Song of Solomon 4
Solomon compliments his bride verse 1- 7
Behold – you are fair – my love – behold – you are fair
you have dove’s eyes within your locks
your hair is as flock of goats
that appear from mount Gilead
your teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn
which came up from the washing
whereof even one bear twins
and none is barren among them
your lips are like a thread of scarlet
and your speech is comely
your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate
within your locks
your neck is like the tower of David built for an armory
whereon there hang a thousand bucklers
all shields of mighty men
your two breasts are like two young roes that are twins
which feed among the lilies
Until the day break – AND the shadows flee away
I will get me to the mountain of myrrh
AND hill of frankincense
You are all fair – my love
there is no spot in you
Solomon invites bride to travel with him verse 8
Come with me from Lebanon – my spouse
with me from Lebanon
look from the top of Amana
from the top of Shenir and Hermon
from the lions’ den
from the mountains of the leopards
Solomon describes his love for his bride verse 9- 11
You have ravished my heart – my sister – my spouse
you have ravished my heart with one of your eyes
with one chain of your neck
How fair is your love – my sister – my spouse
how much better is your love than wine
and the smell of your ointments than all spices
Your lips – O my spouse – drop as the honeycomb
honey and milk are under your tongue
and the smell of your garments
is like the smell of Lebanon
Solomon singles her out as best verse 12- 15
A garden enclosed is my sister – my spouse
a spring shut up – a fountain sealed
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates – with pleasant fruits
camphire – with spikenard – spikenard and saffron
calamus and cinnamon
with all trees of frankincense
myrrh and aloes – with all the chief spices
a fountain of gardens
a well of living waters
and streams from Lebanon
Bride replies to Solomon verse 16
Awake – O north wind – and come – you south
blow upon my garden
that the spices thereof may flow out
Let my beloved come into his garden
and eat his pleasant fruits
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Behold, you are fair, my love; behold, you are fair; you have doves’ eyes within your locks, your hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from Mount Gilead. (3303 “fair” [yapheh] means beautiful, well, right, delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration, appropriate, or proper)
DEVOTION: We need to remember that we shouldn’t just be looking for outer beauty in a person but inner beauty as well. When we can compliment a person for having both we are doing what Solomon did to the one he is talking to in this verse.
We are to love the one we marry. It should not be just because of outer beauty but because we see something inside a person that gives them inner beauty as well. The outer beauty will fade but the inner beauty will stay for the rest of their lives as long as they are servants of the LORD.
We should never marry someone who doesn’t have Jesus in their heart because even if they seem to have the outer beauty they will not have the inner beauty that will make a good marriage that is pleasing to the LORD.
As this verse teaches us we need to compliment the one we love on a regular basis to make sure they know we still care for them. We should never say “Well I married you didn’t I!” to our spouse. It is not a compliment.
Our responsibility to the one we love is to make sure that they know we love them on a regular basis. This takes work but it is well worth the effort because it pleases the LORD as well as our spouse.
CHALLENGE: Our years of marriage need to be ones that are pleasing to both if they are going to be good years. Remember to complement every chance you have. This is pleasing to the LORD!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 Your lips are like a thread of scarlet, and your speech is comely: your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within your locks. (5000 “comely” [na’vah] means seemly, beautiful, delightful, suitable, proper, appealing to the emotions as well as to the eye, or fitting)
DEVOTION: Here is a husband describing the lips of his wife. It is a section where the husband is pleased with every part of his wife’s body. When he sees her lips he thinks of everything that comes out of her lips. Every word that she speaks is pleasing to him. He want to compliment her for all the grace she has toward him.
There must have been times when they disagreed but those times were in the minority. Their marriage was one that was pleasing most of the time. This should be the type of marriage all those who know Christ should have. There should be many times of compliment given to each other. There should also be times when the husband will compliment his wife to others about all the great things she has done. This doesn’t happen as offend as it should even in my marriage to a wonderful woman who has many talents.
Many commentaries also say that it should be the same between Christ and HIS church. The speech of all those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior should always be suitable and proper as a representative of Jesus to the world. There are many believers or individuals who claim to be believers whose speech is anything but pleasing to the LORD or the people who hear the speech. What comes from our lips should always represent what Jesus would say in any given circumstance.
Poole in his commentary on this verse states “The communication or discourse of believers is edifying, and comfortable, and acceptable to God and to serious men.”
Is our communication with each other not only in marriage but in the church one that could be described in such a manner? Do our business meeting sound like the type of speech described here?
CHALLENGE: Our conversation should always be something that we could say in the throne room of heaven before God the Father. HE wants our words to represent HIM not the enemy of the believer.
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: 7 You are all fair, my love; there is no spot in you. (3302 “fair” [yaphah] means to be bright, beautiful, lovely, handsome, be delightful or have feelings of enjoyment and pleasure from an object or person.)
DEVOTION: Solomon is telling his wife that she is completely beautiful without a flaw. He has just mentioned eight body parts that he really appreciates in the beauty of his wife.
The compliments are made with vigor. He wants his bride to understand that he loves every part of his body and her life. This is poetry to the max. We have lost this type of compliment. We don’t hear it now like it used to be between a husband and a wife. We don’t write letters to each other. Our phone calls are not filled with compliments. Our understanding of “love” has changed with time and not for the better.
There seems to be a tendency to look for the faults of our bride rather than the good points. Solomon states that she has “no spot” in her. There are no faults that he mentions. Does she have faults? YES!! Does he concentrate on faults or good points? Good points of her. This should be our practice. We can pray for the LORD to change any faults we have in ourselves and our spouse.
After this verse he invites his bride to travel with him to see the world. We call it a honeymoon today. He continues to praise her beauty throughout the chapter. Remember that she was not considered a beauty by her culture but in the eyes of her bridegroom she was beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Those of us that are married considered our spouse beautiful or handsome when we married them. Over the years there have been changes but internally they are same person we fell in love many years ago. We have to remember we committed our love to our spouse until dead do we part. So from the first day until the last of our marriage we should complement each other.
We should say the words “I love you” often in our marriage. This word for beautiful is used eleven times in this book. Both marriage partners should express to one another using this word for beautiful or handsome. We should say at least one thing nice about and to our spouse a day. Remember that negative comments are not necessary.
What do you think that would do to our Christian marriages? Could we bring the joy the LORD wants in each marriage back? Should we want this to happen? Well then, start today!!!
CHALLENGE: Try to go a day without saying anything negative about your spouse. On the same day compliment your spouse each time they do something that is positive. Don’t flatter!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 10 How fair is your love, my sister, my spouse! How much better is your love than wine! And the smell of your ointments than all spices! (269 “sister” [achowth] means female relative, one from the same tribe, ally, or spouse)
DEVOTION: This is a term of endearment. It is not a term that necessarily means a family relative. It could mean that she was from the same tribe as Solomon.
He continues making complimentary comments regarding his bride. He compares her with other special treats. There is the treat of a good wine. There is the treat of special spices. He seems to look for ways to compliment his wife.
Here we find that we have to use our imagination to find different ways to complement our spouse. It takes effort to think of ways to compliment. God has given us the ability to work together with other people. We can work with people outside the home sometimes better than we work with people in our house. It is sad but true. We seem to let our guard down when we walk through the front door of our house. We tend to relax. We tend to want to just sit down and think of nothing. That is what the enemy wants us to do.
Our home is the first battle field we will face each day. Sometimes our spouse can get on our nerves. Sometimes the children can get on our nerves. Sometimes it is the appearance of the house that can bother us. Or it might be the cooking. There are many areas that the enemy can use to cause us to not be the Christian we should be at home.
If we are looking for an excuse, we will find it. God wants us to practice our Christian witness at home first. Husbands are to love their wife. Wives are to honor and submit to their husband. God wants parents, especially fathers, to not cause the children to get angry. All the way through the Word of God we have special instructions regarding family.
Solomon is hitting one area real hard: the husband/wife relationship. He is setting an example we should put into practice or our marriage could be in trouble. The enemy could win. If the spouse is not a believer and the other is: what happens to the testimony?
CHALLENGE: Contentment at home is sometimes hard but we have to practice it. Compliments should be coming regularly, even if the other is not giving them. God will honor this attitude!!!
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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)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
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)
Mighty men verse 4
Lebanon verse 8, 11, 15
Amana verse 8
Shenir verse 8
Hermon verse 8
Lions and Leopards
Spouse verse 10- 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Compliment your spouse verse 1- 16
You are fair
Doves’ eyes (2x)
Beautiful hair
Teeth
Lips (2x)
Speech
Two breasts
Myrrh and frankincense
Ravished my heart
Fair is your love
Love is better than wine
Smell of you ointments is better than spices
Beloved
Love your spouse verse 1, 7, 10
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mount Gilead verse 1
Tower of David verse 4
Armory
Bucklers
Shields
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
4:3 The mouth is attractive too. The “rosy glow” of her lips and cheeks92 is not merely beautiful but wholesome; “pomegranate” recalls earlier usages of fruit as sexual metaphor, and the sense of desirable to kiss may be implied. (Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs (Vol. 14, p. 404). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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4:1–7 The bride’s beautiful body. This delightful love song that Solomon sings to the Shulammite is based on the wasf, a song style still used in Syrian weddings today. It reminds us that we are not only fearfully and wonderfully made but beautifully made too. The body is the handiwork of a marvellous Creator. For the lover, this mutual admiration is a final prelude to the actual act of love. The couple are now in the privacy of their own bedroom, completely and legitimately exposed to one another. The king cannot help but speak of what he sees, for love is total and loves both spirit and body. To speak of her body is an expression of his love. The Christian is not so other-worldly that he or she cannot admire the human body and even talk about it. It is lust, not physical and verbal love, that is condemned in Scripture. (Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 623). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
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First, he speaks of her general appearance. Four times over in this chapter, he tells her of her fairness. Twice he declares it in verse one. He says, “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair.” In verse seven we read, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” Again, in verse ten, “How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! How much better is thy love than wine!” And yet she had no fairness in herself, as we had no beauty in ourselves. In an earlier chapter we heard her say, “I am black as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” But he says, as he looks at her through love’s eyes, “Thou art all fair.” Does it not bring before us the wondrous thing that our Saviour has done for every one of us who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ? We would never have been saved at all if we had not realized in some measure our own wretchedness, our own sinfulness, our unlovely character. It was because of this that we fled to Him for refuge and confessed that we were anything but fair, anything but beautiful. We took our places side by side with Job and cried, “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5, 6). We knelt beside Isaiah and exclaimed, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5). We took part with Peter and cried, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). But when we took that place of repentance, of acknowledgement of our own natural deformity and unloveliness, He looked upon us in His grace and said, “Thou art perfect in Mine eyes by the comeliness which I have put upon thee.” And now as those who have been washed from our sins in His own precious blood, He addresses us in the rapturous way that we have here, “Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee.” What! No spot in us, when we were stained by sin, when we were polluted by iniquity? Once it could be said of us, “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isa. 1:6). And now His holy eyes cannot find one spot of sin, nor any sign of iniquity. Let this give us to understand what grace hath wrought. “Amazing grace”, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me!” (Ironside, H. A. (1933). Addresses on the Song of Solomon. (pp. 57–59). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet; fine, and smooth, and soft, and round, and red, in which the beauty of the lips consisteth. Thy speech is comely; which is added, partly as another ingredient of an amiable person, and partly to explain the foregoing metaphor. The communication or discourse of believers is edifying, and comfortable, and acceptable to God and to serious men. Compare psal. 45:2; Col. 4:6. Thy temples; under which doubtless he comprehends the cheeks, which are joined to them, and in which a great part of beauty lies, which therefore would not have been omitted in this description. Like a piece of a pomegranate; in which there is a lovely mixture of red and white. This may note both the church’s beauty and her modesty, which showeth itself by blushes in those parts when she hath fallen into any sin, as the highest believers in this world sometimes do. Within thy locks; a further evidence both of beauty and modesty. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 317). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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Ver. 3. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, &c.] To a thread for thinness, to scarlet for color, thin red lips being beautiful, as well as white teeth; so the beautiful Aspasia had red lips, and teeth whiter than snow; hence we read of r”red and purple lipsc. Now as lips are the instruments of speech, the words of the church, and of all true believers, may be designed; what is said by them in their prayers, which are filled, not with great swelling words of vanity, exalting themselves, and magnifying their works, like the Pharisee; but with humble confessions of sin, and acknowledgments of their unworthiness of mercy; and they are constant, like one continued thread, they go on praying all their days: and the scarlet color may denote the fervency of them, whereby they become available with God; and the acceptableness of them to God, through the mediation of Christ, whose blood, and not any worthiness of theirs, is pleaded in them: their words of praise also may be signified hereby; which are not filled with big swollen encomiums of themselves, and of what they have done; but with expressions of the goodness and grace of God to them; and with thankfulness for all mercies, both temporal and spiritual, bestowed upon them; and these are hearty and sincere, coming from a heart inflamed with the love of God, which make such lips look like scarlet; and that being in great esteem may intimate the acceptableness of them to God, through the blood and sacrifice of Christ. To which may be added, that the doctrines of the Gospel, delivered by the ministers of the church, who are her lips, may be taken into the sense of this clause; which are like a thread, spun out of the Scriptures, and are harmonious and all of a piece, consistent and closely connected; the subject and matter of which are the blood, sufferings, and death of Christ, and the blessings that come thereby; and which also, like scarlet, are valuable and precious. And thy speech is comely; which explains the preceding clause; and shews, that by her lips her speech is meant, which is comely, that is, graceful and amiable; as it is when believers speak of Christ, of his person, offices, and grace; and for him, in vindication of his truths and ordinances; when they speak to him, in prayer or in praise; and when, in common conversation, their speech is with grace. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks; not like a piece of the tree, but of the fruit, when the shell of it bursts of itself, through the abundance of liquor in it; such the Israelites found at one of their stations, and therefore called it Rimmonparez, the pomegranate of rupture, or the burstened pomegranate; and in the tribe of Zebulun was a city called Remmon-methoar, the beautiful pomegranate. Josh. 19:13 now the rind being broken, it appears full of grains or kernels, of a white colour, interspersed with a reddish purple juice, like blood, as Pausanias remarks, and looks very beautiful; and is aptly used to set forth the church’s beauty, who, like her beloved, is white and ruddy: by which may be meant ecclesiastical officers, placed on an eminence in the church; to take care, among other things, of the discipline of it, according to the laws of Christ, 1 Tim. 5:17; Heb. 13:17; Rom. 12:8. The temples, in the Hebrew tongue, have their name from the thinness and tenderness of them, having but little flesh on them, and covered with a thin skin; and, in the Greek tongueg, from the evident beating of the pulse in them; and their situation is between the ear and the eye: all which denote, that such officers should be spiritual men, and have as little carnality in them as may be; that they should use great tenderness in the administrations of their office, particularly in giving admonitions and reproofs: and, as by the beating of the pulse the state of a constitution is discerned, whether healthy or not; so the state of the church may be judged of by the discipline of it; if that is neglected, it is in a bad state, and in a declining condition; but if strictly observed, it is in a healthful and flourishing one: and the temples being between the eye and the ear, may teach, that, in the management of church-affairs, the officers are to make use of both; their ears are to be open to all; and they are not to shut their eyes against clear and plain evidence: and being said to be within her locks, may be expressive of the meekness and humility of such officers, who are not to lord it over God’s heritage; and of the private manner in which admonitions are to be given, in case of private offences; and of the affairs and concerns of a church being kept private, and not blazed abroad. And these may be compared to a piece of a pomegranate, because of their being full of gifts, and grace, and good works, visible to men; and for their harmony and union among themselves, and with the church and its members; and the strict regard that, in all things, is had to the rules and laws of Christ; all which make the officers of the church, and the discipline of it, acceptable to him. It may be further observed, that the temples, taken largely, include the cheeks also; and so some render the word here; and the purple juice of the pomegranate well expresses the colour of them; hence we read of purple cheeksi: and this may denote the beauty and modesty of the church; whose blushing looks, and ruddy cheeks, made her extremely beautiful in the eye of Christ. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, pp. 657–658). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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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!!)
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Saul breaks the Law of the Lord then offers sacrifices to the Lord.
INSIGHT
Saul’s fall is fast and far. His spiritual leadership is destroyed before he really gets a good start. Such a profound disparity between how he starts and how he ends is difficult to explain.
It stands as a warning, however. None of us is above falling, no matter where we are in our spiritual walk.
Our regular prayers ought to include what Jesus teaches us to pray: “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Again, Jesus says, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). (Quiet Walk)
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THE NATURE OF SELF
If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Matthew 18:9
The modern cult of self-expression fails to realize the true nature of self. It talks much about giving expression to self, and yet we can show very easily that its very ideas concerning that self are false and do violence to man’s true nature. Obviously, before expression must come definition; and our objection is not so much to the idea of self-expression per se as to the utterly false view of that self that is taken by so many today. The gospel answer to this modern cult is not a doctrine of repression, but rather a call to the realization of the true nature of the self. The clash between the biblical view and that of moderns comes out very clearly in the quoted lines above, especially in the emphasis that Christ places on the word thee. “If thine eye offend thee…cast it from thee…it is better for thee….”
The modern view does not differentiate between the self and the various factors that tend to influence the self, the various factors that the self uses in order to express itself. They claim that man in himself is but the result of these and their effects. Our Lord, on the other hand, draws that distinction very clearly and definitely in His emphasis on the word thee. That He does so is perhaps the real cause of all the modern confusion.
According to Christ, man is not a machine, nor is he an animal led and governed by whim. He is bigger than the body, bigger than tradition, history, and all else. For there is within man another element called the soul.
A Thought to Ponder: There is within man another element called the soul.
(From Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 20-21,24 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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O Praise the Lord
“O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalm 117:1-2)
Psalm 117 is especially noteworthy for two reasons: First, it is the middle chapter of the Bible, and, secondly, it is the shortest chapter in the Bible, consisting of only the two verses cited above. Thus, it is significant and appropriate that its theme be that of universal and everlasting praise. The very purpose of human language is that God might communicate His word to us and that we might respond in praise to Him.
The word “nations” in verse 1 refers specifically to Gentiles, while “people” seems to refer to all tribes of people. Two different Hebrew words for praise are used, so that the verse could be read: “Praise the LORD, all ye Gentile nations; extol him all ye peoples of every tribe.” In any case, the sense of the exhortation is to urge everyone to praise His name.
The Hebrew word translated “merciful kindness” is also rendered as “loving kindness,” or simply “mercy” or “kindness.” Whichever is preferred, the significant point is that it has been great toward us. This word (Hebrew gabar) is not the usual word for “great” but is a very strong word meaning to “triumph” or “prevail.” An example of its use is in the story of the great Flood. “And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth” (Genesis 7:19). In fact, it is used four times in this account of the “overwhelmingly mighty” waters of the Flood (Genesis 7:18-20, 24).
In other words, God’s merciful kindness has prevailed over our sin and the awful judgment we deserve in a manner and degree analogous to the way in which the deluge waters prevailed over the ancient evil world. God’s mercy and truth are eternal, and this will be the great theme of our praise throughout all the ages to come. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Sole writes (Mexico): Leviticos 16:15-16 a
This is a biblical passage a little hard to understand. Most people don’t find sense when they read it because they have an incorrect perception of God. But in fact it is a very important passage that gives us the framework to understand the sacrifice carried out on the cross…. and after that, he will kill the goat as a sacrifice for the sin of the people, and will bring the blood to the Which is behind the veil (which is and holy place); there it will be above the top and in front of the lid, just as it did with the blood of the calf. That way will clean the impurities, rebellions and sins of the Israelites.
The Pay (sentence) for sin is death. This is a judicial decree derived from violating divine law. Because… ” sent the Lord God to man, saying: from every tree of the orchard you can eat; more from the tree of the science of good and evil you will not eat; for the day that you eat, you will
God clearly from the beginning gave man the necessary instruction to live in harmony with him. This was an order and a warning. At the moment the man disobeyed the first sin originated. God, being the creator and owner of everything including the man had every right to put his rules and make them fulfill. The man questioned the integrity of God and heard the subtle suggestions of Satan dismissing and deliberately disobeying the instructions of his creator.
The death sentence because it was dictated; but God is very merciful and from the beginning provided a way for people voluntarily to return to him.
God from the beginning instituted a sacrifice with which people would show that they were trusting and waiting for the promised liberator. Then; God established an annual sacrifice through which the animal sacrificed “would take” the place of the punishment of people. If they believed this and made the sacrifice their sin was “covered” in front of God’s eyes. When the promised liberator came; he would take the place of the slaughtered animal, which was a temporary substitute, now we would have the perfect lamb. The real lamb. The Messenger of God to remove the sins of the world… they were not only to be covered; but they would be removed. No more temporary or annual sacrifices… this sacrifice was going to take place once and forever! The Liberator came and fulfilled his mission. Blessed Liberator!!…
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Cindy writes (NY): Today’s #adventword is #rejoice. It really is such a wonderful life, and we are overwhelmed with joy – like George Bailey – when we remember all of our blessings. In this scene, his problems and worries and stresses have not gone away, but he has remembered how many people love him and believe the best in him, realized that there were many he could trust and treasure. We all have Mr. Potters in our lives, people who want to see us brought down a notch, who love to see us squirm, who lose no chance to put us in our place. That’s life. Not everyone will like us. But we can all feel like “the richest guy in town” when we remember what George learns from Clarence: “No man is a failure who has friends.” Oh, the blessing of true and loyal friends! Rejoice! ❤️
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1 John 3
Those who say they love God must manifest that love by loving others.
INSIGHT
The final test of Christian character is action, not words. It is not what you say that determines your life message, but what you do. John writes: “Let us not love in word or in tongue, but indeed and in truth” (v. 18). Consistency is one of the great challenges of the Christian walk. Whenever our actions do not match our words, the message of our actions always overrides the message of our words. Therein lies the basis for one of the most consistent complaints against Christianity over the ages: hypocrisy.
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THE CERTAINTY OF EVERLASTING LIFE
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.1 John 5:13
The knowledge that we have eternal life is something that is possible to us. That is something that needs to be emphasized. There are those who would tell us that eternal life is something to which we attain only when we come to die and leave this world and go into the next. They suggest that it is wrong for anyone to claim that he has eternal life. Such people dislike the doctrine of assurance. “We do not know,” they say, “and we must not seek to know. Faith means that you are always grasping at it, but it is something you cannot actually have while you are in this world.”
But that is a philosophical concept of faith that is not in accordance with what we have here. John says in essence, “My whole object in writing to you now is that you may know that you have eternal life and know it certainly. I want you to know that you possess it.”
You find the other apostles saying the same thing. What was more characteristic of the apostle Paul than this assurance? In Romans 8 he says, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (verses 38-39). “I know whom I have believed,” he writes to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:12). “I know,” he says. There is no uncertainty about it.
So it seems to me that to interpret faith as a kind of constant uncertainty is to deny the teaching of the Word of God that we are His children.
A Thought to Ponder
The knowledge that we have eternal life is something that is possible to us. (From Life in God, pp. 92-93, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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It’ll Be Good for You
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls. HEBREWS 13:17
Every family has its own set of expectations that grow from a combination of core convictions and upbringing. Some of these can be little more than meaningless ritual, but many of them are healthy practices and preferences that we simply want as part of our family experience.
One example from our own family was our desire to sit together in church.
I had no biblical mandate to do this. I just always liked all my family there with me. I liked catching their eyes during the service and sharing a wink or a smile. I liked putting an arm around their shoulders and giving them a hug as we worshiped. No matter how old they were or how many times they asked to sit with their friends, Barbara and I held firm on this one. Church.
Us. Together.
And I’m glad I did. One day I was talking with an older teen, Katy, who remembered how in ninth grade she began doing more and more things with her friends. Every Friday night and Saturday. Even on Sunday morning at church, she’d hunt for her friends.
“But after a couple of years of that,” she said, “I remember looking at other kids who sat with their parents and thinking, I’m missing out. I wish I had seen before how precious my time was with them and not tried to get away from it just because I could. Now that I sit with my parents in church, I can’t believe I didn’t want to.”
Is it wrong to sit apart from your children during worship service? Absolutely not! But if you feel strongly enough about something like this, be the parent.
Tell them the sun will still come up tomorrow. They might be glad someday that you did.
DISCUSS
What are some family rules or traditions you have been thinking about establishing? What can you do to implement them? (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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