Section IX

“Therefore, when we build, let us think that we build forever and let us think as we lay stone upon stone that a time will come when men will say, as they look upon the labor wrought, ‘See, this our fathers did for us.’ ” (John Ruskin)

What can scarcely be true in a literal way (for what works of men will last forever?) can certainly be true on the spiritual level. “I have laid the foundation,” said the apostle Paul. “Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1 Cor. 3:10). Let us do every work in the ecclesia as though we were building for eternity, and one day our children will say with grateful hearts, “See, this is what our fathers did for us!”

“What will you give me?” “Thirty pieces of silver” (Matt. 26:15). A handful of coins was enough to settle forever the conflict between good and evil. For what price are we willing to “sell” Christ?

“And when he had scourged Jesus…” The Roman lash was often multi-thonged and inserted with pieces of lead, brass, or pointed bone — so that when it was wielded with force, it tore away large chunks of flesh, exposing veins, inner muscles, and sinews. Many men died under the scourge, even before crucifixion. For others, it was called “the intermediate death”.

“The little letter to Philemon introduces us to two men. One is the writer, an old man in chains. Contrary to all outward appearance and though in prison, he was really free. Once, in his youth, he thought he was free, but he was really in chains to the law of sin. But when Christ came into his life he threw away his chains. Then, though in bonds, his spirit was as free as the winds of heaven. He was free to rejoice, and he was at peace.

“The other man is Onesimus. As a runaway slave, he escaped in the hope of finding freedom. He learned that the world was not as he imagined. His experience of earthly freedom was bitter: Rome’s streets were not gold, and the cobblestones were hard. Disillusioned, with empty pocket, in rage, he sought out the ecclesia in Rome. And where did he find true freedom?

“In the prison cell, from an old man in chains! He found help, sympathy, love and the Truth. From Paul the prisoner he found true freedom!” (Walter Draper)

Wishing

I wish I were big enough honestly to admit all of my shortcomings;

Brilliant enough to accept praise without becoming arrogant;

Tall enough to tower above all deceit;

Strong enough to treasure love;

Brave enough to welcome criticism;

Compassionate enough to understand human frailties;

Wise enough to recognize my mistakes;

Humble enough to appreciate greatness;

Staunch enough to stand by my friends;

Human enough to be thoughtful of my neighbors; and

Righteous enough to be devoted to the love of God.”

(Selected)

The Lord’s call, both to service and salvation, often takes the form of a gracious invitation: “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). “If any man will come after me, let him… follow me” (Matt. 16:24). Notice the kindness of these words. Yet we must not forget that these loving appeals carry the weight of imperative commands.

The story goes that a man once received an invitation to a royal function, and that he showed up at the appointed time. The king greeted him at the door, “We did not know we would have the pleasure of your company, since you did not send us a message that you were coming.” To this the guest replied, “I am sorry, but I thought the invitation of a king was to be obeyed, not answered.” Likewise for us: do we really have a choice when the only true King issues an “invitation”?

The “Ecclesia” in Genesis

A special place of worship (3:24; 4:7,16) set apart “before the Lord” (18:22,23; 19:27; 25:22; 27:7).
Priests: Melchizedek (14:18; Psa. 110; Heb. 7); Cain and Abel (3:21; 4:4-7); Noah (8:20); Abraham (15:10; 22:13); Isaac (26:25); Jacob (33:20); and Job (Job 1:5).
Special garments for the priests (27:15; 37:3).
Preacher: Noah (2 Pet. 2:5).
Prophet: Abraham (20:7).
Forms of service: Laying on of hands (48:13-19); removing of shoes (Exod. 3:5); bowing to ground (24:26-52; Exod. 4:31).
Rituals and laws: Sabbath (2:3; 29:27; 50:10); clean and unclean animals (7:2; 8:20), prohibition of eating blood (9:4), murder (9:6; 42:22), adultery (12:18; 26:10; 39:9; 49:4), fornication (34:7), and alien marriage (6:2; 34:14); oaths and vows (26:28; 28:20; 31:3); purification (35:2); the law of the birthright (25:31); and Levirate marriage (38:8).

Lot chose the established cities of the Jordan plain, but Abraham continued in the hill country, dwelling in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob (Heb. 11:8,9). The Hebrew word for “tent” is “ohel”, which means “to shine” and thus “to be visible at a distance”, as a tent on an expanse of desert in eastern countries. A fitting illustration of how the servants of God should stand out clearly for the world to see: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid” (Matt. 5:14).

A Greek philosopher who observed second-century believers was profoundly impressed by their “pure religion”, especially their compassion and concern for the needy. He wrote, “They love one another. They do not overlook the widow, and they save the orphan. When they see strangers, they take them under their own roof… they do not call themselves brothers according to the flesh but according to the spirit. And whenever one of their poor has died, each of them according to his ability contributes ungrudgingly, and they bury him. And if they hear that some are condemned or imprisoned on account of the name of their Lord, they contribute… and send to them what they need, and if it is possible, they redeem them. And if there is any that is a slave or a poor man, they fast two or three days, and what they were going to set before themselves they send to them.”

Ecclesial membership does not make one a ”Christadelphian” any more than owning a piano makes one a musician.

Solomon’s reign is typically prophetic of Christ’s reign:

Jerusalem the throne: 1 Chron. 29:33 (Jer. 3:17).
One king and a united nation: 1 Kings 4:20 (Ezek. 37:22).
Israel powerful: 1 Kings 4:20 (Micah 4:7).
Israel chief to the nations: 1 Kings 4:21 (Micah 4:8).
Gentiles bring tribute: 2 Chron. 9;23,24 (Isa. 60:11).
Great fertility: 1 Kings 4:22-28 (Isa. 35:1,2).
Submissive nations: 1 Kings 4:21 (Psa. 72:8).
Security and peace: 1 Kings 4:25 (Ezek. 34:28).
Jerusalem the center of wisdom: 1 Kings 4:34 (Isa. 2:2).
Jerusalem the center of worship: 2 Chron. 9:23 (Zech. 14:16).
The temple built: 1 Kings 6 (Zech. 6:13).
Gentiles involved in its building: 2 Chron. 2:2 (Isa. 60:10).
Zadok the priest: 1 Kings 1:34 (Heb. 7:11,12).
“Satan” to be bound: 1 Kings 5:4 (Rev. 20:2).
Israel to be a blessing to others: 2 Chron. 9:26 (Isa. 19:25).

Speak Gently

Speak gently! It is better far to rule by love than fear;

Speak gently! Let no harsh words mar the good we might do here.

Speak gently! For love whispers low the vows that true hearts bind;

And gently friendship’s accents flow — affection’s voice is kind.

Speak gently to the young, for they will have enough to bear.

Pass through this life as best they may, it’s full of anxious care.

Speak gently to the aged one, grieve not the careworn heart;

The sands of time are nearly run, let each in peace depart.

Speak gently to the erring; they may have toiled in vain.

Perhaps unkindness made them so — Oh, win them back again!

Speak gently. He who gave his life to bend man’s stubborn will,

When elements were in fierce strife, said to them, “Peace! Be still.”

Speak gently. ’Tis a little thing dropped in the heart’s deep well.

The good, the joy, which it may bring — eternity will tell.

(Author unknown)

The thickest clouds often bring the heaviest showers of blessing.

God is working out His purpose, every day and everywhere. While we deliberate, He reigns. While we worry, He reigns. When we “decide” — whether wisely or foolishly — He reigns. When we serve Him self-assertively, or when we rebel, or do as we please, He still reigns: The Alpha and Omega; He who was, who is, and who is to come. To believe this is to go unafraid into the future.

The Biblical “law of mathematics”: A little sin will add to your trouble, subtract from your energy, divide your loyalties, and multiply your difficulties.

“No one can appreciate so fully as a doctor the amazingly large percentage of human disease and suffering which is directly traceable to worry, fear, conflict, immorality, dissipation, and ignorance — to unwholesome thinking and unclean living. Sincere acceptance of Christ… would at once wipe out more than half the difficulties, diseases, and sorrows of the human race.” (S.I. McMillen, None of These Diseases)

God always gives us what we ask for… or something better!

In Joshua 15:7 the road from Jericho to Jerusalem is called the “going up of Adummim” — which is better translated “the Red Climb” or “the Ascent of Blood”. When the explorer Corder made his survey of Palestine over a hundred years ago, he noted the existence of red clay in this locality — thus the “Red Climb”. But in Jesus’ day, when the road was invested with bandits, the second meaning would have been quite appropriate (Luke 10:30-37).

“I hold it for a most infallible rule in the exposition of Scripture, that when a literal construction will stand, the furthest from the letter is commonly the worst.” (Hooker)

Boys of the hills grow larger views

For are the hills not high?

And does not climbing exercise

The will of those who try?

The highest peak is first to see

The glory of the dawn,

And that same peak can see the sun

When others think it’s gone.

Up to the hills he lifts his eyes.

From whence shall come his aid?

His safety cometh from the Lord

Who Heaven and Earth hath made.

And thus the little son of God

In Galilee’s green hills

Soon learned to trust God’s staff and rod

To keep him from all ills.

O Nazareth, thy very streets

Should shout aloud for joy,

For they did feel the happy feet

Of God’s own little boy.

(William B. Tunstall)

“How do you account for the fact that so many of the apostles were chosen from this class of fishermen? It could not have been accidental. There was, no doubt, an adaptation, a fitness in the occupation of these men to develop just those attitudes of character most needed in the apostolic office. There are various modes of fishing, and each calculated to cultivate and strengthen some particular moral quality of great importance in their mission.

“Thus angling requires patience, and great perseverance and caution…. Fishing with the hand net… requires a keen eye, an active frame, and great skill in throwing the net. Such a fisherman, too, must be patient, watchful, wide awake, and prompt to seize the exact moment to throw.

“Then there is the great dragnet, the working of which teaches the value of united effort. No one occupation of humble life — not even that of the shepherd — calls into exercise and develops so many of the elements necessary for… a religious teacher as this of fishing.” (Thomson)

“It is no exaggeration to say that as a result of the teaching of evolution, thousands of young men and women have lost their faith in God and His Word; as a consequence of which they have turned from light to darkness and sin. A theory that is morally wrong cannot be scientifically right.” (Selected)

“For yesterday is but a dream,

And tomorrow is only a vision.

But today well-lived makes

Yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.”

(Selected)

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17). An echo of Ezekiel 9:6 — “Slay utterly old and young… and begin at My sanctuary.”

“What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight and contentment, than anything else? Knowledge of God.” (Packer)

The Touch of the Master’s Hand

’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile:

“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”

“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” Only two?

Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three…” But no!

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”

And he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?

Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?

Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice,

And going, and gone,” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

“We do not quite understand

What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:

“The touch of the master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A “mess of pottage”, a glass of wine;

A game — and he travels on.

He is “going” once, and “going” twice,

He’s “going” and almost “gone”.

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought

By the touch of the Master’s hand.

(M.B. Welch)

“The Book of Job is one of the most remarkable, not only in the Bible, but in all literature. As was said of Goliath’s sword — ‘There is none like it’, none in ancient or modern literature. Hence the difficulty of those who have labored to define the class of compositions to which it belongs. It belongs to no class; it is a class by itself.” (Kitto)

“ ‘Immanuel’ — This lovely name of Messiah is, in effect, the Alpha and Omega of Matthew’s gospel. It is there in chapter 1: ‘They shall call his name Immanuel… God with us.’ And the last words of the gospel are, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ ” (H.A. Whittaker)

“They have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods” (1 Sam. 26:19).

David’s sad words here demonstrate that his greatest sense of loss in exile was not that of his personal comfort or material prosperity, but rather his opportunity for fellowship with God. By making him an outcast, his countrymen were cutting him off from the tabernacle and the altar, and ‘suggesting’ that he serve other gods. In our zeal to do right, our ecclesias should consider whether their treatment of offenders might not have the same effect. It is impossible to justify the ‘middle-of-the-road’ course in a matter of disfellowship — that is, to ‘separate’ or ‘withdraw’ while still attaching no taint of moral judgment. For an ecclesia to practice excommunication, while holding out no realistic possibility of refellowship, is in effect to tell the brother or sister involved, ‘Go, serve other gods!’

“But Jesus said unto them, ‘They need not depart; give ye them to eat'” (Matt. 14:16): None need depart empty-handed or hungry from the presence of Jesus. The bread that he provides is for all.

Why was it necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed with a kiss (Matt. 26:48,49)? There is, of course, the obvious symbolism: the deceitful treachery of a familiar friend. But, on close examination, there would appear to be a practical reason for Judas to suggest a kiss: the time set for Jesus’ arrest was night, and the place a rather secluded garden. The Jews bent on taking Jesus must have realized that, in the confusion of an arrest, he could slip out of their hands quite easily. The trick would be to single him out from his followers while they were still at some distance, so that the soldiers would know which of the shadowy figures to pursue and lay hands on. (Under normal visibility there would have been no problem identifying Jesus.) And thus the stratagem of having Judas precede the multitude, for only a member of the inner circle (so they would suppose) could get close enough to single out the leader from his followers.

Introduction

Sometimes we all find that, due to limitations of time or energy, we cannot “take in” lengthy and detailed Bible exposition. It is for such times that By the Way has been compiled. Almost every item in this collection is especially suited to those brief moments, which often come toward the end of the day, when the mind is (or should be) prepared to give at least brief attention to some Scriptural matter.

Also, most of these items are the sort that can be entered into Bible margins, conveniently and quickly — and thus made available for repeated meditation as they come up in the daily Bible readings.

George Booker

About the Web Version

There is no real structure to this book. To facilitate web browsing I have arbitrary split it into 10 sections.

John Mannell

Section IV

The Beatitudes in the Psalms: 1:1; 2:12; 32:2; 33:12; 34:8; 40:14; 41:1; 65:4; 84:4,5,12; 89:15; 94:12; 106:3; 112:1; 118:26; 119:1,2; 128:1.

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He never went to a college or university. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born.

He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind’s progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the congresses that ever sat, all the monarchs that ever reigned — put together — have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.

No man of faith can stand before the cross. It is perpetually holy ground — this mysterious place of meeting between God and man. The perceptive disciple approaches this “mercy seat” on his knees; he finds there no place to display his own strength or wisdom or cleverness. All the qualities that may encourage pride in natural man are driven from him further and further with each blow of the hammer upon the Roman spikes. As his awareness deepens, he must finally acknowledge that the cross of Christ has become, not a set of logical premises to be tossed back and forth in legalistic debate, but rather a moral mandate. As the rising of the sun drives away the darkness and creates each day a new world, God’s love for man as demonstrated in Christ’s death forever changes the spiritual landscape for the believer. Every issue of his life must now be viewed in the peculiar divine glow emanating from Golgotha.

Peace comes not from the absence of conflict in life, but from the ability to cope with it.

A comparison of Psalm 15 and the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7):

Psalm 15:1: “Who shall dwell?” (Matt. 5:3-12: the principles of blessedness).

Psalm 15:2: “Walketh uprightly” (Matt. 5:13-16: “walks in the light”).

Psalm 15:2: “Worketh righteousness” (Matt. 5:17-20: “righteousness exceeds…”).

Psalm 15:2: “Speaketh truth in heart” (Matt. 5:21-6:34: contrasts heart with outward forms).

Psalm 15:3: “Backbiteth not” (Matt. 7:1-5: “Behold not the mote…”).

Psalm 15:3: “Nor doeth evil” (Matt. 5:43-48: “Love your enemies”).

Psalm 15:4: “Vile person condemned” (Matt. 7:15-23: “By fruits ye shall know them”).

Psalm 15:4: “Sweareth to own hurt” (Matt. 5:33-37: “Communication: yea… yea…”).

Psalm 15:5: “Putteth not money to usury” (Matt. 5:38-42: “Give without reward”).

Psalm 15:5: “He that doeth… never removed” (Matt. 7:24-27: “Doeth… buildeth on rock… will not fall”).

Our lot, in this life, if we would be disciples of Christ, is to accept the problems that come our way, prayerfully and courageously and even joyfully. All things, the “bad” no less than the good, have a divine purpose in the all-wise Providence. All things, if we accept them, are steps toward the ultimate glorious end. We should never regret anything unpleasant that happens to us, or wish it had not happened. To do that is to question the overruling Hand that guides our lives.

Psalm 22: The Good Shepherd — past: the Cross.

Psalm 23: The Great Shepherd — present: the Crook.

Psalm 24: The Chief Shepherd — future: the Crown.

The word “adokimos” is translated ”reprobate” (Rom. 1:28; 2 Cor. 13:5-7, 2 Tim. 3:8; Tit. 1:16), “castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27), and “rejected” (Heb. 6:8). It is used to describe a counterfeit coin, deficient as to weight or quality of metal. It is also used, figuratively, to describe a cowardly soldier who fails the test of battle; a candidate rejected for office; and a stone rejected by the builders. In each case, that which is “reprobate” has promised something by its outward appearance which it cannot deliver!

Don’t Join That Ecclesia!

If you find the perfect ecclesia

Without one fault or smear,

For goodness sake don’t join that one —

You’d spoil the atmosphere!

If you find the perfect ecclesia

Where all false doctrines cease,

Then pass it by, lest, joining it,

You mar the masterpiece!

And, finding the perfect ecclesia,

Then don’t you ever dare

To tread upon its holy ground —

You’d be a misfit there!

But, since no perfect ecclesia exists

Within this world of sin,

Then let’s stop looking for that one —

And love the one we’re in!

No, it’s not a perfect ecclesia;

That’s easy to discern,

But you, and I, and all of us

Could cause the tide to turn!

What a fool you’d be to leave your post,

Looking for a place to please ya;

It could be that, where problems form

Is where GOD builds HIS ecclesia!

So let’s keep working in OUR ecclesia

Until the Resurrection,

And then we each can join THE ecclesia

With no imperfection!

Psalm 30:5: “For a moment is His anger, but a lifetime is His favor. Weeping may lodge for an evening, but the joy of singing will arrive in the morning.”

Psalm 33:4: “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.”

“The grand assumption of Scripture is that behind all that you can know there is an eternal Mind whose Spirit fills the universe, and when the Mind of the Eternal is expressed, the power is without limit, and the result instant and infallible…. Between the word and the work of God, therefore, the connection is so close that David can treat them as parallel.” (L.G. Sargent)

Psalm 22: The Cross from Christ’s viewpoint.

Isaiah 53: The Cross from our viewpoint.

“New” things

Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Name (Revelation 3:12).

Heart (Ezekiel 36:26).

Tongues (Mark 16:17).

Song (Psalm 40:3).

Commandment (John 13:34).

Way (Hebrews 10:20).

Fruit (Ezekiel 47:12).

City (Revelation 21:1).

Life (Romans 6:4).

Psalm 49:14 paraphrased:

“Even as a flock arrayed are they

For the dark grave;

Death guides their way,

Death is their shepherd now.”

(Ellicott)

“For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psa. 50:10).

“How far a wandering herd of cattle can carry our thoughts — either to envy of the man who owns them and a lust for similar wealth, or to a realization of the Supreme Power of God, and his all pervading influence in our lives.” (L.F. Cox)

“O my God, make them like a wheel (galgal)” (Psalm 83:13) — a reference to the wild artichoke. When ripe and dry, it breaks off at the root and is carried by the wind, rolling like a wheel over the plains. The RSV margin translates it “tumbleweed.”

Psalm 84, a “Song for the Sons of Korah”, voices the desire of the writer, rather to be a doorkeeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness (v. 10). Some of the sons of Korah turned away from their father, and did not perish with him in his rebellion (Num. 16:27; 26:10,11). The descendants of these survivors became keepers of the Temple-doors (1 Chron. 9:19; 26:1; Neh. 11:19).

The prayers of the godly are more able to disappoint the plots of cruel enemies, than all human policy.” (Dickson)

“Does our birthplace really matter,

Palace, cottage, mansion, slum,

Village silence, city’s chatter?

Life was sown, and life did come.

Yes, it does. It really matters,

Born we great or born we less.

We can change our earthly tatters

Into robes of righteousness.

There’s a birth we can rely on,

Born in Christ our Lord anew,

Choose your birthplace; make it Zion;

Endless life ’twill bring to you.” (N. P. Holt)

Psalm 104:15:

The light of love to live by,

The wine of friendship for sharing,

The bread of peace to nourish heart and soul….

For these we give thanks each day.

A tiny cry in a manger. It was truly a miracle. It was the greatest of all miracles — the birth of God’s own Son! But isn’t every birth a “miracle,” and a mystery? Isn’t every child a “holy” child, because he or she receives life from the God of holiness? Isn’t every child a “gift” from God, showing His continuing love for man, showing that even yet He has not “given up” on us? And isn’t every child a special child — like Samuel or John or even Jesus — to be dedicated by righteous parents to the service of God? Like Mary and Joseph, many of us have been entrusted by God with future kings and queens, who will one day, by God’s grace, sit upon thrones and apply to the nations the lessons learned in their parents’ homes.

And, in fact, aren’t we all children of God, begotten by His love, who manifest our “sonship” in our love for one another? If there is a lesson in the “nativity”, it is this: the preeminence of love. We love Him because He first loved us. For, after all, “Sonship” is not what we do, but what we receive. Not what we earn, but a gift.

“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord ” (Psa. 118:17): This verse was quoted by John Wycliffe to his enemies on his deathbed — words fulfilled, of course, in the continued success of the English Bible.

“I am become like a bottle in the smoke” (Psalm 119:83). Skins of wine were hung at the tops of tents, where it was smoky and hot, so that the wine might mature. While the wine became perfect, the skins became cracked and useless. The outward man perishing, while the inward man is being renewed!

“A well-employed tongue for praising God, and edifying others, is indeed a man’s commendation and glory above all creatures.” (Dickson)

What the Word of God is….

The word of faith (Rom. 10:8);

The word of grace (Acts 20:32);

The word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15; James 1:18);

The word of righteousness (Heb. 5:13);

The word of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19);

The word of promise (Rom. 9:9);

The word of power (Heb. 1:3);

The word of salvation (Acts 13:26).

What the Word of God does…

The Word of God enlightens (Psa. 119:130).

The Word of God converts (Psa. 19:7).

The Word of God convinces (2 Tim. 3:16).

The Word of God teaches (Psa. 119:99; 2 Tim. 3:16).

The Word of God quickens (Psa. 119:9; John 15:3).

The Word of God washes (Eph. 5:26).

The Word of God sanctifies (John 17:17).

The Word of God dwells (Col. 3:16).

The Word of God works effectually (1 Thes. 2:13).

The Word of God prospers (Isa. 55:11).

The Word of God bears fruit (Matt. 13:23).

The Word of God exhorts (Heb. 13:22).

The Word of God builds up (Acts 20:32).

The Word of God guides (Psa. 119:105).

The Word of God strengthens against sin (Psa. 119:11).

The Word of God endures (1 Pet. 1:23).

The Word of God corrects (2 Tim. 3:16).

The Word of God judges (John 12:48).

Psalm 78: We tempt God when we covet what is unlawful (v. 18), limit His power (v. 41), and do not keep His testimonies (v. 56).

“The house of the strange woman inclineth unto death” (Prov. 2:16,18): Some Canaanite houses had a family burial vault underneath, reached by stone stairs. Literally, then, as well as figuratively, the unsuspecting Hebrew man who went in to a harlot was entering a “house of death”!

No man can be careful of his time who is not wise in the choice of his company.

“There was no such good day known to Israel as that whereon they were given the Song of Songs; for all the Scriptures are holy, but the Song of Songs is the holy of holies.” (Rabbi Akiba)

There is a crown of pride (Isaiah 28:3), which no one should wear.

A crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29), which no one can wear.

And a crown of life (James 1:12), which everyone may wear.

God’s “school” is for old men as well as young. Men are not only initiated into the gospel, but they are trained with a view to perfection. Since that perfection is unattainable, it stands to reason that no man — not even the oldest and most spiritual — ever “graduates” from that school! Every man is only a “child” to God; like a child, he must continue to learn and grow in grace and knowledge.

“You only have I known… therefore I will punish you ” (Amos 3:2). “Closeness must not be mistaken for divine favoritism or immunity from chastisement, but, on the contrary, it means being more seriously exposed to divine judgment and chastisement.” (Heschel)

21 Suggestions for Success

Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery. If the right person isn’t available, under no circumstances should you marry someone else.
Work at something you enjoy and that is worthy of your time and talent.
Give people more than they expect, and do it cheerfully.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Be forgiving of others, and of yourself.
Be generous.
Have a grateful heart.
Persistence, persistence, persistence.
Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
Commit yourself to constant improvement.
Commit yourself to quality.
Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
Be loyal.
Be honest.
Be a self-starter.
Be decisive even if it means you will sometimes be wrong.
Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you will regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
Take good care of those you love.
Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your mother proud.

“Put thou my tears into Thy bottle” (Psalm 56:8). This refers to a common custom of keeping a “tear-bottle”, and therein collecting tears shed on each sad occasion throughout one’s life. This bottle, then, which would symbolically hold all the sorrows, worries, and bereavements of its owner’s life, would be buried with him. The psalmist in this verse calls upon God also to remember his sufferings, and finally to recompense and reward the sufferer for his faith in his God.

“Let a good man strike or rebuke me in kindness, but let the oil of the wicked never anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds” (Psalm 141:5, RSV).

If we were preparing to pour precious wine into a vessel, we would begin by emptying out the less valuable liquid that may be still in it. So God often “empties” us, in order that we may, in His good time and at His pleasure, be thoroughly and eternally “filled”.

Satellite settlements, or suburbs, of an urban center are, by Hebrew idiom, called “daughters.” Thus, “the daughters of Jerusalem” may refer to the villages surrounding that great city. Psalm 9:14 refers to the “gates” of the daughter of Zion, clearly indicating a town of some sort (see also Psa. 48:11; 97:8; Isa. 10:32; Josh. 15:45,47: in the Joshua passages the word “towns” is the same Hebrew word as “daughters”). These “daughters” were dependent commercially, politically and militarily upon the “mother city” — a collateral concept echoed in Galatians 4:26 and Revelation 17:5, to cite two diametrically opposite examples.

Ezekiel 16:4: Salting and swaddling were customary practices for the care of newborns. Salting was to firm the skin and contract the pores. By “swaddling” was meant the tight binding of arms and legs to the body for up to forty days, to insure that they grow straight and strong.

“Thy breach is great… who can heal thee?” (Lam. 2:13) To ask such a question is to answer it. Through the long ages there has been only one answer; there can be only one answer. But poor deluded man will continue to try everything else first. He will seek out every “physician”, only to find his condition worse (Mark 5:26), before he will think to turn to the One who can truly heal. Then, if he is wise, he will turn his back on the wreckage of all his past hopes:

“Lord to whom shall we go? Thou has the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

“He hath hedged me about” (Lamentations 3:7). Every life is surrounded by divine limitations. God hedges us all about, in one way or another. For one there may be physical limitations — of health or disability or advancing age. Another might feel most severely the limitation of poverty; and another yet, the lack of education. If we accept our Father’s will, then we will accept and graciously live with the “hedges” He has imposed upon us. But if we fret and grumble and batter against these “fences” and “chains”, then — for one thing — we are rebelling against God. And — for another thing — we are proportionally neglecting our unique opportunities to do the good which God has placed within our power. We must do what we can, with what we have, where we are. We are not responsible for what we cannot do, nor for what we do not have, nor for where we cannot go.

To be firmly established in the conviction that God is right even when things look wrong; that if there is fault it is all on man’s side; that where there is affliction it is due and just and essential — that is the very core of faith!

Matthew 7:24-27: “The ‘house’ we are building is the temple of God. It must be built with a strong foundation to withstand winds and storms of trials, persecution and judgment. But it must also be a place of holiness, righteousness, and truth; for God will dwell in no other.” (E.W. Banta)

Matthew 24:1-3: “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

“And now he and his disciples had departed from the temple. Once more they lingered in sweet retirement on the mount of Olives. The purple light on the mountains of Moab was fast fading out. Across the city the sinking sun cast a rich glow over the pillared cloisters of the temple, and over the silent courts as they rose terrace upon terrace. From where they stood they could see over the closed Beautiful Gate, and right to the entrance of the holy place, which now glittered with gold; while the eastern hills and the deep valley below were thrown into a solemn shadow, creeping, as the orb sunk lower, further and further towards the summit of Olivet, irradiated with one parting gleam of roseate light, after all below was sunk in obscurity. Then it was and there that the disciples, looking down upon the temple, pointed out to the Master: ‘What manner of stones and what buildings are here!’ The view from that site must have rendered belief in the Master’s prediction even more difficult and more sad. A few years more and it was all literally fulfilled.” (Edersheim)

The Good Shepherd

“On the roads of Palestine, and on the hills, you see the good shepherd. He comes along at the head of his flock, generally carrying over his shoulders a lamb or an injured sheep.

“A most remarkable thing is the sympathy that exists between him and his flock. He never drives them as our own shepherds drive their sheep. He always walks at their head, leading them along the roads and over the hills to new pasture; and, as he goes, he sometimes talks to them in a loud sing-song voice, using a weird language unlike anything I have ever heard in my life.

“Early one morning I saw an extraordinary sight not far from Bethlehem. Two shepherds had evidently spent the night with their flocks in a cave. The sheep were all mixed together and the time had come for the shepherds to go in different directions. One of the shepherds stood some distance from the sheep and began to call. First one, then another, then four or five animals ran toward him; and so on until he had counted his whole flock.

“More interesting than the sight of this was the knowledge that Jesus must have seen exactly the same sight and described it in his own words: ‘He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger they will not follow…’ This parable spake Jesus unto them. ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ ” (H.V. Morton, In the Steps of the Master, p. 154)

“I notice that some of the flock keep near the shepherd, and follow whithersoever he goes, without the least hesitation, while others stray about on either side, or loiter far behind; and he often turns round and scolds them in a sharp, stern cry.

“Not unlike the Good Shepherd. Indeed, I never ride over these hills, clothed with flocks, without meditating upon this delightful theme. Our Savior says that the good shepherd, when he putteth forth his own sheep, goeth before them, and they follow (John 10:4). This is true to the letter. They are so tame and so trained that they follow their keeper with the utmost docility… Any one that wanders is sure to get into trouble.

“Some sheep always keep near the shepherd, and are his special favorites. Each of them has a name, to which it answers joyfully; and the kind shepherd is ever distributing to them choice portions which he gathers for that purpose. These are the contented and happy ones. They are in no danger of getting lost or into mischief, nor do wild beasts and thieves come near them. The great body, however, are mere worldlings, intent upon their own pleasures or selfish interests. They run from bush to bush, searching for variety or delicacies, and only now and then lift their heads to see where the shepherd is…

“Did you ever see a shepherd gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom (Isa. 40:11)? Often; and he will gently lead along the mothers, in those times when to overdrive them even for a single day would be fatal (Gen. 33:13).” (W.M. Thomson, The Land and the Book, pp. 202-205)

By The Way

George Booker

Section III

The following mnemonic serves as an aid to listing the judges in order:

Our	Othniel
Endeavors	Ehud
shall	Shamgar
diffuse	Deborah
great	Gideon
and	Abimelech
true	Tola
joys,	Jair
joys	Jephthah
innumerable,	Ibzan
eternal,	Elon
and	Abdon
satisfying.	Samson

Why should we expect God to do for us miraculously what we can do for ourselves in the ordinary course of things?

Judges 13:25: In one description, G.A. Smith summarizes the up-and-down life of Samson:

“Over the low hills beyond (Zorah and Eshtaol) is Timnah where he (Samson) found his first love and killed the young lion. Beyond is the Philistine plain…. the Philistine cities are but a day’s march away, by easy roads. And so from these country ways to yonder plains and the highways of the great world — from the pure home and the mother who talked with angels, to the heathen cities, their harlots and their prisons — we see at one sweep of the eye the course in which this uncurbed strength, at first tumbling, and sporting with laughter like one of its native brooks, like them also ran to the flats and the mud, and, being darkened and befouled, was used by men to turn their mills.” (Historical Geography of the Holy Land)

It is one thing to look for the coming of Christ, but quite another to be prepared.

Of Hannah it is said that “the Lord had shut up her womb” (1 Sam. 1:5). From this, and her consequent behavior, we learn that long years of meekly endured trial may be the divine training for subordinating natural gratification to great spiritual ends. If God had immediately given Hannah a child, she might have been as selfish as Peninnah, and certainly would never have given him to the Lord.

The extremely large number of men in 1 Samuel 6:19 (according to the AV: 50,070) may perhaps be translated “50 out of a thousand, even 70 men” — that is, one out of every twenty, or 70 out of a total population of 1,400 men.

1 Samuel 14: Jonathan’s victory over the Philistines’ garrison: “During the Palestine campaign in World War I, the Allies were at the same spot where these events occurred. One recalled that this was referred to in Scripture, a Bible was obtained, and the experiences of Jonathan and his armorbearer proved profitable to the advancing Allies.” (I. Collier, Where It Happened)

Superstition makes everything of the ordinance.

Infidelity and mysticism make nothing of the ordinance.

Faith uses the ordinance according to divine appointment.

“A lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow” (2 Sam. 23:20): Probably nowhere else in the world would a lion and snow come together. This lion strayed up out of the Jordan river valley and was trapped by a sudden snowfall. (G.A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land)

How to reconcile 1 Kings 7:26 and 2 Chronicles 4:5? The Jewish Targum specifies: “3,000 baths dry measure; 2,000 baths liquid measure.”

A discrepancy between 2 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Chronicles 21:25? The price of the threshing floor alone was 50 shekels of gold, while the price of the entire “place” (that is, the holy place or sanctuary) of mount Moriah was 600 shekels of gold.

Concerning Athaliah (2 Chronicles 22): “The influence of a woman over a man may be tremendous, either for good or evil. It is a power that is unique. Applied in the right direction it can work wonders of transformation, and the quiet operation of this power for good may be many a woman’ s crown of salvation. But it is a two-edged sword and Athaliah portrays the other edge. How important, then, is marriage ‘only in the Lord’!” (G.V. Growcott).

The God whose son was born in that stable, amidst the simple farm animals, ceased being (if He ever was!) a God of remote abstractions and technical theories.

He is now, for us, a God who loves PEOPLE, a Father who is not willing that any should perish, who holds back no blessing from His “children”, who searches out and loves even the least worthy and most neglected.

A tiny cry in a manger. It was truly a miracle. It was the greatest of all miracles — the birth of God’s own son!

But isn’t every birth a “miracle”, and a mystery? Isn’t every child a “holy” child, because he or she receives life from the God who is holy? Isn’t every child a “gift” from God, showing His continuing love for man, showing that even yet He has not “given up” on us?

And shouldn’t every child be a special child like Samuel or John or even Jesus — who should be dedicated by righteous parents to the service of God?

Like Mary and Joseph, many of us have been entrusted by God with future kings and queens — who will one day, by God’s grace, sit upon thrones and apply to the nations the lessons learned in their parents’ homes.

And, in fact, aren’t we ALL — from youngest to oldest — children of God, begotten by His love… children who manifest our “sonship” by our love for one another? If there is a lesson in the Christmas story, it is this: the preeminence of love. We love him, because He first loved us. For, after all, “sonship” is not what we do, but what we receive. Not what we earn, but a gift. Thanks be to the Father in heaven, that through His special Son we have received the gift of knowing what it means to be His children.

“There are questions whose agitation is hurtful, because they are doubtful in themselves and unimportant in their bearings when solved, while the agitation of them interferes with the spiritual result called ‘godly edifying’.” (Robert Roberts)

Men and women are very different in many ways. The modern world, in its godlessness, ignores this fact. And the distinction between the sexes grows more obscure each day. Each sex has its own special weakness and its own special strength. Each has its own place and function in the Body of Christ. To the extent a sister of Christ departs from either of the divine requirements of modesty and silence (1 Tim. 2:9-15; 1 Pet. 3:1-5), to that extent she cheapens herself and lessens her true spiritual usefulness in the Body.

“What shall I do then with Jesus?” (Matthew 27:22):

Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall,

Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all.

Hearken, what meaneth the sudden call:

“What will you do with Jesus?”

Jesus is standing on trial still.

You can be false to him, if you will,

Or you can be faithful through good or ill.

“What will you do with Jesus?”

Neutral you cannot be.

Someday your heart will be asking,

“What will He do with me?”

Just because God blesses us does not mean He is pleased with what we do.

God’s commandment to Abram in Genesis 12:1 defined a three-part separation:

“Get thee out of thy country” — i.e., from Ur to Haran (11:31);
“And from thy kindred” — i.e., from his father, Terah (12:4);
“And from thy father’s house” — i.e., from Lot (13:9).

It was only after his separation from Lot that Abram was shown the land (cp. 12:1 with 13:14)!

“Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?” (Jer. 2:32). We must not forget those spiritual garments which will insure the approval of the Bridegroom:

Item	Significance	Reference
Gown of wrought gold	Faith by works (1 Pet. 1:7)	Psa. 45:13,14
Gown of needlework	Painstaking labor	Psa. 45:13,14
Girdle, or sash	Constant readiness and careful walk (Luke 12:35,36; 1 Pet. 1:13)	Isa. 61:10
Ornaments and jewels	Wisdom (Job 28:18,19; Prov. 3:13,15) and modesty (1 Pet. 3:3,4)	Isa. 61:10
Sandals	Preparation (Exod. 12:11; Eph. 6:15) as for a march or military operation (Isa. 5:27)
Headdress and veil	Humility, modesty and deference — in the woman (1 Cor. 11)

“To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.” (Disraeli)

“The denial of public speech to women is as far as we are justified in repressing them. I have seen tyrannical and unsympathetic men wrongly using Paul’s authority to put down and quench godly women more qualified than themselves to exercise judgment and give counsel. Let woman certainly be modest, but let her not be reduced to a cipher, which God never intended. She is intended as a comrade and a help, which she greatly is, when enlightened and treated rightly. We ought to be thankful when women turn up who are able to help with wise suggestion. To object to such on the score of ‘ruling the ecclesia’ is to evince either a shameful misconception of duty or an itch for headship which disqualifies for true service of the ecclesia. No man who wants to be head is fit to be head. The headship that comes from service is the only headship that is either useful or tolerable, or, in the long run, possible. Where the spirit of exalting each other, instead of exalting ourselves, prevails (as Christ commands), there is little danger of difficulties arising, and an easy settlement of them when they do arise.” (Robert Roberts)

Self-satisfaction is a very dangerous luxury.

“Thou fool!” — Luke 12:20: God made an assessment of the man. “Thou fool” — clear and emphatic and true; for the folly was apparent in that he had no power over his own life, when that was required of him. He was planning for “many years” ahead, but God said, “this night”. What then of his plans, his barns, his fruits, his goods? They ceased to be his — they were only his till the ‘lease’ expired; wealth cannot buy off death. “No man can redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom that he should not taste of death” (Psa. 49:7). The rich man, used to finding in his wealth the key to all doors, stands helpless before the door to the Kingdom of God.

“A doctrine may be quite beautiful, and nevertheless be false.”

The Scriptures abound in warnings against alien marriage: The sons of God marrying the daughters of men resulted at last in the Flood. Abraham and Isaac, faithful sojourners looking for the Kingdom, opposed such marriages for their sons (Gen. 24:3; 28:1). The Law forbade the yoking together of the clean ox and the unclean ass (Deut. 22:10). Moses said to take no alien spouses (Deut. 7:3,8). Solomon’s alien wives turned his heart from God (1 Kings 11:1-11). Ezra (chapters 9 and 10) and Nehemiah (13:23-29) tell us of the evils of such alliances, and Paul has stressed the deviation of such a union (2 Cor. 6:14-18).

The strait and narrow way gets most of its wear along the edges.

The day will soon come when before the Lord of all the earth will be gathered his flock (Matt. 25:31-46), his one flock — for they will then be treated as one, all the man-made barriers swept away. It is then that the true force of the King’s question will come home to each of us: “What have you done for my brethren? for my sheep?” How confident would we feel with the following reply?: “Lord, I did the best I could for a little while, but then I heard of a false doctrine somewhere or other, and I left as quickly as I could. After that I really don’t know what happened to them.”

“Beloved brethren, human nature is always tending to extremes and transcending what is written. As the saying is, it will strain at gnats and swallow camels by the herd. It set up the Inquisition and is incessantly prying into matters beyond its jurisdiction. It is very fond of playing the judge and of executing its own decrees. It has a zeal but not according to knowledge, and therefore its zeal is intemperate and not the zeal of wisdom or knowledge rightly used. It professes great zeal for the purity of the Church, and would purge out everything that offends its sensitive imagination. But it is not a good thing to have a church without tares, black sheep, or spotted heifer? Yea, verily, it is an excellent thing. But then it is a thing the Holy Spirit has never yet developed, and cannot be developed by any human judiciary in the administration of spiritual affairs. There are certain things that must be left to the Lord’s own adjudication when he comes…” (John Thomas).

Any course that is taken wisely will turn out good in the end.

There is a simple, common-sense lesson we must all learn. It is a lesson in humility and patience and faith among other things. The ecclesia does not exist in order to keep the Truth pure as a theory (i.e., “The purer our ecclesia, the better!”). The Truth (as an abstract principle, or a set of principles communicated from God) cannot be anything but pure! The ecclesia does exist to help pure men and women (with imperfect beliefs and impure ways) to move toward purity, even if their progress is slow.

There is no point in an ecclesia existing if it does not understand and confidently accept this duty. If perfect “purity” (i.e., non-contamination) is all the members of the “Body” desire, then the best course would be to disband the ecclesia and break bread at home. Chop the “Body” into a hundred separate pieces and isolate each piece in a hermetically-sealed container! And spend your spare time wondering what happened to the love, the joy, the fellowship and the family feeling you once so fleetingly enjoyed.

We cannot be holy just lying in bed, if we have the power to get up and do something.

Psalm 22:6: “I am a worm”. Yes, he was a worm (Job 25:6). Shrouded in insuperable weakness, his words might well have been those of Job:

“I have said to the worm, Thou art my mother and my sister ” (Job 17:14).

But for all that, Christ was a very special worm, as the Hebrew ‘toolath’ indicates. This is the cochineal, a unique worm from which scarlet dye is produced by crushing. The dye was used in the manufacture of the priestly garments and the other fabrics associated with the tabernacle. When the soldiers prepared to lead Christ out to be crucified, they first stripped him and put on him a robe dyed scarlet (Matt. 27:28). Was he not the greatest of all priests and the tabernacle itself, which God pitched, and not man?

The scarlet derived from the ‘toolath’ was required for the cleansing of lepers and those defiled by the dead (Lev. 14:4; Num. 19:6; Heb. 9:19). As he stood before his executioners in the scarlet robe, Christ was this very “toolath” — lowly and contemptible, yet bringing cleansing to others by his death. “He was despised and rejected”; yet with his bruising we are healed (Isa. 53:3-5), who were once “dead” in the “leprosy” of sin.

We pray for children

who sneak popsicles before supper,

who erase holes in math workbooks,

who can never find their shoes.

And we pray for those

who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,

who can’t bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,

who never go to the circus,

who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children

who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,

who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.

And we pray for those

who never get dessert,

who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,

who watch their parents watch them die,

who can’t find any bread to steal,

who don’t have any rooms to clean up,

whose pictures aren’t on anybody’s dresser,

whose monsters are real.

We pray for children

who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,

who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,

who like ghost stories,

who shove dirty clothes under the bed, and never rinse out the tub,

who get visits from the tooth fairy,

who don’t like to be kissed in front of the carpool,

who squirm in church and scream into the phone,

whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those

whose nightmares come in the daytime,

who will eat anything,

who have never seen a dentist,

who aren’t spoiled by anybody,

who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,

who live and move, but have no being.

We pray for children

who want to be carried and for those who must be.

For those we never give up on and for those who don’t get a second chance.

For those we smother… and for those who will grab the hand of anyone kind enough to offer it.

Ina J. Hughes

“If men were more busy judging THEMSELVES, which they are COMMANDED to do, they would not have so much propensity for judging others, which they are forbidden to do.” (Robert Roberts)

A Roman mile was 4,860 English feet, or about 12/13ths of an English mile. Milestones were set up on the main roads and distances were measured from the large towns. It was rare for the milestones to have mileage figures marked on them. A ”man in authority” (Matt. 5:41) — a Roman government official or a Roman soldier — could compel a non-Roman subject to carry his baggage or equipment for one mile along the road, a distance easily determined by the mile markers. Jesus’s recommendation to his followers to offer twice as much service as was legally necessary would not please the anti-Roman zealots. But “going the second mile”, understood metaphorically, is the essence of Christian sacrificial action.

We do not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future.

If we pursue the path of simple faith (as Abraham) we will generally be thrown outside the circumstances of the world. But if we abandon our position of separation (as Lot), to seek a name, a place, and a portion of this world, we must expect then to be caught up in its vicissitudes and convulsions (see Gen. 14:11-12).

Nehemiah 3 enumerates 44 teams who begin the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Each team is assigned its own portion to build. Did some complain about the quality of their brethren’s work at other stations? Did others grumble because they could not be everywhere and do everything and supervise? Did some sit down and refuse to help? “We just are not sure that we can approve of all the details of this operation.” In the divine retrospective on the work of Nehemiah, all such petty hindrances and worries are put to one side. “Let us rise up and build” was the mandate; this call to the men of the city did not admit of any paltry quibbles. The work was too great to let personalities and prejudices and pride stand in the way.

A philosophy fixed on a human point of view is like a ship moored to a flower.

“And another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin; for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man; thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow’” (Luke 19:20,21).

This servant no doubt had the cleanest pound of all, but it had not grown! He had not been totally indifferent to his lord’s gift, but his fear of failure had compelled him carefully to “protect” his pound. He had wrapped it in a cloth and laid it up in some safe place, perhaps checking it from time to time, maybe even bringing it out, like some housewives do with fine silver, to polish and admire it.

Our attitude toward the Gospel truth we have received can be similar to the attitude of this man. If we are fearful that we may “lose the Truth” and conscious only of “keeping the Truth pure”, we are in danger of forgetting what we are told to DO with it!! The gospel is not a frail greenhouse violet that must have the right temperature and humidity, just the correct amount of light and water in order to survive. In short, it does not need us to “protect” it! The gospel is very hardy; it is meant like the pound to be carried into the “market” of life, to the highways and byways, and to make gain for its user.

We need have no fear for the Truth itself — it springs from God — and is impervious to corruption. We must only be careful that we put it to the use for which it is intended.

Knowledge amazes the simple man, humbles the great man, and puffs up the vain man.

Section V

We must be careful that the means by which all believers are commanded to remember the Lord’s death until He returns, does not become instead a ritual, with efficacy in the object itself, by which we establish our “purity” in a negative sense. “Negative holiness” can save no man. Neither can the proximity of one whom we consider a “sinner”, even one so close as to partake of the same cup, endanger our “fellowship” with that one who was ever and always the friend of “sinners”, who touched lepers and lunatics, harlots and dead bodies — yet in the best sense was still “holy, harmless, and undefiled” (Heb. 7:26).

Back of the loaf is the snowy flour,

And back of the flour is the mill;

And back of the mill is the wheat and the shower,

And the sun and the Father’s will.

“If good men would adopt the rule of refusing to listen to an evil report privately conveyed, until it had been dealt with to the last stage according to the rule prescribed by Christ, much evil would be prevented.” (R. Roberts)

Samuel ministered unto the Lord (1 Sam. 3:1). How lovely a picture! The little child growing up in such a holy place, his first impressions of his surroundings a blend of reverence and delight. Before him was gradually opened, day by day, that “illustrated book” which was the Tabernacle. As idea after idea unfolded, God would appear in everything around him: the garments, the sacrifices, the lamps, the shewbread, the incense rising noiselessly toward the heavenly throne. With solemnity he would contemplate the veil which hid the holiest place, tracing on it the figures of the cherubim — the “living creatures” that mutely declared the unfailing purpose of the Almighty to fill the earth with His glory! All this Samuel saw, and more.

“Unto the End”

“I am with you unto the end”: Matthew 28:20.

”He loved them unto the end”: John 13:1.

“Who shall confirm you unto the end”: 1 Corinthians 1:8.

“The rejoicing of hope firm unto the end”: Hebrews 3:6.

“Beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end”: Hebrews 3:14.

“Full assurance of hope unto the end”: Hebrews 6:11.

“Keepeth my works unto the end”: Revelation 2:26.

The baby in the manger uttered his first cry, and thereby his Father staked a claim upon our lives. Thereby the Mighty God of all creation became also “Abba” — the tender Father of a little child; and our Father as well! The God whose son was born in that manger ceased being (if He ever was!) a God of remote abstractions and technical theories. He is now, for us, a God who loves people, a Father who holds back no blessing from His “children”, who searches out and loves even the least worthy and most neglected.

Job 39:26: The hawks go north in pairs or as stragglers, at odd times. But they return south in great flocks, and thus they are easily noted.

The three crosses of Luke 23:32,33:

The Thief: on the cross of rejection, a scoffer, a blasphemer, who died in sin.

Christ: on the cross of redemption, a sacrifice, a benefactor, who died for sin.

The Thief: on the cross of reception, a seeker, a believer, who died saved from sin.

It can be done! If we stand at the beginning of our probations and look right to the end, seeing Christ in his perfection, it may seem an impossible task! But even a “marathon” is the sum total of so many single steps, and God has told us that He has commanded us to follow His Son, and to grow up — as he did, step by step, learning obedience through trials. And to those who obey, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal Himself in the toils, the conflicts, and the sufferings through which they pass in the “fellowship” of His Son. More and more, step by step, they will learn who Christ truly is, and become more conformed to that image.

Elijah was last seen at the river Jordan (2 Kings 2:11); John the Baptist (the second “Elijah”) first appeared to Israel at the same place (Matt. 3:1,5,6).

”And he spake to them in parables” (Matthew 13:3). The Greek word “parabola” literally means “a setting side by side”, a comparison — in the case of Christ’s parables — between something natural and something spiritual.

Such teaching by picture, symbol, or figure has several distinct advantages. Being graphic, it is more easily remembered than dry statements of fact. It is also simple, direct, and emphatic, with the aura of everyday life about it. And finally, it is calculated to overcome prejudice, to circumvent that natural wall of resistance, to throw open the locked doors of the heart. “Thou art the man,” was Nathan’s bold accusation; the hypocrite was unmasked and condemned outright by a skillful parable.

Genesis 28:12:

“Alas, we make

A ladder of our thoughts,

Where angels step —

But sleep ourselves at the foot.

Our high resolves look down upon our slumbering acts.”

(C. A. Ladson)

Christ was a student of nature, of the people and the sights of rural Galilee. In the hand of this master craftsman, the natural and commonplace became spiritual and profound. The temporal and transient was transformed into the eternal and immovable.

As God was manifest in a man, so that man’s divine teachings were clothed in an earthly dress. He spoke of the simple farm life, the planting and sowing and reaping, the orderly flow of days and seasons and years being the Father’s guarantee of order and security in all His arrangements.

He spoke of the flocks that grazed the hills of his homeland, and the strong, quiet men who protected them; and his listeners began to comprehend the surpassing love of that Great Shepherd for even one lost sheep.

And he spoke of the net and the fishers, the fowls of the air, and the lilies of the field. He spoke of weddings, of marketplace transactions, and of lowly household tasks. And always the point was made, that faith and hope and religion itself were the vital substances of one’s daily life, not the brittle form of a Sabbath or a feast day.

”1t will but little avail us to have Christ revealed to us, if he is not also revealed in us.” (Matthew Henry)

“For whosoever hath, to him shall be given; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even what he hath ” (Matt. 13:12). The parable — that strange mixture of natural and spiritual, simple and complex — was a test to the hearers. How would they react? Would they joyfully come to the light, or would they turn away for fear of what that light would reveal? Like the pillar of cloud and fire (Exod. 14:20), the same parable may be darkness to the “Egyptian” but light to the “Israelite”. Like the shell or husk, the parable may preserve the precious kernel of truth for the earnest seeker, and protect it from the lazy and proud and careless!

“My God, my God, why has Thou forsaken me?” Consider the monumental character of such a man — a man who suffered overwhelming temptations and excruciating tortures, and yet…. and yet his greatest sorrow, his only complaint, was to be separated from his heavenly Father. It was a terrible trial to one so sensitive, so dependent upon prayer, so intimate with the Father. It is a measure of our feeble moral stature alongside him, that our separation from God is for most of the time not a worry at all! We fret about finances and holidays, about minor bumps and bruises and how our friends have “wronged” us; only once in a while do we come face to face with the enormity of the gulf that divides us from God.

While the word ”azavtani” (forsake) is used in Psalm 22:1, a word of slightly different significance is used by Christ in the Gospel accounts. We are familiar with it: “sabachthani”. One suggested meaning is “to entangle” and, when so understood, this takes our mind immediately to Genesis 22. The corresponding noun “sabach” is found in verse 13 there: “a ram caught in the thicket (sabach).” Christ was the ram caught in the thicket, the ram provided by God as an offering. In using this slightly different word his cry becomes an exclamation of assent: “My God, Thou hast ensnared and provided me as the sacrificial victim!”

The licentious society in which we live comes quite close to idolizing the naked body, but the whole tone of Scripture is in the opposite direction. The priests, for example, were commanded to wear breeches and not robes when they officiated, so that even the sight of a naked leg would not mar their service. Women in the ecclesias were to be modestly covered, and no doubt that meant legs and shoulders and chests as well as heads! In short, flesh is nothing to be proud of! it is far better for our sisters (and brothers) to cover theirs with a fair amount of clothing instead of a carefully nurtured suntan.

Why was it necessary that Jesus undergo such terrible sufferings? Could not sin be covered by something less? These are the questions that come to us when we force ourselves to look closely upon Calvary’s terrible scene. But God had decreed these very agonies of His only begotten Son to be essential; nothing else would serve the same purpose. Jesus must be “the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

The measure of the sufferings of Christ is the measure of God’s hatred for sin; our natural estimation of these things must be molded by long meditation and experience, so that God’s mind may be in us. The cross tells us what God thinks of unredeemed man, of how far even sinful flesh removes us from His full communication. Between God and us there is a great gulf fixed, and the cross of Christ is the only bridge.

Hold fast:

Hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope (Heb. 3:6).

Hold fast our profession (Heb. 4:14; 10:23).

Hold fast that which is good (1 Thes. 5:21).

Hold fast that which we have already (Rev. 2:25).

Hold fast that which thou hast (Rev. 3:11).

Hold fast what I preached (1 Cor. 15:2).

Comments related to the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10):

“The Samaritans were neighbors in the most literal sense, but as for loving them, that seemed impossible. Christ loved them and caused his disciples to marvel at the manner in which he spoke to the woman at Jacob’s well and afterwards to others who came out to hear him. The Jews as a whole almost made it a part of their religion to hate the Samaritans, and if they were able to analyze their own feelings, they would probably have to admit that the hatred was directly traceable to the fact of their being such near neighbors. This is a common weakness of poor human nature. Those who are near but not quite with us arouse more bitterness of feelings that complete strangers. Then when such an evil feeling has once been started, the deceitful heart begins to build up fancies to justify the hatred, thus further traducing those who have been already wronged.” (Islip Collier, The Guiding Light)

“The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away” (Psa. 1:4). What a terrible amount of denunciation is crowded into only five words: “The ungodly are not so.” Imagine all the good characteristics of the righteous. Then imagine the complete absence, the complete negation of those qualities, and you have the ungodly — a vast and desolate and empty and forbidding landscape. “The ungodly are not so.” The trees of God stood firm against all winds and could not he uprooted. But the ungodly are like the chaff, which is soon driven away.

“Love does not insist on its own way.”

Have you ever participated in a three-legged race? You may be the fastest runner at the picnic, but you’ll wind up sprawled on the grass unless you can adapt yourself to the style of your partner. This principle also holds true in the ecclesia. We are all members of the one body, and we must learn to function as a unit. We are “yoked together” with our brethren in many endeavors; we cannot always choose the way that pleases us most.

Your way of doing things may always be the best, but I can guarantee you that it won’t always be the one chosen by the majority. Then what do you do? Go along or “drop out”? There have been cases of members who have left meetings because of absolutely trivial disagreements, in which they failed to get their own way and just could not bend enough to go along with others. And they, and sometimes their families, have paid for that stubbornness with twenty or more years of self-imposed isolation.

“This thy stature is like a palm tree” (Song of Solomon 7:7).

“The palm tree grows slowly, steadily, uninfluenced by those alterations in the seasons that affect other trees. It does not rejoice overmuch in winter’s copious rain, nor droop under the drought and burning sun of summer… (nothing) can sway it aside from perfect uprightness.” (Thomson, The Land and the Book)

The mind lingers on a picture, perhaps well-known to many. One boy with a younger one on his back: “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother!” Strain is obviously there, but he bears his burden gladly. All things are relative, aren’t they? Yes, in more ways than one! We are willing to do for our families what seems intolerable if done for others. Do we sit in the meeting on Sunday morning, and feel that those with whom we break bread are really our family? We write salutations like “Dear Sir” to faceless clerks in far away cities. For all we know, we could be addressing a computer as “dear”! Are our expressions of “Brother Smith” and “Sister Jones” the same sort of formal, stylized address, or do they express a reality? If a reality, then let us live that family relationship with our brethren. Let us rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep. “Let us bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

God’s care for His people is beautifully expressed in His words to Israel: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how l carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exod. 19:4).

Biblical writers were much impressed with the swift, swooping flight of the eagle, the largest bird known in Israel. In modern times the eagle has been observed catching its young in flight, as mentioned in the Bible: “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions” (Deut. 32:11).

The young eaglet might be afraid to fly, but the parent forces it out of the nest. It may flutter and fall, unable yet to fly properly. Then the parent eagle can dive and spread its saving wings underneath the falling young one. This is the imagery of that famous line which promises God’s sustaining presence in time of trouble: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27).

In the long history of God’s people, they have been sustained by the faith and confidence that God cares for them. This has been equally true with all the saints of the Old and New Testaments. God cares for all His creatures, but He is particularly concerned for those whom He has called and who have responded to be His people. This does not mean that they will be spared the hazards of life. It does mean that God’s people can endure and survive many perils because they know that the LORD cares for them, that they are borne on “eagles’ wings”, and that underneath are the “everlasting arms”.

All that God has given us… riches, talents, intelligence, health… diminish with the passing of time. Man grows old and dies. Only love remains, as a bridge between this life and the life to come, a bridge over the chasm of eternal nothingness. Every other gift or talent will fail, just as the Holy Spirit gifts finally ceased. The only thing that endures is the character of a man, engraved in the infinite mind of God.

“Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.” The bridge over that chasm is constructed from the two timbers of the cross. On one is written, “Love God”. And on the other, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” By those two principles he lived and died, and he asks us to do the same — to fill up in ourselves, as best we can, the measure of the perfect man. We have been children, petulant and selfish and impatient. Let us now be men, and put away childish things. We have seen in our mirrors blurred images of the perfect man who is striving to be “born” in us, but one day we will see the man himself face to face, and we will know at once by his look whether or not we have made his love our example. For, lest we ever forget, that is the test by which we shall stand or fall.

“Down, down, down, fall the autumn leaves!

The faded, tattered garments of yet another year.

How many kindly things might I

Have said, or done, or even thought,

How many tired steps made lighter,

How many weary hearts refreshed,

Since first as tiny buds,

These dead, brown leaves I saw,

Had I but thought!”

(W. Wright)

The worst blindness is not that which is literal — though the literal itself can be very sad. The really tragic blindness is that of the mind and spirit. Millions of “healthy”, “happy” people are living today, playing tennis and golf, watching television and movies, taking in natural sensations through their eyes and implanting them upon their brains as vision — who are nevertheless “blind” as moles and bats. They are “blind” and they don’t know it. They “see” things not as they really are, for all they see is the passing glitter. Like the Egyptians idols of silver and gold, “eyes have they, but they see not” (Psalm 115:5).

“My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). Adam and Eve hid themselves from God (Gen. 3:8). But God hid Himself from Jesus. Still, the effect was the same. Through no fault of his own Jesus was compelled to undergo perhaps his greatest trial: separation from the Father. It was a terrible trial to one so sensitive, so dependent upon prayer, enjoying such intimacy with the Father. And it is a measure of our feeble moral stature alongside his, that in the dullness of our spiritual sensibilities we scarcely if at all feel the horror of that separation from God. Like moles and bats, we are so used to the darkness that we hardly miss the light. In our guilt — or perhaps our indifference — we, like Adam, hide from the light of God’s presence. God sent His Son there, into the “darkness”, not that he would be forsaken by God, but that he might find us there, and lead us back to the light.

l Kings 19: “When men stand in the mouth of their caverns and declare that they alone are fighting the battle of right, and distress the hearts and weaken the hands of their fellow-warriors by their self-centered declamations based upon ignorance of the true state of affairs, not seeing the faithful attitude of the 7,000, then surely is needed the earthquake, the fire, and the still small voice to purge them of their discouraging fantasies.” (C.A. Ladson)

“This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria” (Luke 2:2, RSV). The AV uses “taxing” in the Old English sense of a census, although the collection of revenue was probably a secondary purpose. Luke, in using the word “first” seems to be saying that another enrollment followed later. The second census, approximately ten years later, is the one referred to in Acts 5:37. At one time, since secular historians confirmed this census but knew nothing of an earlier one, Bible critics presumed that Luke had made a serious error in chronology. Recent discoveries have quite satisfactorily cleared up this confusion, by confirming the earlier census and substantiating Luke’s record.

“Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand, or the binder of sheaves his bosom” (Psa. 129:6,7, RSV).

Travelers in the Holy Land have corroborated this striking imagery. Thomson tells of climbing to a flat rooftop in Jerusalem for a view of the Tyropean valley; he found that grass which had grown over the roof during the rainy season was then entirely withered and perfectly dry. If the eastern sun did not destroy this housetop foliage, then the constant trampling of feet would, for the roof was a favorite resort of city folk during the summer.

Section I

“There is a tendency to condemn an author as shallow or superficial if his writings are perfectly clear. And conversely, a writer will sometimes gain a reputation for profundity simply because no one can quite make out what he means.” (I. Collier)

“The Bible is like a mine; its jewels are not to be picked up on the roadside.” (Selected)

The rewards of Bible reading and study do not come in five minutes, or in five days. Even in five years the effects have scarcely begun, the natural man being so strong and at the same time so resistant to Spirit truth. But if there is lack of serious and prolonged application to this Book, then expectation of true knowledge and any lasting profit is vain.

The so-called “archaic” pronouns of the King James Version had a purpose not generally recognized today. They were used to distinguish between singular and plural in the second person:

“Thou”	Singular subject
“Thee”	Singular object
“Ye”	Plural subject
“You”	Plural object

Our modern speech, of course, puts “you” in place of all four, with a consequent loss of clarity; and thereby forces us (especially those of us from Texas!) to resort to such phrases as “you all”.

The phrase “inspired of God”, as found in 2 Timothy 3:16, literally means “breathed out from God.”

The “apple of the eye” of Deuteronomy 32:10 and Psalm 17:8 literally means the little man or daughter of the eye. This is so because a picture in miniature of one’s self is seen, as in a mirror, when looking into another person’s eye. The reference is then to the pupil, and the surrounding iris.

“He who marries a heathen woman is as if he made himself son-in-law to an idol” (Jewish proverb).

A convenient, 7-part analysis of the entire Bible:

1. Genesis through Deuteronomy —	REVELATION
2. Joshua through Esther —	PREPARATION
3. Job through Song of Solomon —	ASPIRATION
4. Isaiah through Malachi —	EXPECTATION
5. Matthew through John —	MANIFESTATION
6. Acts through Jude —	REALIZATION
7. Apocalypse —	CULMINATION

“Forgotten knowledge is useless.”

“Unless a man is prepared to affirm that he knows nothing, believes nothing, and harbors no opinions, unless he is prepared to condense all his positive belief into one solitary affirmation of his own ignorance, he must of necessity be in some sense a man of faith.” (I. Collier)

The first word of Matthew 7:7 is a handy key for the memorizing of the entire verse: The word is “ASK”; and the three phrases of that verse begin, respectively, with A (ask), S (seek), and K (knock).

The great causes of God are not often defeated by the hot assault of the enemy, but by the slow, crushing, glacier-like mass of indifferent disciples. The truth of God is never nullified by being blown up, but by being sat on.

“Grumbles against life are grumbles against God.”

“Bear ye one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). This word is “baros”, referring to the very heavy burden that a porter might carry. Such a burden cannot easily be laid down until the porter reaches his destination. So when he becomes very weary, he may ask a wayfarer to stoop down under his load for just a few moments, to give him a short rest.

The other side of the coin is seen in verse 5: “For every man shall bear his own burden.” This word is “phortion”, a light burden, easily carried in one hand. Paul’s lesson is simple: Help your brother with his heavy burdens, but carry your own light ones cheerfully!

“People who are wrapped up in themselves make very small packages.”

“We live our lives forward, but only understand them backward.”

Our English versions of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) contain 39 books, while the Hebrew Scriptures themselves contain 24. Josephus (writing near the end of the first century AD) mentions 22, combining Ruth with Judges and Lamentations with Jeremiah. This was done to correspond with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The Jews did not divide the writings in the same manner as later translators divided them. For example: The minor prophets are grouped together as the “Twelve”; Ezra and Nehemiah are taken together; Samuel, Kings and Chronicles are each one book rather than two. These 22 or 24 (or 39) books constitute the “Canon” of the Old Testament. The word “canon” is Greek and means a straight rod, rule or measure; or, that which is measured by the “canon”. The canon of the Old Testament as we have it today was set in the time of Josephus; by his time (circa 90 A.D.) the Apocryphal books, which had found their way into the Septuagint, had been rejected. The Old Testament in the days of Josephus was recognized as of ancient authority and divinely inspired.

“Negative holiness can save no man.”

Try reading 2 Peter 1:5-7 like this:

“Add to your faith the virtue of Joseph; and to virtue the knowledge of Solomon; and to knowledge the temperance of Samuel; and to temperance the patience of Job; and to patience the godliness of Daniel; and to godliness the brotherly kindness of Jonathan, and to brotherly kindness the charity (‘agape’ = love) of John.”

The RSV makes plain Proverbs 4:18: The path of the just is ”like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”

Notice the two italicized words in Genesis 1:16, KJV: God made, or appointed, the moon to rule over the night and over the stars!

Genesis 3 presents the perfect miniaturized picture of God’s plan of salvation through Christ:

It begins with: Serpent, Flesh, Death and Adam. It ends with: Cherubim, Spirit, Life, and Christ.
It begins with the tree of knowledge of good and evil; it ends with the tree of life.
It begins with an ineffective covering of fig leaves; it ends with an effective covering of skin, requiring bloodshed (and thus sacrifice).
In the center, at its turning point, it tells of the cursing of the serpent and the blessing of the seed of the woman.

Psalm 39:3: “Often the withholding of words causes them to heat up within us, and when the time is right for their utterance, they come forth with great power and meaning. In the heat of the meditation it is as though the drossier elements have been burnt out and nothing but the purity of the refined silver is poured forth.” (N. P. Holt)

In Numbers 18:19 the phrase “covenant of salt” is a figure of speech used to signify permanence, as salt is a preservative.

Psalm 46:5:

“O Thou whose ear is ever bowed to strains of human care;

Who writest on my darkest cloud Thy rainbow soft and fair:

When silent grief implores Thy aid, and begs Thy hand to move,

Let my extremity be made the chariot of Thy love.

A triumph of Thy loving skill, I rest upon Thy grace,

Though midnight pains and tears conceal the glory of Thy face.

Help me to wait till light appears, and let the morning prove

How false and baseless were my fears,

How faithful is Thy love.”

We frequently hear men say that they do not attach much importance to doctrine; they concentrate attention on the living of a good life. Such sentiment only emanates from a very shallow brain. It is as if a child should enter a garden, and seeing the gardener planting bulbs, should say, ‘I do not care for those ugly bulbs — I like the beautiful flowers.’ The living of a good life without a foundation of good doctrine is impossible, just as it impossible to grow flowers without roots.” (Islip Collier)

“It is much easier to make authority your truth than to make truth your authority.”

The fruits of Egypt — the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic desired by Israel (Num. 11:5) — grow in the ground. But the fruits of Canaan — dates, figs, olives, and grapes — grow above the ground, in the air, and must be reached up for.

“Do not forget little kindnesses, and do not remember little faults.”

Is there a hidden message in Daniel 5:25-28? Consider this: Mene (mina) = 50 shekels (Ezek. 45:12, RSV). Tekel (or shekel) = 20 gerahs (Ezek. 45:12). Upharsin (peres) = division or half.

Thus: Mene = 1,000 (20 X 50) gerahs; Tekel = 20 gerahs; Perez (half) (mina?) = 500 gerahs.

Altogether, then, “Mene, mene, Tekel, Upharsin” = 2,520 gerahs, or “seven times” (7 x 360 = 2,520) (compare Daniel 4:23).

“How odd of God to choose the Jews;

But not so odd as those who choose

The Jewish God yet spurn the Jews.”

In the account of Noah, ”berith” (“covenant”) occurs once when God first promises the covenant (Gen. 6:18). And then, when the covenant is actually given, “berith” occurs seven more times (9:9,11,12,13,15,16,17).

As the one Spirit of God is manifested seven-fold in Revelation 4:5 , and as the one true light is manifested in seven colors of the rainbow, so also the one covenant of God with Noah is realized in seven pronouncements.

2 Thessalonians 3:11: “Walking disorderly” literally means “playing truant”.

Genesis 9:20: The term “husbandman” is literally a “man (ish) of the ground (adamah)”. The other Hebrew words translated by “husbandman” (or “husbandmen”) are completely different. This unique word describes Noah’s drunken fall, from an honorable or righteous man (“ish”) to the state of Adam (“adamah”), in nakedness and sin.

The lesson is that, though brought to the ground in honorable labor (Gen. 3:19; 2 Thes. 3:10), the righteous man will not become “earthy” (1 Cor. 15:47; John 3:31), but will keep his affections set upon things above (Col. 3:1,2).

“In a world which looks horizontally,

We must learn to look vertically.” (Gillette)

Genesis 9:13: A spiritual lesson in the order of the rainbow colors? Moving toward the center of the rainbow’s circle (which symbolizes eternity), we progress through the following:

Red: the color of flesh (Adam) and sin… significantly, always on the outside!
Orange: the color of fire, i.e., purification through trials.
Yellow: a tried faith, comparable to gold (1 Pet. 1:7).
Green: renewal of life; the “spring” of resurrection.
Blue: Godliness, heavenliness, an immortal nature.
Indigo: the first stage of purple: the saints as “royalty” in the Kingdom.
Violet: the second and final stage: the saints (and all the world) as “royalty” at the end of the Millennium.

Thus by stages God’s plan to fill the earth with His glory is fulfilled, and the red of man and the blue of heaven become perfectly united — “God all in all”.

The fiery darts of Ephesians 6:16 were small canes filled with combustible material, or spears wrapped in such material, set on fire and thrown at the enemy.

The purpose of Yahweh may be summarized in the Hebrew titles of the first five books of the Bible. As is not widely known, many of the titles in our English Bibles are based on the Greek translation; they bear little or no resemblance to the Hebrew titles:

English title	Hebrew title	Translation
1. Genesis	“Bereshith”	“In the beginning”
2. Exodus	“Ve-elleh shemoth”	“These (are) the names”
3. Leviticus	“Vayyikra”	“He (i.e., Yahweh) called”
4. Numbers	“Be-midbar”	“In the wilderness”
5. Deuteronomy	“Haddebarim”	“These (are) the words”

In each of the above cases, the Hebrew title is the first word or phrase of the book, which serves as the keynote of its message. In carrying the observation one step further, we notice that the five phrases or titles, taken in order (and adding the ellipsis), provide a message. In poetic fashion, they speak eloquently of God and His comprehensive purpose, as Creator, Lawgiver, and Savior of the world:

“In the beginning these were the names which Yahweh called.

In the wilderness these were the words (which Yahweh spoke).”

According to one reckoning, 116 of the 283 Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are from the Psalms.

I went on a search to become a leader.

I searched high and low. I spoke with authority, people listened but, alas, there was one who was wiser than I and they followed him.

I sought to inspire confidence but the crowd responded, “Why should we trust you?”

I postured and I assumed the look of leadership with a countenance that glowed with confidence and pride. But many passed me by and never noticed my air of elegance.

I ran ahead of the others, pointing the way to new heights. I demonstrated that I knew the route to greatness. And then I looked back and I was alone.

What shall I do, I wondered? I’ve tried hard and used all that I know.

And I sat me down and I pondered long.

And then I listened to the voices around me. And I heard what the group was trying to accomplish.

I rolled up my sleeves and joined in the work.

As we worked I asked, “Are we all together in what we want to do and how to get the job done?”

And we thought together and we fought together and we struggled towards our goal.

I found myself encouraging the fainthearted. I sought the ideas of those too shy to speak out.

I taught those who had little skill. I praised those who worked hard.

When our task was completed, one of the group turned to me and said, “This would not have been done without your leadership.”

At first I said, “I did not lead; I just worked with the rest.”

And then I understood: leadership is not a goal. It is a way of reaching the goal.

I lead best when I help others to go where we have decided we want to go.

I lead best when I help others to use themselves creatively.

I lead best when I forget about myself as leader and focus on the group, their needs and their goals.

To lead is to serve, to give, to achieve together.

Gen.2:21-25:

“Woman was taken from man’s side….

Not from his head — to rule over him,

Not from his foot — to be trodden down,

But from his side — to be his companion,

From under his arm — to be protected,

From near his heart — to be loved.”

“Suppose a particular doctrine is based on just one verse: Would that not place the doctrine in jeopardy, subject to the whim of textual criticism? Yes, I suppose it would. This never happens, however, for the simple reason that established doctrines are never based on just one verse. Few are likely to formulate a doctrine that depend on only one passage. ‘What!’ someone replies, ‘How many times does the Bible have to say something for it to be true?’ The answer of course is that the Bible does not have to say it at all for it to be true. Either it is true or it is not. But the Bible may have to say it several times, and perhaps in different ways, for us to understand unambiguously and precisely what truth is being taught. And that is precisely why doctrine is not based on just one verse.” (Carson, The King James Version Debate)

An alternate translation (and paraphrase) of Luke 16:22,23:

“The rich man died and was buried in Hades. Then (i.e., later, after a resurrection to judgment), being in torment…”

The repunctuation would make Hades (or “hell”) the place of burial, not the place of torment.

The six tribes of blessing on Mount Gerizim (Deut. 27:12), when read together in the order they appear, will yield a sentence: “Hear the son, join him and praise him, for he will reward you by adding you to himself, the son of God’s right hand.”

Likewise, the six tribes of cursing on Mount Ebal (v. 13): “You will see a son and a troop of blessed ones dwelling together, but the judge will wrestle with you.”

Benjamin a “wolf”? One suggested fulfillment of Genesis 49:27: The Apostle Paul — of Benjamin (Phil. 3:5) — in the morning of his life, tearing the flock of God; in its evening, feeding them as a teacher of the nations. And, finally, lying down with Christ the “lamb” in the Kingdom (Isa. 11:6; 65:25)!

Jacob’s three memorials of God:

1. “Bethel” (the house of God): God’s presence (Gen. 28:19);

2. “Mahanaim” (two hosts; “God’s host”): God’s power (32:2);

3. “Peniel” (the face of God): God’s favor (32:30).

And what is fellowship? We must ever be on guard against letting technicalities take the place of realities. Fellowship is not an external agreement to associate, but communion, harmony, unity of mind and spirit. Fellowship with God is not just a technicality — not just a form — not just the accepting of certain beliefs or joining a certain group. It is a WAY OF LIFE — a thinking like God, a walking in harmony with His revealed will and commands.

Psalms
42, 43	The Saint in his Affliction
44, 45	The King in his Glory
46: 48	The Holy City in her Beauty
49	The Man in his Honor
50, 51	The Sinner in his Repentance
52: 54	The Fool in his Heart

Psalm 77:19: “Thy way was through the sea, Thy path through the great waters, yet Thy footprints were unseen” (RSV). God’s crossings of the Red Sea and the Jordan River.

The Old Testament is a book of unfulfilled prophecies…. fulfilled in his life by Christ the prophet.

The Old Testament is a book of unexplained ceremonies… explained in his death by Christ the priest.

The Old Testament is a book of unsatisfied longings…. satisfied in his resurrection by Christ the king.

Section II

The “second priest” (Jer. 52:24; 2 Kings 25:18) was the official assistant and understudy to the high priest.

“To summarize the difference between ancient and modern doubt we may suggest that in olden times men saw superhuman beings in every shadow, and so in time of trial, they supposed that their God was only one of many. In modern times men seek a prosaic and ordinary explanation for everything, and so in times of trial even God is explained away.” (Islip Collier, The Guiding Light)

Luke 15:13: “Gather together” is a technical term signifying “to realize”, i.e., to convert to ready cash.

“Last night I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,

And heard the anvil ring with vesper chimes.

Then looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

‘How many anvils have you had?’ said I,

‘To wear and batter all those hammers so?’

‘Just one’, said he, and then with twinkling eye,

‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know!’

And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon.

Yet though the noise of telling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed, but the hammers are all gone.”

Galatians 6:14: The “world” outside us crucifies us. And we crucify the “world” inside us (compare 5:24).

“His mother made him (Samuel) a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year” (1 Samuel 2:19). It would be, for Samuel, special beyond expression — his only tangible link, for most of every year, to the mother who had “lent” him to the Lord, yet loved him with her very life.

Mothers still make garments for their children, and not just with cloth and needle! By their deeds, displayed from day to day before young and observant eyes, mothers fashion “robes” that their children wear for a lifetime. What children see, they imitate, almost unconsciously dressing themselves in the characters — whether good or ill — which they see in their mothers in the kitchen or the garden.

Everyone is zealous about something — usually about his own interests and affairs. Some are zealous about talking about the Truth. But the important thing is to be “zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). This is enough to keep anyone both happy and busy.

Most of the requirements of Scripture are quite clear and do not require exposition nearly as much as application. The practical requirements of the Truth are usually such as to leave us no excuse for misunderstanding or neglect. It is the theoretical aspects we love to get sidetracked by. It is more pleasant and less demanding upon the flesh to discuss and debate unlearned questions without end, than it is to face and conform to plain commands.

Genesis 2:15: True happiness is found in creative cooperation with God, and not in idleness.

Genesis 3:3: “Insensitive to the free gift of many ‘trees’, we consider it amiss that even one ‘tree’ should be withheld, and fret under the wholesome restraint of the Father.”

It takes no special effort or ability to criticize and condemn error. Any limited mind can do that, and enjoy the boost it gives the ego. But it takes much discipline and self-denial to confront error with a calm resolve, with personal godliness, and with a blameless and constructive and upbuilding presentation of the Truth in its simplicity and beauty.

The greatest ability is dependability!

Genesis 3:8: “In sin we resort to the ‘trees of the garden’ — the affairs or amusement of the world, the forms and ceremonies — of religion, or its worldly technicalities, or its fervors and passions, or its busy activities… whatever, in short, may serve to fill a certain space, and bulk to a certain size, as a barrier between God and the heart that shrinks from too direct an approach to Him. And we soothe ourselves with the notion that this hedge serves the same purpose on God’s side as on ours.” (Candlish)

Most arguments are nothing but two egos making a childish display of themselves.

Whene’er you look within this Book,

Five things observe with care:

Of whom it speaks, and how it speaks,

And why and when and where.

Walking in relation to God:

1. With God in fellowship (Gen. 5:22);

2. Before God in sincerity (17:1);

3. After God in obedience (Deut. 13:4);

4. In God, in unison (Col. 2:6).

The Lord was in the ark, since He called to Noah, “Come thou…into the ark” (Gen. 7:1).Then “Yahweh shut him in” (v. 16)!

Abraham’s bargaining with God (Genesis 18) illustrates a shortsightedness of which we are all guilty: There is abundance of mercy with God, but His servant is limited in outlook: he is afraid of “overdrawing his account “!

Genesis 24:15: “Egyptians and Africans carried pitchers on the head, Syrians on the shoulders or hip.” (Thomson, The Land and the Book)

Six of the patriarchs were buried in the cave of Machpelah; and the first letters of the names of the first five recall the sixth: (I)saac, (S)arah, (R)ebekah, (A)braham, (L)eah. ISRAL = Israel or Jacob! (Genesis 49:31).

From a traditional Passover “Haggadah”:

“From generation to generation, every man is bound to look upon himself not otherwise than if he had himself come out of Egypt. Therefore we are bound to thank, praise, laud, glorify, extol, honor, bless, exalt and reverence Him, because He hath wrought for our fathers, and for us all, these miracles. He brought us forth from bondage into freedom, from sorrow into joy, from mourning to a festival, from darkness to a great light, and from slavery to redemption: Therefore let us sing unto Him: Hallelujah!’ “

“When a modern thinker accepts the doctrine of evolution and repudiates revelation, how can he give us an authoritative moral code?” (Islip Collier)

“Natural affinities are in the wrong place when they obstruct the Divine Will.” (Robert Roberts)

Four handwritings

Upon the stone (Exodus 20:2);

Upon the wall (Daniel 5:24);

Upon the ground (John 8:6);

Upon the cross (John 19:19).

“Fellowship is friendly association for the promotion of a common object — with more or less of the imperfection belonging to all mortal life. To say that every man in that fellowship is responsible for every infirmity of judgment that may exist in the association is an extreme to which no man of sound judgment can lend himself. There will be flawless fellowship in the perfect state. Perhaps it is the admiration of this in prospect that leads some to insist upon it now. But it is none the less a mistake. This is a mixed and preparatory state in which much has to be put with when the true principles are professed.” (Robert Roberts)

Every morning…

Manna was given (Exodus 16:14);

Incense was offered (30:7);

Praise was offered (1 Chron. 23:30);

Service was rendered (9:26);

Sacrifice was presented (2 Chron. 13:11);

God visits (Job 7:18);

God is their arm (Isa. 33:2);

His compassions are new (Lam. 3:23);

His judgments (Zeph. 3:5).

“It is not the man who knows the most

Who has the most to say,

And it is not the man who has the most

Who gives the most away.”

“For there is no bread” (Num. 21:5). It was a transparent contradiction, in view of their next words: As far as they were concerned, “this light bread” given them by God was “no bread” because they did not care for it. How many of our complaints are similar; we do not recognize the blessings we have for what they are. Instead, we eagerly desire those “blessings” we do not have.

There were 42 stations in the wilderness journeys of Israel (Num. 33), and 42 generations from Abraham to Christ (Matt. 1:17); and there are 42 periods of afflictions for God’s people (Rev. 13:5).

Balaam’s ass (Num. 22:28): “It was just as easy for God to impart the gift of utterance temporarily to a four-footed creature, as to endow some other creatures with it permanently who show no special aptitude for its wise use.” (Robert Roberts)

“It is always difficult to resist fashions, whether in clothes or theology, and when we think we are quite unmoved by the stream, it often only means we are lagging a little way behind.” (Collier)

“It’s okay to make a few mistakes, but when the eraser wears out before the pencil that’s overdoing it!” (Norm Zilmer)

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.

“If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowances for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies;

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

“If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;

If you can think, and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build them up with worn-out tools;

“If you can talk with crowds, and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch,

If neither foe nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but not too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it,

And — more than this — you’ll be a man, my son!”

(Kipling)

“Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved with mankind. And therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” (Donne)

“Negative holiness can save no man.”

“Life is like an onion: you peel off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.”

He asked for strength that he might do great things;

But he was given infirmity that he might do better things.

He asked for riches that he might be happy;

He was given poverty that he might be wise.

He asked for power that he might have the praise of men;

He was given weakness that he might feel the need of God.

He asked for all things that he might enjoy life;

He was given life that he might enjoy all things.

He had received nothing that he asked for;

But he gained more than he hoped for.

“He who teaches the law to his neighbor’s son is as though he had begotten him” (Jewish proverb).

Expect great things from God,

and attempt great things for God.

An Answer to an Anti-semite

It’s a free world. You don’t have to like Jews if you don’t want to, BUT if you are going to be an anti-Semite, you should be consistent and turn your back on the medical advances that Jews made possible.

I am talking about the hepatitis vaccine discovered by Baruch Blumberg, the Wasserman test for syphilis developed by August Von Wasserman, and the first effective drug to fight syphilis developed by Paul Ehrlich.

Bela Schick developed the diagnostic skin test for diphtheria.

Insulin would not have been discovered if Oskar Minkowski had not demonstrated the link between diabetes and the pancreas.

It was Burrill Crohn who identified the disease that bears his name.

Alfred Hess discovered that vitamin C could cure scurvy.

Casimir Funk was the first to use vitamin B to treat beriberi.

Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine and, later, Albert Sabin developed the oral version.

Humanitarianism requires that we offer these gifts to all the people of the world, regardless of race, color or creed. So, the anti-Semites who do not want to accept these gifts can go ahead and turn them down, but I am warning you: You are not going to feel so good.

A reprint from Ann Landers.

Joshua 10:11 speaks of God fighting against His enemies with great hailstones, on the way that goes up to Beth-horon. In May of 1957 hailstones the size of small apples fell on this region. (Baly, Geography of the Bible)

The four-fold power of Christ:

Over the elements (Mark 4:36-41): the storm without.
Over madness (Mark 5:1-20): the “storm” within.
Over disease (Mark 5:24-34):the primary effect of sin.
Over death (Mark 5:35-43): the last effect of sin.

“The young Jordan — type of that strange life of ours! Bright and beautiful in its cradle, laughing its merry morning away through the flowery fields of the Huleh; plunging with the recklessness of youth into the tangled breaks and muddy marshes of Merom; hurrying thence, full-grown, like earnest manhood with its noisy and bustling activities, it subsides at length into life’s sober mid-day in the placid lake of Gennesaret. When it goes forth again, it is down the inevitable proclivity of old age, sinking deeper and deeper, in spite of doublings and windings innumerable, until lost in the bitter sea of death — that melancholy bourne from which there is neither escape nor return.” (Thomson, The Land and the Book)

Yet, in the Age to come, the Dead Sea will be “healed” by the waters that flow from under the altar of Yahweh (Ezek. 47:8-10).

In Judges, God often delivers His people by quite insignificant means:

A left hand and a dagger (3:15,16).
An ox-goad (3:31).
A tent-peg (4:21,22).
A woman (5:7).
300 men with pitchers and lamps (7:6-16).
A woman and a stone (9:53).
A social outcast (11:2,3).
300 foxes with firebrands (15:4).
The jawbone of an ass (15:16).

The lesson is that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 12:9).

“God does not expect of us more than we can do, but He does expect the best we can do.”

Genesis 23:18: “Up to this day, in this very city, a purchase thus witnessed is legal, while the best drawn deeds of a London lawyer, though signed and sealed, would be of no avail without such living witnesses.” (Thomson, The Land and the Book)

In speaking of infant “baptism” and other such acts performed by the “Balaamite” clergy, John Thomas writes, “Surely if Balaam’s ass were here, and a clergyman should bestride him on such a mission, the intelligent creature would break silence again, and with the voice of a man rebuke the madness of the seer.”

“The way of Balaam (Num. 22-24) is the prostitution of a spiritual gift for a base gain. The error of Balaam is the secret idea that the will of God may be circumvented under cover of an outward respect for His Word. The doctrine of Balaam is the counsel to ruin by seduction the people who cannot be cursed by permission.” (J.S. Baxter, Explore the Book)

The mediation of Moses was to keep God and man apart (Deut. 5:5; Exod. 24:2).

The mediation of Jesus was to bring God and man together (Eph. 2:14).

A land watered with the foot (Deut. 11:10): This refers to a method of irrigation in which the farmer dug little channels in the soil and dammed them up with earth. Then, to irrigate a new section of the field, he would merely kick away a bit of earth.

Deuteronomy 26:5 should perhaps be translated “a Syrian laboring in service,” referring to Jacob’s oppression by the cruel and treacherous Laban (Gen. 31:38-42).

Deuteronomy 32:11 describes the method by which eagles teach their young to fly: the parent forces the fledgling from the nest, and then circles underneath to catch it and bear it up on outstretched wings if it flounders.

Part 6

The following quotations are from “Wide as the Waters: The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution it Inspired” by Benson Bobrick:

“Next to the Bible itself, the English Bible was — and is — the most influential book ever published…

“In 1604, a committee of 54 scholars, the flower of Oxford and Cambridge, collaborated on the new translation for King James. Their collective expertise in biblical languages and related fields has probably never been matched, and the translation they produced — substantially based on the earlier work of Wycliffe, Tyndale and others — would shape English literature and speech for centuries. As the great historian Macaulay wrote of their version, ‘If everything else in our language should perish, it alone would suffice to show the extent of its beauty and power.’ To this day its common expressions, such as ‘labour of love’, ‘lick the dust’, ‘a thorn in the flesh’, ‘the root of all evil’, ‘the fat of the land’, ‘the sweat of thy brow’, ‘to cast pearls before swine’ and ‘the shadow of death’ are heard in everyday speech.

“The impact of the English Bible on law and society was profound. It gave every literate person access to the sacred text, which helped to foster the spirit of inquiry through reading and reflection. This, in turn, accelerated the growth of commercial printing and the proliferation of books. Once people were free to interpret the word of God according to the light of their own understanding, they began to question the authority of their inherited institutions, both religious and secular. This led to reformation within the Church, and to the rise of constitutional government in England and the end of the divine right of kings. England fought a Civil War in the light (and shadow) of such concepts, and by them confirmed the Glorious Revolution of 1688. In time, the new world of ideas that the English Bible helped inspire spread across the Atlantic to America, and eventually, like Wycliffe’s sea-borne scattered ashes, all the world over, ‘as wide as the waters be’.”

…..

“With the Great Bible the Scriptures in English finally achieved that official status Tyndale had envisioned for them when he died. By royal injunction… every parish church in England was to ‘set up in some convenient place’ a copy of the English Bible accessible to all as ‘the very lively Word of God’. Throughout the kingdom, copies for public use and edification were soon chained to lecterns in the vestibules of churches — six of them in St Paul’s Church alone.

“There were some constraints. The people, for example, were admonished ‘to avoid all contention and altercation’ in their discussion of Biblical passages and ‘refer the explication of obscure places to men of higher judgement’. But they ignored such injunctions and yielded completely to their new, blissful sense of spiritual awakening and release. ‘It was wonderful to see with what joy the book of God was received,’ wrote an early biographer of Cranmer, ‘not only among the learneder sort and those that were noted for lovers of the reformation, but generally all England over among the vulgar and common people; with what greediness God’s word was read, and what resort to places where the reading of it was. Everybody that could bought the book and busily read it; or got others to read it to them, if they could not themselves; and divers among the elderly learned to read on purpose. And even little boys flocked among the rest to hear portions of the Holy Scriptures read.’ “

…..

“To a remarkable degree, the translators had proved faithful to the Hebrew, to the Greek, even (in a sense) to the Vulgate, ‘for the rhythm of the English Bible, as it finally emerged,’ Sir Herbert Grierson noted, ‘owes not a little to the Latin of St Jerome.’ At the same time, nine tenths of the words were of Saxon derivation, and the entire translation had a vocabulary of only 8,000 words. It fused Anglo-Saxon and Latin elements- – the Latin, as one scholar notes, imparting stateliness and sonority to its diction; the Anglo-Saxon conforming to the Hebrew in homely vigour, concreteness and directness of style. In Anglo-Saxon, the translators captured the form of Hebrew superlatives, such as ‘Holy of Holies’, ‘Song of Songs’, ‘King of Kings’, and ‘Vanity of vanities’; and the inverted phrase — ‘throne of ivory’, ‘altar of stone’, ‘helmet of brass’, ‘man of war’, ‘children of wickedness’, ‘man of truth’, ‘prisoners of hope’, ‘rock of ages’, ‘man of sorrows’, and ‘Son of Man’. The learned and literary John Selden (an eminent 17th century lawyer, scholar and orientalist, with expertise in rabbinical law) once complained that the Bible had been ‘rather translated into English words than into English phrases. The Hebraisms are kept and the phrase of that language is kept.’ But that was precisely what gave it special dignity and strength.”

…..

“By the end of Elizabeth’s reign, the English public was the most literate in Europe — indeed, it had become ‘the people of a book’, and that book was the English Bible. Its legends, histories, war songs, and Psalms; its sacred biographies of the Hebrew fathers, who loomed as large in the imagined past as classical gods; the stern words of its mighty prophets; the infinitely illuminating parables of Christ; the life of Christ itself; apocalyptic visions — all were absorbed by the popular mind ‘unoccupied for the most part by any rival learning.’ However much the ruling powers might wish to direct the understanding of their subjects, no state or Church authority could any longer hope to force it in a mould. ‘Pandora’s box was open,’ as one historian put it, ‘and no power could put back the thoughts on religion that took hold of the minds of men.’ “

(What a contrast to the 21st century! England now seems to rank among the most irreligious nations in the world!)

“The fruit that grows on a tree does not make a tree good or bad; and works do not make a man good or bad, they only make it plain to other men whether the man who performs them is good or bad. There is an inward justification of a man before God which is by faith alone; works serve only to make his justification known before men.”

“We must always remember scriptural definitions when we are trying to apply scriptural lessons. There is no room for doubt as to who are the wise and who are the foolish from the divine point of view. In all parts of the Word we are told that ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’ A worldly wisdom which ignores God is only folly temporarily disguised. Every one can see that in the affairs of this life there are times when an imposing store of learning is useless while a little special wisdom and knowledge may save life. In a stormy sea we should choose the boat manned by able seamen even though they were ignorant and unlearned men, rather than the one manned by men who had never handled an oar, even though they were the most learned of scientists. So in the ocean of human life, men who serve God are better companions than those who ignore Him whatever their knowledge of other matters may be” (PrPr).

“Last night I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,

And heard the anvil ring with vesper chimes.

Then looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

‘How many anvils have you had?’ said I,

‘To wear and batter all those hammers so?’

‘Just one’, said he, and then with twinkling eye,

‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know!’

And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon.

Yet though the noise of telling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed, but the hammers are all gone.”

Bela Schick developed the diagnostic skin test for diphtheria.

Insulin would not have been discovered if Oskar Minkowski had not demonstrated the link between diabetes and the pancreas.

It was Burrill Crohn who identified the disease that bears his name.

Alfred Hess discovered that vitamin C could cure scurvy.

Casimir Funk was the first to use vitamin B to treat beriberi.

Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine, and later, Albert Sabin developed the oral version.

(Ann Landers)

People are often unreasonable,

Illogical, and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,

You will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

People may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,

Someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

They may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

People will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

And it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,

It is between you and God;

It never was between you and them anyway.

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife.

Who more than self the country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness

And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till nobler men keep once again

Thy whiter jubilee!

(Katharine Lee Bates, 1913)

“A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little

details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.”

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the LORD;

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:

His truth is marching on.

I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;

They have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read the righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;

His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel, writ in burnished rows of steel:

“As you deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal.”

Let the hero born of woman crush the serpent with his heel;

Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat;

Oh! Be swift, my soul, to answer him; be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me.

As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave;

He is wisdom to the mighty; he is succour to the brave.

So the world shall be his footstool, and the soul of time his slave.

Our God is marching on.

(see Xd 46:164)

Boys of the hills grow larger views.

For are the hills not high?

And does not climbing exercise

The will of those who try?

The highest peak is first to see

The glory of the dawn,

And that same peak can see the sun

When others think ’tis gone.

Up to the hills he lifts his eyes;

From whence shall come his aid?

His safety cometh from the Lord,

Who heaven and earth hath made.

And thus the little Son of God,

In Galilee’s green hills,

Soon learned to trust God’s staff and rod

To keep him from all ills.

O Nazareth, thy very streets

Should shout aloud for joy,

For they did feel the happy feet

Of God’s own little boy.

(WB Tunstall, Xd 102:122).

“Preach the gospel at all times — if necessary, use words.”

When I am tired, the Bible is my bed;

Or in the dark, the Bible is my light;

When I am hungry, it is vital bread;

Or fearful, it is armor for the fight;

When I am sick, ’tis healing medicine;

Or lonely, thronging friends I find therein.

If I would work, the Bible is my tool;

Or play, it is a harp of happy sound.

If I am ignorant, it is my school;

If I am sinking, it is solid ground.

If I am cold, the Bible is my fire;

And wings, if boldly I aspire.

Should I be lost, the Bible is my guide;

Or naked, it is raiment, rich and warm.

Am I imprisoned, it is ranges wide;

Or tempest-tossed, a shelter from the storm.

Would I adventure, ’tis a gallant sea;

Or would I rest, it is a flowery lea.

(Amos R. Wells)

“Hot tub religion… attempts to harness the power of God to the priorities of self-centeredness. Feelings of pleasure and comfort, springing from pleasant circumstances and soothing experiences, are prime goals these days, and much popular Christianity on both sides of the Atlantic tries to oblige us by manufacturing them for us… Now we can see hot tub religion for what it is — Christianity corrupted by the passion for pleasure… Symptoms of hot tub religion today include… an overheated supernaturalism that seeks signs, wonders, visions, prophecies, and miracles; constant soothing syrup from electronic preachers and the liberal pulpit; anti-intellectual sentimentalism and emotional ‘highs’ deliberately cultivated, the Christian equivalent of cannabis and coca” (John I. Packer, “Laid-Back Religion” 53,58).

“The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. If heed is not paid to this, it is not true music but a diabolical bawling and twanging” (JS Bach).

“It is surprising to see how clearly the liberal, neo-orthodox way of thinking is reflected in the new weakened evangelical view… By placing a radical emphasis on subjective human experience, existentialism undercuts the objective side of experience. For the existentialist it is an illusion to think that we can know anything truly… all we have is subjective experience, with no final basis for right or wrong or truth or beauty” (Francis Shaeffer, “The Great Evangelical Disaster”, pp 51,53).

“If thou bring thy sins to Jesus Christ, as thy malady and misery, to be cured of them, and delivered from them — it is well: but to come with them as thy beloved darlings and delight, thinking still to retain THEM, and to receive HIM, thou mistakest him grossly, and miserably deludest thyself” (Robert Leighton).

“When I fall into a certain sin for the first time, I may stand aghast, horrified at it. When I fall into it the second time, I am not more aghast, but less. if I go on sinning long enough, I cannot see the thing that belongs unto my peace at all, and I cannot see sin as sin. The conscience that once shouted ‘This is wrong!’ now only whispers and in the end may be silent altogether. Sin is unique in all God’s universe in that the more you practice it, the less you know its nature” (Leslie Weatherhead).

“Truth, like love, is ‘a many splendoured thing’, and presents many aspects. Too often we may find ourselves so obsessed with one of those facets that we give insufficient consideration to those others which, though presenting a different face, are yet part of the same truth. There is always what I have called the ‘Yes, but…’ syndrome. In other words, a thing may be true, yet still not be THE Truth. We have to learn to balance the Book” (Len Richardson).

A teacher asked her students to list what they thought were, currently, the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:

1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids

2. Taj Mahal

3. Grand Canyon

4. Panama Canal

5. Empire State Building

6. St. Peter’s Basilica

7. China’s Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn’t turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.

The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.”

The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.”

The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch

2. to taste

3. to see

4. to hear…”

She hesitated a little, and then added:

“5. to feel

6. to laugh

7. and to love.”

The room was so silent you could have heard a pin drop. Those things we overlook as simple and “ordinary” are truly wondrous.

A gentle reminder that the most precious and wonderful things are right in front of us: our family, our faith, our love, our good health and our friends.

“If we were arrested for being followers of Christ, would there be enough evidence to convict us?”

“The Mosaic account of the creation and fall of man was treated with profane derision by the Gnostics, who would not listen with patience to the repose of the Deity after six days’ labour, to the rib of Adam, the garden of Eden, trees of life and of knowledge, the speaking serpent, the forbidden fruit, and the condemnation pronounced against human kind for the venial offence of their first progenitors” (Gibbon).

It takes a little courage, and a little self-control

And some grim determination, if you want to reach your goal.

It takes some real striving, and a firm and stern-set chin,

No matter what the battle, if you really want to win.

There’s no easy path to glory, there’s no rosy road to fame;

Life, however, we may view it, is no simple parlor game.

But its prizes call for fighting, for endurance and for grit,

For a rugged disposition and a “don’t-know-when-to-quit.”

You must take a blow or give one’ you must risk and you must lose;

And expect that in the struggle you will suffer from the bruise.

But you must not wince or falter, if you once begin;

Be strong and face the battle; that’s the only way to win.

“What God chooses, He cleanses. What God cleanses, He molds. What God molds, He fills. What God fills, He uses” (JSB).

“Thank God that every morning when you get up you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you a hundred virtues which the idle will never know” (Charles Kingsley).

“A person who doesn’t know but knows he doesn’t know is a student; teach him.

“A person who knows but who doesn’t know that he knows is asleep; awaken him.

“But a person who knows and knows that he knows is wise; follow him” (Asian proverb).

“No one has any right to set up his own ignorance as the limit of that which God has revealed. A thing may be unknown to such a man, but it does not therefore follow that it is either absolutely unintelligible or a secret. He may not know of it, or, if explained to him, he may not have intellect enough to comprehend it, or his prejudices or sectarian bias may darken his understanding — this by no means makes the thing unintelligible or mysterious to other people. All that such persons have a right to say is, ‘we do not know anything about it.’ They may confess their own ignorance and resolve to look into the matter, or not, but they are presumptuously overstepping the bounds of propriety to venture to do more. This, however, is not the practice of those who have no secondary interests to subserve apart from the Truth. They only desire to know that they may believe and do; but where to know more would jeopardise the vested interests of a sect and extort the confession of its leaders and members that they were in error and knew not the Truth, investigation is discouraged and the things proscribed as too speculative and mysterious for comprehension, or if understood, of no practical utility. In this way mankind infold themselves as in the mantle of their self-esteem. They repress all progress and glorify their own ignorance by detracting from things which they fear to look into, or apprehend are far above their reach” (JT, Elpis Israel).

“Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight?: Always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary” (James Matthew Barrie, 1860-1937).

The earth is a globe, the horizon curved… so that we may not see too far down the road.

“When you’re tempted to give in to anger, resentment, self-pity, envy, or other feelings of negativity, remember this: life is a privilege, not a punishment.

“Think of how a tiny insect acts to save its own life when injured or threatened. Consider the compelling wisdom in that instinct for self-preservation. Life is precious to the living, no matter how seemingly insignificant. It is a privilege worth preserving and nurturing.

“Life is a privilege, not a punishment. Think about that. Look at your attitude; consider your actions, from the perspective that life is indeed a privilege. Why would you ever want to complain about anything?

“You’re not a victim. You’re a miracle. Your life is precious and magnificent. Keep that in mind, and live it accordingly” (MT).

It is only a tiny rosebud,

A flower of God’s design;

But I cannot unfold the petals

With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers

Is not known to such as I.

God opens this flower so sweetly,

Then in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,

This flower of God’s design,

Then how can I have the wisdom

To unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust in Him for leading

Each moment of my day.

I will look to him for His guidance

Each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,

Only my Heavenly Father knows.

I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,

Just as He unfolds the rose.

“It is the calling of great men, not so much to preach new truths but to rescue from oblivion those old truths which it is our wisdom to remember and our weakness to forget” (Sydney Smith).

“Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching” (Thomas Jefferson).

Six humans trapped by happenstance,

In dark and bitter cold,

Each one possessed a stick of wood.

Or so the story’s told.

Their dying fire in need of logs,

The woman held hers back;

For on the faces ’round the fire

She noticed one was black.

The next man, looking ‘cross the way,

Saw one not from his church

And couldn’t bring himself to give

The fire his stick of birch.

The third one sat in tattered clothes.

He gave his coat a hitch.

Why should his single log be used

To warm the idle rich?

The rich man just sat back and thought

Of the wealth he had in store,

And how to keep what he had earned

From the lazy, shiftless poor.

The black man’s face spoke of revenge

As the fire passed from his sight,

For all he saw in his stick of wood

Was a chance to hurt the white.

And the last man of this forlorn group

Did nothing but for gain.

Giving only to those who gave

Was how he played the game.

The logs held tight in death’s still hands

Were proof of human sin.

They didn’t die from the cold without;

They died from the cold within.

Part 7

For this one hour I can be grateful.

I can thank God for life itself, for opportunities,

For friends, and for a hundred other blessings and

Privileges to be counted, cherished, and enjoyed.

For this one hour I can be cheerful.

Equipped with a smile, a song, and a sunny disposition,

I can transform the atmosphere, enrich my environment,

And brighten the day for others.

For this one hour I can be optimistic.

Striking a happy medium between the pessimist and

The Pollyanna, I can realistically and confidently

Expect good things to happen to me and through me.

For this one hour I can spend some time in prayer.

I can pause to recharge my spiritual batteries,

Renew my mental perspectives, refresh my physical energies,

And replenish my faith in God and my fellowman.

For this one hour I can be unselfish.

I can take the Golden Rule off the shelf, dust it,

Unwrap it, and put it to work in my thoughts,

Words and actions… right now.

For this one hour I can look for the best in others.

It may take some diligent searching, patient seeking,

And careful screening, but I will work at it,

Even as I want others to look for the best in me.

For this one hour I can help make someone happy.

I can do it through a word of encouragement or comfort,

Or perhaps by a helping hand, an understanding touch,

An empathetic look, a telephone call, a letter, or a visit.

For this one hour I can be forgiving.

I can leave the lowlands of resentment, grudges and bitterness,

And rise to the highlands of understanding, love and forgiveness.

For this one hour I can be generous.

I can listen quietly and attentively when others want to talk.

I can look for opportunities to give a well-deserved compliment

To someone who needs it most.

For this one hour I can live the present.

Now is the only time I have, and I can use this hour

Wisely as a personal and precious gift from God.

(William Arthur Ward)

The following series of letters concerns a believer named Albert Merz. Albert lived in Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II. This is early 1941 — several months before the US was plunged into the conflict at Pearl Harbor. Albert was indicted for a capital crime: choosing not to serve in the German army. This letter is penned by his court-appointed attorney shortly after Albert was convicted to die by beheading.

“From Erich Höhne

Lawyer and Notary

At the Landgericht Berlin

“To the Rifle-man Albert Merz at present Berlin-Tegel Detention prison of the Wehrmacht:

“Yesterday’s proceedings ended with the death penalty for you. This was not possible otherwise, as you remained numb towards reprimands. It came exactly as I told you at our discussion. You have to admit yourself that the Herr Senatspresident too took great pains to talk you out of your erroneous conception. The more I ponder on your conception, the more incomprehensible your behavior becomes to me. You will remember that the Herr Senatspresident read to you the word in the literal Bible, where it is said that everybody has to be subject to the authorities and that the authorities are instituted by God. If you personally always say that the Bible is sufficient for you, then you must let set this Bible passage against your concept too. You were not able to answer this Bible passage with a single word besides. If an authority, as our Führer here, calls upon the German nation to defend itself, if necessary with the sword, in the fight against intended assaults of envious neighbors, and if he as authority introduced compulsory military service, this means — according to the before-mentioned Bible passage — an order approved by God which every subject has to obey.

“Yet your case is not entirely lost; though the hard verdict has been pronounced against you it might still come to an elimination of the verdict, if you, so to speak, in the last hour, become convinced of the error of your previous concept, and declare now you are willing to render unrestrained military service.

“I hope you will come to this better conviction in the face of death. You take your point of view so unilaterally, without taking into consideration the ideas and notions of your fellow-citizens — who only want what is best for you, and who are good Christians too. This is for me by no means an objection against the Christadelphian Ecclesia, as you erroneously think, but in reality the spirit of an antichrist speaks out of you, that is the spirit of the evil one that inspired you with the spirit of conceit, as if you, together with the few adherents of your irreligion, alone had the true conception about the doctrine of Jesus Christ and all of a different faith had violated the commandments of God. However, it is the firm conviction of myself and every German man that our good Lord will be more pleased with a man who gave his life in doing his duty towards his country, than with somebody who wastes his life worthlessly only because he cannot change his mind from mere conceit. This way of acting can never find the approval of our Lord. I, as by the court officially appointed counsel for the defense, thought it my duty to admonish you once again to think this over once more. Should you come to a better judgment you have to ask for another hearing where the minutes should be taken down in a declaration to this end. But it is very urgent and you have only a few days at your disposal.

“Heil Hitler.

“(signed) Erich Höhne.”

The following two letters are from Albert after his conviction and while awaiting execution.

“Berlin, February 3, 1941.

“My beloved all, I find it hard to write you today, not for my own sake, but rather as I know that this letter will bring you much grief. Therefore I want to ask you not to take it too hard. You know my faith and my hope: Christ is my life and to die is my profit. And do not cry on account of me if I have to suffer the worst. Be firm and compose yourself. If I was sentenced to death on the 21st February and if I shall be decapitated, then you know that life, that has taken shape in me, goes back to its source and reshapes in time. When my time has ended and I have to part I want you to remember that man is destined to die and afterwards to undergo the judgment.

“Tomorrow I shall file a petition for pardon. Perhaps the court will have mercy on me, and if it has not I will still hope to get permission to write you once again. Include me in your prayers. I want to come to a close now, trusting in God and His Kingdom. I send you all my love.

“Albert.”

Here is Albert’s letter to his family after failing to obtain a pardon from the German military authorities.

“Brandenburg, April 3, 1941.

“My beloved all, I should like to use my last hours for writing you once again and asking you not to take it too hard for it is God’s will now (John 19:7, Rom 8, Isaiah 59).

“On Friday the 4th April at 5.30 in the morning my time will have expired and my struggle therewith come to an end. It is my last wish that you may live in peace together and take care that none is lost. (2Ti).

“Oh, my Beloved, if I only could write down on paper the thousand thoughts I have been addressing you in silent conversation — and still do. However, you can find many of them in the Good Book, especially the letters of the Apostles, the farewell address of Jesus in John, etc, and I hope to see you again after my awakening.

“With this I shall come to a close and you will understand, when I do not write more, it would be too much. And I send you kindest regards.

“Yours, Albert.

“Send my love to all brothers and sisters who are well disposed to me. Our Lord’s mercy be with you. Amen.”

Brother Albert Merz was executed by beheading on the following morning, April 4, 1941, for his refusal to fight in the German army.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Rom 8:35-36).

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2Ti 3:12).

(KT)

“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.”

“Preaching verse by verse through books of the Bible is the most reasonable way to teach the whole counsel of God. If I am obligated to teach the whole new covenant message and all of the mystery unfolded, the only systematic way that I know to teach it all is to take it the way it comes, one book at a time from beginning to end. If I were to approach the goal of teaching the whole New Testament in random fashion, it would be a hopeless maze to lead people through. On the other hand, if I am committed to teaching the Word of God systematically so that all of the revelation of God is brought before His people, the only way of doing that is to go through it one book at a time.

“Also, the only effective way of seeing the significance of a passage is in its context. Going through an entire book sets the passage in its context on its widest, deepest, and richest level… Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament was written as a collection of verses to be thrown into the air and allowed to fall back wherever they might. Rather, each book has a reasonable, logical, inspired flow of thought going from point A to Z, with all stops in between. Each was designed by the Holy Spirit so that you have the Holy Spirit communicating something powerfully and clearly in the whole letter: you dare not miss a single part!

“If I received five letters in the mail one day, it would make no sense to read a sentence or two out of one, skip two, read a few sentences out of another, and go to the next one and read a few out of that, and on and on. If I really want to comprehend the letter — what is going on, the tone, the spirit, the attitude, and the purpose — I must start from the beginning and go to the end of each one. If that is true of personal correspondence, then how much more is it so of divine revelation” (John MacArthur).

“What the Bible says about the love of God cannot long survive in people’s thinking if it is abstracted [separated] from the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, the wrath of God, and the providence of God, to mention only a few nonnegotiable elements of basic Christianity.

“The result, of course, is that the love of God in our culture has been purged of anything the culture finds uncomfortable. The love of God has been sanitized, democratized, and above all sentimentalized. This process has been going on for some time. My generation was taught to sing, ‘What the world needs now is love, sweet love,’ in which we robustly instructed the Almighty that we do not need another mountain (we have enough of them), but we could do with some more love. The hubris is staggering.

“It has not always been so. In generations when almost everyone believed in the justice of God, people sometimes found it difficult to believe in His love. The preaching of the love of God came as wonderful good news. Nowadays if you tell people that God loves them, they are unlikely to be surprised. ‘Of course God loves me; He’s like that, isn’t He? Besides, why shouldn’t He love me? I’m kind of cute — or at least as nice as the next person. I’m OK, you’re OK, and God loves you and me’ ” (DA Carson, “On distorting the love of God”, Bibliotheca Sacra 156:4).

Patience is a bitter plant, but it has sweet fruit.

“Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God” (MT).

The Bridge Builder

An old man, going a lone highway,

Came at the evening, cold and gray,

To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,

Through which was flowing a swollen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;

The sullen stream had no fears for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the close of day;

You will never again pass this way;

You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide —

So why build a bridge at eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head:

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followeth after me today

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

He too must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I’m building the bridge for him.”

(Will Allen Dromgoole)

A prayer for animals

Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals,

Especially for animals who are suffering;

For animals that are overworked, underfed and cruelly treated;

For all wistful creatures in captivity that beat their wings against bars;

For any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry;

For all that must be put death.

We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,

And for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion

And gentle hands and kindly words.

Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals,

And so to share the blessings of the merciful.

(Albert Schweitzer)

Is your life full and busy? Perhaps, too busy? Sometimes we fill our lives so full we don’t have time for the important things. At such times I remember a story about a young girl and her bank. The little girl’s father had just given her a silver dollar to put into her bank. She excitedly ran off to her room to “deposit” the coin. However, in a few minutes she returned and handed the silver coin back to her father.

“Daddy,” she said sadly, “here’s your dollar back. I can’t get it into my bank.”

“Why not?” her concerned father asked.

“It’s too full,” she said, obviously disappointed.

Her father accompanied her back to her room and, sure enough, her bank was too full to accept even one more coin. It was filled with pennies!

Sometimes our lives are like that bank. So full of errands, obligations and activities that neither nurture us nor help anyone else, that there simply is no room left for what is truly important — the silver dollars.

Grenville Kleiser has said, “To live at this time is an inestimable privilege, and a sacred obligation devolves upon you to make right use of your opportunities. Today is the day in which to attempt and achieve something worthwhile.”

Have you made room for any large coins in your bank; for those things you believe to be worthwhile? If not, you may have to remove a few pennies, but I suspect you will never know they are gone!

(Steve Goodier)

Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the

number of apples in a seed.

“From the cowardice that dare not face new truth,

From the laziness that is contented with half truth,

From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,

Good Lord, deliver me.”

I dreamed that Jesus came, last night;

The Kingdom doors flew wide.

An apostle, dressed in shining white,

Escorted me inside.

And there, to my astonishment,

Were folks I’d always labeled

As quite unfit, of little worth,

And spiritually disabled!

Indignant words rose to my lips,

But never were set free:

For every face bore stunned surprise —

No one expected ME!

“Little minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas” (Charles Stanley).

“I would rather contemplate what it means to eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, then to spend my time biting and devouring my brethren” (Rachel Black).

“Some time ago I was addressing men and women from the bar association of a major city. I knew it would be a challenging audience because words and arguments are their daily fare. I began by recounting a television news item I had just witnessed. A major network had as their first item of news a survey asking people if words meant anything specific at all. Do words such as ‘affair’ and ‘adultery’ have particular public meanings, or could the person speaking fuse them into his or her own private meaning? In our salvation-by-survey culture, the journalists asked people if anything meant anything anymore. Having concluded that there were significant variances in the way people used words, they next inquired if morality was purely a personal matter, or if there were indeed absolutes. Every person interviewed on the street answered the same way: ‘No! There is no objective morality; we have to define it in our own terms.’ First item: ‘were words subject to the user?’ Second item: ‘was morality a personal matter?’ Having settled on a confused answer that left the individual lord over reality, the newscaster went on to discuss a third item on the news — a warning to Saddam Hussein. If he did not stop playing his word games, we were going to start bombing Iraq. How ironic, I thought. We arrogate to ourselves moral authority and deny referents to words, except when we deal with others who play the same game. It was fascinating to see the expressions of those in the audience change and to see them recognize that communication is impossible if we do not grant univocal meaning to our words” (Ravi Zacharias, “An ancient message, through modern means, to a postmodern mind”, from “Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns” 25,26).

“This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it — or use it for good, but what I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it! When tomorrow comes, thiday will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, and not loss; good, and not evil; success, and not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it” (DH Wilson).

‘Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house

Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.

Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care,

In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,

Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.

And Mom in her rocker with babe in her lap

Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter,

I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear

But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.

With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray

I knew in a moment this must be The Day!

The light of His face made me cover my head;

It was Jesus — returning just like He had said!

And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,

I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book Of Life which He held in His hand

Was written the name of every saved man.

He spoke not a word as he searched for my name.

When he said “It’s not here”, my head hung in shame.

The peoples whose names had been written above

He gathered to take to His Father of love.

Those who were ready He took without a sound,

While all the rest were left just standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;

I had waited too long and this sealed my fate.

I stood and cried as they left from my sight;

Oh, if only I had been ready tonight!

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear:

The coming of Jesus is drawing near —

There’s only one life and when comes the last call

We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!

(Author unknown, modified).

When you’ve trusted God and walked His way,

When you’ve felt His hand lead you day by day —

But your steps now take you another way…

Start over.

When you’ve made your plans and they’ve gone awry;

When you’ve tried your best and there’s no more try;

When you’ve failed yourself and you don’t know why…

Start over.

When you’ve told your friends what you plan to do;

When you’ve trusted them and they didn’t come through;

And you’re all alone and it’s up to you…

Start over.

When you’ve failed your kids and they’re grown and gone;

When you’ve done your best but it’s turned out wrong;

And now your grandchildren come along..

Start over.

When you’ve prayed to God so you’ll know His will;

When you’ve prayed and prayed and you don’t know still;

When you want to stop ’cause you’ve had your fill…

Start over.

When you think you’re finished and want to quit;

When you’ve bottomed out in life’s deepest pit;

When you’ve tried and tried to get out of it…

Start over.

When the year has been long and successes few;

When December comes and you’re feeling blue,

God gives a January just for you to…

Start over.

Starting over means “Victories Won”.

Starting over means “A Race Well Run”.

Starting over means “God’s Will Done”.

Don’t just sit there…

START OVER.

(Author unknown, modified).

A Short Course in Work Relations

The six most important words:

I admit I made a mistake.

The five most important words:

You did a great job.

The four most important words:

What do you think?

The three most important words:

Could you please…

The two most important words:

Thank you.

The one most important word:

We.

“Most of us can afford to take a lesson from the oyster. The most extraordinary thing about the oyster is this: Irritants get into his shell. He does not like them; he tries to get rid of them. But when he cannot get rid of them, he settles down to make one of the most beautiful things in the world. He uses the irritation to do the loveliest thing that an oyster ever has a chance to do. If there are irritations in our lives today, there is only one prescription… make a pearl! It may have to be a pearl of patience, but, anyhow, make a pearl. And it takes faith and love to do it” (Harry Fosdick).

“People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering” (Augustine).

“So much of what we intend to do is going to be done tomorrow. In a sense it can be said that tomorrow will be the most wonderful day in history, for that is the day when most of us are going to begin to do better.

“But today is the “tomorrow” that you looked at yesterday. You could begin today to do better and be better… why put it off?

“You’ll never find a better day than today to begin to be what you’ve always wanted to be, to begin to live your dream instead of just dreaming it. Don’t allow your desires to become museum pieces!”

Maritta Terrell

Preparing for a long trip, a traveler said to his friend: “I am just about packed. I only have to put in a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a telescope, a volume of fine poetry, a few biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer and a set of books I have been studying.”

“But,” the friend replied, “you can’t get all that into your bag.”

“Oh, yes,” replied the traveler, “it doesn’t take much room.” He placed his Bible in the corner of the suitcase and closed the lid.

“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen” (Leonardo da Vinci).

“The Bible in a man’s life is God in a man’s life. Where people place the Bible, they place God. The place it demands is the heart — the throne. With nothing less will God be satisfied. Do you neglect it? You neglect God. Do you allow the affairs of house, or business, or friends to ride over it, to displace it from the first position, to put it in the comer, to keep it hidden, neglected, disregarded? Then is God cast behind your back, and great is your danger. A voice of great thunder would not be too loud to rouse you from your folly. You say you have no time to read. The plea is absolutely inadmissible. You take time to eat and drink, and this is the most important kind of eating and drinking. You will have to take time to be ill some of these days. Death will rap at the door, and he won’t ask you if you have time to attend to him. Christ will stand in the earth one of these days, and what about your family, your house, your business then? You will want to turn to wisdom in a hurry, but wisdom will fly far from you” (SC).