to think of the state of the nations of the world when Jesus Christ comes back to planet Earth. From Jerusalem he will rule all nations, as all will be subject to him. The Lord God Almighty is called the "King of the nations" in Revelation 15:3. Jesus Christ is proclaimed to be the "King of kings and the Lord of lords." Revelation 19:16.

Just a few thoughts about nations in relation to the Lord this morning...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Where are the Gatekeepers? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 26:12,

"These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their leaders, had duties for ministering in the temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had."

The organizational structure for the work at the temple included divisions of "gatekeepers". These would have the duty to provide security for the temple area, to insure no unclean person entered, as well as other responsibilities. There was a requirement that the things of God be furnished with appropriate security and these gatekeepers were assigned the task.

While many today might mistakenly believe their church building is the temple of the Lord, we are told it is within the hearts of believers that the Lord maintains his presence. Joined together with one another, we all form a temple in which the Lord resides, "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house..." 1 Peter 2:4-5.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."

In his comment, Paul speaks of the danger of destruction of the temple that exists in this age. He speaks of this in the context of folks leading others astray, resulting in jealousy, quarreling, worldliness and the resulting factions created. The presence of denominationalism, of competing theologies, the rise of cults and -sims, all point to this kind of thing in our day.

Who are the gatekeepers of today? Who protects God's temple of today- as represented in the hearts of his people? While there is no end of those who occupy ecclesiastical positions of authority within the church, and no end to the followers of such, I believe the Lord himself is his own gatekeeper.

Where we might all sense a need to start wringing our hands in the face of such a disaster as the church appears today, I think the Lord himself has things quite under control in a manner that achieves his purposes, accomplishes his agenda. The state of the church today might not please everyone, but the Lord is very effective at bringing about the culmination of his plan of redemption, and I expect that things could not be on a better track to get that done.

We don't need human gatekeepers for God's temple of today. God is his own gatekeeper and performing that function very well. He provides us his Word. He provides us his Holy Spirit. He provides all that is necessary to build and maintain his temple.

While it may appear that the "unclean" is penetrating God's presence on earth (as represented in the hearts and minds of his people), those concerns are really only relevant to what is extraneous to the precision of strategy the Lord is pursuing in building his family here on earth.

The Lord is doing a wonderful job of building and maintaining his kingdom today.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Music and Prophesy at the Temple! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 25:1,

"David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals."

These Levite musicians were set apart by David, as well as his military commanders, for the purpose of "prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals." We are told in verse 3 that Jeduthun "prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord."

In verse 6 we see that these sons of Asaph, under his supervision, provided "the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God." In the following verse we see Asaph served under David's supervision.

There was a clear chain of supervision for the worship at the temple, certainly for the music that was provided in connection with the temple worship. Music was a big part of the doings there, and prophesy, accompanied by music was to be a part of what took place.

I must confess that I am not quite certain of the nature of the prophesy that took place we read of here. Prophecy is normally thought of as the revelation of God provided through certain identified individuals: a specific message from God to an individual who was to pass that message on to the intended hearers. A go-between. I wonder if the term here refers to something a little more broader than that.

Nonetheless, the prophetic activity here was to be accompanied by music. Assigned musicians were tasked to perform their music within the context of prophetic activity at the temple of the Lord, verse 6.

I note that music has often been a part of ecstatic expressions in many false religions. The music being a part of that which helps whip a crowd into a frenzy resulting in rapturous expressions, often understood by adherents as some type of other-worldly sourced communication - their concept of prophesy.

Prophesy in the Scriptures is of a different nature entirely. Not sourced in the frenzied expressions of mystics and the like, all prophecy in Scripture is inspired by God himself. Originating directly from him, it is not founded in the manipulation of people through music, drugs, incantations or anything of the like. It originates from the Holy Spirit himself.

We read in 1 Peter 1:20-21, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

A thorough reading of the Scriptures provides us with the clear impression that most all prophesy came about apart from any connection with music. However, look at what was planned for and organized under David's direction! The activity at the temple when it was built by Solomon must have been an astonishingly spiritual event to experience. Spiritually enchanting!

What would it have been like to visit such an enormously imposing structure as the temple Solomon built, observing the activities of the priesthood performing their duties, together with the temple musicians accompanying the prophesying that took place there! It must have been astonishing!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Questioning What the Church Does - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 24:19,

"This was their [the divisions of priests] appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him."

As the planning and organization for the priests was enacted under David's rule, I note their ministering was "prescribed for them" by the first chief priest the Lord chose for Israel, Aaron - as the Lord had commanded him. There were those things the Lord wanted done in certain ways - not just any way. These things are available to us, as we can read of them in Moses' writings (the first five books of our Bibles) - the book of Leviticus is prime material for this.

From inspired books such as Leviticus, we learn the Lord ordained certain sacrifices and offerings, feasts and convocations for their religious calendar and so forth. As God's word was progressively provided us over the years through the nation Israel, we learn that much of it was designed for us to recognize the Messiah when he came to provide his sacrifice of atonement for all mankind.

These "regulations prescribed for them" had a larger and more broad significance as we can see from our vantage point. Through them the Lord was teaching the world what he was about and what he was going to do. "Clean" and "unclean" was to teach us about the duality of life (that which is godly and that which is not - sin), the concept of righteousness. The sacrifices were to teach us the concepts of substitutionary atonement for the unrighteous, of the fungible nature of payment for sin, of God's justice that must be satisfied, and so forth.

The responsibilities of the priests were provided for very specific purposes - God's purposes. They were not put in place to satisfy some felt need for "religious activity". They were not arbitrary and they were not without substantial meaning.

Which brings my mind to the things of the church today. What about that "order of worship"? What about those vestments? What about that liturgy? What about those church buildings with spires and steeples? What about the various activities that mark our ecclesiastical calendars? Since the Lord has not chosen to prescribe those things himself (save, maybe, remembering the Lord through the "Eucharist", the baptizing of new converts, etc.), how do those things further the Lord's agenda, as did his prescriptions for the priests the Lord provided through Aaron?

I'm not suggesting anything may be amiss here... but it appears to me that whatever it is the church adopts within its community, should it not further the Lord's agenda of redemption, as the responsibilities of the Jewish priesthood did? I'm certain much of what the church does may do. I am quite certain, however, there may be much that does not.

Just asking here...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Work Assignments from the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 23:3-5,

"The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. David said, 'Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges. Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.'"

The priests and Levites were all given their assignments. While we can assume there may have been some negotiating over specific tasks at a very low level, the broader responsibilities were assigned to the various groups.

I don't get the impression that these assignments were optional. They certainly don't appear to be as we read of the work distribution among the various groups.

While it may be something of a stretch here, it causes me to think of the various tasks the Lord assigns the church. Among them are things like making disciples, baptizing them, teaching them, Matthew 28:18-20.

We read of a distribution of gifts, of abilities the Lord provides us, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." Romans 12:6-8. These gifts are given with the singular purpose to utilize them in the performance of tasks the Lord gives us.

We read of this kind of thing in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."

Peter reminds us that we are to employ these "gifts", these abilities given us, and not to sit on them, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10.

Peter doesn't seem to indicate our responsibilities given us by the Lord are subject to our whims- just as the responsibilities given the priests and Levites in David's day were not.

Rather than an approach that suggests something along the lines of "well, if you feel like it... maybe you could do this or that..." - I'm just not seeing this kind of thing in the Scriptures. What I do see is that there are things needed doing as the Lord carries on his agenda of redemption, and that he enables us with abilities as well as assignments as he pursues that agenda.

Paul made an interesting comment not quite in this regard, but interesting nonetheless (as he spoke of preaching without compensation), "For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward?" 1 Corinthians 9:16-18.

Serving the Lord should be a part of living our lives worthy of the Lord. Worthy of his character and nature. Worthy of his love of us, worthy of his Son dying on that miserable cross for our sins. Worthy of the inheritance he has awaiting us.

I appears to me that far from viewing my responsibilities before the Lord as tasks given me being subject to my own whims, I ought to jump at the opportunity provided me in displaying my love of the Lord, in displaying my reverence for the Lord in faithfully following through on what he has for me to do.

How about you? How do you feel about the assignments the Lord has provided you? Are you aware of what those are? As we have seen in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Peter 4, we all, as believers, have our assignments.

Just as the priests and Levites had their jobs, so do we, "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Awaiting Perfection - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 22:8,

"You [David] have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight."

David had a tremendous heart for the Lord. In naming David to replace Saul as king over Israel, the Lord acknowledged his heart. Paul quotes the Lord as saying, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." Acts 13:22. We read in 1 Samuel 13:14, "... the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people..." referring to David when Samuel informed Saul the Lord was going to replace him as king.

The faith of David is clearly portrayed in the accounts we read of in Israel's history. His reliance upon and confidence in the Lord in his many exploits is documented in the pages of Scripture.  And, who has not seen it on display in the many psalms he penned?

However, as we see in our above verse, David was not a perfect man. He was truly a man of faith, but faith does not make us perfect. Most all the heroes of faith we read of in Scripture have accounts of their shortcomings.

David had a great desire to build a temple for the Lord and we can be certain of his disappointment when the Lord told him he was not the one to do it. The Lord pointed to David's bloodshed as what disqualified him from the honor of building a temple for his presence.

David was a great man of faith... yet not a perfect man. Faith does not make us perfect, but it does bring us acceptance with God. Believers are really not "better" than anyone else. In fact they are all "anyone else" - yet for the distinction that they have responded to the gospel in faith, they are redeemed and have become co-heirs with Jesus Christ for the wonderful and amazing inheritance that awaits all the saints.

Perfection awaits us in the resurrection when we are finally and fully relieved of our inward sinful nature. Holiness and sainthood refer to our redemption and the position believers hold with the Lord, not to a sinless and perfect life. This is a huge misunderstanding of the church today.

Yes, as redeemed people we are no longer slaves to sin as we read in Romans 6, and we no longer live a sinful lifestyle as John points out in 1 John 3:5-10. However, each of us must await the resurrection to find that state of perfection our redemption provides for.

In the meantime, we need to be encouraged to life our lives for the Lord, seeking to please him in a manner that is worthy of him. However, when we fail the Lord, when we fail ourselves, when we fail others, we need to be reminded in humility that we are not perfect in this life, and that we need to get ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back into the saddle, living that life that pleases the Lord.

After all, that is what David did.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Worship That Costs - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 21:22-26,

"David said to him [Arauanah, a Jebusite], 'Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.'
Araunah said to David, 'Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.'
But King David replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.'
So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site. David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering."

The account of what takes place in 1 Chronicles 21 is simply amazing. It is also recounted for us in 2 Samuel 24. From that chapter we learn the Lord's anger "burned" against Israel and so he incited David to count the fighting men of Israel. This counting of the fighting men precipitated a judgment from the Lord due to David's reliance upon the number of his troops, rather than on the Lord, who was to bring the victories of warfare to Israel.

In the account in 1 Chronicles 21, we see that "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." This is an account of the Lord bringing his wrath against Israel through the agency of Satan.

In any event, as we see in our passage above, David refused Arauanah's offer to give his threshing floor, oxen, sledges and wheat to David to build an altar there and provide an offering to the Lord. David would not worship the Lord in a manner that cost him nothing. This being an appropriate outlook on David's part, illustrating the heart he had for the Lord. He was not going to worship the Lord on the dime of another. David was going to express his worship of the Lord from his own heart, in a manner that cost him something.

This expression of David in demanding his worship cost him something causes me to think of how we might become more effective, more authentic, more meaningful in our own worship today. After all, isn't liturgy recited that was written by someone else really second-hand worship? Yes, I know it can "become ours" in our endorsement and recitation of it... but what does it cost us personally? It is the observations of another of the person and work of the Lord. Hymns sung that have been written by others can move us... but how much is God moved by singing the praises of the Lord written by someone else? Did we experience the refuge and relief the Lord provided another? Did we experience the life-changing thrill of seeing something of the Lord, when it is the expression of someone else? Again, yes, I realize it can "become ours" in the singing of a hymn written by someone else, but the first hand exposure to the Lord appears to be lacking in the expression of it.

Might I suggest that we not rely solely on the expressions of worship of others. What if we showed up on Sunday morning with our own expressions of praise? Our own songs of worship? Our own observations of the magnificent and majestic splendor of our Lord and/or recounting things he has done, particularly in our own lives?

It might take some time out of our busy schedules to draft our own worship of the Lord. Indeed, were it to be authentic, it would cost us time, energy and effort to have our own experiences with the Lord to form the basis of our own worship of him. Might that not be more authentic worship - worship born of our own personal and corporate experiences and exchanges with the Lord? Worship that is born by personal cost?

Just a thought...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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People of Strength, People who Accomplish - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 20:8,

"These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men."

I again recall the phrase given us twice in chapter 18 of this book. In both verses 6 and 13 we read, "The Lord gave David victory wherever he went." In this chapter we read of David's army defeating the Ammonites and the Philistines.

David was a man of strength, a man of accomplishment. As a man who embraced the Lord in faith and sought to please him, the Lord gave him those victories, as the verses in chapter 18 tell us. An important feature to David's life was that he placed himself squarely in the pursuit of those things the Lord was in pursuit of. As such he made himself available to the Lord, "I [God] have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." Acts 13:22.

Success and accomplishment in those things in life that have eternal importance requires knowing what it is God is pursuing and making ourselves available to him. This means we need to be well versed in the Scriptures. It is within the pages of Scripture God reveals himself, what he is like and what he is doing.

A lot of folks think they know what the Lord is all about and what it is he wants... I question and challenge what many have to say in this regard. Listen to what people say and then read what the Scriptures have to say... I think you might agree with me.

Let's not be of those who assume they know what the Lord is pursuing and what he is like. Let us be of those who know for certain because we took the time, energy and effort to find out in the Bible.

If we want to be people of strength, people who accomplish things for the Lord as David did, then we want to take the time to know our God, to learn of him, and then spend our lives for him and his agenda.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Lord, Just Behind the Curtain - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 19:17-18,

"When David was told of this [the Arameans sending reinforcements after David's army routed them], he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him. But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak the commander of their army."

David's expression of sympathetic kindness toward the Ammonites when their king, Nahash, died, was answered with a striking humiliation of David's envoys. Although the leaders of the Ammonites were not the brightest around, they did manage to figure out they offended David and were now in danger. They hired mercenaries from Aram and Zobah to help fight against Israel. When David heard the Ammonites had moved out for battle, he sent out Joab with the army who defeated the Ammonites and Arameans.

As the Arameans called for reinforcements, the events in the passage above took place. David destroyed his enemies. I am reminded of a phrase used twice in the previous chapter, "The Lord gave David victory wherever he went." Verses 6 and 13.

However, the Lord is not mentioned at all in chapter 19, other than Joab's comment that the Lord "will do what is good in his sight" just prior to advancing on the Arameans in the first fight.

With these victories in 1 Chronicles 19, the Lord was in the background - his hand of victory not expressly documented. However, as surely as his hand was acknowledged in many other military actions of David, it was certainly there.

It causes me to think of what all we are aware of today, the many things that take place on the international stage, the politics within our own nation, the ebb and flow of our cultural norms, those things discussed in the public square, social media, etc. that have the Lord's involvement behind the scenes - just as David's military actions were in 1 Chronicles 19.

It appears to me that all too often it is failed to recognized the Lord's hand in things, what he may be doing, how he may be pursuing his agenda in the actions and activities we read of in the news and other places. Even in churches, where hand-wringing may be a common activity together with the observation that so many things seem to be going to hell in a handbag - might the Lord be just behind the curtain, accomplishing those things that culminate in the building of his family? It certainly is worth considering as we read passages such as 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (especially verses 11-12.)

Something to consider...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Factors in Victories God Gives - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 18:6b, 13b,

"The Lord gave David victory wherever he went."

This phrase is used twice in this chapter. The chapter recounts the military victories David enjoyed and is careful to point out exactly who it was that brought the victory.

It was not the size of David's army that brought his victories. It was not David's military equipment that brought his victories. It was not David's superior planning, it was not David's superior strategy, it was not David's superior tactics that brought his victories. It was not David's superior "intel" that brought his victories.

It was not the weakness of Davids military adversaries that brought his victories. It was not because David's military adversaries failed to forge alliances against him that brought his victories.

"The Lord gave David victory wherever he went."

This phrase is used twice in this chapter. The chapter recounts the military victories David enjoyed and is careful to point out exactly who it was that brought the victory.

It was not the size of David's army that brought his victories. It was not David's military equipment that brought his victories. It was not David's superior planning, it was not David's superior strategy, it was not David's superior tactics that brought his victories. It was not David's superior "intel" that brought his victories.

It was not the weakness of Davids military adversaries that brought his victories. It was not because David's military adversaries failed to forge alliances against him that brought his victories.

"The Lord gave David victory wherever he went." The Lord brought the victories!

Does God still do that kind of thing today? I am fully persuaded that he certainly does. There is no question in my mind about it. To review the amazing military victories Israel has had since they returned to Palestine in 1946, something has been afoot that cannot be discounted. The Lord has had to have had his hand it them.

However, it is not simply that Israel is God's covenanted people that they have been given victories. After all,  Israel was defeated in 70 AD by Rome. The Bar Kochva Revolt ended in another defeat in the following century.

Why victories at certain times and not others?

Concerning David's victories, I believe there were two important factors that brought the Lord's victories. The first being David's faith. As we read of David's predecessor, King Saul, we see the Lord did not always bring the victory. Under David's rule, the nation fared much better. Secondly, it was in the interests of the Lord's agenda of the redemption of mankind that the Lord brought David his victories. The Lord intended to use the nation in his preparation for the eventual coming of the Lord's atonement for the sins of mankind.

Likewise, many of us feel strongly that the Lord has brought Israel her victories today in preparation for the second coming of Jesus Christ - the next major event in the divine calendar.

Were we to find our victories in this life as David did, we might consider these two factors. A person of faith who is squarely in the pursuit of God's agenda. If we place ourselves there we just may find the Lord's victories just as David did his.

As a person of faith, just exactly how do I fit into what the Lord is doing in my world today? Do I know what that is? Am I fully aware of the agenda the Lord is pursuing in our world today? Am I studying the Scriptures to find those things out? And, speaking of faith, how healthy is that in my life today? Does my life manifest a confidence in the Lord? How convinced am I of God's ability to do what he has promised? Just how persuaded am I of what the Lord tells me in the Scriptures of what it is he is doing today?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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David's Dynasty - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 17:10-14,

"I [God] declare to you [David] that the Lord will build a house for you: When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor [King Saul]. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever."

Here is God's promise to David. Sweeping in its scope and astounding in purpose, when David declared he wanted to build a house for the Lord's presence (represented in the ark) by building a temple to the Lord, the Lord said no, that David's offspring would do that - and that the Lord would build a house for David!

David, by this time, had already built himself a palace. What the Lord was promising David was a dynasty. Not a typical dynasty but a dynasty that would have one of David's offspring sit over the house of the Lord, over his kingdom, forever. God will establish this descendant's throne forever.

As often he does, God spoke in terms of both a near term and a far term fulfillment of prophecy. David's immediate son, Solomon, would assume David's throne and be the one to build a physical temple for the ark to rest in. However, one of David's distant descendants, Jesus Christ, would eventually assume the throne over God's people. It would be this descendant that would build a spiritual house for God. "As you come to him, the living Stone [Jesus Christ]—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5.

This king, Jesus Christ, will sit on the throne over God's people forever. In talking to his disciples Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."

How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Satisfaction in Worship - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 16:8-9,

"Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts."

I'm sure much has been said about worship. I am also certain 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 (see also Psalm 105), provides a wonderful example of much of what has been said about worship.

In the verse above, the telling of Lord's wonderful acts are in view. In other places, the many-splendored aspects of his character and nature are in view, for instance his strength in verse 11, his judgment, verses 12-14, his unchanging nature, verses 15-16, his glory, verse 24, his splendor and majesty in verse 27, and so forth.

The acknowledgment of these two form the basis of all worship as described in the Scriptures: his wonderful acts and his glorious nature. Any exposure to these yields to, warrants, even demands the extolling of them.

I note in our verse above the invitation to all to tell of his wonderful acts. I can't help but think one of the beneficiaries of our worship of the Lord, while certainly the Lord's, is mankind himself.

The telling of the Lord's glorious nature and his wonderful acts completes and fulfills with great satisfaction our worship of him - bringing a consummation of our adoration and reverence for him. It also encourages others to seek out what it is the worshipers are seeing in the Lord, drawing others into the community of the faithful - helping the Lord achieve his agenda of the redemption of mankind through faith.

Our worship of the Lord brings a satisfaction in life found no where else and provides the Lord with the rightful place he deserves in all of our lives.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Michal's Disgust - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 15:29,

"As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart."

Michal, one of David's wives, "despised" David when he brought the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem with fanfare, music, dancing and great celebration. Why did Michal despise David?

We learn from 1 Samuel 18:20 that Michal, who was a daughter of King Saul, was in love with David. At least at that time. However, by the time David brought the ark into Jerusalem, she criticized David, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

Apparently David's celebratory actions offended her. I have to think Michal did not share David's enthusiasm for the Lord and that the significance of bringing the Lord's ark to Jerusalem was lost on her. She viewed David's celebration of the Lord in disgust.

I am reminded of the attitude of those who do not share our devotion to the Lord. John warns us, "Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:13. In that passage John recalls how Abel's brother, Cain, murdered him. Abel loved the Lord and worshiped the Lord in the way the Lord wanted. Cain... well, he was religious alright, and as a lot of folks who are caught up in religion do, they are focused on themselves, their desires, and so they express whatever their concept of worship is - their own way, while despising those of us who are a reminder to them that worship is not about us, it is about the Lord.

I can't help but think Michal's disgust found its opportunity in the fact that Michal lived her life in the tent of "Team Cain" and not "Team Abel". Michal and David were on opposite "teams" - the only two teams in life (in the spiritual sense.)

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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How Do I Fit Into the Lord's Agenda? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 14:17,

"So David's fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him."

Why did the Lord make all the nations fear him? We have seen that David was not a perfect man. He was a man of bloodshed (disqualifying him from building a temple for the Lord in Jerusalem), and he was capable of adultery and murder in the case of Uriah and Bathsheba.

It seems to me that at times we get the notion that the Lord only does things relative to us based on our moral performance before him. While not discounting that reality in any way, there are certainly other reasons the Lord involves us in what he does.

In the case of David, while he was not a man without sin, and certainly not a man who had earned the favor he received from the Lord by a perfect report card of morality, David was God's man.

David was a man of faith and as God had a plan to use the nation Israel as a key component to roll out his program of redemption of mankind, David, as a man of faith who gave himself to the Lord, fit perfectly in the hands of what the Lord wanted to accomplish.

My take away on this is that not only is it important that I live a life worthy of what the Lord has called me to (do my best to keep myself from sin), it is also important for me to understand what it is the Lord is doing and determine how it is I can fit into what it is the Lord is doing.

The Lord's agenda today is the building of his family, his kingdom. How do I fit into his pursuit of that? How has he gifted me to further that agenda along? How might I participate? It is here that our lives find ultimate purpose and meaning, ultimate fulfillment.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Displaying a Heart for the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 13:3,

"Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul."

As David developed his fighting forces and sought to invite the entire nation of Israel to join them, one of his first actions was to see about bringing the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem. Here David's heart for the Lord is on full display.

David pointed out the ark had been neglected during Saul's reign. Saul, David's predecessor, was the first king Israel had (apart from the Lord). The ark was the nexus of the Lord's presence among the Israelites and the neglect of it was illustrative of Saul's neglect of the Lord himself.

David, on the other hand, had a heart for the Lord, and as he sought to regroup Israel as a nation, his concern was its focus on the Lord. If David led the nation, he wanted that nation to be centered on the Lord.

Although we may not be kings,  I suspect we all have different ways, different actions, that provide us the opportunity to display our own hearts for the Lord.

What might be yours? How will you express your heart for the Lord today?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Awareness of the Things of God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 11:23,32,

"These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul's kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said... from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command..."

The numbers of warriors from the various tribes of Israel that joined David at Hebron are provided us in this chapter. They were fighting men who volunteered to serve David in the ranks of the army he was building. At this point not all Israel had moved to support David yet, but these did, those who "understood the times and knew what Israel should do".

Understanding the times and knowing "what Israel should do" is clearly in reference to the unfolding of God's intentions and plans that included Israel. Not all understood the times, not all knew what Israel should do, but these did.

I am reminded there is always a remnant of mankind that is "tuned in", so to speak, to the things of God. In every age God is active and pursues his agenda (the agenda of redemption of mankind to build a people for himself for all eternity). He uses some in one way, some in another, but he is actively afoot accomplishing what it is he desires to achieve and does it within the context of his own timetable.

Those who are unaware of what it is the Lord is doing are without any situational awareness of the grand scheme of things the Lord is busy doing. Such a person is simply existing in this life "in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." 1 John 2:11.

Those who are tuned in to what it is the Lord is afoot doing know the the Scriptures because that is where he communicates to us today that we might know what it is he is about. They know God's revelation of himself in the Bible is there for us that we might "understand the times" and know what it is we should be doing.

"As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11.

It is the accomplishment and achievement of God's word we read of in Isaiah 55:10-11 that forms the basis of that spiritual awareness some have in life.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Why Was the Lord With David? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 11:9,

"David became more and more powerful, because the Lord Almighty was with him."

As a man of God, David accomplished some amazing things. Those things he accomplished were because "the Lord Almighty was with him."

Why was the Lord with David? What was it about him that earned the Lord's attention? What was it that prompted the Lord to accomplish those amazing things through him? We are told David became more and more powerful because the Lord was with him.

It wasn't due to an absence of sin in his life. All mankind is sinful, save the man Jesus Christ. No one other than Jesus Christ has lived a sinless life. David makes note of his sins as he asks of the Lord, "Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins." Psalm 25:18. In Psalm 38 he confesses his sin,
"Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
Your arrows have pierced me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
    there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
My guilt has overwhelmed me
    like a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and are loathsome
    because of my sinful folly." Verses 1-5.

Perhaps we can answer the question of why the Lord Almighty was with David as we read what the Lord himself had to say about David, as observed by Paul in Acts 13:22, "I [God] have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." David was a man of faith.

Our faith pleases the Lord. Without that faith, we cannot, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6. Clearly, the Lord was pleased with David and used him to accomplish those things he desired that furthered his use of his covenant people to bring about the redemption of mankind.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Why King David and Not King Saul? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14,
"Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse."

Israel was God's covenant people. Paul enumerates a few of the unique advantages Israel had as God's chosen nation. In Romans 9:4-5 we read, "Theirs [the people of Israel] is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!"

The advantages Israel had and has, as God's chosen people are many. In Romans 3:2 Paul looks at simply one of the many, "First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God." The importance of this cannot be overstated. We have a Bible because the Lord chose the people of Israel to be the custodian of his communication with mankind.

Israel was chosen by the Lord because of Abraham. Abraham was a man of faith, and that faith Abraham had is exactly what the Lord looks for in each of us to determine our acceptance into his family. See Romans 4.

The reason God chose a people for himself when he entered into his covenant with Abraham and his offspring was that he had decided to roll out his plan of redemption of all mankind through a specific people he would use. Saul's unfaithfulness rendered him unfit to fulfill what it was the Lord intended, longer term, so David was chosen to replace him.

The replacement of Saul with David was not simply because Saul was sinful. David himself was sinful. It was because Saul had placed himself outside of the usefulness the Lord intended longer term. David was a man of faith, Saul was not.

Short term, Saul was useful to the Lord to teach Israel a valuable lesson (don't demand a king to be like the neighbors when God is your king). Having provided that lesson, it was now time to move on with a new leader, David. In the broader perspective, these actions by the Lord were with a view toward using the nation to carry out his strategy of redemption of all mankind - to populate a kingdom, a family, a people for himself - populated by those of faith in him.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Why Isn't Israel In Captivity Today? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 9:1,

"All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness."

We read here that all Israel was taken captive to Babylon for a reason. The reason provided this action of the Lord was their unfaithfulness. It was as a nation that Israel was found unfaithful and suffered for it.

As a nation today, Israel is unfaithful in its rejection of Jesus Christ as her Messiah. They reject the notion that Jesus Christ is God's one and only Son. As a nation today, Israel is yet again unfaithful since the time Jesus came and died for the sins of mankind. Why are they allowed to exist today? Why are they not taken captive or destroyed by the Lord as they were before? Better yet, why did the Lord allow Israel to reoccupy Palestine as a nation in 1948?

It is important to understand the reason for the Lord's actions when they were taken captive by Babylon. 

Abraham was a man of faith, a faith the Lord wanted held up to the world for us all to see and recognize as that which would be the basis to grant access into his family. Many hold the mistaken belief that we earn access into God's family by behaving ourselves. The reality is that none of us have ever lived a well-behaved life in the eyes of God. The Lord has determined that all who embrace him in faith will be granted access to heaven following this life. This faith of Abraham is embodied in the gospel handed down to us from the Lord himself.

Due to Abraham's faith, and with God's decision to use a people to bring about his redemption of all of mankind - a people he would use to help the world recognize what he was doing, the Lord chose the offspring of Abraham as his chosen people. That chosen people would not be all of Abraham's offspring but those through the lineage of the patriarchs, Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The twelve sons of Jacob became the twelve tribes of Israel and the people with which God entered into a covenant with.

The purpose of the covenant was to establish within Israel the tools God would use to roll out his program of redemption. However, in the life of the nation, when Israel became unfaithful, they became useless for the progressive roll-out of the Lord's redemption of mankind. He then took the steps necessary to get the nation back on a track to where the Lord could again work through the nation - hence, their captivity in Babylon. Following seventy years of captivity, the Lord arranged for the return of the Jews back to their homeland and set in motion the pieces and parts making up the preparation for the advent of his Son, Jesus Christ.

If we simply dismiss the captivity of Judah as the Lord spanking them because they were not behaving, we will not understand why the Lord did what he did specifically then, and why he is working differently in the nation today.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Influential Benjamites - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 8:33, 40c,

"Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal... All these were the descendants of Benjamin."

These, along with a number of others in this chapter "were the descendants of Benjamin." Saul, the son of Kish, figures very prominently in Israel's history. Saul was the first human king Israel had, following a period of "judges" that provided leadership for the nation.

Saul was chosen by God to be Israel's first human king when Israel demanded one to rule over them so they could be just like all the other nations that surrounded them. It was a demand that did not please the Lord, as the Lord was to be their king. Israel was not brought into being by the Lord to be like all of the other nations, as he had specific plans for his covenant people.

Nevertheless, the Lord gave them what they asked for, and gave them someone that they would find attractive. Tall and handsomely built, Saul fit the bill for the Israelites - and he turned out to be a disaster. Following Saul, the Lord chose someone of his liking, David. David was a man of faith, a man that pleased the Lord. Paul quotes God as saying of David, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." Acts 13:22. While Israel's first king was from Benjamin, the second king, David, was from Judah. The legitimate throne of Israel would stay in the line of Judah, until established in the hands of Israel's true king for eternity, Jesus Christ - also from the tribe of Judah.

While the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin only goes to a point in history, a later descendant from the tribe of Benjamin was a man who would be instrumental in changing the course of human history, another man named Saul - and renamed the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote thirteen of the 27 books of the New Testament, and as the Lord's hand-picked apostle to the Gentiles, Paul helped to established a movement within the Roman empire that would shape the course of western civilization and mankind in general. The influence of Paul's church planting as well as his writings on the Lord's gospel of faith cannot be measured. His refutation of the concept of salvation by works of the law set forth clearly the gospel message of faith, a message that continues to be greatly needed from generation to generation.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Faith Brings Redemption Not Perfection In This Life - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 7:2,

"During the reign of David, the descendants of Tola listed as fighting men in their genealogy numbered 22,600."

In this chapter we have several counts of "fighting men", military troops from clans or families. Here we have the number of troops from the sons of Tola. We read in verse 5 that the fighting men from the tribe of Issachar numbered 87,000. The descendants of the sons of Bela included 22,034 fighting men. You get the idea.

It would appear to me the various counts of fighting men in this chapter come from the counts David made in 2 Samuel 24. The account of David in that chapter is a fascinating one. In it we read the Lord himself "incited" David to take a census to find how many fighting men he had.

While on the surface this count may seem innocent enough - for David to count his fighting men - however it expressed a lack of faith in the Lord as his strength, relying, instead, upon his troop number. It is the sort of inventory you do prior to striking out against your enemy. You don't want to take on more than you are capable of beating. However, when David counted his troop strength, he was defining his capability in the size of his army, not the size of God's awesome power. The effort communicated David's lack of faith in the Lord at that time.

And, the Lord incited him to do it! I take that to mean that David was struggling with his faith at that time, engendering God's anger, who brought it to a head by having David act on his lack of faith. The result was devastating for Israel.

Although David was "conscience-stricken" afterward, 2 Samuel 24:10, seventy thousand Israelites died from a plague the Lord brought on Israel because of it. Not a military defeat, but a plague! The troop strength was useless to protect Israel.

David was a man of faith, a man after God's own heart. Paul quotes God saying of him, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." Acts 13:22. What I learn from this is that people of faith are not made perfect in this life. Faith redeems us and sets in motion God's wonderful spiritual-growth effort in each of our lives. However, we will never see perfection in this life. That comes in the next. Yes, our sins are forgiven, and we now hold a righteous standing in God's sight - but that does not preclude imperfections in us that will rise from time to time. (See 1 John 2:1.) As Paul explains in Romans 6, we are no longer slaves to our sinful nature, but we will still see those occasions where we disappoint the Lord, ourselves and others from time to time. Our job is to get up after such an occasion, dust ourselves off, and get back in the saddle to live our lives worthy of the Lord.

While faith redeems us; it does not make us perfect in this life. Just ask David.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Is God Organized? Orderly? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 6:48-49,

"Their fellow Levites were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God. But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense in connection with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded."

The commanding that Moses did relative to the duties referenced above, were outlined by the Lord himself. As we read through passages such as this we see a measure of organization, manifested by a distribution of duties by assigned personnel, definition to those duties, etc. all reflecting the organizational nature of our Lord - and expressed in his instructions to his covenanted people Israel as to how to worship him and conduct themselves in his presence at the tabernacle.

Is God organized? I would consider him to be the organizer-in-chief. "God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord's people." 1 Corinthians 14:23. God brings order. It is the enemies of the gospel that bring disorder, "Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ." Galatians 1:7. James points to the same thing, "Where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." James 3:16.

We might do well to recognize the importance of an organized and orderly approach in the execution of pursuing God's agenda of building his family during this age. Within the context of our worship, Paul says, "Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." 1 Corinthians 14:40.

Just a simple observation of perhaps one of the more overlooked qualities of our magnificent and many-splendored God.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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