Deuteronomy 10
Moses made ark of wood for two tablesverses 1-5
At that time the LORD said to me
Hew you two tables of stone like to the first
and come up to ME into the mount
and make you an ark of wood
And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables
which you broke – and you shall put them in the ark
And I made an ark of shittim wood
and hewed two tables of stone like to the first
and went up into the mount
having the two tables in mine hand
And HE wrote on the tables – according to the first writing
the ten commandments – which the LORD spoke to you
in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the
day of the assembly
and the LORD gave them to me
And I turned myself and came down from the mount
and put the tables in the ark which I had made
and there they be as the LORD commanded me
Travels of children of Israelverses 6-7
And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the
children of Jaakan to Mosera – there Aaron died
and there he was buried – and Eleazar his son
ministered in the priest’s office in his stead
From thence they journeyed to Gudgodah
and from Gudgodah to Jotbath – a land of rivers of waters
LORD is the inheritance of Levitesverses 8-11
At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi
to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to stand before the LORD to minister unto HIM
to bless in HIS name – to this day
Wherefore Levi has no part nor inheritance with his brethren
the LORD is his inheritance
according as the LORD your God promised him
And I stayed in the mount – according to the first time
forty days and forty nights
And the LORD hearkened to me at that time also
and the LORD would not destroy you
And the LORD said to me
Arise – take your journey before the people
that they may go in and possess the land
which I swore to their fathers to give to them
Requirements of the LORD for the peopleverses 12-22
And now – Israel – what does the LORD your God require of you
BUT to fear the LORD your God – to walk in all HIS ways
to love HIM – to serve the LORD your God
with all your heart and with all your soul
to keep the commandments of the LORD
and HIS statutes – which I command you this day
for your good?
BEHOLD – the heaven and the heaven of heavens
is the LORD’S your God – the earth also – with all that therein is
Only the LORD had a delight in your fathers to love them
and HE chose their seed after them
even you above all people – as it is this day
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart
and be no more STIFFNECKED
For the LORD your God is God of gods – and Lord of lords
a great God – a mighty – a terrible – which regard not persons
nor take reward – HE does execute the judgment of the
fatherless and widow – and love the stranger
in giving him food and raiment
LOVE you therefore the stranger
FOR you were strangers in the land of Egypt
You shall fear the LORD your God – HIM shall you SERVE
to HIM shall you CLEAVE – and swear by HIS name
HE is your praise – HE is your God
that has done for you these great and terrible things
which your eyes have seen
Your fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons
and now the LORD your God has made you as the
STARS of heaven for multitude
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark. (7665 “broke” [shabar] means smashed, shatter, break into many pieces, destroy or crush)
DEVOTION: Moses went up the mountain the first time to receive the Ten Commandments which the LORD had spoken to the children of Israel. The reaction of the people to the LORD speaking to them was fear. They didn’t want it to happen again. They told Moses they would listen to him concerning the standards the LORD wanted them to follow.
When Moses came down the mountain the first time he saw the children of Israel sinning against the LORD and broke the two stone tablets. He had an anger problem but this time it was a good anger. He was angry because they had built a golden calf and were worshiping it instead of the LORD.
Now we have Moses going a second time up the mountain for forty days and nights with the LORD. He had to bring with him two stone tablets because he broke the first ones in anger. God made him make the second stone tablets.
Also the LORD had shown Moses the Tabernacle in heaven and HE wanted him to build an Ark of shittim wood. He was to place the Ten Commandments in the ark that would be part of the earthly Tabernacle after the example of the heavenly one.
Now what has this to do with us today? God wants us to hide HIS word in our hearts, so that, we don’t sin against HIM. HE gave the Ten Commandments to show that we needed a Savior who would die for our sins. HE would die and the LORD would accept HIS sacrifice on the cross for our sins.
We can’t keep the Ten Commandments. Anyone who says they have or are is a liar. We can’t keep God’s standard without the help of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. When the Father looks at us HE sees Jesus first because of our relationship with HIM.
Some people witness by stating what the Ten Commandments mean in our personal life. They make sure the individual understands that he is a sinner in the eyes of the LORD and needs a sacrifice for their sins. The only acceptable sacrifice is Jesus Christ.
Are you trying to get to heaven on the basis of your good works?
CHALLENGE: The sad fact is that we can never do enough good works to earn heaven. We have to go through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to HIM, and to bless in HIS name, unto this day. (1288 “bless” [barak] means salute, praised, filled with strength, adored, to wish on oneself a blessing, or to speak words of excellence about.
There are a group of special men that are separated to serve the LORD full time. These men had to carry the parts of the Tabernacle through the wilderness. They were the servants or ministers of the LORD. They were not the priests who conducted the worship service in the Tabernacle. They were the men who took down the Tabernacle and carried the parts throughout the wilderness wanderings and into the Promised Land.
They were to be faithful servants. They were not in the spotlight but in the background. They were called ministers as well as the priests. They just had different functions for the LORD. They were important to the LORD because they were doing something that pleased HIM.
Many churches have many individuals working in the background to make sure the worship service goes well each Sunday. They usually don’t receive recognition but they are there any way to please the LORD.
They were the ones who put fresh glasses of water on the pulpit for the pastor. They are the ones who fold all the bulletins each week. They are the ones who deliver things to needy people in the church. They are the ones who paint the church when nobody is watching. They are servants or ministers of the LORD.
This is a service that is a blessing to the work of the LORD. They might not receive all the praise they deserve but they will receive their rewards in heaven. Are you giving a cup of cold water in the name of the LORD on a regular basis? Are you looking for praise from other human beings or from the LORD? Every believer has a gift given to them at the point of salvation to share with the church. Some gifts seem to get all the praise but the LORD is looking for the individuals who are willing to serve without all the recognition until they get to heaven.
CHALLENGE: Are you one of those individuals? Are you willing to work behind the scenes and not receive the praise of men?
: 12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all HIS ways, and to love HIM, and to serve the LORD your God will all they heart and with all your soul,
: 13 to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command you this day for your GOOD? (7592 “require” [sha’el] means to inquire, to demand, lay to charge, consult, or request)
DEVOTION: This chapter is retelling the history of the travels of the children of Israel. It is retelling of the giving of the Ten Commandments. The LORD doesn’t keep HIS people guessing as to what HE expects of them. The tables explained what HE expected.
The judgments of the LORD make it plain. The statutes of the LORD are good. The LORD has rules for all aspects of our lives. The children of Israel knew what the LORD expected of them. We know what HE expects of us today.
We have the instruction for our daily walk with HIM. It is to be taken literally and followed. The list above is true today as it was in the Old Testament times.
We are to fear the LORD, which means, that we are to have a reverence for HIM. We are to walk in the ways HE directs. We are to love HIM and strangers. We are to serve HIM with our gifts in the local church. We are to follow HIM with all of our heart and soul.
An interesting comment in this chapter asks the children of Israel to circumcise their heart. Why would this be necessary? They were a stiff-necked people. They were stubborn. They were disobedient on a regular basis. They were judgmental.
Moses wanted the children of Israel to praise the LORD. He wanted them to realize that the LORD was to be their only God. He was concerned that they cleave to the LORD.
How are we doing? Are we digging into HIS word to find the answers for our daily living? HE knows we can never be perfect. HE knows that we need a Savior. HE has provided a way to escape from an eternity away from HIM. We know that we will fail him at times.
HE provides confession and fellowship for those who are followers of HIM. That provision needs to be shared with all those we meet. Are we sharing it? Do we love HIM enough to share this truth with everyone we meet?
CHALLENGE: Review the requirements on a regular basis to see how they are being observed in our lives. On each communion Sunday a time of self-examination is necessary. Otherwise, we might become self-righteous and not circumcise our heart.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. (7185 “stiffnecked” [qashah] means harden, to make difficult, make burdensome, to make hard, make stubborn, obstinacy)
DEVOTION: There were men who were circumcised in their flesh to fulfill the requirements of the law. It was a physical act alone. It was done on a proper day in a proper way to please God and the parents. It was going through the motions by many of the parents of male children. People expected them to act in this way. It was also the time when the son was named. Each firstborn male child was usually named after his father.
Now we have a second reference to the fact that even those who belonged to the children of Israel could be stubborn in their disobedience to the Law. They would circumcise their male children but it would only be an outward sign that they were part of the children of Israel.
The LORD expected more from the male child. HE wanted him to be willing to not only do the physical act but also the spiritual act of following the standard the LORD had sent for all of the children of Israel.
Many people can look and speak and produce activities that seem to be pleasing to the LORD. Some of these individuals are phony. They look good to many people but their actions are only for personal glory. They are not working with the right motive. They are looking for personal glory rather than to glorify the LORD.
We might not know the difference but the LORD understands the heart of each individual. HE knows the motive behind every action. HE sees in the dark when these individuals don’t think anyone can see them.
CHALLENGE: Understand that we can fool some of the people most of the time but not the LORD. HE sees what is going on behind the scenes.
: 20 You shall fear the LORD your God, HIM shall you serve, and to HIM shall you cleave, and swear by HIS name. (1692 “cleave” [dabaq] means follow hard, overtake, stick, keep fast, abide, to hold firmly or tenaciously, usually with one’s hands, to adhere, to be glued, or be united)
DEVOTION: I presently live in the United States of America. It is 50 states that are united under one flag. Each state is different from the other but each is loyal to the others because of a common constitution.
We are supposed to work together as a nation for the good of all of the people in the nation. This has become a problem in recent years as it seems that there are more people trying to divide the nation over some issues that are directly addressed in the Word of God.
These issues are important to the God of the Bible but are becoming less important to most of the citizens of our nation. Division seems to be the name of the game today. Everyone want their own way and doesn’t seem to care what direction the nation is headed in regard to the standards found in the Bible and most of the time in the founding Fathers beliefs.
This is what was going on in the nation of Israel as they were starting out their life away from Egypt. They were about to enter the Promised Land that the LORD had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob they would inherit.
Moses was about to give up his leadership and Joshua was going to be taking charge of the nation as they were to conquer the land. He was trying to give his last-minute instructions to the nation that he loved. He was given this responsibility by the LORD.
So, he was speaking for the LORD to the people.
As in any gathering some people were listening and others were not on the same page. He wanted them all to adhere to the Ten Commandments. HE wanted them to be glued to the LORD in their daily lives. HE wanted them to hold firmly to what they had seen the LORD do and what the LORD taught them to do.
However, we know that even with the LORD feeding the people and giving them water for forty years they continually rebelled against the LORD.
This is happening still today. HE has blessed this nation and many other nations that had honored HIM in the past but at present don’t think they need HIM. It is sad but true.
This is happening even in what we are calling the “church” today. Many are changing their beliefs to please the people around them rather than the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We need to adhere to what the Bible teaches no matter what the people around us are doing. HE still wants us to hold firmly to the teachings of the Word of God, HIS BIBLE!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Moses on mount forty days and nightsverse 10
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Writeverses 2, 4
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
LORD hearkened to Moses prayerverse 10
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Ark of woodverses 1-5
Tablet in ark
Shittim wood
Eleazar = priest (Aaron’s son)verse 6
Tribe of Levi separatedverse 8
To bear the Ark of the Covenant
To stand before the LORD
To minister to the LORD
To bless LORD’S name
The LORD is his inheritance
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandmentsverses 1, 2, 13
Two tables of stone
Writing of Ten Commandments
Statutesverse 13
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 4, 5, 8-15, 17, 20, 22
God (Elohim)verses 9, 12, 14, 17, 20-22
LORD thy Godverses 9, 12, 14, 17, 20, 22
Promised Landverse 9
LORD hearkened to Mosesverse 10
Commandments of the LORDverse 13
LORD owns heaven and earthverse 14
LORD had delight in fathersverse 15
LORD choseverse 15
Lord (Adonai)verse 17
LORD your God is God of godsverse 17
Lord of lordsverse 17
Great Godverses 17, 21
Mighty verse 17
Terribleverses 17, 21
Regards not persons nor takes rewardverse 17
Execute judgmentverse 18
Fatherless and widows
Strangers
Gives food and raiment
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Beeroth of the children of Jaakanverse 6
Moseraverse 6
Aaron died there
Gudgodahverse 7
Jotbathverse 7
Love of strangerverses 18, 19
Provide food and raimentverse 18
Egyptverses 19, 22
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Stiffneckedverse 16
Respecter of personsverse 17
Take bribesverse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Separatedverse 8
Ministerverse 8
Blessverse 8
Inheritanceverses 9, 11
Promisedverses 9, 11
Hearkened [answered prayer]verse 10
Requirementsverse 12
Fear the LORDverses 12, 20
Walk in HIS waysverse 12
Love the LORDverses 12, 15
Serve the LORDverses 12, 20
heart and soul
Keep the commandmentsverse 13
statutes
Delightverse 15
Choseverse 15
Circumcise heartverse 16
Care for fatherless and widowverse 18
Love the strangerverse 18
Cleave to the LORDverse 20
Swear by HIS nameverse 20
Praise the LORDverse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Moses to make ark of wood for Commandmentsverse 1
Second giving of Ten Commandments on stoneverse 2
LORD spoke on day of assemblyverse 4
Children of Israelverse 6
Aaronverse 6
Levites bear Ark of the Covenantverse 8
Moses stayed in mount forty daysverse 10
Promised land promised to Israelverse 11
Israelverse 12
Commanded to love strangerverse 19
LORD has done great and terrible things for Israelverse 21
Stars of heaven for multitudeverse 22
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Aaron diedverse 6
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QUOTES regarding passage
As the great, mighty, and awesome One, the Lord performed the “great and awesome wonders” that the people had seen with their own eyes (v.21). The majesty of the Lord extends to righteous behavior (vv.17–18), showing no partiality, accepting no bribes. He defends the fatherless and the widows and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. The people were to be like the Lord; they too were to love aliens, for they had been aliens in Egypt (v.19).
Not only were the people to reverence and worship the Lord, they were also to hold fast to him and make oaths only in his name (v.20). Moreover, the Lord their God was to be the object of their praise (v.21)—the Lord who brought up out of Egypt the descendants of the seventy (Gen 46:27; Exod 1:5), who had gone down into Egypt and had become “as numerous as the stars in the sky” (v.22). In contrast to the few who went down into Egypt with Jacob, this generation had become numerous indeed. In contrast with the Eastern empires and even with other nations around them, the Israelites were the “fewest of all peoples” (7:7). (Kalland, E. S. (1992). Deuteronomy. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 86). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
10:19–22. The mention of the alien in verse 18 recalls God’s great deliverance of Israel with great and awesome wonders (v. 21) from being aliens in Egypt (v. 19; cf. Ex. 23:9). Therefore the Israelites were to fear … serve, adhere to (cf. hold fast to in Deut. 11:22; 13:4; 30:20), and praise Him. As a further encouragement to be faithful to the Lord, Moses called the people’s attention to the fact that He had already fulfilled part of the promise to Abraham by multiplying their number like the stars in the sky (cf. Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 26:4). On the question of whether 70 Israelites moved to Egypt (Ex. 1:5) or 75 (Acts 7:14–15) see comments on the Acts passage. (Deere, J. S. (1985). Deuteronomy. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 281). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Obey because of God’s care (v. 21–11:7). The phrase “what he did” or its equivalent is used six times in this paragraph, because the emphasis is on the mighty acts of God on behalf of His people Israel, “his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm” (v. 2). What did God do for Israel? To begin with, when they were slaves in Egypt, He cared for them and multiplied them greatly. Jacob and his family journeyed to Egypt to join Joseph (Gen. 46), and 70 people became a mighty nation of perhaps 2 million people. God certainly kept His promise to Abraham to multiply his descendants as the stars of the heavens and the dust of the earth (13:14–16; 15:5; 22:17; 26:4). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1999). Be equipped (pp. 72–73). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
The basic requirements for covenant relationship between the great King and his people are repeated (10:12–22). These requirements are expressed in a series of five infinitives: to fear the Lord, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord, and to observe the Lord’s commands (vv. 12–13). In a chiastic scheme, the emphasis falls on the middle element, to love him. Love is the epoxy that bonds the covenant relationship between Yahweh and his people.
The covenant Giver is more completely revealed (vv. 14–22). He is not a local deity who cannot act or be trusted. Instead, he is the Lord of the universe, the Lord of redemption and covenant, the supreme and transcendent God, the righteous Judge, and the sovereign Lord of history and nature. The Israelites, in response, are to circumcise their hearts (v. 16; lit. circumcise the foreskin of your heart). God expects of the redeemed a true heart response to his majesty and goodness. True fear and true love produce wholehearted service and obedience to God.
The basis of the covenant is the goodness of God as exhibited in his mighty acts in the past (11:1–7). Yahweh was the sovereign Judge of Israel’s enemies, particularly the Egyptians. He revealed himself as a sovereign Father who provided for his children in the wilderness. He showed Israel not to presume their election by judging Dathan and Abiram. In sum, God has been good to Israel. How can they do anything less than yield wholehearted devotion and love to their Lord? (Gilchrist, P. R. (1995). Deuteronomy. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 118). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
10:21 He is your praise: Reflecting on the Creator-Redeemer—whose love, justice, and power extended beyond the covenant people—leads to worship, love, and obedience. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 247). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 21. He is thy praise, &c.] The object and matter of it, who deserves the praises of all his creatures, because, of his perfections, works, and blessings of goodness; for all mercies temporal and spiritual come from him, and therefore he is greatly to be praised for them: praise is his due, and it is comely in is people to give it to him; see Jer. 17:14. and he is thy God, which hath done for thee these great and terrible things which thine eyes have seen; which were done upon the Egyptians for their sakes, both in the land of Egypt and at the Red sea; and also what he had done for them in the wilderness, to Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, Psal. 106:22 and 136:10–21.
Ver. 22. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with 70 persons, &c.] That is, in all; for there were not 70 besides Jacob and the patriarchs his sons, but with them; see Gen. 46:26, 27. and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude; as he promised they should be, Gen. 15:5. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 45). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
This section is especially precious. Jehovah speaks through Moses and reminds His people of Himself and His Love and what He requires of them. “Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens is Jehovah’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” What a marvelous, call to fear and serve such a Lord! What He required of them was a loving obedience, to fear Him, to walk in all His ways, to love Him and to serve Him. They were to be followers of Jehovah their God. He is God of gods, Lord of lords, great, mighty, terrible. His goodness again is revealed by Moses as an incentive to love and to obey Him. He cares for the fatherless and loveth the stranger; for this reason, they were to love the stranger. Yet far greater is our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, who loveth us and hath washed us from our sins in His own blood and made us priests and Kings unto God His Father. And this carries with it a higher obligation to serve Him, to love Him and to walk in obedience, than Israel’s obligation.
“Well then, let us ever bear in mind—yea, let us have it deep, deep down in our hearts, that according to our privileges are our obligations. Let us not refuse the wholesome word ‘obligation,’ as though it had a legal ring about it. Far from it! it would be utterly impossible to conceive anything further removed from all thought of legality than the obligations which flow out of the Christian’s position. It is a very serious mistake to be continually raising the cry of ‘Legal! legal!’ whenever the holy responsibilities of our position are pressed upon us.” (Gaebelein, A. C. (2009). The Annotated Bible: Genesis to Deuteronomy. (Vol. 1, pp. 403–404). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
The CHURCH in an AGE of CRISIS by James Emery White
But Twitter is becoming the way we spread news, offer comment or feedback, disseminate updates, and even direct larger audiences to other social media platforms. (p. 146)
IN other words, all news now stands at a greater risk of being not only misleading, but inaccurate. (p.148)
Through the bias of the author, the choice of interviewees, the selection of questions, the camera angle, and the power of editing, we are told what to think, what to think about, and how to feel – all with little sense of knowing how to determine what is actually true. (p. 149)
This creates what University of Chicago professor Cass Sunsteibn has called the “Daily Me” – a self-created world in which we see only the sports highlights that concern our favorite team, read only the issues that address our interests, and engage only the op-ed, pieces with which we agree. The highly lauded personalization of information protects us from exposure to anything that may challenge our thinking or make us uncomfortable. (p.150)
The “Daily Me” solidifies divisions between such things as political or religious sides, giving greater identity to ideological persuasions. So, we don’t listen to something such as National Public Radio for news; we listen to hear our personal beliefs affirmed. (p. 151)
NO GOD BUT GOD: Breaking with the Idols of Our Age by Os Guinness & John Seel
Modernity is a monumental paradox to the everyday practice of faith: Modernity simultaneously makes evangelism easier – more people at more times in their lives are more open to the gospel – yet makes discipleship harder, because practicing the lordship of Christ runs counter to the fragmentation and specialization of modern life. (p.8)
The two main American examples today are the megachurch leaders marrying managerial technique and the Christian publishers romancing therapeutic solutions. (p. 9)
For if the nation’s crisis is largely because of the decreasing influence of faith on American culture, the church’s crisis is largely because of the increasing influence of American culture on the Christian faith. (p. 12)
CONFESSING CHRIST
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 1 John 4:15
John’s whole case is that you cannot believe that Jesus is the Son of God unless God dwells in you and you in God; that is his argument. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” And the way in which God dwells in us is by the Holy Spirit. So we can say that the people who do confess that Jesus is the Son of God have the Holy Spirit already within them. Or to put it another way, they cannot believe that Jesus is the Son of God without possessing the Holy Spirit.
Now this is a doctrine that is common to the whole of the New Testament. The apostle Paul puts it like this: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory…. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:7-8, 10).
You see, the whole case can be put like this: Even the princes of this world, the great men of the world, looked at Jesus of Nazareth and saw nothing but a man, a carpenter. They may have regarded Him as a kind of unusual religious genius, but they did not know He was the Lord of glory. Why not? Well, says Paul, because they had not received the Holy Spirit. But you and I, he says to the Corinthians, we understand these things, we believe them. Why? Because God has revealed them to us by His Spirit, the Spirit who searches all things, “yea, the deep things of God.”
A Thought to Ponder: God has revealed “the deep things of God” to us by His Spirit
(From The Love of God, pp. 119-120, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Titus 3
Those who believe in God should be careful to maintain good works.
INSIGHT
It is difficult for us to separate our hope of heaven from our good works. We instinctively feel that we must be good to get to heaven. While God certainly wants us to live good lives, none of us can live a life good enough to get to heaven. One sin disqualifies us, and everyone has sinned more than once. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us . . . that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (vv. 5, 7). Salvation is a gift. (Quiet Walk)
When World War I erupted in 1914, British statesman Sir Edward Grey declared, “The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” Grey was right. When the “war to end all wars” finally ended, some 20 million had been killed (10 million of them civilians) and another 21 million injured.
While not on the same scale or magnitude, devastation can also occur in our personal lives. Our home, workplace, church, or neighborhood can also be shrouded by the dark specter of conflict. This is one of the reasons God calls us to be difference-makers in the world. But to do so we must rely on His wisdom. The apostle James wrote, “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17-18).
The role of peacemaker is significant because of its harvest. The word righteousness means “right standing” or “right relationship.” Peacemakers can help restore relationships. No wonder Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). His children, relying on His wisdom, become instruments of His peace where it’s needed most. By Bill Crowder (Our Daily Bread)
A Marvelous Thing
“The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.” (John 9:30)
A “marvelous thing” in the Bible is something that generates awe or wonder. Sometimes it refers to a miracle but more often to something very unexpected and remarkable.
But the most marvelous thing of all is that unbelievers still persist in their unbelief. In our text passage the Lord Jesus Christ had just performed one of His most amazing miracles of creation—making perfect eyes for a man blind from birth. As the man testified to the frustrated Pharisees: “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind” (John 9:32). Yet, these religious intellectuals, so opinionated in their prejudices, refused to believe what they saw and heard. Similarly, “when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things [i.e., ‘marvelous things’] that he did…they were sore displeased” (Matthew 21:15).
There are none so blind as those who refuse to see. One of the saddest verses in the Bible is John 1:10: “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” And, “he came unto his own, and his own received him not” (v. 11). Even when He raised Lazarus from the dead, “the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus” (John 12:10-11).
Modern “intellectuals” are still the same, rejecting the overwhelming testimony of the created complexity in the cosmos to the fact of a personal Creator in favor of an impossible scenario of chance origin. “Herein is a marvelous thing!” Such people “willingly are ignorant” and “without excuse” (2 Peter 3:5; Romans 1:20).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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