JUNE 8,
2004 (TUESDAY)
One preacher said this as he was
commenting on Psalm 16:11 ...
* There are
Pleasures of Sin for the Wicked!
Hebrews 11:25
* There are
Pleasures of This Life for the Worldly!
Luke 8:14
* There are
Pleasures For Evermore for the Wise! Psalm
16:11
Another preacher said that Psalm 16:9
covers all of human life. "Therefore
my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall
rest in hope."
* One's
"heart" is the human SOUL!
* One's
"glory" is the human SPIRIT!
* One's
"flesh" is the human BODY!
A third preacher said Psalm 16 was all
about "delight!"
* Delight in the
LORD! (verse 2)
* Delight
in the Lord's PEOPLE! (verse
3)
* Delight
in the Lord's PROVIDENCE! (verses
5 and 6) and ...
* Delight
in the Lord's PLEASURES! (verse
11)
Lastly ... Watch this one:
Three men in the Psalms say "I shall not
be moved!"
Two were wrong ... One was (and still is)
right!
Psalm 10:6 --- "He
(the wicked) hath said in his heart,
I shall not be moved:
for I shall never be in adversity."
Psalm 16:8 --- "I
(Jesus) have set the LORD always before me: because he is
at my right hand, I
shall not be moved."
Psalm 30:6 --- "And
in my prosperity I (a good ... but mistaken man) said,
I shall never be moved."
I have surely enjoyed this great Psalm!
It is indeed all about Jesus!
Glory to God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 7,
2004 (MONDAY)
Jesus' last statement in Psalm 16 is
lovely! He says to His Father ...
" ... at Thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm
16:11c
Of course we don't know all that God's
Right Hand meant to Jesus. BUT we do know some things
through the Word of God!
At the Father's Right Hand there is
stability! Psalm 139:10 proves that!
"Even there shall thy hand lead me, and
thy right hand shall hold me." And there is
pleasure in that stability!
And there is salvation! Psalm 138:7
--- "Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine
hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall
save me." Or Psalm 108:6 ---
"That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right
hand, and answer me."
There is "favor" and strength at God's
Right Hand 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."
There is fertility and prosperity at God's
Right Hand! Psalm 80:15 --- "And the
vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch
that thou madest strong for thyself."
Plus support! (Different from the
"stability" noted earlier!) Psalm 63:8 ---
"My soul followeth hard after thee: thy
right hand upholdeth me." Additionally, see Psalm
18:35 --- "Thou hast also given me the
shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up,
and thy gentleness hath made me great."
And righteousness! 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."
And some day the "Queen" will be there
too! (The "Bride" of the King! In typology, a
picture of the Church!) Psalm 45:9 ---
"Kings' daughters were among thy
honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in
gold of Ophir."
Instruction (the best of the best) is at
God's Right Hand according to Psalm 45:4 ---
"And in thy majesty ride prosperously
because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy
right hand shall teach thee terrible things."
Also at His Right Hand are glory and
power! Exodus 15:6 --- "Thy right
hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O
LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy."
The noun "pleasures" translates "naiym"
which means sweet or sweet things or agreeable things! Our
word is rendered "sweet" in 2 Samuel 23:1 ---
"The sweet psalmist of Israel." It
is "pleasant" in Psalm 133:1 --- "Behold,
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity!" And in Psalm 135:3 where
worship is occurring, things are said to be pleasant!
"Praise the LORD; for the LORD is
good: sing praises unto his name; for it is
pleasant." As in Psalm 147:1 ---
"Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto
our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is
comely."
And in Proverbs 24:4 true "riches" are
pleasant! "And by knowledge shall
the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches."
And in Song of Solomon 1:16 --- "Behold,
thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed
is green." Here is pure and holy love!
And the final words
"for evermore" translate"netzsach." It means the
"goal!" Literally ... "something that glitters from afar!"
This is eternal delight and joy and
happiness if I've ever heard it!
What a place Heaven must be!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 5,
2004 (SATURDAY)
Jesus lovingly said to His Father:
"... In Thy Presence is fulness
of joy ..."
Psalm 16:11b
I believe that our Saviour, having been on
earth for over 33 years, was getting "homesick!" He longed
for Heaven! He knew that in God the Father's Presence was
fullness of joy!
I have been captivated by that phrase ---
"in Thy Presence!" I have found it (in those exact words
... with the words in that exact order ... called a "string" in
Scripture ...) 5 times in the Old Testament.
Genesis 47:15 ---
"And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of
Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us
bread: for why should we die
in thy presence? for the money faileth." The
Egyptians said to Joseph ... IN THY PRESENCE is no hunger!
2 Samuel 16:19 ---
"And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve
in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's
presence, so will I be in thy presence." These
words, spoken by Hushai who was a traitor to King David,
illustrate that a false presence will always be available.
He has decided to serve IN THE PRESENCE of Absalom, the rebel
son! Jesus knew that the Real Presence of His Father was
the only true place of joy!
2 Chronicles 20:9 ---
"If, when evil cometh upon us,
as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand
before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is
in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou
wilt hear and help." King Jehoshaphat here is
praying to the God of Heaven ... and he says IN THY PRESENCE is
help and deliverance! (The word for "help" is "yasha," the
Hebrew word for salvation!)
Psalm 16:11 --- "Thou
wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness
of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for
evermore." Here is today's verse again! IN
THY PRESENCE, LORD, IS FULNESS OF JOY!
Psalm 140:13 ---
"Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the
upright shall dwell in thy presence." Here
David says to the Lord: IN THY PRESENCE is a dwelling
place ... a dwelling place for the upright! (It's called
Heaven!)
Remember what Moses said to the Lord in
Exodus 33:15 --- "And he said unto Him, If
Thy Presence go not with me, carry us not up hence."
Moses wanted the Lord ... more than he wanted
anything else!
I think God's Presence can take care of
our very enemies too. Psalm 9:3 ---
"When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish
at thy presence."
Talk about being "hungry" for God!
Listen to Psalm 51:11 --- "Cast me not
away from Thy Presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me."
The noun for "joy" is in Hebrew "samach"
and means "to brighten up" or "to shine!" It is expressive of
glee, gladness or mirth! It's the same word used in Psalm
100:2 for "Serve the Lord with GLADNESS."
Jesus in Matthew 25:21 and 23 spoke of
those children of God who were invited to
"enter into the joy of thy Lord." Heaven is a place
of joy!
Jesus treasured the joy that was found in
His Father's Presence! In John 15:11 He said ---
"These things have I spoken unto you, that
my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be
full."
And Jesus, treasuring that joy, prayed 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."
Jesus' ("half") brother Jude had heard of
the joy at the Father's right hand too! Jude 1:24 ---
"Now unto him that is able to keep you
from falling, and to present you faultless before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy."
But in the Presence of God there is not
just joy ... normal joy ... average joy ... but
fullness of joy!
Fulness is "soga" in Hebrew. It
means to the level of satisfaction, sufficed, abundance!
The root verb means "to sate." (To fill to satisfaction!)
In Genesis 25:8 is found a "fulness of
years!"
In Genesis 35:29 is "fulness of days!"
In Ruth 2:14 there is eating until
"sufficed!"
In Job 9:18 one is "filled with
bitterness!"
In Job 10:15 there is "fulness of
confusion!"
In Job 14:1 man is "full of trouble!"
In Psalm 17:15 one is "satisfied/filled
with the Likeness of God!"
In Psalm 81:16 one is "filled with honey
out of the rock!"
In Psalm 90:14 there is "fulness with
God's Mercy!"
In Psalm 104:16 there are some trees which
are "full of sap!"
In Psalm 104:28 God's Hand is "filled with
Good!"
In Psalm 123:3 are some who are "filled
with contempt!"
In Psalm 123:4 some are "filled with
scorning!"
Watch Psalm 147:14 ---
"He maketh peace in thy borders,
and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat."
In Proverbs 27:20 are two things which are
never full --- hell and destruction!
In Habakkuk 2:15 are some who are "filled
with shame!"
I agree with Jesus ... let me be filled
with JOY!
Peter said it was joy ...
"unspeakable and full of glory!"
(1 Peter 1:8)
The joy Jesus longed for ... He now enjoys
eternally!
And ... oh ... how He deserves it!
How can we help but love Him!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 4,
2004 (FRIDAY)
Jesus prayed to His Father ...
"Thou wilt shew me the path
of life ...."
Psalm 16:11
We know He had His Own Resurrection in
mind! We are distinctly told this by Simon Peter in Acts
2:28 and 31! "Thou hast make known
to Me the ways of life ... He seeing this before spake of the
resurrection of Christ!"
Jesus trusted His Father to raise Him from
the dead!
In reality the Bible shows all the Trinity
involved in the Resurrection of Christ! Jesus claims it for
Himself in John 10:17 and 18. "Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might
take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down
of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take
it again. This commandment have I received of my Father."
And the Holy Spirit is said to be involved! Romans 8:11
--- "But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up
Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by
his Spirit that dwelleth in you." And the Father
certainly did so too! Romans 10:9 ---
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
The verb "shew" is in Hebrew "yada," which
is their main word for "knowing!" (To know in all its
implications!) Jesus says that His Father will cause Him
to know the path
of life!
What are some things Jesus knew?
One of John's favorite words is just that
... to know!
In John 5:42 Jesus knows sinners!
"But I know you, that ye have not the love
of God in you."
In John 7:29 (and a lot of other places too)
Jesus knows His Father! "But I know
him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me."
John 8:14 ---
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of
myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came,
and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither
I go." Jesus may be basing this statement partly on
our text here!
And then in John 8:54 and 55 read:
"Jesus answered, If I honour myself,
my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom
ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I
know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar
like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying."
Plus John 10:14 where our Lord said:
"I am the good shepherd, and know my
sheep, and am known of mine." How very
encouraging this ought to be to each of us!
John 11:22 tells us Jesus knew about answers
to prayer! "But I know, that even
now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it
thee." He was well aware of the power of prayer!
John 12:49 and 50 too!
"For I have not spoken of myself; but the
Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should
say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is
life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the
Father said unto me, so I speak." Jesus knew
eternal life!
John 13:18 --- "I speak
not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the
scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath
lifted up his heel against me." He knows His
disciples! He also knew the Old Testament!
Listen to what His followers said in John
16:30 --- "Now are we sure that thou
knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask
thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God."
And among the most thrilling of all things
(at least to us) Jesus knows --- "So when
they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea,
Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my
lambs." (John 21:15) He knows we love Him!
BUT add to that list ... He knew the path of
life! He knew of His coming Resurrection! He knew He
would not remain in that grave! This "knowing" is one of
absolute positive assurance too! It is one born of
personal experience!
The noun "path" is "orach" and means way or
road. It implies a well-trodden road! (From the verb "to
travel!") Jesus was the First to walk that path ... out of
death to never die again ... to life from the dead!
(Colossians 1:18 --- "And he is the head
of the body, the church: who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence.") But Jesus will make a highway out of
that path before time has ended! He is the Leader ... we
as believers shall all follow!
Then the noun "life." In Hebrew it's "chay."
It means fresh, strong, living! Vines' Expository
Dictionary says the word often occurs (in Scripture) in the
"oath formula" where a Superior Being (GOD) promises life to one
of His subjects (here to Jesus as the Servant of God)!!!
It was a promise of God! It was a vow the Father made to
the Son! It MUST occur! Jesus will be raised from
the dead!
And Jesus' Resurrection makes a grand bold
statement: "And declared to be
the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."
Romans 1:4
Our verse today "the path of life" might have
in view the Ascension of Jesus also! In Acts 1:10 where
that event is described Jesus is said to be
"taken up" from them. That verb is
"poreuomai" and means to travel! To go on the way!
This may be a further extension of His great "path of life!"
Resurrection ... then Ascension to His blessed Father!
Jesus had positive assurance that it was
coming!
And yet today He lives! He lives!
He lives!
Praise the Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 3,
2004 (THURSDAY)
Jesus was confidant that even though His
body would lay in a tomb ... He would not be left there long!
(Not even half a week!) He said to His Father:
" ... neither wilt thou
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm
16:10b
The verb "suffer" (in Hebrew = "nathan")
means "to give!" The Father WILL NOT give to the Son any
amount of "corruption!" It also is translated in such ways
as "cause, appoint or show!" I began to look into
Scripture to see what kinds of things the Father had perhaps
given the Son!
John 3:35 --- "The
Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand."
John 5:26 ---
"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the
Son to have life in himself."
John 5:36 and 37
--- "But I have greater witness than
that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me
to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that
the Father hath sent me. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out."
John 6:65 --- "And
he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto
me, except it were given unto him of my Father."
John 13:3 and 4
--- "Jesus knowing that the Father had
given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God,
and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
garments; and took a towel, and girded himself."
John 17:11 --- "And now
I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I
come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those
whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are."
John 17:24 ---
"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."
John 18:11 --- "Then
said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup
which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?"
Then watch what Jesus calls Himself ...
"Thine Holy One!"
He IS the Holy One!
What a Name, The Holy One!
Jesus is again identifying Himself as God!
This is one of God's precious
(particularly Old Testament) Names!
2 Kings 19:22 ---
"Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed?
and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted
up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One
of Israel."
Psalm 71:22 ---
"I will also praise thee with the
psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing
with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel."
Psalm 78:41 ---
"Yea, they turned back and tempted God,
and limited the Holy One of Israel."
Psalm 89:18 ---
"For the LORD is our defence; and
the Holy One of Israel is our king."
Isaiah 1:4 ---
"Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of
evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the
LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they
are gone away backward."
I find this Name for God exactly 30 times
in Isaiah alone!
Ezekiel 39:7 --- "So
will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel;
and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more:
and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy
One in Israel."
Hosea 11:9 ---
"I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not
return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the
Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the
city."
Habakkuk 1:12 ---
"Art thou
not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not
die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty
God, thou hast established them for correction."
And even in the annunciation to Mary Jesus
is called the Holy One! Luke 1:35 --- "And
the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:
therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God."
Even the demons called Jesus the Holy One
of God in Mark 1:24 --- "Saying, Let us
alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?
art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy
One of God."
Peter also used this Name for Jesus in
Acts 3:14 --- "But ye denied the Holy One
and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you."
And so does the Apostle John in 1 John
2:20 --- "But ye have an unction from the
Holy One, and ye know all things."
"To see" is "raah" in Hebrew and means to
behold or to consider or even to discern! It is a Qal infinitive
... indicating on-going, habitual action! Jesus will NEVER
see corruption! In fact, for Jesus to "corrupt" is
absolutely impossible! His Blood was "incorruptible" Blood
according to Simon Peter! 1 Peter 1:18 and 19 ---
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,
from your vain conversation received by tradition from
your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of
a lamb without blemish and without spot." See it!
Gold corrupts! Jesus Blood cannot corrupt!
And "corruption" (in Hebrew = "shachath")
is a word only used 23 times in the whole Bible! Of those
23, it is only translated "corruption" 4 times. It is
"pit" 14 times and "destruction" 2 times and "ditch" 2 more
times! And "grave" once! It means (in its root) a
pit ... especially a pit as a trap! (What the devil might
have meant as a trap for Jesus ... became satan's own death
trap!) The verb behind this noun means "to sink!"
I'd say Jesus DID NOT sink in the grave. Rather ... He was
RAISED from the grave! Glory to God!
Here's our word translated "corruption" in
Job 17:14 --- "I have said to corruption,
Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my
mother, and my sister."
And listen to Jonah use the word!
Jonah 2:6 --- "I went down to the bottoms
of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me
for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O
LORD my God."
Now look at the word when it is rendered
"pit!"
Job 33:24 ---
"Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going
down to the pit: I have found a ransom."
Isaiah 38:17 ---
"Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love
to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for
thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back."
This "pit" is exactly where the devil is
headed too! Ezekiel 28:8 addresses satan himself ---
"They shall bring thee down to the pit,
and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in
the midst of the seas."
It's "ditch" in Job 9:31.
Here is is as "destruction:" Psalm
103:4 --- "Who redeemeth thy life from
destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender
mercies."
What victory Jesus had ... even as the
Cross was looming in sight! Truly truly there is Victory
in our Saviour!
Peter went this far in describing it all:
"Whom God hath raised up, having loosed
the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should
be holden of it." Acts 2:24
Glory to God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 2,
2004 (WEDNESDAY)
Jesus said to His Father:
"For Thou wilt not
leave My soul in hell." Psalm 16:10a
The noun "hell" is (in Hebrew) "sheol."
It is only used 65 times in the whole Bible. The first time the
term is used in the Bible God uses it and speaks of "the lowest
hell!" (Deuteronomy 32:22) In the King James Bible
the word "sheol" is translated "hell" 31 times and "grave" 31
times and "pit" 3 times. Here's an occasion in Job (26:6)
where the word is rendered "hell." Listen.
"Hell is naked before Him (God),
and destruction hath no covering." Job 26:6
For those who wrongly teach that there is
no such thing as a literal hell with fire and brimstone and
where sinners will be eternally imprisoned with weeping and
wailing and gnashing of teeth ... I say this: The Bible gives us
enough information to demand a belief in hell even without the
use of the word "sheol." Although (do NOT misunderstand
me) at times I believe "sheol" means the never ending place of
pain and torment reserved for unrepentant sinners! For
example Isaiah 14:9 is speaking of Satan and says:
"Hell from beneath is moved for thee to
meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for
thee, even all the chief ones of the earth."
Our best teacher concerning hell-fire is
Jesus Himself! He mentions it 9 times in Matthew's Gospel
alone! In Mark ... 3 more times! And in Luke ... yet
3 times again! Let's solve the issue of hell here and now.
This is Jesus talking in the Gospel of Mark (9:43) ---
"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it
off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than
having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall
be quenched."
But ...let's get back to Psalm 16:10.
Jesus knew that His Father would not leave
Jesus' soul in hell. Is that the fires of the pit of
torment? No! No! No!
I do not believe Jesus was thrown into the
flames of Hell after His death. I do not believe He stayed
there in agony for three days and nights. I do not believe
He still had to suffer untold agony after the Cross.
Friend, when Jesus proclaimed "IT IS
FINISHED" from Calvary ... it WAS finished! The
Price had been paid! The sin debt had been erased!
(John 19:30)
BUT Jesus did know that He would not be in
the GRAVE indefinitely! He knew of His Own coming
Resurrection! Listen to Him in John 18:17-18.
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because
I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man
taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to
lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment
have I received of my Father." Or read Matthew
16:21 --- "From that time forth
began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto
Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the
third day." Again and again throughout the Gospel
Jesus speaks of His coming Resurrection from the dead!
"Leave," the verb of our clause in verse
10, translates the Hebrew word "azab" which means to forsake or
to depart or to loose! The first "leave" ("azab") in
Scripture is in Genesis 2:24 ---
"Therefore shall a man
leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto
his wife: and they shall be one flesh." This is a
leaving in preparation for procuring a wife, a bride! So
is it with Jesus! He will not be left in the grave!
He will arise and be presented a Bride too!
This is another case of Jesus' strong
faith speaking in a difficult time of His earthly life! He
is indeed the sterling prototype of Faith! As Jesus said
of the Centurion whose servant He healed: "When
Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that
followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great
faith, no, not in Israel." (Matthew 8:10)
Well I say the same thing of Jesus: I HAVE SEEN NO GREATER
FAITH IN ALL CREATION! ... IN ALL THE UNIVERSE!
Let me also mention that our verse here is
oft quoted in the New Testament! (By Peter and by Paul)
"Men and brethren, let me freely
speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and
buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore
being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to
him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this
before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was
not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses."
Acts 2:29-32
Then again in Acts 13:34-37.
"And as concerning that he raised him up
from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he
said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had
served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and
was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God
raised again, saw no corruption."
Here we have dogmatic Bible proof that the
Resurrection of Jesus was discussed prophetically a thousand
years before His Virgin Birth in Bethlehem! It (the
Resurrection) is a vital part of the Gospel itself!
Thank God! He lives!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUNE 1,
2004 (TUESDAY)
It seems like we're traveling very slowly
through Psalm 16. I don't even know for sure how many of
you are still with me. BUT I can't quit now. I'm
seeing too many precious truths about our Lord.
Today we are in the last part of the 9th
verse:
"My
flesh also shall rest in hope."
That's the voice of Jesus (prophetically)
speaking!
Of course no "liberal" is ever going to
believe that ... but then again, I'm not writing to "liberals"
either!
In this verse alone we have seen Jesus
with a glad heart! And with a rejoicing glory! Now
with His very flesh resting in hope!
We are here at the point in Psalm 16 where
Peter quotes and applies it specifically to Jesus. The
Apostle does this in His Pentecost sermon!
Acts 2:22 --- "Ye
men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth ... " These
words constitute the preface to Peter's quoting our Psalm 16
text!
For David speaketh
concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he
is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore
did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my
flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my
soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou
shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance."
Acts 2:25-28
Then Peter applies these words to Jesus
directly! Acts 2:31 --- "He seeing
this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul
was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."
Now back to our "segment" for today.
Jesus said:
"My
flesh also shall rest in hope!"
I thought to myself, "Just how often did
Jesus speak of His Own flesh?"
In Psalm 40 He did (again, prophetically)!
"Sacrifice and offering thou didst
not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin
offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the
volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do
thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."
(Psalm 40:6-8) Paul quotes
this in Hebrews 10. "Wherefore when
he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou
wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no
pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it
is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." (Hebrews 10:5-7)
Jesus preached a whole sermon on His Flesh in
John 6! Jesus is the fulfillment of the Manna that came
down from Heaven! In John 6:51 ---
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man
eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I
will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world." Then in John 6:55 ---
"For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed."
Again ... John 6:56 --- "He that
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in
him."
At the "Lord's Supper" Jesus spoke of His
body yet again. The Synoptic writers put it this way:
Matthew 26:26 --- "And as they were
eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it,
and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this
is my body." Or Mark 14:22 --- "And
as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it,
and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body." And
Luke 22:19 --- "And he took bread,
and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them,
saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in
remembrance of me." Paul also was given this
information in 1 Corinthians 11:24 ---
"And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said,
Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in
remembrance of me."
Jesus well knew that His body would be
crucified and placed in a grave! Yet He also was keenly
aware that His Body would NOT be left in the grave! He
knows He will NEVER see corruption! That's right here in
Psalm 16:10 --- "For thou wilt not leave
my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption." Peter even went this far in Acts 2:24
--- "Whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he
should be holden of it."
I believe that our Psalm 16 verse here may be
telling us some of what Jesus thought in the three days between
His burial and resurrection!
The word for "flesh" is in Hebrew "basar."
The first two Bible uses of the word occur when Adam realizes
that His Bride is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh!
This is bridal language! Wedding talk!
I am convinced that Jesus is here saying that
while He was in the Grave ... His flesh (His Body) rested in
hope! And He pondered His coming Bride, the New Testament
Church! Glory to God!
The verb "to rest" is (in Hebrew) "shakan"
and means "to settle down, abide, dwell or reside!" Its
"root" verb just means to lie down! The first use of the
word in the Bible (Genesis 3:24) is rendered "to place."
Here it is: "So he drove out the
man; and he placed
at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword
which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."
It's first occurrence was where man was being KEPT OUT of the
Garden of Eden. Our use here in Psalm 16 is where the Lord
is bringing man back IN the Garden!
Also, doing no damage to the word at all ...
you could say that Jesus LIVED/DWELT in hope! Thank God we
have hope! Even "blessed" hope!
The noun "hope" translates "betach," meaning
safety or safely or safe or securely (30 times of only 42
times)! It literally means "a place of refuge." That
is ... "to hide for refuge" ... but is not as dramatic as "chasah"
which means "to RUN for refuge!" Only once (here) in the
whole King James Bible is it translated hope! Here we
distinctly have illustrated for us the fact that with Jesus ...
HOPE was based on absolute FACT! (That's the Christian
idea of hope anyway!) It is NOT wishful thinking ... but
leaning on the very sure promises of Almighty God!
One more quick thing here. In
yesterday's clause "My glory rejoiceth" the New Testament words
it "and my tongue was glad!" The Scriptures here equate
one's glory with one's tongue! Amazing! No wonder
Jesus spake like no man ever before Him! See here.
John 7:46 --- "The officers answered,
Never man spake like this man."
I must close.
Lord willing, more tomorrow.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
