Talk of JESUS . com

Tag: israel

  • Israel’s First King

    Israel’s First King

    Israel. Let us first recall that Israel is a person, a people and a place. A nation with the promise of God bears that name and witness of the LORD’s covenant with Abraham and the generations. Israel is the LORD’s name for Jacob, son of Issac, son of Abraham; not any other of the forefathers of history.

    Genesis 32:28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

    The generations of Esau are not included. Nations and tribes beyond the LORD’s covenant are not included. Israel is a people given God’s promise and Israel is a people who have broken their covenant with the LORD. Yet God is a God of mercy.

    Numbers 35:34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”

    Numbers 36:7 The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.

    The LORD intended for the generations of Israel to remain separate close families – sons and daughters close to the LORD.

    Deuteronomy 3:18 “And I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel.

    Deuteronomy 10:12-14 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?

    Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.

    The Hebrew slaves who the LORD rescued from the harsh hand of Pharaoh were given the Law through Moses and led into the Promised Land under Joshua. They had NO King. Israel had no Judges even in that time, but only the rule of the LORD and those consecrated to serve the LORD.

    The LORD is One King above all earthly kings, One Commander over all armies of earth and heaven, and one God above every High Priest anointed to serve the LORD in the wilderness or in the Promised Land.

    Deuteronomy 10:20-21 You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.

    Therefore, centuries later during the time of Saul, the King of Israel is not like any other King, but a man anointed to serve the LORD.

    We are probably most familiar with David, a man after God’s own heart who succeeded Saul as king. We associate the (first) Temple to Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, Israel’s most successful, rich and victorious king.

    The history of the Kings of Israel after Solomon is sorted, divided and spans several centuries until the fall of the northern kingdom (Israel) and later the southern kingdom (Judah). Most Kings of Israel after Solomon are best described by the oft repeated synopsis of scripture, “And [he, King] ___ did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”

    The King and rulers of the land are ultimately accountable to the LORD God.

    Followers of military generals, whether Joshua, Saul, David or another appointed by the King, are ultimately accountable to a man anointed by God.

    The lessons of King Saul are best heeded in the reasons for his failings. The warnings of history might be that we would not elevate such a man to leadership who will not be accountable to God.

    Let’s fast forward to the death of King Saul and accept the reproof of scripture for our own caution.

    1 Chronicles 10

    6 Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. 7 And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them.

    8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

    Israel of the JudgesIsrael had won their land from Canaan; however like most countries other lands bordered theirs. Philistia bordered Israel to the west along the coast of the Great Sea (Mediterranean). East of the Jordan Ammon bordered Israel. The Moabites and Amalakites bordered Israel to the South. And the Canaanites lived among the Hebrew people in certain areas and retained some towns of their own.

    Now an enemy has defeated the people of God and now mocks their King before their own idols. (Imagine your enemies doing this with the leader of your country.)

    9 And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. 10 And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

    11 But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

    Jabesh-gilead attacks the Philistines to recover the head of Saul
    Jabesh-gilead attacks the Philistines to recover the head of Saul

    It is a skirmish after the loss to recover some of their lost dignity of Israel and to prevent God from being mocked in the temple of idols.

    13 So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.

    14 He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

    How would you like to have that obituary?

    King Saul was NOT faithful to God.

    Hebrews 10:30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.”

    And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

    To be continued …

  • Seeing the Invisible Spirit

    Seeing the Invisible Spirit

    How does the LORD use the Bible? How do we use the Bible to show others the Lord Jesus?

    All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

    – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

    Peter’s powerful sermon of Pentecost is perhaps among the best preaching in the Bible after Jesus is raised from the grave. Yet if you or I had been in Peter’s sandals and new position of leadership, what would we have to say?

    Let’s take a look at the context and application of events confronting this ‘preacher’ and ask of our situation, ‘What do I do with this?’

    Acts 2:

    When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

    +

    Let’s be clear of the place and condition of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the LORD GOD, promised by Christ Jesus, Son of the Living God:  “they were all together in one place.” Peter and the Apostles were worshiping.

    Peter and the Apostles were worshiping in Jerusalem where Christ Jesus had been crucified on the Cross outside the gates for our sins; in Jerusalem where Christ Jesus our Lord had risen from the grave to appear to Peter, the Twelve and many (and in many places for fifty days) Pentecost is a celebration of worship, like the Passover, which brought many of the faithful to the city of Jerusalem to worship the LORD.

    5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together…

    The sound of Almighty God draws worshipers to the place where worshipers dwell. Inexplicable, all-powerful Spirit of the Living God, here-present; NOT in the Temple of God (re-built by Herod), nor before only a High Priest behind a veil which separates the Holiness of the LORD from the sinners of God’s choosing. NO! The Holy Spirit of the Living God fell on the Apostles of Jesus and the Twelve began to preach with the Power of the Living GOD.

    “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?

    Some things only God can do. Perhaps a High Priest might witness the Holy Presence of the LORD.

    Centuries before the great silence of God in defeated Israel and defeated Judah, on occasion the Voice of God would be heard out of the mouth of the LORD’s Prophet. It is one of these great Prophets this uneducated Galilean fisherman taught from and rebuked the unbelieving people who had witnessed the Crucifixion less than two months ago. It is a fisherman speaking in languages of gentiles and of Jews who all amazingly understand the Apostles. It is the Spirit of the LORD instructing Jews and gentiles through faithful worshipers, rather than by educated Pharisees like a Saul of Tarsus, who would later witness the risen Christ.

    What was it the Apostle Peter reiterates in Jerusalem of Judea from the Prophet Joel of 800 years before Christ?

    [Joel (meaning “one to whom Jehovah is God,” that is, worshiper of Jehovah) seems to have belonged to Judah. – Commentary by A. R. Faussett ]

    What had worshipers in Jerusalem forgotten in the short weeks since a dramatic blood moon at the Crucifixion of Jesus and the tearing of the veil of the Temple?

    What have some of us forgotten since the worshipful festival of Easter just a few Sundays ago?

    Joel 1:

    1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel: 2 Hear this, O elders, And listen, all inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your days Or in your fathers’ days?…

    8 Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth.

    +

    Was Israel not the Chosen Bride of the Living God?

    Was the Bridegroom not crucified by those rejecting God’s promised grace of Perfect forgiveness?

    The Spirit of the LORD poured forth from Peter and the Apostles. Worshipers of GOD were drawn to the Invisible Word spoken through these servants of Christ Jesus.

    Acts 2:

    17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
        and your young men shall see visions,
        and your old men shall dream dreams;
    18 even on my male servants and female servants
        in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
    19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
        and signs on the earth below,
        blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
    20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
        and the moon to blood,
        before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
    21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

    +

    Peter is not reading from a scroll in the Temple. This uneducated fisherman is reminding Jerusalem of not only infrequently heard words of the Prophet Joel, but of the dramatic events of just two months earlier when the sun turned to darkness and the Bridegroom of Righteousness cried out from a cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

    Peter now preaches by the Spirit of what Joel had foretold of these very last days, begun on a Cross just weeks before.

    22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

    +

    The bold fisherman of Galilee again quotes scripture from the hymnal of the Jews, the words of Psalm 16 :

    25 For David says concerning him,

    “‘I saw the Lord always before me,
        for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
    26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
        my flesh also will dwell in hope.
    27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
        or let your Holy One see corruption.
    28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
        you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

     +

    The Spirit then gives Peter not only more scripture to speak to the souls before him, but application to their salvation. Speaking of King David, a man after God’s own heart, Peters says:

    31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

    Speaking of what some in the crowd surely had witnessed in Jerusalem at the previous feast of Pentecost, Peter proclaims:

    32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

    33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,

    he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

    God’s chosen worshipers are once again witnessing the invisible and inexplicable signs and wonders in the Apostles, signs and wonders not unlike those many had also witnessed personally in Christ Jesus of Nazareth.

    The Spirit and Peter confront their souls with the evidence of the Messiah, sacrificed and risen. Jesus is not a King like David; Jesus is more than a King of the Jews and of Jerusalem.

    34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

    “‘The Lord said to my Lord,
    “Sit at my right hand,
    35     until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

    36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

    Peter, by the power of the Spirit and the convicting words of scripture has applied the Word of God to the very moment of salvation for those with ears to hear.

    The Bridegroom of the church speaks by the Spirit to those with ears to hear:

    • Will you hear the conviction of the Savior you crucified in the words of Peter?
    • Will you turn from your sinful ways to take up your cross and follow Christ Jesus?
    • Has Jesus’s love drawn your soul to the wedding feast which will come on the clouds of these last days?
    • Will this Spirit-filled sermon make any difference in your days?
    • Will the Lord Jesus be your Lord?

     

    God IS in Person, Christ Jesus!

    The Spirit of the I AM, the LORD, calls out to you.

    • What must you do?

    Acts 2:37-47

     

  • Reflections: Israel – a place in time

    Reflections: Israel – a place in time

    To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! – Romans 3

    Joshua 1 

    God Commissions Joshua

    After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.Promised_boundaries

    4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

    5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

    2014.03.30-The-Ten-Words8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

    For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 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.”

    It is a covenant relationship with a covenant people chosen by the LORD. The Hebrew people about to enter the land of Israel promised to Abraham have ONLY to obey the LORD.

    Two basic commands for those entering the Promised Land:

    “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth

    “you shall meditate on it day and night. – Joshua 1:8

    Joshua 11:3 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.

    Yet between the days of Moses and Joshua, until the days of the Kings of Israel: Saul, David, Solomon and generations to follow; did the people of God not do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?

    And lest we become so full of grace as to not confess our own failings:

    Are Christians any better at keeping the Commandments of God as part of our speech or keeping it in prayer and our thoughts day and night?

    Chosen or adopted, each of us sins and we all struggle with obedience to God.

    Joshua 23:14 NKJV

    “When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

    The LORD God is a personal God. He loves those who love Him and hates those who love other gods and do evil. He IS a God of justice, yet a God of mercy. He has compassion on those wronged and will avenge those to whom we do evil.

    What is your witness and covenant?

    Who IS your lord?

    To be continued…