David's Suffering - 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 Psalm 6:2-3,

"Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?"

David really had his struggles: he was faint, in need of healing, his bones were in agony and he was in a spiritually deep anguish. He was worn out from groaning, he wept all night (saying he drenched his couch with tears), his eyes were weak from sorrow and he had a lot of foes.

This is the man we read of in Acts 13:22, where God is quoted as saying, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." God was pleased with him, so why was David suffering? Why hadn't God stepped in, arranged things in David's life long before his suffering to prevent it?

David did plead with God to intervene and bring him relief and God responded and brought that relief. At the and of the psalm we read, "Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer." Verses 8-9. Yet, it was not until after David had suffered, at least for a time, that the Lord stepped in and brought him relief following his pleading with God.

Today you often hear that since God loves us he doesn't want us sick or suffering or poor or whatever. That runs contrary to what we read in the Scriptures. David was a man of mighty faith. He struggled with sin, as we all do, and possibly this was the cause of David's suffering. However, unlike Psalm 51, where David pours out his contrite heart for his sin, we don't see any of that here. This psalm reads as though sin was not in the picture here with David. We find that to be the case in a number of psalms.

And it is not just David. We see a great number of heroes of the faith suffering. We read of it in the book of Acts and many other places. Since they suffered, why should we feel we ought to be immune from difficulties in this life? In fact, the Scriptures tell us to plan on it and embrace it. "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4.

We are told to anticipate discipline from God's hand, "God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:10-11. Jesus told us he would discipline those he loves, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19.

As we learn from David's life, we should not be expecting a bed of roses when we embrace Jesus Christ in our lives. Suffering, difficulties, struggles will accompany joy, love, the embrace of acceptance, an incredible anticipation for our new life in the next age and so many other wonderful things that are now ours as God's children. Both come our way.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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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We Are One or the Other - 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 Psalm 5:4,

"For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome....  Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."

In psalm 5 David observes two kinds of people: the "evil" and the "righteous". He doesn't mention any other kind of people because there exists no other kind. This is why the Scriptures are bent so much to teach us about the duality that exists in this life. "Good" and "evil", "sacred" and "profane", "clean" and "unclean", "righteous" and "unrighteous". God is teaching us we live a sinful existence in this life because of the reality of sin in our lives and that we need to be made righteous, we need to be made holy if we want to exist with him in the age to come.

We all come into this lost and fallen world as members of a lost and fallen race due to the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. We are born into this life in a hopeless condition of sinfulness. We are the progeny of sinful mankind and we have all sinned ourselves, each and every one of us.

This is why our hope in Jesus Christ is so wonderful. In the darkness of this lost and fallen world, a light, piercing that darkness, entered in: Jesus Christ! He gave his life on that miserable cross to pay the penalty for our sins so that each of us who embrace him will share in his righteousness. That is an amazing hope we all have before us!

I am reminded of the words of David in Psalm 145:17-20, "The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy."

This is the astonishing and wonderful message of Christmas!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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: A Faithful Man - 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 Psalm 5:3,

"In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly."

In this psalm David brings his complaint to the Lord against the wicked. "Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you." Verses 9-10.

David also asks the Lord to bless the righteous in the land, "But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Verses 11-12.

I note that David, in seeking the Lord's ear on the matter, pleads with him to hear his "lament." As he does so, he reminds the Lord of his faithfulness in seeking the Lord in his requests and waiting expectantly every morning - daily!

David was man of faith and also a faithful man. No "fair-weather" worshipper here!

How about us?

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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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Joy in This Life and the Next! - 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 Psalm 4:2,

"How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?"

David begins this psalm by calling on God to answer, to bring him relief from his distress. However, in the second verse he abruptly turns his attention and addresses the unfaithful in the land. In his stinging rebuke of those who pursue fake religion, he demands to know how long they will persist in following their "false gods". Some things never change, do they?

David makes clear to them that in following their false religion they are placing themselves outside of God's tent and that the Lord sets apart only the faithful (to him) for himself.

We read in other passages of Scripture (such as Revelation 21:8) that those on the outside of God's camp will suffer an eternity of judgment, while those who are faithful to God will enter into "Eden Restored", see Revelation 22:1-5. Eternal life, joy in God's presence, "with eternal pleasures at your [God's] right hand." Psalm 16:11.

While David had the more temporal view in this psalm, with his focus on where a productive harvest comes from and who it is that can provide safety and security, his meditation provides all we need for an eternal perspective. As we read of the joy David experienced as one of God's faithful, we think of our own joy, both in this life and the one to come!

This is simply a beautiful psalm!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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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Confidence in Prayer - 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 Psalm 4:1,

"Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from
my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer."

David asks the Lord to hear his prayer. Obviously he knows the Lord
will listen to his prayer, else the psalm would be meaningless. David,
yet again, is struggling and so asks the Lord for his help. At the end
of the psalm, David acknowledges his confidence the Lord will answer,
"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me
dwell in safety." Verse 8.

David, though not a perfect man, was a man of faith. As we read of
David's life we see he struggled with sin, as we all do. However, his
faith prompted him to seek mercy, forgiveness for his sins, relief
from difficulties, and blessings from the Lord in prayer. David was a
man of prayer. Not only do we share in David's shortcomings as a
sinner, those of us who have embraced the Lord in faith as David did
share his confidence the Lord listens to our prayers.

We are told in Ephesians 6:18, "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert
and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." In Philippians
4:6-7 we are told, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Paul instructed his young protege, Timothy, "I urge, then, first of
all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made
for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live
peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good,
and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to
come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:1-4.

James observes why we should all pray, "The prayer of a righteous
person is powerful and effective." James 5:16. The reason the prayer
of a righteous person is powerful and effective is that the Lord
welcomes our requests. John spoke to this, "This is the confidence we
have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his
will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we
know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15.

I love the way the writer of Hebrews encourages us in prayer, "Let us
then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews
4:16.

May our confidence in approaching the Lord in prayer be as determined
as David's was!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here:
http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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
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Making Enemies - 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 Psalm 3:1,

"Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!"

David appears here to be somewhat unexpectant at the number of enemies
he had generated against himself. Perhaps I'm reading a bit much into
this verse, but I can't help but think the inflection in his voice as
he sought the Lord's deliverance from them as being on the order of
"Just look! So many enemies! It is overwhelming to me!"

David certainly could have cultivated many enemies through his
constant warring with neighboring peoples. The politics alone, as
king, would certainly generate enemies, no matter how honorably he
might discharge his duties as king.

However, I think there may be another reason he had amassed such a
number of enemies: he placed himself squarely in the midst of God's
agenda and did those things that the Lord wanted. He was actively
pursuing his part to play in the grand agenda of God - the ultimate
redemption of mankind.

David played a pivotal role in moving the nation in the direction God
wanted to bring his own Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. As God
carried forward his redemption of mankind, David played an early
pivotal role as king of Israel. David was not a perfect man (there has
only been one of those), but he was a man of deep faith. God said 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.

Anyone who chooses to work together with the Lord as he pursues his
agenda of the redemption of mankind will find plenty of opposition,
plenty of enemies.

How about us? can we measure how given we are to God's agenda by the
enemies we generate for that purpose alone?


A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here:
http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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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me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
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Two Themes in Psalm 3 - 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 Revelation 3:1-4,

"Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are
saying of me, 'God will not deliver him.' But you, Lord, are a shield
around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the
Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain."
Often times the view from further above something provides interesting
patterns, cohesion, and even additional sense and meaning. I believe
the book of Psalms provides that very thing. The reading of larger
portions of the book (not just a psalm here and there) on a frequent
basis provides clearly defined themes not so easily seen otherwise.

I certainly do not advocate the subordination of word studies,
analysis of grammar, identifying figures of speech, and the other
tools typically used to study the Scriptures as these are all very
important, but a "bird's eye view" provides some interesting themes
that may not be as apparent.

Not all psalms are the same, of course. Different psalms provide
different messages or expressions of the heart. Some constitute hymns
of praise and worship, some are penitential in nature (confession of
sin, expressed sorrow for sin, etc.), some are considered to be
"wisdom psalms" that describe and prescribe the way to live life as
God designed it, and some are even "imprecatory", that is, they appeal
to God to pour out his wrath on enemies, a curse.

Beyond our understanding of the nature and message of each psalm, I
believe we see some themes that are expressed throughout the entire
collection of psalms (and throughout the entire Bible itself). The
first four verses of Psalm 3 express two of these many themes that can
be found: the first is that mankind has problems and the second is
that God is the very one man needs to flee to for relief, to find a
refuge, to bring a solution for his problems. These two themes (as
well as others) are developed throughout the entire book and have
specific purpose for us.

That purpose, particularly when expressed in so many different ways
and circumstances in the book, teach us two things God wants us to
know:

1. Mankind is lost and fallen, estranged from God living in a lost and
fallen world that is cursed. Consequently we all have problems! Even
David who wrote this psalm, whom God himself claimed to be "a man
after my own heart", Acts 13:22. You and I have problems as well as
every other person.
2. God is our refuge to find relief, protection, a refuge, the
solution and the Savior to go to for our problems.

Of course, the big problem we all face (and not explicitly stated in
this psalm) is that we have all sinned and face God's looming judgment
of us. That is a big problem. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ as our
refuge and our deliverer from his Father's judgment. It is this very
issue I believe why we see so many psalms providing us these two
themes in many ways.

These are not the only themes we see expressing themselves repeatedly
in the psalms, but they are of the most important in my estimation.


A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here:
http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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.

The Prophecy of Scripture - 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 Psalm 2:7-9,

"You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

The first part of this passage is quoted by the writer of Hebrews, where he writes of the superiority of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, over the angels. That passage in Hebrews is an amazing statement about him:

"For to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father'? Or again, 'I will be his Father, and he will be my Son'? And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.' In speaking of the angels he says, 'He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.' But about the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.'" Hebrews 1:5-9. The writer quotes Psalm 2:7, 2 Samuel 7:14, 1 Chronicles 17:13, Deuteronomy 32:43, Psalm 104:4, and Psalm 45:6,7.

In those three verses, the writer of Hebrews quoted 3 psalms as well as three other passages from the Old Testament. It is said that the book of Psalms itself is quoted over 400 times in the New Testament (see "Encountering the Book of Psalms: A Literary and Theological Introduction, Hassell Bullock). This points the the amazing interrelationship between the Scriptures written by the various 40 plus human authors. It also points to the common author of them all: the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Peter reminds us, "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." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

As such, we find many things recorded in the Psalms, as well as the many other books, to be instructive of things to follow. Psalm 2:7-9 is certainly one of these.


A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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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Rebelling Against the Rule 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 Psalm 2:1-3,

"Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 'Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.'"

This, of course, is a rhetorical question for our own observation. The Lord is fully aware of why the "nations" are in an uproar over the dominance of our Creator over his creation. Mankind is lost and fallen and at enmity against his Creator. Further, those who are estranged from God are under the influence and manipulation of the spiritual dark side in its rebellion against God.

In spite of the utter futility and insanity of rebelling against God, mankind, in its myopic, limited, and distorted vision is simply too shortsighted to see the folly in opposing the rule of God over his creation. As a result, the nations and peoples of the world have given themselves to very unenlightened and confused notions that communicate mankind's rebellion against God. Much of this is expressed in politics, the arts, academia and "news" media.

It gets expressed in uneducated and ill-informed notions of "evolution", fake religions, rebuilding the Tower of Babel through globalism and socialism, insistence upon acceptance of all that represents dying and decaying mental fitness, as in killing our babies through abortion, the embrace of the mental disease of transgenderism, the debauchery of homosexuality and pediphilia, and on and on...

The utter futility and insanity of rebelling against God is seen in verses 4-6 of this psalm, where we see God laughing at the foolishness of little man shaking his little fist at God Almighty! We are told the Lord scoffs at rebellious mankind and rebukes them in his anger. These unenlightened "rulers" of mankind will find that God has his own ruler that he installs over all mankind: his Son, Jesus Christ.

These rebellious people of the world will not be able to enjoy life in the kingdom of God with Jesus Christ sitting on the throne over all mankind as they will have been cast into a "fiery lake of burning sulfur", Revelation 21:8.

As I say, this rebellion against God and his anointed is utterly futile and insane. Knowing these things helps us to understand why it is we so much that bewilders us - how people can be so crazy...

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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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Thriving in the Word 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 Psalm 1:3,

"That person [the person who delights and meditates in the Scriptures] is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers."

The above simile expresses to us that the righteous person, the person who does not go the way of the wicked and who meditates in God's word, is like a tree planted by streams of water.

I suspect that most of us have been in an arid location that has little rainfall. Not much vegetation, not many trees. Some locations are so hostile to plant growth and tree growth that they are barren. However, at times a river may run through an area like this and so the spectacle is a barren landscape with a river running through it with green stripes on both sides, stripes of trees and undergrowth. The Colorado River comes to mind...

Areas of Palestine are arid and feature rivers where vegetation only grows along their banks. Both the psalmist and his audience would be well acquainted with this natural setting.

I love this simile in that just as trees were created and designed to flourish in an environment that provides water, so too, man was created and designed to flourish in the environment of God's word. Just as a tree can't survive without water, so we struggle to survive without making God's word the rich, well-watered soil where our lives can thrive.

Recall the words Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman he met at a well, "whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14.

I am also reminded of Revelation 21:6, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life."

Maybe that thirst you are feeling is a thirst that only God's word can satisfy and bring about some needed change to your life, "whatever they do prospers."


A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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.

The Way of the Righteous - 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 Psalm 1:6,

"The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction."

The psalmist here recognizes two kinds of people, and only two kinds: the righteous and the wicked. Not three or four or whatever, and there is no "in between". The Scriptures consistently support this approach in looking at mankind. We exist in either the camp of the righteous or the camp of the wicked.

I note here that both the righteous and the wicked have their own, differing "ways." The "ways" do not make them one kind or other, rather, those ways reflect which they are.

Here in this psalm we read that the wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away, referring to the looming judgment they will face from God himself at the end of the age, "the wicked will not stand in the judgment", verse 5. I suspect it may also refer to the uselessness of their lives in not fulfilling the purpose for which God created mankind in the first place. We also read the wicked have no standing among the other group, the "righteous", in that the wicked do not belong among the righteous - something that we will see in the resurrection.

In this psalm we read of the "ways" of the righteous. They do not "walk in step with the wicked" or "stand in the way sinners take" or "sit in the company of mockers". The righteous delight in the "law of the  Lord", a reference to the Scriptures as they existed at the time of the writing of this psalm - they meditate (ruminate!) on the Scriptures "day and night", verse 2.

Some of the blessings of the righteous are enumerated here. "That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers." Verse 3. We also read in verse 6 that "the Lord watches over the way of the righteous."

The righteous do not become what they are by meditating in Scripture continually, verse 2. That activity is a reflection they have become one of the righteous. We become one of the righteous by embracing Jesus Christ in faith, "But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Romans 3:21-22.

Since the righteous delight in the law of Lord, the Scriptures, and that delight is reflected in their meditating in it, ruminating in it, it indicates which camp we are in.

So, what camp are you in?  

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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.

So, What's a Chiasm? - 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 Revelation 22:1-5,

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. "

A chiastic literary structure is found in a variety of places in the Scriptures. A "chiasm" is a literary device that follows a progression of thought to a mid-point and then reverses and mirrors itself. It is named after the Greek letter "chi" which looks like our letter "X". You notice the left side of X starts at top, goes down and in to the middle and then goes back out to the bottom. It could be represented in the following figure of expression:
A
     B
          C
     B
A

A chiasm can have two, three or even more levels to it. Note Mark 2:27, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." This verse follows a very simple chiasm:
A
     B
     B
A

As I say, there can be simple to more complex chiasms found in many passages of Scripture. Watch for them, because when the literary device is employed and recognized by the reader, they can be helpful to understand what is being presented. As an example, can you see the chiasm in Isaiah 1:21-26?

What fascinates me this morning is that Revelation 22 completes a chiasm of progression of the whole of God's revelation to us regarding the affairs of mankind relative to himself. It is not a chiasm of verses, but of the totality of mankind's existence itself. It begins in Genesis and ends in the close of the book of Revelation:

Mankind lives in Eden with God
     Mankind falls through sin and lives in a cursed existence
          God pursues his agenda of redemption of mankind
     Mankind is redeemed from sin and the curse is lifted
Mankind lives in restored Eden with God

The structure of mankind's history from creation to eternity follows this simple device found throughout Scripture!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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.

Trustworthy and True Words - 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 Revelation 22:6,

"These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."

This statement made to John by one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls "full of the seven last plagues" acknowledges that it is God who "inspires the prophets." The angel makes the statement when he tells John to publish this revelation given him, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near." Verse 10.

Because it was God himself who had sent his angel to reveal this revelation, the words of it are "trustworthy and true." The further observation is made that it is God who "inspires the prophets". John is referred to as a prophet in verse 9 where the angel talking to John claims he is a fellow servant with John and his "fellow prophets". In that John was given this revelation to pass on to us, he is functioning as a prophet in the truest sense of the office.

The book of Revelation is one of sixty-six books in our Bibles. The forty plus authors of these books are called prophets in that, as John, in his unique apocalyptic book here, along with his three letters and his gospel, were all inspired to do so by the Holy Spirit, with the intention those writings be passed along to us. This is the exact function of a prophet: to pass on to others what the Lord has said and intended to be passed to others.

The function of a prophet is a very unique and specific service. All prophets with their messages speak on God's behalf to others. As such, what they have to say is always "trustworthy and true." Peter tells us something of this in 2 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."

This makes our Bibles a library of books like no other. The One who created us speaks to us in its pages! This being the case, I would think we all have every motivation we need to learn everything we can about what it says - and what it does say is always, without fail, "trustworthy and true."

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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.

"It is done" - 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 Revelation 21:5-7,

"He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children...'"

God himself speaks to John to declare "It is done." What exactly "is done"?

God's grand agenda of the redemption of mankind, borne of his unfathomable love to create a people for himself comes to an end and "a new heaven and a new earth" arises from the ashes of lost and fallen humanity existing in estrangement to God. Through the payment of sins by Jesus Christ, God's one and only Son, for all mankind, bringing a righteous standing before himself of all who chose to embrace him in faith, a new existence for all of God's people begins!

Resurrected from physical death, God's people enter into an eternal life within the presence of God himself! Eternal pleasures at his right hand (Psalm 16:11)! God wipes away all tears, no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain! This present world, with its order of things, passes away! God proclaims, "I am making everything new!"

The "it" that is done in this passage, is, as I say, God's grand agenda of redemption, and here he proclaims is successful completion. Today, there are those who participate with God to bring his plan of redemption to its successful completion, and there are those who oppose it.

Which team to you play on? When it comes to the successful completion of God's agenda, will you be one of the ones who participated with God, or one of those who opposed his successful completion of it?

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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.

The Great Deceiver - 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 Revelation 20:3,

"He [an angel coming down from heaven] threw him [Satan] into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended."

Satan is called the "accuser of our brothers and sisters" in Revelation 12:10. He accuses people before God. Why? Because Satan has been in rebellion against God and resisting him at every turn (an incredibly futile effort). Since God's great agenda for mankind is his program of redemption, Satan seeks to thwart that and one of his tactics is to challenge God's sense of justice by accusing before God those who God seeks for his kingdom. Satan is also the great Accuser.

This is the purpose for Satan's efforts at deceiving the nations. He influences them in a direction to hopefully inspire God's judgment. He finds those who are "willing idiots" to do his bidding.

Take America as an example. A nation founded by Christians, a nation whose motto is "In God we trust." A nation founded as such cannot be tolerated by Satan or even be seen to prosper by receiving God's blessings. This is why we see the senseless striving of all that is ungodly by those Satan influences. Why homosexuality? Why abortion? Why the distortions of our society by the "social justice warriors" that seek all things ungodly? In short, animated by the spiritual dark side, they provide grist for Satan's mill of accusation.

This is why Satan is called the "Accuser" and this is why he seeks to deceive nations.

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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.

Considered as Sheep to be Slaughtered? - 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 Revelation 20:4,

"I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

In the above verse John says he saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their faithful propagation of the gospel message.

We have all been given the responsibility to proclaim the gospel message, whether to family members, neighbors, to coworkers, to those where we relax and play. Peter tells his readers, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. " 1 Peter 3:15-16.

However, John tells us he saw in the revelation given him souls of those who lost their heads doing so. Why would God allow this?

I have often felt the interpretation of John's revelation has been skewed a bit by those who might wish to not have to live through some of the horrific things we read of within its pages. I know I have heard a number of times the thought that since God loves us, he wouldn't want us to go through those horrific things.

Leaving aside for now the debate over a "pre-trib rapture", and other discussions, the line of thinking that since God loves us, he wouldn't want us to have to go through horrific things is not supported by what we read in John's revelation. Supporting that meme will only cause confusion and consternation when what we see happens doesn't seem to square with what was preached behind the pulpit.

I am quite certain God has his own reasons why he allows things to happen, whether to enhance the quilt of those headed for perdition, to manipulate events to influence outcomes, or whatever. It is not my job to judge what God does - far from it! - and it certainly isn't my job to make assumptions about what God may or may not do, particularly when it  contravenes what we read in the pages of Scripture.

Paul's observation is what we all need to embrace. In his quote of Psalm 44, we read in Romans 8:36, "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." This might even be taken in a literal sense for some of us.

Just ask the folks John saw in his revelation!

A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

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.