March 7, 2017
After visiting the Temple in Jerusalem, the disciples commented on its magnificence and the beauty of the surrounding buildings there. Jesus surprised them by saying, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another” (Mark 13:2). They asked Jesus two questions in response. 1) When will this happen? And 2) What will be the sign of its fulfillment?
Jesus answered both their “when” and “what” questions concerning the Temple. The Temple would be destroyed during the time of that “generation,” just as Jesus had said. For it was demolished in 70 AD by the Romans. But Jesus went on to tell them even more than they had asked. He also spoke of a time of tribulation followed by his coming again. Concerning this, he gave some of the signs, but not the time. In fact, he warned that no one except the Father knows the time of his return.
Therefore, do not believe those who predict the day or hour of Christ’s return. Jesus has already told us that they do not know. Instead, follow his instructions:
1) “Take heed.” – Be prepared. Live as if he could return today. Get your affairs in order.
2) “Watch” – Stand guard. Keep your eyes open for the signs of his return.
3) “Pray” – Let prayer be the main activity of your heeding and watching.
The destruction of Jerusalem was one of the many signs fulfilled exactly according to Christ’s words. The reality that he is coming again is just as certain.
March 6, 2017
God gave this benediction to Moses for Aaron, the high priest, to speak over the children of Israel as a blessing. It is made up of three double clauses, each beginning with an invocation to the LORD. The all caps “LORD,” indicates that the Hebrew name, “יְהוָ֤ה, Yahweh,” was being used. God wanted His NAME “put on” (Num.6:27) the Israelites.
In this three part blessing, an early revelation of the Trinity might be seen:
– The Father: “The LORD bless you and keep you.” The Father chooses to bless and keep us.
– The Son: “The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you.” The Son reveals the “face” of God through the incarnation and shows His grace by dying for our sins.
– The Spirit: “The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” The Holy Spirit comes “upon” us to abide within us and give us peace.
Has this Trinitarian blessing been spoken over you?
March 5, 2017
Again we return to one of the favorite themes of the Psalmist, namely, the “lovingkindness” of God. This attribute in the Hebrew is called “chesed.” It describes the unconditional and covenantal love of God. The Psalmist wrote that they had “thought on” this Divine attribute in the temple. In other words, they had “meditated on” God’s lovingkindness, literally, “likening or comparing” it to what they knew, in order to understand it and appreciate it better.
Today as believers, we are God’s holy temple. When we gather as the church, we encourage one another to “think on” God’s lovingkindness just as the saints of old, yet with greater illumination and understanding. For we have God’s greatest expression of His “chesed” love, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us meditate on God’s great love today. As the apostle John wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us!” (1 John 3:1 NIV).
March 4, 2017
Singing praises to God should engage both the heart and the mind. All kinds of singing is encouraged by God’s Word. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16). Modern praise songs, with their simple repetitive phrases, help move the heart, but soon feel shallow without the rich theology found in many older hymns. Both are needed. A survey of the 150 Psalms of the Bible, reveals a wealth of songs and hymns that engage both heart and mind. We are to sing songs that stir our emotion, with an exclamation on the end! But we are also to sing songs that deepen our “understanding,” so that the Word “dwells richly” in our minds too.
March 3, 2017
And so ended the day of Passion Week, Palm Sunday, 33 AD. After a very eventful day, Jesus and the Twelve spent the evening in Bethany, no doubt at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. The Bible offers more detail about this week, than any other week since the week of creation recorded in Genesis.
Creation Week Passion Week
Day 1/Sunday Light Triumphal entry
Day 2/Monday Sky and seas Cleansing the Temple
Day 3/Tuesday Land and plants Teaching in the Temple
Day 4/Wednesday Sun, Moon and stars Anointed in Bethany
Day 5/Thursday Birds and fish Last Supper & Garden
Day 6/Friday Animals and Man Crucifixion and Death
Day 7/Saturday Rested In the tomb
Day 8/Sunday Man’s Fall Christ’s Resurrection!
The Bible zooms in on these two weeks for a day by day account. In the first week, all is created, yet man falls into sin. In the second week, all is redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection!
March 2, 2017
Denoted a “maskil” by the Psalmist, this psalm sought to instruct concerning the future glory of the Messiah and His bride. Verse seven is especially instructive of the identity of the Messiah:
1) He will love righteousness
2) He will hate wickedness
3) He is God (See Psa. 45:6 “Your throne, O God”). The Hebrew translated “Therefore God, Your God” might also be translated, “O God, Your God.” This would make it a direct address to the Anointed One as God, yet also reveal that the Lord is His God (See Hebrews 1:8-9).
4) He is the “Messiah” (Literally, “anointed one.” ). In the New Testament, “anointed one” is rendered “Christ.”
5) He is the Groom. The “oil of gladness” points to the joy of the wedding supper celebrating the union of Christ and His Bride, the Church. It was for this “joy” (Heb.12:2) that Christ endured the cross.
6) He is the superior Mediator (See 1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 9:15). His anointing is “more than” His companions. The high priests that offered mediating sacrifices before His coming were anointed, but their anointing was inferior to His and only a type pointing to fulfillment in Him.
7) He is human. That the former anointed ones were human and considered His “companions,” points to the His humanity.
This psalm was set to the tune of “The Lillies,” according to the Psalmist’s inscription, and sung in Temple worship. Yet, when the Messiah came, they did not recognize Him. But those who have recognized Him, sing of Him still, and will continue to sing of and to Him for ages to come.
March 1, 2017
After offering many reasons why the Lord should help, the Psalmist ultimately based his appeal on the Lord’s own “mercy.” The word in the Hebrew is “chesed,” which may also refer to God’s loving-kindness, his covenantal and unfailing love. In the New Testament this most closely matches the word “agape” love, as found in John 3:16, “For God so loved.” The Psalmist was praying, “Rise up our Help and redeem us according to the quality of Your covenantal love and not according to our own desert.”
February 28, 2017
Jesus often used hyperbole to make a point. After taking a child onto his lap, he warned against anyone who would cause such a little one who believed in Him to stumble. He told them it would be better that such a one have a millstone hung around their neck and be cast into the sea. Then, he warned against allowing anyone or anything to cause us to sin as well. He illustrated this with three parts of the human body, the hands, the feet and the eyes, in his warning to drive home the extreme seriousness of sin’s penalty. He taught that it was better to enter heaven missing a hand, a foot or an eye, than to go to hell with them. Perhaps the apostle John had these three warnings in view when he wrote, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). Do not let anyone or anything, no matter how dear it may be to you, cause you to choose sin over believing in Christ.
February 27, 2017
The Lord taught the Israelites that they were to “be holy to” Him. It was He that had “separated” them from other “peoples.” Just as the temple implements and clothing were actually common until they were “separated” from others and set apart for special use, so they were to “be holy to” the Lord. That they were chosen “from the peoples” of the world was not a rejection of the other nations. The Israelites were not holy to Him because of who they were, but because of who He is. He had chosen them and “separated” them from other peoples because of His intent to make them the means by which He would call all peoples to Himself. The prophet Zechariah wrote of this future purpose, saying, “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst” (Zech. 2:11). Until then, the many moral, civil and ceremonial laws were given to separate the Israelites from the other nations and prepare them to be the people to whom the Messiah, God’s Son, would be born. As John wrote in fulfillment of Zechariah, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
February 26, 2017
David had learned to encourage himself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6). This psalm illustrates his method. When he felt down or out of sorts, he didn’t just drag on, he stopped and found a quiet place to get alone with God. He addressed his soul, searching inside for the source of his own “disquiet.” Getting in touch with his own feelings and doubts, he carried them to the Lord, confessing his soul’s condition and changing the object of his hope from self to God. He was essentially saying, “Soul, stop hoping in yourself, that’s why you’re feeling so worried. Instead, hope in God!” After a look in the mirror to see the source of his soul’s condition, he looked up to seek the “countenance” of the Lord. Like the countenance of an anxious child that brightens to a smile when seeing the face of his mother, so David sought the help of seeing the Lord’s face.