“But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands” (Matthew 17:12 ESV)
This conversation took place as Jesus and His inner circle, Peter, James, and John, descended from the Mount of Transfiguration. Having just seen the literal Elijah standing with Jesus in glory, the disciples were understandably confused about the scribal teaching that Elijah must come before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6). Jesus clarified that John the Baptist had already appeared in the “spirit and power” of Elijah (Luke 1:17) to act as His herald (Matt. 11:14).
However, Jesus highlighted a tragic irony: the religious establishment did not recognize John’s divine authority and allowed him to be executed. While some commentators believe John fulfilled Malachi’s prophecy completely, the phrasing in verse 11 suggests a more complex reality. Jesus used the future tense, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things,” to indicate a restoration that was still yet to happen. This “restoration” carries the weight of returning something to its original, intended state. Following a “both/and” view, it appears that while John fulfilled the role spiritually for the First Coming, another Elijah (perhaps one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11) will come to physically restore Israel before the Second Coming.
We live on the other side of Christ’s first coming, yet we face the same danger as that earlier generation, namely, missing what God is doing right in front of us. We do not want to be people who miss or resist His work because it does not fit our expectations. Instead, we want spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear. Whether God’s restoring work comes quietly through a voice in the wilderness or powerfully in days to come, we want to recognize it and join Him. Lord, keep us from missing what You’re doing and what You want to do through us. We may not be sure of how many “Elijahs” will appear, but we can be sure that Your Word will be fulfilled and that Your Son is coming again to make all things new.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we ask that You give us the discernment to see Your hand at work. Forgive us for the times we have been blind or deaf to Your Word. Grant us the wisdom to recognize Your plan as it unfolds and the courage to follow where You lead. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God” (Exodus 3:1 ESV).
Moses had spent the first 40 years of his life as an Egyptian prince. Now, he would spend the next 40 years as a shepherd in the land of Midian. Midian was located near the Northeastern shore of the Red Sea in modern day Saudi Arabia. It was populated by the Midianites, a nomadic people group that descended from Midian, a later son of Abraham by his wife, Keturah (Gen. 25:1-2). It was in this land, that God prepared Moses to rescue Israel.
Moses had tried rescuing his people in his own strength, even killing an Egyptian taskmaster, but ended up running away to escape the wrath of Pharaoh. Yet, it was in the wilderness of Midian that God prepared Moses for his true calling. For God didn’t need a prideful prince, but a humble shepherd to lead His people Israel. And now, Moses was ready to answer God’s call.
God often uses wilderness experiences to prepare His people for leadership. He strips us of our self-effort and pride and lets us experience failure. Then when we turn to Him fully, depending on Him for all things, He calls us and we are ready to obey.
Moses’ life can be divided into three phases: 40 years a prince, 40 years a shepherd, and 40 years as Israel’s leader and lawgiver. He could not have fulfilled the final calling of his life without the 80 years of preparation.
Are you going through a wilderness time in your life? It might be that you are going through a time of preparation. Be ready to answer God’s call. It’s never too late. Remember, Moses was 80!
PRAYER: Dear Father, we see Your hand on our lives. You have made us and You have prepared us for Your calling. Strengthen us to obey. Stir up our spirits to have zeal for the work. We want to live for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20 ESV).
When the disciples asked why they had been unable to cast the demon out from the boy with seizures, Jesus told them it was because of their “little faith.” This would be better translated, “unbelief,” from the Greek word “apistia” (literally “no faith”). For their faith, or lack thereof, had evidently been shaken by the boy’s condition, causing them to take their eyes off of God and to put them on the boy.
And this was precisely the problem that Jesus brought to their attention. It wasn’t the size of their faith, but the size of their God. For their view of the boy’s problem was bigger than their view of God. Jesus told them that they only needed faith the size of a mustard seed, a seed so small as to make it difficult to see. They didn’t need greater faith, they needed a greater understanding of God!
Jesus used a comparison of lesser to greater to illustrate this faith principle. The “mustard seed” represented the small amount of faith needed and the “mountain” represented the size of the problem faced, in this case, the boy with seizures. Neither the size of their faith, nor the size of the obstacle before them should be their focus. No, their focus was to be on God.
In other words, it is not GREAT faith in God, but faith in a GREAT God that matters. How big is your God? Do you have faith as a mustard seed in Him?
PRAYER: Dear Father, as we study Your Word and grow in knowing You better, our faith in what You can do increases. Not only what You can do, but Your willingness to do it. For we know that You care for us. And our prayers to You are based not only on Your great power, but on Your great love for us. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?” (Psalm 22:1 NLT).
This Davidic psalm begins with the question that Jesus cried out from the cross. The NLT chose the word “abandoned” in place of “forsaken,” but it has the same meaning. David surely wrote this psalm with his own feeling, yet I wonder how much awareness he had that he was describing the future suffering of the Messiah. Did the Spirit awaken him at night to feel the agony of crucifixion, moving him to write, “I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint, they have pierced my hands and feet and cast lots for my clothing?” (Psa. 22:14-16). Written centuries before the Romans invented the cruel practice, the Spirit revealed the crucifixion of the Messiah to David. Psalm 22 is filled with such detail, that it is astounding in its prophetic power. It was clearly fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, the Holy One of God, took on our sins and died in our place. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). When the sins of the world fell on Christ, He felt the Father turn away from HIm. This had never happened in all eternity. O what loneliness! What grief! Not even the pain of the whipping post, nor the cruel cross could match this! His people, the Jews, had forsaken Him, even His disciples had abandoned Him. Yet worst of all, His Father had turned away from Him, letting Him bear not only our sins and our death, but our separation from God.
However, Christ is forsaken no more. He has risen! He has conquered sin, death and the grave! He sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for us (Rom. 8:34). He has fulfilled David’s prophecy of Psalm 22. It is finished! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
PRAYER: Dear Father, You sent Your only begotten Son to be forsaken that we might be forgiven. We are in awe of so wonderful a salvation. We will always sing and shout of His great sacrifice and love. Strengthen us that we may never forsake our Lord Jesus as we walk by faith in His name. For it is in Jesus’ name that we pray, amen.
This Davidic psalm began with the question, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psa. 22:1). These are the very words Jesus cried out from the cross. David wrote this psalm with his own feeling, yet I wonder how much awareness he had that he was describing the coming Messiah’s suffering and death. Did the Spirit awaken him at night to feel the agony of crucifixion: “I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint, they have pierced my hands and feet and cast lots for my clothing?” Written centuries before the Romans had even invented the cruel practice, the Spirit revealed the crucifixion of the Messiah to David.
Psalm 22 is filled with such detail of Christ’s crucifixion that it is astounding in its prophetic power. It was clearly fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of God. For Jesus was pierced for us just as David foresaw. And not only David, but the prophet Isaiah, who wrote, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).
In another place, Isaiah wrote that the Lord had said, “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Isa. 49:16). Surely, this verse applies to Jesus too. For He still carries the scars of crucifixion on His hands, engraved there for each of us. And one day, we will see our Savior who was pierced for us.
PRAYER: Dear Father, today we meditate on the the suffering of our Savior. For He was pierced for our transgressions. It was for our sin that He paid. His hands and feet were pierced by us and for us. We therefore devote ourselves afresh to Him this day. Strengthen us to always live for Him. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.
This Davidic psalm began with the question that Jesus cried out from the cross: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psa. 22:1). David wrote this psalm with his own feeling, yet I wonder how much awareness he had that he was describing the coming Messiah’s death. Did the Spirit awaken him at night to feel the agony of crucifixion: “I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint, they have pierced my hands and feet and cast lots for my clothing?” Written centuries before the Romans had even invented the cruel practice, the Spirit revealed the crucifixion of the Messiah to David.
Psalm 22 is filled with such detail that it is astounding in its prophetic power. It was clearly fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of God. For Jesus was pierced for us just as David foresaw. And not only David, but the prophet Isaiah, who wrote, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).
In another place, Isaiah wrote that the Lord had said, “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Isa. 49:16). Surely, this verse applies to Jesus too. For He carries the scars of crucifixion on His hands, engraved there for each of us. Our Savior was pierced for us. And one day, we will see Him.
PRAYER: Dear Father, today we meditate on the the suffering of our Savior. For He was pierced for our transgressions. It was for our sin that He paid. His hands and feet were pierced by us and for us. We therefore devote ourselves afresh to Him this day. Strengthen us to always live for Him. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.
This Davidic psalm begins with the question that Jesus cried out at the end. David surely wrote this psalm with his own feeling, yet I wonder how much awareness he had that he was describing the Messiah’s death. Did the Spirit awaken him at night to feel the agony of crucifixion: “I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint, they have pierced my hands and feet and cast lots for my clothing?” Written centuries before the Romans invented the cruel practice, the Spirit revealed the crucifixion of the Messiah to David. Psalm 22 is filled with such detail that it is astounding in its prophetic power. It was clearly fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, the Holy One of God, took on our sins and died in our place. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). When the sins of the world fell on Christ, He felt the Father turn away from HIm. This had never happened in all eternity. O what loneliness! What grief! Not even the pain of the whipping post, nor the cruel cross could match this! His people, the Jews, had forsaken Him, even His disciples had forsaken Him. Yet worst of all, His Father had turned away from Him, letting Him bear not only our sins and death, but our separation.
However, Christ is forsaken no more. He has risen! He has conquered sin, death and the grave! He sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for us (Rom. 8:34). He has fulfilled David’s prophecy of Psalm 22. It is finished! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
PRAYER: Dear Father, You sent Your only begotten Son to be forsaken that we might be forgiven. We are in awe of so wonderful a salvation. We will always sing and shout of His great sacrifice and love. Strengthen us that we may never forsake our Lord Jesus as we walk by faith in His name. For it is in Jesus’ name that we pray, amen.
Moses had spent the first 40 years of his life as an Egyptian prince. Now, he would spend the next 40 years as a shepherd in the land of Midian. Midian was located near the Northeastern shore of the Red Sea in modern day Saudi Arabia. It was populated by the Midianites, a nomadic people group that descended from Midian, a later son of Abraham by his wife, Keturah (Gen. 25:1-2). It was in this land, that God prepared Moses to rescue Israel. He had tried rescuing his people in his own strength, even killing an Egyptian slaver, but ended up running away to escape the wrath of Pharaoh. Yet, it was in the wilderness of Midian that God prepared Moses for his true calling.
God often uses wilderness experiences to prepare His people for leadership.
This was Christ’s response to the disciples when they asked why they had been unable to cast the demon out from the epileptic boy. He told them it was because of their unbelief. They lacked faith in God’s power to heal. Yet, Christ immediately taught them a principle of faith to avoid any possible misunderstanding. He wanted them to stop doubting and believe. They didn’t need faith the size of a mountain, but faith the size of a mustard seed, a seed so small as to make it difficult to see. He used a hyperbole of lesser to greater to illustrate this principle. The phrase “as a mustard seed” shows His use of simile to introduce the lesser (“mustard seed”) to greater (“mountain”) hyperbole. The apostle Paul knew this teaching from Jesus and used it in his list of hyperboles: “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2). It is not the size of your faith, but that you have stopped doubting and started believing. In other words, it is not GREAT faith in God, but faith in a GREAT God. Do you have faith as a mustard seed?
This psalm of David begins by crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psa.22:1). And goes on to describe in great detail the crucifixion of Jesus. Written 1,000 years before Christ, long before the Romans or their cruel invention of crucifixion, this psalm is astounding in its prophetic power. Some commentators point out that there is even more detail here when one considers that the word translated “encircles” might also be translated “crowned,” describing the crown of thorns. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are the two most powerfully prophetic descriptions of the Suffering Servant who would come and die for our sins. Yet, when Jesus was treated just as David and Isaiah prophesied, only a few believed.