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Leviticus 25

Sabbath rest for the landverses 1-7

 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in Mount Sinai

saying

Speak to the children of Israel

and say to them

When you come into the land which I give you

then shall the land keep a Sabbath to the LORD

Six years you shall sow your field

and six years you shall prune your vineyard

      and gather in the fruit thereof

BUT in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest to the land

a Sabbath for the LORD – you shall neither sow your field

nor prune your vineyard

That which grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap

neither gather the grapes of your vine undressed

for it is a year of rest to the land

And the Sabbath of the land shall be meat for you

for you – and for your servant – and for your maid

for your hired servant – for your stranger that sojourns with you

for your cattle – for the beast that are in your land

shall all the increase thereof be meat

Year of Jubilee every fifty yearsverses 8-17

 And you shall number seven Sabbaths of years to you

seven times seven years – and the space of the

seven Sabbaths of years shall be to you

                  forty and nine years

THEN shall you cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound

on the tenth day of the seventh month

in the day of atonement shall you make the

trumpet sound – throughout all your land

And you shall hallow the fiftieth year

            and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all the

inhabitants thereof – it shall be a jubilee to you

                                    and you shall return every man unto his possession

                                                and you shall return every man unto his family

A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be to you

you shall not sow – neither reap that which grows of itself in it

                        nor gather the grapes in it of your vine undressed

For it is the jubilee – it shall be holy to you

            you shall eat the increase thereof out of the field

In the year of this jubilee you shall return every man to his possession

and if you sell ought to your neighbor

or buy ought of your neighbor’s hand

                                    you shall not oppress one another

            according to the number of years after the jubilee

                        you shall buy of your neighbor

according to the number of years of the fruits

he shall sell to you

according to the multitude of years you shall increase the price

thereof according unto the fewness of years you shall

diminish the price of it – for according to the number of the

years of the fruits does he sell to you

You shall not therefore oppress one another

            BUT you shall fear you God – FOR I am the LORD your God

Obedience yields blessing of LORDverses 18-22

 Wherefore you shall do MY statutes – and keep MY judgments

and do them – and you shall dwell in the land in safety

And the land shall yield her fruit – and you shall eat your fill

and dwell therein in safety

And if you shall say

What shall we eat the seventh year?

BEHOLD – we shall not sow – nor gather in our increase

THEN I will command MY blessing on you in the sixth year

      and it shall bring forth fruit for three years

And you shall sow the eighth year

and eat yet of old fruit unto the ninth year

until her fruits come in you shall eat of the old store

God owns the landverses 23-24

 The land shall not be sold for ever – FOR the land is MINE

for you are strangers and sojourners with ME

And in all the land of your possession you shall grant a

redemption for the land

Redemption of landverses 25-28

 IF your brother be waxen poor – and has sold away some of his possession

and IF any of his kin come to REDEEM it

      THEN shall he REDEEM that which his brother sold

IF the man have none to REDEEM it

and himself be able to REDEEM it

THEN let him count the years of the sale thereof

                  and restore the over-plus to the man

to whom he sold it

                                          that he may return unto his possession

BUT IF he be not able to restore it to him

THEN that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that has

      bought it until the year of jubilee

and in the jubilee it shall go out

and he shall return unto his possession

Sale of house in walled cityverses 29-31

 And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city

THEN he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold

            within a full year may he redeem it

And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year

THEN the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever

            to him that bought it throughout his generations

                        it shall not go out in the jubilee

BUT the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them

            shall be counted as the fields of the country

                        they may be REDEEMED

and they shall go out in the jubilee

Levites can buy back anytimeverses 32-34

 NOTWITHSTANDING the cities of the Levites

            and the houses of the cities of their possession

                        may the Levites REDEEM at any time

And if a man purchase of the Levites – then the house that was sold

and the city of his possession – shall go out in the year of jubilee

                        for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their

                                    possession among the children of Israel

But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold

for it is their perpetual possession

Support poor fellow Israeliteverses 35-38

 And IF your brother be waxen poor – and fallen in decay with you

THEN you shall relieve him – yea

though he be a stranger or a sojourner

                  that he may live with you

Take thou no USURY of him or INCREASE – but FEAR your God

that your brother may live with you

You shall not give him your money on USURY

nor lend him your victuals for INCREASE

I am the LORD your God – which brought you forth out of the

land of Egypt – to give you the land of Canaan

and to be your God

Treatment of poor fellow Israeliteverses 39-43

 And if your brother that dwells by you be waxen poor – and be sold to you

you shall not compel him to serve you as a bondservant

but as a n hired servant – and as a sojourner

he shall be with you

and shall serve you to the year of jubilee

And then shall he depart from you – both he and his children with him

and shall return unto his own family

      and to the possession of his fathers shall he return

FOR they are MY servants

which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt

they shall not be sold as bondmen

You shall not rule over him with rigor – BUT shall FEAR your God

Foreigners can be brought as propertyverses 44-46

 Both your bondmen – and your bondmaids – which you shall have

shall be of the heathen that are round about you

of them shall you buy bondmen and bondmaid

Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you

of them shall you buy – and of their families that are with you

      which they begat in your land

                  and they shall be your possession

And you shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you

to inherit them for a possession – they shall be your bondmen for ever

      BUT over your brethren the children of Israel

                  you shall not RULE  one over another with RIGOR

Israelite sold to foreigner can be redeemedverses 47-55

And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by you

and your brother that dwells by him wax poor

      and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by you

                  or to the stock of the stranger’s family

After that he is sold he may be redeemed again

one of his brethren may REDEEM him – either his uncle

or his uncle’s son – may REDEEM him

                  or any that is nigh of kin to him of his family

                              may REDEEM him

      or if he be able – he may REDEEM himself

And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold

to him unto the year of jubilee – and the price of his sale shall be

according unto the number of years

according to the time of an hired servant shall it

be with him

IF there be yet many years behind

            according to them he shall give again the price of his REDEMPTION

                        out of the money that he was bought for

IF there remain but few years to the year of jubilee

            THEN he shall count with him – and according to his years

shall he give him again the price of his REDEMPTION

And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him

            and the other shall not RULE with RIGOR over him in your sight

IF he be not REDEEMED in these years

            THEN he shall go out in the year of jubilee

both he – and his children with him

FOR to ME the children of Israel are servants

they are MY servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt

I am the LORD your God

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 10      And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all the inhabitants thereof. It shall be a jubilee to you; and you shall return every man to his possession, and you shall return every man to his family. (1865 “liberty” [darowr] means release, free run, the act of liberating someone or something, liberation, or emancipation)

DEVOTION:  The LORD had a plan to help not only the planet but also all the people on the planet. HIS plan was simple for the land – give it rest. HIS plan for the people – give them freedom or liberty.

God established a year of jubilee when all those who were in debt could receive their land back at no cost. They would get the land of their forefathers back after they had to sell them because of debt.

Jesus Christ came to give us liberty. We can have liberty from sin and hell. HE proclaimed the gospel as the answer to both. HIS death gave the provision for our liberty.

Now we are to follow the law of liberty that HE provided. These laws are called New Testament principles that we can live by each day. They are given throughout the New Testament for believers to learn and follow.

We have the example of the disciples and the early believers to follow as we study their lives and see what they did which was right and wrong.

There were never any perfect Christians but there were Christians that were called mature. There were “Little Children” Christians and “Young Men” Christians and finally “Father” Christians. I John gives us instructions regarding different stages of growth in the Christian life. We need to be ones who are maturing throughout our Christian life.
We have the freedom to serve HIM with the help of the Holy Spirit in our life. We are at liberty to follow each of the standards HE has set for all believers.

CHALLENGE: He wants us to enjoy our liberty just like those who had lost their lands enjoyed receiving them back with no debt attached. HE paid it all!!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 21      Then I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. (1293 “blessing” [barakah] means prosperity, gift, present, invocation of good, benediction, benefits, capitulation, or wealth)

DEVOTION: God is making a promise to the children of Israel and to all those who follow HIM throughout the ages that HE will reward those who are obedient to HIM. This is not the “prosperity gospel” that is being preached here in America and around the world. It is a false message given by men and women who want to get rich off of those who are poor. They will receive their just reward when they face the LORD at the Great White Throne Judgment. It will be a greater judgment than those who believed their false gospel. Remember only those who don’t know Jesus Christ will appear at this judgment. They might say to the LORD “but I did many wonderful works in your name.” But Jesus will say “I never knew you.”

This passage is God giving a promise to those who are obedient to not harvesting a crop in the seventh year. The crop of the seventh year was to be taken by the poor or stranger or hired servants or cattle.

CHALLENGE:  The LORD blessing HIS people for obedience. HE will bless us as we are obedient to HIM.


: 36      Take you no usury of him or increase: but fear your God; that your brother may live with you. (5392 “usury” [neshek] means interest, deduction, a payment or fixed charge for borrowing money that is often a percentage of the amount borrowed, or loaning with interest.)

DEVOTION:  God deals with how fellow followers should be treated. The children of Israel were to consider other individuals no matter what their tribe to be part of their family.

If someone was in financial trouble there should be the availability of funds for the one who was not able to pay his bills. When this problem is happening there should be someone to come alongside to help him with his financial problem.

There can be a loan granted but they were not allowed to charge interest on the loan. If they were not willing to honor this standard that God had set they would not be manifesting the fear or reverencing the LORD.

Today we need to reverence the LORD as well in our relationship with fellow believers. Some who need money are not really in need and so we need to make sure of whom we are willing to lean money even if they claim to be a believer.

The LORD wants us to be wise stewards of our money so we need to check out all claims from people who seem to be willing to have you invest in something that might not be a wise investment.

Even “Christian” companies need to be watched. Sometimes their mission statement is not compatible with the Word of God. We need to be sure that they are preaching and teaching what comes from the Word of God.

God set the standard that all believers should be helping other believers when there is a genuine need. Are you helping those who are around you?

I just heard that a family was unemployed during the Christmas season. The church secretary would bring them a basket for the twelve days of Christmas with food and gift cards in them. So for twelve days this family who were in need received these baskets anonymously.

CHALLENGE:  All of us have the ability to help someone in need. Be available for the LORD to show you who to help.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

:54       And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, both he, and his children with him. (1350 “redeemed” [gaʾal] means 1 to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to act as kinsman, do the part of next of kin, act as kinsman-redeemer. 1a1a by marrying brother’s widow to beget a child for him, to redeem from slavery, to redeem land, to exact vengeance. 1a2 to redeem (by payment). 1a3 to redeem (with God as subject). 1a3a individuals from death. 1a3b Israel from Egyptian bondage. 1a3c Israel from exile. 1b (Niphal). 1b1 to redeem oneself. 1b2 to be redeemed. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])

DEVOTION:  A redeemer was someone who was able to do something for someone that they were not able to do for themselves.  Most often this occurred in the context of slavery, when the only way that someone was able to become free was when someone in their family redeemed them from their slavery.  The most common cause of slavery at this time was destitution.

The most famous redeemer in the Old Testament is Boaz.  Ruth’s husband had died, and her mother and sister were unable to come to her rescue.  Instead, Boaz becomes the portrait of a true redeemer and gives Ruth and Naomi hope when they had no reason to expect any.

Job is another person who was destitute and suffering.  He was convinced that there was not much else to live for, yet he refused to abandon his faith in God.  The one ray of hope that Job had was in the expectation that he had a Redeemer who would provide for him after he died (Job 19:25-27).  He did not expect the Redeemer to come to his aid in this life.

Peter carries over this metaphor into the New Testament by describing our redemption from sin’s power by the precious blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:18-19).  It is the blood of Christ that redeems us from the slavery of sin so that we are truly free to serve to King of Kings.  It was the price of Christ’s blood on the cross that paid the way for us to be restored to our position before God and become children of God.

CHALLENGE:  What does it mean to you that you have been redeemed?  Praise God now for His provision for us in order to establish a new relationship with us. (MW)


: 55      For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God (5650 “servants” [‘ebed] means bondmen, slave, subjects, worshippers, subordinate, or minister)

DEVOTION:  Who did the LORD bring out of Egypt? HE brought worshippers out of Egypt. They were a group of people who were just beginning to understand who the LORD was and what it meant to obey HIM.

Moses is giving Aaron and the priest’s instructions regarding the proper way to lead worship in the nation of Israel. He is also instructing the priests to instruct the people in what God expected of them. He also had times when he instructed the people regarding what the LORD expected.

So we find individuals who are in leadership positions making sure that everyone understand the standards the LORD was setting for the people before they entered the Promised Land.

No one was to be able to stand before the LORD and say I didn’t know what you expected of me. No one facing stoning or being cut off from the children of Israel could say that no one instructed them in the proper way to worship the LORD.

This is going to be true for all those who will stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment and claim that they never knew that they had to be genuine followers of Jesus Christ. They thought they could be casual worshipers of Christianity or any religion of their choice and still get into heaven.

The LORD will continue to remind the children of Israel that HE was the one who brought them out of Egypt and slavery. HE is going to remind us that Jesus Christ is the one who brought us out of the world and slavery to sin.

CHALLENGE: Those that are proper and true followers of Jesus Christ will gladly WORSHIP the LORD in any way they can. 


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)

Sabbathverse 2

Day of Atonement 7/10verse 9


DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Statutesverse 18

Judgmentsverse 18

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 2, 4, 17, 38, 55

God (Elohim)verses 17, 36, 38, 43, 55

I am the LORD your Godverses 17, 38, 55

Fear your Godverse 36

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)

Mount Sinaiverse 1

Stangerverses 6, 23, 35, 45, 47

Sojournersverses 23, 35, 40, 47

Land of Canaanverse 38

Land of Egyptverses 42, 55

Heathen (those who are not Israelites)verse 44

Children of strangers: possessionverse 45

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Oppress one anotherverse 17

Usury (interest) charged to brotherverses 36, 37

Rule over fellow Israel with rigorverses 43, 46, 53

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Proclaim libertyverse 10

Fear of the LORDverses 17, 36, 43

Safetyverses 18, 19

Blessingverse 21

Redemptionverse 24

Servantverse 55

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Mosesverse 1

Children of Israelverses 2, 33, 46

Keep the Sabbathverse 2

Sabbath of rest – every six yearsverse 4

Year of Jubilee: 50th yearverses 9-20, 28, 40, 50, 52

Redeem the landverse 25

Cities of the Levitesverse 33

Brethrenverses 46, 48

Redeem fellow Israeliteverses 47-55

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)


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QUOTES regarding passage 

The success of laws such as these depended on the people’s obedience; but the system still would not work except for the special blessing of God, who owned the land and also the people and had his sovereign purposes for both (vv.18–19). Verse 21 underlines the importance of the providential blessing of God. It was doubtless good for the land to lie fallow one year. God would bless an obedient nation with rains, and pests would cease under his hand. Unfortunately the nation turned to other gods, and God vacated the land until it had “enjoyed its sabbath rests” (2 Chronicles 36:21). (Harris, R. L. (1990). Leviticus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 636). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)


25:18–22. God’s blessing in the land was promised for obedience to His laws, both freedom from want and freedom from war (v. 19; cf. 26:3–13; Deut. 28:1–14). This was particularly applied to the obvious fear an Israelite would have in the face of two successive years of neither planting nor harvesting his crops (Lev. 25:20). God promised an abundant harvest in the sixth year, sufficient to carry over until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Leviticus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 210). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)


The Sabbath Year was also the occasion for a “Bible conference” when the priests read and explained the Book of Deuteronomy to all the people (Deut. 31:9–13). This was done during the Annual Feast of Tabernacles, which would usher in the new year. It would take a great deal of faith for the people to trust God for their daily food, and “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17, NKJV). During that special year, the nation learned the meaning of “give us this day our daily bread.” God promised to protect them and provide for them throughout the year, if only they would trust and obey (Lev. 25:18–22).

We have no biblical evidence that the Jews ever celebrated the Sabbath Year, in fact, the Bible indicates that they didn’t: “To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years” (2 Chron. 36:21). God sent Israel into Babylonian exile for seventy years in order to give the land the rest it needed (Jer. 25:8–11; 29:10). This suggests that for nearly 500 years, the Jews had disobeyed God’s law concerning the Sabbath Year.

It’s a basic principle of life that whatever we rob from God, we can never keep and enjoy ourselves. In my pastoral ministry, I’ve met people who robbed God of tithes and offerings, only to end up paying extra money for medical bills or car repairs. I recall one church member bringing his family budget book to my office, just to show me how God had begun to bless him when he stopped robbing the Lord. His figures showed that every dollar he took from God had to be spent on some emergency need, and he never got to use that money himself.

By disobeying the law of the Sabbath Year, the Jews robbed themselves not only of spiritual blessings but also of the strength of the land and of their servants and farm animals. By working the same land, year after year, they got their harvests, but they lost the renewal that comes from allowing the land to lie fallow and the workers to rest. They also lost the blessings that come from sharing with the needy, and they robbed God of the glory He would have received as the other nations saw how much He blessed His people. It was a costly mistake on their part, and they paid for it dearly. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (pp. 124–125). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)


25:21, 22 I will command My blessing on you: If the Israelites would obey God’s command to let the land rest, they could be sure that the land would provide for their needs. Parts of three years were involved. In the seventh year, no planting or harvesting for storage would be allowed. Some of the crops of the eighth year would not be harvested and ready for use until the ninth year had begun. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 189). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)


Ver. 21. Then I will command my blessing upon you in the 6th year, &c.] Upon their fields, vineyards, and oliveyards, and make them exceeding fruitful, more than in other years; all fruitfulness at any time depends upon the blessing of God, and follows upon it, but is more visible and observable when there is an exceeding great plenty: and it shall bring forth fruit for three years; and thus God blessed the 6th year with such a plentiful increase as was sufficient for time to come, until a new crop was gathered in; as he had blessed the 6th day with a double portion of manna, for the supply of the 7th. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 685). London: Mathews and Leigh.)


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!!)


1 Corinthians 6
Brothers should not go to court against brothers, especially before unbelievers.
INSIGHT

When we come to Christ, we give up our title to all earthly possessions, and we receive eternal possessions that are fabulous beyond imagination. All of the riches of Christ are ours as co-inheritors with Him; all those things that we might have viewed as possessions must now be seen as “on loan.” We are now merely administrators, stewards of these things that belong to the Lord. We must hold them loosely with an open hand, not as possessions, and use them as we believe Christ would.  (Quiet Walk)


WALKING WITH GOD

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1 John 2:3
Are you keeping God’s commandments? Keeping His commandments does not mean I just put on the wall a list of specific injunctions and do my best to keep them. Rather, it means that I am always concerned to be living the Christian life as fully as I can, that my great object is to be well-pleasing in His sight. I know what He wants me to do; I find it in the Old and New Testaments. I have the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount that apply to me, and I have the whole moral, ethical teaching of the New Testament.
Those are His commandments, and I have to keep them. “And if you can say quite honestly,” says John in essence, “that you are very concerned about doing that; if you can say you are striving to do that and that is your ambition in life, you can know that you are in Him, for to know Him is to walk as He walked.” “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (verse 6). That puts it perfectly once and forever.
The Bible often describes our life as a walk. “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24); “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Then read what God said to Abraham in Genesis 17:1—“Walk before me, and be thou perfect.” “I,” said Jesus Christ, “am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Then listen to Paul saying the same kind of thing: “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
This is a wonderful picture of the Christian life. It is a journey; we walk along, and what John says here quite simply and without any explanation is this: “If you say you are in Him, then you ought to walk as He walked.”
A Thought to Ponder: The Bible often describes our life as a walk.

        (From Walking with God, pp. 51-52, by Dr. Martyn  Lloyd-Jones)


The verse on the card Lisa received didn’t seem to match her situation: “Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). I have cancer! she thought in confusion. I’ve just lost a baby! A verse about angel soldiers doesn’t apply.

Then the “angels” began to show up. Cancer survivors gave her their time and a listening ear. Her husband got released early from an overseas military assignment. Friends prayed with her. But the moment she most felt God’s love was when her friend Patty walked in with two boxes of tissues. Placing them on the table, she started crying. Patty knew. She’d endured miscarriages too.

“That meant more than anything,” Lisa says. “The card made sense now. My ‘angel soldiers’ had been there all along.”

When an army besieged Israel, a host of literal angels protected Elisha. But Elisha’s servant couldn’t see them. “What shall we do?” he cried to the prophet (v. 15). Elisha simply prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see” (v. 17).

When we look to God, our crisis will show us what truly matters and that we’re not alone. We learn that God’s comforting presence never leaves us. He shows us His love in infinitely surprising ways. By Tim Gustafson  (Our Daily Bread)


The Bible Stands!
“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” (Psalm 119:160)

Very few books survive very long. Only a few survive past the first printing, and science books especially get out of date in just a few years.

But one book is eternal! The Bible stands! Even its most ancient chapters are still accurate and up to date. Furthermore, despite all the vicious attacks of both ancient pagans and modern humanists, it will continue to endure. Jesus said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35Mark 13:31Luke 21:33). Even after everything else dies and all the bombastic tirades of skeptics and secularists are long forgotten, the Word endures. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Note the oft-repeated testimony to this same effect in Psalm 119. In addition to the comprehensive promise of today’s text, this great “psalm of the word” also contains these affirmations: “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven….Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart….The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting:…Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever” (Psalm 119:89, 111, 144, 152). Founded forever, inherited forever, settled forever, lasting forever! God is eternal, and His Word was true from the beginning.

People may, in these last days, arrogantly think they can “take away from the words of the book of this prophecy” (Revelation 22:19), but such presumption will only “take away [their] part out of the book of life,” and the Bible will still stand. “The word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:25).   (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)


 Carolynn quotes (MY Wife): We live in a time when Satan doesn’t even hide anymore, and the world still does not see him!


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