A Daily Devotional

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The Truth

". . . God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

The verses preceding our text encourage believers to be in prayer "for all men" (v. 1), including "all that are in authority" (v. 2), that our own lives might be "quiet and peaceable," as well as for their salvation.

God, who abhors and promises to judge sinful individuals, does not desire to punish anyone. His desire is for "all men to be saved," and He has done all that is necessary to bring this about, by paying sin's awful penalty of death. While not all will avail themselves of this opportunity, choosing instead to continue in their sin, our prayers somehow are used by God to bring some "to the knowledge of the truth."

The truth necessary for salvation follows: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all" (vv. 5-6).

In order to be saved, we must embrace the fact that there is only "one God" who alone holds the key to eternity, and that there is only one way by which we can reach that God, "the man Christ Jesus." We, in our natural state, are at war with God, estranged from Him, and separated by the presence of sin in our lives. Christ Jesus, acting as our mediator, our peacemaker, our advocate, being both fully God (i.e., "one God") and fully man (i.e., "the man") bridges the gap between the Father and all men. As Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6).

How has He bridged the gap? He "gave himself a ransom for all" (v. 6). The Bible teaches that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23) but that "Christ died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:3). Since He willingly "gave Himself" as a punishment for our sins, we can stand before God the Father in Christ's sinlessness.

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Liberty Throughout the Land

"And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family." (Leviticus 25:10)

This verse is especially significant in American history as the verse from which the great exhortation was taken on the first Independence Day: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof!" It has ever since been associated with the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, as Americans each year thank God for "the land of the free."

The verse is also significant as containing the first mention of "liberty" in the Bible. In its biblical context, it established the "jubilee year," when all those Israelites who had sold themselves into bondage were set at liberty. The founding fathers of our nation evidently believed there was a parallel between freedom from bondage to the king of England and freedom from bondage in ancient Israel.

But there is even a greater freedom than this. Jesus said, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. . . . If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:34, 36). "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? . . . But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life" (Romans 6:16, 22).

There is always a danger that a free country will someday allow itself to be brought again into bondage, and also a danger that a believer will fall back into sin. To both, God would say, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1).

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Lord of Hosts

"And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there." (1 Samuel 1:3)

This majestic name of God, "Lord of hosts" (Hebrew, Jehovah Sabaoth), occurs almost 240 times in the Bible, first of all in our text above. It is noteworthy that Elkanah, the father of Samuel, understood this name of God better than did the wicked priests, the two sons of Eli. The name occurs only once in the New Testament, speaking of oppressed laborers crying to "the Lord of sabaoth" (James 5:4).

A similar name, "God of hosts," occurs nine times, the first in Psalm 80:7: "Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." The combined name "LORD God of hosts" is used about 25 times, first in 2 Samuel 5:10: "And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him."

In all these 270 or so references, the name is used to emphasize the mighty power of God and His great host of angels "that excel in strength, that do his commandments" (Psalm 103:20). Not only is God Himself omnipotent and omniscient (after all, He is the Creator of all things!), but He has "an innumerable company of angels" (Hebrews 12:22) at His call. Occasionally some of these mighty hosts have actually been seen by men, as in the days of Elisha (2 Kings 6:17), and at the birth of Christ (Luke 2:13).

There is evidently an angelic hierarchy among these heavenly hosts. There are the cherubim and seraphim (Genesis 3:24; Isaiah 6:2), for example, as well as "Michael the archangel" (Jude 9) and "Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God" (Luke 1:19). However, the great "captain of the host of the LORD" (Joshua 5:14) is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He, and He alone, is the true "LORD of hosts."

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Rest with Us

"Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels." (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)

The Christians in the young church at Thessalonica, very soon after accepting Christ, underwent severe "persecutions and tribulations" (v. 4). The apostle Paul wrote to commend them that God had thus judged them to be "counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer" (v. 5). That is, the kingdom of God was being persecuted when they were persecuted, and God would certainly repay their tormentors in kind. The believers' tribulations were from men. Those who were being troubled would receive "rest with us" from God ("rest" here is a noun, not a verb).

The Thessalonians must realize, however, that this righteous recompense--at least in its full measure--must await the return of the Lord Jesus. They must resist the temptation to repay their persecutors in kind if the opportunity should come. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:19). They must simply continue to "endure" and "suffer," so that "our God would count you worthy of this calling, and . . . That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you" (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5, 11-12).

The Lord Jesus Himself is our example, "that ye should follow his steps: . . . Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:21, 23).

"In the last days . . . all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:1, 12), and latter-day Christians may very well have opportunity to put this ancient counsel to the Thessalonians into present practice. If so, may God give us the grace to endure as they endured!

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Author of Peace

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." (1 Corinthians 14:33)

Although these words were written with respect to church order, they express a general principle. "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated . . . . And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace" (James 3:15-18).

Our world, and our natural lives, seem perpetually in confusion, turmoil, and strife, and the source is the evil one--"the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). The only one who can bring true peace is the Author of peace.

This is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, for only "he is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14). He is the Author of peace, just as the devil is the author of all confusion and strife. Note the other titles of our great Author of peace.

He is called "the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus" (Hebrews 13:20). He is also "The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Melchizedek, who was at least a type of Christ, if not an actual pre-incarnate theophany of Christ Himself, is called "King of Salem, which is, King of peace" (Hebrews 7:2). In 2 Thessalonians 3:16, He is "the Lord of peace."

He is the Author of peace, the Lord of peace, the Prince of peace, the King of peace, the very God of peace! He is our peace! Some day, "he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 9:10). In that day, "the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly" (Romans 16:20), and "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end" (Isaiah 9:7).

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Exalting the Anointed One

"The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed." (1 Samuel 2:10)

This is a remarkable prayer, uttered under divine inspiration by Hannah, thanking God for the miraculous birth of Samuel. It contains the first explicit reference in the Bible to the Messiah ("anointed," in the Hebrew, is Messiah, equivalent to the Greek "Christ"). Hannah's prophetic prayer predicts the ultimate exaltation of Messiah over all the adversaries of the Lord, to the very ends of the earth.

Hannah also prophesied the coming of the Lord's great King. Yet this was during the time of the judges, long before the people of Israel even began to request a king.

In fact, the entire prophecy is the first of many similar prophecies throughout the Bible which look forward to the return of the Lord "out of heaven" to judge all nations, to destroy His enemies, and to establish His anointed one as King of the earth.

There is nothing comparable to this prophecy in the earlier books of the Bible, but it is a theme often emphasized in the psalms and in the books of prophecy, as well as in the New Testament. For example, note David's great prophecy: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed. . . . Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath. . . . Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. . . . and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession" (Psalm 2:2, 5-6, .

There are many similar later prophecies, but it is significant that the first one also contains the first mention of Messiah, and that was from the lips of a humble, but devout, mother.

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Filled and Fulfilled

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." (Colossians 1:9)

In this precious prayer, Paul sought for the Colossian Christians the full knowledge of the will of God. For the Christians at Rome he prayed that they might be filled "with all joy and peace in believing" (Romans 15:13). For the Ephesians, he prayed that they "might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:19), and then urged them to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). He wrote to the Philippians, "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; . . . Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:9-11). For the Colossians, he also prayed for their "full |same as 'filled with'| assurance of understanding" (Colossians 2:2).

Together, all these prayer requests constitute an ideal description of a complete Christian--an ideal for which we should all strive and pray--both for ourselves and for others. Summarizing again, the list is as follows:

"Filled with all joy and peace in believing."

"Filled with the fruits of righteousness."

"Filled with the knowledge of his will."

"Filled with the Spirit."

"Filled with all the fulness of God."

"Filled with assurance of understanding."

It is also worth noting that the Greek word for "filled" is the same as for "fulfilled." When a Christian is "filled" with all these wonderful realities, he becomes a "fulfillment," as it were, of God's purpose in creating and redeeming him. His ultimate goal, of course, is to measure up to "the fulness of Christ," Himself (Ephesians 4:13).

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Be Truly Converted

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19)

To be "converted" can mean many things. The Greek word simply means to "turn" or "change directions." Christian conversion, however, refers to turning away from the whole world system and turning to God through Christ. Similarly, to "repent," in the Greek, means essentially to "think differently" and, in a Christian context, to change one's whole thought process from worldly reasoning to spiritual, as centered in Christ and the Scriptures. Genuine Christian repentance and conversion result in having one's "sins . . . blotted out" and thus true "times of refreshing" from the Lord.

But without real repentance and conversion, there is no salvation. Jesus said: ". . . except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5), and He also said: "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

There are, sad to say, multitudes of men and women who think they are Christians, but are not. This is evidenced by the lack of real change in their thinking and living from the beliefs and practices of the world. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Christ Himself has warned that: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, . . . ? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you" (Matthew 7:22-23). Therefore, it behooves all who profess Christ to seriously review their personal belief and behavior in terms of their conformity to the world of men or to the Word of God. As Paul exhorted: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5).

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Christ at Creation

"When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep." (Proverbs 8:27-28)

This chapter contains a beautiful description of some of God's works during Creation Week when God, in Christ, was creating and making all things. Christ Himself, personified as the divine wisdom, the word of God, is speaking.

Verse 27 speaks of His pre-existence before the creation of the space/time universe itself. At first the "earth" matter was "without form," with only a great "deep" of water. Then God "set a compass" on the face of the deep, activating the gravitational forces which brought it into spherical form. The Hebrew word for "compass" means "sphere." It is the same word used in Isaiah 40:22, where it is said that God "sitteth upon the circle |i.e., 'sphere'| of the earth."

Then God "established the clouds above." The word for "clouds" means "thin mists," undoubtedly referring to the great water canopy "above the firmament" (Genesis 1:7). Finally, He strengthened the fountains of the deep, locking them under the "foundations of the earth" (Proverbs 8:29). The same strong fountains of the deep would later be broken up at the time of the great Flood. When the earth was finished, He "rejoiced in the habitable part of his earth" (i.e., Proverbs 8:31).

In all these and the other mighty works of creating and making all things, the Lord Jesus Christ assures us "I was there!" That further assures us, of course, that through all the ages to come, He will be there.

This remarkable eighth chapter of Proverbs concludes with the following exhortation, more relevant today than ever: "For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all that hate me love death" (Proverbs 8:35-36).

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Who Shall Bring Me Down?

"The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?" (Obadiah 3)

The little Book of Obadiah is entirely devoted to a prophecy against the strong nation of the Edomites, descended from Jacob's carnal and careless brother, Esau. At the time he wrote, Edom's capital was in what seemed to be the impregnable rock fortress of Petra, and the Edomites had been a great people in the Bible lands for many centuries.

But God had pronounced their doom, through Obadiah and other prophets, because of their inordinate pride and their rebellion against the word of God, following their father, Esau. No one today seems to know exactly how it all came about, but today Petra and the land of the Edomites are a barren wilderness--a marvel to tourists, but nothing more.

Edom's gradual decline and eventual abandonment constitute one of many fulfilled Bible prophecies dealing with ancient nations and cities. Many other great nations of the past--Assyria, Babylonia, Philistia, Moab, and the Hittite empire, to mention just a few--all rebelled against their Creator, and all--like Edom--have finally vanished, just as the prophets had warned. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God" (Psalm 9:17).

Though the Edomites have vanished as a distinct people, their spiritual and intellectual heirs are legion. Like Esau, their father, and like King Herod, their best-known descendant, these modern spiritual heirs of the Edomites have had abundant opportunity to know and serve the true God, but they have deceived themselves through pride of heart--a pride that can manifest itself in various ways--pride of wealth, pride of intellect, or appearance, or strength, or position. May God deliver us from the Satanic sin of pride!

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Total Abstinence

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." (1 Peter 2:11)

The command to abstain occurs only a few times in the New Testament, but there are three occurrences which are especially relevant for Christians today: One of these is 1 Thessalonians 4:3: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." The Greek word here actually applies to any type of sexual relationship outside of marriage, and the command is not merely for temperance or for "love" in one's non-marital sexual relationships, but for total abstinence. This exhortation is perhaps needed more today than at any time since the days of pagan Rome, even for Christians and, unfortunately, Christian leaders. But that is not all. In the words of our text, we are also urgently exhorted to "abstain from fleshly lusts," since these carnal desires are in mortal combat with our very souls. One must avoid situations which might initiate or encourage fornication or its kindred activities.

But even that is not sufficient for the serious Christian man or woman. "Now we exhort you, brethren, . . . Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:14, 22). The word here means anything that in outward form might appear to be evil, regardless of whether it is really wrong in itself or not. The Lord desires that we "adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (Titus 2:10), and that we "Give none offense" (1 Corinthians 10:32).

A believer cannot afford to be careless in this warfare against his soul. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

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The Remarkable Psalms

"And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." (Acts 13:32-33)

Here is a clear instance in which the gospel ("glad tidings") was preached in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit, through the psalmist David, promised that one day the Son of God would rise from the dead--the "first born from the dead" (Colossians 1:18). The Lord Jesus actually used certain psalms to prove His own deity, quoting Psalm 110:1 (Matthew 22:43-45) and Psalm 82:6 (John 10:34-36) in support of His claims.

This unique passage in the Book of Acts offers another fascinating item of information that is often overlooked. By identifying the second psalm as such, the writer (guided by the Spirit) tells us in effect that the chapter divisions of the Book of Psalms were there by divine ordination right from the first. Furthermore, since each of the psalms is a poem, with clear-cut verse divisions, this longest book in the Word of God was evidently subdivided into chapters and verses by divine inspiration. Similar divisions were later added to the other books by biblical scholars in the Middle Ages, but they were in the psalms from the beginning. It is not surprising, then, that we can find many remarkable examples of design in the very structure of the Book of Psalms (e.g., the 22 stanzas of eight verses each in Psalm 119).

This second psalm is the first of the so-called Messianic psalms, but actually, the Lord Jesus Christ and His glorious gospel of salvation are clearly present in every one of the 150 psalms. "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him" (Psalm 2:12).

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The Plant of Renown

"I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more." (Ezekiel 34:29)

This "plant of renown" is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ, and this promise is the climax of one of the great Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, assuring Israel that her Messiah would deliver them some day from their long exile and bondage. David would again be their shepherd (v. 23); there would be "showers of blessing" (v. 26); and they would again be the people of the Lord (v. 30).

The same "renown," usually translated "name," is actually the same as "Shem," the name of the faithful son of Noah. This "plant of Shem" would fulfill God’s ancient prophecy, through Noah: "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem." Japheth (progenitor of the Gentiles) would "dwell in the tents |that is, the spiritual family| of Shem" (Genesis 9:26-27).

The primary meaning, however, no doubt centers on this "plant of the name"--that is, that one whose name would be implanted firmly and permanently in the very ground He had created, in Israel. There, in that place of His choosing, He is the "true vine" (John 15:1), who will provide the true nourishment for His people forever.

And yet, at first, He must "grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground" (Isaiah 53:2). That is, He would appear first as a mere sprout out of a dead stump, "a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch . . . out of his roots" (11:1). This "tender plant" would be badly "bruised" (11:2, 10) for our iniquities, but then He shall "see his seed prolong his days," and become our plant of renown forever. "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Psalm 1:3). He is our very tree of Life!

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Dead Works

"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and a faith toward God." (Hebrews 6:1)

The phrase "dead works" can be found only twice in the New Testament. In the first (our text) it refers to the deeds of the unsaved sinner from which he must turn away in salvation, while in the second, later in the same epistle, it refers to unprofitable deeds accomplished by the believer, from which we must also turn away (Hebrews 9:14).

Dead works are certainly not good works, but neither are they necessarily evil works. Rather, they are ineffective, useless acts which count for nothing. They are as different from evil or good works as wild fruit is from good fruit or bad fruit. In this analogy, while bad fruit looks unappealing and would never pass for food, wild fruit may have the appearance of good fruit, but lacks flavor and nutritional value, and would provide no useful function, even if it were eaten. In just the same way, dead works which may be of some humanitarian value, lack life--not stemming from proper motives and not being propelled by love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) thus accomplish nothing of lasting value.

The non-Christian can pridefully indulge in such works, but this must be repented of at the point of salvation. Likewise, the Christian must replace his useless dead works with good works, through the power of the Spirit of the living God. "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:14).

May we continually submit all our efforts to Him, recognizing that service to the living God does not entail our dead works.

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The Angelic Shout

"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:7)

The phrase "shouted for joy" in this verse is actually a single word (ruwa) in the Hebrew, and it can carry a number of meanings. It is most frequently translated simply "shout," as when the army of Joshua surrounding Jericho shouted, and the walls fell down (Joshua 6:20). In Psalm 100:1, it is translated "Make a joyful noise." It can refer to a shout of alarm, or shout of triumph, as well as a shout of joy, but it always refers to a loud shout. In fact, it comes from a root meaning "to split"--a noise that would split eardrums or shatter glass.

In the context of Job 38, the Lord is reminding Job and his friends of the great primeval event of creation. When the earth--which is destined eventually to house God's throne in the eternal ages to come--was established on solid foundations (on the third day of Creation), a resounding noise like mighty thunder--or, better, a gigantic angelic anthem echoed throughout the universe. An "innumerable company of angels" (Hebrews 12:22), identified in the poetic structure of the Hebrew parallelism in our text as both "morning stars" and "sons of God," shouted exultantly and sang in unison when the solid earth appeared.

The angels probably were created on the first day of Creation Week, immediately after the creation of the universe, itself. Even though Satan and other angels later rebelled against God, most of the angels still obey Him, and one day, we ourselves will actually hear them singing His praises and shouting for joy when He returns to earth (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 4:9-11; 5:11-14; Psalm 148:1-6).

Therefore, "Praise ye him all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts" (Psalm 148:2). Someday, we shall join them in a "joyful noise" at God's throne.