Tag Archives: Bible Study

Dwelling in History

 Psalm 90: 1-4 “1 A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. 4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night” (KJV).

This Psalm is recorded as the oldest Psalm written. Moses the author and man of God, provides us with a reminder of God’s eternal power and presence. He begins this prayer by addressing God as LORD, “Adonay” God of Power, Creation, and Ruler.

To the ancient people of Moses’ day, mountains symbolized something lasting and dependable. To the Jews, mountains spoke of the everlasting God of Israel. There were six generations between Abraham and Moses, each generation was guided by the Omnipotent God who is All-Powerful (omni = all; potent = powerful).

“Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men”. It is amazing to see how advanced modern medicine has become. How life has been preserved and technology has made these advancements possible. But one thing will always remain the same; we will one day return to the dust of the earth. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen. 3:19, KJV).

 The older we get, the more we comprehend how short life is. Days, months, and years seem to pass by faster and faster. I can remember my teen years, anticipating and eagerly awaiting tomorrow. We do not have the ability to “undo or redo” our past, but we do have control over what we do today. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8, KJV). God does not look at our past mistakes. “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isa. 43:25, KJV). “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psa. 103:12, KJV).

“Time”, something many struggle to find more of, squeeze more into our busy days. It may be something we regret, wishing that we could go back in time and do things differently. We may worry about tomorrow; looking into the future may cause anxiety, stress, or depressed emotions. I am reminded that “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8, KJV). He teaches us that we can learn from our mistakes and not dwell on them.

Proverbs 24:16 “For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief” (KJV).

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” (KJV).

History is a record of times past; some of history is filled with great discoveries and some of man’s greatest accomplishments. It also contains some of man’s worst moments. But we have today, this very moment. Today … let go and let God; write his-story of your life. If we attempt to write the story of our lives, it will be nothing more than an old dirty, dusty, and soon forgotten book. But, if we surrender ourselves to the One that is in control, we become the clay and He the Potter. He will mold, carve, and create exactly what He desires us to be.

“But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand” (Isa. 64:8, KJV).

In Christ,

The Silent Preacher

Extra…Extra…Read All About It!!!

Galatians 1:1-9 “1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (KJV).

Paul writes to the believers in Galatia, but something is different. He calls immediate attention to his authority in Christ. The tone of this letter is one of authority, attitude, and action. If Paul was writing this letter today, the headline of the newspaper might read “Extra…Extra… Thus saith the Lord, Salvation by grace through faith”.

Paul immediately calls out the problem, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you unto the grace of Christ unto another gospel”. The church has been infected by false teachings. I view this as the watered down gospel or the feel good gospel message. How does the gospel message become watered down? Something has been added to it. The church was adding stipulations to salvation (Gal. 6:12-13). God’s glory was being plagiarized by these false teachers. They were taking credit for the work of the Lord. Instead of giving glory to the Lord, they were standing around saying “look how great my church is or look how many people I have saved”. You must be circumcised in order to be saved. You must follow these rules in order to be saved, you must do this or that…the list goes on and on…

It saddens me to hear some of the experiences people have had with churches. A man once shared his childhood experience growing up in a fundamental church, needless to say it was a story filled with more laws than the Old Testament (and I consider myself a fundamentalist). It is no wonder why the man never went back to church. It is very difficult to witness to someone who has had an experience like that. I can understand why Paul is so passionate in his letter. Salvation by works and not faith is infectious and requires immediate treatment. Otherwise, it becomes a life or death illness. In the remainder of the book, Paul goes into great detail to correct this false teaching. Salvation comes through faith, by grace, plus or minus nothing.

Wouldn’t it be great if we turned on the news or read a newspaper that contained nothing but good news? The headline might read “Good News…50 people got saved at church today”. The articles would contain the testimonies of each person. Unfortunately, the news is filled with nothing but eye-catching headlines followed by articles filled with opinions, tainted facts and statistics.

Paul reminds us of the good news and it is called Grace… The salvation message is for anyone and everyone. We have the good news and we can read it every day. We do not have to rely on someone telling us how to live, act, parent, behave, or do anything. All we need to do is read His word. Everything we see and hear, we should ask ourselves this question “what does the Word of God say about that”.

I have to admit, I’m an avid follower of the news. I love to watch and see what is going on in the world. I enjoy listening to political debates. As hard as it is at times, I always try to look at the story from both perspectives. The media is filled with so much biased input that it becomes difficult to discern truth. This is not an easy task to do, but I believe it is one that we should all practice. If we don’t make the attempt to discern truth, then we will become like the believers Paul writes to in Galatia. We become easily distracted from the truth, believing everything we see and hear.

Revelation 22:19 “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (KJV).

In Christ,

The Silent Preacher

The Light of a Candle

 Psalms 18:28-29 “28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. 29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall” (KJV).

David reminds us of a great promise here. I have found it beneficial to ask lots of questions when I read and study Scripture. I also read the verses multiple times; placing emphasis on different portions of the text each time I read it. Typing this made me think about doing a teaching series on studying the Bible. Something I may work on for the future. But for now, let me share what the Lord has shown me today.

When I think of a lit candle, I picture the dim flickering light that is produced. When my wife and I have a power outage in our home, we have plenty of scented candles throughout the house to light. We light the candles in order to navigate and continue our day or night.

As we navigate through life, we are bound to have moments of darkness. We can all remember times when things were just not going as we had planned. Or maybe you are experiencing that right now. When we focus on the Lord, placing him at the forefront of our thoughts and actions; we allow him to light the candle of our lives. If we try to light the candle, it may not be bright enough. All we have to do is find a candle; He will illuminate it for us.

Think of it like this – Have you ever tried to find a verse in the Bible to prove a point, have you ever tried to force something out of it. Trying to find a verse that will provide comfort for someone, but it just doesn’t fit or make sense to the person? That is what happens when “we” light the candle.

 On the Other Side…

Have you ever been talking with someone and the Holy Spirit allowed the perfect verse to come to mind; then you share it with the other person, they light up and find immediate comfort. Reading and studying His word, allows us the opportunity to store up an emergency supply of candles. When the lights go out – He will light the candles and provide us the ability to see. How bright will depend on the amount of candles we have stored up.

Once He lights the candle, we will be able to navigate through the battles we face. As David states “run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall”. What a beautiful and bright candle to keep ready… But the candles not only help us personally, they also help us share His truth to others.

Psalms 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (KJV).

In Christ,

The Silent Preacher

Shelter in the Storm

 Psalm 91:1 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (KJV).

“He that dwelleth, in the secret place of the most High”. The first part of this verse paints a beautiful picture for the Christian. To dwell in the secret place of the most High means that we have to be close to the Lord in order to benefit from this blessings and protection. When the Lord promises a blessing, He requires something from us. This is where faith comes into play. It is through our faith that keeps us close to the Father. The Lord promises us, that if we stay close to Him, we will be safe. But if we wander off, we open ourselves up to the dangers outside of His protection. What happens when a child wanders off from the protection of parents? The child becomes vulnerable to the dangers that lurk beyond.

When Christians wander off, they end up running back to the safety of the Lord. We all stumble and fall in our walk, but it is so wonderful to know that the Lord awaits our return with open arms, ready to receive us back under His protection. If we would only learn to stay put, stay in His will and live according to His commands. Wandering away from the secret place is not what the Lord wants for us, but we do learn lessons when we wander, we learn and grow closer to Him.

“Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” When we sit still under the protective shadow of the Lord Almighty, we are safe with him, nothing can happen to us, and no evil can attack us. The protection is a constant 24 hour around the clock protection. Nothing in this world can provide this type of protection. When the storms come, when the fiery darts are thrown, the Lord stretches out His wings and shields us. The closer we dwell with the Father, the more confident we will become.

Matthew 11:19 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (KJV).

In Christ,

The Silent Preacher

Answer the Phone

 Genesis 34:1-7 “1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.” 5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. 6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done” (KJV).

In the first verse, I was filled with a few questions, such as: Was Dinah naïve, rebellious, or just plain ignorant in the ways of the world? Why was it so important for Dinah to venture out and get to know the women of the land? Did she not get advice from Leah her mother, and why was she out sightseeing by herself?

After asking myself these questions, I was led back to Jacob, who was in charge and responsible for his family. I have to wonder why Jacob was staying so long in this pagan neighborhood and putting his family at risk. He should have kept on traveling to Bethel and continue growing in the Lord and teaching his family.

When we disobey the Lord, we put ourselves in danger as well as our family. Lot pitched his tent near Sodom, eventually he moved into the wicked city. Jacob pitched his tent in Shechem and this wicked city is pulling him and his family into their wickedness.

Three times the word “defiled” is used to describe the wicked deed of Shechem. The young prince claimed that he did it because he loved her and wanted her for his wife, but committing violent rape and keeping the girl confined to his house was a strange way to show his love for her.

His actions and words witness to the fact that God’s people and the people of Canaan had very different moral and ethical beliefs. Jacob was silent when he heard the tragic news. Since his sons were in the field with the sheep and cattle and he could do nothing without their help, he was wise to wait.

It is interesting to note in the latter part of verse 5 it says “Jacob held his peace until they were come”. We can see here that Jacob was failing in his spiritual leadership, instead of turning to the Lord for wisdom he became quite comfortable asking his sons what to do in difficult times.

It is very important to remind ourselves and take note of where we get our advice from, especially spiritual advice. This is a lesson I teach on a regular basis in my class. I have fallen prey to the advice of friends and family. I have made the mistake of letting my emotions control my actions. The lesson I learned, ensure the advice you are given is according to His truth. If it does not line up, then follow the Lord’s wisdom. I also believe it is important to explain to those who gave the advice, why you did not follow what they said. This opens the door to witness and help others, even if they do not agree; you have an opportunity to plant a seed of truth.

God will do the watering and shine the light. There may be times when the Lord shines that light right away and you will be able to see that seed grow; other times it may be years later. But remember, all things are in His timing. Acts 1:7 “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power” (KJV). Hamor is the father of Schechem and goes out to meet with Jacob and discuss his son marrying Dinah. Hamor was very wealthy and had some authority in the land. His meeting with Jacob appears to be an attempt to “fix” the mess his son has gotten into. Jacobs’s sons come out of the field after hearing what happened and they are furious.

Application

We must be careful that we do not seek satisfaction in the world, outside the purpose and plan of God. Sin is a process that leads to defiant acts. All it takes is someone to believe that this little sin is no big deal, and then it has turned into a big deal. A great Christian saying goes like this “Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay” (Unknown Author).

Look back at Jacob’s deception towards his father, one lie turned into many lies and ended up costing him twenty years working for Laban and two wives later he is still dealing with the consequences of a little white lie. He got his advice and instructions from his mother, but never measured it against the Lords truth. Those little white lies are now growing so big that his daughter Dinah was attacked physically and taken hostage.

When God calls you, make sure you answer the phone, listen to the message and take good notes. You don’t want to get the message wrong; it could cost you more than you were willing to pay. For Jacob it began as a little white lie, and quickly turned into more lies, and then a quick getaway in order to escape the wrath of his brother and father. When it came to taking care of his children, he did not listen to the Lords wisdom and let Dinah spend time with worldly friends.

What could have stopped the progression of his sin? Look back to Gen. 31:13 “I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out of this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred” (KJV). But Jacob was slow to obey the Lords command.

In Christ,

The Silent Preacher