Israel

Irrevocable

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As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Romans 11:28-32

The Jewish people are enemies only because they have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They have done so, so that, we Gentiles might become part of God’s kingdom as well as the Jew.

There seems to be a growing trend for some Christian speaker, preachers, teachers, and from all walks of life, teaching that the Church is the new Israel.  That is assuming that God has forsaken the Old Testament Israel, for the Church (which is the Body of Christ).  My question is: If the Church is the new Israel what will happen to Israel?

Verse 29 of our text says, “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance (are Irrevocable).”  Meaning that what God has said in the Old Testament concerning His covenant people will not fail to come to pass.  There are many prophecies of the Old Testament that have not yet come to pass.  Those prophecies and promises cannot be claimed to be the Church’s, except for our encouragement, and education, and growth.

God says, “I will be merciful to whom I will be merciful.”  God chose to blind the eyes of  many Jewish people to bring Gentiles to Himself.  Let us be thankful to the people of Israel for their part in our salvation; for it is through them that we have received our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and from them we have received God’s word.

Antisemitism must stop among those who are Christian or God can set us aside as He has Israel.  God is not one who forsakes His people.  He has a remnant who believe Him and live for Him.  One day all Israel shall be saved (Romans 11:25-27),  The apostle Paul was writing here of his people, not the Church.

“The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.”  It is an encouragement to know that God’s word, prophecies and promises do not change.  It is comforting to know that He does not give up on His people.

Perpetual Covenant

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The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
“Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.’  For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
“In those days, and in that time,” saith the LORD, “the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, ‘Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.’
“My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.  All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, ‘We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’ ”
Jeremiah 50:1-7

Israel and Judah are once again joined together as one people.   Israel is back in the Land of God’s promise to them.  The only covenant that will work for them is the covenant made with their Messiah – the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many Messianic Jews,  They are Jewish people who worship Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

Jesus did not come to earth to only call Israel to repentance, faith, and salvation;  He also came to the whole world.  He came because “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.”

Jesus Christ is our forever covenant.  Through Him, and through Him alone is there eternal salvation – salvation from sin and is bondage; salvation from death, and He makes us alive.  This is an everlasting life.

The LORD Ain’t Finished With the People of Israel, Yet

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“Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto Me, O children of Israel?” saith the LORD. “Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?”
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” saith the LORD. ” For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.  All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, which say, ‘The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.’ ” es
“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by My name,” saith the LORD that doeth this. “Behold, the days come,” saith the LORD, “that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.  And I will bring again the captivity of My people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.  And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them,” saith the LORD thy God.
Amos 9:7-15

There are many people who are against today’s Israel, and denying them their God given right to the land called Israel.  The people who call themselves “Jews” are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  I do not know this to be so; but I think they have more knowledge of where they came from than most of us Gentiles do concerning their genealogy.

Present day Israel is only a small portion which the LORD has given them.  The time that Amos is speaking of in Amos 9:11-15 has never been fulfilled.    God will always fulfill the words that He speaks.  Not one jot or tittle will fail to come to pass,

If you will, note verse eight  above, where God says he is going to destroy “the sinful kingdom.”  Then He says, “I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob.”  He remembered His everlasting covenant.  He is sifting them to bring them to Himself through the Messiah to come.  The Messiah has already come, and Jewish religious leaders hated Him.   His name is Jesus.  “He came unto His own and His own received Him not” John 1:12.

The LORD, who created all things in heaven and earth does not give up.  When He begins a work he completes it and we Christians have that promise in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ…”  Philippians 1:6.  When God starts a good work He will complete it too.  That is for the Christian and the Jew, and anyone who will totally give themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins, our transgressions, and iniquities.  He died on that wooden cross as my substitute for sin, and for yours.

His promises do not fail.  If Jesus tells us that “Whoso ever believes in Him (that is Jesus) shall not perish, but will have everlasting life,” then you can trust that that is true.

Know this – If “God ain’t finished with His people Israel, yet,” then because of what Jesus has done for us; we can trust and believe that He will complete what He has started.

Peace For Israel

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They that trust in the LORD shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.  As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even for ever.
For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.  Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

Psalm 125:1-5

The place called Mount Zion is Jerusalem, which cannot be removed.  Why because God has said so.  The LORD God is the protector of Israel, and those who try to destroy Israel will themselves be destroyed.

Who better to bring peace to Israel, than the Prince of Peace, who is Christ Jesus.

The LORD still loves and protects Israel.  Believe God’s word.  It shall come to pass.

In The LORD Is My Trust

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LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto Thee.  Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.  Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.  When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.  But mine eyes are unto Thee, O GOD the Lord: in Thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.  Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.  Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.

Psalm 141:1-10

This is a Psalm of David.  It was probably written  while he was fleeing from king Saul when he was trying to kill David.

When Blessings Become A Curse

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But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.  They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger.  They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.  Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
Deuteronomy 32:15-18

Jeshurun named above is a pet name for Israel, and it means, “Uprightness,”  and in this Song of Moses, we see God’s verdict against Israel.  In their wilderness journeys they continued to see the mighty hand of God.

They were not thankful for the provision, for His presence, neither for His power.   When Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from the LORD, they were making a golden calf to worship rather than God.

In their departure from the LORD God they worshiped by offering sacrifice to demons.  I wonder how they could do such a thing?  When you turn your back on God that is what will become of you,  You will worship at the altar of comfort, or the altar of pleasure, or the altar of wealth; maybe the altar of power, or the altar of privilege.

God had greatly blessed the people called Jeshurun with the law of God, and is salvation, and deliverance from Egypt; seeing the great power of the Almighty God against the demon gods of Egypt.  Yet they forsook their Rock (the Rock is Christ Jesus 1 Corinthians 10:4), and worshiped demons.  When they departed from the LORD, their blessings became curses against them.  Thus this song is partly a warning of what was to come if they were not faithful in their worshiping the LORD alone, having no other gods in their lives.

As Christians in today’s world; O how we need to beware of the drawing powers of darkness, causing our blessings to become curses.  Let us not trust in our blessings but only in the LORD through the Lord Jesus Christ who gave His life on a cross to pay our sin debt that we owed to Him.  He died on the cross, was buried, and He rose again from the grave and walked out of that grave alive forever more.  Worship the Blessor not the blessing.

When Blood Defiles The Land

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Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.  Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.  And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.  So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.  Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.
Numbers 35:30-34

God is grieved by the bloodshed that was happening in the world back thousands of years ago; and He is still grieved by it.  We are talking about premeditated murder, not accidental or self defense.

The Ten Commandments has the sixth commandment,  “You shall not kill (murder).”

Now, the verses above tells us that God is telling them what to do with the murderer, “He shall surely be put to death.”  This commandment is in the category of “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Should I ask?  Who among us wants to be murdered?  I would dare to say, “Not a one of us,”  therefore we ought to love the way we would want to be loved.

The one who murders defiles the land, and there is no cleansing of the land, except by the death of the one who has murdered the innocent.

Jesus Christ was hanged on a cross, unjustly, He was guilty of none of the charges brought against Him.  This was a murder of the worst sort.  But Jesus did this, offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin.  We should have been the ones who hanged there, and died a slow and miserable death; but Jesus did, then He was buried in a borrowed stone tomb, and He rose again.

Our sin debt- your sin debt was paid in full;

Our sins were carried away, and cast as far away from  us as far as east is from west;

With our sins forgiven, we must repent and receive this marvelous gift of God’s grace, and we receive eternal life.  His resurrection is our assurance that we will be forever with Him.

A Troubling Prophet

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And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.  And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.  And he took up his parable, and said,

“Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:   ‘He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:  How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!
“As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.  He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.  He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.”

Numbers 24:1-9

The words spoken  by the false prophet Balaam were spoken after he had tried to curse the people of God who were over one million in numbers of all the people.  They frightened Balak who was king of the Moabites a the time, and Balak heard of the man named Balaam, who, when he said  something, it came about as he said.

Balaam was a man for hire.  He could curse a group of people, and would for a price.  However, the poem of song he writes above sounds as though he believes God will not allow him to curse Israel.  When the matter is all said and done there are 24,000 people are slain due to the mingling of Moabites with Israel.

Phineas, a grandson of Aaron, has the Spirit of the LORD upon him, and with the zeal of God, runs with a spear into the tent of an Israelite man, who has entered with a Medianite woman, and ran them through together.  This stopped the plague which came upon the due to their lustful actions (Numbers 25)

It would seem that Balaam is the cause of the mingling, because he told Balak where their weakness was, and Balak took note; and thus Balaam got his reward from Balak.  He would not, and will not ever be blessed by receiving reward from the LORD.  Even for the words which he spoke above; neither will he be remembered or blessed for the words spoken in verses 15 through 24 of this same chapter.

They are actually a curse to him.  He knew who God was and is, yet he refused to love Him.  Yet his bed has been made, and in that bed he remains; guilty as a false prophet.

Where do you stand with the LORD God?  Do you know and believe that God is?  If you do; have you called on the name of His Son Jesus Christ for salvation from sin, and death?

Jesus Christ came to earth as the Incarnation of God to die for our  sins, by becoming sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.  Jesus died on a cross, was buried, and He rose again the third day.  I you call on Him, He will hear you and deliver you.

When the Cloud is Taken Up

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Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:  but if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.  For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
Exodus 40:34-38

After the tabernacle was consecrated for service of the priesthood.  The glory and presence of the LORD filled the tabernacle, and even Moses could not enter.

Now this cloud is a  demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s work in guiding the children of God through the wilderness.  Just as Moses and Israel depended on the LORD’S cloud by day and fire by night; even so the Christian depends on the Holy Spirit for guidance, understanding, wisdom and knowledge.

As Christians, through faith in Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the cross we have received the baptism of the Spirit, so we can be filled with the Spirit, which is walking with God, doing His will.

In The Press

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And Moses said unto the people, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”
And the LORD said unto Moses, “Wherefore criest thou unto Me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.  And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get Me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
Exodus 14:13-18

The Israelite people had been freed from bondage in Egypt,  They had made it to the Red Sea, when they looked and saw their former captors on the chase after them, and it was not for recapture.  The Egyptians had a heart for killing them all.

The people of Israel, many of them, when they saw the Egypt’s army hot on their trail, they were frightened.  Moses tells them “Do not fear, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.

Please note what God says to Moses, it sounds something like this, “What are you doing standing here?  Tell the people to move forward, stretch out your staff over the sea, and it will divide, and the people will go over on dry ground.”

The King of Egypt, the Pharaoh was not an honest, trust worthy man. He could not be trusted. He thought he was god, and was worshiped by the Egyptian people.  The LORD God Almighty had proven that he was not god, but only a man.

The people of Israel had found themselves in a press, or it you will, a stressful situation.  When they saw the large army coming after them they saw no way out.  The LORD provided a way where there seemed to be no way.

God is the Righteous, Holy and Just Lord of creation.  He cannot tolerate sin, and He will not even look upon it.  How then, can we please Him?  We cannot, but One did.  Humanity is in a press concerning our relationship with God.  God sent His Son to  live a life without sin, an obedient Son who had a strong relationship with God His Father.

The press of sin can defeated now by one calling on the name of the One who died on the cross for our sins, having become sin for us, that we would become the Righteousness of God.

Is the press of sin weighing on you today.  Today is the day to move toward Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. He is the way, and there is no other.

When Will Jesus Christ Come Again?

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This is not date setting question. It can mean that someone is questioning whether the promise; or the prophecy; is even true. It also could be that one wants to know what signs tells ahead of time when He is returning.  Our text for today…

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.  Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.”
Mark 13:28-31

We must understand that no one knows the day or the hour, however we can see signs that His second coming is near. There is a disappearance of all who are Christians, and there are no signs that happening, so we must remain ready to go at any time. That itself will be a sign that His return is very near.

Jesus says, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree” (Mark 11:12,) and the thoughts of the disciples must have brought to mind the fig tree Jesus pronounced death upon in Mark chapter 11 and verses 12 through 14 and 20 through 24. That fig tree had wilted immediately; it was not noticed by the writer of this Gospel until the next day, as they walked by.

The lesson of the fig tree is most likely the rising up of the Nation of Israel again, The fig tree in many instances of Scripture show the prophets and Jesus using the fig tree as an illustration of the nation – a leafed out fig tree with no fruit, and then found dead.

Just to remind the reader, the land of Israel was recognized as a nation by the United Nations on May 14, 1948. That is one of the first signs for this generation.

Jesus stands on His word. The word of God will stand forever. “Heaven and earth will pass away;but My word shall not pass away.” If He said it, and He did, then His word will come to pass. Not one word will fail.  The question now is are you ready to meet Him?

Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, He was buried to take our sins away casting them as far away as the east is from the west – leaving them there, and then He rose up from the grave giving us eternal life and proving every word He had spoken.

Back In Their Land Forever

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There is a day coming when Israel will return to their land, all of it, for God has said so, and what ever GOD has said will come  to pass. Yes there has already been a partial fulfillment of His word. The nation of Israel had been all but forgotten except by God, and the Nation of Israel came to be once again in 1948 May of that year. Hear the word of the LORD…

And David My servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them.  And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and My servant David shall be their prince for ever.  Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
Ezekiel 37:24-28

God has made everlasting covenants with Abraham, Israel, and David. He has promised Abraham an everlasting  people. He has promised Israel an everlasting land, and He has promised David rule over the kingdom of Israel forever more.

Why does the above verses mention David as king and David as prince. The Messiah of Israel is to rule as King, and the Messiah is a descendant of David, His name is Jesus the Christ (Messiah) the son of God, and descendant of David.  The rightful eternal King, shall reign forever and forever.

It is believed by some that David the prince is speaking of the son of Jesse, who is David the king of Israel with whom GOD made the eternal covenant. David the king of Israel in ancient days, will sit beside King Jesus, in Jerusalem in days yet to come. O what a glorious time that will be.

When you are born again through faith in Jesus Christ and His work or grace on the cross of Calvary, then you will have an eternal spot with Jesus as well. The way to be born again is by receiving God’s gift of grace which is displayed by Jesus, taking our sin, becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) taking the wrath of God in our behalf and dying, and He was buried taking our sins away, and then He rose again, and came out of that tomb alive. Believe Him, and be born again.

He Believed God

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And Israel said unto Joseph, “Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.”
Genesis 48:21-22

Jacob, now called “Israel” since his wrestling match with the LORD, is near death, and believes God’s word to him that they will not stay in Egypt too long.

O that Christians would believe what God says concerning Himself, the way we ought to live, pray, and tell the world about His marvelous mercy and grace. It is definitely displayed by God smiting His own Son on the cross, taking His life paying the sin debt we owed. Jesus was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead triumphing over sin, death, and the grave.

Call on His name, the name of Jesus, and He will hear you and deliver you from sin and death.

A Promise Of Almighty God

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And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.  And God said unto him, “Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name:” and He called his name Israel.  And God said unto him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.”  And God went up from him in the place where He talked with him.
Genesis 35:9-13

The Children Of Abraham

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“Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, ‘They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.’  For this is the word of promise, ‘At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.’ ”
Romans 9:6-9

The LORD Is Round About His People

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They that trust in the LORD shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even for ever. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

Psalm 125:1-5

Let Your Heart Be Perfect With The LORD Our God

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Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant. The LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers: let Him not leave us, nor forsake us: that He may incline our hearts unto Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and His statutes, and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.  And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that He maintain the cause of His servant, and the cause of His people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, as at this day.
1 Kings 8:56-61

…You shall know that I am in the midst…

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Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.  Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.  Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.  And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, My great army which I sent among you.  And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and My people shall never be ashamed.  And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and My people shall never be ashamed.
Joel 2:21-27

…And they shall not be found…

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Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.  And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.  In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
Jeremiah 50:18-20

Turn, O backsliding children…

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Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors according to Mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.  And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD:” neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.  In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
Jeremiah 3:14-18

They Will Rely On The LORD

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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.  For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.  For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

Isaiah 10:20-23

Out of Egypt

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And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt have I called My Son.”                                       Matthew 2:13-15

Matthew tells us of the angel of the Lord coming to Joseph in a dream saying, “Take the young Child and flee into Egypt” and it was because of Herod. All of this was the fulfilling of Old Testament prophecies concerning the killing of the innocents in verse 18 of this chapter; a prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse 15.

It is also referring to a prophecy of Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” Though this prophecy is related to God’s gracious deliverance of Israel out of Egyptian bondage it is also pointing to God’s fulfilling His promise to save out of the world all who would come to Him through His Son Jesus.

Egypt is a picture of the world and the wickedness within it. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to show His love for the world, and to deliver out of the world all who would turn from their sin to Him.

It was the wicked world who crucified the perfect Lamb of God, giving Himself willingly dying for our sins, He was buried not only proving His death but also carrying away all our sin, shame and condemnation (Leviticus 16 the scapegoat taken into the wilderness never to be seen again), then on the first day of the week (Sunday) Jesus came out of the grave alive forever more.

He is calling all who will hear Him, out of Egypt. Do you hear. Believe Him

Recognized Faith

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And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” And Jesus saith unto him,
“I will come and heal him.”
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, ‘Go,’ and he goeth; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he cometh; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he doeth it.” 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 8:5-10

The Roman centurion in the text had a recognized faith. He had came seeking Jesus for the healing of his ailing, suffering servant. His faith was a very evident faith and a working faith.

How would my faith in Jesus Christ be recognized? How about yours? Genuine faith searches for Jesus, then genuine faith believes what Jesus says and goes believing He has done what He said.

Could Jesus or will Jesus be able to say of us, “I have not found so great faith…”?

O God, Do Not Keep Silence

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“Keep not Thou silence, O God: hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, Thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head.
They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people, and consulted against Thy hidden ones. They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.’
For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against Thee: the tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.”   Psalm 83:1-8  (KJB)

His Name Is Great and He Is Awesome

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“In Judah is God known: His name is great in Israel.
In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. There brake He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
At Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.
Thou, even Thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in Thy sight when once Thou art angry?
Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, when God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.
Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain.
Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about Him bring presents unto Him that ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes: He is terrible to the kings of the earth.”  Psalm 76:1-12  (KJB)