Saturday, April 14, 2001
Psalm 18:3 says "I will call upon the Lord"
We should always call upon the Lord... in good times, and especially
in times of trouble; for it is written,
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" Acts 2:21
Meditating on this phrase "call upon" and the phrase "call upon the Lord"...
The deeper meaning is foreshadowed very early in scripture:
(Gen 4:26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name
Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Also, Psalm 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
and Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, [art] good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto
all them that call upon thee.
or in Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Also, this is central to Paul's salvation arguments in Romans 10 ( Rom.10:12,13 )
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
We should always call upon the Lord... in good times, and especially
in times of trouble; for it is written,
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" Acts 2:21
Meditating on this phrase "call upon" and the phrase "call upon the Lord"...
The deeper meaning is foreshadowed very early in scripture:
(Gen 4:26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name
Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Also, Psalm 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
and Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, [art] good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto
all them that call upon thee.
or in Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Also, this is central to Paul's salvation arguments in Romans 10 ( Rom.10:12,13 )
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
Friday, April 13, 2001
"I will love" comes from Hebrew word - racham
-- to love, love deeply, have tender affection, etc.
David can only talk about this deep love and affection for God
because he realizes the great salvation he is receiving from God.
-- to love, love deeply, have tender affection, etc.
David can only talk about this deep love and affection for God
because he realizes the great salvation he is receiving from God.
Psalm 18:1
David says "I will love You, O Lord, my strength."
Why does he say, "I will love you." and not just "I love you." ??
I think because David is making a public life-long committment to do something and to be someone who loves the Lord, and he knows it will take an ongoing decision of the will to remain faithful, while yet acknowledging that it is not his strength, but God's strength that will uphold him.
David says "I will love You, O Lord, my strength."
Why does he say, "I will love you." and not just "I love you." ??
I think because David is making a public life-long committment to do something and to be someone who loves the Lord, and he knows it will take an ongoing decision of the will to remain faithful, while yet acknowledging that it is not his strength, but God's strength that will uphold him.
There are a few resources I frequently use (over and over) during my morning Bible reading time:
- The Bible Gateway
- The Blue Letter Bible
- and of course my regular NKJV New Geneva Study Bible (made of real paper and leather.)
Most mornings I get up at 3:00 or 4:00 AM.
Sometimes on Saturday or Sunday, I get up at 6, or 7:00 AM
I usually putter around the kitchen for a few minutes and make some coffee,
and empty the trash, shuffle the magazine pile or toss out some credit card offers.
(Do you get 5 offers for credit cards every day? I feed the extra paper to the worms in my worm farm. Also, the worms love yesterday's coffee grounds. See google search on worm farming.)
By the time the coffee is brewed, I take my Bible and sit down by the computer and get ready to read. As I read, I record the thoughts or questions I have in my journal.
Sometimes on Saturday or Sunday, I get up at 6, or 7:00 AM
I usually putter around the kitchen for a few minutes and make some coffee,
and empty the trash, shuffle the magazine pile or toss out some credit card offers.
(Do you get 5 offers for credit cards every day? I feed the extra paper to the worms in my worm farm. Also, the worms love yesterday's coffee grounds. See google search on worm farming.)
By the time the coffee is brewed, I take my Bible and sit down by the computer and get ready to read. As I read, I record the thoughts or questions I have in my journal.
Tuesday, April 10, 2001
We are happy and delight in our children, (even with all their faults).
Watching our children grow up is the most joyful activity/experience of our lives.
Even so, God delights in his children.
Watching our children grow up is the most joyful activity/experience of our lives.
Even so, God delights in his children.
God rescued me because he delighted in me!
He delivered me because he delighted in me! - Psalm 18:19
This morning, I listened to the audio message by Steve Zeisler on Psalm 18 called God's Delight.
Steve made a point of drawing out a parallel between Psalm 18 to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
He delivered me because he delighted in me! - Psalm 18:19
This morning, I listened to the audio message by Steve Zeisler on Psalm 18 called God's Delight.
Steve made a point of drawing out a parallel between Psalm 18 to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
Monday, April 09, 2001
Pastor Ralph's sermon yesterday morning tied a few loose ends together for me...
Continuing the series on Blessedness (or Happiness)...which he as been teaching on from passages all over the Bible -- we finally came upon the Matthew 5 passage (the Beatitudes) -- which lists the strangest collection of items to be happy about.
Found interesting parallels between Matt. 5 and my current study in the Psalms.
And interesting parallels in Psalm 1, Matt 5, Joshua 8 and Nehemiah 1-2.
Need to delve into these blessings and cursings a little deeper.
On another topic -- setting this bookmark about the ministry of the deacons.
Continuing the series on Blessedness (or Happiness)...which he as been teaching on from passages all over the Bible -- we finally came upon the Matthew 5 passage (the Beatitudes) -- which lists the strangest collection of items to be happy about.
Found interesting parallels between Matt. 5 and my current study in the Psalms.
And interesting parallels in Psalm 1, Matt 5, Joshua 8 and Nehemiah 1-2.
Need to delve into these blessings and cursings a little deeper.
On another topic -- setting this bookmark about the ministry of the deacons.
More about the danger of isolation....
or saying it another way -- the danger of being a lone ranger.
or saying it another way -- the danger of being a lone ranger.
Sunday, April 08, 2001
Are there 4 or 5 sections of a Covenant Suzerain Treaty?
I can't remember from college 20 years ago...
The first two sections are the preamble...
1) The identification of the Suzerain (Sovereign Lord) by his name and titles.
2) The historical survey of the Suzerain's dealings with the vassal.
-- The purpose is to illustrate to the vassal how much the Suzerain has
done to protect and establish the vassal who therefore owes submission and allegiance.
3) Stipulations
-- A listing of the "stipulations."
-- What the vassal is required to do is spelled out in principal and detail.
4) Blessings and curses for obedience to the convenant treaty.
-- List of the blessings for following the Lord.
-- List of curses for not following the Lord.
I can't remember from college 20 years ago...
The first two sections are the preamble...
1) The identification of the Suzerain (Sovereign Lord) by his name and titles.
2) The historical survey of the Suzerain's dealings with the vassal.
-- The purpose is to illustrate to the vassal how much the Suzerain has
done to protect and establish the vassal who therefore owes submission and allegiance.
3) Stipulations
-- A listing of the "stipulations."
-- What the vassal is required to do is spelled out in principal and detail.
4) Blessings and curses for obedience to the convenant treaty.
-- List of the blessings for following the Lord.
-- List of curses for not following the Lord.
Continuing in my morning studies in the Psalms...
On Friday, April 6, I was looking at the 5 sections of the Psalms.
Jewish tradition has it that there are 5 sections -- chosen to match the five books of Moses.
I want to explore some concepts related to the 5 parts of the covenant,
(eg. Meredith Kline and the covenant suzerain treaties of the ancient near east.)
Does that relate at all?
On Friday, April 6, I was looking at the 5 sections of the Psalms.
Jewish tradition has it that there are 5 sections -- chosen to match the five books of Moses.
I want to explore some concepts related to the 5 parts of the covenant,
(eg. Meredith Kline and the covenant suzerain treaties of the ancient near east.)
Does that relate at all?
