Solitary Place

YAHWEH's character is the same from the beginning of time through current and will continue until the end of the earth, He is  love and His love is eternal. The unchanging nature of God is difficult for my mind to truly comprehend because so much of human life revolves around inconsistency, imperfection and a persistent natural entropy toward death due to our own sin nature. Psalm 102:27 (NKJV) "But You are the same, and Your years will have no end." We can stand firmly in the truth of who God says He is because He is  eternally consistent and perfectly good, there is a comfort in this. Similar to the settled feeling of interacting with a man whose words, actions and intentions match, man can have confidence in who  God is because He demonstrates His mercy, grace, loyally loving and long of anger. The beauty in God's character is that we can experience Him personally even today, He is not simply a far off mythical entity from ancient Hebrew writings unreachable or som...

There's an interesting passage I never really picked up on before in all the years of reading through the Bible in I Chronicles chapter 9 from verses 17-27. This is the part of the genealogy where the Israelites who resettled Jerusalem upon entering the promised land of Canaan are being listed including Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh and some Levite priests, temple servants and most interestingly gatekeepers. The gatekeeper role in ancient Mesopotamian culture was very important often times kings, rulers and other magistrates would do business at the gates of the cities which is where traveling merchants and people seeking entrance into the city would gather and be screened for entry. Gatekeepers were guards in whom great trust was placed because who  is allowed into the city could be highly consequential to the wellbeing of the greater population. I Chronicles 9:22 (NIV) "The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer." A p...

A recurring theme through the old Testament and Jesus' teaching throughout the gospels is the concept of genuine faith as it contradicts the aesthetic of religion. When speaking with the woman at Jacob's well in Sychar Jesus says: John 4:23 (NIV) "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks." I see a connection between genuine heart-felt worship and the word from the LORD to the prophet Joel about inauthentic empty religious performance: Joel 2:13 (NIV) "Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." To rend or tear one's heart is similar to Christ's reproof to the Pharisees in quoting Hosea 6:6 that God desires our love rather than the empty ritual of animal sacrifice, this was because of the ...

From the reading in I Samuel we know that David was a gifted harp player, likewise he appointed musicians in the house of the LORD when the ark of the covenant was returned to the tabernacle. I Chronicles 6:31-32 (NKJV) "Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark came to rest. They were ministering with music before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according to their order." Drawing a modern connection to church worship teams and their purpose is understood to be skilled musicians and singers who lift up praise and worship unto the LORD with excellence for the glory of God alone. I grew up in a Pentecostal-evangelical church tradition in Tennessee, specifically the building that Sparrow Records administrative offices used to be in Brentwood. I grew up around a lot of talented musicians and an environment t...

In much of his late 1800s writings  Nietzsche claimed that "God is dead" this pronounced lack of belief in the God of the Bible is the reason for apostate abandonment and outright rejection of YAHWEH and adherence to postmodern secularism. As Solomon bemoans in Ecclesiastes t his theology is nothing new,  psalm 77 of Asaph demonstrates this through a skepticism and doubt of God's character.  Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV) "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." In verse 2 the psalmist declares after asserting that after seeking the LORD and the LORD hearing his voice that his soul refused to be comforted and that after remembering God his spirit was troubled and overwhelmed. A spirit of doubting skepticism is cured by truth, though in the midst of the doubting the many questions fill ones heart and mind:  Psalm 77:7-9 (NET) "Will the LORD reject me forever? Will he never again show me his favor? Has ...

As I continue to read through these first chapters of I Chronicles it is evident that the mighty hand of God is on the tribe of Judah and it's clear that God loves family. Throughout the genealogies of God's people there are stories of faithfulness and redemption sprinkled throughout from Jabez (I Chron. 4:9-10), the Simeonites (I Chron. 4:41-43) and the Gadites (I Chron. 5:19-22). While I do not personally have direct Jewish heritage I can know certainly that God's people includes  Christians because of the redemptive work that Jesus did on the cross for all mankind. What I'm not doing here is confusing God's promise to Abraham to justify the theological error of Constantinian Christianity which misappropriates God's covenant with His people Israel by veering toward antisemitism which asserts that Gentile Christians are somehow the "new" or better covenant people of YAHWEH. What I am saying is that God's blessing to Abraham means that all  people ...

There are some passages in psalms that stand out to me that I remember from my childhood, Psalms 84 is one of them. One thing I love about good biblical worship/praise music is when the lyricist does little than rearrange the words of the psalmist into verse, chorus and bridge format with modern arrangements. In my opinion, few musicians do this better than Matt Redman. Psalm 84:1-2,10 (NKJV) "How lovely is your tabernacle O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God...For a day in your courts is better than a thousand." Better Is One Day was the song that instantly fills my head and transports my mind back to the late 90s and early 2000s reminiscing about how praise and worship at the church I grew up in, New Song Christian Fellowship (now New Song Nashville), was straight from the Bible - nothing more added. One of my favorite things to do when worshipping personally with my acoustic guitar is...

Who is your father? What is your ethnic heritage? What is your spiritual heritage? Ever since I was a kid I had a fascination with family history, from the family tree building in middle school to the Ancestry.com documentation all the way to doing genetic testing in college. The beautiful truth about humanity is that while many might not be able to parse out family trees beyond four or five generations, we can certainly know that every man and woman on the planet has common ancestry linking back to Adam in the beginning. The people of Israel remembered history through a strong oral communication culture, according to tradition Moses wrote the Torah with kings and prophets writing the rest of the Tanakh or old testament. Keeping the entire Bible in context we can understand the chronology of God's people from the beginning leading up to the first advent of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, the family tree of the Son of God weaves a beautiful story of grace, redemption and hope.  Whil...

Great is the Name of the LORD and greatly  to be praised! David constantly declares the goodness and greatness, the complete sovereignty of YAHWEH in his psalms of praise, worship and thanksgiving unto the LORD.  Psalm 8:1 (NIV) "LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Psalm 9:10 (NIV) "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." In the manuscript tradition of old the Holy Name of the God of the Bible, YAHWEH would be written as 'Lord' but in all capital letters so that any time the word LORD is written it can be understood to be YAHWEH. Over time YAHWEH was substituted entirely with the word LORD which can shroud and hide the true name of our God, whose name is to be made known and is  majestic in all  the earth just as David proclaims in his psalms. There is power in The Name because of YAHWEH's good, loving and gracious character, equally there is healing power in the name of Jesu...

King David is a courageous and faithfully righteous leader filled with the Spirit of God, his strong sense of righteousness is a recurring theme through his life and especially his psalms. After King Saul was reported dead and after ongoing conflict with his son Ishbosheth, David's men took matters into their own hands and killed Abner - Saul's primary commander. David's humanity and heart is on full display in his mourning over the death of Abner, the king did not rejoice in the destruction or death of his enemy.  II Samuel 3:39 (NKJV) "The LORD shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness." This is a theme that is observed all throughout scripture, God does not destroy the righteous along with the wicked - and wickedness is punished by the righteous wrath of the LORD in accordance with His word and His holiness. God does not take pleasure in the destruction of the wicked, it is His desire that all men repent and be restored in relationship. For the right...

Recently I've been fascinated by the biblical concept of cosmic geography  as it relates to the unseen spiritual realm and the way land is emphasized and governed throughout the Bible. For example today's reading:  Psalm 125:1-3 (NKJV) "Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forevermore. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity."  What does this mean? Land allotted to the righteous? We see God's promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham which isn't fulfilled until after many generations led by Joshua. There is a stable certainty about this promise of land to His chosen people that remains through the ages even today in modern Israel which was established in 1948, since I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God writt...

The LORD hates unrighteousness, sin cannot survive in the holy presence of the LORD God Almighty. When King Saul disobeys the word of the LORD and chooses to save the best of the Amalekite plunder and king, offering a sacrifice before waiting for the prophet Samuel committing a sin of presumption. Saul is rebuked harshly for rebellion and stubbornness of heart - which Samuel likens to witchcraft. After the Spirit of God leaves Saul and a distressing spirit falls on him, Saul's life unravels quickly and desperate for the revelation of God he actually turns to witchcraft and seeks out a medium who brings back the recently deceased prophet Samuel to bring revelation because YAHWEH did not answer him.  What a chilling and sobering story, disobedience resulting in rejection from God and silence from Him.  Saul's vision was darkened because of his disobedience, whereas David's clarity was enlightened because of his submission and yielding surrender and trust in the LORD. When Sau...

Thinking back to my post on the 16th and the topic of taming the tongue from James 3 and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Mark 7), David continually writes about the battle for the mind and brining the tongue into submission.  Psalm 17:3 (NKJV) "You have tested my heart; you have visited me in the night; you have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress." In Job he makes a covenant with his eyes never to look upon a woman with lust, King David purposes that his mouth not transgress the good law of God by keeping away from the paths of the unrighteous, there is an intentionality one must have to guard the tongue. Beginning in a place of humility we guard our tongues against evil by the transforming work of the Jesus through the ongoing sanctification of the Holy Spirit paired with a heart of praise and thanksgiving unto the LORD. Constantly despite his trials and circumstances David laments properly: presents the di...

In I Samuel 25, David has a second opportunity to spare or take King Saul's life. King Saul and his army of 3,000 men were seeking out David in the wilderness of Ziph, camping overnight God struck them with a deep sleep allowing David and his servant Abishai to enter the camp unnoticed. David could have ended the feud by spearing King Saul through, but he stood righteously and faithfully with the LORD choosing to honor the anointing of Samuel.  I Samuel 25:9 (NKJV) "...for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless? The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LROD's anointed... May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and faithfulness; for the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed." Saul the Benjamite, though bent on evil through his rebellion and stubbornness, was the anointed king of Israel. Anointing is a way of consecrating or settin...

Taming the tongue is a task no man can accomplish apart from God. The apostle James discusses this in part describing the tongue a "restless evil, full of deadly poison" because we stumble in many ways and unable in our own self-strength or ambition to keep our tongue or body from fault. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and choosing to walk each day in surrender and sanctification before the LORD the fruit of this is a quiet lifestyle and one marked by humility. This is echoed by David in Psalm 141 when he cries out to the LORD saying,  Psalm 141:3-4 (NKJV) "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicket works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies." This is a verbatim prayer worth reciting, because scripture is inspired by God and His words faithfully preserved by men, then there is no better way to pray in accordance with the will of God than to ...

A hallmark of Christian life is waiting. I have understood waiting as active - not a passive inactive passage of time, this is modeled in how the 11 disciples obeyed Jesus in the days leading up to Pentecost in the book of Acts. In fact for Christians waiting is anything but sitting around aimlessly or lazily, there was purpose in the waiting because the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was greatly anticipated and the passage of time was marked by constant prayer .  Acts 1:14 (NIV) "They all joined together constantly in prayer." What are you doing during the waiting? How easy is is for the believer to forget the purpose of the waiting, lose hope and begin to focus on self  in pride operating in fear instead of trust and faith in the waiting. Faith builds in the waiting when we are fully surrendered and submitted to the LORD's will, way and timing.  Psalm 27:14 (NKJV) "Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!...

David is often called a man after God's own heart, this means that David possesses and behaved in a manner consistent with God's character, there is no better demonstration of this than in I Samuel 24. At this point in David's life as king of Israel, king Saul is still on the throne but has been ruthlessly pursuing David seeking to kill him. Saul just finished disarming a Philistine attack and is now re-focused on finding and eliminating the threat to his throne - David son of Jesse. Relieving himself in a cave on the Rocks of the Wild Goats in the wilderness of En Gedi, David has an opportunity to slay Saul but instead cuts a piece off of his robe. Following and calling to Saul at the opening of the cave David pleads his case and demonstrates his blameless character: I Samuel 24:11 (NKJV) "Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, a...

David is filled with the Spirit of God upon being anointed king of Israel by Samuel before slaying Goliath. A recurring description of king David in these early days with Saul still on the throne is how David behaved wisely, we see this in I Samuel 18:5, 14 and 30. This is important because it demonstrates the core Proverbs principle: Proverbs 1:7 (NIV) "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Knowledge comes from the LORD, and wisdom is applied knowledge, since David is filled with the Spirit of God he was full of knowledge. The reason there was so much conflict between king Saul and David is because David was filled with the Spirit of God which had departed from Saul leaving upon him a distressing spirit which made him prone to anger, impulsivity, jealousy and ultimately a reinforcement of his rebellion and stubbornness. Filled with the Spirit of God despite his circumstances David's behavior is notable, imagine a y...

The presence of the Spirit of God coming upon His chosen people in the Tanakh is most notable with David and contrasted by the distressing spirit sent to trouble Saul. Going back to Exodus we first see the Spirit of God filling Bezalel from the tribe of Judah with wisdom, understanding and knowledge to design and work as an artisan to build the tabernacle, the Spirit of God came upon the judges of Israel namely Othniel, Jephthah and Samson. Anointed by Samuel the Spirit of God came upon both king Saul and king David, though interestingly the Spirit of God left Saul and was replaced with a distressing or troubling spirit.  I Samuel 16:13-14 (NKJV) "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him." Who does Saul call to qualm the distressing spirit? ...

Going back to yesterday's reading, Samuel's address to the people of Israel at Saul's coronation is an important reminder of the conditional nature of God's covenantal love and renewed call to fear and love the LORD with all your heart.  I Samuel 12:20-22,24 (NKJV) "Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people...Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you." In an act of presumption, feeling compelled Saul unlawfully disobeyed the LORD's commandment that Samuel gave Saul to wait seven days for him to arrive at Gilgal to offer up a sacrifice. Instead Saul impulsively offered an unauthorized burnt offering,...

O the transformation that happens by the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul writes to the Galatian church about the fruit of walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22,25 (NKJV) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law... If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." The fruit of walking and living in the Spirit is a better more virtuous way to be and to be baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands facilitates transformative power. After the prophet Samuel anointed Saul the Benjamite king of Israel, he gave instructions for Saul to be at Bethel to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I Samuel 10:6 (NKJV) "Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man." Imagine how being filled with the Holy Spirit transforms  you into an entirely different pe...

During this time period the Philistines were the biggest opposition to the Israelites, or were they? After losing in many battles against the ruthless Philistine army, something like 34,000 Israelite men and  the ark of God's covenant was taken and set up in the temple of Dagon. Even after getting the ark back into the possession of God's people the Philistines still  pressed on in warfare against Israel who cried out to God and to the prophet Samuel, after the LORD helped strengthen and deliver Israel there was peace with the Amorites and restoration of land from the Philistines. All might seem good on the surface but Israel complains to Samuel asking for a king instead of another judge, Samuels displeased response to this demand is a harsh truth and sad spiritual condition of the Israelites which the LORD calls out directly. I Samuel 8:7-8 (NKJV) "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I s...

Just in these first 3 chapters of I Samuel there are so many instances of earnest seeking of God's word through prayer and petition, from Hannah, continuous worship by Elkanah and Hannah, and the faithfulness of the prophet Samuel to speak the word of the LORD to all Israel. There is a relationship between YAHWEH and His people through the means of speaking and listening, this seems to be facilitated through pure worship and pursuit of God Himself through genuine sacrificial love for YAHWEH. Hannah dedicates the son she had not conceived yet to the service of the LORD, committing Samuel to a Nazarite vow of consecration unto the LORD. The text in I Samuel 1:19 indicates that the LORD 'remembered' Hannah and allowed her to conceive, this remembering is a response suggesting that YAHWEH listens and speaks through deeds as there is no indication the vocal word of the LORD was audibly heard by either Elkanah or Hannah. This is significant because in chapter 3 it is written: I S...

The account of Ruth the Moabite and her faithfulness to her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi is a story that demonstrates a virtuous woman whose hand of blessing God was surely on. When sent away by Naomi, Ruth stayed and committed herself to not only her mother-in-law but to YAHWEH in similar words to how God committed himself to the people of Israel to Moses. Ruth 1:16 (NKJV) "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." Exodus 6:7 (NKJV) "I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians." Ruth choosing YAHWEH over the Moabite gods is significant because Ruth is taking on an entirely new identity as an Israelite which is made official through Boaz' redemption at the end of the book. There is something tru...

Things get really peculiar really fast for the Israelites during the years of judges beginning with Israel's disobedience and incomplete conquest of Canaan while Joshua is still alive, unfaithfulness to YAHWEH in the generation immediately after Joshua's death. All-in-all the judges of Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon were largely faithful leaders over Israel, while Gideon obeyed and was used mightily by God, it seems that many of the leaders after Deborah that have longer narrative stories did not finish well. One theme that is repeated frequently in the last chapters of Judges indicative of a collective heart issue for the people of Israel: Judges 21:25 (NKJV) "...everyone did what was right in his own eyes." As people called of God, a royal priesthood, we are to do what is right in the eyes of the righteous and holy God Almighty according to what is found in His word. Over and over again I see highlighted throughout the story of t...

Israel often after the reign of Moses and Joshua entered into a cyclical pattern of prostituting themselves to the Canaanite idols serving gods other than YAHWEH. Similarly Samson started well but did not remain faithful, instead fell into temptation operating from impure base desires and disobedience to the commands of God who made it clear for Israel not to intermarry with the Canaanites. Chapter 16 begins with Samson seeking out a prostitute and then falls in love with a manipulative woman named Delilah who takes advantage of him turning him over to the Philistines in weakness with no supernatural strength from God through the cutting of his hair which broke the vow he adhered to from birth per the word of the LORD to his parents.  Contrasted to Samson, Jesus was filled with the Spirit of God, endured temptation living a perfect and sinless life of obedience to God the Father. While Samson was Israel's deliverer and judge during the reign of the Philistines for 20 years, in Jesu...

Again. Again Israel turned from YAHWEH and did evil. This time God's people were delivered into the hands of the Philistines. During this time of oppression God appears to a barren woman and her husband from the tribe of Dan. What is most fascinating about God's appearance to Samson's mother is that her name is never mentioned, only his father Manoah is named, but even more interesting is the interchanged description of the supernatural being who brought the word to Samson's parents. In the NKJV verse 3 indicates the Angel of the LORD appears first to Samson's mother, she then goes and tells her husband: Judges 13:6 (NKJV) "A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name." Manoah then prays after his wife tells him this and asks that the Man of God to come and reveal what they are to do with the child who will be born, God liste...

God's sovereign will reigns no matter the obedience or rebellion of man. Whether it is the faithful little known judges of Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon or Abdon, God protected Israel because of His abounding mercy and that His soul could not endure the misery of His chosen people. I can't help but contemplate how the LORD was filled with compassion after the Israelites put away foreign gods and turned to worship and serve YAHWEH alone. All God wants is for man to seek and serve Him all their days - this brings Him the most pleasure.  Judges 10:16 (NKJV) "So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel."  God cannot endure the misery of the people He loves, a people who have turned to sin, wickedness, violence and destruction. A core biblical principle about God's character is that He does not destroy the faithful along with the wicked. To become a faithful God-fearing man or woman there mus...

Gideon's life is an interesting one, it begins with a fearful man to whom God appears, faithful destruction of the altar of Baal, valiant routing of the Midianite princes Oreb and Zeeb, retaliation against the men of Succoth and slaughter of the men of Penuel, and finally the crafting of a 42 lb. gold ephod which he set up in his city of Ophrah and became the downfall of Gideon's family and the false worship of Israel. Gideon did not finish well, his story began with God himself appearing and giving him strength and the Midianites into Gideon's hand, after subduing them there was quiet in the land for 40 years. Though there was no oppressive hand of slavery or bondage by the hand of other nations or people, the Israelites were held captive to idolatry and the worship of Gideon's golden ephod and after he dies the Israelites turn from YAHWEH to serve and worship Baal-Berith.  Gideon before he died had many wives and concubines resulting in 70 sons, one of his concubines ...

After experiencing victory over their Canaanite enemies through the judge Deborah the people of Israel fell back into sin again pursuing evil instead of serving YAHWEH, so they are delivered into the house of bondage of the Midianites. The history of the Midianites is an interesting one, so back in Genesis 25 after Sarah dies Abraham takes Keturah a second wife who bears six sons, one of which is Midian who proves to be a recuring people group in conflict with Israel. Joseph is sold to Midianite traders, Moses marries Zipporah the daughter of a Midianite priest Jethro, Midian allies with Moab (descendant of Esau) to rise against Israel during the 40 years in the wilderness period - this is the whole Balaam curse/blessing incident, there is an incident at Peor (Numbers 25) where Israel is seduced into sexual immorality with Moabite and Midianite women and God instructs Moses to treat the Midianites as enemies and in Numbers 31 an offensive was launched against them where 5 of their chie...