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MAY 31,
2004 (MONDAY)
Psalm 16 continues ...
" ...
and My Glory rejoiceth ... "
Psalm
16:9b
These appear to be the very words
Jesus will speak hundreds of years later as He faces the old
rugged Cross.
But what could He possible mean
by those words? "My glory rejoiceth!"
The word here for glory (in
Hebrew) is "kabod." It is found 200 times in the Old
Testament and is always translated glory (156 times) or glorious
or gloriously or honour (32 times) or honourable.
(Literally it means that which is "heavy!" Something heavy in
importance!)
It likely speaks of all the
combined attributes of Almighty God! Jesus was (and still
is) God! He is the God of Glory according to David (Psalm
29:3) and Stephen (Acts 7:2).
Jesus, while on earth seems to
have limited the expression and display of His Glory. He
voluntarily laid it aside and appeared as a baby in a feed
trough (manger) and as a humble carpenter and a loving friend.
All the while He was the very God of the Ages and the Saviour of
the world!
Yet Jesus knows that this Glory
is His and will be again enjoyed some day. He speaks of it
often during His earthly ministry.
He knew His Father was One of
Glory!
Matthew 6:13 --- "And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
Jesus knew
He would be a King some day. He was aware that Kings have
glory associated with them. Matthew 6:29 ---
"And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
And Jesus
was well aware of His future Glory (at His Second Coming).
Matthew 16:27 --- "For the Son of man
shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then
he shall reward every man according to his works." Plus
verses like Matthew 25:31 --- "When the
Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with
him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory."
Then of
course at His Transfiguration He was robed in that Glory!
See Luke 9:32 where
we are told: "But Peter and
they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they
were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with
him."
According
to Jesus' prayer in John 17, He longed for that glory.
"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up
his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify
thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." (John
17:1) Followed by: "And the
glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be
one, even as we are one." Plus:
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou
hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my
glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world." He was "glory" minded!
And rightfully so!
Paul calls
Jesus "the Lord of Glory" in 1 Corinthians 2:8!
Glory is
measurable and has weight too! "For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
2nd Corinthians 4:17
Paul
mentions the praise of His glory and the riches of His glory and
the power of His glory! Peter talks about the joy of His
glory and the "spirit of glory" and a "crown of glory!"
And John the Apostle adds the light of His glory and the
spreading influence His glory can have (even on a city)!
No wonder
Jesus ponders His Own Glory!
In fact,
Psalm 16:9 says He "rejoices" in it! The Hebrew word, "giyl,"
literally means "to spin around" under the influence of a
violent emotion! In everyday usage it carries the idea of
deep and pointed exuberance! And here the verb is one of
"incomplete" action! Jesus is STILL rejoicing in His
Glory!
Our word's
first use in the Bible: 1 Chronicles 16:31 ---
"Let the heavens be glad, and let the
earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The
LORD reigneth." Remember, this literally means let the
earth "spin around!" It does! Every day!
Now I have
an idea!
If Jesus so
enjoys His Glory ... why don't we tell Him about it and ascribe
it to Him more than we do? That's exactly what they are
doing in Heaven right now according to the Book of Revelation!
John starts
it in Revelation 1:6 --- "And hath made us
kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
Revelation
4:9 --- "And when those beasts give glory
and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth
for ever and ever."
Revelation
4:11 --- "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all
things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Revelation
5:12-13 "Saying with a loud
voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on
the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and
glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Revelation
7:12 --- "Saying, Amen: Blessing, and
glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and
might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen."
Revelation
14:7 --- "Saying with a loud voice, Fear
God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is
come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea,
and the fountains of waters."
Lastly,
Revelation 19:1 --- "And after these
things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying,
Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the
Lord our God."
Jesus in
His hardest hours while one earth ... keep His joy vibrant by
thinking of His Glory ... His coming Glory which He still owned
but had laid aside to redeem old sinners! He pondered
future victory ... future glory and was made to rejoice!
I'd say
that Jesus' battle plan would work for us too!
What do you
think?
What a
Saviour!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
MAY 29,
2004 (SATURDAY)
As we continue our study through Psalm 16, I
am more and more amazed at the kind of life Jesus lived here on
this earth!
He was the Perfect Example for the Christian
to follow. And don’t tell me that we are not to follow Him. 1
Peter 2:21 plainly says: "For even
hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps."
In every area of life, He (Jesus) set the
ultimate standard!
Jesus one day said:
"And He that sent me is with Me: the Father hath not left me
alone; for I do always those things that please Him."
John 8:29 Is not THAT the sterling epitome of Godliness?
Of Jesus Paul clearly said:
"For we have not an High Priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was
in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
Hebrews 4:15 He never sinned!
And He was indwelt by the Spirit to the
fullest extent! John 3:34 says: "For He
whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not
the Spirit by measure unto Him."
Today’s verse tells us even more!
"Therefore my heart is glad ..." Psalm
16:9
That’s Jesus talking (via the miracle of Bible prophecy)!
He just told us that His heart is glad!
Now of course this truth must remain "balanced" as it is
throughout all of Scripture.
He was the "Man of Sorrows." (Isaiah 53:3)
But that term specifically has the Cross of Calvary in mind.
It’s also true that
"Jesus wept." (John 11:35) But ... again ... that was at
the grave of Lazarus.
But ... overall ... Jesus was a Man of
gladness!
Do you not think that Jesus was fully aware
of such verses as Nehemiah 8:10? "For the
joy of the LORD is your strength." Was anyone ever any
stronger than Jesus?
OR Psalm 5:11 --- "But
let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them
ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also
that love thy name be joyful in thee." Did anyone ever
trust the Father more than Jesus?
Psalm 32:11 --- "Be
glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy,
all ye that are upright in heart." Jesus was
Righteousness personified! Did He not have joy?
And could we possibly think that Habakkuk had
more joy than Jesus? No! Yet that Minor Prophet said:
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of
the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the
flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be
no herd in the stalls:Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy
in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
But let’s quickly go to the records we have
of His 33 year earthly life. (That’s 33 years of earthly life
... so far!)
Here is just one day’s occurrence of Jesus’
joy! "Luke 10:21 --- "In that hour Jesus
rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father;
for so it seemed good in thy sight."
Even with the Cross in view, we are told:
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 See that word "joy!"
Listen to Jesus speak of His Own Joy in John
15:11 --- "These things have I spoken unto
you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy
might be full."
In fact, His joy is so full that He offers it
to us. Hear Him praying in John 17:13 ---
"And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world,
that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves."
And I’ve already mentioned the fullness of
the Spirit Jesus possessed. What does that "fruit" involve?
Among other great things ... JOY! "But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
Lastly (which might should have studied much
earlier in our meditation) let us notice the Hebrew word for
"glad."
Don’t forget our "focus" verse where in Psalm
16:8 Jesus said: "Therefore my heart is
glad."
The "therefore" (in Hebrew = "ken") means
"thus" or "so" and hinges upon what has been said previously.
That demands that we glance at the last verse once again:
"I have set the LORD always before me:
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."
THEREFORE .... (Consequently ....)
The "heart" to the Jew is the inner man, the
mind, the will, the soul, the spirit!
"Is glad" translates a "key" verb that means
"to brighten up!" Vine’s Bible (word) dictionary says it is:
"extreme happiness and spontaneous emotion which is usually
expressed in some visible or external manner."
The verb is in the "Qal" stem, meaning that
it’s in the simple "active" voice. The "time" sense which the
verb carries is one of "completed" action. Jesus is specifically
talking about His earthly ministry when He came to die for you
and me! Of course, from this Psalm alone, we know our Lord is
joyful right now! He says in the last verse:
"In Thy (God the Father’s) presence is
fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures
for evermore." (Psalm 16:11)
The first use of this verb in Scripture is in
Exodus 4:14 where two family members meet after a long absence!
Perhaps Jesus’ greatest joy is in the bringing together of God’s
family too! (Isaiah
8:18 --- "Behold, I and the children whom
the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in
Israel from the LORD of hosts." And Hebrews 2:13 ---
"And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and
the children which God hath given me.")
It second use (Deuteronomy 23:40) is in a
worship context. It centers of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles:
Leviticus 23:40 --- "And ye shall take you
on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm
trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook;
and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days."
Its third use is in reference to joy (for the
child of God) even in his everyday activities! Deuteronomy 12:7
--- "And there ye shall eat before the
LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand
unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath
blessed thee."
I trust enough Scripture has been presented
to reveal Jesus, the Son of God, as a Man of Gladness (as well
as a Man of sorrow).
When little Benjamin was born to Rachel and
Jacob, the (dying) Mother named him Benoni, which means "son of
my sorrow." BUT His Daddy said "No!" His name will be
"Benjamin," son of my right hand! (And remember ... at the right
hand of the Father there is joy). So little Benjamin went from
being a person of sorrow to being a person of joy! (Genesis
35:18 --- "And it came to pass, as her
soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name
Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.")
So with Jesus! He, the Man of sorrows,
is now the Man of gladness!
Praise His Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
P. S. --- I got a little "long" today in our study. I’m glad
it was on such a good Subject!
MAY 28,
2004 (FRIDAY)
Watch the last part of today’s
verse. (In fact, we have been in this verse for three lessons
now!)
“I
have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my
right hand, I shall not be moved.”
Psalm 16:8
The Lord Jesus has told us that
He always had the Father before His Face! He was constantly
thinking of and looking at His Heavenly Father!
He further explains that He
(Jesus) kept the Father AT HIS RIGHT HAND! We studied that
clause yesterday.
Now, today, as a result of such
action … Jesus truthfully proclaims that HE WAS NEVER MOVED!
But … what does that word “moved”
mean?
In Hebrew it is spelled “mot” and
has the idea of never shaking or slipping or tottering or
falling or dropping in any way!
Here are the ways the word is
translated in the King James Bible. (The numbers beside the
words indicate the number of times it is so translated.) Moved
(20 times), removed (5 times), slip (3), carried (1), cast (1),
decay (1 time in Leviticus 25:35, the first mention of the word
in Scripture), falling down (1), fall (1), shaketh (1) and slide
(1). Jesus, due to His leaning on His Father’s Strength … just
never wavered in any way at all!
Jesus was firm in His resolve! I
mean in everything He did.
Even in His childhood development
we are told: “And
Jesus increased in
wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Luke
2:52 Solid steady growth in every area of life!
At age 12 you can see His “fixed”
spirit too! He said to Mary (and Joseph)
“How
is it that ye sought Me? wist ye not that I must be about
My
Father's business.”
Isaiah
of course had already told us how very determined Jesus would be
in His life purpose. “For
the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded:
therefore have I set my face
like a flint, and
I know that I shall not be ashamed.”
Isaiah 50:7 (Mark it! Jesus was NEVER
confounded! Never "confused!")
Listen to Jesus talk about the
Cross (His Hour) in Luke 12:50. “But I
have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I
straitened till it be
accomplished!” He longed for that Hour to come!
What unswerving devotion!
And here’s even more Bible proof
that Jesus did not once get “shaken” in His earthly life and
ministry. He was NEVER moved! “He
shall not fail nor be
discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and
the isles shall wait for his law.” Isaiah 42:4
Truly this Psalm is causing me to
love Him more and more!
What determination Jesus had!
Determination to do what? To die for you and me on that
old rugged cross!
He was (make that IS) faithful!
Solomon proclaims in Proverbs
20:6 --- “Most men will proclaim every
one his own goodness: but a
faithful man who can find?” Well, I have found
Him! THE Faithful One, Jesus my Lord and Saviour!
Yet I still believe that Jesus is
teaching us something in Psalm 16:8! “I
have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my
right hand, I shall not be moved.” If Jesus set the Lord
always before Himself and placed Him at His Own right hand … and
was then NEVER MOVED ... will doing that same thing that not
help you and me to be more “stable” also! YES, it will!
Then perhaps we can come a little
closer to living Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 15:58 ---
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the
Lord.”
By the
way, Psalm 15 gives you a list of things to do … after which you
are also promised great stability! (Here are the exact closing
words of Psalm 15:5 --- “He that
doeth these things shall never be moved.”)
For a quick commentary on Psalm 15, click
HERE (The Psalm
15 Page)!
May God help us to truly follow
Jesus … our dear Saviour and here our God-given Example!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
MAY 27,
2004 (THURSDAY)
I believe
today's verse contains a real spiritual "secret!" A little
"nugget" of pure gold! It literally tells us how we can live our
lives for the Lord and NOT BE MOVED by the trials and heartaches
and circumstances of this world!
Listen as
Jesus speaks again to His Father:
"...
because He (the Father) is at My right hand (Jesus), I shall not
be moved."
Notice
where Jesus tells us He keeps the Lord ... at His right hand!
Now this is
going to be hard to believe. But ... I counted them
myself. There are 167 times that the term "right hand" is
used in the Bible! (Twice right here in little Psalm 16!)
The term
"right hand" in Hebrew is "yamiyn," and means the right hand or
the right side of something or someone. In giving
directions, it means south (to the Old Testament Jew) because he
is always thinking in terms of the east ... since that was the
way God placed the Tabernacle of old ... facing east!
The word
for "right hand" in Greek (New Testament) of course is
different. It is "dexios." (39 of 53 times it is
rendered "right hand.") It comes from the word "dechomai"
which means "to receive!"
Now we all
know where Jesus is today. At the RIGHT HAND of the Father
in Heaven! When He ascended after His resurrection, the
Father said to Him: "The LORD said
unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool." (Psalm 110:1)
Here ae
some great truths about God's right hand:
Exodus 15:6 --- "Thy right hand, O LORD,
is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed
in pieces the enemy."
Psalm
18:35 --- "Thou hast also given me the
shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up
...."
Psalm 20:6 ---
"Now know I that the LORD saveth his
anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving
strength of his right hand."
Psalm 45:9 ---
"Kings' daughters were among thy
honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in
gold of Ophir." Not only is the Lord Jesus at the
Father's right hand ... some day the Queen (the church) will be
there too!
Psalm
48:10 --- "According to thy name, O God,
so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right
hand is full of righteousness."
Psalm
63:8 --- "My soul followeth hard after
thee: thy right hand upholdeth me."
Psalm
77:10 --- "And I said, This is my
infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right
hand of the most High." Eternity rests at God's
right hand!
Psalm
78:54 --- "And he brought them to the
border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which
his right hand had purchased." God's right hand
is His purchasing Agent too!
Psalm
80:17 --- "Let thy hand be upon the man of
thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest
strong for thyself." God's hand on the Man of His
right hand!
Psalm
89:13 --- "Thou hast a mighty arm: strong
is thy hand, and high is thy right hand." It
looks here like God lifts His right hand at times!
Psalm 98:1 ---
"O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he
hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm,
hath gotten him the victory." Hand and arm are
linked here.
Psalm
118:15 --- "The voice of rejoicing and
salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the
right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly."
Song
of Solomon 2:6 --- "His left hand is
under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me."
Here is His right hand as an agent of love!
Isaiah 48:13 --- "Mine hand also hath laid
the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the
heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together."
God created with His right hand ... and saved with it
too!
Isaiah 62:8 --- "The LORD hath sworn by
his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no
more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the
sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which
thou hast laboured." God swares with an uplifted
right hand! He is Truth!
Habakkuk 2:16 --- "Thou art filled with
shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be
uncovered: the cup of the LORD'S right hand shall be turned unto
thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory."
Here is a cup of wrath in God's right hand!
Again,
Jesus is at the Father's right hand.
BUT THAT IS
NOT WHAT OUR VERSE SAYS TODAY!
IT SAYS
THAT JESUS HAS PLACED HIS FATHER AT HIS RIGHT HAND!
How can
both be true? Is Jesus at the Father's right hand?
Or is the Father at Jesus' right hand?
Both!
It is
called a "reciprocal" relationship. Theya re the same
thing to each Other!
Here's an
example. We are IN Christ (as believers)! 2
Corinthians 5:17 --- "Therefore if any man
be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new."
But it is
also true that Christ Jesus is IN us!
Colossians 1:27 ---
"To whom God would make known what is
the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory."
Again, this
is reciprocal indwelling!
So ...
Jesus keeps the Father at His RIGHT HAND too!
What does
it mean to put someone at your "right hand?"
According to
Judges 5:26 the right hand is the hand with which one works!
"She (Jael, the wife of Heber) put her
hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer;
and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head,
when she had pierced and stricken through his temples." Jesus
intended to drive some nails with His right hand! And that
could only happen with His Father's help!
And in 2
Chronicles 3:17 the pillar (in Solomon's Temple) on the right
hand was named Jachin, which means "established." Jesus
wanted His work established ... so He turned to His Father!
"And he reared up the pillars before
the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left;
and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the
name of that on the left Boaz."
Psalm
17:7 --- "Shew thy marvellous
lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which
put their trust in thee from those that rise up
against them." Jesus trusted His Father for the
completion of the divine plan of salvation. That's WHY He came
to earth!
Psalm
109:6 --- "Set thou a wicked man over him:
and let Satan stand at his right hand." Then ...
Ezekiel 16:46 --- "And thine elder sister
is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left
hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand,
is Sodom and her daughters." Both verses
show the wrong kinds of people to be on one's right hand!
Jesus has wisely placed His Father there!
And
Psalm 121:5 proves that there is refreshment at the Father's
right hand! "The LORD is thy
keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand."
What Shade He is!
Psalm
137:5 --- "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning." Here
the right hand typifies one's skill at work! Jesus wanted
His Father's expertise in all He did!
Psalm
144:11 --- "Rid me, and deliver me from
the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and
their right hand is a right hand of falsehood."
Jesus instead placed TRUTH (His Father) at His right hand!
Proverbs 3:16
--- "Length of days is in her right
hand; and in her left hand riches and honour." Jesus
wanted to live the exact number of days His father willed.
He did exactly that too! Listen to Paul here:
Romans 5:6 ---
"For when we were yet without strength,
in due time
Christ died for the ungodly."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 --- "A wise man's heart
is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left."
The Father was the Essence of Jesus' heart! Therefore He
must be at Christ's right hand!
Isaiah 41:10 --- "Fear thou not; for I
am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Here,
by placing the Lord at His right hand, Jesus gains encouragement
(be not dismayed) and strength help and support! (Wow!)
Isaiah 41:13 --- "For I the LORD thy God
will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will
help thee." And with God the Father at His right
hand ... all fear was gone too!
What an
amazing list of benefits! It just reminds me of
Psalm 68:19 ---
"Blessed be the Lord, who
daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our
salvation. Selah."
Christian,
I long ago I was out of space for today ... but we too MUST
place the Lord at our right hands! Otherwise we shall miss
these great blessings!
Think on
these things today!
(I am
sorry. We did not quite get to all the little spiritual
"secret" I mentioned in the opening paragraph! It will
come tomorrow, Lord willing. We got half of it though!)
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
MAY 26,
2004 (WEDNESDAY)
In Psalm
16:8 Jesus makes an astounding statement! He says
(concerning His Father in Heaven) ...
"I have
set the LORD always before Me." Psalm 16:8a
What a
statement!
The verb
"have set" is a translation of the Hebrew word "shavah" which is
only used 21 times in the Old Testament! (That alone is an
unusually low number of appearances!) The meaning of the
verb is amazing! It has this definition: to level or to
equalize! (One dictionary adds this meaning: to be
like! to resemble!) The verb is in the "Piel" stem
... showing intensive vigorous action! The Lord Jesus was
DETERMINED to diligently do this! And it was something He
did while on earth ... the "perfect" sense of the verb here
tells us that.
The first
two occurrences of our word "shavah" are in Genesis 14.
There it is the name of a place. Shavah here means "a
level place" or a plain and it where (exactly where) Melchizedek
appeared! (The King-Priest who is a type of Christ!
Or some say he is even a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ!)
Here's our
verb translated as "maketh" in 2 Samuel 22:34 ---"He
maketh my feet like hinds'
feet."
(Psalm 18:33 is identical also.) If Jesus had God's very feet
(speaking in an anthromorphism) He could not have possible ever
"slipped!"
It means
"to profit" (Esther 3:8 and Job 33:27) and "to avail" (Esther
5:13).
In Psalm
Psalm 21:5 God the
Father reciprocates to His Son Jesus:
"His glory is great in thy
salvation: honour and majesty
hast thou laid
upon him."
We are to
set ("shavah") the Word of God before us in like manner!
In Psalm 119:30
David says: "I have chosen the way of
truth: thy judgments
have I laid before me."
And our
verb is rendered "behaved" in
Psalm 131:2 ---
"Surely I
have behaved and
quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul
is even as a weaned child."
It is
"compared" in
Proverbs 3:15 --- "She is more
precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are
not to be compared
unto her." Also see Proverbs 8:11.
And it's
"be like" in
Proverbs 26:4 --- "Answer not a fool
according to his folly, lest thou also
be like unto
him." (It's also "alike" in Proverbs 27:15 ---
"A
continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman
are alike."
It is
translated "reckoned" in Isaiah 38:13 ---
"I reckoned till
morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones:
from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me."
And in
Isaiah 40:25 it is "shall be equal!" Look:
"To whom then will ye liken me, or
shall I be equal?
saith the Holy One." (Also in Isaiah 46:5 and
Lamentations 3:2)
What a word
history!
Jesus
literally is like (equal to) His Father!
He looked
to His Father for His very Identity and Being!
The Father
was His Source of profit and progress!
And His
standard of behaviour!
He
constantly compared Himself to His Father and reckoned Himself
by His Father!
What
adoration!
And the
adverb "always" (in Hebrew = "tamiyd") means perpetually or with
continuity. (Unending!) Root verb: to stretch
(constantly)! Our word is translated "continual
employment" in Ezekiel 39:14!
And "before
me" is spelled (in Hebrew) with the words that mean towards
the front of Me! It is especially used of a
counterpart or a mate! Jesus is just inseparable from His
Father it seems! Glory to God!
If Jesus
had that kind of devotion to His Father while on earth (and He
did) ... that kind of concentration on God ... litle wonder we
are commanded to try to do the same thing.
What do I
mean?
Hebrews 12:2
--- "Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith." The verbal "looking"
is a present participle ... it demands constant action!
Colossians 3:1
--- "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek
those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God." Again, constantly be seeking!
This verb is an imperative present!
Acts 17:28 ---
"For in Him (the Lord Jesus) we live, and
move, and have our being."
Colossians 3:4
--- "When
Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
Philippians 1:21 --- "For to me to live
is Christ, and to die is gain." Paul
lived with the Lord set before him (at all times I believe)!
Let's listen
to Jesus again here. John 8:29 ---
"And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me
alone; for I do always
those things that please Him." (Wow!
"Always before Him!)
Psalm
10:4 seems to suggest that God's very "goal" is to be in ALL our
thoughts! "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance,
will not seek after God:
God is not in all his
thoughts."
How could
we try to do any less ... with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour?
What a
lesson today!
What a
Saviour always!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
MAY 25, 2004,
TUESDAY
(FROM HAGERSTOWN, ONTARIO, CANADA)
The great 7th verse of Psalm
16 continues with these words:
"My
reins also instruct Me in the night seasons."
Psalm
16:7b
I believe these are the word
of the Messiah (Jesus).
He is giving us a glimpse into
His "devotional" life!
He is revealing to us what He
does at night!
Of most men it is said:
"Men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil." John 3:19
Of Christ Jesus let it be
recorded that He loved darkness for spiritual reasons --- that
He might conduct such things as sweet communion with His Father
and meditation on the Word of Truth (Scripture)!
The noun "reins" translates a
Hebrew noun that means one's "kidneys!" The word is "kilyah"
and is used 31 times in the Bible. (It is rendered
"kidneys" 18 times and "reins" 13 times.) It speaks of an
organ of the body. It figuratively means one's "inner"
self. One's very heart and mind and emotions! One's
soul! The first time the word is used in Scripture (Exodus
29:13) the "kidneys" of a little animal are dedicated to the
Lord in sacrifice! He wanted them! (He still wants
them! Your kidneys! Your mind! Your heart!
Your soul!)
The verb for "instruct" is a
little unusual here. The Bible uses some interesting words
for "instruct." Let me show you. I'll take them in
Biblical order. The first word is "sakal" and means to
impart wisdom! Here it is in Nehemiah 9:20 ---
"Thou gavest also thy good spirit to
instruct them,
and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them
water for their thirst."
The next word means to teach
(actually to prod with a goad) until facts are acquired!
"Lamed" has the idea of repetition as needed. Teaching is
largely a matter of repetition, isn't it! A philosopher
once said: "Repetition is the mother of all learning."
Bible example: Song of Solomon 8:2 ---
"I would lead thee, and bring thee
into my mother's house, who would
instruct me: I
would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my
pomegranate."
The comes "biyn" which means
"to give understanding." (Literally to discern levels of
meaning in situations!) Daniel 11:33 uses this verb:
"And they that understand among the people
shall instruct
many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by
captivity, and by spoil, many days."
Then in the New Testament, "sumbibazo"
means "to drive or to force together!" (sun = together and
bibazo = to force, to unite) It is translated "knit
together" several times in Scripture! Example of this verb
"instruct:" 1
Corinthians 2:16 --- "For who hath known
the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? But
we have the mind of Christ."
BUT NONE OF THESE ARE OUR WORD
FOR "INSTRUCT" IN THIS 7th VERSE!
Our word is "yasar" and means
"to chasten, discipline, instruct or admonish!" One source
says: "To chastise, literally with blows!" It is a
strong word! Its first Bible use is in
Leviticus 26:18 where it is
translated "punish" --- "And if ye will
not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will
punish you seven
times more for your sins." Punishment for sins!
Well, Jesus had no sin or
sins! AND He had a very holy hatred for sin! You can
be sure that He would have violently reacted to any sin
approaching His spotless life! I believe in the
impeccability of our dear Lord. I don't think He could
have sinned. He is very God of very God! But our verse at
least shows Him teaching us what OUR ATTITUDE toward sin should
be! We should fear sin! We should be repulsed by it!
(Read Psalm 101!)
Now if you don't believe that
Jesus would do something in His Own life to teach us (or to
benefit us) read John 17:19 --- "And for
their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be
sanctified through the truth."
Of course the question may
remain in your mind, "Why would Jesus need to be instructed
about anything?"
Indeed! He was (is) God
and God knows all (omniscience)!
And I believe that as God on
earth Jesus too knew everything.
BUT as man on earth Jesus
willingly limited Himself in that omnipotence! He
deliberately laid it aside ... to become (as a man) one who
"increased in wisdom" as the days passed! Luke 2:52 ---
"And Jesus increased in
wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."
Or further illustrated in Hebrews 5:8 ---
"Though He (Jesus) were a Son, yet
learned He
obedience by the things which He suffered." What
amazing condescension!
Notice lastly the precise
"time" Jesus mentions here.
"The night seasons!"
Remember Mark 1:35?
"And in the morning, rising up a great
while before day, He (Jesus) went out, and departed into a
solitary place, and there prayed." That was one of
His "night seasons!"
I believe
He also allowed His own heart to instruct Him the night of His
betrayal! And the night His arrest! And His Gethsemane
prayer!
And the
night the Pharisees accused Him of being illegitimately born!
John 8:41--- "Then said they to him, We be
not born of fornication."
And the
night Nicodemus came! (John 3:1-2)
And the
night after His Transfiguration!
And the
night after His first sermon where the people tried to push him
over a cliff (the brow of a hill)! Luke 4
And ALL His
earthly nights!
No
ballgames for Jesus!
No late
night entertainment of any kind!
He had meat
to eat we know not of! John 4:32 ---
"But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of."
He spent
His nights ... in communion with His Father (Psalm 16:7a) and
with His own wise thoughts --- inspired by His Father and the
Word of God! (Psalm 16:7b)
Wow!
What a life
He lived!
Don't you
just love Him today?
I've just
got to close this lesson, but read Isaiah 50:4 where Jesus tells
us that after those nights of being "instructed" by His Own soul
... His Father woke Him the next morning ... with more
instruction!
"The Lord GOD hath
given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to
speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth
morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the
learned."
What a life!
Oh!
To be like Him!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
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