The Eternal Throne of Jesus Christ - 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 132:11-12,

"The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: 'One of your own descendants I will place on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.'"

This oath the Lord swore to David concerned the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. The throne of David was a type of the throne the Son of God occupies as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

From an earthly point of view, Jesus was a descendant of David. Paul speaks of this in the beginning of his letter to the believers in Rome, "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 1:1-4.

The writer of Hebrews quotes God the Father, "In speaking of the angels he [God] 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.'" Hebrews 1:7-8. (See Psalm 45.)

Here we see Jesus Christ seated on his throne, a throne that will last for all eternity. Since there is no future in life following our date with the grave, save life lived in the kingdom of God under the throne of Jesus Christ, at what point do I recognize his kingship in my life? When is it appropriate to bow myself to him and order my life in a fitting manner?

Today is that day!

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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A Passion For the Lord Dwelling Within - 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 132:3-5,

"I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."

Here the psalmist quotes David expressing his desire to find a dwelling for the Lord. The presence of the "Mighty One of Jacob" within the nation of Israel was to be in a temple built in Jerusalem. David had a passion to build it but the Lord told him another would have that honor, David's son Solomon, who would follow him as king over the nation. David resigned himself to providing the resources and materials Solomon would need for the task.

Clearly David had a passionate desire for the presence of the Lord to dwell within the nation. This morning I can't help but think of the parallel thought that the Lord wants to take up residence within us. "Consequently, you [members of the church] are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22.

Paul goes on to say, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." Ephesians 3:16-17.

Do I have the passion as David to find a place for the Lord to dwell within my life? I think it a great question. It begins with embracing the Lord in faith followed by enlarging an ever expanding dwelling within my life for him to carry out his purposes within me.

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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Our Hopes Reveal Our Desires - 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 131:3,

"Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore."

I often find it helpful for me to look up words in the dictionary when I am reading the Scriptures. Even simple words and those I am very familiar with, and maybe particularly those words because it helps "round out" and broaden my thinking about a passage. I sometimes think the more familiar I am with the words I encounter, the less I tend to "unpack" the meaning of them and what they could contribute to my understanding.

I realize the English words I am looking up are not those of the original authors of Scripture, but those that the translators of our Bibles have chosen to represent what the original writings intended to convey in their original Hebrew and Greek languages. However, translators are fussy in their business and are much more critical than the rest of us when it comes to conveying thoughts and ideas in language. The grammatical construction and diction they choose to employ in their translations are guided by their goal of precision in transferring those thoughts and ideas of the original authors of Scripture to us accurately.

All that said to defend myself for looking up the word "hope" that we find in Psalm 131. Merriam-Webster defines "hope" as "to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment, to expect with confidence: trust." Also, "to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true." As I read these definitions, the aspect of "desire" becomes apparent for me when I read David telling Israel to put her hope in the Lord.

I suspect we all hope in various things. It seems to me that if one had no hope in anything it would lead to despondency, discouragement and depression. I'm sure throughout the day we hope in all kinds of things, and David's point is to place the Lord as the focus of our desires with the expectation that the Lord can and will deliver all he has planned and promised us.

The wonderful riches of the lavish inheritance the Lord has so graciously and generously bestowed upon those who have embraced him in faith, particularly when realized as undeserved, and yet promised us in his incomprehensible love, is just an amazing hope we have in him if that is what we desire.

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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Wisdom in Searching Out Matters - 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 131:1-2,

"My heart is not proud, Lord,
    my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
    or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
    I am like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child I am content."

Here are the first two verses of this short three verse psalm. They contain a thought that is, frankly, somewhat foreign to me. David says here, at least for the time he penned it, that he is content to not have to know everything. "I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me." As a result of that he finds himself calmed, quieted and just as contented as a "weaned child" with its mother.

I have to admit, this isn't a disposition I very often find myself in. I always feel the impulse to understand a matter and often feel a bit of frustration if I don't. As an example, to know what is going on in some political event and why, or to wrestle with something I have tripped over in the Scriptures-- to understand how it fits into the things "I already know" (!), moods and shifting events in our culture, etc.

In Proverbs 25:27 we read, "It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep." I'm not quite sure I understand this verse completely, but it seems to be telling me there is a point at which I transgress wisdom in the hot pursuit of "knowing it all" and, thereby, falling into an arrogance that David avoided in Psalm 131.

I do recognize that studying the word of God is a responsibility for all of us. Paul tells us, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Through this I assume wisdom resides somewhere between Proverbs 25:27 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 resulting in an enviable position that David had found.

Just thinking out loud 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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What the Lord Knows About Me - 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 130:2,

"Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy."

As a person, the Lord is simply fascinating. One of the features of the Lord is his ability to know everything about everybody. In this psalm the psalmist cries out to the Lord to hear him- and he will. The Lord doesn't miss a thing! Of course, this is just as sobering as it is amazing. I don't think I feel too comfortable knowing the Lord not only hears everything I say, but also sees everything I do, knows every thought I have and has intimate knowledge of my feelings.

However, knowing the Lord will hear me when I call out to him, and knowing of his unfailing love and the full redemption he provides is just amazing. There are a number of passages in Scripture that speak to the ability and the reality that the Lord sees and knows all we think, say and do.

In Psalm 94:9 with reference to the Lord knowing everything, we read, "Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?" The writer of Hebrews makes clear the Lord exercises his ability to know everything, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13.  What the Lord knows about me is absolutely everything in intimate detail!

Although, as I say, it is quite sobering to know the Lord sees and knows all I think, say and do, to know of his mercy, forgiveness, unfailing love and redemption we read of in Psalm 130 is just exciting!

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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What Does "Righteous" Mean? - 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 129:4,

"The Lord is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked."

Psalm 129 is one of the many psalms that are described in the heading as "A song of ascent." There were three occasions in Israel's calendar given them by the Lord where the nation was to gather in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is up on a hill and so it is often thought these psalms of ascents were songs the pilgrims sang as they made their way up to the gates of the city.

In this psalm the Lord is observed as being righteous and from within that righteousness he kept his people from being dominated by the wicked, "he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked."

There are a number of words within the pages of Scripture that might be thought of as having content to them, that they carry some theological freight. For me, "righteousness" is one of those words. People can obtain a righteous standing before God. It has to be given them because none of us come into this world as righteous- we are all sinners. Paul tells us in Romans 3:22 that God gives us a standing of righteousness in his economy of things through faith. This is the currency that provides us access to heaven following this life, we are "right" before the Lord.

In this psalm, however, it is not people who are recognized as righteous but the Lord himself. What does that mean? To me, it very simply means that the Lord is consistent with himself. He never changes and he always, without fail, is consistent with those qualities within him that define who he is and what his is like.

This I think is the point of the psalmist here. He accounts for the freedom of the Lord's people from the control or domination of the wicked because that is what he does, it is just like the Lord to do such a thing.

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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Love or Hate Zion - 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 129:5-8,

"May all who hate Zion
    be turned back in shame.
May they be like grass on the roof,
    which withers before it can grow;
a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
    nor one who gathers fill his arms.
May those who pass by not say to them,
    'The blessing of the Lord be on you;
    we bless you in the name of the Lord.'"

This imprecation (curse) against those who hate Zion takes up the last half the psalm. In the first half, the first four verses, the psalmist speaks of the ineffectiveness of those haters in oppressing the people of God.

Zion is a hill in southeast Jerusalem that David captured and became known as the city of God and the seat of power in Israel. Zion became understood as more than a simple physical location, but a reference to the presence and activity of God among his people.

As an example, in a number of places in the New Testament, Isaiah 28:16 is quoted where Zion is featured. 1 Peter 2:6, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." The stone in this passage is Jesus Christ whom Peter identifies as "the living Stone", verse 4. Note the phrase "See, I lay a stone in Zion…"

I'm sure I never want to ever be identified as a hater of Zion. Unfortunately there are many who do.

I sense among people today there is a lot more opposition to the things of God than we realize. That war in the spiritual realm that we read of in the Scriptures is much more pervasive and finds its expression within people all around us… people who hate Zion.

Not me! I love Zion!

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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Our Great Giver - 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 128:4,

"Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord."

We read in Psalm 128 of the blessings of the man who fears the Lord. Blessings of fruitfulness in his work and on the homefront. The blessings are predicated upon the man holding the Lord in reverence and the esteem due him (fear of the Lord). The Lord rewards such a man.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that God rewards those who "earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6. God bestows blessings, he rewards those who pursue him. God is our great Rewarder, our great Giver.

Here are some passages that speak of God as being a giver:

God gives life to the dead, Romans 4:17.
God gives encouragement and endurance, Romans 15:5.
God gives us "the victory", 1 Corinthians 15:57.
The Spirit gives life, 2 Corinthians 3:6.
The Lord gives strength, Philippians 4:13.
The Spirit gives wisdom and understanding, Colossians 1:9.
God gives us the Holy Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 4:8.
God gives us power, love and self-discipline, 2 Timothy 1:7.
God gives us his grace, James 4:6.

What would you add to this list?

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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For the Men Only - 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 128:1-3a,

"Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house…"

I may not be the brightest light bulb in the hardware store, but it appears to me this psalm is addressed to the men in the congregation. We are told that a man who fears the Lord and expresses that by walking in obedience to him will be blessed.

That blessing encompasses enjoying the "fruit of your labor", blessings, prosperity, a wife that is described as a fruitful vine in a man's house and the blessing of children. It is that blessing of a good wife, that "fruitful vine" that captures my eye this morning.

I don't think the psalm promises us that all marital problems evaporate when we fear the Lord, but that all things being equal, it just may be the "blessedness of holy matrimony" might be beyond reach if we are short-changing the Lord's due from us. The difficulty we might have with our wife is that the Lord is attempting to gain our attention through her.

When we come into God's family, we bring with us warts and all - all our shortcomings and blemishes. We are told that the Lord begins to refine us and develop within us the character of Jesus Christ. We all face that process.

The writer of Hebrews speaks about this. "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but 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 12:7-11.

I don't know about you, but when I embraced the Lord in faith, there remained much (much!) room for me to grow in my reverence and fear of the Lord as expressed by walking in obedience to him. I'm still in the process! After all these years!

In any event, it became apparent to me years ago that God often uses those in our lives to shape and mold us into what he wants us to become. Often that is the person closest to us.

If you are having a struggle with your wife, consider it. It just may be the Lord is attempting to gain your attention - to stretch and mold you into a life of walking in obedience to him.

By the way, I do think this works both ways… but since this psalm is addressed to us, I need to keep mindful of it - it is counsel to me.

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 Best Approach to Productivity and Success - 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 127:1,3,

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain… Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him."

This "song of ascents" by Solomon seems to me at first blush to have two thoughts mashed together that have little to do with each other. The first, in verses 1-2 contains the theme that experiencing a productive and successful life without the Lord is vain (futile, ineffective, of no real value). The second, verses 3-5 has the theme that children are a heritage, a reward from him.

As I give it further thought, however, it appears to me that, to the contrary, the two themes are not unconnected. The second theme supports the first theme's contention.

We recall the heartbreak of barren wives in the OT Scriptures, who lived in a culture that partly defined success in life by their husband's heirs. To have no children was a curse. In her old age Sarah was promised a blessing from God who declared he would provide a son, Issac, Genesis 17. In 1 Samuel 1 we see Elkanah's wife, Hannah, weeping due to the ridicule she received because she was barren. The Lord answered her prayer and she gave birth to Samuel. The point being that to have offspring was considered a blessing from God. The second theme supports the first in that having children expresses a productive and successful life.

The message of the psalm to me this morning is that if I seek a productive and successful life, I best pursue that through the Lord.

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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Offspring: A Heritage or an Inconvenience? - 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 127:3,

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him."

Here is an observation of Solomon as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Children are God's reward to us! A heritage from the Lord!

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "heritage" as "an inherited or established way of thinking, feeling, or doing". Its synonyms are "convention, custom, prescription, rubric, rule, tradition.

How far our culture, our nation, has distanced itself from God. I saw a news article a couple of weeks ago where an actress said that far from feeling any remorse for her three (I think it was three) abortions, she would not have had a career without them! She has determined for herself, and quite apart from God, what is important in her life, expressing her rejection of God.

Ultimate meaning, purpose, fulfillment and satisfaction in life will be beyond her reach unless she turns to the Lord and embraces life as our Creator has designed us for. Worse yet, she faces the ultimate eternal judgment of God in that fiery lake of burning sulfur we read of in Revelation 21:8. Not because of her abortions, but because of her rejection of God. Jesus Christ has already paid the penalty in God's courtroom for her abortions, but sadly, that payment will not be credited to her unless she embraces Jesus Christ in faith.

I'm certain that she feels she has been very "blessed" with the opportunities she has been provided and the fruit of her efforts to pursue what she has deemed important for her... but what is important to her is at odds with what God has desired and determined for us. For her, disposing of her babies expresses her rejection of what God has determined to be a reward from him, a heritage from the Lord.

Many of us have developed a fear of being too "judgy". With the outlook of other believers that came before us who had lost sight of the love God has for us sinners, they poisoned the well with condemnation of others. We don't want to look like them or be like them.

However, the acceptance of abortion is a violent expression against the will of God as many other things are in this life. Is it loving others to not confront them about the sin in their lives? If we don't, just how does God's offer of redemption make any sense? Redemption from what?!

It is not ours to condemn - that is for God. However, it is important to take the message of God's forgiveness of sins to the world. I think we best be bold in clarifying that God has his own will, and that within that will is the recognition that, "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him." Children are not to be discarded as an "inconvenience".

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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Stability in Nature and Existence - 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 125:1,

"Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever."

As I read this beginning verse to Psalm 125, it speaks to me of stability. Those who trust in the Lord have stability. Stability of nature, stability of existence.

I like Merriam-Webster's definition of stability and find it so fitting in the context of this verse. "Stability" is defined as "the strength to stand or endure: firmness." Synonyms are soundness, strength, sturdiness. While the translators did not choose to use the word "stability" in this verse, the verse certainly captures the thought.

Believers in Jesus Christ have stability of nature. The Holy Spirit comes to us when we embrace Jesus Christ in faith and impacts our lives by building into us traits we see in Jesus Christ. We read in Galatians 5:22-23, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Certainly anyone who can be described as such has to be recognized as being stable by nature. Opposite to that would be someone who has not embraced Jesus Christ in faith. "Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." James 1:8.

Believers in Jesus Christ have stability of existence. The outcome of the lives of those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith is certain and sure. Believers have no need to worry about what the future holds. We read in Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of Jesus Christ, "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39.

And, of course, the best news of all is that those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have a stable future firmly fixed in the best of all outcomes, "He [God] will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:8-9.

As the psalmist says, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever."

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 On Our Side! - 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 124:1-5,

"If the Lord had not been on our side— let Israel say— if the Lord had not been on our side... the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away."

Here is an horrific thought! What if the Lord could care less about us? What if he held no love in his heart for us? Where would that leave us? What outlook would there be for us?

We come into this world as a result of God's creativity. When God made all things, we are told in Genesis 1:31, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." However, as we read on in Genesis we see that our forebears rejected the One who had created them and went their own way. Now estranged from God with a sinful nature, we continue in that rebellion.

Where would we be if not for the love of God for us? What would we have to look forward to if not for the redemption our Creator has provided for us? Only a certain dark and bleak outlook of judgment awaiting us all. If the Lord had not been on our side there would be nothing to look forward to.

But... God is on our side! Look at all the wonderful riches of the lavish inheritance God has so graciously and generously bestowed upon us! 

We deserve none of these wonderful things, yet out of God's incomprehensible love, he has so richly blessed us!

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 reply and let me know.  

Relief From the Greatest Threat - 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 124:8,

"Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

This beautiful psalm, 8 verses in total, might be considered a psalm
of relief. Looking back on the dangers God's people faced, they now
look back on their plight in the solace that only the Lord can
provide-- their deliverance from the threat as an accomplished thing.

They faced a threat from their enemies and because the Lord was their
"help", they have escaped, "We have escaped like a bird from the
fowler's snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped." Verse
7.

The great threat we all face in this life is what follows this life.
God's judgment of every individual for the sin in their lives looms on
the horizon for each of us. We have all sinned and the payment of that
sin is eternal death.

When we make the Lord our "help" by embracing him in faith, we find
our own deliverance from the biggest threat of all, eternal death.
Once we have done that, we can look back on the plight we had as
something that no longer threatens us. We find relief from God's
judgment through God's deliverance of us, all through faith in Jesus
Christ.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives
life has set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1. Just
as David viewed the threat God's people faced as something they have
already been delivered from, so we can view our impending judgment as
something we have already been released from. We no longer face it.

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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Contempt for God's People - 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 123:3-4,

"Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end
of contempt. We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of
contempt from the proud."

The psalmist looks for relief from the Lord due to the contempt and
ridicule suffered at the hands of the arrogant and proud.

Merriam-Webster defines contempt as the act of despising. Disdain and
scorn are synonyms. We are told in the Scriptures that we would do
well to expect this kind of treatment for those the psalmist
identifies as arrogant and proud. The "arrogant and proud" are those
who not only reject God, but hold in contempt those things that are
God's, including his people. This is something that is ingrained in
mankind and we read of it going all the way back to Adam and Eve's
offspring, Cain and Abel.

Here is an interesting observation from the apostle John, "Anyone who
claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in
the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the
light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone
who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in
the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the
darkness has blinded them." John 2:9-11. Clearly those who hold God's
people in contempt are lost in a darkness as they lash out at God's
people.

And, of course, John famously said these words as well, "Do not be
surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you."

An important reminder...

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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A Good Posture - 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 123:1,

"I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven."

This psalm is a plea for God's delivering hand from those who treated God's people with contempt and ridicule. The plea is made in verses 2-3a, "As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us..."

I note the posture of the one making the plea as quoted above. The psalmist looks to heaven where the Lord sits on his throne. It brings to my mind the exhortation Paul gives in his letter to the church in Colossae, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4.

In that Colossian passage Paul addresses believers on the issue of putting to death those things that pertain to our "earthly nature", our "old self", that we might put on the "new self", Colossians 3:5-10.

In Psalm 123 the enemy was those who treated God's people with contempt and ridicule. In Colossians 3 the enemy we need relief from is our own sinful nature. In both cases we see the encouragement to set our hearts and minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 

I need to be mindful this is the appropriate posture when I need God's help, even when I am my own enemy.

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 reply and let me know.