Friday, May 22, 2020

John 20:20–25

 http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Basic Facts
When you first study theology there are three basic facts that you learn about God: He is omnipotent, that is, He can do everything, He is omniscient, that is, He knows everything, and He is omnipresent, that is, He is everywhere. There are some problems with this. The first issue is found in Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” God cannot lie and, in fact, He cannot be inconsistent. The second issue is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The Lord Jesus Christ is a risen, glorified man in heaven but He has never known what it is to sin and He never will. These facts do not diminish God in any way and allow us to have complete confidence in everything He says and does. We can look at the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and be at rest. When the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the grave, the disciples saw Him and they were glad, see John 20: 20-25.
“And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
What does it mean to be gad? We can start considering this by looking at the context first.
A good place to start is in Matt 16:21-23: at that stage, the Lord Jesus Christ started to explain to His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem and ultimately die and rise again. Peter, rebuked the Master and told Him that it wasn’t going to happen. Our Saviour said, “Get behind me Satan.” He wasn’t calling Peter Satan but He knew that the Father of Lies was trying to use Peter, at that stage, to discourage Him. Even though the Lord Jesus Christ didn’t ever think one sinful thought, He also knew that self indulgence saps a person’s commitment and He refused to let Satan have the opportunity to reduce His determination to save others. The Holy Ghost had not yet come to the disciples. We can see from this that the Lord’s disciples didn’t understand that He was born to die, to be the Lamb of God, Who took away the sin of the world.
Even after the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the grave, the disciples had not changed their world view. Just before the Master returned to heaven, the disciples still asked Him if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. (Acts 1:6)
Sometimes we go through an experience that is so profound and painful that we can’t really understand it. An experience that completely destroys our world view. It may be the unexpected death of a loved one or a serious betrayal. We cannot believe that it has happened. Experiences like this permanently change our lives and, often, we don’t completely recover from.
The Lord’s disciples had been through one of those experience;  their world view was completely destroyed. They had been brought up on the belief that the Messiah was going to come and restore the kingdom to Israel. By this, they believed that there would be a restored physical kingdom with the Lord Jesus Christ sitting on the throne and ruling instead of the Romans. Our Saviour tried to teach them that He had come as the Suffering Servant but this was so foreign to their world view that they could not believe Him.
Suddenly they were confronted with a cataclysmic experience. Everything they believed in was turned upside down. All their hopes were destroyed when the Lord Jesus Christ was taken away from them and crucified by the Romans.
After the Master was taken away, nine of the disciples ran away. The other two tried to see what was happening. John knew some people in the High Priests family and went there so that he could see the outcome of the arrest while Peter went with the crowd and, eventually went inside. (John 18: 15, 16)
They were all deeply scarred and grieving and tried to hide away. By the Sunday evening most of them were together in secure hiding place because they were scared. I’m sure they were together to comfort each other as they tried to come to terms with the trauma.
At that stage they saw the Lord Jesus Christ, resurrected, glorified and clothed in the fine white linen garments of His own righteousness. They were glad. Suddenly they felt a strong sense of peace and security.
The Lord Jesus Christ took the time to make sure that all those who believed in Him and loved Him had the same opportunity to be sure that He was alive during the forty days before He went back to heaven. (See 1 Cor 15: 5-7) This was another act of grace on His part and prepared them for the Day of Pentecost. (Compare verse 22)
Aaron
After Moses met the Lord at the burning bush the Lord sent him back to Egypt to set Israel free. The Lord told Moses that his brother would be glad in His heart to see him.
Aaron was three years older than Moses so he knew the story of Moses’s miraculous birth. Obviously, Aaron was born before Pharaoh commanded that all the Hebrew babies be killed at birth (Ex 1: 16)
He would have spent forty years wondering what happened to Moses during those years after he ran away from Pharaoh and lived in Midian. Aaron was glad when he found out that Moses was alive, that he survived even though he was missing and they didn’t know what happened to him.
In Zechariah 10:5–12, the Lord looks forward to a time when Israel, again, has God’s favour. In that day, when the Lord is with them, who can be against them? The Lord will have mercy on them and they will rejoice and be glad. Not because of anything that they have done but purely because the Lord is with them.
When the Lord gave the Sermon an the Mount He said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:” (Matt 5: 11, 12)
At the Lord’s second coming to the earth a voice will call from heaven and say, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come.” (Rev 18: 7)
The prophecy of the resurrection in Psalm 1118: 26 tells us, “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Being glad is often associated with rejoicing but is different. When  we rejoice we have a wonderful feeling swelling up inside us that fulfils our greatest desires. On the other hand, being glad is a secure feeling of contentment and hope that makes us sure that we cannot be moved from our place of safety. For the Christian both these feeling are firmly based on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ both died for our sin and rose again. His resurrection gives us a immoveable basis for taking advantage of the power that comes from the Holy Ghost.
Rest
The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Come unto me… and I will give you rest.” (Matt 111:28) When we are secure in the eternal truth that our Saviour died and rose again we will be glad and have rest for our souls.
When the Lord God created the heavens and the earth, on the seventh day He saw that they were finished and He rested (Gen 2:1-3) It is interesting to note that God sanctified the seventh day. This the first time that God set something apart for a special purpose in creation.
Towards the end of time, during the tribulation period, an angel cries out and says, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours;” (Rev 14:13)
We can see, from these, that rest comes after God has finished something and when God takes the time to deliver people from their labours. So, rest is a natural consequence of being glad.
We Have Forsaken All
Peter raised a very important point when he said, “we have forsaken all, and followed thee;” (See Matt 19: 27-30) How can we be glad, and at rest, when we are called to deny ourselves to follow Christ?
The Lord Jesus Christ promised Peter, and all who believe in Him, “every one that hath forsaken … shall receive an hundredfold …” Does that mean that if we leave the things that the world has to offer in order to follow the Lord Jesus Christ we will receive, in return, the things that the world has to offer?
When our Saviour was being tried by Pilate, He said, “My kingdom is not of this world…” (John 18: 36) We also know that, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor 4: 18) We have been called to a heavenly kingdom and we are blessed in heavenly places with every spiritual blessing. (Eph 1: 3)
Everyone on earth longs for security and to feel significant so they try to satisfy these longings be obtaining things like, “…houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands” or, perhaps, fame and fortune. However the Lord has promised us, the peace of God, (Phil 4: 7, Col 3: 15) the joy of our salvation, (Psalm 51: 12) every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (see Eph 1: 3) and we are loved with an everlasting love (Jer 31: 3)
We can be glad when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ because He satisfies us in every way: physically, emotionally and spiritually today and every day. (Compare Heb 3: 13)
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Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth

http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 68:32–35
“Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah: To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice. Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.”

This Psalm ends with a note of hope. In the end the Lord will triumph and all those who believe in Hin will be vindicated. The Lord has the ultimate power in existence and no one can prevent Him from doing His will. On the other hand, the Lord has given each of us the power of choice and it is His will that we get what we choose. God only does good things and is never responsible for anything bad.
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Monday, April 23, 2018

The Lord said, I will bring again

http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 68:22–31, “The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:  That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same. They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels. Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali. Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us. Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee. Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war. Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.”

The Lord is committed to restoring His people to their proper place in His plans. However, if people want to act as the Lord’s agents of blessing in the world they need to behave in a way that brings glory to the Lord. Once they stop behaving according to His high standards they will lose their place as His agents and the Lord will use other people to bring His blessing to all the families of the earth. When the Lord’s people finally submit to Him, confess their sins and repent, He will immediately bring them back into the centre of His blessings and they will enjoy all the good things that He has to offer.
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Thursday, August 4, 2016

Why do bad things happen to good people?

One of the big issues that trouble people today is, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Similar questions are. “Why do babies suffer and die when they haven’t done anything wrong?”
Some people blame God and say that it is His fault, in fact, they say that God makes people sin so, ultimately, God is responsible for everything bad that happens and bad people are just doing what God has told them to do.
Today’s reading is:
Psalm 37:21–33 (AV)
“The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.”
This section begins with a discussion on the wicked. The people from Sodom were wicked because they had rejected the Lord God and His ways. (Gen 13: 13) These people don’t care about the needs of others but the righteous are merciful and generous. Noah was a righteous man because he believed and obeyed God; (Gen 7: 1, 5)
This is the major contrast on the earth today, the righteous and the wicked. There are those who believe God and do what he says while the rest ignore God and all His ways.
The Lord knows those who are righteous because they believe in Him and He will take care of them, in His own way, in His own time. The people who don’t believe in the Lord will, eventually suffer the consequences and be forced away from His goodness forever.
The Lord sees everything that a good, or righteous person done and cares about everything that happens to him. After all, the Lord even cares for the sparrows and there are thousands of them and many die each day. He cares much more for people, whom He has made in His own image. (See Matt 10: 28-31)
The Psalmist talks about a good man, but he is just giving another name for a righteous man. That is, someone who believes in and obeys the Lord. When the Lord gave Adam His first command, He told Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen 2: 9) This is the first time that we read about evil in the Bible. Even though this was a command, it was also a choice, for God told Adam what would happen if He chose to disobey His command. Good people and evil people are the same as righteous people and wicked people. Good people choose to obey God and enjoy His goodness while evil people choose to reject God and His goodness.
There is only good and evil in God’s creation, there is nothing that is a bit good and a bit evil. God is good and evil is everything that rejects God and His good ways. In fact, God only does perfect things. (Deut 32: 4)
So, we are faced with the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people if God only does good things?” In the beginning God made everything and then, in six days God moulded everything from chaos to perfection, when He had achieved perfection, God rested because there was nothing left to do. God was exactly the same before the first day as He was on the seventh day, creating perfection didn’t make Him tired or weak. Why did God do this if He was able to make perfection straight away? For two reasons, God showed us that every good thing comes from Him and He rested on the seventh day because He knew that Adam would choose to sin and everyone, in a sinful world, would need to rest from time to time. It is also important for us to understand that it is God’s will for us to get what we choose. Some people say that it is God’s will for us to suffer, but that is not true. God can use suffering in our lives to make us better and give us a better appreciation of His goodness. (compare Rom 8: 28)
When Adam and Eve sinned, God’s perfection was destroyed because they chose evil instead of good. They chose chaos instead of perfection. Chaos in unpredictable and disordered. Everybody, at some stage in their lives, chooses to sin and disobey God so everybody has chosen to experience chaos instead of order and security. Even good people live in the chaotic world that has be spoiled by sin. Sometimes they experience the consequences of their own actions, sometimes they experience the consequences of other people’s actions and sometimes they are caught in chaos.
However, everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour will always be secure in their everlasting life. Not only that, the Lord Jesus Christ has promised us an abundant life as well, that is, we can enjoy a rich and satisfying relationship with Him every day as well.

Bad things may happen to good people but good people will never be destroyed by those bad things. In the end, the Lord will come for those who believe in Him and take them away from this evil world forever.
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Friday, July 22, 2016

The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan

http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 68:15–21, “The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan. Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.  Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death. But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

Bashan was in high mountain region and was a particularly good area for herds and flocks. David compared Zion, the city of the Great King, with that fruitful area because the Lord had placed in His Name in Zion. Even the hills rejoiced because the Lord chose to live among them. The Lord’s enemies had little chance against the Lord because He commands great armies of angels. He frees all the captives because He had defeated captivity and made it captive. The Lord blesses His people every day and He saves them from the results of sin and their enemies. Those who trust the Lord will triumph in the end but those who fight against Him will be defeated forever. Right from the beginning the Lord promised that, one day, the Promised and Anointed One would bruise the serpent’s head forever.

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Thursday, July 21, 2016

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people

http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 68:7–14, “O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor. The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it. Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.”

David could remember the time when the Lord took His people away from Egypt, the land of their slavery. He took them through the Wilderness and then gave them the Law at Sinai. Israel were to act as the Lord’s agents in bringing His blessings to all the families of the earth so it was important that they behave in a way that brought honour to His Holy Name. The Lord brought them into the Promised Land and gave them a prosperous and pleasant land to enjoy.

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Monday, July 11, 2016

Does God punish Israel?

http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
A former leader of a Hungarian Chasidic community was quoted as saying that the Holocaust was a punishment of the Jews for their sins. Only very great sins could account for the six million victims’ gruesome end. The question that I want to pose today is, “Does God punish Israel?”
For many years the two kingdoms, Israel and Judah lived in the Promised Land and were more or less successful as sovereign nations. The Lord sent prophets to both nations to call them to return to the contract that they had made with Him or He would invoke the penalty clauses of the contract. They refused to listen to the Lord and became like oxen that wouldn’t bow to the yoke. Eventually the Lord sent Israel, and later Judah into exile. At that point, without any consideration of context, we could say that the Lord punished Israel.
However, we should examine the context and see what was really happening. In Gen 1, the Lord God’s account of creation, we see that the first creatures that God blessed were the animals and the second creatures he blessed were the man and woman He created. He also told them to have dominion over all the living and moving creatures. We can learn from this that God’s intention was to bless the man and woman.
In Adam’s account of the sixth day of creation, and his subsequent activities, he recounted the first commandment that the Lord God gave him. The interesting thing about this commandment is the fact that the Lord God put it in the form of a choice. Not only did the Lord tell Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree, He also told Adam that there would be a consequence for disobedience. This establishes the basic principle for the Lord’s creation, every action has a consequence and the Lord will bring that to bear, in the end. We always get what we choose even though it may seem, for a while, that we are escaping the consequences of our actions.
When Adam and Eve chose to listen to the serpent they were faced with the question, “Do you really want to accept the Lord God’s definition of what is good and evil or do you want to have the authority to make those decisions yourself?” They thought that they were choosing to make the definitions for themselves but they were accepting the serpent’s definition instead. Firstly the Lord God told the serpent what to expect because he was responsible for making a lie and leading the man and the woman astray and he was cursed to to perpetual warfare and eventually one of Eve’s descendants would bruise his head, that is comprehensively and finally defeat him. From that time forward there has always been a great cosmic conflict between good, the Lord God, and evil, Satan. Satan desired to prevent the world from enjoying God’s blessings. There is evidence of that cosmic battle to destroy Israel during King David’s lifetime. (1 Chron 21: 1-6)
Eve wasn’t told that she was cursed but was told what the consequences of her actions would be. She was, however, given the hope of a Descendant Who would, one day, defeat the serpent. Adam was told that the ground would be cursed and he would have to labour and sorrow because he had not exercised the leadership that God entrusted to him; he allowed his wife to be seduced by the serpent.
The first person to be punished in the Bible, as opposed to being cursed, was Cain (Gen 4: 12). He was cast out the Lord’s presence and forced to be a vagrant all the days of his life. Cain had no home and no hope. The Lord warned him to overcome his sin but he didn’t and he was cut off from the Lord. We can see that punishment leads to restlessness, separation and no peace, there was no recovery from Cain’s punishment. Punishment also includes the idea of retribution.
Later we see that the Lord called Abraham and Abraham obeyed the Lord. The Lord promised Abraham that He would use the patriarch as the vector for blessing all the families of the earth (Gen 12: 3) Abraham was counted a righteous because he believed God (Gen 15: 6)
As time went by, the promise the Lord made to Abraham was eventually kept, firstly Abraham and Sarah became the parents of their promised son and, secondly Israel took possession of the Promised Land. The Promise that the Lord made to Abraham was eternal and unconditional. (Gen 15: 18)
In the cosmic battle, Abraham’s descendants became significant targets because, if they could be destroyed, the Lord’s plan of blessing all the families of the earth would be destroyed and evil would triumph However, the Lord loves Israel and will not allow Satan to accomplish his goals (Deut 32: 10).
After Israel took possession of the Promised Land, they remade the contract with the Lord, on their own behalf. There are five conditions for a contract to be valid. (While these are modern conditions they are based on ancient precedents.)
A contract has to state specific details, there must be some consideration, where agreed value is exchanged for agreed value. Both parties must show that they have the ability to satisfy the contract. A contract cannot be made that will violate the law of the land. Both parties must agree that a contract has been made and that it is recorded to the satisfaction of both.
When the Lord made his contract with Abraham they both knew what the details were: Abraham would have son but he had to believe the Lord. Abraham would be the vector of blessing for all the families of the earth and the Lord would bless Abraham and his descendants forever. The Lord had defined what was right and wrong for His creation and He would not behave without integrity. (compare Deut 7: 9) An ancient form of making a contract is described in Gen 15. Both parties knew what was happening and, because Abraham believed God, he knew that God had the capacity to complete the Divine part of the agreement. All Abraham had to do was believe God and he had already demonstrated his ability to believe God. The agreement was recorded for posterity in a document recorded by Abraham’s son,Isaac, after Abraham told him later. (Gen 25: 19)
The contract was made and was binding on both parties. However, by the time that Israel went into the Promised Land, Abraham was unavailable to agree to any changes to the contract that he had made with the Lord. On that occasion, the Lord, who is completely consistent, made a new contract with Israel concerning tenure in the Land rather than permanent possession.
The specifics of the covenant are listed in the Torah. The final form of the contract, as agreed between Israel and the Lord are listed in Deuteronomy. Joshua 8: 30-35 gives an historical account of the final ratification of the contract. The specifics of the contract are stated as a copy of the Law of Moses was written on the stones that had been set up for that purpose. When Joshua read the blessings and the curses, he was stating the consideration, the Lord would give Israel peace and prosperity in the Land and Israel would keep the Law of the Lord. Israel would lose tenure but not permanent ownership of the Land if they disobeyed. The Lord had already demonstrated his capacity to keep the contract because He had brought them from Egypt to the Promised Land. The Lord God also knew that, at some time Israel would be able to keep the contract (see Deut 30: 6) as He promised to write the Law on their hearts. When the Lord brought Israel into the Promised Land, the contract was, essentially, the constitution of the new nation so it was legal. The contact was written on the altar that Joshua had made.
In the section of the contract defining the rewards and the penalties associated with the contract the Lord defined the context for all His future dealings with Israel.
The relevant clause is recorded in Deut 30: 1-5, Where the Lord let Israel know that they would, inevitably, receive the consequences of their actions but these were only designed to bring them to their knees before the Lord so that He would restore them to the Land and His blessing.
The Lord will never punish Israel as He punished Cain, even though they have experienced the consequences of the choices that they have made. Israel has wandered for many years but now they have their own, truncated homeland. In a material sense, Israel was broken before the Lord and returned to their Land after the holocaust. When the Jews were under the threat of genocide the leaders in Palestine agreed that the only protection against any further attempt at Jewish genocide was to have their own Land. Modern Israel is determined to stay in their own Land and prevent any further attempts at genocide. Their only hope of avoiding future genocide is to maintain the presence in the Promised Land that the Lord God promised to Abraham as a permanent possession.

In the spiritual sense they are not yet broken because the Law of the Lord is not yet written in their hearts, as a nation. History has shown that Israel was never cast out of the Lord’s presence forever and they were never put in a place where recovery was impossible. In answer to the question, “Does the Lord God punish Israel?” we can answer with a resounding “NO!” On the other hand, Satan will always work to destroy Israel using any means he can. The Lord God has always worked with Israel to bring them to the place where they, as a nation, remember their contract with the  Lord, accept it in their hearts and obey Him wholeheartedly then they will have peace and tenure in every inch of the Land that the Lord promised to give to Abraham and his legitimate descendants forever. Eventually they will live in peace and prosperity in their own Land when they have, as a nation, fallen on their knees before the Lord in a spiritual sense
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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Let God arise

http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 68:1–6, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”

David loved the Lord and longed to see Him glorified in all the earth. He prayed that the Lord would be known by His enemies and that the Lord would be feared by those who didn’t want to bow to the Lord. On the other hand, the righteous would have a different appreciation of the Lord. They find delight in the Lord and praise His Name forever. He cares for the poor and the needy and always has time for those who are alone in the world.
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God be merciful unto us

http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 67:1–7, “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”

At times, it is hard to live this random, arbitrary, chaotic life that is the result of sin in the world. The Psalmist was struggling with the general issues of living and he cried out to the Lord to be merciful and to bless. God’s mercy comes to us when the Lord protects us from something that we deserve. Everyone struggles with some private sin  that sin causes consequences in our lives. The Psalmist longed for the security of living within the context of God’s perfect plans. He prayed that the nations would come to the Lord and realise that the Lord is King of all creation. He longed to with the security that would come when all the world bowed before the Lord as God.
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Monday, August 31, 2015

I will go into thy house with burnt offerings

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 66:13–20, “I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.”

After encouraging other people to praise the Lord and show Him the honour that He is due, the Psalmist tells the reader what should be done personally. The Psalmist would go into the Lord’s house and show the Lord praise and honour. The Lord has already listed the activities required of people who want to honour Him so the Psalmist will follow those activities carefully. Not only that, the Psalmist will also make sure that he examines his own behaviour to see if he is doing anything that will bring dishonour to the Lord.
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O bless our God, ye people

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 66:8–12, “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.”

The Psalmist continued his exhortation to the people of the world. He encouraged then to praise the Lord and give the Lord honour. The Lord God has always proved Himself to be faithful and have perfect integrity.
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Friday, August 28, 2015

Make a joyful noise unto God,

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 66:1–7, “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.”

This Psalm encourages all the people in the world to praise the Lord and sing of His glory. They are to see and to understand that He is Almighty and powerful and no one can stand against Him. This also refers back to the time when the Egyptians had Israel at their mercy on the banks of the Red Sea. Even though there seemed to be no escape, the Lord made a pathway through the bed of the sea and Israel escaped on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to follow them, the sea returned and they were all drowned. The Lord God rules in all the earth and all the nations will be forced, one day, to submit to Him.
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Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 65:6–13, “Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power: Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people. They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.”

This part of the Psalm expounds the fact that the Lord rules in heaven. The mountains have been lifted up and stand in their places. The Lord brings the storm and quietens it when it is finished. Everyone in all the earth, can see and understand the Lord’s power for the evidence of His greatness can be seen all over the earth. God brings the rain and ripens the crops. The rain flows down from the mountains to the sea and water recycles endlessly on the earth. This system brings food for our sustenance and that food is in its turn recycled for other generations.
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Praise waiteth for thee, O God

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 65:1–5, “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:”

As the Creator, the Lord is superior to everything in His creation. He is immanent and transcendent. Everything that the Lord has made is there to demonstrate His glory. He keeps His promises and is always reliable. The Lord will cleanse those who believe in Him and everyone who trusts Him will be satisfied in the end.
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But God shall shoot at them with an arrow

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(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 64:7–10, “But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away. And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.”

The Lord is patient and gives people time to understand the consequences of the choices that they make. If they choose to reject Him, He will allow them some of the consequences to see if that is what they really want. Eventually, however, the Lord will give people what they have chosen and they will be confirmed in their choice to reject the Lord. He will leave them alone to their own devices in this random, arbitrary, chaotic world. Eventually everyone will realise that the Lord is God but some people will be filled with regret when this happens because it will be too late for them to change their minds.
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Thursday, August 27, 2015

Hear my voice, O God

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 64:1–6, “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them? They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.”

David cried out to the Lord because his enemies were attacking him again. They plotted against him and wanted to start a lying campaign against him so that his reputation would be ruined again. They were not interested in bringing glory to the Lord or improving the lives of others, all they wanted was to increase their own reputations and wealth.
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Because thou hast been my help

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 63:7–11, “Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.”

David could remember times, even from his earliest years, when the Lord had helped him. He knew that the Lord is consistent and faithful, therefore he could trust the Lord and rejoice in the Lord’s protection. Those who attacked David and were against him were against the Lord as well because David was the Lord’s servant.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 63:3–6, “Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.”

The Lord’s lovingkindness is more than just a combination of love and kindness. It is, of course, both of those things but also includes the concept of absolute loyalty to His promises, perfect integrity in all His dealings bound up in the envelope of the fact that He is Sovereign and only does good things. Bad thing happen when people reject the Lord God and His ways, trying to define good and evil for themselves rather than accepting their Maker’s definitions. The Lord’s lovingkindness is the best thing that has ever happened to the world; it is better than life itself. When we accept the basic facts that the Lord is Sovereign and only does good things, we will have complete peace and we will be satisfied with His goodness. (Jer 31: 14)
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O God, thou art my God

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Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 63:1–2, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.”

David was living in the desert as an outcast with a price on his head when he wrote this Psalm. He knew that, in every trial, it was important for him to come to the Lord as a first priority rather than when there was nothing else to try. Even though he was in the desert, away from fresh water, David knew that, in his heart and in his mind, he could enjoy the freshness of the Lord’s presence as those who visited the Lord’s sanctuary could enjoy the beauty of the Lord presence.
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Trust in him at all times

http://youtu.be/NK8VWcw8BOM “The Science is in!”
Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The views expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Psalm 62:8–12, “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.”

When David thought about the Lord and all the good things that the Lord did, he was compelled to exhort all people to trust in the Lord as well. It was very good for David so it must be very good for everyone else also. It doesn’t matter how good you are, or what you have achieved, everyone is exactly the same before the Lord. He is entirely in His own league, far superior to everyone else. So much so that no one can actually impress Him with anything that they have done. It is purely out of the fact that the Lord is merciful that we can even get to know Him.
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