The Sword of the LORD

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.  For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit ." (Jeremiah 17:5-8).   It is difficult - even heartbreaking - to watch a person self-destruct, but it's even more devastating to watch one fall apart who has professed to know and love the Lord.   Though we see this way too often, it is all so preventable.   There is a simple, yet elegant secret to happiness and success in life that ca...

“Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. (Exodus 17:8).   Amalek and his people, the Amalekites, were one of Israel’s earliest and most ruthless enemies.  It was Amalek who attacked the Jews without provocation shortly after they had escaped the bondage of Egypt.  They sought to destroy Israel before they even had a chance to step one foot in the Promised Land that God had given them.  In studying Exodus 17, it’s good to have an understanding, therefore, of who the Amalekites were, and what they represent in scripture.    Amalek was a grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12), firstborn son of Isaac.  Isaac was the son of Abraham, father of the Jewish people.  Esau was one of a pair of twins, and was born first before his brother, Jacob.  According to Jewish norms, Esau would have been heir to the greater blessing from his father and a double portion of the inheritance upon Isaac’s death.  Having foreknowledge of the nature ...

God is searching for a people who are pure and clean within, so that He can then manifest His glory and beauty to the world.  “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him,” (II Chronicles 16:9).  The psalmist David understood this when he said, “Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” and, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” (Psalm 51:6, 10).   After Saul had been rejected as king over Israel, God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint a new king from among the sons of Jesse.  Jesse had eight Sons; and when Samuel had come down to Jesse’s house, Jesse had his oldest son, Eliab, come before Samuel.  When Samuel saw Eliab, he said to himself, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before me,”    The Lord spoke to Samuel, however, and said, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have ...

Saul of Tarsus, who is better known as the Apostle Paul, is a very interesting study in the grace of God.   If there ever was one whom the early Church considered unreachable with the gospel message, it was Paul.     Naturally speaking, Paul was equipped with everything that he needed to become a great man of God.   He was born into a respected tribe of Israel, highly educated in the Law of Moses (which he observed religiously, and considered himself blameless in its precepts).   Overall, he was viewed as a “Hebrew of the Hebrews.”   Just as his father had been, Paul was a member of the Jewish sect known as the Pharisees.   This faction was the most influential of the three main Jewish sects of the day.   He was a student of the famous and respected teacher, Gamaliel.   Paul was also born a Roman citizen.   This gave him special privileges throughout the Empire.     Paul was a doer.   He wasn’t content to just sit ...

It’s easy for us to trust in the Lord when things are going well and our lives are rolling along on a smooth super highway; but what about when we leave the beaten trail and find ourselves lost on some back dirt road, and the car breaks down altogether.   That is when our faith is really tested, but that is also when we can experience the most spiritual growth.   In the dark valleys of life, we find Jesus is the Lily of the Valley.   There was a man by the name of Jairus who lived at the time of Jesus and was a ruler in his local synagogue.  Jairus had a 12 year old daughter whom he loved very much.  This daughter had become extremely ill, and the illness had progressed to the point where it was life threatening.  As her father fretted by her bedside, he heard that Jesus was passing through his community.  Being at his wits’ end, he went to Jesus and fell down at His feet, pleading with the Lord to come and lay hands on his daughter so that she mig...

The disciples approached Jesus one day with an important request.   They said to the Lord, “Teach us to pray.”   Jesus gave to them what has become known as the Lord's prayer.   Churches and Christian believers the world over recite this prayer, both privately and congregationally.   Jesus did not mean for this prayer to be something they memorized and repeated every time that they spoke to God, though.   He meant for it to be a model, a pattern, from which they could shape their own prayers, expanding on it, and making it personal and an expression of themselves.   Studying the various elements of the Lord's Prayer, and understanding the intent behind them, can breathe new life into our own prayers and make them much more focused in the will of God.   On days when my mind wants to wander and I find myself thinking about my grocery list, or the errands I need to run, rather than my prayer, I often use the Lord’s Prayer as a springboard to focus my own ...