The Sword of the LORD

My wife and I recently attended a surprise 80th birthday party for my wife's aunt.   There were lots of cousins, great-cousins, and even 3rd generation cousins present at the party, some of whom had come a good distance to attend; so it was great to see everybody and catch up on news of their families.   My wife later commented about how one little baby who was just a few months old was able to pick out her mother's voice even above 40 or more other voices all talking at the same time.   Her little ears would prick up and her head would turn toward the direction of her momma's voice.   As my wife described what she observed that day, I had to think of our relationship with our heavenly Father and how similar it is to that little one.  There are many voices around us always, some are good, and some are not so good, but in the midst of so many voices our Father's rings out true and distinct from all others.  We know that we can trust that voice because it is the voice

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.   Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.   Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD."   (Psalms 122:1-4)   Psalms 120 - 134 form a group of 15 songs that are designated as Songs of Degrees, or Songs of Ascent (literally, to go up, or steps).   There are a few differing theories as to their purpose, but all agree that they were sung by the Israelites as they made their way toward Jerusalem and the temple of God.   Some suggest that they were used by the Jews as they returned to the holy land from their captivity in Babylon.   Others believe that they may have been sung as the worshippers climbed the 15 steps that led from the court of the women to the court of the men in the temple at Jerusalem.   What I believe is the best explanation of the Songs

"When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, he who enters by the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: no one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but each shall go out straight ahead.   When they enter, the prince shall enter with them, and when they go out, he shall go out."   (Ezekiel 46:9,10 ESV)   For several weeks these verses have been brought to my attention by the Holy Spirit; and for several weeks I have pondered how they were relevant to my life in particular, and to the church generally.   It wasn't until my wife and I took a trip to an IKEA store in our state that I began to get the picture.   Yes, God can use even the mundane and the common things in our lives to speak spiritual truth.   We just need to be open and sensitive to the Spirit at all times in order to hear that still, small voice inside.   We are not always as

The thing that distinguishes the God of the Bible from every other so-called god that this world has worshipped over the course of time is: He speaks.   St. John writes in his Gospel, chapter one, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”   From the time of the creation of our world, when He uttered the words, “Let there be light,” even until now, He has delighted in speaking to man.   It was not just a one-sided conversation that He desired, however.   He came down into the Garden of Eden seeking man so that He could walk and talk with him, and find fellowship with him.   The most significant thing about speech is that it reveals the nature of the speaker.   We can make any number of judgments about a person if they never open their mouth; but once they begin to speak to us, it reveals something of themselves.   Their personality, their beliefs, their likes and dislikes: they all begin to take shape the more they speak.   Of course,

1.      "We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us work You did in their days, in the days of old. 2.      You drove out the nations with Your hand and it was Your power that gave a home by rooting out the peoples, but You spread out. 3.      For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance , because You were favorable toward and did delight in them. 4.      You are my King, O God; command victories and deliverance for Jacob (Israel). 5.      Through You shall we push down our enemies; through Your name shall we tread them under who rise up against us. 6.      For I will not trust in and lean on my bow, neither shall my sword save me. 7.      But You have saved us from our foes and have put them to shame who hate us. 8.      In God we have made our boast all the day long, and we will give thanks

"Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and Who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places."  (Deuteronomy33:29) The blessings and promises that God bestowed upon Israel in the Old Testament were but foreshadows of everything that He has given to the believers in Christ.  Christ was always going to be the fulfillment of God's great plan.  He was the Tree of Life in the beginning of creation, and He is the Tree of Life in the closing chapter of the Revelation of John.  Though the prophecies of old were spoken to Israel after the flesh, most of them have their broader fulfillment in spiritual Israel which is the church of Jesus Christ - that body of believers (both Jew and gentile) who have been born again and are bound together not by any particular doctrine, creed, or bloodline, but by the Spirit of the living God.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." (Psalm 133). As we read in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, we find that an important feature of the early church was their love and unity.  The Greek word “homothumadon,” which occurs 10 of its 12 times in Acts and is translated “accord,” means “of one mind, or, of one passion,” and is used to describe the bond that existed between the believers.   This unity in the Spirit that the early church enjoyed was like the blend of instruments in a great orchestra: each sounding their various parts, but all blending harmoniously into a mighty symphony, each note complementing every other.