Ezekiel 45
Housing area for the priests verse 1- 4
Moreover – when you shall divide by lot the land for inheritance
you shall offer an oblation unto the LORD
an holy portion of the land
the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds
and the breadth shall be ten thousand
This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about
of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length
with five hundred in breadth – square round about
and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof
AND of this measure shalt thou measure
the length of five and twenty thousand
and the breadth of ten thousand
and in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place
The holy portion of the land shall be
for the priests the ministers of the sanctuary
which shall come near to minister unto the LORD
and it shall be a place for their houses
and an holy place for the sanctuary
Housing area for the Levites verse 5
AND the five and twenty thousand of length
AND ten thousand of breadth shall also the Levites
the ministers of the house – have for themselves
for a possession for twenty chambers
Housing area for the city verse 6
And you shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad
and five and twenty thousand long
over against the oblation of the holy portion
it shall be for the whole house of Israel
Housing area for the prince verse 7- 8
And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the
other side of the oblation of the holy portion
before the oblation of the holy potion
before the possession of the city
from the west side westward
from the east side eastward
and the length shall be over against one of the portions
from the west border unto the east border
In the land shall be his possession in Israel
and MY princes shall no more oppress MY people
The rest of the land shall they give
to the house of Israel according to their tribes
Regulations regarding just weights verse 9- 12
Thus says the Lord GOD
Let it suffice you – O princes of Israel – remove violence and spoil
and execute judgment and justice
take away your exactions from MY people
says the Lord GOD
You shall have just balances – and a just ephah – and a just bath
the ephah and the bath shall be of one measure
that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer
the ephah the tenth part of an homer
the measure thereof shall be
after the homer
The shekel shall be twenty gerahs – twenty shekels
five and twenty shekels
fifteen shekels – shall be your maneh
Offerings for the Prince verse 13- 17
This is the oblation that you shall offer
the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat
and you shall give
the sixth part of an ephah of
an homer of barley
Concerning the ordinance of oil – the bath of oil
you shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor
which is an homer of ten baths
for ten baths are an homer
And one lamb out of the flock – out of two hundred
out of the fat pastures of Israel
For a meat offering – burnt offering – peace offerings
to make reconciliation for them – says the Lord God
All the people of the land shall give this oblation
for the prince in Israel
AND it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings
meat offerings – drink offerings – in the feasts
new moons – Sabbaths
in all solemnities of the house of Israel
He shall prepare the sin offering – meat offering – burnt offerings
peace offerings to make reconciliation for the house of Israel
New Year feast verse 18- 20
Thus say the Lord GOD
In the first month – in the first day of the month
you shall take a young bullock without blemish
and cleanse the sanctuary
And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering
and put it upon the posts of the house
and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar
and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court
And so you shall do the seventh day of the month for every one that errs
and for him that is simple – so shall you reconcile the house
Passover verse 21- 24
In the first month – in the fourteenth day of the month
you shall have the Passover – a feast of seven days
unleavened bread shall be eaten
AND upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all
the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering
AND seven days of the feast he shall prepare
a burnt offering to the LORD
seven bullocks and seven rams
without blemish daily the seven days
and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering
And he shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah for a bullock
and an ephah for a ram – and an hin of oil for an ephah
Feast of Tabernacles verse 25
In the seventh month – in the fifteenth day of the month
shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days
according to the sin offering – burnt offering
meat offering – oil
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister to the LORD: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary. (8334 “ministers” [sharath] means serve, to serve a deity by doing various commanded religious practices, wait on, be in service to God, attend to the service of God, to wait upon, or be attendant to)
DEVOTION: Each tribe had their responsibility toward the LORD. The tribe of Levi had the greatest responsibility as they were the ones who took care of the house of the LORD and ministered to the people.
This was their responsibility to make sure that the people worshiped the LORD in Spirit and in truth. They were to make the times of worship special each week and each time there was a special day.
This is the responsibility of those who led the worship times. It is still the responsibility of those who lead the worship time in the church today. They are supposed to make sure that they put the LORD and HIS blessings and their responsibility to HIM in front of the people to make sure that those who attend are truly worshiping the LORD in spirit and in truth.
Too often today there is more entertainment instead of genuine worship of the LORD. HE wants us to come together to praise HIM with all of our hearts and souls. Part of that is to make sure that our relationship with HIM is genuine through a regular time of confession of sin and service to HIM throughout the week.
The children of Israel were sometimes guilty of coming to the place of worship without preparing their hearts or bring their offerings to the LORD. This not only happened in the Old Testament but happened in New Testament times as well.
Those who are in control of the service have to make sure that they are prepared properly to worship, so that, they can help the people worship the LORD properly.
CHALLENGE: If those who lead the worship are not prepared properly then the people in the pews will see it and realize that coming ready to worship is not all that important if the leaders are not ready.
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: 9 Thus says the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, says the Lord GOD.(1646 “exactions” [garushah] means violence, expulsion, dispossession, driving out, oppression, or forcible expulsion.)
DEVOTION: This passage is dealing with the future and the present. The princes at present were taking advantage of those who were poor. They were using false weights and not giving them their money’s worth of product. They were not giving them correct change either. They were cheating them two ways. The LORD didn’t like their actions. So HE warned them to stop. It was something that wasn’t going to happen in the future, so it shouldn’t be happening in the present.
The present princes were also not giving good judgment in court for those who were poor. They were treating them violently. They were robbing them. They were driving them out of their property, so that, they could take it over.
Does it sound like today? It seems that things don’t change much for than to now. However, today most of those who are cheating their neighbors are those who are not followers of the LORD. In the past it was Jewish leaders cheating their Jewish neighbors.
Today those who are genuine believers should not be cheating those around them. Christian businessmen should not be cheating their customers. The customer should receive their money’s worth of product from those who claim Christ.
I worked for a man who claimed to be a Christian but seemed to enjoy cheating his customers out of service and product. It was wrong and he was caught doing it once while I was working for him. He was cheating a Christian nursing home of some things they had paid for but the director caught it and told him to leave the product at his location.
We should never put ourselves in that predicament. Honesty in our treatment of others pleases the LORD. It is also a good testimony to the world that enjoys cheating every chance they get. Leave a good testimony behind everywhere you work.
CHALLENGE: Don’t use your position to take advantage of those who work for you or those you work for. The LORD will bless you for your actions.)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 20 And so you shall do the seventh day of the month for every one that errs, and for him that is simple: so shall you reconcile the house. (3722 “reconcile” [kaphar] means to cover, purge, forgive, pacify, make an atonement, or cover over with pitch)
DEVOTION: We continue the instructions regarding the building of the Millennial Temple and the responsibilities of the people during this time period. One of the responsibilities is the continuous use of sacrifices during this time period. The leaders of Israel were not to be violent toward the people. They were not to use false measuring instruments. They had the responsibility to care for the people. They had the responsibility for providing the animals for the sacrifices.
One of the purposes of the sacrifices was to make an atonement for the people. Another was for the ones who erred or were simple. The ones who erred were individuals who went astray from the path the LORD laid out for the children of Israel. The simple were those individuals who were easily deceived by people. They were naïve.
These two groups could be guilty of sinning and not knowing that they had sinned. The either didn’t know what they had done was sin because of ignorance of the particular rule of the God or they did something before they realized they were doing it and it was too late to undo it. So the sacrifice covered the sins of ignorance or unintentional sins.
Each New Year the children of Israel were to purify the Temple. This verse deals with the seventh day of the New Year and is thought to replace the Day of Atonement. The priests were to offer an offering for the people. The offerings of the priests were used to purge or cover over the sins of the people. This covering was done until Christ came and died on the cross to forgive our sins once and for all. The prince in this chapter is not Christ because he had to bring a sacrifice for his own sins first.
Christ made the atonement for our sins: past, present and future once we chose to follow HIM. We have a ministry of reconciliation. That is one of the responsibilities of each Christian to his brother and sister in the LORD. Christ paid the price for our sins, so that, we can be reconciled to the Father.
When we chose to follow the LORD, we have a responsibility to help our fellow believer stay in fellowship with the LORD. Are we doing our job? Are we helping others that are hurting? Are we helping those who are questioning? Are we helping those have a need to learn more about the LORD? Are we helping those who have failed in their growth in the LORD? It is our responsibility. We are to be encouragers of the brethren!!!
CHALLENGE: There are many who really don’t understand what it means to be a believer. They don’t know the rule because they were never followed up after their time of commitment. We are to stand in the gap and help them not condemn them!
: 20 ….for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance …. (NLT)
One of the characteristics of a new believer or a young believer is that they have not learned a lot about the Bible. They only know the basics. They know the big sins that can cause a believer to fall but not the small details of the Christian life. This can cause them to do something wrong and not know it.
This verse is covering those sins for the people of Israel. There were many people who were ignorant of the rules of God and some that just couldn’t get it when the rules were taught to them.
This doesn’t give excuses to those who really know the truth of the Word of God and chose to ignore it because they want to sin. Those individuals need to confess their sins and get right with God.
On the first day of the year there was a sacrifice for the sins of ignorance or the sins of the simple. It is good for us to each time we take the LORD’S Supper or communion to examine ourselves to see how we are doing. We also need to ask older Christians if some of our actions are displeasing to the LORD and if they tell us that they are we should listen to them after checking out the Scriptures that deal with that sin.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:22 And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering. (6213 “prepare” [‘asah] means to make, to give or supply, create, to labor, act with effect, to produce by labor, or doers of the work)
DEVOTION: It is not just those in the pews that need to confess their sins and ask for the LORD’S forgiveness. The leaders of the church need to examine themselves and confess their sins as well.
Sometimes we think that those in leadership have learned to stop sinning. That is not true. They should be the first ones to the altar to confess their sins to the LORD. They should set the example for the people in the pew.
At one church where I ministered, they had bucket at the front of the church for all the people to put their sins in before they took communion. They were to write down their sins on a piece of paper and put it in the bucket as a means of asking the LORD to forgive them their sins that month. Once everyone put their piece of paper in the bucket the pastor put his list in too and then set the bucket on fire. This showed that the LORD completely forgave sins that were confessed. They were gone when the fire was out. That is true today.
If the leader is not willing to confess it is harder for those in the pews to confess their sin. Sometimes there is comparison between the people in the pew with their pastor. Some think they sin less than their pastor. It may be true but our comparison is between us and the LORD. HE was sinless. We will never be sinless but we have an advocate who can forgive our sins and bury them in the deepest sea. Praise HIS name.
CHALLENGE: Our sin offering is Jesus Christ when HE died on the cross for our sins. Our repentance and confession when genuine will establish our relationship with HIM for eternity.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
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)
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)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Offer an oblation: holy portion of the land verse 1, 13
Length – 25 thousand reed
Breadth – 10 thousand
Sanctuary verse 1- 4, 18
500 hundred in length
500 hundred in breadth
50 cubits round about for the suburbs
Length 25 thousand by 10 thousand
Breadth – ten thousand
Most holy place verse 3
Priests the verse 4, 5, 19
houses
Levites – twenty chambers verse 5
Meat offering verse 15, 17, 24, 25
Burnt offering verse 15, 17, 23, 25
Peace offering verse 15, 17
Drink offering verse 17
Sin offering verse 17, 19, 22, 23, 25
Unleavened bread verse 21
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Thus says the Lord GOD verse 9, 18
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 4, 23
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 9, 15, 18
GOD – Jehovah verse 9, 15, 18
Lord GOD verse 9, 15, 18
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)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Violence verse 9
Spoil verse 9
Exactions verse 9
Err verse 20
Sin verse 22, 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Inheritance verse 1
Ministers verse 5
Execute judgment verse 9
Justice verse 9
Just weighs verse 10
Reconciliation verse 15, 17, 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Divide by lot the land for inheritance verse 1
Whole house of Israel verse 6, 8, 17
Jerusalem – 5, 000 broad vs 25, 000 long verse 6
Prince verse 7, 16, 17, 22
Israel verse 8, 16
Princes of Israel verse 8, 9
no more oppress MY people
princes to remove violence and
spoil and execute judgment
and justice
take away your exactions
Rest of the land shall be given to the
house of Israel according to their
tribes verse 8
Just balances and a just ephah
and a just bath verse 10, 11
Shekel shall be twenty gerahs verse 12
Maneh verse 12
Feasts verse 17, 25
New moons verse 17
Sabbaths verse 17
Passover verse 21
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
4 The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the Lord: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary.
The holy portion; the whole contents of twelve miles and half long, and five broad. For the priests; sons of Zadok, who minister to the Lord, and others with them, who, though degraded from the priestly honour, yet lived upon priestly provision. A place for their houses; in which twenty-three of twenty-four courses of priests may dwell conveniently, while the twenty-fourth minister at the temple, as by order they did. And an holy place; and how much God did reserve to himself for his dwelling is expressly mentioned. Thus God makes himself and what is his the inheritance and possession of the priests his servants, as he told them, chap. 44:28. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 800). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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Ver. 4. The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, &c.] That is, the rest of it, which is not for the sanctuary, shall be for the use of the priests that minister in holy things in the sanctuary; either the ministers of the Gospel, who shall have a sufficient maintenance from the churches of Christ, as the priests had under the law: or it may be meant of all the saints, who are priests unto God, and serve and worship him in his sanctuary; who shall all be satisfied with the goodness and fatness of his house, the word and ordinances, and the blessings of grace conveyed by them: which shall come near to minister unto the Lord; these sons of Zadok, these faithful ones, in the worst of times; see ch. 44:15, 16 and 48:10, 11: and it shall be a place for their houses; in this large spot shall be many congregated churches, houses of the living God, where his priests and people dwell, and will be serving and praising him: and an holy place for the sanctuary; which may denote the church of God in general, as houses may do particular churches. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 245). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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45:1–5 A distinct—set apart, holy—section was to be allocated for God. This area would be divided into two equal sections. One would be the portion for the Zadokites—priests, the ministers of the sanctuary. In the center of this part of the holy district is the holy square-mile environs for the temple—the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. The other half of the holy district would be the portion given to the Levites. All this is holy; God owns it. The twenty chambers is read “towns to live in” in the Septuagint. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1002). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
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45:1–6. In the division of the land Israel is to present to the Lord a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits (about 8.3 miles) long and 20,000 cubits (about 6.6 miles) wide. Within this land area will be the temple complex Ezekiel had just described (chaps. 40–43). This rectangle of land will be divided into two equal portions, each about 8.3 miles long and about 3.3 miles wide. The first portion, in which will be located the sanctuary, will be allotted to the priests for their houses as well as a holy place for the sanctuary. The second portion will be allotted to the Levites, who serve in the temple, as their possession for towns to live in. Instead of being scattered throughout Israel as they were earlier (Josh. 21:1–42) the priests and Levites will reside near their place of ministry.
The rectangle formed by the priests’ and Levites’ portions was converted into a square with the addition of land for the city of Jerusalem itself. The city is to cover an area 5,000 cubits (about 1.7 miles) wide and 25,000 cubits (about 8.3 miles) long, adjoining the sacred portion. This will then be subdivided into the city proper, grazing land, and farmland (cf. Ezek. 48:15–18). (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Ezekiel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 1310–1311). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 4. “The Lord’s faithful priests shall dwell beside Him and be with Christ for refreshment and revival from the strife and disquiet of men among whom they are scattered.”—Lange. (Watt, D. G., Leale, T. H., & Barlow, G. (1892). Ezekiel (p. 471). New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
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Of old the land of Palestine was divided by lot among the children of Israel. The lot was an Old Testament way of determining the mind of God, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord” (Prov. 16:33). The last use of this method was that in connection with the choice of one to take the place of Judas, as recorded in Acts 1:26. This was before Pentecost. Since then God guides and directs His people by the Spirit and the Word.
As one reads the dimensions given which are somewhat indefinite owing to the fact that we are not told whether cubits or reeds are intended, the impression left on the mind is one of spaciousness, as though God would indicate that He has large things in store for His people in the coming day. The divisions for the tribes are given in chapter 48 and are altogether different from those of old. The portion for the prince has been before us already in the previous chapter but is enlarged upon here. All shall be holy unto the Lord. (Ironside, H. A. (1949). Expository notes on Ezekiel, the prophet. (p. 313). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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The land possessed will be divided by lot for the inheritance of the people. The special territorial division for the different tribes is recorded in the last two chapters. They are to bring an oblation of the land which the Lord so graciously restored unto them. The word “oblation” is literally an “heave-offering,” because when anything was offered to Jehovah the offerer raised the hand. The dimensions of the holy portion of the land are, in length 25,000, and in breadth 10,000. But what? The Hebrew has no definite measure. The authorized version supplies the word “reeds,” which seems to be correct in view of the statement in chapter 42:16.* This is a very large territory, a square of some sixty miles on each side. The topography of Palestine will be entirely changed in the coming age, as we pointed out before. The land is to be greatly enlarged, while the temple-mountain will be highly exalted. These changes will make all possible which we read in these closing chapters. We must take these chapters in faith, knowing that the omnipotent Lord will accomplish all in his own time. In the center of this large area, the holy portion of the Lord, will be the sanctuary; the measurement is given in verse 2. Around this the priests have their portion; there they will have their houses. The estate of the Levites comes next; the measurement is given, and that they shall have for possession twenty chambers. The Septuagint has “cities to dwell in,” habitations where they will reside. This is undoubtedly the correct meaning. Then the measurement of the city is given, which is for the whole house of Israel. Finally the portion of the Prince is recorded. “And the Prince shall have his portion on the one side and on the other side of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city over against the holy oblation, and over against the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward; and in length answering to one of the portions of the tribes from the west border unto the east border.” From this we learn that the estate of the Prince consists of two halves, the one on the west and the other on the east of the holy portion. He stands as the head and ruler in closest connection with the sanctuary. It is all a new order and will be brought about when the Lord has come back, and when Israel is restored to the land. They never possessed such a holy portion in the land, nor such a sanctuary. A spiritual application as to the Church is impossible to make; the literal interpretation is the only possible one which can be made. (Gaebelein, A. C. (1918). The prophet Ezekiel: an analytical exposition (pp. 320–321). New York: Publication Office “Our Hope.”)
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FROM MY READING:
Perspective
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took their son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, ‘How was the trip?’ ‘It was great, Dad.’ ‘Did you see how poor people live?’ the father asked. ‘Oh yeah,’ said the son. ‘So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip’ asked the father. The son answered: ‘I saw that we have one dog and they had the four.’ We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.’ The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, ‘Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.’ Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing?? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have. Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your family and friends! Pass this on to family, friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation. ‘Life is too short and friends are too few.’
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1 Kings 12
After Solomon’s death, Rehoboam splits the kingdom.
INSIGHT
Because Solomon drifts from the Lord during the latter part of his reign, he does not leave to his successor a healthy, vibrant nation. Israel struggles for moral and political leadership. Rehoboam inherits the throne but places foolish and inordinate financial demands on the nation on the heels of what Solomon had demanded—to build the temple and his palace. The people rebel and the nation divides. The northern part of the kingdom (Israel) follows after Jeroboam while Rehoboam retains control over the southern part (Judah); neither man leads the nation in righteousness and the disintegration that began with Solomon continues. Sin is taking its toll. It always does. (Quiet Walk)
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ENEMIES OF REVIVAL
…they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Romans 10:2
We are living in days when all what matters is our general reaction to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now this is one of the most popular views of all. People say, “You read the Gospels and there you see this portrait of Him and, as it were, you meet Him. Now what decides whether you are a Christian or not is this: ‘Do you like Him? Do you want to be like Him? Do you try to imitate Him? What is your reaction to Him?’ You must not come and dissect, and bring your propositions and your theology and say you have got to believe this and not believe that. What matters is your total response to Him, and if you react favorably to Him, then you are a Christian.”
Another way is the approach that describes Christianity in terms of living. “What does it matter what people believe as long as they are living good, Christ like lives, as long as they are generous, ready to make sacrifices, ready to help others, and concerned about the uplift of the race? That is what makes people Christians.”
Now this dangerous attitude takes one other form. I put this in a category on its own because I am beginning to think that in some ways it is the most subtle form of all among evangelical people. It is the tendency to estimate whether or not people are Christians, not by what they actually say about their beliefs but by what you feel about them. Now, I do want to make this clear, because I have encountered it a great deal. We attach greater importance and significance to this “feeling” that we may have about them than to the very words that the people themselves use about the Christian faith.
A Thought to Ponder: We tend to attach greater importance to “feeling” about “good” people than to the words that the people themselves use about the Christian faith.
(From Saving Faith, a sermon on Romans 10:3 by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (1 John 3:1)
The Christian church has a rich heritage in its hymns. Over the years, dear saints of God have framed great Christian doctrines in music, easy to remember and a joy to sing. The unfathomable love of Christ for us is laid out clearly in the first verse of one such hymn, “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.”
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!
Our text reminds us that the love of Christ is a different kind of love than that which we can express or even comprehend. We can only ask, “What manner of love is this?” We know it as grace, unmerited favor, a sweet blessing given to us that we do not deserve.
This love surrounds us, buoying us up and sweeping us along in its current. We have the privilege of returning that love: “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Such love led Him to Calvary and us to eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
This love will lead us on to glory, where we will spend eternity with the Author of love. Here He continues forever extending His love gifts to us. “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). His love for us is so deep. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research
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