April 24, 2017
This parable is as true of the man as of the woman, yet the woman is here emphasized. Wisdom is characterized by a willingness to be faithful to the calling and gifting of the Lord. The wise woman fears the Lord and so she is fruitful in all things, loving her husband and raising her children in the admonitions of the Lord (Titus 2:4-5). She “watches over her household and does not eat the bread of idleness,” and her children and husband “rise up and call her blessed” (Prov. 31:27-28).
Foolishness wants its own way, rather than God’s way. It bucks against God’s blueprint for the home and chooses the way of ease. She blames the decline of her house on others, yet her own behavior is at the root of its demise.
Wisdom builds up, but foolishness tears down. What is the secret to receiving this wisdom for our home? Jesus Christ is the answer! As the apostle Paul wrote, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). Build your house on Christ the Solid Rock!
April 23, 2017
The Israelites did not completely obey the Lord’s command to make no covenants with, nor allow any altars to the pagans of the Promised Land. Since they allowed them to stay in the land, the Lord said they would become “thorns” in their side and that their false gods would be a “snare” to them. Their failure to obey the Lord completely set the stage for the painful cycle of five recurring themes in the book of Judges: Rebellion, Rebuke, Repentance, Rescue, and Rest.
As you read the book of Judges, watch for these five themes. The Israelites will rebel, God rebukes them, they finally repent, God sends a judge to rescue them and they find rest (usually for 40 years or a generation). It’s exhausting to read because the Israelites are so unfaithful. Yet, God’s faithfulness remains consistent throughout!
April 22, 2017
As Jesus watched the people putting their gifts into the Temple offering, he offered several insights into how God sees our giving. One insight is that God sees our giving. He watches over our giving, looking to see who is generous and who is not. Another insight is that God sees the proportion of our giving. He knows whether we give sacrificially or not. He cares less about the amount of our giving and more about the motivation and proportion of our giving.
That Jesus sat near the place where he could watch those giving their offerings, and that he used it to teach his disciples about giving, should not surprise us. He wants us to understand that God cares more for the heart of the giver than the amount of the gift. Love and giving are connected. “For God so loved the world that he gave…” (John 3:16).
April 21, 2017
Joshua, sensing that he was at the end of his days, called all the Israelite leaders from every tribe together to hear his final words. He and Caleb were the last of those who remembered their slavery in Egypt. He had witnessed the ten plagues. He knew the meaning of Passover first hand. He had crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. His thirst had been quenched with water from the Rock and his hunger satisfied for 40 years with a daily provision of manna from heaven. Some in their midst may have been children during those days, but Joshua and Caleb alone had experienced it as grown men. Joshua had been faithful as a servant to Moses, faithful to spy out the land and give a good report, and faithful to lead Israel after Moses’ death. Now Joshua was faithfully preparing to take the next step in his journey, he was going the “way of all the earth,” namely, he was about to die. Yet, his final words were to encourage his people to remain faithful to the Lord, just as the Lord had been faithful to them.
Joshua is an example to all who would be faithful to the end. His last words were like the first words that the Lord had given him as Israel’s new leader, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
April 20, 2017
The physical fulfillment of this promise was unbroken until the Babylonian overthrow of Judah in 597 BC. Yet, the spiritual fulfillment always pointed to Christ, who is the “Seed of the woman” who would crush Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15), the “Seed of Abraham” through whom all nations of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 26:4), and the “Seed of David” whom God will raise up to reign forever.
As the apostle Paul wrote, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ” (Gal. 3:16). Jesus Christ is the promised Seed.
April 19, 2017
Having to wait for any expected good certainly affects our attitude. In this sense, the writer of this proverb accurately observed the growing despondency of the heart that waits unfulfilled. Yet, it is even more intense in the spiritual longing that we have for God. It was in this spiritual sense that many see this proverb pointing to Israel’s longing for the coming of the Desired One, the Messiah. As the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai, “I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:7).
Today, we experience a kind of “heart sickness” as we await the return of Christ. But we have the Holy Spirit which fills us with a confident hope that assures us of the certainty of our desire. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5).
April 18, 2017
“Shiloh” was a town located in Ephraim where the Tabernacle with the Ark was kept from the beginning of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land until the time of Eli’s wicked sons in 1 Samuel. The name “Shiloh” was first mentioned in Jacob’s blessing over Judah and is often used synonymously for Messiah: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Gen. 49:10). It comes from the word “shalom,” and has been translated to mean, “the coming of rest, the coming of peace, or place of rest.” It was at Shiloh that Joshua divided the land for the final seven tribes according to the Lord’s designation.
Now, our Shiloh has come. His name is Jesus. He is our peace with God. He is our rest.
April 17, 2017
Many come to Jesus, attracted to His person, but unwilling to admit their own spiritual bankruptcy. So it was for the RYR (“Rich Young Ruler”). He thought to add Jesus to his portfolio of good works. Yet, Jesus saw his heart. Jesus challenged him to die to his former life and leave everything behind to follow Him. This filled the RYR with sorrow, for he had great worldly wealth. It also revealed his failure to keep even the first of the ten commandments, putting his love of money ahead of his love of God.
The invitation to follow Christ is not a call to religious effort (i.e. “What shall I do?”), but a call to come and die, that you might be born again in newness of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:4, 11).
April 16, 2017
Personifying the divine attributes, the psalmist wrote of a day when mercy and truth would finally meet and righteousness and peace would greet one another with a holy kiss. The result of this union would cause truth to burst like a seed from the earth and righteousness to shine down from the flung open windows of heaven.
Surely this meeting is fulfilled in Christ. For God’s mercy and truth intersected in Christ on the cross. God’s truth and holiness put Him there to die in our place and God’s love and mercy were the nails that held Him fast. God’s desire for our righteousness and for peace and reconciliation between God and humanity were met in the Messiah like a kiss, as He tasted death for us. Yet, the Truth sprang from the earth on the third day. He has flung open the windows of heaven, so that righteousness shines down on those who follow Him.
All the divine attributes are met in Christ. The Son of God was crucified, buried and raised on the third day. He is risen! Let all the earth rejoice!
April 15, 2017
The Lord is like the sun enlightening our way. He is like a shield protecting us from harm. He freely gives grace, offering His favor and friendship. He will not share His own glory, yet He gives glory to those who are His, appropriate to their state, which is the honor, beauty and blessing He bestows on the righteous, both in this life and even more so in the next. God does not withhold good from us, as some would accuse, but pours out goodness like rain on those who live according to His Word. Even that which is perceived as harm He causes to work together for the good for those that love the Lord (Rom. 8:28).
The ultimate revelation of God’s grace, glory and goodness has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Those who have believed and received the Son, have received the greatest grace, glory and goodness of God. If He does not withhold Christ from us, will He withhold any good thing?
“He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?” (Rom. 8:32 AMP).