HIs Love Endures Forever

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

17 to him who struck down great kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever. – Psalm 136:1-26 ESV

This psalm appears to have been written in conjunction with Psalm 135 because they share many of the same themes. Either they were written by the same individual, or Psalm 135 had a significant influence on the author of Psalm 136. The key difference between the two is their musical style. Psalm 136 was meant to be sung antiphonally, with every other verse being sung responsively. The repeated phrase, “For his steadfast love endures forever,” was to be sung by the congregants while the alternating verses were sung by the Levitical singers. 

David also ordered the Levite leaders to appoint a choir of Levites who were singers and musicians to sing joyful songs to the accompaniment of harps, lyres, and cymbals. – 1 Chronicles 5:16 NLT

The similarities between these two psalms are evident when you examine the various themes they share. Both psalms are Hallel songs, praise songs that elevate the goodness and greatness of God. Here are just a few of their shared sentiments regarding Yahweh.

Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good… – Psalm 135:3 ESV

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good… – Psalm 136:1 ESV

…our LORD is above all gods. – psalm 135:5 ESV

Give thanks to the God of gods… – Psalm 136:2 ESV

Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
    in heaven and on earth… – Psalm 135:6 ESV

to him who alone does great wonders,
to him who by understanding made the heavens… – Psalm 136:4, 5 ESV

He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt… – Psalm 135:8 ESV

…to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt… – Psalm 136:10 ESV

This pattern is carried through both psalms, with Psalm 136 echoing each aspect of Yahweh's glory in the same basic order. The only difference is that the author of Psalm 136 inserts the phrase, “for his steadfast love endures forever,” which is repeated 26 times, once for every verse of the song.

Every example of Yahweh's goodness and greatness is accompanied by a declaration of His steadfast and enduring love. These historical events from Israel's past are proof of Yahweh's unfailing mercy and undiminished commitment to His covenant promises. The term “steadfast love” is derived from the Hebrew word ḥeseḏ, which is most often translated as “mercy” in the Hebrew Scriptures. This word, which appears some 250 times in the Old Testament, was used to convey an essential aspect of Yahweh's character. In an encounter He had with Moses, Yahweh used ḥeseḏ to describe Himself.

“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love [ḥeseḏ] and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love [ḥeseḏ] for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” – Exodus 34:6 ESV

The term was intended to emphasize Yahweh's covenant relationship with the people of Israel, stressing His faithful and unwavering loyalty to them. The author of Psalm 136 viewed each example of Yahweh's intervention in the lives of His covenant people as a demonstration of His loyal love for them. The repeated antiphonal refrain was added so that the people might verbally remind one another that Yahweh’s love was enduring and unchanging. Despite Israel’s repeated acts of disobedience, apostasy, rebellion, and unfaithfulness, Yahweh had never stopped loving and caring for them. 

Every miracle, victory, act of deliverance, and display of divine mercy was evidence of Yahweh's covenant commitment to His people. He had certainly disciplined them for their sins and punished their displays of abject rebellion, but He had never abandoned or forsaken them. It was the prophet Jeremiah who expressed sorrow over his lot in life, but placed his hope in the unfailing love of the LORD. 

Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
    the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
    and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love [ḥeseḏ] of the LORD never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:19-23 ESV

In this psalm, we are encouraged repeatedly to give thanks to God for His unwavering commitment to those He calls His own. But the psalmist isn't content with demanding praise; he wants to make sure we understand the basis for our praise.

Over and over again, the psalmist provides numerous examples of God's love that we encounter every day. That love shows up in the form of "the grace, favor, and mercy of God toward man." That is the definition of ḥeseḏ, and the psalmist uses the stories of Yahweh's past acts of grace, favor, and mercy to prove that His love is indeed steadfast and enduring. 

God’s creation of the universe and the earth upon which we live is an example of His grace, mercy, and favor. His redemption of Israel from captivity in Egypt was His ḥeseḏ on display. So was His splitting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army. In each instance, Yahweh was demonstrating His love for His people by pouring out His undeserved grace, mercy, and favor.

The Israelites didn't deserve His love. They hadn’t done anything to earn His favor or merit His gracious treatment. In fact, after delivering them from captivity in Egypt, He let them know why He had saved them.

“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love [ḥeseḏ] with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…” – Deuteronomy 7:6-9 ESV

The LORD loved them and was keeping the commitment He had made to their forefathers. Those two things are inseparable. His love and commitment to His covenant promises are indelibly linked together and nothing can ever change that fact. Yahweh's ḥeseḏ is more than an emotion or feeling, and it is not a response to the love of another. Yahweh’s love was not based on Israel's love for Him; it was centered on His unwavering commitment to keep the promises found in the covenant He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His love was an expression of that covenant commitment. 

The apostle John reminds us that Yahweh's love is one-directional and never dependent on our ability to love Him back.

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. – 1 John 4:10 NLT

Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenant commitment to Abraham. 

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Genesis 12:2-3 NLT

Jesus was how the families of the earth would be blessed. As John 3:16 states, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” Jesus was the greatest expression of Yahweh's love and provided a way for the undeserving and unworthy to be restored to a right relationship with Him. 

This entire psalm is meant to remind God's people that He is faithful, loving, gracious, merciful, and kind, not because we deserve it but because He is committed to His covenant promises. His love is not reactionary or responsive; it is purposeful and pointed at accomplishing His divine objective. God's love is an expression of His faithfulness, not a response to the faithfulness of men. John said, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 ESV), not the other way around. Our love for God doesn't earn us brownie points with Him. Our love for God is an expression of our gratitude for all that He has done for us and all that He intends to accomplish on our behalf as a result of His covenant promises.   

Over and over again, the psalmist paints a picture of God's unending grace, mercy and favor expressed to the people of God in a variety of ways. And what should our response be to all this? Thanks! Gratitude! A recognition that God has been and is at work in and around our lives in so many ways. Some obvious, and some not so obvious. The very creation of the world in which we live is an expression of God's love for us. The provision of the food we eat is an expression of God's love for us. But how often do we thank Him for our meals or for the beauty we see all around us? We tend to take it all for granted.

One of the problems the Israelites faced was that when they finally got into the land and enjoyed all that God had given them, they took credit for it all and forgot God. And God knew this was going to be temptation for them. Listen to the warning He gave them just before they entered the land.

"The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land,  be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.” – Deuteronomy 6:10-12 NLT

Cities you did not build, good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, vineyards and groves you did not plant … all of these things were provided by God as an expression of His grace, mercy, and favor. They were evidence of His ḥeseḏ – His steadfast love for them, and it was totally undeserved and unmerited. God gives us so many things each and every day of our lives that we do not deserve. So much of what we enjoy in this life is a result of His unmerited favor toward us, and our response should be (1) a recognition of it as an expression of God's love, and (2) a demonstration of thankfulness for His undeserved love, mercy, and grace. God's love is everlasting and everywhere we look. It surrounds us. It protects us. It provides for us. It sustains us. And for that we should be eternally grateful.

Father, thank You for Your everlasting, undeserved love that You shower on me day after day in so many ways. Thank You for my health, my home, my cars I drive, the clothes I wear, the wife I love, they children You have given me, the job I go to each day, the paychecks I cash, the food I eat, the friends I enjoy … they all come from You. Because You love me. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A God of His Word

A Song of Ascents.  

1 Remember, O LORD, in David's favor,
    all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the LORD
    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
    or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the LORD,
    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
    we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
    let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place,
    you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
    and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
    do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath
    from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
    I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
    and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
    shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the LORD has chosen Zion;
    he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
    here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
    I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
    and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
    I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
    but on him his crown will shine.” – Psalm 132:1-18 ESV

This psalm of ascent opens with a prayer for David, the king of Israel, who arranged to have the Ark of the Covenant moved to his capital city of Jerusalem. David’s intention was to relocate the Ark and then to build a Temple dedicated to Yahweh in which to place it. His dream of constructing a “house” suitable for Yahweh is described in 2 Samuel 7.

When King David was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all the surrounding enemies, the king summoned Nathan the prophet. “Look,” David said, “I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!” – 2 Samuel 7:1-2 NLT

This story really begins during the days when Samuel served as the judge of Israel. He was their de facto leader and served as the spokesman for Yahweh. During one of their many battles with the Philistines, they experienced a devastating and unexpected loss. 

After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies.” – 1 Samuel 4:3 NLT

To sway the conflict in their favor, they decided to send for the Ark of the Covenant, which was kept in Shiloh. By bringing the Ark into battle with them, they treated it as a talisman or idol, hoping it would assure them of Yahweh’s presence and power. But instead, the Ark was captured by the Philistines. It remained in their possession for seven months and was later returned to the Israelites when Yahweh sent a devastating disease on the Philistines. After its return, the Ark was placed in the home of a man called Abinidab, who lived in Kiriath-jearim.

So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the LORD. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the LORD had abandoned them. – 1 Samuel 7:1-2 NLT

Years later, when David had become king and relocated his capital to Jerusalem, he made the decision to move the Ark and planned to construct a glorious Temple in which to house it. But God had other plans, and He ordered Nathan the prophet to inform David that his dream of building a Temple would not happen.

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in? I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling. Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israel’s tribal leaders, the shepherds of my people Israel. I have never asked them, “Why haven’t you built me a beautiful cedar house?”’” – 2 Samuel 7:5-7 NLT

The psalmist opens his psalm by reminding Yahweh of David's good intentions. He repeats what appears to be an oath David made regarding his plans for building the Temple. 

“I will not go home;
    I will not let myself rest.
I will not let my eyes sleep
    nor close my eyelids in slumber
until I find a place to build a house for the LORD,
    a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.” – Psalm 132:3-5 NLT

But David later gave his son and heir, Solomon, the real reason why his dream would never come to fruition.

“My son, I wanted to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God,” David told him. “But the Lord said to me, ‘You have killed many men in the battles you have fought. And since you have shed so much blood in my sight, you will not be the one to build a Temple to honor my name.” – 1 Chronicles 22:7-8 NLT

Whether the psalmist was privy to this information is unclear, but he focuses his attention on David’s attempt to do the right thing and bring the Ark into the royal city.

We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah;
    then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar.
Let us go to the sanctuary of the LORD;
    let us worship at the footstool of his throne.
Arise, O LORD, and enter your resting place,
    along with the Ark, the symbol of your power. – Psalm 132:6-8 NLT

For 20 years, the Ark had resided in obscurity in the home of Abinidab. The psalmist recalls the day when the Israelites, under David's leadership, made the decision to restore the Ark to prominence by relocating it to the city of David. These verses help to explain the Israelites’ fascination with and reliance upon the Ark as the symbol of Yahweh's presence and power. They were thrilled to have it back in their midst because it provided them with assurance that Yahweh was with them. The day the Ark arrived in Jerusalem had been one of celebration and joy.

David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns. – 2 Samuel 6:15 NLT

The psalmist reflects the hearts of all the people of Israel when he prays to Yahweh, “May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy.
For the sake of your servant David, do not reject the king you have anointed” (Psalm 132:9-10 NLT). He expresses gratitude for David’s efforts in bringing back worship and sacrifice to the people of Israel. Because the Ark was near, so was their God, and they had David to thank for it. 

In verses 11-12, the psalmist seems to remind Yahweh of the promise He made to David after having denied him the honor of building the Temple. 

“But you will have a son who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.” – 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 NLT

David would not have the privilege of building a house for Yahweh, but Yahweh would make a “house” for him – a royal dynasty that would last long after David was gone. But the psalmist adds the condition that God placed on this promise.

“If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant
    and the laws that I teach them,
then your royal line
    will continue forever and ever.” – Psalm 132:12 NLT

The presence of the Ark would not be enough. After all, its presence on the battlefront against the Philistines had done nothing to prevent defeat. Yahweh expected obedience. The Ark was not some kind of good luck charm or rabbit’s foot to be paraded out in times of trouble. It was to be a reminder of Yahweh's presence and a symbol of His holiness and mercy. The Ark had always been intended to be kept within the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle. It was there, in that sacred place, that Yahweh’s Shekinah glory appeared above the Mercy Seat. And it was on the Mercy Seat that the High Priest was to sprinkle the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the Day of Atonement each year. 

Yahweh had given the people of Israel strict instructions regarding the Day of Atonement and the need for cleansing from their sin and rebellion.

“Then Aaron must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering for the people and carry its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the goat’s blood over the atonement cover and in front of it, just as he did with the bull’s blood. Through this process, he will purify the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites.” – Leviticus 16:15-16 NLT

The psalmist understood that obedience was a non-negotiable requirement if the people of Israel wanted to enjoy God's abiding presence. He also knew that the Ark of the Covenant played a vital role in their ongoing relationship with Yahweh because it was the only way their inevitable and unavoidable sins could be atoned for and forgiven. The Ark provided them with an assurance of Yahweh’s ongoing presence. 

And the psalmist reminds Yahweh of His promise to bless Jerusalem and its inhabitants.

“This is my resting place forever,” he said.
    “I will live here, for this is the home I desired.
I will bless this city and make it prosperous;
    I will satisfy its poor with food.
I will clothe its priests with godliness;
    its faithful servants will sing for joy.” – Psalm 132:14-16 NLT

In the end, the psalmist is expressing his confident belief that Yahweh will keep His covenant commitment to David and continue to bless His people. David had played a significant role in bringing the Ark to Jerusalem and had also made elaborate preparations for the construction of the Temple that would become its new home. In doing so, David had helped secure the favor of the LORD and solidify the Israelites’ status as His chosen people. 

Little did the psalmist know that Yahweh would keep His word and fulfill every aspect of His promise to David. It would not turn out quite as the psalmist expected, but in the end, David would have a descendant who would sit on his throne, and his reign would be eternal.  

“I will confirm him as king over my house and my kingdom for all time, and his throne will be secure forever.” – 1 Chronicles 17:14 NLT

The Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of David, would come to earth in the form of a baby in a manger, but grow to be a man who served as the atoning sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus, a descendant of David, would become the ultimate fulfillment of Yahweh's promise, and He will one day return to Jerusalem and rule over the world from the throne of David in Jerusalem. 

Father, Your plan is perfect. Long before the Temple was built and the Ark was placed in the Holy of Holies, You were preparing a different Temple where the ultimate sacrifice would be made. Jesus, Your Son, became the Temple not made with human hands, that was destroyed and rebuilt. He gave His life as an atonement for the sins of mankind, so that we might have forgiveness and receive the promise of Your abiding presence. David was the foreshadow of something greater. The Ark was the symbol of a more permanent form of Your mercy that was made possible through Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice. And Jerusalem will one day be replaced with the New Jerusalam where You and Your Father will dwell with mankind for eternity. You work is not yet done, but You will keep Your promises. We’re counting on it. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The LORD Is Our Portion

A Song of Ascents. Of David. 

1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
    my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
    from this time forth and forevermore. – Psalm 131:1-3 ESV

1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
    which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
    life forevermore. – Psalm 133:1-3 ESV

These two Psalms are also songs of ascent, a collection of Psalms that were sung as pilgrims made their annual journey to Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover. In Psalm 131, David places the emphasis on the individual by expressing his personal humility toward God. Though he was the king of Israel, he didn't think too highly of himself or allow his high office and royal authority to go to his head. His robes and riches gave him an air of superiority, but he knew he was no better than any of his subjects. 

But as one of his subjects, it might have sounded strange to hear your king say, “I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp” (Psalm 131:1 NLT). Wasn’t that part of his job? As the holder of the highest office in the land, wasn’t the king expected to surround himself with wise counselors and competent advisors who could help him deal with all the pressing matters that came with running a country?

But David isn’t declaring himself incompetent to carry out his role or disinterested in dealing with complex issues; he is trying to convey his dependence upon the LORD. It was Yahweh who said, “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word” (Isaiah 66:2 NLT). And David reflected his understanding of that truth when he wrote, “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Psalm 51:17 NLT). 

From his own experience, David learned that God rescues the proud and humiliates the proud (Psalm 18:27). There was no place for arrogance in the life of a godly person. In another of his psalms, David professed his disgust with and refusal to tolerate anyone who displayed prideful characteristics.

Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
    I will not endure. – Psalm 101:5 ESV 

In this psalm, David describes himself as “a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk” (Psalm 131:2 NLT). This imagery is meant to convey his satisfaction with Yahweh. In English, the word “weaned” means “to detach from a source of dependence” (“Wean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wean. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025).  A weaned child is one who no longer needs his mother's milk to satisfy his physical cravings; he has found another source of nourishment. For David, the LORD had become his sole source of comfort, provision, protection, and strength. He needed nothing and no one else to satisfy him. 

That is what led him to write, “And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7 NLT). It was Jeremiah the prophet who wrote, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him” (Jeremiah 17:7 BSB). In the Book of Lamentations, Jeremiah repeats his unwavering confidence in the LORD.

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” – Lamentations 3:24 BSB

The Hebrew word translated as “portion” is ḥēleq, and it conveys the idea of receiving a share of something significant, as in an inheritance. Jeremiah is saying that the LORD is all he needs. There is nothing else this life can offer that compares with having Yahweh as your portion. David used the very same word when he wrote about the wicked who seek their “portion” in this life.

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O LORD,
    from men of the world whose portion [ḥēleq] is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
    they are satisfied with children,
    and they leave their abundance to their infants. – Psalm 17:13-14 ESV

David had been weaned from that way of life. He had discovered something better and encouraged his fellow Israelites to follow his lead and put their hope and trust in Yahweh.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD —
    now and always. – Psalm 131:3 NLT 

In Psalm 133, he turns his attention to the communal aspect of his faith. He recognizes that he is part of a collection of individuals who, together, make up the family of God. But it is about more than community, it is about harmony and unity.

How wonderful and pleasant it is
    when brothers live together in harmony! – Psalm 133:1 NLT

It’s impossible to have Yahweh as your portion and to live at odds with His people. David could boast of having a right relationship with the LORD, but it would mean nothing if he couldn’t get along with others. The apostle John expressed the non-negotiable nature of brotherly love among God's people.

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. – 1 John 4:20-21 NLT

In an earlier chapter, John expressed the same idea in slightly different terms.

If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness. – 1 John 2:9-11 NLT

David understood that his “portion” was not his own. He was destined to share that inheritance with the rest of God’s family. And that still holds true today. Unity and harmony are two of the highest priorities for the church. In fact, in His high priestly prayer, Jesus asked His Heavenly Father to bring about the unity of the body after His death, resurrection, and ascension. 

“Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.” – John 17:11 NLT

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” – John 17:21 NLT

Jesus prayed for our unity, harmony, and oneness. He longed to see His body, the church, united in their love for the Father and for one another. Long before Jesus prayed that prayer in the garden, He had told His disciples, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35 NLT). And that message made it to the ears of the apostle Paul, who shared it with the church in Philippi.

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. – Philippians 2:1-5 NLT

He then goes on to describe the attitude that Christ had: One of humility, service, sacrifice, love, and obedience. Paul says that we are to have this same mindset. We are to pursue unity through humility.

In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul stressed the same idea:

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. – Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT

There it is again: Humility, unity, and oneness. Paul understood the wisdom in what David had written hundreds of years earlier. It truly is wonderful and pleasant when brothers live together in harmony. And because of what Christ accomplished on the cross and due to the influence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can love as no one has ever loved before. We have the mind of Christ and can love as He loved, sacrifice, and humble ourselves in the same way He did, and give our lives away in selfless service to others, especially within the context of the body of Christ.

Before He went to His death on the cross, Jesus spoke these words to His disciples: "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:34-35 NLT).

Jesus commanded His followers to love one another. That would be the distinctive characteristic that they belonged to Him. It would prove their relationship with Him. Yet, it is amazing how much emphasis we put on the Great Commission, because it conveys our mission to go out into the world and make disciples. But we rarely, if ever, talk about Jesus’ command to love one another. This is no less an expectation of Christ for His church than the Great Commission. He is commanding us to love as He loved – to the point of death. But are we fulfilling that command? Does the world know we are His disciples because of our selfless love for one another, or is it because of our acts of charity, generosity, evangelistic zeal, or organizational effectiveness? All those things are good and necessary, but they can be done without love. Is it our love for one another that acts as honey to the bee or light to the moth? Are the lost attracted to our love for one another? Do they see in us something that is missing from the world?

Christ has given us the capacity to love and be loved. He has created a new thing called the church, the family of God. In it, we are to live out the character of Christ in the context of community. What good is it to express our love for the lost when we struggle to love one another? How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in harmony!

Father, as the church, we have failed to obey the command of Your own Son. We do not love one another as He has called us to love. We can be petty, selfish, divisive, competitive, and mean. We can attempt to do great things for Your kingdom while we refuse to love one another as we have been loved by You. Open our eyes and help us to understand that the church is a noun, not a verb. We are Your people. We are to live as such. We are Your children. We are to get along. We present You in the world. But if we can't love one another, the Good News loses some of its power. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Waiting On God

A Song of Ascents.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
2     O LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
    O LORD, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the LORD
    more than watchmen for the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the LORD!
    For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities. – Psalm 130:1-8 ESV

The author of this psalm begins with an impassioned plea for Yahweh to show him mercy. While he doesn't disclose the nature of his circumstances, he is in desperate need of Yahweh to intervene and rescue him. His request for mercy (taḥănûn in Hebrew) is a prayer of “supplication”  expressing his desire for unmerited favor. It would appear that he thinks his suffering is somehow tied to an undisclosed sin he has committed. This is not a confession of sin as much as it is a confirmation of Yahweh’s marvelous mercy and grace. The psalmist doesn’t follow David’s lead and confess a specific sin. In Psalm 51, written in the aftermath of David's affair with Bathsheba and his sanctioned murder of her husband, David willingly acknowledged the gravity of what he had done.

For I recognize my rebellion;
    it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
    I have done what is evil in your sight. – Psalm 51:3-4 NLT

This psalmist doesn't minimize sin, but instead, he emphasizes Yahweh’s willingness to extend mercy despite our sins. 

LORD, if you kept a record of our sins,
    who, O LORD, could ever survive?
But you offer forgiveness,
    that we might learn to fear you. – Psalm 130:3-4 NLT

This perspective coincides with that of David found in another one of his psalms.

He does not punish us for all our sins;
    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. – Psalm 103:10-11 NLT

What an unbelievable reminder. Our God is not some kind of cosmic scorekeeper, keeping meticulous track of all our sins and waiting for us to balance our good behavior with our bad behavior. He's not Santa Claus, "making a list and checking it twice” so he can determine “who's naughty or nice."

As the psalmist points out, if God kept track of all our sins, we'd be in big trouble, because our sins would far outweigh any righteousness we might have to offer. Isaiah put it in these graphic terms: "We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away like the wind" (Isaiah 64:6 NET).

Instead of chronicling each of our sins and expecting us to right every wrong we have ever done, God offers forgiveness instead. Why? So that we might learn to fear and reverence Him (verse 4). When we begin to understand the magnitude of our sinfulness, His forgiveness becomes all the more precious to us because He is a holy God who stands diametrically opposed to our wickedness. Yet, in His grace and mercy, He reaches down and offers His undeserved favor and forgiveness. 

That is they the psalmist declares that he is willing to wait on Yahweh. 

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the LORD
    more than watchmen for the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning. – Psalm 130:5-6 NLT

He compares himself to a night watchman, someone whose job it was to stay awake all night and keep an eye out for any danger. These individuals were invaluable to the safety of a city as they patrolled the walls and watched for any signs of danger. But their greatest desire was to see the sun come up without incident. They waited or longed for the morning. 

That is the psalmist's perspective as he considers the darkened nature of his own predicament. He is willing to wait for Yahweh to show up with the rising sun and extend mercy. The prophet Jeremiah expressed this same hopeful perspective as he considered the faithfulness of Yahweh.

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance;
    therefore, I will hope in him!” – Lamentation 3:22-24 NLT

Jeremiah wasn’t putting his hope in his own ability to live a righteous life. He knew that was impossible. Like Isaiah, he recognized that all his righteous deeds were “nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT) in Yahweh's eyes. No, his hope was in the faithfulness and forgiveness of the LORD. Yahweh's mercies were new every morning, which is why the psalmist said he waits for the LORD like a watchman waits for the morning. There is an expectation and eagerness in his words. Despite his sinfulness, Yahweh was prepared to shower him with mercy and grace. 

But some of us have a different attitude when it comes to sin. We take the perspective that our sins aren't all that bad. We seem to believe that our sins are less egregious and offensive than those of others. Somehow, our need for forgiveness is not that great, so we fail to recognize the unbelievable and undeserved nature of the gift Yahweh offers. 

The psalmist seemed to understand both the magnitude of his sin and the magnificence of the one who offered him forgiveness. He writes, "O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows. He Himself will redeem Israel from every kind of sin" (Psalm 130:7-8 NLT).

Unfailing love and overflowing redemption. The psalmist believed in both and was counting on the fact that Yahweh was prepared to redeem Israel despite their sin. Yahweh wasn't waiting for His rebellious people to clean up their act and exhibit some form of sinless perfection. No, He was prepared to rescue them and forgive them, despite their inability to live up to His righteous standards.

That is a sobering reminder to all of us. Our God offers forgiveness from every sin, large or small, through His Son Jesus Christ. He isn't keeping a list of all our sins and checking off the ones we successfully eliminate from our lives. Yahweh isn’t weighing our wickedness and righteousness in a balance in the hopes that our good deeds will somehow outweigh our evil deeds. 

In one of his psalms, David expressed the futility of anyone trying to earn Yahweh's favor through self-effort. 

The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
    to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.

They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
    there is none who does good,
    not even one. – Psalm 14:2-3 ESV

The apostle Paul quoted David’s words when writing to believers in Rome to remind them that their personal righteousness was not the key to their acceptance by God.

…for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say,

“No one is righteous—
    not even one.
No one is truly wise;
    no one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
    all have become useless.
No one does good,
    not a single one.” – Romans 3:9-11 NLT

For Paul, acceptance by God had nothing to do with living up to a some kind of moral code and list of religious rules.

…no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. – Romans 3:20 NLT

He goes on to explain the amazing nature of God’s plan for making us acceptable in His sight, and it has nothing to do with our futile attempts at self-righteousness.

God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. – Romans 3:21-22 NLT

And he explains why Yahweh came up with this alternate plan for restoring sinful men to a right relationship with Himself.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. – Romans 3:23 NLT

In other words, sin wasn't just a black spot on our resumé; it was a roadblock that prevented us from ever earning God's favor and restoring our fractured relationship with Him. But Paul provides the good news.

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. – Romans 3:24 NLT

This news should cause us to stand in awe and reverence before our gracious, loving God. It should draw us near to Him, not push us away in fear. He should be where we run for hope and healing because He will not reject us because of our sins. Instead, He welcomes us with open arms. Long before Jesus came to earth and offered Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, David expressed his confidence in God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness. 

The LORD is compassionate and merciful,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
    nor remain angry forever. – Psalm 103:8-9 NLT

Then he adds:

He does not punish us for all our sins;
    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west. – Psalm 103:10-12 NLT

That was the confident assurance of the author of Psalm 130. He shared David's belief that Yahweh was compassionate, merciful, loving, kind, and forgiving. He was well aware of his sins but counted on God to remove them as far as the east is from the west. There was no list of wrongs done. There was no demand for course correction or behavior modification to earn His favor. All God asked for was that His people place their faith and hope in Him. Which is why the psalmist ends his song with the words, “hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows” (Psalm 130:7 NLT).

Father, thank You for Your unfailing love and limitless forgiveness. Forgive me for not taking advantage of it and for sometimes thinking I don't even need it! If You kept track of all my sins, I would be without hope. But instead, You offer me forgiveness and healing. Never let me forget that. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Question Worth Considering

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—
    let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
    when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
    when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
    the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
    the raging waters.

6 Blessed be the LORD,
    who has not given us
    as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
    from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
    and we have escaped!

8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,
    who made heaven and earth. – Psalm 124:1-8 ESV

It was the apostle Paul who wrote, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NLT). His words echo the words of David and those of God Himself, recorded by the prophet Isaiah.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10 NLT

Moses expressed the same sentiment to the Israelites before they entered the land of Canaan.

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT

Then, as Joshua prepared to lead the Israelites in their conquest of the land of promise, Yahweh reiterated the promise of His presence and power. 

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous…This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:6-7, 9 NLT

But in Psalm 124, David asks the rhetorical question, “What if the Lord had not been on our side?” And he provides the self-evident answer to his own question.

They would have swallowed us alive
in their burning anger.
The waters would have engulfed us;
a torrent would have overwhelmed us.
Yes, the raging waters of their fury
would have overwhelmed our very lives.– Psalm 124:3-5 NLT

It would have been a disaster. If Yahweh had not answered their prayers and rescued them from their enemies, the outcome would have been devastating. Without Yahweh’s presence and power, defeat would have been inevitable and unavoidable. That’s why David reminds his people to respond appropriately to Yahweh’s gracious intervention in their lives. 

Praise the LORD,
who did not let their teeth tear us apart! – Psalm 124:6 NLT

Every victory David had experienced as a shepherd, warrior, and king had been the work of Yahweh. As he prepared to face the Philistine champion, Goliath, David assured King Saul that he was up to the challenge because he had Yahweh on his side.

“When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” – 1 Samuel 17:34-37 NLT

When Saul commissioned David to lead a contingent of 1,000 soldiers, he proved successful again, because Yahweh was with him.

Saul was then afraid of David, for the LORD was with David and had turned away from Saul. Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men, and David faithfully led his troops into battle.

David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the LORD was with him. – 1 Samuel 18:12-14 NLT

Yahweh's abiding presence remained with David throughout his life, even during his years as the king of Israel. Toward the end of his reign, David received Yahweh's confirmation that his success had been divinely ordained. The LORD had been with David from the moment he was anointed to be the next king of Israel.  

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!” – 2 Samuel 7:8-9 NLT

So, as David penned the words of this psalm, he did so from personal experience. Yahweh had been with him throughout the years and had delivered the enemies of Israel into his hands. His victories had been Yahweh’s doing and not his own. His defeat of Goliath had been the work of God. His battles against the Philistines had turned in his favor because Yahweh was with him. And he knew that, without God's help, the outcomes would have been dramatically different. 

In this psalm, he raises the thought-provoking question, “What if the LORD had not been on our side?” His intention was not to raise doubt about Yahweh's faithfulness, but to prevent the Israelites from taking the LORD’s power and presence for granted. 

His sobering question wasn’t intended to raise doubts about God's reliability. He wasn’t asking them to consider the consequences if God ever failed to come through, but the reality that He always does. David’s point is that Yahweh is always faithful and true. He consistently comes through. There may be times when it appears as if He has forsaken us, but His very character assures us that He is on our side at all times.

This psalm is one of the songs of ascent that were sung by Jewish pilgrims making their annual journey to Jerusalem for Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles, both celebrations associated with the Passover. These songs were sung along the way, reminding the travelers of their destination and the One for whom they were making this long arduous journey to worship. They were going to Jerusalem "to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel" (Psalm 122:4b NLT). The name of the Lord was synonymous with His reputation. He was El Shaddai (LORD God Almighty), El Elyon (The Most High God), Adonai (Lord, Master), Jehovah Nissi (The LORD My Banner), Jehovah-Raah (The LORD My Shephard), Jehovah Rapha (The LORD That Heals), Jehovah Shammah (The LORD Is There), Jehovah Tsidkenu (The LORD Our Righteousness), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The LORD Who Sanctifies You), El Olam (The Everlasting God), Jehovah Jireh (The LORD Will Provide), Jehovah Shalom (The LORD Is Peace), and Jehovah Sabaoth (The LORD Of Hosts).

God's names are a picture of who He is and remind His people of all that He has done for them. So, as the people made their way to Jerusalem, they celebrated His activity in the life of their nation through song.

But as they sang, David wanted them to consider the sobering reality that, without God, they would have no hope. Had God not been on their side, "The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us" (Psalm 124:4 NLT). He wanted them to recognize that life without Yahweh would be no life at all. They understood that their help was from the LORD, the same Creator God who had made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2). This all-powerful God had chosen to have a personal relationship with them and provide them with His protection, provision, and ongoing presence. But rather than take this fact for granted, the people of Israel were to remind themselves what life would be like if Yahweh were not on their side.

So, as they made their way to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh, they asked one another, "What if the LORD had not been on our side?" Their thoughtful consideration of this question was meant to reinforce their faith in Yahweh and reenergize their worship of Him.

As New Testament believers, we may want to ask ourselves the same question. As the apostle Paul stated, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Yahweh has chosen to make us His own through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. That is the point Paul was trying make in chapter 8 of his letter to the Roman believers. 

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. – Romans 8:31-34 NLT

Because of God’s faithfulness and the saving work of Jesus Christ, “overwhelming victory is ours” (Romans 8:37 NLT). Yes, there will be days filled with difficulty and we will face trials in this life but, as Paul asks, “Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” (Romans 8:35 NLT). And, like David, he answers his own rhetorical question. 

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. – Romans 8:37 NLT

Father, my life is nothing without You. My future would be hopeless without You. My life would have no meaning without You. But because of who You are, I know I have help, hope, and healing at my disposal. I have a relationship with the God of the universe because of the gracious gift of Your Son. He has provided me with His righteousness and assures me of Your acceptance and love. And for that, I am eternally grateful. Thank You. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Whem Life Doesn't Make Sense

Yodh

73 You made me; you created me.
    Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,
    for I have put my hope in your word.
75 I know, O LORD, that your regulations are fair;
    you disciplined me because I needed it.
76 Now let your unfailing love comfort me,
    just as you promised me, your servant.
77 Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live,
    for your instructions are my delight.
78 Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me;
    meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.
79 Let me be united with all who fear you,
    with those who know your laws.
80 May I be blameless in keeping your decrees;
    then I will never be ashamed.

Kaph

81 I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
    but I have put my hope in your word.
82 My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.
    When will you comfort me?
83 I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke,
    but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.
84 How long must I wait?
    When will you punish those who persecute me?
85 These arrogant people who hate your instructions
    have dug deep pits to trap me.
86 All your commands are trustworthy.
    Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.
87 They almost finished me off,
    but I refused to abandon your commandments.
88 In your unfailing love, spare my life;
    then I can continue to obey your laws.

Lamedh

89 Your eternal word, O LORD,
    stands firm in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
    as enduring as the earth you created.
91 Your regulations remain true to this day,
    for everything serves your plans.
92 If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy,
    I would have died in my misery.
93 I will never forget your commandments,
    for by them you give me life.
94 I am yours; rescue me!
    For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments.
95 Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me,
    I will quietly keep my mind on your laws.
96 Even perfection has its limits,
    but your commands have no limit. – Psalm 119:73-96 ESV

The psalmist continues to describe his less-than-ideal circumstances, using descriptive imagery to heighten the tension and emphasize his reliance upon Yahweh. Whatever was going on in his life, he saw Yahweh as the only solution, and he viewed his love for Yahweh's word as the basis for his hope. In verse 78, he describes the “arrogant people” spreading lies about him. These unidentified individuals were making his life miserable, and the only thing worse than their slanderous words was the stress-inducing delay waiting for Yahweh's deliverance.

I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.
When will you comfort me? – Psalm 119:81-82 NLT

He describes himself as “shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke” (Psalm 119:83 NLT). This rather cryptic-sounding imagery suggests that his life quality had been radically altered by his circumstances. A wineskin was usually filled with life-giving liquid “that gladdens the heart of man” (Psalm 104:15 BSB). But as a result of the unrelenting attacks of his enemies, the psalmist's life was empty and void of joy. He was a dried-up, smoke-infused shell of his former self and in great need of Yahweh's help and healing. 

How long must I wait?
When will you punish those who persecute me?
These arrogant people who hate your instructions
have dug deep pits to trap me.– Psalm 119:84-85 NLT 

But despite the difficulty of his situation and the disappointing delay in Yahweh's response, the psalmist declares his unwavering trust in Yahweh's promises as found in His word. 

I have put my hope in your word… – vs 74 NLT

…let your unfailing love comfort me,
just as you promised me… – vs 76 NLT

…your instructions are my delight…  – vs 77 NLT

My eyes are straining to see your promises come true. – vs 82 NLT

I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.– vs 83 NLT

I refused to abandon your commandments.– vs 87 NLT

His persistence was fueled by his understanding of Yahweh's character. He knew the LORD was trustworthy, faithful, and reliable. As the Creator and sustainer of all things, Yahweh was all-powerful and sovereign over all that happens on earth. In verse 73, the psalmist acknowledges that he was the byproduct of Yahweh's creative power. He echoes David's words found in Psalm 139.

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well. – Psalm 139:13-14 ESV

But while the psalmist gratefully acknowledged Yahweh's role in giving him life, he wanted more.

…give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. – Psalm 119:73 ESV 

In a sense, he was saying, “You created me, now equip me with understanding.” He prayed for divine enlightenment to better comprehend God’s ways because much of his experience made no sense. He viewed his predicament as having come through the hands of God, but that didn’t mean he understood the why behind it.

I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair;
    you disciplined me because I needed it.
Now let your unfailing love comfort me,
    just as you promised me, your servant. – Psalm 119:75-76 NLT 

The psalmist was willing to trust that the attacks of his enemies were part of Yahweh's plan for his life. He viewed their assaults as disciplinary in nature because he believed Yahweh had sent them. He just didn't understand why and wrestled with knowing how long his suffering would last. His attitude reflects a healthy confidence in God’s sovereignty. The One who made him could also enlighten him.

“He only who gave life to our bodies can give light to our minds, and if our minds are enlightened by His Spirit, His word will teach us how to do His will.” – Thomas Cobbin

Verses 81-88 honestly portray the psalmist's confusion and frustration over his situation. He believes in Yahweh, but is wrestling with the prolonged nature of his suffering. Whether the psalmist was familiar with Psalm 22 is unclear, but his words echo David's pain.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
    Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. – Psalm 22:1-2 NLT

But as bad as things seemed, David didn't lose hope.

Yet you are holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors trusted in you,
    and you rescued them.
They cried out to you and were saved.
    They trusted in you and were never disgraced. – Psalm 22:1-5 NLT

Like his ancient ancestors, the psalmist cries out to God, begging to understand what He is doing.

How long must I wait?
    When will you punish those who persecute me? – Psalm 119:84 NLT

He pleads for divine intervention so that he might continue to live a life of obedient submission to the word and will of God.

In your unfailing love, spare my life;
    then I can continue to obey your laws. – Psalm 119:88 NLT

These verses and Psalm 22 could have been written by Jesus Himself. In fact, Jesus quoted the words of David during His final moments on the cross.

The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” – Matthew 27:41-46 NLT

Just hours earlier, when Jesus and His disciples gathered in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, Jesus prayed the following prayer: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42 NLT). Facing the reality of His pending death by crucifixion, Jesus displayed his human nature by declaring His desire to escape such a gruesome and painful end. But He was committed to doing His Father's will. 

When he appeared in human form,
    he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross. – Philippians 2:7-8 NLT 

Jesus was willing to suffer and die to fulfill His Father's will. He trusted His Father's plan and wholeheartedly committed Himself to carrying it out. And the psalmist reflects the same determination and dedication to trusting Yahweh's will for his life. 

Your eternal word, O LORD,
    stands firm in heaven.
Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
    as enduring as the earth you created.
Your regulations remain true to this day,
    for everything serves your plans. – Psalm 119:89-91 NLT

He may not have liked what was happening in his life, and he certainly didn't understand it. But he was willing to trust Yahweh with it. This was a man who wrestled with the uncertainties of life. He loved the LORD with all his heart and tried to live in keeping with His Word, but things didn't always turn out as expected. But he kept trusting and remained hopeful. His God was eternal and faithful. The words of God were non-negotiable but also reliable. Things might not go as planned. Life could be difficult and disappointing. But he remained faithfully committed to Yahweh's words, will, and ways. 

Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me,
    I will quietly keep my mind on your laws.
Even perfection has its limits,
    but your commands have no limit. – Psalm 119:95-96 NLT

For the psalmist, a life of perfect peace and tranquility was wishful thinking. Nothing in this life will last. Nothing man makes will endure. Everything has its limits, except the word of God. No matter what the future held, he knew that Yahweh held his future. 

Father, we all want the good life and, as believers, we somehow think it's guaranteed because of our faith in Jesus. When He said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV), we hear Him promising our best life now. We conjure up images of a trouble-free, blessing-filled life that looks a lot more like heaven than earth. We want to define the “abundant life” on our terms and then demand that You deliver it. But, like the psalmist, we end up discovering that this life is not always easy and things don't always turn out the way we want. Yet You are always faithful and reliable. You are unchanging and unwavering in Your love for us and Your willingness to mold us into the likeness of Your Son. Give me endurance to suffer well and to never lose hope in Your sovereignty plan for my life. Amen.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Power to Obey

Daleth

25 My soul clings to the dust;
    give me life according to your word!
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;
    teach me your statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,
    and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow;
    strengthen me according to your word!
29 Put false ways far from me
    and graciously teach me your law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
    I set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O LORD;
    let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
    when you enlarge my heart!

He

33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;
    and I will keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
    and observe it with my whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
    for I delight in it.
36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,
    and not to selfish gain!
37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
    and give me life in your ways.
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,
    that you may be feared.
39 Turn away the reproach that I dread,
    for your rules are good.
40 Behold, I long for your precepts;
    in your righteousness give me life!

Waw

41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD,
    your salvation according to your promise;
42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
    for my hope is in your rules.
44 I will keep your law continually,
    forever and ever,
45 and I shall walk in a wide place,
    for I have sought your precepts.
46 I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
    and shall not be put to shame,
47 for I find my delight in your commandments,
    which I love.
48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
    and I will meditate on your statutes. – Psalm 119:25-48 ESV

The psalmist's life was anything but easy. Following Yahweh's law had not guaranteed him a trouble-free life or provided him with immunity from sin and sorrow. He flatly states, “My soul clings to the dust” (Psalm 119:25 ESV), describing his current state of mourning. He provides no specifics as to his predicament, but adds, “My soul melts away for sorrow” (Psalm 119:28 ESV). He is struggling with deep depression and reaches out to Yahweh for help and healing.

“Revive me by your word,” he pleads (Psalm 119:25 NLT) because he is filled with doubts and doing battle with his own inner demons. False ideas fill his mind, and wrong conclusions about his problems wreak havoc with his self-confidence. He can't seem to decide whether his pain is self-induced or the result of disobedience to God's commands. Is he being punished for his sins or simply reaping the consequences for his unfaithfulness?

It almost seems he is grasping at straws as he searches for an explanation to his dilemma. He even brings up the love of money and materialism.

Give me an eagerness for your laws
    rather than a love for money!
Turn my eyes from worthless things,
    and give me life through your word. – Psalm 119:36-37 NLT

This is a man in turmoil, who longs to be restored to a right relationship with Yahweh. But he knows the key to his restoration is found in God’s commands.

…revive me by your word – vs 25 (NLT)

…encourage me by your word – vs 28 (NLT)

…give me the privilege of knowing your instructions – vs 29 (NLT)

Teach me your decrees – vs 33 (NLT)

Give me understanding – vs 34 (NLT)

Make me walk along the path of your commands – vs 35 (NLT)

Give me an eagerness for your laws – vs 36 (NLT)

…give me life through your word – vs 37  (NLT)    

The psalmist knows that something is missing. He understands the value of God's decrees but seeks more than mental assent to a set of regulations. Knowing God's laws and keeping them are not the same thing. Knowing what God commands is useless if the heart doesn't grasp the why behind it. That’s why he pleads, “Help me understand the meaning of your commandments” (Psalm 119:27 NLT) and “expand my understanding” (Psalm 119:32 NLT). 

Laws can do little to regulate the lives of those who fail to comprehend their underlying purpose. Without understanding why God gave His statutes, men will always view them as restrictive and repressive. They will become a burden rather than a delight. But the psalmist inherently knew God's laws were not just a list of prohibitions to be obeyed; they could bring joy, pleasure, peace, comfort, security, and an overwhelming sense of God's presence and delight.

That is why the psalmist says, “I have determined to live by your regulations” (Psalm 119:30 NLT). He claims to cling to them like a drowning man grasps a life preserver. He pursues them with a vengeance because he comprehends their value. He knows true happiness is found only when one obeys God's commands. Disobedience doesn't bring delight. Freedom from the law doesn't emancipate or make one the master of one's fate; it enslaves and entraps. The apostle Paul understood this reality and warned the believers in Rome not to allow their desire for freedom to end up enslaving them to sin.

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. – Romans 6:16-18 NLT

The psalmist also understood the danger of pursuing freedom at all costs.

Help me abandon my shameful ways;
    for your regulations are good.
I long to obey your commandments!
    Renew my life with your goodness. – Psalm 119:39-40 NLT

He knew that God's laws were good, holy, and had a divine purpose behind them. They were not a set of arbitrary rules designed to restrict and repress, or the sadistic musings of some cosmic kill-joy intent on keeping humanity from having a good time. They were the gracious gift of a good God who longed for His children to experience His blessings by living according to His holy standards. Once again, the apostle Paul provides insight into man's love-hate relationship with God's law. 

…it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. – Romans 7:7-12 NLT

The psalmist was content to give Yahweh the benefit of the doubt. He didn't fully understand all that was going on in his life, but he knew that the answer was to be found in the law, not apart from it. He longed to experience God’s love as salvation from his doubt, despair, and difficulties.

LORD, give me your unfailing love,
    the salvation that you promised me. – Psalm 119:41 NLT

His salvation would be found in keeping the law. But to keep the law, he would need help. He described God's laws as his only hope (vs 43) and understood Yahweh was his only source of help to live obediently. This entire psalm is a tribute to the efficacy and integrity of God's law and a declaration of the psalmist's commitment to remaining obedient in the face of opposition and uncertainty.

I will keep on obeying your instructions
    forever and ever.
I will walk in freedom,
    for I have devoted myself to your commandments. – Psalm 119:44-45 NLT  

This anonymous psalmist represents all God’s children who have ever wrestled with doubts concerning God's commands. Even New Testament believers, who embrace the doctrine that they have been set free from the law of sin and death, wrestle with the concept of obedience. When they hear Jesus say, “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15 NLT), they question the validity of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus’ words sound a lot like works, and it doesn't help when He later states, “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me” (John 14:21 NLT).

The disciples wrestled with Jesus’ words because they did not yet have the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. In fact, Jesus told them their ability to obey would be made possible through the Spirit's power.

“All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.…when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” – John 14:23-24, 26 NLT

But even with the power of the Spirit of God present within him, the apostle Paul described the ongoing state of confusion and conflict that would plague the life of every believer, including himself.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. – Romans 7:21-25 NLT

But Paul knew that Jesus was the solution to his ongoing sin problem. Jesus was not just the source of salvation, but also of being restored to a right relationship with God the Father. He was the key to our ongoing sanctification, the transformation of our lives into His own likeness as we live in obedience to His commands in the power of the Holy Spirit. For the psalmist and Paul, obedience was the key to God's blessing, and God was the key to obedience, so none of us might be tempted to boast (Ephesians 2:9). 

Father, You demand obedience but You also supply the power. Your law is not onerous or impossible; it is holy, righteous, and good. And while we are incapable of keeping it in our own strength, You sent Your Son to live according to Your law – without sin. He kept every aspect of Your law. He was fully obedient at all times, even to the point of suffering death on the cross in keeping with Your will for Him. And because He obeyed and we believed, we have received His righteousness. We are made new and fully acceptable to You. Not only that, we have received the presence and power of Your Spirit, empowering us to live obediently to Your commands – not perfectly but persistantly and willingly. With the psalmist I pray, “Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good.
I long to obey your commandments!” (Psalm 119:39-40 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The ABCs of God's Word

Alef

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
    to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
    in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
    having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
    when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
    do not utterly forsake me!

Beth

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
    By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
    let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O LORD;
    teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I declare
    all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
    as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
    and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
    I will not forget your word.

Gimel

17 Deal bountifully with your servant,
    that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
    wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am a sojourner on the earth;
    hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with longing
    for your rules at all times.
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
    who wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me scorn and contempt,
    for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me,
    your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my delight;
    they are my counselors. – Psalm 119:1-24 ESV 

This anonymous psalm contains 175 verses, making it the longest chapter in the Bible. Another unique feature of this psalm is its acrostic arrangement around the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The author has painstakingly arranged each set of eight verses around a different Hebrew letter, with the first word of each verse beginning with that letter. Verses 1-8 start with the letter aleph, verses 9-16 begin with the letter beth, and verses 17-24 use the letter gimel. This pattern continues to the final eight verses, which feature the letter taw. 

This acrostic arrangement could have served as a catechismal tool, providing an easy-to-remember format for teaching doctrinal truth to children. The author uses a variety of synonyms throughout the psalm to encourage obedience to and reverence for God's word.

• The law 

• Testimonies

• Way(s)

• Precepts

• Statutes

• Commandments

• Rules

• Word

• Works

• Promises

Each of these synonyms refers to God's spoken word as recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, which included the Law and the Prophets. The Law was how the Israelites referred to the books written by Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Prophets includes the prophetic and poetic books that form the rest of the Old Testament. In his gospel account, Luke records the journey of two of Jesus’ dejected disciples who were making their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They had just witnessed the death of Jesus and were mourning their loss when suddenly, Jesus appeared before them. At first, they failed to recognize Him, but when they finally realized they were talking to their resurrected Rabbi, they were shocked. This led Jesus to gently rebuke them, saying, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26 NLT). Then Luke adds, “Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27 NLT). 

So, when the psalmist refers to “the word” of God, he speaks of the Old Testament, the same Scriptures Jesus used to instruct His two disciples on the road to Emmaus. But his emphasis on the Word should not be mistaken for worship of the Word. The psalmist goes out of his way to use synonyms that illustrate the spoken word of God. The Israelites believed that the Law of Moses was received directly from Yahweh on Mount Sinai. It was divinely inspired and, therefore, sacred. The prophets spoke on behalf of Yahweh, having been called and commissioned by Him to declare His message of repentance to His people. But Yahweh also “spoke” through His actions, demonstrating His power, holiness, and transcendence through His “wondrous ways.” 

Yahweh wasn’t just a character from the stories recorded on ancient scrolls. He was the living God who made Himself known through creation and His mighty acts of judgment and deliverance. He made promises and kept them because He is trustworthy and true. He gave laws and expected them to be obeyed because He is righteous and just. He provided rules for living because He was sovereign, all-wise, and knew what was best for His children. 

This entire psalm is one man's testimony to Yahweh's praiseworthiness. For 176 verses, covering every one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the psalmist encourages unbridled worship of Yahweh in the form of willing obedience. 

Joyful are people of integrity,
    who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Joyful are those who obey his laws
    and search for him with all their hearts. – Psalm 119:1-2 NLT

He expresses his own longing to live in keeping with the laws of God, but acknowledges his incapacity to do so.

Oh, that my actions would consistently
    reflect your decrees! – Psalm 119:5 NLT

He makes a personal promise to do everything in his power to remain obedient but confesses that he may need help.

As I learn your righteous regulations,
    I will thank you by living as I should!
I will obey your decrees.
    Please don’t give up on me! – Psalm 119:7-8 NLT

In the second set of eight verses, the psalmist admits how difficult it is for sinful man to live up to Yahweh's holy standards. He opens verse eight with the proverbial question: “How can a young person stay pure?” The psalmist would have been well acquainted with the psalm of David.

The LORD looks down from heaven
    on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
    if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
    all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
    not a single one! – Psalm 14:2-3 NLT

He would have also known about the prophet Isaiah's less-than-flattering assessment of humanity.

We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind. – Isaiah 64:6 NLT

When he asked how any young man might live a pure life, he already knew the answer: Obedience to the word of God. Purity wasn't self-determined and could not be self-produced. Left to their own devices, sinful men and women will follow the desires of their sin-prone hearts. The prophet Jeremiah provided a stark assessment of the human heart.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? – Jeremiah 17:9 BSB

And the Book of Proverbs describes the futility of pursuing self-purification.

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”? – Proverbs 20:9 BSB

The psalmist knew that his only hope was in the Word of Yahweh.

I have hidden your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you. – Psalm 119:11 NLT

This is about more than inculcating knowledge or storing up information. It's about life change that comes through heart transformation. The psalmist knew from experience that behavior modification was not enough. Reformed habits were not a long-term solution to a sinful heart. 

For the psalmist, the law was a means of knowing Yahweh better. Like creation, Yahweh's Word was intended to be a revelation of Himself. His righteous statutes, commands, and precepts were designed to reflect His holiness. When God gave the law to Moses, He told him, “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2 NLT). 

The written law was a reflection of Yahweh's character. It was the code of conduct He required of His chosen people. They were to live set-apart and distinctively different lives from the nations around them. In living in obedience to His commands, they would reflect their status as His treasured possession. Their lives would mirror His glory and righteousness to a world mired in darkness and sin.

In the third set of eight verses, the psalmist acknowledges his dependence upon Yahweh. Not only does he need Yahweh's Word, but he also requires Yahweh's help to understand and obey it.

Open my eyes to see
    the wonderful truths in your instructions.
I am only a foreigner in the land.
    Don’t hide your commands from me! – Psalm 119:18-19 NLT

He doesn't gloat in his set-apart status as a child of God or boast in his identity as a descendant of Abraham. Instead, he refers to himself as a foreigner, an undeserving stranger who needed Yahweh's help to know and obey His commands. This mindset is starkly different from that of the Jews with whom Jesus spoke and recorded by John in his gospel account. 

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32 NLT

Notice that Jesus ties true discipleship with obedience to His Word or teachings. He offers His audience freedom in exchange for faith in His words concerning Himself. Jesus would later claim, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” (John 14:6-7 NLT). He was the Living Word that provided access to the Father and the power to live in obedience to His commands. 

But the Jews to whom Jesus spoke took exception with His words.

“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” – John 8:33 NLT

They were cocky and bit overconfident in their status as God's chosen people. They took great pride in their heritage as Abraham's descendants and viewed themselves as Yahweh's treasured possession.  Yet, Jesus was unsparing in His assessment of their true status.

“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.” – John 8:34-38 NLT

Even in Jesus' day, the Jews put a higher value on their inheritance than on obedience. Their status as Jews was of more importance than Yahweh's command to obey. Jesus was speaking the words of His Father, but they refused to hear and obey. They prided themselves on their adherence to the Mosaic Law, but Jesus had come to fulfill the law and the prophets. He was the latest revelation of God. According to the opening lines of John's gospel, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (John 1:14 NLT).

Long before Jesus appeared in human form, the psalmist wrestled with a desire to know and understand God's truth. He desperately desired to obey God's Word as revealed through the Scriptures. But he knew how difficult this could be.

You rebuke the arrogant;
    those who wander from your commands are cursed. – Psalm 119:21 NLT

Despite setbacks, personal attacks, and struggles with disobedience and unfaithfulness, the psalmist remained committed to knowing and keeping God's word. He also knew that any attempts to obey were hopeless without God's help.

Even princes sit and speak against me,
    but I will meditate on your decrees.
Your laws please me;
    they give me wise advice. – Psalm 119:23-24 NLT

He didn't view God's commands as onerous or burdensome. They were a delight because they reflected God's wisdom, glory, goodness, and power. God's laws were a window into His very nature, providing earth-bound humans with a glimpse into His majesty, holiness, grace, and mercy. As the psalmist will later confess, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105 NLT).

Father, I love Your Word because it reveals You. When I open Your Word, I get a glimpse into Your character, a reminder of Your power, and encouragement that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are the unchanging, all-powerful, gracious, and merciful One who saves, sanctifies, redeems, restores, loves, and disciplines. Your written Word and the Living Word reveal You in all Your glory. Give me a greater desire to know both better so that I might obey You more readily and willingly. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The LORD of Hosts Is With Us

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah – Psalm 46:1-11 ESV

The title of this psalm reveals that it was written by one of the sons of Korah and “according to Alamoth.” The meaning of this description is somewhat obscure, but the Hebrew word ʿălāmôṯ refers to maidens or young women. Some conjecture that this psalm was to be sung by men but in falsetto voices “according to the alamoth style” (NET Bible). This musical notation was intended to dictate the vocal style of the song when performed. 

But while the title’s exact meaning remains undetermined, the psalm’s message is clear. The opening line establishes the theme.

God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble. – Psalm 46:1 NLT

Inspired by this psalm, the great reformer Martin Luther penned the opening lines of his hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

A mighty Fortress is our God
A Bulwark never failing
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing

Isaac Watts also found inspiration from this psalm when writing “O God Our Help In Ages Past.”

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Both Luther and Watts found the message of Psalm 46 hopeful and inspirational. Its declaration of God’s greatness even in the face of calamity struck a chord with them, and they echoed its message in their own words and for a more contemporary audience.

The psalm contrasts the eternality and power of God with the temporal chaos of the fallen world in which men live. Earthquakes, natural disasters, storms, and man-made wars may rock our world, but God remains firmly established on His heavenly throne and in complete control of all things. Chaos may abound around us, but there is no reason to fear because “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7 ESV).

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the psalmist painted a beautiful picture that portrays the past, present, and future plans of God. Isaac Watts seemed to grasp this point when he penned the opening line of his hymn. He mentioned God’s help in the past ages as the source of our hope for years to come. God is constant and consistent. He is eternal and unchanging.

So we will not fear when earthquakes come
    and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
    Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! – Psalm 46:3 NLT

The God who created the world can maintain and sustain it, even in the face of earth-shattering disasters. His presence is a source of power that assures His people of protection and peace even amid the storms of life. The psalmist describes the assuring nature of God’s presence.

A river brings joy to the city of our God,
    the sacred home of the Most High.
God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
    From the very break of day, God will protect it. – Psalm 46:4-5 NLT

The city of God refers to Jerusalem, but there was no river flowing in or out of the capital city. Yet, the apostle John was given a glimpse of the New Jerusalem, the city which will be the home of God’s people where they will dwell with Him for eternity. That city will feature a river flowing from the throne of God.

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. – Revelation 22:1-2 NLT

In that city, the permanent presence of God will provide protection from pain, sorrow, suffering, storms, and wars.

“Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” – Revelation 21:3-4 NLT

But until that day comes and the holy city descends from heaven to earth, the world will be marked by continuing chaos and confusion.

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts. – Psalm 46:6 ESV

But God will be with us. He will not leave us or forsake us.

The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. – Psalm 46:7 ESV

In the present, storms will come, wars will rage, chaos will persist, and fears will assail us. But we can rest in the hope of God’s pervasive presence and power. The psalmist fills his song with words of comfort and encouragement, speaking of God’s sovereignty over the nations of the world.

Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:
    See how he brings destruction upon the world.
He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
    He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire. – Psalm 46:8-9 NLT

But this image of God defeating the armies of the world is prophetic, foreshadowing an event that remains unfulfilled but clearly predicted in the Book of Revelation.

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. - Revelation 19:11-16 NLT

In a vision, John was given a preview of coming attractions. He was allowed to witness the second coming of Christ when, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus will defeat the armies of this world and set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies. – Revelation 19:17-21 NLT

We still live in a world marked by wars and marred by natural disasters. But there is a day coming when God will bring an end to all the chaos and confusion. He will send His Son to earth a second time to finish the redemptive plan He began on the cross. It is our hope in God’s promise of these future events that allows us to experience peace in the present world in which we live. God is reminding us that He is in charge and will one day make all things new.

“Be still, and know that I am God!
    I will be honored by every nation.
    I will be honored throughout the world.” – Psalm 46:10 NLT

In his vision of the end times, John was allowed to hear the words of another song entitled “the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Revelation 15:3 NLT). Sung by a choir of men and women who had been martyred by the Antichrist, this song echoes the words of Psalm 46.

“Great and marvelous are your works,
    O Lord God, the Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
    O King of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
    and glorify your name?
    For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
    for your righteous deeds have been revealed.” – Revelation 15:3-4 NLT

The God who will bring about the restoration of all things is near — even as the chaos and confusion seem to reign over us. He is not distant or disinterested in the current condition of this world. He is not powerless or impotent. No, the psalmist would have us remember “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:11 ESV). But there is a day coming when God will send His Son again, and the New Jerusalem will descend. The end will come just as He promised and the eternal state will begin — never to end. And, once again, John was given a glimpse of that new city that should produce faith and hope in the heart of every believer.

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. – Revelation 22:22-27 NLT

Father, the world is a place of chaos and confusion, and it can feel as if You are nowhere to be found. But this psalm reminds me that You are always with us. You never leave us or forsake us. You never forget about us. In fact, You are working a plan that includes the here and now and the hereafter. As You told the people of Israel, “I know the plans I have for you, They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT). That promise holds true for us as well. Help me to rest in Your eternal plan. Restore my hope so that I can resist the urge to doubt and fear when the storms of life come and wars rage all around me. You are with me and You have great plans for me. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The King is Coming

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love song.

1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
    I address my verses to the king;
    my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
    grace is poured upon your lips;
    therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
    in your splendor and majesty!

4 In your majesty ride out victoriously
    for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
    let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp
    in the heart of the king's enemies;
    the peoples fall under you.

6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
    The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7     you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8     your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9     daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
    at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
    forget your people and your father's house,
11     and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12     The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
    the richest of the people.

13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14     In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
    with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
    as they enter the palace of the king.

16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
    you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
    therefore nations will praise you forever and ever. – Psalm 45:1-17 ESV

This psalm is a love song to the king, written by one the admiring citizens of his kingdom. It is not romantic in nature but is meant to serve as an impassioned endorsement of the king’s moral character and physical stature. This satisfied subject cannot contain his enthusiasm and must sing the king’s praises to all who will listen. 

Beautiful words stir my heart.
    I will recite a lovely poem about the king,
    for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet. – Psalm 45:1 NLT

The psalmist describes the king as physically handsome, gracious in speech, and blessed by God. He is a mighty warrior who fights to defend truth, humility, and justice. Unwilling to use his sovereign power unjustly or for selfish gain, the king mirrors the words of the Proverb.

Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king;
    his throne is made secure through love. – Proverbs 20:28 NLT

The psalmist sees his king as a faithful vice-regent of God who wisely and righteously carries out the one true King’s divine will. The alliance between God and the king is so strong that the psalmist sees them as inseparable. At one point, he even addresses the king as God.

Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
    You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil. – Psalm 45:6-7 NLT

He is not ascribing deity to the king but is simply declaring that the king rules in complete submission to God and in keeping with His will. As a result of his godly behavior, the king enjoys the blessings of God. His reign is marked by success because he has the favor of the Almighty.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,
    pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes.
    In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you. – Psalm 45:7-8 NLT

The psalmist sees the king as an icon of virtue who rightfully enjoys all the perks and benefits of his position. He has been blessed with wealth, a large family, military success, and the adoration of his people. Even as the king prepares to wed his queen, he is dressed in lavish robes and surrounded by the women of his royal court. But the psalmist addresses the queen-to-be, counseling her to leave behind her family and embrace the privilege she has to marry a man who will love and care for her as he does his people.

Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
    Forget your people and your family far away.
For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
    honor him, for he is your lord. – Psalm 45:10-11 NLT

The wedding is described as a beautiful affair, with the king and his new bride becoming one as they are joined together by God. Their union will be blessed by God, producing many sons who “will become kings like their father” (Psalm 45:16 NLT).

This entire psalm has been described as Messianic in nature, foreshadowing the coming of the Son of God, who would be the ultimate King of Israel and the Bridegroom of the church. The apostle John must have had this psalm in mind when he penned his vision of the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:

“Praise the Lord!
    For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
Let us be glad and rejoice,
    and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
    and his bride has prepared herself.
She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
    For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” – Revelation 19:6-9 NLT

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the author of this psalm was unknowingly prophesying about the coming Messiah, who will one day rule in Jerusalem from the throne of David. He will be the true King who reigns in righteousness and perfectly fulfills the will of His Heavenly Father, just as the author of Hebrews wrote.

And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,

“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”

Regarding the angels, he says,

“He sends his angels like the winds,
    his servants like flames of fire.”

But to the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
    You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil.
    Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
    pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.” – Hebrews 1:6-9 NLT

The psalmist never mentions the name of the king he had in mind. This was not an oversight, but the will of the Holy Spirit who inspired this beautiful poem. It was always meant to point to Christ and to serve as a reminder that the ultimate King will one day return to earth and reign in righteousness.

The apostle John describes his vision of “the wife of the Lamb.”

Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. – Revelation 21:9-10 NLT

As the vision continued, John was given a glimpse of this new place where God and man will dwell together for eternity.

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. – Revelation 21:22-27 NLT

Without realizing it, the author of Psalm 45 was describing this future scenario but from an earth-bound, human perspective. He thought he was praising an earthly king, but, in reality, he was picturing an as-yet-to-be-fulfilled scene that God will bring about according to His perfect will.

Your sons will become kings like their father.
    You will make them rulers over many lands.
I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
    Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever. – Psalm 45:16-17 NLT

Father, I am always amazed by the obvious inspiration of Your Word. This psalm, written so many centuries ago was inspired by Your Holy Spirit and contains imagery that points to Your Son as the coming King of kings and Lord of lords. You have always had Your plan in place and have pointed to it repeatedly through the writings of the prophets and pens of the psalmists. This poem, which appears to be written for a long-dead human king, was actually a glowing tribute to Your Son. It serves as a reminder that Your plan has yet to be fully fulfilled, but it will be. Help me to keep my focus on the reality and reliability of Your plan. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Sheep in Need of a Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever. – Psalm 23:1-6 ESV

What do you say about what is arguably the most well-known and popular Psalm of all? The 23rd Psalm is probably the most familiar of all the Psalms for believers and non-believers alike. The words of this Psalm have been printed on plaques and coffee mugs, illustrated in paintings, and explained in countless books. It is short and simple, yet the real message escapes most of us because we don’t live in an agrarian society. The imagery of sheep and shepherds escapes us. So its message, while visually interesting, can become obscure because the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep seems rather pedestrian and simplistic to us. How hard can it be to care for sheep? They appear relatively docile and far from demanding, but it’s fascinating that God regularly used the sheep metaphor when speaking of His people.

In Matthew 10:6, Jesus referred to the Jews as the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Reminiscent of Psalm 23, in the Book of Ezekiel, God refers to the people of Israel as His sheep.

“I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!” – Ezekiel 34:15-16 NLT

Earlier in that same chapter, God refers to His people as sheep again, saying, “They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them” (Ezekiel 34:6 NLT).

God saw His people as sheep, and Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd. Why? What is the point behind this analogy of sheep and shepherds? The key is found in the words used in Psalm 23. David chose his words carefully, and each carries significance. He speaks of need, rest, leading, renewal, guidance, fear, protection, and comfort. He paints a picture of total dependency as opposed to self-sufficiency. Sheep are not meant to defend and care for themselves. They are inherently dumb animals who wander easily and are prone to a herd mentality. Unlike deer, they do not readily sense impending danger. They lack any means of self-defense. They have no horns or sharp teeth and are not known for their speed. In essence, they are defenseless against attack. Not only that, but they are also gullible and easily led astray. When grazing, sheep can become so consumed with their meal that they ignore the dangers surrounding them. So, God’s choice of this imagery is intentional and not intended to be flattering.

Isaiah provides a perfect picture of how God views us.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own. – Isaiah 53:6 NLT

At one time, we were like wandering, ignorant, and stubborn sheep. We had lost our way. We had wandered off the path and gotten lost. We were defenseless, helpless, and hopeless. The prophet Isaiah went on to prophesy that God had a solution for those lost sheep:

Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away. – Isaiah 53:6b-8a NLT

God’s solution for lost, wandering sheep was the Good Shepherd. Peter reminds us, “Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25 NLT).

God is our Shepherd. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. We are their sheep. We are needy, prone to wander, inherently restless, lacking in strength, defenseless, directionless, and hopeless if left to our own devices. But God leads us, loves us, guides us, protects us, comforts us, feeds us, and heals us. He sent His Son to die for us because we couldn’t save ourselves. His Son became a sheep just like us so that He could be the sacrificial lamb that satisfied the just demands of a holy, righteous God. He died so that we might live.

The key to understanding the 23rd Psalm is to embrace our role as sheep and our total dependency on God for everything. David understood that concept long before the Good Shepherd appeared on the scene. He knew that mankind exists and has a future because of God’s goodness and unfailing love. Without Him, we are nothing.

That is why David was willing to submit himself to the Shepherd. Even the Shepherd’s loving discipline was preferable to a life without Him. David gladly embraced the loving correction of God’s rod and staff because He knew it was in his best interest. The Shepherd knows what is best for His sheep.

In the last two verses of his Psalm, David shifts away from the sheep and shepherd motif, describing God as a gracious host who welcomes HIs guests to a fantastic banquet in His palace.

You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever. – Psalm 23:5-6 NLT

David envisioned himself moving from the life of a lowly sheep in the pasture to the honored guest at an elaborate banquet. This shift in emphasis and location mirrored David's own life. He could recall the words of God relayed by the prophet Samuel near the end of his long and productive life.

“I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!” – 2 Samuel 7:8-9 NLT

David had experienced the life of a shepherd and was intimately familiar with sheep. But he also knew what it was like to wear the royal robes of the king and experience all the trappings of success. But he knew all his accomplishments had been the work of God. He was not a self-made man. He could take no credit for his success. David knew his greatest claim to fame was his relationship with God. Even as the most powerful man in the kingdom of Israel, he knew he was completely dependent upon his loving Shepherd.

Most of us find dependence difficult, and learning to rely on God is not easy. We have convinced ourselves that self-sufficiency is a virtue. But sheep rely on their shepherd. They trust their shepherd, listen to their shepherd, follow their shepherd, and depend on their shepherd for everything. And as a result, they are blessed.

Father, give me a sheep-like attitude. Let me continually die to my stubborn need for self-sufficiency and learn to live in total dependence upon You. You are my Shepherd. Your Son is my Good Shepherd. All my needs are met in You. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Coming King of Israel

1 Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers take counsel together,
    against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
    and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
    the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
    and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
    on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
    and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
    and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him. – Psalm 2:1-12 ESV

This Psalm appeals to the rights of the divinely appointed sovereign head of the nation of Israel. This poetic recounting of Israel’s past describes what appears to be a true-to-life scenario in which a coalition of foreign powers has joined forces to “stand against the LORD and against his anointed one” (Psalm 2:2 NLT). This was not an uncommon occurrence for the kings of God’s chosen people. They often found themselves facing stiff competition from the surrounding nations. Ever since they arrived in Canaan after their God-ordained exodus from Egypt, they had been in an ongoing battle with the land’s former occupants. It is impossible to determine which historical event is being described, but the context is less important than the message of futility and sovereign power it contains.

This “royal” Psalm is less about a particular Israelite king who sits on a throne in Jerusalem than it is about “the one who rules in heaven” (Psalm 2:4 NLT). The kings who have aligned themselves against the “anointed” one are actually battling Jehovah Himself. To free themselves from the bondage of Israelite oppression, they have determined to “burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:3 NLT). But the psalmist describes Jehovah laughing in scorn at their feeble attempt to thwart His sovereign will.

But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
    The Lord scoffs at them.
Then in anger he rebukes them,
    terrifying them with his fierce fury.
For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne
    in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.” – Psalm 2:4-6 NLT

God’s intense rebuke is meant to trivialize their bold demand for independence and minimize their hope of opposing His power and providence. The Israelites are not just any nation; they are the treasured possession of the LORD of Heaven's Armies. To oppose them is to oppose God Almighty. Picking a fight with the king of Israel is a foolish and futile endeavor that will always result in failure. Even the unnamed Israelite king pronounces the LORD’s decree and revels in its providential promise to preserve his power and authority.

The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:
“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.
    Today I have become your Father.
Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
    the whole earth as your possession.
You will break them with an iron rod
    and smash them like clay pots.’” – Psalm 2:7-9 NLT

But this is where the Psalm takes an interesting turn. The king describes himself as God’s son and claims to have a divinely ordained right to rule over all the nations of the earth. He boldly declares that God has given him the whole earth as his possession. The only place in Scripture where this kind of divine promise of global dominance appears is in 2 Samuel 7, where the prophet records the details of the Davidic Covenant. God is addressing King David and assuring him that he will be the father of a long line of heirs who will sit on his throne and perpetuate his dynasty.

“‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’” – 2 Samuel 7:11;16 NLT

Solomon would fulfill this promise, but there is far more going on here than David could comprehend. The authors of the New Testament understood that there was a greater fulfillment of this promise than Solomon's reign. While he did ascend to his father's throne, his kingdom eventually came to an end, and because of his disobedience, God split Israel in half, creating two kingdoms that would stand opposed to one another. Yet, God had promised David that his throne would be secure forever.

That is where the New Testament writers saw the prophetic nature of Psalm 2. With the help of the Holy Spirit, they grasped the Messianic implications of the “second psalm.” In a sermon he preached in Antioch of Pisidia, Paul quoted from Psalm 2.

“…now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus,

‘You are my Son.
    Today I have become your Father.’” – Acts 13:32-33 NLT

The New Testament authors viewed Psalm 2 as a Messianic psalm and quoted it 18 times. Chapter 4 of the Book of Acts records the words of a prayer issued after Peter and John were released from jail. It contains a quote from Psalm 2 and attributes the words to King David.

“O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,

‘Why were the nations so angry?
    Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
    the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
    and against his Messiah.’” – Acts 4:24-26 NLT

The disciples clearly understood that Psalm 2 was a prophetic vision of Jesus, the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. He was the ultimate promise of the Davidic Covenant and the one to whom God would give the nations as His inheritance. David’s reign ultimately came to an end and while his kingdom continued under the leadership of his son Solomon, it too would have an expiration date. After the split of the kingdom, Solomon would be followed by other kings in the Davidic line. Still, in 587 BC, the Babylonians completed their years-long siege of Jerusalem and destroyed the city, its beloved Temple, and took many of its citizens captive. With the fall of Jerusalem, the Davidic line came to a halt. No more kings would sit on David's throne. But with the coming of Jesus, born of the line of David, that dynastic drought ended.

So, the closing verses of Psalm 2 contain a warning to the nations, advising them to submit to God’s royal Son, the King of kings and LORD of lords.

Now then, you kings, act wisely!
    Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
Serve the Lord with reverent fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,
    and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—
for his anger flares up in an instant.
    But what joy for all who take refuge in him! – Psalm 2:10-12 NLT

The nations of the earth stand opposed to the LORD’s anointed one. Just like they rejected the authority and sovereign power of the kings of Israel, they ultimately reject the reign of God's royal Son. But the day is coming when Jesus, the Messiah, will return to set up His kingdom on earth and rule from David's throne in the city of Jerusalem. The apostle John was given a vision of this future event and recorded it in the Book of Revelation.

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. – Revelation 19:11-16 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Strong to the Finish

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. – Colossians 4:7-18 ESV

As Paul prepares to wrap up his letter to the Colossian church, he mentions the names of eight men: Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Jesus (Justus), Epaphras, Luke, Demas, and Archippus. Each had played a vital role in Paul’s life and ministry. Two of them, Tychicus and Onesimus, were chosen by Paul to deliver the letter once he had completed it. The first mention of Tychicus in the Scriptures is found in Acts 20, where Luke records his name, as well as that of Aristarchus, among those who accompanied Paul as he left Greece and made his way to Syria.

…he [Paul] decided to return through Macedonia. Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. – Acts 20:3-6 ESV

Tychicus, like the rest of these men, had become a disciple of Paul and had aided him in his ministry. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul refers to Tychicus as his “beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:21 ESV). Paul had instructed Tychicus to deliver his letter to the Ephesian believers and bring them up to speed on his current situation (Ephesians 6:22). Paul had entrusted Tychicus with the same responsibility regarding the congregation in Colossae.

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. – Colossians 4:7-9 ESV

He was accompanied by Onesimus, another disciple of Paul who, at one time, had been a runaway slave. Paul had befriended Onesimus in Rome, where Paul was imprisoned. The young man was hiding from his former master, Philemon. While it is unclear how Paul and Onesimus met, we know that Paul had the privilege of leading Onesimus to Christ. After discipling his young friend for a period of time, he determined to send Onesimus back to his master. What makes this situation rather strange is that Paul knew Onesimus’ master well. The church in Colossae met in Philemon’s home. Paul wrote a letter to Philemon, asking him to receive Onesimus back, not as a runaway slave, but as a brother in Christ.

I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison. Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.

I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf. But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced. It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever. He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord. – Philemon 1:10-16 NLT

According to Colossian 4:9, Onesimus accompanied Tychicus back to Colossae. Tychicus was to deliver Onesimus and the letter from Paul to Philemon. We are not told how this reunion turned out, but it seems likely that Philemon heeded Paul’s advice and treated Onesimus as a “beloved brother” (Philemon 1:16).

Paul also mentions Aristarchus, a Greek who hailed from Thessalonica (Acts 20:4). Paul refers to Aristarchus as his “fellow prisoner” (Colossians 4:10), but it seems unlikely that Paul was inferring that Aristarchus was also under house arrest in Rome. Paul used the term “fellow prisoner” when referring to several of his co-workers in the ministry.

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. – Romans 16:7 ESV

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. – Philemon 1:23-24 ESV

Paul likely used this term to refer to their shared captivity to the will of God and their constant presence with him during his house arrest. Paul opened up his letter to Philemon by describing himself as “a prisoner for Christ Jesus” (Philemon 1:1 ESV). He used the exact phrase when writing to the church in Ephesus, another Gentile community.

I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you… – Ephesians 3:1-2 ESV

Paul didn’t consider himself a prisoner of the Roman government but of Jesus Christ. He was where he was because he had faithfully fulfilled Christ's will, and he viewed these other men as fellow captives who shared his commitment to carrying the good news of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

In a sense, Paul was name-dropping, providing his readers with a list of individuals they knew well and whose reputations would further enhance and support the content of his letter. The believers in Colossae had never met Paul face to face. They were familiar with his name and had likely heard about his miraculous salvation story and prolific ministry, but he was a stranger to them. Paul used the names of these men to assure the Colossians that his words could be trusted. Over time, the various churches heard about Paul's travels and the assistance he received from various individuals, including John Mark and his cousin Barnabas. That is why Paul mentions their names. John Mark had accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey and Barnabas had been a part of the church since its earliest days in Jerusalem. Luke mentions his name in Acts 4.

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. – Acts 4:36-37 ESV

Jesus Justus was one of several Jewish Christians (“men of the circumcision”) who made up Paul’s ethnically diverse ministerial team. When Paul wrote, “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free” (Colossians 3:11 NLT), he meant it. The apostle to the Gentiles practiced what he preached, surrounding himself with men and women from every walk of life and ethnic background. They all shared a common faith in Christ..

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. – Colossians 3:11 NLT

Epaphras, a citizen of Colossae, had played a significant role in the church's founding (Colossians 1:7), but he had left his hometown to minister alongside Paul. It seems that Paul had a small contingent of co-workers who accompanied him to Rome and remained by his side while he was under house arrest and awaiting trial. This included Luke, the author of the gospel that bears his name. Luke also wrote the Book of Acts and served as Paul’s “beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14 ESV). This faithful friend remained by the apostle’s side throughout his confinement in Rome. Demas was also at Paul’s side in Rome, but as Paul records in his second letter to Timothy, Demas later allowed his love for the world to replace his commitment to Paul and the gospel ministry.

Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. – 2 Timothy 4:10 ESV

Paul closes out his letter by asking it be shared with the church in Laodicea. Evidently, there was a letter he wrote to the Laodicean congregation that he wished to be read by the Colossians as well. All of these congregations were near one another, and the letters Paul wrote to them were intended to be circulated among them. The messages they contained were universal and applicable in every one of the communities where local congregations were attempting to live out their faith in hostile surroundings.  Remaining faithful in a fallen and often antagonistic world was difficult, and nobody knew that better than Paul. That is why he closed out his letter by calling his children in the faith to “Remember my chains” (Colossians 4:18 ESV). He wanted them to know he had been imprisoned because of the gospel. His own experience with suffering gave him a unique capacity to understand what the Colossians were experiencing. He was not oblivious to their situation but was well acquainted with the trials often accompanying Christian life. He rejoiced that God had deemed him worthy of the privilege of suffering as Christ had suffered – on behalf of His body, the church.

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. – Colossians 1:24 NLT

For Paul, the walk of faith was challenging but well worth the effort. He knew the Colossian believers were suffering persecution and wrestling with doubts because of the influence of false teachers. But he wanted them to remain firm in their faith and committed to the cause of Christ. Paul played the long game, concentrating on the promise of Christ's return and the assurance of eternal life as the final reward.

I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. – Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Faith, Hope, and Love

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. – Colossians 1:3-8 ESV

Paul describes the believers in Colossae using three of his favorite terms: Faith, hope, and love. He mentions their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints. He also indicates that these two qualities are based on the hope of future reward. They can love others because they have been loved by Christ.  They have a secure hope in the future salvation promised to them because of their faith in Jesus Christ. This triad of Christian character traits was near and dear to Paul’s heart. In fact, in his great “love chapter,” Paul summarizes his statements on love by writing, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT).

For Paul, faith, hope, and love were non-negotiable essentials of the Christian experience. In writing to the church in Corinth, he expressed his admiration for them and reminded them that God had blessed them with every spiritual gift.

God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 1:5-7 NLT

Yet, despite their giftedness, the Corinthians were a divided church, bickering over who had the most impressive and important spiritual gifts. They had missed the whole point and were allowing the gifts that God had given them to create a hierarchy of spiritual elitism marked by pride and arrogance.

So, as Paul wrote to the fledgling church in Colossae, he emphasized the three characteristics essential to living the Christian life and honoring the name of Christ: Faith, hope, and love. Paul had used the same trifecta of godly qualities when addressing the believers in Thessalonica.

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 ESV

In Paul’s theology, faith was an ongoing experience, not a one-time, once-for-all action that ushered in one’s salvation. While faith was essential for experiencing God’s saving grace as expressed through Christ’s sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross, it did not stop at the point of salvation. Faith was to be a dynamic and ever-increasing quality in the believer's life. Paul told the Corinthians believers that “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV). He commended the believers in Thessalonica for their ever-increasing faith.

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. – 2 Thessalonians 1:3 ESV

When speaking of his own life, Paul stated, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 ESV). He no longer relied upon his own strength or his capacity to produce good works in the flesh, but instead, he trusted in the sanctifying work of Christ – by faith. He truly believed what he wrote to the church in Philippi: “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 ESV).

For Paul, love was proof of a truly transformed life. According to the author of Hebrews, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But Paul would qualify that statement by adding, “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV). Love for others provides demonstrable proof that we have been loved by God and that our hearts have been transformed by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. As James so eloquently put it, faith that produces no tangible evidence is not really faith at all.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. – James 2:14-17 ESV

James was not inferring that we are saved by works, but he emphasized that saving faith produces godly fruit, such as love for those in need. The apostle John echoed that sentiment.

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. – 1 John 4:20 ESV

According to Paul, both faith and love are founded upon the hope of our future glorification, promised to us by God and provided for us by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus was intended to provide us with proof that there is life after death; this world is not all there is. That is why Paul told the Corinthians, “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ESV).

Paul went on to stress the essential nature of Christ’s resurrection. If He is not risen from the dead, our faith has no meaning. It’s little more than a pipe dream.

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 ESV

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. – 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 ESV

Ultimately, our faith is in Jesus Christ's resurrection because it assures us of our future hope of glorification. Paul went on to assure the Corinthians of the unwavering reliability of God’s plan for our future glorification.

…in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”  – 1 Corinthians 15:52-55 ESV

We live by faith in the present because we have hope for the future. The God who will fulfill all He has promised regarding the hereafter is fully capable of meeting all our needs in the here and now. And because we rest in His unfailing love for us, we can express that same love to all those around us, including our enemies.

Paul commends the Colossian believers because the gospel continues to bear fruit in their lives.

…it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth… – Colossians 1:6 ESV

Their faith, hope, and love were anything but static. According to Paul, each of those characteristics was increasing daily and manifesting itself in their lives for the world to see. The missionary work of Epaphras had been productive, resulting in their salvation and ongoing sanctification. Now, Paul wanted the Colossians to know how proud he was of their perseverance and determination to continue to pursue faith, hope, and love – even amid the difficulties and distractions that come from living in a fallen world.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Make Disciples

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20 ESV

One of the last things Jesus said to His disciples was His command that they “make disciples.” Matthew closes out his gospel account with this powerful and non-negotiable directive given by the resurrected Jesus to His faithful yet fledgling band of followers. He was leaving and assigning them the task of growing their number in His absence. The Greek word translated as “make disciples” is mathēteuō, a verb that conveys action and expectation. The primary methodology they would use to make disciples was teaching, a concept built into the word mathēteuō.

Jesus’ followers had benefited from the three years of instruction they received from Him, and now He was expecting them to carry on His ministry of disciple-making by passing on all they had learned. This would require them to recall all the oral lessons He had taught them – no small task. But Jesus had told them that they would have help in the form of the Holy Spirit.

“…when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” – John 14:26 NLT

Jesus also told them that this Advocate would be “the Spirit of truth” who would “come to you from the Father and…testify all about me”  (John 15:26 NLT). Upon His departure, the disciples would receive a new instructor, the Spirit of God, who would continue to mathēteuō them, transforming them into ever more faithful followers of Christ. But their growth in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding was not intended for self-enlightenment and personal improvement alone; it was to be shared. Their ongoing instruction by the Holy Spirit was to be a master’s class in pedagogical training that produced more faithful followers of Jesus.

The apostle Paul understood the weight of Jesus’ command to make disciples, even though he had not been there when Jesus spoke the words. This former Pharisee and persecutor of Christians had a one-of-kind encounter with the resurrected Jesus that left him a changed man. His unexpected, life-changing meeting with the risen Messiah had a profound impact on him and was accompanied by further instruction directly from the lips of Jesus Himself. 

Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. – Galatians 1:11-12 NLT

For nearly three years, the LORD personally discipled Paul through the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This well-educated Hebrew received a PhD in personal evangelism that transformed him into a fervent disciple-maker. His passion for the gospel was unparalleled and highly infectious. He constantly shared his heart for the lost and his expectation that all believers embrace the commission Jesus had articulated. In his letter to the believers in Rome, Paul prompted them with a series of probing questions.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. – Romans 10:14-17 ESV  

Paul has just finished saying, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:11 ESV), and “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13 ESV). Paul used the Old Testament Scriptures, quoting Isaiah 28:16 and Joel 2:32 to prove his point. Belief in God would lead one to call out to Him in times of need or trouble. While Paul’s audience in Rome consisted primarily of Gentile Christians, this section of his letter emphasized the Jewish people. He expressed his heart’s desire that they be saved, even suggesting that he would be willing to suffer eternal damnation if it meant that the Jews would come to faith. But Paul knew they would have to experience salvation just as the Gentiles had. They would have to call on the name of the Lord.

But at this point in his letter, Paul asks his Gentile readers, “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? ” (Romans 10:15 NLT). Yes, the Jews had a responsibility to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, just like everyone else. But Paul was adamant that the believers in Rome had an even weightier responsibility to tell them about Christ.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus commanded His disciples to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19 NLT). He even described their geographical mission field as “Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NLT). But His commission and mission field directive didn’t just apply to the eleven men He left behind. They have been the marching orders for every disciple of Jesus Christ from that point until today.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul quotes from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah.

How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” – Isaiah 52:7 ESV

The original words had been given to the people of Judah to announce that God would restore them from captivity in Babylon and return them to Jerusalem. Paul borrowed this message of comfort and joy to express what it was like when someone hears the good news of Jesus Christ for the first time. When an unbeliever learns that they can be restored to a right relationship with God, even though they are undeserving of His amazing grace, it is “good news.” When someone shares the gospel with an unbeliever, faithfully obeying Christ’s command to mathēteuō, they bring news of peace and salvation.

But Paul breaks the sad news that not everyone who hears will listen. Even when Isaiah told the people of Judah that God would set them free from captivity in the land of Babylon, not everyone received his message with open arms. Not everyone believed. God told them, “Get out! Get out and leave your captivity, where everything you touch is unclean. Get out of there and purify yourselves” (Isaiah 52:11 NLT). Yet the prophet would ask, “Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?” (Isaiah 53:1 NLT). Many of the Jews living in Babylon would refuse to return to the land of promise. Rather than believe God’s message of hope and make the long, arduous journey back to Judah, they would choose to remain in captivity.

Paul stated that, in his day, not everyone who heard the gospel received it. Both Jews and Gentiles rejected the good news regarding Jesus Christ, refusing to accept the message of salvation through faith in Christ alone. For Paul, it always came back to faith. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 ESV). We have a responsibility to tell, but everyone who hears must express faith in what they have heard. We have a responsibility to communicate the gospel with unbelievers, but it is NOT our responsibility to convert them. They must confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Then and only then will they experience salvation.

Ultimately, it is God who calls, justifies, and glorifies (Romans 8:30). Salvation does not depend on human will or effort but on the mercy of God (Romans 9:16). God said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15 ESV). Conversion is never the result of coercion. We will never debate someone into a saving relationship with Christ. Our responsibility is to share and leave the results up to God. Paul provides an interesting and important analogy in his letter to the Corinthians believers.

After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. – 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NLT

Jesus’ command to “make disciples” is not a directive to coerce conversion. All we can do is share what we know and give what we have received. Paul didn’t convert anyone, but he went out of his way to tell everyone what he knew. He faithfully conveyed the message of faith in Christ alone to all who would listen—Jews and Gentiles alike. Paul was a faithful disciple who was a fervent disciple-maker. He took Christ’s command seriously and shared it constantly, telling his young protege Timothy, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV).

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Listen to Me

15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Matthew 11:15 ESV

9 “He who has ears, let him hear.” – Matthew 13:9 ESV

43 “He who has ears, let him hear.” – Matthew 13:43 ESV

22 “For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” – Mark 4:22-25 ESV

14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand…” – Mark 7:14 ESV

8 As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Luke 8:8 ESV

18 “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” – Luke 8:18 ESV

35 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Luke 14:35 ESV

Listening seemed to be a high-priority topic for Jesus because He brought it up regularly. He expected His disciples to hear what He had to say and to treat His words as authoritative. But Jesus didn’t suffer from an overinflated sense of self-worth or a desperate desire for the spotlight. Jesus wasn’t out to garner attention or impress others with his linguistic skills. He was simply delivering the message He received from His Heavenly Father.

“My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.” – John 7:16-18 NLT

“I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father.” – John 8:38 NLT

“I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.” – John 12:49 NLT

“The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.” – John 14:10 NLT

“…for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.” – John 17:8 NLT

In a sense, Jesus only spoke when spoken to. He delivered what He received from His Father and expected all those who heard His words to listen carefully and consider the full import of the message. This expectation of attentiveness on the part of His people was something God displayed throughout the Old Testament. He was constantly calling the people of Israel to hear and heed His words.

“Listen to me, O Jacob,
    and Israel, whom I called!
I am he; I am the first,
    and I am the last.
My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
    and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I call to them,
    they stand forth together.

“Assemble, all of you, and listen!” – Isaiah 48:12-14 ESV

“And so, my children, listen to me,
    for all who follow my ways are joyful.
Listen to my instruction and be wise.
    Don’t ignore it.
Joyful are those who listen to me,
    watching for me daily at my gates,
    waiting for me outside my home!” – Proverbs 8:32-34 NLT

“Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention.” – Isaiah 28:23 NLT

When God speaks, He expects His people to hear and obey. His words carry weight because He is holy and righteous in all that He says and does. His words are truth and deserving of man’s full attention and complete obedience. So, when Jesus spoke on behalf of His Father, He always added the command to listen. He wanted His audience to take in what they heard as if it had come from God on high. His words were not the rambling rhetoric of an itinerant Rabbi from Nazareth; they were divine teachings from the throne room of God in heaven.

In Mark’s gospel account, he records an occasion when Jesus addressed a large crowd sitting on the seashore while he sat in a boat just offshore.

And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen!” – Mark 4:2-3 ESV

Jesus prefaced His talk with the command to listen, and throughout His parable-infused lecture, He continued to remind them to hear what He had to say.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Mark 4:9 ESV

“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.” – Mark 4:23-24 ESV

Inferred in thes statements is the fact that one can hear and not really listen. Anyone with small children can attest to the reality of that fact. And yet Jesus seems to be demanding much more than listening ears. His real point of emphasis is understanding or comprehension. When talking about the mystery of the Kingdom of God, He told His disciples that they had been given permission to understand what He was saying.

His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.
    They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say,
    you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
    you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
    and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
    so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
    and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
    and let me heal them.’

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.” – Matthew 13:10-16 NLT

That is why He took time to explain to them more fully the meaning behind His parables. Jesus knew that most of those who heard His words would not understand or obey them because the prophets had said that would be the case. God knew that His words would fall on deaf ears. The people would hear and even listen intently, but they would fail to understand, and as a result, they would fail to believe.

One of the parables Jesus told the crowd that day was about the sower and the soils. In this metaphor-rich story, Jesus painted the picture of a sower sowing seeds that fell on a variety of different soils. As He later explained, the seed was the message of the gospel, and the soil was the hearts of those who were exposed to that message. In each case, the soils represent individuals who hear the same message but whose responses are directly influenced by the condition of their hearts. The spiritual state of their hearts has a direct impact on the viability and success of the seed. For some, their hearts are like hardened footpaths where there is no place for the Word of God to take root. They hear, but the Word simply sits on the surface, where it soon disappears. Others hear the message gladly and it seems to make a difference, but their problem is that their hearts are shallow, and there is no way for the Word of God to establish a firm hold on their lives. At the first sign of problems or persecution, they give up. And there are those who hear, but their hearts are filled with the cares and worries of this life. They are enamored by materialism, wealth, and the things of this world, so the message is slowly crowded out and, eventually, forgotten. But there will be those few who hear, listen, and understand. Their hearts provide a fertile soil in which the message can take root, grow, and produce fruit in their lives.

Jesus implores His audience to “Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you. For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Mark 4:24-25 NET). He is telling them to judge what they are hearing Him say carefully. They must not measure or judge His message by the old standard of the Law. He is warning them to listen intently because He is presenting them with new information regarding the Kingdom of God and how they might have a place in it. The old message of inclusion based on inheritance is no longer valid. Just being born a Jew was not enough. Being a descendant of Abraham was not a guarantee of a place in God’s Kingdom. If they would listen to what He was saying and discard their preconceived notions of what it means to be included in the Kingdom of God, they would be given even more understanding. They would receive even more insight into the mysteries or secrets of the Kingdom. But for all those, like the Pharisees, who refuse to listen and understand because they’re using the wrong standard of measurement, “even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them” (Mark 4:25 NLT).

From our vantage point this side of the resurrection, so much of this makes sense to us. But we have to remember that this was all new information to the disciples. It was radical and revolutionary and did not align with their understanding of God, His Kingdom, or the coming of the Messiah. It wasn’t what they had been taught growing up as young Hebrew boys. Everything Jesus said seemed to be controversial and contradictory to what they had been taught to believe. But He encouraged them to listen. He told them to give up their old standard of measurement for belief, to hear what He was saying, and to understand the truth for the first time in their lives.

While much of this made no sense to them, Jesus told them that His Kingdom would grow. Like a farmer who plants his seed and then waits for harvest, the disciples would learn that the message they heard would take root in the lives of others and grow – all because of the work and power of God.

But it all begins with listening, hearing, and understanding. The more intently they listened, the more they understood. The more eager they were to understand, the more carefully Jesus explained everything to them. This begs the question, how well are we listening to His words and understanding what He is trying to teach us? Are we willing to hear but not obey? As His disciples, do we fail to believe that His words come from the Father and carry weight that is worthy of our attention and obedience?

James would have us remember that hearing without obeying is the characteristic of a fool, not a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. – James 1:19-26 NLT

Hearing can be difficult. There are so many distractions and so much noise that make it almost impossible to hear what Jesus is saying. Yet, there are also times when we hear but fail to listen. He speaks, but I we’re too busy listening to other voices. Even in those times when we do listen to Him, we can easily fail to understand because what He says does not fit in with what we want to believe. We use the wrong standard of measurement and end up judging His words by the world’s standards. We desire pleasure and happiness when His desire is for our holiness.

Jesus still calls His disciples to listen and hear. Our prayer should be that the Spirit would give us ears to hear, listen, understand, and obey. We should constantly ask the  Spirit to soften our hearts so that God’s Word, as delivered by His Son, would always find fertile ground in which to take root, grow, and produce fruit in our lives.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Commands of Christ

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:16-20 ESV

This post begins a new series on the many commands Jesus gave His disciples and, by extension, His future followers during His earthly ministry. In the last conversation He had with His disciples before His ascension, He gave them the following instructions:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8 ESV

His disciples were still reeling from the events of the last 40 days. It had all begun with His crucifixion and death, followed three days later by the shocking and unbelievable news that He had risen from the dead. Some of His female followers were the first to discover the news of the empty tomb and report it the 11 disciples.

So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened. – Luke 24:9-12 NLT

It was Mary Magdalene who was privileged to have the first encounter with Jesus after His resurrection. It appears that she was the first of the women to reach the tomb and when she saw the massive stone had been rolled away, she looked into the tomb and saw two angels peering back at her. Seeing that the body of Jesus was missing, she cried out, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him (John 20:13 ESV). When she turned to leave, she encountered a man whom she believed to be the caretaker of the garden in which Jesus had been buried. When the man spoke her name, Mary immediately realized it was Jesus and wrapped her arms around Him with joy and relief. But Jesus interrupted their reunion with a command:

“Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. – John 20:17-18 ESV

Over the next 40 days, Jesus made numerous appearances to His disciples, providing them with comfort and encouragement as they slowly reconciled the reality of His resurrection. They found it difficult to comprehend all that had happened, even though Jesus had warned them repeatedly.

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. – Matthew 16:21 NLT

“The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” – Luke 9:22 NLT

“The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” – Mark 9:31 NLT

Yet, Mark adds that none of the disciples were able to grasp the meaning of Jesus’ words.

They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant. – Mark 9:32 NLT

It would be forty days after His resurrection that Jesus met with His disciples on the Mount of Olives and enlightened them as to the meaning of all that had taken place.

“When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things.” – Luke 24:44-48 NLT

Jesus gave them a crash course in Christology, opening their eyes to the meaning of Old Testament passages that pointed to His birth, life, death, and resurrection. He was the fulfillment of all that was written in the Law and the Prophets, the culmination of God’s promise of redemption and restoration for sinful mankind. And they were to tell the world all that they learned in that brief but enlightening information dump. But there was one more thing Jesus shared with them that fateful day. Not only were they to serve as eye-witnesses to His death and resurrection, but they were to ensure that His commands were disseminated and explained to all His future followers.

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” – Matthew 28:20 NLT

This portion of the Great Commission often gets overlooked or ignored. Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19 NLT) and baptize them is very familiar and, over the centuries, has been faithfully obeyed. But has the Church been as effective in teaching the commands of Christ? Better yet, has the Church taught and demanded obedience to the commands of Christ?

During His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke “as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22 ESV). When He taught in the synagogue at Capernaum, the audience was “astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority” (Luke 4:32 ESV). When they witnessed Him heal a demon-possessed man “they were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’” (Luke 4:36  ESV).

The four gospel accounts contain the authoritative and life-changing messages Jesus delivered during His earthly ministry. Jesus explained the source of His words when He said, “I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say” (John 12:49-50 NLT). His words were not those of a man, but the divine decrees of Almighty God.

“My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.” – John 7:16-17 NLT

“The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.” – John 14:10 BSB

“…everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.” – John 15:15 BSB

“I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful.” – John 8:26 NLT

Jesus didn’t just communicate the word of God, He was the Word of God. As the apostle John points out in the opening lines of his gospel account, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 ESV). To clarify the identity of this “Word,” John expands on his description.

…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. – John 1:14-18 ESV

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, and that truth came in the form of His messages and teachings. He displayed the grace of God as He communicated the loving mercy of God made available through His life and, ultimately, His death and resurrection.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:6-8 NLT

It’s interesting to note that Jesus didn’t just leave His disciples with the Good News to share, but He also commanded them to teach His commandments. And not just teach them but to expect their observance. Coming to faith in Christ and enjoying the benefits of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone must be followed by an understanding of His commands and a willingness to obey them. Jesus told His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:145 ESV). He went on to tell them, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21 ESV).

The apostle John later expanded on this profound statement from Jesus, providing insight into what it means to obey the commands God delivered through His Son.

…we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. – 1 John 2:3-6 NLT

So, when Jesus prepared to depart this earth and return to His Father’s side, He commanded His disciples to take what He had taught them and share it with all those who placed their hope and trust in Him. His teachings and commands were to be shared and explained. His words recorded in the gospels were to be taken to the four corners of the world and taught to His the future sheep of His growing flock.

Over the next week and months, the number of Jesus’ commands may surprise you. The variety and volume of His commands reflect the depth of His teachings and the expectations He has for our life transformation. His commands are not arbitrary or optional. They are not a form of self-effort designed to earn favor with the Father. They are the outward expression of the inward change that has taken place in our lives because of the sanctifying work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The apostle John described it this way.

But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. – 1 John 2:5-6 NLT

To do as Jesus commanded is to live as Jesus lived – in harmony with the Father’s will and as proof of His redemption of our lives.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The LORD Our God Reigns

12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

13 And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. 14 Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. 15 And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.” – Zechariah 14:12-15 ESV

Verse 3 states, “The LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle” (Zechariah 14:3 ESV). Verse 12 picks up the description of this battle, providing graphic but difficult-to-understand details of the assault on Jerusalem and its outcome. This will be a literal battle between men and the heavenly forces led by the returned Messiah. It will involve weapons of conventional warfare but will also include supernatural displays of the Messiah’s power in the form of devastating plagues that melt the skin from men’s bones and cause their eyes and tongues to disintegrate. Some have conjectured that this is a description of the use of chemical or nuclear weapons, but the text attributes it to “the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples” (Zechariah 14:12 ESV).

This future battle will involve both human and heavenly forces, making it more than a contest between men. This epic conflict will pit the armies of this world, led by the Antichrist, against the forces of God Almighty under the leadership of His Son the Messiah. The prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of this future event, providing ample evidence that it will be a battle between the forces of good and evil. In his vision, Ezekiel records the words of God addressing a confederation of armies aligned against Jerusalem and His chosen people.

“After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.You will advance, coming on like a storm. You will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you.” – Ezekiel 38:8-9 ESV

The people of Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, and Put form an alliance and muster their armies under the leadership of Gog, the prince who rules over the nations. As so many others have attempted to do over the centuries, this coalition of nations will attempt to destroy the people of God and their holy city of Jerusalem.

“You will advance, coming on like a storm. You will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you.

“Thus says the Lord God: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations.” – Ezekiel 38:9-11 ESV

At this point in history, the Israelites will be living in peace and prosperity, having been gathered from the far corners of the world by the LORD. But Yahweh will sovereignly ordain this final assault by the enemies of Israel, ordering them to advance so that He might display His glory and vindicate His holiness through their destruction.

“On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army.You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.” – Ezekiel 38:14-16 ESV

Using contemporary terminology that would resonate with people living in an ancient culture, Yahweh describes a conventional war featuring antiquated weaponry and soldiers fighting on horseback. But the weapons Yahweh brings to bear are anything but traditional or conventional.

“On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man's sword will be against his brother.With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.” – Ezekiel 38:19-22 ESV

Yahweh provided Zechariah with further details of the divine and extraordinary battle plan He will use to defeat the enemy forces.

“And the Lord will send a plague on all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their people will become like walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.…This same plague will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the other animals in the enemy camps.” – Zechariah 14:12, 15 ESV

The outcome of this conflict will never be in question. The enemy forces will stand no chance against the Messiah and the Heavenly Host. But the apostle John provides further insight into the timing and devastating nature of this conflict, describing it as taking place at the end of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom. After Messiah’s 1,000-year-long reign comes to an end, Satan will be released from hell where he will be confined duration of Christ’s earthly reign. God will allow him to wage one final rebellion.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. – Revelation 20:7-10 ESV

Satan will be defeated. The armies of this world will prove powerless against the God Almighty. The vain human attempt to thwart the will of God and supplant His right to rule over His creation will come to an abrupt and final end. God states that, because of this overwhelming victory, everyone will acknowledge Him as LORD.

“I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 38:23 ESV

As if to emphasize the certainty of the battle’s outcome, chapter 39 of Ezekiel contains a replay of God’s rousing victory over His enemies.

“I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand. You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 39:3-6 ESV

Centuries after Ezekiel penned these words, the apostle John wrote something eerily similar.

“Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.” – Revelation 19:17-19 ESV

From the days of Judah’s fall to the Babylonians in 586 B.C. and Jerusalem’s conquest by the Romans in 70 A.D., the people of God have endured wave after wave of conflict and subjugation at the hands of their enemies. Even today, Israel remains surrounded by those who seek their extermination. But God has plans for His people. He has made promises concerning their future that He is bound and determined to fulfill because He is the covenant-keeping God. The enemies remain and their Satan-inspired obsession with Israel’s destruction is little more than wishful thinking. They will never accomplish their objective. Satan will never prevent God from fulfilling His covenant promises and restoring His covenant people to their rightful place at His side in His eternal Kingdom.

The psalmist provides a rather sarcastic take on nations’ futile efforts to upend the plans of Yahweh. They are wasting their time. Their dream of throwing off the yoke of God’s rule will never come to pass. Satan’s quest to dethrone God Almighty and take His place was never going to happen. It is

Why are the nations so angry?
    Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
    the rulers plot together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.
“Let us break their chains,” they cry,
    “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
    The Lord scoffs at them.
Then in anger he rebukes them,
    terrifying them with his fierce fury.
For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne
    in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.” – Psalm 2:1-6 ESV

The day is coming when all mankind will learn that God alone is King and His Kingdom is unconquerable and everlasting. This irrefutable truth should leave Zechariah, the people of Judah, and the people of God of all ages shouting, “Praise the LORD! For the LORD our God, the Almighty, reigns” (Revelation 19:6 NLT) – yesterday, today, and forever.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Long-Awaited Shepherd

7 So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep. 8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9 So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.” 10 And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. 14 Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.

17 “Woe to my worthless shepherd,
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
    and his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
    his right eye utterly blinded!” – Zechariah 11:7-14 ESV

This passage is particularly difficult to understand because it appears that Zechariah begins to speak in the first person as if he were acting out the prophecy in real life. Yet there is no indication that he was given such a directive from the LORD. It makes more sense to see the first-person narrative as the words of God Himself, speaking on behalf of His Son, the Messiah. Yahweh sent the Messiah to serve as His undershepherd, acting on His orders and in His place. During His earthly ministry, Jesus proclaimed His allegiance to and reliance upon His Heavenly Father.

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.” – John 5:19-20 NLT

He declared His unity with Yahweh when He boldly claimed, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30 BSB). He later explained His earthly ministry as a byproduct of His intimate relationship with His Father.

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves.” – John 14:10-11 BSB

Jesus, operating on behalf of His Father, “became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders” (Zechariah 11:7 ESV). The psalmist joyfully proclaimed Israel’s status as Yahweh’s precious possession, describing them as the sheep of His pasture.

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. – Psalm 100:3 ESV

Jesus came to shepherd His Father’s sheep, a responsibility He understood and fully embraced.

…the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.” – John 10:2-4 NLT

Yahweh (the gatekeeper) had opened the way for His Son to come to earth in human form. In His incarnation, Jesus became the shepherd of the sheep, calling the people of Israel to return to the fold of their Father. As the shepherd of Yahweh’s flock, Jesus took His role seriously, knowing that His job would require His own death to protect and preserve all those who belonged to His Heavenly Father.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” – John 10:14-15 NLT

In this same discourse, Jesus boldly condemns the other shepherd-leaders of Israel, declaring them to be nothing more than thieves and robbers (John 10:1) whose sole purpose “is to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NLT). This thinly veiled reference to the priests, kings, and false prophets of Israel paints these pseudo-shepherds in a negative light, portraying them as hired hands who care nothing for the sheep under their care (John 10:13).

Jesus reserved some of His harshest criticism for Israel's spiritual leaders. On one occasion, He got into a heated debate with “the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees” (John 8:3 NLT). These self-righteous religious leaders took exception with Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God and declared themselves to be the true children of Yahweh. But Jesus responded in starkly offensive terms.

“If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!” – John 8:42-45 NLT

Jesus’ strained relationship with the religious and political leaders of His day provides a backdrop to the statements found in Zechariah 11. The shepherd of the flock was “doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders” (Zechariah 11:7 ESV). Luke records that the time came when the religious leaders of Israel ran out of patience with Jesus and determined to take Him out.

“The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus…” – Luke 22:2 NLT

The Zechariah passage describes Yahweh’s shepherd as bearing two staffs. One is called nōʿam, a Hebrew word that translates as “beauty” or “favor.” The other staff is called ḥēḇel, another Hebrew word that is often translated as “bonds” and is closely associated with “sorrows” and “travails.” The shepherd’s staff was his most prized possession, the tool of His trade that allowed Him to carry out His duties faithfully.

The prophet Isaiah predicted the coming Messiah would be “despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3 NLT). Jesus shared with His disciples the unwelcome news of His fate, telling them, “the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation” (Luke 17:22 NLT). Yet, the apostle Peter declared the remarkable contrast that Jesus was “rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight” (1 Peter 2:4 BSB).

In performing His roles as the Good Shepherd, Jesus wielded the favor of His Heavenly Father but He bore the burden of His rejection by those He came to save. Carrying the “tools of His trade,” the Shepherd carried out His earthly ministry and, while doing so, exposed the worthlessness of “the three shepherds” (Zechariah 11:8 ESV). While some scholars have speculated that this is a reference to the three roles of prophet, priest, and king, a more likely explanation can be found in Jesus’ relationship with the Sadducees, Scribes, and Pharisees. Throughout His 3-year-long ministry, Jesus had repeated run-ins with these men.

The Sadducees were a wealthy, elite group of priests who served in the temple. They were committed to the Torah but rejected other scriptures and the belief in resurrection, life after death, and prophecy. They were politically involved with the Roman leaders and focused on rituals associated with the Temple. The Sadducees disappeared around 70 A.D. after the destruction of the Second Temple.

The Scribes were considered experts in Jewish law who provided interpretation and illumination of the hundreds of codified requirements the people of Israel lived under. They also copied scrolls for use in synagogues. They were well-versed in the law and the prophets, but their lives didn't match what they said. They were often in conflict with Jesus, who claimed authority over the law.

The Pharisees were a conservative group of middle-class people who taught in synagogues. They believed in the resurrection of the dead and an afterlife and taught that individuals would receive appropriate rewards and punishments. They were known for their strict adherence to behavior prescriptions based on their interpretation of the Torah.

The Shepherd claims to have “destroyed the three shepherds” (Zechariah 11:8 ESV). The Hebrew word is kāḥaḏ and it carries the idea of cutting off or hiding. With Jesus’ coming, these three religious sects lost most of their power and authority over the people. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the religious leaders convened a special meeting to discuss His rising popularity and their waning influence.

Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”– John 11:47-48 NLT

Jesus’s ministry of miracles and teaching “obscured” the previous role these men had played. The people became less enamored with and dependent upon the religious leaders and found Jesus to be more inspiring and authoritative.

…the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law. – Matthew 7:28-29 NLT

But despite their amazement with Jesus’ teaching, the sheep refused to follow Him. This led the Shepherd to declare, “I won’t be your shepherd any longer. If you die, you die. If you are killed, you are killed. And let those who remain devour each other!” (Zechariah 11:9 NLT). Verse 10 indicates that the staff called “Favor” also symbolized Yahweh’s favor with the people as expressed in the covenant He had made with them. The Shepherd broke the staff in two, symbolizing the annulment of God’s covenant with mankind. In the covenant He made with Abraham, God had promised to bless the nations through him.

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Genesis 12:2-23 ESV

The plan had been to use Abraham’s descendants to fulfill that promise, but they had failed to remain faithful. Yet, God had always determined to send His Son as the true Israel. He would be the faithful, sinless Son who kept all His Father’s commands and carried out His will perfectly. It would be through Jesus the Messiah that the promises to Abraham would be fulfilled.

In a profound example of prophetic accuracy, verses 12-13 predict the betrayal of Jesus at the hands of Judas.

“If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter.” – Zechariah 11:12-13 ESV

The gospels record the fulfillment of this prophecy with shocking detail.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. – Matthew 26:14-16 NLT

When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” – Matthew 27:3-4 NLT

Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. – Matthew 27:5-7 NLT

In verse 14, the tertiary meaning of the second staff is revealed. It symbolizes the bond between Israel and Judah. From this point forward, the tribes will no longer enjoy a brotherhood or unity that binds them together. With the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., the nation of Israel was destined to become a disunified and disconnected nation, enduring centuries of isolation and subjugation at the hands of their enemies.

This prophecy ends on a negative note, as God predicts the coming of a “foolish shepherd” who will persecute the people of Israel. This future world leader is none other than the Antichrist who will come to power during the Great Tribulation. This false Messiah will win over the people of God by allowing them to rebuild the Temple and restore the sacrificial system. But he will ultimately turn against them and martyr them for their faith in Yahweh.

But verse 17 predicts the fate of this foolish shepherd.

“Woe to my worthless shepherd,
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
    and his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
    his right eye utterly blinded!” – Zechariah 11:17 ESV

God will prevail. His Son, the Great Shepherd, will return and destroy the Antichrist. The flock of Israel will be saved and the covenant promises will be fulfilled.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Sheep In Need of a Shepherd

1 Ask rain from the Lord
    in the season of the spring rain,
from the Lord who makes the storm clouds,
    and he will give them showers of rain,
    to everyone the vegetation in the field.
2 For the household gods utter nonsense,
    and the diviners see lies;
they tell false dreams
    and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;
    they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.

3 “My anger is hot against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;
for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
    and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
4 From him shall come the cornerstone,
    from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
    from him every ruler—all of them together.
5 They shall be like mighty men in battle,
    trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the Lord is with them,
    and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah,
    and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
    and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
    for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
7 Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
    and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
    their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.

8 “I will whistle for them and gather them in,
    for I have redeemed them,
    and they shall be as many as they were before.
9 Though I scattered them among the nations,
    yet in far countries they shall remember me,
    and with their children they shall live and return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
    and gather them from Assyria,
and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
    till there is no room for them.
11 He shall pass through the sea of troubles
    and strike down the waves of the sea,
    and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
    and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12 I will make them strong in the Lord,
    and they shall walk in his name,”
declares the Lord. – Zechariah 10:1-12 ESV

Chapter 9 prophesied the coming of the King who would reunite Israel and Judah under His rule and re-establish the Jewish people as Yahweh’s treasured possession. This prophecy was partially fulfilled during the kingship of Judas Maccabeus, a Jewish priest who led a rebellion against  Antiochus IV,  king of the Seleucid Empire. In 164 B.C., Judas Macabeus and his ragtag army of insurrectionists regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. Despite his successful retaking of Jerusalem, Judas Macabeus ruled for just three years and was succeeded by his son Jonathan. Their dynasty was short-lived and remained under Seleucid control the entire time. While peace was made with the Seleucids, the Jews never enjoyed the prominence and power described in chapter 9. That is reserved for the time of the Messiah’s coming when He will return and set up His earthly Kingdom.

Chapter 10 picks up the prophecy by focusing on the people of Israel and their relationship with Yahweh in the coming Kingdom of His Son. Because Christ’s Kingdom will be an earthly one, life will go on as usual. Crops will need to be planted and cared for. Rain will be necessary for proper plant growth. So, the future people of Israel will do as they have always done and ask Yahweh to send rain at the proper time so their crops will thrive. This verse also served as a much-needed reminder to Zechariah and his fellow Judahites that God was sovereign over all things, including the storm clouds. He was the giver of all good gifts (James 1:17) who “sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:35 NLT). And the same God who provides rain in season can shower His covenant people with spiritual blessings beyond their wildest imaginations. All of this is in keeping with the promise from God that Moses delivered to the people of Israel in the wilderness.

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:

“Your towns and your fields
    will be blessed.
Your children and your crops
    will be blessed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
    will be blessed.
Your fruit baskets and breadboards
    will be blessed.
Wherever you go and whatever you do,
    you will be blessed.” – Deuteronomy 28:1-6 NLT

Verse 2 brings the focus back to the remnant of God’s people living in the land of Judah during the time of Zechariah. God alludes to the fact that, despite His gracious provision of their return to Judah, they remained idolatrous. During their lengthy stay in Babylonian captivity, they had compromised their convictions and embraced the false gods of their captors. Many who returned to Judah with Zerubbabel likely brought their household idols along. Not only that, they returned with a predilection for the occult, including sorcery, magic, and fortune-telling. But Yahweh leaves little doubt about His opinion on the matter.

“Household gods give worthless advice,
    fortune-tellers predict only lies,
and interpreters of dreams pronounce
    falsehoods that give no comfort.” – Zechariah 10:2 NLT

The prophet Habakkuk recorded a similar assessment from God concerning the futility of idolatry.

“What good is an idol carved by man,
    or a cast image that deceives you?
How foolish to trust in your own creation—
    a god that can’t even talk!
What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,
    ‘Wake up and save us!’
To speechless stone images you say,
    ‘Rise up and teach us!’
    Can an idol tell you what to do?
They may be overlaid with gold and silver,
    but they are lifeless inside.” – Habakkuk 2:18-19 NLT

It was idolatry and spiritual infidelity that had led to Judah’s fall in the first place. Their destruction at the hands of the Babylonians had been due to their unfaithfulness to Yahweh. False prophets had dared to provide them with false hope. Impious priests had turned a blind eye to their spiritual adultery. Self-centered kings had sold their souls to false gods and made alliances with pagan nations in an attempt to protect and prolong their reigns. As a result, the people had become like shepherdless sheep.

“So my people are wandering like lost sheep;
    they are attacked because they have no shepherd.” – Zechariah 10:2 NLT

Idols are an unreliable source of guidance because they are non-existent. They are the figments of men’s imaginations. Those who attempt to lead based on input from a lifeless idol will be unreliable shepherds. Their leadership will be damaging and detrimental to the flock that Yahweh has placed under their care, and He had strong words for these sheep-destroying shepherds.

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.” – Ezekiel 34:2-6 NLT

“My people have been lost sheep.
    Their shepherds have led them astray
    and turned them loose in the mountains.
They have lost their way
    and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.” – Jeremiah 50:6 NLT

“Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them. But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number.” – Jeremiah 23:2-3 NLT

But in that same passage in Jeremiah 23, God goes on to promise to rectify the problem created by these uncaring and disobedient shepherds.

“For the time is coming,”
    says the Lord,
“when I will raise up a righteous descendant
    from King David’s line.
He will be a King who rules with wisdom.
    He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
And this will be his name:
    ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’
In that day Judah will be saved,
    and Israel will live in safety.” – Jeremiah 23:5-6 NLT

This prophecy ties back into chapter 9. Despite the lack of godly leadership and the ongoing problem of shepherdless sheep, Yahweh has plans to step in and resolve the issue.

“My anger burns against your shepherds,
    and I will punish these leaders.
For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has arrived
    to look after Judah, his flock.
He will make them strong and glorious,
    like a proud warhorse in battle.” – Zechariah 10:3 NLT

God would send His Son to serve as the consummate Shepherd who would willingly lay down His life for the sheep of God’s fold.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” – John 10:11-14 NLT

But there is a time when God will send the Good Shepherd again. He will return to earth to seek out and restore the lost sheep of Israel.

“I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord.” – Ezekiel 34:11-15 NLT

And God makes it clear that this regathering of His lost sheep will be the work of the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20-21).

“I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!” – Ezekiel 34:23-24 NLT

Under the leadership of this future Son of David, the people of Israel will prosper as never before. The lost sheep will be restored and transformed into mighty warriors. Their relationship with Yahweh will be restored and it will be as if they never strayed at all. The Great Shepherd will call His sheep and they will respond (John 10:27). Their days of apostasy and spiritual infidelity will be over because Yahweh will remove their propensity for unfaithfulness by transforming their disposition through the power of His Spirit.

”I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.

 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” – Ezekiel 36:23-27 NLT

Yahweh wanted Zechariah to know that Israel’s best days were ahead of them. Despite the circumstances surrounding them, they could rest assured that His plans for them were “plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.