“And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.” 1 Samuel 12:21

What a strange, and even anticlimactic, statement!  Samuel says to the people that they must not turn aside from God. That certainly makes sense, but his reason is rather startling. He says that if they deviate from following the Lord they will end up going ”after empty things.” Okay, I get it. They would fall for the frivolous, but is that the worst thing that could happen? Is it really all that bad that those who detour from following after God would go after those things that are “nothing”? (more…)

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” Psalm 5:3

Why does David say that “in the morning” he will ”look up”?  Is it said in earnest expectation? Does he mean to say that he lifts his eyes in hopes of an answer from Heaven? I don’t think so.  I think that what David is saying isn’t that he looks up with expectation, but rather in confidence. He lifts his eyes with the assurance of a man who daily walks with God. He’s saying that when he prays he can do so with an unrestrained confidence and an unashamed countenance. He can look into the perfectly pure face of God because he has nothing of which to be ashamed. He may not receive what he requests, but he doesn’t have to be ashamed for asking. (more…)

“And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you shall put them in the ark.” Deuteronomy 10:2

At first this seemed to me to be a very strange, and even stingy, statement on the part of God. He said, “I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets…” “What? You’re going to write the same thing – again? Is that all you’re going to write?” Sure, the first tablets were destroyed and the revelation lost, but wouldn’t that mean that God should give further revelation instead of just repeating the same revelation? Shouldn’t there be something higher, better, greater? (more…)

“Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” Mark 9:5

Peter had just experienced the most wonderful, powerful event in his life. He had been caught up in the glory, taken to the summit of the mount with his master, the Lord Jesus.  The sights of his surroundings and the constant murmur of men had overshadowed his world with a sense of glory that he had never known before. For a moment, for a brief moment, he had lost himself and wanted nothing more than to forget everything and everybody that he had ever known and stay on that mountain top forever. The temporal things of the world had become his enemy and he no longer wanted anything to do with them. He wanted to rise above them in rapture, stand on the summit in victory, and set up an eternal tabernacle on that mountain top. (more…)

“He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. ” Esther 4:2

The unknown author of Esther paints for us a pertinent picture of the ancient world. We’re told that no one could enter through the king’s gate while wearing sackcloth – the sign of those who were downtrodden. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not that the ancient world was wicked in its dealings with the downtrodden.  It’s not even that those who were clothed in sackcloth were treated in an inhumane manner. In fact, the rulers of that ancient world were quite ready to be beneficent to those who were less fortunate – as long as they didn’t enter through the king’s gate. (more…)

“And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony. . .” Exodus 25:22

At first glance this seems to be a strange, and even startling, place for the Holy God to meet with a sinful man. I say that it is startling because fellowship normally requires that there be a similarity in the natures of two or more persons. So, it would seem at first that the mercy seat would be the last place that one would find an affinity between God and man. It certainly suggests that there are two extremes that meet at the mercy seat – the Righteous God and a conscious sinner, the Almighty Judge on the Great White throne and a convicted criminal before the bar of justice. It is a startling scene indeed. (more…)

“Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. . .” 2 Chronicles 18:33

It’s a rather strange story that suggests a very unique, and often overlooked, truth. Ahab, even though he was the king of Israel, was seen as the enemy of God by the faithful and the enemy of man by everybody else.  In fact, they had made elaborate plans to remove him from his position, but every plan they’d tried had failed. They had sent squads, and entire armies, to kill him, but nothing succeeded. They had even aimed all of their arrows at him but every arrow missed its royal target. Then something very strange and completely unexpected happened. An unnamed soldier was wasting time, perhaps trying some trick shots with his bow and arrow for the amusement of his friends or himself. Suddenly the trick shot became a tragic shot when the arrow meant for another target found its way to the enemy of God and he fell dead. The killing of the king came from a hand that wasn’t looking to take it and from and arrow that wasn’t meant for him. (more…)

“But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:2

I once heard my pastor Adrian Rogers say, “If it’s true it isn’t new.” Had the apostle Paul heard him he would have given a loud and hearty, “Amen!”  I say this because I believe this is the essence of Paul’s point in this statement to the church at Corinth. I understand Paul to teach that there shouldn’t be anything purely original in a revelation. When he writes about “commending ourselves to every man’s conscience,” I believe he’s talking about commending truth to the “consciousness” of man.  Paul’s point is that divine truth, like any other truth, must first speak to man’s experience. It must appeal to something that the hearer already knows to be true. In other words it is “a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation.” (more…)

“Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?” Job 37:16

It was Elihu – one of the five primary actors in the book of Job – who spoke these words. He shared his belief after two other opinions had been given to explain God’s government. The first opinion that was expressed came from Job’s three antagonists – Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. It was their opinion that God is harsh and cruel in his dealings with man. The second opinion was presented by Job himself. It was his belief that the clouds of life are so unequal in their distribution that the pain and joy that comes into the life of man does so regardless of how good or bad he is. It was at this point that Elihu stepped forward and gave his opinion regarding the government of God. He said to Job, “Conceding that clouds come equally into the life that is sinful and the life that is righteous, how does that prove that those who are righteous suffer the same as those who are evil? Do you know how the clouds are balanced? Do you know for certain that the same tragedy falling on two men at the same time produces the same amount of suffering? Have you taken into consideration the condition of the soul onto which the clouds fall? Don’t you know that every tragedy that comes into a life is counterbalanced by the strength of the soul onto which it falls? Until you learn this Job, you are in no position to give an opinion concerning the government or justice of God.” I have to add a hearty amen to the sermon Elihu preached to Job that day. You see, before I can accurately assess any tragedy or consider any calamity that comes into my life I must know whether or not there is something to counterbalance or compensate against it. (more…)

“But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:39

It’s a question that has caused considerable consternation: “How can a person know if they have received the gift of the Holy Spirit?” Is there any test to help determine the Spirit’s presence or absence in the life of an individual? John says that there is indeed such a test.  He says that the Holy Spirit had not been given yet, “because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  So, the test that tells of the Spirit’s absence is that of an unglorified Jesus, and the proof that proves His presence is a heart where Jesus is honored. (more…)