Thursday, August 27, 2020

The Salvation of God

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. Exodus 14:13-14

This great declaration occurs as the children of Israel are standing with the sea in front of them and the armies of Pharaoh pursuing them from behind. Their response is to remind Moses how they never wanted to leave, they told him he brought them out here to die. What a faithless response. They were "sore afraid". Fear has torment, it will cause someone to be irrational, to get carried away with false understanding. But God, and in this case his man Moses, step up. Moses believed, and God performed.

We see a similar story when Jehoshaphat stood facing the Moabites and the Ammonites in 2Chr 20 and he declared the salvation of God.

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. 2Chr 20:17

It is the Lord who stands ready to fight for us, to deliver us, even as He did Israel over and over again; when they repented and called upon the name of their God. When they would put their fear aside and trust Him.

Isaiah declares (chapter 52) the salvation of God in the face of numerous oppressions, just before the description of the servant of God who comes to suffer and be rejected, beaten and killed. As we know, Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

John the baptist testified of this, the lamb of God. He also declared in Luke 3:4-6

As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

The salvation of God has come. Not wrought by man, but performed by God. The Father sent his son, Jesus, who tasted of death for every man, that whosoever would believe on him would not perish, but have everlasting life.

Hear the word of Jesus, Mark 5:36b, Be not afraid, only believe.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

The Name of the Lord

 Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

(Also Number 14:18)

The name of the Lord, His character, all that He is summarized here as well as Psalm 86

Psalm 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

He is the Lord

Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

Gen 1:6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

He is Merciful, or full of mercy

Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Prov 14:21 He that despises his neighbor sins: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

He is gracious or full of Grace

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1Pe 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious

He is longsuffering

Ron 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

He is abundant in goodness and truth

The word for goodness here is also translated kindness or lovingkindness as well as mercy

Psalm 5:7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

Psalm 25:6 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

1Sam 12:24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

Jer 10:10 But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

He keeps mercy

1Chr 16:34 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Prov 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

He forgives

Psalm 130:3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

He will not clear the guilty, Sin still has its effects even unto the third generation

1Cor 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Rom 3:19-20 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Rom 6:15-16 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?