Deuteronomy 9
Understanding neededverses 1-6
Hear O Israel – You are to pass over Jordan this day
to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than yourself
cities great and fenced up to heaven – a people great and tall
the children of the Anakim – whom you know
and of whom you have heard say
Who can stand before the children of Anak
Understand therefore this day
that the LORD your God is HE which goes over before you
as a consuming fire HE shall destroy them
and HE shall bring them down before your face
so shall you drive them out
and destroy them quickly
as the LORD hath said to you
Speak not you in your heart – after that the LORD your God has cast
them out from before you saying
FOR my righteousness the LORD has brought me in
to possess this land
BUT FOR the wickedness of these nations the LORD
does drive them out from before you
NOT for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart
do you go to possess their land
BUT for the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God
does drive them out from before you
and that HE may perform
the word which the LORD swore to your fathers
Abraham – Isaac – Jacob
Understanding therefore – that the LORD your God gives you not this
good land to possess it for your righteousness
FOR you are a STIFFNECKED PEOPLE
Israel was rebelliousverses 7-11
Remember and forget not – how you provoked the LORD your God
to wrath in the wilderness – from the day that you did depart
out of the land of Egypt – until you came to this place
you have been REBELLIOUS against the LORD
Also in Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath
so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you
When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone
even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you
then I abode in the mount
FORTY DAYS and FORTY NIGHTS
I neither did eat bread nor drink water – and the LORD delivered to me
two tables of stone written with the FINGER of God
And on them was written according to all the words
which the LORD spoke with you in the mount out of the
midst of the fire in the day of the assembly
And it came to pass at the end of FORTY DAYS and FORTY NIGHTS
that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone
even the tables of the covenant
LORD told Moses of golden calfverses 12-16
And the LORD said to me
Arise – get you down quickly from hence
FOR your people which you have brought forth
out of Egypt have corrupted themselves
They are quickly turned aside out of the way which
I commanded them
They have made them a molten image
Furthermore the LORD spoke to me
saying
I have seen this people – and – behold
it is a STIFFNECKED PEOPLE
Let ME alone – that I may destroy them
and blot their name from under heaven
and I will make of you a nation mightier
and greater than they
So I turned and came down from the mount
and the mount burned with fire
and the two tables of the covenant
were in my two hands
And I looked – and – behold
you had sinned against the LORD your God
and had made you a molten calf
you had turned aside quickly out of the way
which the LORD had commanded you
Moses breaks first set of Ten Commandmentsverses 17-21
And I took the two tables – and cast them out of my two hands
and brake them before your eyes
And I fell down before the LORD – as at the first
forty days and forty nights – I did neither eat bread nor drink water
because of all your sins which you sinned
in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD
to provoke HIM to anger
FOR I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure
wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you
BUT the LORD hearkened to me at that time also
And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him
and I prayed for Aaron also the same time
And I took your sin – the calf which ye had made – and burnt it with fire
and stamped it – and ground it very small
even until it was as small as dust
and I cast the dust thereof into the brook
that descended out of the mount
History of Israel’s rebellions in wildernessverses 22-29
And at Taberah – Massah – Kibroth-hattaavah
you provoked the LORD to wrath
LIKEWISE when the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea
saying
Go up and possess the land which I have given you
THEN you REBELLED against the commandment of the
LORD your God – and you BELIEVED HIM NOT
nor hearkened to HIS voice
You have been REBELLIOUS against the LORD
from the day that I knew you
THUS I fell down before the LORD FORTY DAYS and FORTY NIGHTS
as I fell down at the first
BECAUSE the LORD had said HE would destroy you
I prayed therefore to the LORD
and said
O Lord GOD – destroy not YOUR people and YOUR inheritance
which YOU have REDEEMED through YOUR greatness
which YOU have brought forth out of Egypt with a
mighty hand
Remember YOUR servants – Abraham – Isaac – Jacob
look not to the STUBBORNNESS of this people
nor to their WICKEDNESS – nor to their SIN
lest the land whence YOU brought us out say
Because the LORD was not able to bring them into
the land which HE promised them
and because HE hated them
HE has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness
Yet they are YOUR people and YOUR inheritance
which YOU brought out by YOUR mighty power
and by YOUR stretched out arm
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 Not for your righteousness, or for the uprightness of your heart, do you go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God does drive them out from before you, and that he may perform the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (6666 “righteousness” [tsedaqah] means justice, moderately, right, or righteous acts)
DEVOTION: Moses is repeating the history of the children of Israel in the wilderness. He didn’t want them to think that once they got into the land and started to live a good life that they might think that they deserved it. They might even think that they were righteous. This was a false belief. It was not because they were so righteous but that the people of the land were so wicked in the sight of the LORD. Also the LORD was keeping HIS promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. HE keeps HIS promises.
They were receiving a land that was full of people that were stronger than them. It was a land that had giants in it. It was a land that had cities with walls up to heaven. The LORD was going to enter the land before them and destroy these enemies. HE is a consuming fire. HE was going to drive them out.
This chapter gives examples of their rebellion. This chapter gives examples of their being stiff-necked. They knew the commandments of God but chose to disobey them. They were rebellious. They were corrupt. They were sinners. They were turned aside from following the LORD. The verses of this chapter use many more words to describe the evil or wickedness of the children of Israel. They were continually provoking the LORD to anger.
Moses had to pray for them. The LORD was angry with them. The LORD wanted to let HIS wrath destroy them. HE told Moses that HE would blot out their name and raise up a nation from his seed. Moses prayed for forgiveness. God answered Moses prayer. The prayer of a righteous man does make a difference.
The reason the LORD was giving the Land to them was because of the exceeding wickedness of the people living in the Land. The people of the Promised Land had corrupted the land to the point that the LORD wanted to start over with a new people. The people HE chose were the children of Israel.
Moses, however, warned them to not look at their own uprightness for the answer regarding why they had the land. The LORD had redeemed them out of the land of Egypt for HIS promise. The LORD knew that they were going to continue to be rebellious. HE kept HIS promise to a rebellious people.
We are not to look to our uprightness as the reason the LORD chose us as HIS children. It is only by the grace of the LORD that we are part of HIS family. We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God. HE died on the cross for our sins. Let us look like Christ!!! Let us act like a follower of Christ!!!
Some think that God loves them because they are so good. It is a lie. God loves them because of the sacrifice of HIS Son on the cross. Don’t fall into the trap of pride. Don’t fall into the trip of thinking that you are an OK sinner. You are not as bad as others.
CHALLENGE: Grace is the only reason we are in HIS family!!! Give that GRACE to others!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 Understand therefore, that the LORD your God gives you not this good land to possess it for your righteousness; for you are a stiffnecked people. (6203 “stiffnecked” [‘oreph] means obstinate, of apostasy, intractable, to turn the back, the turning of the back can refer to either breaking a relationship, fleeing in disarray, or to turn oneself away from any one)
DEVOTION: One of the things that the LORD wants the children of Israel to understand and wants us to understand is that we are not a people that tend to be obedient to anyone. That includes the LORD.
We have a tendency to go in our own direction and that is away from the LORD instead of toward HIM. HE is the one who draws us to HIMSELF. HE is the one who does all the work to show humans that they need HIM for peace and rest.
Our tendency is to go our own way and leave HIM out of all of our decisions. That leads to a place called Hell for all eternity. It happened before the foundation of the world with Satan and his angels and it continues to happen in the human race.
It seems that the LORD gives both groups a choice regarding their relationship to HIM. HE gave the angels a choice and many followed the lead of Satan. They were escorted out of heaven for all eternity. They are no longer in the presence of the God head.
HE also gives every human being a choice regarding their future whether it is in heaven or hell.
HE knew that the children of Israel were individuals who turned their back on HIM on many occasions. HE was warning them before HE gave the land HE had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
If they were obedient, they would be blessed. If they were disobedient, they would lose their blessing. It was that simple. HE gave them commandments to follow and if they didn’t want to follow them, HE would not bless them. They would be defeated by other nations.
We are given a choice. We can either become a follower of HIM now because of the death of Christ on the cross or we cannot become a follower and can spend eternity in hell.
The mission of everyone who is a follower of the LORD is to tell others of this true and let them make a decision on their own. Their decision determines where they are going to spend eternity.
CHALLENGE: We have to present these truths to those we meet and give them a choice of where they want to spend eternity. We are HIS witnesses to our world. Are we sharing this truth with those we care about on a regular basis?
: 9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then, I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water. (398 “eat” [‘akal] means devour, feed, consume, to take food, taste, or to take in solid food)
DEVOTION: The Bible defines a time of fasting as a time without any food or water. Moses was not eating or drinking while he was in the presence of the LORD for forty days and nights.
It sounds impossible to us that anyone could fast without food and water for that long but with the help of the LORD it can be done. It was done for a special reason. The giving of the Ten Commandments was a standard God had spoken to the people and now was giving them to them in a written form.
Why give the Ten Commandments in written form? So there was no misunderstanding God’s expectations of HIS people. They could not keep all of the commandments but they were told to do it to please the LORD. HE knew that they couldn’t keep them so HE set up the sacrificial system.
This sacrificial system was to remind them that without the help of the LORD they would never be good followers of HIM. They needed HIS help and daily forgiveness. The sacrifices kept them understanding that they were dependent on HIM to provide a way of escaping judgment that they desired.
It is true today as well. We have the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins and we need to continually come to HIM to confess our sins and wait for HIS restoration of fellowship.
Sometimes it might take a time period of fasting and prayer for us to have the presence of the LORD return to our life. It is said that a husband’s prayer will not be heard if he is mistreating his wife. Also major decisions in a marriage are supposed to be done after a time period of fasting and prayer.
We need to make wise decisions today and this can only come from real times of fasting and prayer. Not that it has to be forty days but it can even mean the skipping of a meal to go into the presence of the LORD in prayer.
CHALLENGE: Have you given up a meal to spend time in prayer lately?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at this time also. (8085 “hearkened” [shama] means listened, hears, pays close attention, obey, understood, grant request, received news or yielded to)
DEVOTION: Here we find Moses praying for a rebellious people. They had Aaron make a golden calf and they were worshiping it while Moses was in the mountain receiving the first set of Ten Commandments.
The LORD told him HE could destroy them and build a nation from him. But Moses didn’t want that to happen. He reminded the LORD of HIS promise to bring all of the people into the Promised Land not just his descendants.
So we have an individual praying for other individuals who claim to be followers of God who were sinning greatly. Is this what we are supposed to do today?
Should we be praying for people who claim to be believers who are sinning greatly? The answer is YES!! The LORD answered Moses request. HE will answer ours. We should never give up on sinning individuals until the LORD ends their life.
God has said that HE would end the life of a believer who has wandered into sin. HE will send warnings, but in the end – HE will take the life of a genuine believer who has backslidden. We should not give up on them until the LORD takes them.
What would you have fellow believers do if you were walking away from the LORD? Should they give up on you? No. They should pray that the LORD chastens you to the point of your repentance.
CHALLENGE: Working with believers who are carnal is very hard. Be a Moses and pray for them.
: 27 Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not to the stubbornness of this people, not to their wickedness, nor to their sin. (7190 “stubbornness” [qashiy] means obstinacy, resolute adherence to your own ideas and desires, hardness, a state or condition of being obdurate and not changing an attitude or behavior)
DEVOTION: Moses when he prayed brought up people from the past. He asked the LORD to remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These men were sinners. These men were rebellious at times in their life. Yet Moses wanted the LORD to remember them. Why?
The reason was that HE made promises to them and he wanted the LORD to remember HIS promises. God never breaks a promise. HE always keeps HIS word to HIS people.
Where the people of the Old Testament better than the people of the New Testament? NO!! Both groups were sinners. Both groups seemed to have a tendency to rebel against the LORD.
We continue to be a stubborn people. We continue to do wickedly even after making a commitment to follow HIM alone. Why is it so hard to keep moving down the path the LORD wants us to walk in? We are just like the man in Pilgrims Progress.
We walk correctly for a while but then we get off the right path and need to be chastened to get back on the right path. It takes not only the LORD to instruct us through chastening but others to walk with us to get to heaven correctly.
All of us need to remember how the LORD has helped us in the past. We need to believe that HE will help us in the present and in the future. It is so easy to sin but so much easier if we depend on the LORD to keep us on the right path toward righteousness.
CHALLENGE: We are not saved by our righteousness. We are only saved by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Depend on HIM alone.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Moses on mount forty days and nightsverses 9, 18, 25
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)
Moses prayed for the peopleverse 19
LORD answeredverse 19
Moses prayed for Aaronverse 20
Moses prayed for the peopleverses 25, 26
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Two Tables of stoneverses 9, 11, 15, 17
Commandment of the LORDverse 23
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 3-13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22-26
God (Elohim)verses 3-7, 16, 23
LORD thy Godverses 3, 5, 6, 7
Consuming fireverse 3
Finger of Godverse 10
LORD your Godverse 16, 23
Anger of the LORDverses 18-20
Hot displeasureverse 19
Commandment of the LORD your Godverse 23
Lord (Adonai)verse 26
GOD (Jehovah)verse 26
Lord GODverse 26
Israel HIS inheritanceverses 26, 29
Greatness of the LORDverse 26
Promised verse 28
Israel HIS peopleverse 29
Mighty powerverse 29
Stretched out armverse 29
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)
Children of the Anakimsverse 2
Abrahamverses 5, 27
Isaacverses 5, 27
Jacobverses 5, 27
Nationsverse 5
Egyptverses 7, 12, 26
Taberahverse 22
Massahverse 22
Kibroth-hattaavahverse 22
Kadesj-barmeaverse 23
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wickednessverses 4, 5, 27
Stiffneckedverses 6, 13
Provoke the LORDverses 7, 8, 18, 22
Rebelliousverses 7, 23, 24
Corrupted verse 12
Turned asideverses 12, 16
Made a molten imageverses 12, 16
Sinnedverses 16, 18, 21, 27
Wickedlyverse 18
Believed notverse 23
Not listening to Godverse 23
Stubbornnessverse 27
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hearverse 1
Understandingverses 3, 6
Victory promisedverse 3
Righteousnessverses 4-6
Inheritanceverses 4, 5, 28, 29
Uprightness verse 5
Promiseverses 5, 28
Covenantverses 9, 11, 15
Answered prayerverse 19
Redeemedverse 26
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israelverse 1
Tables of stone [Ten Commandments]verses 9, 11, 15, 17
Moses on mountain forty days and nightsverses 9, 11, 18, 25
Fasted on Mountain
Day of assemblyverse 10
Blot out their nameverse 14
Molten calfverses 16, 21
Aaronverse 20
Provoked the LORD to wrathverse 22
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
9:13–14 Moses continued his report of the Horeb rebellion by recalling the Lord’s description of Israel as a stiff-necked people (cf. v. 9) whom he would so thoroughly destroy that their very memory would be lost to future generations (vv. 13–14). To “blot out the name” is, in the context of covenant disloyalty, tantamount to the Lord’s termination of his relationship with his people. Thus, in the curse section of this book it is said that anyone who hears the words of the Lord’s covenant requirements but disregards them will have his name blotted out from under heaven (29:18–19 [Eng., vv. 19–20]). Even more striking is the Exodus version of the Horeb incident where Moses implored the Lord to forgive Israel’s sin of the golden calf. If God would not, then, said Moses, “blot me out of the book you have written” (Exod 32:32). The Lord’s response was, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book” (v. 33). The “book” here is clearly that of covenant relationship though elsewhere it refers as well to the “book of life” in which the names of all believers are recorded (cf. Ps 69:28; Dan 12:1; Mal 3:16; Rev 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27).
The covenant ramifications of the Lord’s threatened action are clear also in his promise to Moses to make of him a stronger and larger nation than even Israel was (v. 14b; cf. Exod 32:10). In other words, Moses would become another Abraham, and through his offspring all the ancient patriarchal promises presumably would be fulfilled. Though Moses’ response to that overture is not reported at this point of the account (see vv. 25–29), Exodus describes his immediate insistence that for the Lord to abandon his promise to the fathers and give up on Israel would cast the very name of God into disrepute among the nations (Exod 32:11–14). (Merrill, E. H. (1994). Deuteronomy (Vol. 4, pp. 193–194). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
9:7–14. This section and what follows (v. 22–10:11) are a well-argued commentary on the meaning of the statement “you are a stiff-necked people” (9:6). The emphatic exhortation, “Remember this and never forget,” underscores the absurdity of Israel ever supposing that the land was given them as a reward for their righteousness. Moses used one incident from their past, the worship of the golden calf, to illustrate that Israelite history has nearly always been one of rebellion (v. 7) against God’s grace. This incident (Ex. 32), perhaps more than any other until that time, illustrates Israel’s sinfulness on the one hand and God’s grace on the other. While Moses was fasting for 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Horeb (Sinai; cf. Deut. 1:2) and therefore was completely dependent on God, the people were feasting. While Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments (the tablets of the covenant, 9:9, 11) by the finger of God (see comments on Ex. 31:18), the people were breaking several of them by worshiping the golden calf (see comments on Ex. 32:6). As the Lord had given the covenant to Moses, the people had become corrupt and turned away quickly (Deut. 9:12). Even God Himself proclaimed that the people were stiff-necked (v. 13). Their rebellion was so great that He wanted to destroy the nation and start all over with Moses (cf. Ex. 32:9–10). (Deere, J. S. (1985). Deuteronomy. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 279). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)
Never underestimate the importance of spiritual leadership that encourages obedience to the Word of God. Aaron failed God, who had appointed him as high priest; he failed his brother who was depending on him to guide the nation; and he failed the people who desperately needed strong spiritual leadership. When Moses confronted him, Aaron tried to excuse his way out of his sin by blaming the people! All he did was take their golden jewelry and throw it into the fire, and out came a calf! (See Ex. 32:22–24.) Moses spent another forty days and nights on the mountain, interceding for Aaron and the people. God was ready to slay Aaron, wipe out the nation, and begin a new nation with Moses, but Moses prayed for Aaron and the people and refused God’s offer to make him the father of a new nation. Moses faced this same test at Kadesh-Barnea and again put the glory of God and the good of the people ahead of personal promotion (Num. 14:12). Moses was more concerned with the glory of God and His reputation before the pagan nations, for he knew that the fear of God had to go before Israel if they were to conquer the land and claim their inheritance.
We can’t help but admire Moses as the leader of God’s people. He spent forty days on the mountain, learning how to lead the people in their worship of God; and then he spent another forty days fasting and praying, interceding for a nation that complained, resisted his leadership, and rebelled against the Lord. But leaders are tested just as followers are tested, and Moses passed the test. He showed that his great concern wasn’t his own fame or position but the glory of God and the good of the people. In fact, he was willing to die for the people rather than see God destroy them (Ex. 32:31–34). A true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1999). Be equipped (pp. 67–68). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub)
9:14 blot out their name from under heaven. God threatened to destroy the people of Israel so completely that He pictured it as an obliteration of all memory of them from the world of men. This threat was taken by Moses as an invitation to intercede for the children of Israel (Nu 14:11–19). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Dt 9:14). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 14. Let me alone, that I may destroy them, &c.] Do not say one word to me on their behalf, or entreat me to spare them, and not destroy them: and blot out their name from under heaven; that no such nation may be heard of, or known by the name of Israel: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they; of his family, whereby the Lord’s promise to Abraham would not have been made void, but equally firm and sure, since this mightier and greater nation would have been of his seed; see the note on Exod. 32:10. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 40). 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!!)
Lacking Nothing
He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons. ACTS 14:17 Dollar dilemmas. If you’re like most couples, you’ve already had some high-thermostat conversations about money. In many marriages, one spouse grips a dollar bill so tight that Washington has tears on his cheeks, while the other has greasy fingers. Barbara shared recently that when we started our marriage, she felt as if she had to ask before spending virtually any money. I recall that as a new husband, I had no idea of how she felt about what I thought of as our money. We were not on the same page in how we looked at our finances. We realized that if we hoped to reconcile our differences or our account balances, then we needed to develop a mutual understanding about our finances that was the same as God’s. Over time, we learned that the foundation of our attitudes about money should be our understanding of Him as Provider. When Jesus’ disciples returned from a trip, He asked them if they had lacked anything along the way (see Luke 22:35). Their answer? “No, nothing.” They trusted Christ and their needs were met. This spiritual principle is true today. During our entire marriage, Barbara and I have relied on His provision through His people. Simply put, we receive a set salary if (and only if) our supporters give enough to cover that amount every month. Every month is like Christmas, seeing how God has provided. (In fact, we also do not take royalty payments for our books or receive honorariums when we speak at FamilyLife events or conferences.) Over the years, we’ve experienced God’s provision in hundreds of ways. Every paycheck is hand to mouth . . . His hand to our mouths! Even now, He melts our hearts as we find Him knowing our situation, understanding where we are and moving with faith-building power to supply our genuine needs. (Moments with You Couples by Dennis and Barb Rainey)
Titus 2
The book of Titus encourages people of all ages to live proper lives as Christians.
INSIGHT
The knowledge of Christ must effect a transformation in our lives so that our attitudes and actions will “adorn the doctrine of God” (v. 10). The words we speak will influence others only if our actions support our words. God has redeemed us from the slavery of sin, assuring us of “the blessed hope” of the coming of Christ (v. 13). Because we will one day be delivered from this world, we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, fixing our faith on the coming of “the blessed hope.” This means we must be good stewards of the things of this world and live for the things Jesus would live for if He were in our place. (Quiet Walk)
THE FULLNESS OF BLESSING
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.1 John 4:13
How does this blessing come? Well, I do not see any evidence in the New Testament to support what used to be called a “tarrying meeting.” Some people had that idea. God had certain blessings to give, and they thought they had to wait until they received them. But the gift is given by God in His own way and time; this gift does not come of necessity at once. It is God’s gift, and He knows when to give it and when to withhold it.
Do you remember the case of Moody? This was his story. He became conscious of his lack and need, and he began to pray to God about it. He gave obedience to the Word of God as well as he could, and he went on praying for months. Nothing happened to him, but still he went on praying. Yes, he waited for it, but it did not come, and the story is that one day, walking down a street in New York, not in a tarrying meeting, not even in a prayer meeting, suddenly God overwhelmed him with this mighty blessing. It was so mighty that Moody felt he would be killed by it, and he held up his hand and said, “Stop, God!”
God has His own time. God knows when to give the gift, and we must never imagine that by going to a meeting or following a certain procedure it is bound to come. No; the Holy Spirit is sovereign, and He gives in His own way. It may be dramatically or suddenly or quietly; that is irrelevant, because what really matters is that we receive the gift. The essence of it all, I think, can be put very simply: “Trust and obey.”
A Thought to Ponder: God has His own time. God knows when to give the gift.
(From The Love of God, pp. 114-115, by Dr, Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Godly Examples
“Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.” (Colossians 4:15)
Some Pauline epistles, which included the letter to the church at Colossae, were written during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome approximately 60 through 62 AD. Three cities (Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae) were close together and were near Laodicea. Paul instructs Nymphas to read the Colossians letter to the church at Laodicea.
There is a group labeled “fellow workers” (Colossians 4:11)—Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Marcus, and Justus. They were the men who ministered to Paul in Rome. There were also friends from the third missionary journey: Epaphras, Demas, Nymphas, and Archippus from the cities around Colossae who kept in close contact and probably supported Paul financially. Luke, the “beloved physician,” apparently joined Paul on the second missionary journey on the trip to Rome (Acts 16—the “we” passages).
Several godly attributes are identified. “Beloved brother” is used to emphasize the intense relationship that Paul had with some of these men. “Faithful minister” (a “deacon”), along with “fellow servant” and “fellow worker,” stresses the service Paul enjoyed with them. “Fellow prisoner” is an obvious identification.
“Labouring fervently” (the Greek word agonizomai) is used to speak of Epaphras (Colossians 4:12), who was always praying for the church at Colossae with great zeal. This and other lists such as the 16th chapter of Romans give us precious insight into the lives of godly men and women who shared the lives of key leaders and made their ministry more effective.
May it please the Lord Jesus to have us so named in “the books” of eternity (Revelation 20:12). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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