Stained with Blood So Divine

“But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already,…one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith there came out blood and water.” (John 19:33-34)

As with many of the great hymns, the verses of “The Old Rugged Cross” tell a story when considered in sequence. The first verse states the general doctrine of the cross; the second speaks of the necessity of the incarnation to accomplish the cross’ purpose; the third, quoted below, gives details of the crucifixion and what it accomplished, and the last verse rehearses the results, both now and in the future.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For t’was on that old cross Jesus suffered and died
To pardon and sanctify me.

That old rugged cross was stained with blood, as is obvious from our text. But this blood was special, for “ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:18-20).

The divine Lamb of God suffered and died on the cross, “in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14), “that he might sanctify the people with his own blood” (Hebrews 13:12).

But the old rugged cross was not the only thing stained that day, for “the blood of Jesus Christ…cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The saints in heaven are portrayed as having “washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM

Dark Calvary

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.” (Matthew 27:45)

The second verse of the grand old hymn “The Old Rugged Cross” contains much truth, rich and deep.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

The world despises the cross and the One on the cross. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). And yet, even in His bloodied and broken form, there is a wondrous attraction, for “surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:…he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (vv. 4-5).

His death substituted for ours. He was the sacrificial “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). This Lamb is none other than God the Son, who willingly “took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:…and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8). Remarkably, even God the Father “despised” Him as He hung on the cross, for God is holy and for our sakes had “made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The apex of Christ’s suffering came, as we see in our text, when God the Father separated Himself from His beloved Son, “forsaking” (v. 46) Christ to suffer the awful pangs of hell that we deserved. So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM

On a Hill Far Away

“And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha.” (John 19:17)

The Hebrew word golgotha and the Latin word calvarie actually mean “skull.” The Romans had selected a place of execution outside Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:12) but near the city (John 19:20), near a public highway (Matthew 27:39), and easily visible from some distance away (Mark 15:40). This has led many to speculate that it was on a hill, as in the first verse of the well-loved hymn “The Old Rugged Cross.”

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Truly His cross involved great suffering: “Christ also suffered for us….Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:21, 24). Likewise, it involved great shame: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). But this suffering and shame was not in vain, for as we see in both passages above, it was on our behalf. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

However, God’s dearest and best, indeed God’s “only begotten Son” (John 3:16), was slain, not so much for “friends” but for enemies! A world of lost sinners put Him on the cross. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:8, 10). So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM

The Old Rugged Cross

“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

As we ponder the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, a fuller understanding should bring us to an ever-deeper reliance on and identification with Him. To assist us in examining the work of Christ on the cross, let us use the beloved hymn “The Old Rugged Cross.” Here we will find its words reflecting a deep and abiding love for Christ and His cross. The next four days we will, in turn, study each of its four verses, but today note its chorus:

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Our text reminds us that there is no worth in any deed of our own, including even a full adherence to the law of Moses (Galatians 6:12-13). Only through the cross and the salvation by grace made possible by the cross do we have any standing before God. We must cherish the cross and cling to it! Thus, we can say with Paul that this “world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”—its sinful allurements and the recognition of men of no value.

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). All our legitimate accomplishments, those true trophies or “[crowns] of rejoicing” (1 Thessalonians 2:19) done in His power and for His glory, will be cast before His throne (Revelation 4:10) in recognition of His worth and kingship. His cross made it all possible. So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM

The Light and the Sun

“The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.” (Psalm 74:16)

One of the traditional “discrepancies” attributed by the skeptics to the Genesis account of creation is the fact that there was “light” (Hebrew or) on the first day of the creation week, but God did not create the “lights” (Hebrew ma-or) to rule the day and the night until the fourth day.

However, it is interesting that modern evolutionary cosmologists find no problem in having light before the sun. According to their speculative reconstruction of cosmic history, light energy was produced in the imaginary “Big Bang” 15 billion years ago, whereas the sun “evolved” only five billion years ago. Thus, even in their attempts to destroy the divine revelation of Genesis, they inadvertently find it necessary to return to its concepts. Light energy somehow had to be “prepared” before the sun and other stars could ever be set up to serve as future generators of light energy. The fact that light is an entity independent of the sun and other heavenly bodies is one of the remarkable scientific insights of the Bible. As the basic form of energy (even intrinsic in the very nature of matter, as expressed in the famous Einstein equation), it is significant that the first recorded word spoken by the Creator was “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).

In this chapter, the psalmist is entreating the Lord of light, the Creator of all things, to deliver His people from those who are seeking to destroy all genuine faith in the true God of heaven. “The tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually” (Psalm 74:23). Nevertheless, “God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth” (v. 12). The mighty God of creation, who established and controls all the basic energies of the cosmos and their manifestation on the earth, is fully able to defeat His enemies and establish His people. We can be sure of that. HMM

Questions About Creation

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.” (Job 38:4)

In chapters 38–41 of Job is recorded a remarkable series of 77 questions about the creation—questions which God asked Job and his philosophizing friends and that they were utterly unable to answer. At the end of the searching examination, Job could only confess, “Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not” (Job 42:3). Modern evolutionists, despite all their arrogant pretensions, still are not able to answer them either, over 35 centuries later!

But there is one who can answer them, and His answers echo back from another ancient document, the marvelous eighth chapter of Proverbs. To God’s first question, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?” comes His answer: “When he appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by him” (Proverbs 8:29-30). The speaker here is the divine wisdom. He is the Word of God, the preincarnate Son of God, soon to become the Son of man. In this amazing chapter, He echoes an answer to the most searching of God’s inscrutable questions to Job and his friends:

“Who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth?” (Job 38:8). “He set a compass [literally ‘sphericity’] upon the face of the depth:…When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment” (Proverbs 8:27, 29). “Hast thou commanded the morning…and caused the dayspring to know his place?” (Job 38:12). “When he prepared the heavens, I was there” (Proverbs 8:27).

Our Savior was there! “For by him were all things created” (Colossians 1:16). One more question: “Have the gates of death been opened unto thee?” (Job 38:17). Yes, and they have not prevailed! “For whoso findeth me findeth life,…all they that hate me love death” (Proverbs 8:35-36). HMM

Zechariah's Strange Prophecy

“All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” (Matthew 21:4-5)

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an unbroken donkey colt on that momentous first day of the week, just a week before His resurrection, the multitudes quickly recognized that He was fulfilling an ancient prophecy and thereby specifically claiming to be their long-awaited Messiah. The prophecy was that of Zechariah 9:9, and the people in turn began to fulfill David’s even more ancient prophecy, laying palm branches in His path, and crying out: “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD” (Psalm 118:26).

This is one of the few events in the life of Christ that are recorded in all four gospels, though only Matthew notes it as the fulfillment of prophecy. And what a strange prophecy it was! One would think that the anticipated King would come riding on a great white horse, ready to put down all His enemies (and indeed He shall do exactly that some day—see Revelation 19:11).

But here He comes riding on a colt, the foal of an ass, not high and mighty, but meek and lowly! Ah, but as Zechariah prophesied, He comes “just, and having salvation” (Zechariah 9:9). And the salvation He was bringing was not deliverance from Roman subjugation but eternal deliverance from sin and its awful wages.

These same multitudes that hailed Him soon were following their high priest in clamoring for His crucifixion. Nevertheless, He someday will fulfill Zechariah’s later prophecy: “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him” (Zechariah 12:10). Then, finally, indeed, “the LORD shall be king over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9). HMM

The Law Fulfilled…in Us?

“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4)

A miraculous exchange happens when we daily live for our Savior. We give up striving to be good enough in our own power. This is idolatry. We were born with this sinful nature. It compels us to deceive ourselves into thinking that we can be God, knowing enough good and evil to call all the right shots. Nonsense. When we repent, we admit that we cannot be good enough on our own and that we need outside help.

And help us He can! “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Knowing I can never be righteousness for myself, He works righteousness through me.

“The righteousness of the law” from today’s verse is nothing less than perfection. People cannot achieve that, but we all need it. Jesus is perfect, however! He applies that perfection to anyone’s account the moment they repent of sin and trust Him. Now what? He does all the work “in us”! Just trust Him and obey.

It has always worked that way. Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead and behaved like that was true (Hebrews 11:19). James said of Abraham, “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” (James 2:22).

Similarly, as you “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11), you can walk “after the Spirit.” We then do what’s right—the “righteousness of the law.” “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected” (1 John 2:5), and thus the law is “fulfilled in us” by Him. BDT

Jabez's Model Prayer

“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” (1 Chronicles 4:10)

Scripture spotlights Jabez amidst an otherwise plain chronology in 1 Chronicles 1–9. Three aspects of his model prayer show the kind of heart the Lord appreciates.

First, Jabez resisted the temptation to treat God like a vending machine by asking Him for any self-serving thing. He instead prayed, “Oh, that thou wouldest bless me indeed,” leaving the Lord to choose what, when, how, and even if to bless. Now that’s trust.

Second, he asked that the Lord “enlarge my coast.” He did not say, “Enlarge my bank account.” Rather, it could be that he wanted a wider sphere of influence for the Lord. This would imply that Jabez really desired others to know “the God of Israel.”

Third, Jabez asked the Lord to help keep him holy—not necessarily happy. He invited God’s hand to “be with me,” not to make him wealthy but to “keep me from evil.” He had the same mind as Peter, who wrote, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16, quoting Leviticus 11:45).

How many of our prayers have we wasted in either seeking selfish gain from our Lord, seeking secure circumstances instead of Him, or seeking His blessing amidst a refusal to do what’s right in one area or another? It’s a good bet that the Lord would appreciate it if we instead, like Jabez, seek His blessing according to His will, ask Him for help in pointing more people to Him, and cling to His help to live holy lives set apart for Him. BDT

Headstone of the Corner

“The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.” (Psalm 118:22)

That this enigmatic verse is really a Messianic prophecy is evident from the fact that Christ Himself applied it thus. “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?” (Matthew 21:42). The Jewish leaders had refused Him as their Messiah, but the day would come when they would have to confess their sad mistake.

Later, addressing them concerning “Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead,” the apostle Peter said, “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner” (Acts 4:10-11).

This analogy evidently refers back to the building of Solomon’s great temple a thousand years earlier. At that time, each of the great stones for its beautiful walls was “made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building” (1 Kings 6:7). According to tradition, there was one stone that didn’t fit with the others, so the builders moved it out of the way. At last, when the temple tower was almost complete, they found they were missing the pinnacle stone that would cap all the rest. Finally they realized that the stone they had rejected had been shaped to be the head stone at the topmost corner of the tower.

Peter referred to it again in his epistle: “Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious….Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient” (1 Peter 2:6-8). HMM

A Time to Sleep

“And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.” (Acts 12:6)

Here is an amazing thing. The apostle Peter is in prison, bound with chains, heavily guarded, probably awaiting execution (his close friend James already had been put to death by Herod), and “prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5).

Yet, here he is, fast asleep! He had been imprisoned at least once before for preaching the gospel, and the Lord had miraculously delivered him then (Acts 5:17-19), so why should he be fearful now? The Lord was still in control, and there was nothing Peter himself could do about the situation, so he simply went to sleep. There are, of course, many situations where a Christian needs to stay alert and watchful. But there are also times when he has done all he can do, and there is nothing to be accomplished by further worrying, so he must leave it in the Lord’s hands.

In Peter’s case, he was sleeping so soundly that when an angel from God came to deliver him from his “impossible” circumstance, the angel had to smite him on the side to awaken him (v. 7)! In fact, he was still so sleepy that he did not really “come to himself” until the angel left him out on the street alone (v. 11).

Then, of course, Peter rushed back to the house of Mark’s mother, where the church was praying for him (v. 12), to tell them of the amazing answer to their prayers. As with Peter, there are times when we must simply “stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exodus 14:13), “so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6). HMM

My Glory

“O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.” (Psalm 108:1)

This seems a somewhat strange expression. A similar statement is found in Psalm 30:12:“To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.” Also, note Psalm 57:8: “Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp.”

The Hebrew word is the normal word for “glory,” as in Psalm 19:1, for example: “The heavens declare the glory of God.” But what, then, is meant by “my glory”? The explanation is found in the way the New Testament quotes Psalm 16:9: “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth.” In Acts 2:26, this verse is applied to Christ and translated, “Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad.”

It becomes clear, then, that in such passages “my glory” simply means “my tongue.” In fact, the word was translated “tongue” in these and other similar passages in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament.

But why, then, did the inspired Hebrew text here use the words “my glory” instead of the usual Hebrew word for tongue? The answer probably is that when our tongues are used to praise the Lord, they do, indeed, become our glory!

It is this very ability, among others, that distinguishes man from the animals. Animals can bark, roar, grunt, and send out sonar signals, but they cannot speak in intelligible, symbolic, abstract speech. This is an unbridgeable evolutionary gulf that cannot be crossed, because only men and women were created in the image of God.

Mankind alone has the ability to speak for the simple reason that God desires to communicate with us so that we can respond in praise to Him. This is our glory! “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1). HMM

Prosperity Versus Contentment

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6)

In this day of Madison Avenue sales pressures and an ever-increasing array of technological gadgets and creature comforts, the Christian virtue of contentment is a rare commodity. There is even a widespread error among born-again Christians that material prosperity is a token of spirituality and divine approval on an affluent lifestyle.

Instead of a blessing, however, such affluence (if it comes) should be regarded as a testing, for Jesus said, “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48).

Paul was perhaps one of the most faithful and fruitful Christians who ever lived, yet he died penniless in a Roman dungeon. His own testimony concerning material possessions and standards of living was this: “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4:11-12).

In the context of our key verse above, the apostle Paul has actually been warning young Timothy against the influence of those who suppose, among other things, “that gain is godliness” and who think that their material prosperity is proof of their spiritual prosperity. “From such” says Paul, “withdraw thyself” (1 Timothy 6:5). Material gain in no way either produces or denotes godliness; rather, godliness itself is the gain if accompanied by contentment in Christ (otherwise, of course, it is not true godliness)! Even the most impoverished believer can acquire riches in heaven, where it really counts. In the meantime, “let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). HMM

The Stars Also

“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.” (Genesis 1:16)

On the fourth day of the creation week, God made the two lights for day and night, and then—almost like an afterthought—“he made the stars also.” Nothing, of course, is an afterthought with God, but this emphasizes the relative importance of these parts of His creation. Whether or not the earth is the geographical center of the universe, Earth is the center of God’s interest in the universe. This is where He created man and woman in His own image and where He will reign over His creation in the ages to come.

The primary purpose of the stars, as well as the sun and moon, was “to divide the day from the night; and…be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: and…to give light upon the earth” (Genesis 1:14-15). They could not fulfill these functions, of course, if their light could not be seen on the earth, so we can be sure that these heavenly bodies and their light rays were created—like Adam and Eve—“full-grown,” in a state of functioning maturity.

All that can be known scientifically about the stars must be determined from their light intensity and spectra. (Their distances can be measured geometrically only to about 300 light-years.) Any other information—any greater distances, size, temperature, etc.—must be derived by inference, based on some theory of stellar evolution.

Although the stars all look alike (even through a telescope, they all appear as mere points of light), these calculations have shown that each one is unique, as revealed long ago in Scripture: “One star differeth from another star in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:41). Those who believe can learn more about them in the ages to come, for “they that be wise shall shine…as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). HMM

Power of Faith

“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

Believing faith should never be seen as the goal, only the beginning of wonderful growth in the “divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4-9).

Faith both preserves and protects us. Jesus boldly declared, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me hath [present tense] everlasting life, and shall not come [future imperative] into condemnation; but is passed [pluperfect or past perfect tense] from death unto life” (John 5:24). “For the LORD preserveth the faithful” (Psalm 31:23). That’s pretty clear. Either those words are accurate or they are untrue. There is no middle ground.

Faith is the “shield” against the enemy. Many of us have read about the great “armour of God” described in Ephesians 6. Of the seven “pieces” listed in those verses, we are told, “Above all [take] the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” And when we “resist the devil” (James 4:7), we are to do so “in the faith” (1 Peter 5:9).

Faith gives us power for effective prayer. The “faith as a grain of mustard seed” promise in Matthew 17:20 refers not to size or amount but to the quality. “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed…nothing shall be impossible unto you.” We might translate that as “If you have the same kind of faith as a mustard seed, nothing shall be impossible unto you.” The “ask...seek...find” promise of Matthew 7:7 depends on our confidence in our heavenly Father. And finally, “this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14). HMM III