I Samuel I: Growing

I Samuel I

Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man. (I Samuel 2:26 ESV)

Growing

We modern Americans think growth is everything.  We praise our children for growing taller.  We praise our business for growing in profits.  We praise our nation for growing in influence.  We praise our church for growing in attendance.  We praise our checking accounts for growing in dollars, or yen, or ducats.

But that is not how God cares about our growth.

Notice the two kinds of growth that are described here… first, stature and favor with the Lord.  In other words, Samuel grew in his relationship with God.  Both His stature with the Lord, maybe starting with an uneducated but willing disciple… then learning more… then knowing more…  both knowing about God, and knowing God more and more.  THAT is the stature that pleased God.

Secondly, Samuel also grew in favor with man.  He was not hiding in an Ivory Tower.  He was, at some level, winsome.  He was noticed, appreciated, and honored.  More and more as his life went on.

This book urges us to redefine success, value, and worthiness.

We get to define ourselves NOT according to the changing and unstable standards of the world, or our nation, or our society, or our families, or our hobbies, or our financial group.

But like Samuel… it is GOD’S standards!

Ruth II: Ancestors

Ruth II

Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. (Ruth 4:22 ESV)

Ancestors

The Bible is a book of stories.  True stories.  Delightful stories.  Profound stories.  Valuable stories.  Important stories.  Scary stories.  Artful stories.  Necessary stories. 

And every one of them is about Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God’s people.

This is demonstrated here in the book of Ruth.  Sure, it is a love story.  Sure, it is a story of familiar nobility.  Sure, it is a story of obedience.  Sure, it is a story of hope fulfilled.

But mostly, it is a story of the ancestral line of the Messiah.

Ruth was the ancestor of David.  Who was the ancestor of Jesus.

And we are adopted into that same family.

Ruth I: High Expectations

Ruth I

Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may His name be renowned in Israel! (Ruth 4:14 ESV)

High Expectations

Naomi had a rough life… much rougher than mine.  Maybe rougher than yours.

But it is not a competition….

But even in the worst of Naomi’s days, widowed… sons dead and ‘stuck’ with Moabite women for family… far, so far from home… unemployed without any human hope for survival…

She knew she had a redeemer.

And we do, too.  We actually have it better than Naomi.  She hoped in the redeemer to come, sometime.  But we know that the redeemer not only WILL live, but is alive!

And redeeming!

Judges

Judges

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 ESV)

Reason

Without a need for the gospel, there is no need for the gospel.

The Messiah was not foretold, born, suffered, died, resurrected, and lifted into heaven as King because God was bored.   Since everyone was doing what was right in THEIR eyes, they were not paying much attention to what was right in God’s eyes.

When we read about the absence of a King in Israel, we do not merely see that a political government was lacking.  Israel always had a King, you see.  The people of God from Abraham onward always had a King.  All of humankind, from Adam onward always had a King.

That King was God.

But the people of God dwelling in the Middle East decided that they knew more than God.  Without a rally or revolution, they began to ignore their King, and His Word… as short as it was back then.

And thus, God moved ahead with His plan to provide the Messiah.  Yes, to help the downtrodden, suffering, and lost.  But also to pull, prod, and push His people into remembering that HE is King.

A good King.

The perfect King.

Our King!

We, too, seem to prefer to do what is right in our own eyes.  But learn the lesson of long ago (repeated often…) Let HIS eyes determine what is right.

And lest we wander too far from His path… what is right in HIS eyes, can be right in OUR eyes when we lift our eyes to Jesus!

Joshua II: Choice

Joshua II

…choose this day whom you will serve… (Joshua 24:15 ESV)

Choice

While scripture is indisputably clear that God, and God alone is sovereign… surprisingly He gives His people choices.

I do not really understand how God bridges those two cliffs… but He does.

He is sovereign, in charge, master of the universe, the Ultimate King.  And when we make decisions, have ideas, and make choices, somehow that is exactly what God in His sovereignty wants us to do.

Especially the choice to serve Him.

We GET to choose!  We GET to decide!  We GET to follow Him!

Our choice is how we love Him back.  Our choice is how we acknowledge His gift.  Our choice is how we live for Him instead of ourselves.

Choose you this day…

Joshua I: Willing and Able

Joshua I

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 ESV)

Willing and Able

God repeatedly tells Joshua, and Joshua tells his people to, “Be Strong and Courageous.”  It might seem that the message is to stand proudly on a mountain top, chin extended, eyes on the horizon, ready to leap tall mountains in a single bound.

But that is not God’s message.

Joshua’s name is actually the same as the Messiah’s, Jesus.

And it refers to God’s salvation.

Joshua led the insignificant Israelites through struggles, conflicts, battles, and wars.  And while he led through being strong and courageous, a better understanding of those words would be: able and willing.

Joshua was able to be a military genius, because the real general was God Himself. 

Joshua was willing to dangerously fight the Canaanites because Joshua knew God would be with him.

His strength, his ability, came from God.

His courage, his willingness, came from God.

And the message to be Strong and Courageous, able and willing, rings in our ears, too.

Whatever enemies you fight, or think you fight… following the Lord instead of your own self will enable you to be strong and courageous… able and willing.

Deuteronomy: One

Deuteronomy

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4 ESV)

One

Today it seems that ‘truth’ has become vague, undefinable, and relative.  Everyone has our own own own own truth, we seem to believe. 

But God says otherwise.

The Lord our God is one.

The only one.

Not one out of many options, or one part of a whole, or one way of understanding.

He is IT.

The Lord is one.

Without that concept, God’s Truth becomes a matter of our choice, our opinion, our deduction, our needs, and our comfort.

And that means His Word is one.  His definition of life is one.  His definition of sin is one.  His way of salvation is one.

God is not like the many choices found at McDonald’s, Walmart, or the movie theater.

He simply (and wonderfully) IS.

Numbers: Blessing

Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”  So shall they put My name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:23-27 ESV)

Blessing

This is such an important verse that many churches use these words to end formal worship.  Not only does it show God’s desire to bless His people, but it describes THE way to receive God’s fantastic blessing.

It is not by perfect obedience, or we would always be cursed instead of blessed.

It is not by being nice, or we would always be cursed instead of blessed.

It is not by praying enough, or we would always be cursed instead of blessed.

It is not being churchy enough, or we would always be cursed instead of blessed.

It is not by voting politically the right way, or we would always be cursed instead of blessed.

God’s blessings come to God’s people because we have HIS name on our soul’s nametags.

God’s blessings come to God’s people because we have the Christ’s name, JESUS on our soul’s nametag.

And we get that by Grace, through Faith.

Leviticus II: Holy Road

Leviticus II

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, you shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2 ESV)

Holy Road

I have a new (to me) plumbing tool.  It is designed to loosen and tighten the mechanism that attaches the under side of the faucet to the sink.  I lived for decades without one.  This underside of the sink is difficult to work in.  Not enough room to fit my knuckles.  Not the right angle to see what I am doing.  Not even space to turn wrenches.

I really have no idea how I attached any faucets before I found that tool.

Just like God’s command to be holy.

We can’t do it.  There is not enough room in our souls for our sinfulness and God’s holiness.  We can’t see, really, how we are acting, because our motives are so suspect.  We take a small step forward, and it results in three steps backwards.

When God commanded His people to be Holy, He knew what He was really commanding:

Get ready for the Messiah.

The ONLY way to holiness is through Christ.

It is only His holiness, accredited to us, that allows us to keep God’s commandment.

All of the Law has that purpose.  Through God’s Law, we know we need a Savior.

I think that makes the Law more exciting to read.  As we read God’s difficult Laws, we read about the road to holiness… because Jesus IS the Way.

Leviticus: True Love

Leviticus

…but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18b)

True Love

Movies about love, books about love, TV shows about love, poems about love, songs about love, plays about love, and thoughts about love are all incredibly popular.

Because love is necessary.

But rarely do those forms of love actually depict what God, the inventor and creator of love, actually made love to be.

Jesus summarized ALL of the law of God using this verse as part of His definition of love. (Mark 12:31)

We can learn about love from books, TV shows, poems, songs, plays, and our thoughts.  But we can only understand love from God.  We can only receive love from God.  We can only learn how to give love from God.

In fact, since the book of Leviticus is primarily a book of God’s Law, and since Jesus says God’s law is best summarized by the concept and action of love… we could say that Leviticus is a Love Story!

And when we learn about Love, we learn about Jesus.  When we yearn for Love, we yearn for Jesus.  When we understand true Love, we understand Jesus.

Exodus: Grace Already

Exodus

…but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:6 ESV)

Grace Already

Right in the middle of the Ten Commandments we find the hope of the gospel.  When God’s people honestly read those commandments, we are struck with how long our sin list is.  Wow, have we been disobedient.

It is made worse, years later, when Jesus explains that our sin is deeper than a simple act of disobedience.  He teaches that while we might THINK we have not blatantly sinned, such as murdering someone… when our hearts are unrighteous, that TOO is a sin.  Jesus said that hatred is a form of murder!

But the solution offered in Genesis is revived and repeated in Exodus.

Those who choose to love the Lord, will find God’s steadfast love instead of His wrath.

God shows here that His goal is not simply obedient people.  But rather, a relationship with His people.

And less we worry about the ‘keep my commandments’ condition, there is only ONE who perfectly has done that.  Jesus, Himself.  And when we are connected to Him through the cross, HIS obedience, HIS keeping of the commandments becomes ours in God’s eyes.

It is through Jesus that God shows His steadfast love.

Genesis III: Belief

And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 ESV)

Belief

Some might mistakenly believe that the Bible is a book of tough rules and regulations intended to make people nicer.

While the Bible, if followed, might indeed have that effect on our society, that is not the primary message of Scripture. 

Because perfect obedience is an impossible task.  But that failure, which we realize more and more, the more we more understand God’s law has a solution.

God intends and desires His people to believe in the Lord.  That Lord is the Messiah.

And what Abraham believed is that the Messiah-to-come was enough.  The Messiah-to-come replaces our disobedience with His obedience.  The Messiah-to-come makes possible and makes real the People of God.

And so Abraham’s belief was as good as righteousness in God’s eyes.

And the same is true today.

The Messiah-who- came is enough.  The Messiah-who-came replaces our disobedience with His obedience.  The Messiah-who-came made possible and made real the People of God:  Us.

=-=-=-=

Genesis II: The Fixing of the Big Break

Genesis (II)

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15 ESV)

The Fixing of the Big Break

While sin is the ultimate cause of everything that is wrong in the world, the trouble with sin is not really what we tend to think it is.  The trouble with sin is not really that disease runs rampant, as bad as that is.  The trouble with sin is not really that dishonesty tends to ruin relationships, as bad as that is.  The trouble with sin is not really that weeds grow, storms rage, and the earth at times quakes, as bad as those things are.

The trouble with sin…  the REAL trouble… is that mankind (and thereby all of creation) is separated from God.  He, holy, cannot bear sin.  He, holy, abhors sin.  He, holy, must eradicate sin.

And here, in the 3rd chapter of Genesis, God shows His hand.  His plan.  His solution.

The symbol of sin, Satan, is going to be killed by the coming solution:  the Messiah.

Sin, at the root of all trouble, will meet it’s match at the triumphant crushing foot of the Messiah.

Jesus, the Messiah, is the solution to every problem that sin causes.  Which means, every problem that has existed, exists, or will exist.

Jesus is not merely a soft-spoken nice guy who loves people.  He is the necessary destruction of sin, sin’s power, sin’s punishment, and sin’s effects. 

Foundation

Genesis (I)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 ESV)

Foundation

Our world seems bound and determined to define God out of existence.  And if that doesn’t work, they try to redefine Him into something more palatable, less holy, and less important.

It is why we have Superman, so many religions, and silly forms of science.

But the book of Genesis begins by declaring that God IS… and always was.

Those words, “In the beginning, God…” define reality for mankind.

Without, “In the beginning, God…” we can not understand creation, sin, or salvation.

“In the beginning, God…” is the beginning of our understanding of Jesus Himself, the world’s need for Jesus, Himself, and how He came.

The Entire Bible

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27 ESV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 ESV)

The Entire Bible

I am already cheating!  After deciding to start this series by listing the key verse of scripture, I just couldn’t do it.  Both of these verses combine to show clearly what ALL of the Bible is about.

All of the Bible is about Jesus.

Jesus Himself showed that all of Scripture points to Him.  While some throughout history have tried to claim that the Bible is about morals, community, how to live, and the law… all of those aspects are only important when they related to Christ Jesus.

The Bible is about Jesus.

Further, in the fourth gospel, we read amazingly that Jesus IS the very Word of God.

Not only is the Bible about Jesus, but He IS God’s Word.

The answer to every problem is Jesus.  The foundation of every truth is Jesus.  Mankind’s hope is Jesus.  Both practically, emotionally, and Spiritually, the center of all we need to know is Jesus.

The key part of Scripture is Jesus.

Key Verses

When I watch a film I usually find a key scene.  A moment in the action or dialogue that is THE moment that best displays the film.  In Star Wars: A New Hope, for instance, it is the moment that Han Solo comes out of nowhere and ‘saves’ Luke Skywalker.  This moment, for me, demonstrates the companionship that is the key to understanding that movie.

I expect your key moment is different.

It is my intention in these articles to present the Key Verse for each of the 66 books of the Bible.

This does not mean, necessarily, my favorite.

This does not mean, necessarily the most important salvific doctrine.

This does not mean, necessarily, the best known.

But with an aim to encourage us all to READ the book, I hope we will see the Key to understanding each book.

I fully expect and encourage every reader to have their own key verses.  Maybe they will line up with mine, maybe they will not.

(Some books might have more than one… just warning…)

Jesus' Life (Again) and Work

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 4:15 ESV)

Jesus’ Life (Again) and Work

After His last earthly work was done, Jesus got to work in heaven.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means ruling all of heaven and earth.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means interceding on our behalf when we cry out.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means preparing rooms for us, His people.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means still giving His people faith, hope, and love.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means still bringing peace, joy, and salvation.

Back to life, He was… and back to work for us!

Jesus' Death and Work

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 ESV)

Jesus’ Death and Work

Jesus’ last work was His death.

The Resurrection is coming, but that was not His work.  The Ascension is coming, but that was not His work.

He gave up His Spirit.  He died by His choice, by His effort, by His will.

And that last work was powerful.

It paid for every believer’s sin!  It opened heaven’s gates for every believer!  It finished not only the work of 33 years, but the salvific work that the Trinity had been forging since Adam’s fall.

For Him, it was finished.

For us, the results were just beginning.

Jesus' Life and Work

…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:10 ESV)

Jesus’ Life and Work

It is common for jokes to be made about failure.  When a roadworker paints a crooked line, we say, “you had ONE job!”  When a cook forgets to add salt, we say, “You had ONE job!”  When a Professional Bowler misses a strike, we say, “You had ONE job!”

Christians might be said to have ONE job!  Obeying God.  And we fail in that ONE job.

But Jesus’ perfect life results in God accepting CHRIST’S obedience as our own.

We best do our job when clinging body, heart, and soul to Jesus.  Then HIS one job fixes our one job!

Jesus' Life (Again) and Rest

Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? (Isaiah 66:1, Acts 7:49 ESV)

Jesus’ Life (Again) and Rest

This verse is found in both Isaiah and Acts. 

And the point is the same.  Our Lord’s home is heaven… and we will follow Him there to rest.

He rests there free from worldly concerns, because He is KING.  And we follow Him there.

He rests there secure in the Sovereignty that He shares. And we follow Him there.

He rests there in joy at His accomplished work, at peace from His victory on the cross, and loving His Father and His siblings.  And we follow Him there.

He rests… and so will we.