The Sword of the LORD

"Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.”  (Daniel 3:1, 2).    Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon who ransacked Jerusalem and carried away many thousands of the brightest and most talented of the Israelites in order to weaken the nation.  He then put them to work in his own cities to help grow his kingdom.  Because of his success in conquering many nations and expanding the wealth and influence of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar was lifted up with pride and built an idol, requiring all of his people to worship i...

My wife, Terry, was telling me about a recent episode of "The Dog Whisperer" that she watched.   She said that on this particular show, Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, was called to help with a dog whose owners said that he was showing some very aggressive behavior.   The owner's grandson had given the dog a soft toy to play with and every time anyone would get near the toy, the dog would growl, snarl, and snap at them.   This was, of course, intimidating to the family, and they would back away from the dog when he would act this way.   When Cesar Millan arrived at the home and witnessed the dog's behavior, he had a simple solution.   He merely walked over to the dog's toy, put his foot firmly on it, and would not move.   At first, the dog snarled and even nipped at Cesar's foot, but soon realized that Cesar was not budging and slinked away submissively.   When the family members would try this same tactic (including their 14 year old grandson) the ef...

When I was quite young, my father was watching me for the day, and had to attend a brief meeting in town.   Not knowing what else to do, he took me along and asked me to wait in the car until he came back.   He parked the car on the street near the building where he would be so that I could see where he was, and went to his meeting.   I'm certain that he was not gone for much more than 15-20 minutes, but to me it was an eternity.   As I waited for my father to return, I began to grow more and more frightened.   Before long, I convinced myself that I had been abandoned, and that my father had forgotten about me altogether.   In my desperation, I searched the car for a pen and a scrap of paper, and I scribbled out, "Help me!" on the paper, and placed it in a window.   Fortunately, or maybe not so fortunately for me, my dad returned before some stranger saw the sign and decided to act to save this poor abandoned boy.   Needless to say, my father was ...

"Ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no Saviour.  I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God." (Isaiah 43:10-12).   We often struggle to understand our purpose in this life.  We wonder what we should be doing, and how we can best invest ourselves.  We think that we must climb some great mountain peak, locate a mysterious guru perched at the top, and ask him to tell us the meaning of life.  God has already made it quite plain for us in His Word, however.  He says of man, "I have created him for My glory." (Isaiah 43:7).  We have been called to be God's witnesses.  Of what are we to witness and testify of?  That God ...

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; ( for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ .  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:1-4).   The great doctrine of the Christian faith, and the thing that sets it apart from other religions, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.   Jesus was very plain and deliberate in teaching the necessity of both life and death.   Without a death, there can be no resurrection; and without a resurrection, there can be no life.   At one point in His ministry, He told His dis...

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 and her momma.  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 ...

"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.  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 ...