A Daily Devotional

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A Nail In A Sure Place


“And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house” (Isaiah 22:22,23).

This prophecy was originally applied to Eliakim, the keeper of the treasuries in the reign of King Hezekiah. The wearing of the key to the treasuries on his shoulder was symbolic of authority. Isaiah, in fact, had used this same symbol in his great prophecy of the coming Messiah, saying that “unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6).

Eliakim thus became a type of Christ in his capacity to open and shut doors with his special key. The Lord Jesus quoted from this passage in His promise to the church at Philadelphia: “These things saith . . . He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for those hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Revelation 3:7,8). This strong assurance has been a great bulwark to many who were trying to maintain a true witness during times of opposition and suffering.

But Eliakim was also called “a nail in a sure place,” and in this also he becomes a wonderful type of Christ. Eliakim was trustworthy in his office, and so is Christ. The nail in a sure place speaks of stability in time of trouble, as Ezra later said: “Now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, . . . to give us a nail in His holy place” (Ezra 9:. Eventually, of course, Eliakim’s nail had to be removed (Isaiah 22:25), but never that of Christ, for He is “an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19), who will never fail.

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Mind—heart—tongue


“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:.

What enters the mind (seat of our intellect), affects the heart (seat of our emotions), and flows from the tongue. It is necessary, therefore, to guard our minds and hearts, because sooner or later, how we think and feel will find its way to our tongue.

The Bible gives ample warning about these three extremely important areas: Don’t be double-minded (“two-souled,” Greek). This kind of person is completely unstable in his mind (text) and his heart (James 4:. He has difficulty believing God will answer prayer. “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord” (James 1:6,7). God means what He says and we should believe it with unwavering faith! Don’t be double-hearted. David wrote concerning double-hearted people. “Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak” (Psalm 12:1,2). In I Chronicles 12:33 the opposite is seen. “Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war . . . which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.” Can we be relied upon in the day of battle? Don’t be double-tongued. This is a qualification of deacons in I Timothy 3:8. “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double tongued.” “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25). Wouldn’t it be better to receive double honor (I Timothy 5:17)?

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King At The Flood

“The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King forever. The L SIZE="-1">ORD will give strength unto His people; the L SIZE="-1">ORD will bless His people with peace” (Psalm 29:10,11).

There are quite a few different Hebrew words which are translated “flood” in the Old Testament. The word in this passage (Hebrew mabbul), however, is unique in that it is only used elsewhere in the account of the Noahic Flood, thus indicating conclusively that the dramatic scenes described in this psalm occurred at the time of the great Flood.

There was never, in all history, such a time as this, when “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). God, therefore, brought about “the end of all flesh” (v.13)—no doubt millions, perhaps billions, of ungodly men and women—by the great mabbul.

In spite of the fact that nearly every culture, all around the globe (made up of descendants of the eight survivors of the Flood) remembers this terrible event in the form of “flood legends,” the very concept of God’s judgment on sin is so offensive to the natural mind that modern scholarship now even denies it as a fact of history.

Nevertheless, the epitaph of the antediluvian world is written in stone, in the sedimentary rocks and fossil beds, everywhere one looks, all over the world. The greatest rebellion ever mounted against the world’s Creator by His creatures, both men and fallen angels, was put down by God simply by His voice! “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters” (Psalm 29:3).

In all the great turmoil of the Flood, Noah and the righteous remnant in the ark were safe through it all. In every age, even in times of stress and danger, “the LORD will bless His people with peace.”

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With Christ


“For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9,10).

The book of Colossians begins with a stirring exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Creator (1:16) and sustainer of all things (v.17). He is the head of the church, and preeminent in all things (v.18). He is fully God (v.19) and yet redeemer (v.20). On the other hand, believers, before they were reconciled, are described as “alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works” (v.21).

It comes as somewhat of a surprise, then, in Chapters 2 and 3, to see that we are inexorably linked with Christ. Our lives and destinies are His—our identification with Him is total. We are not just reconciled, we are with Him in all things.

Notice, first, that we are “buried with Him in baptism” (2:12). Furthermore, we are “quickened together (i.e., made alive) with Him,” no longer “dead in (our) sins” (v.13), and “risen with Him” (v.12). Just as surely as God “raised Him from the dead,” we are born again; given new life.

Obviously, since we are “risen with Christ, (we should) seek those things which are above” (3:1). Our priorities should be His godly priorities (v.2), for “Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (v.1), and we are there.

Next, we are told that our “life is hid with Christ in God” (v.3). To be hidden in Christ is to be totally immersed, covered, our sins concealed, our identity masked within His, indeed, remade into His. God accepts Christ and us, as well, as we are hidden in Him. The next verse amplifies this identification with the term “Christ . . . our life” (v.4).

This identification will not be in vain, for when He “shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory” (v.4). As our text teaches, we are “complete in Him,” for He is fully God, and we are with Him in all things.

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The Powers Of God



“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:.

In these days of rampant humanism, blatant materialism, and effete religionism, the very concept of an all-powerful God who created, controls, and judges all things seems anachronistic, but God is still there, and is still the Almighty.

Three Greek words are translated “power” in Scripture—exousia (“authority”), dunamis (“ability”), and kratos (“strength”). Each is attributed, in unlimited extent, to God the Creator, as incarnate in Christ, the Redeemer. “All power (‘authority’) is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). “For thine is the kingdom, and the power (‘ability’), and the glory, forever” (Matthew 6:13). “That ye may know . . . the exceeding greatness of His power (‘ability’) to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (‘strength’), Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power (‘authority’), and might, and dominion” (Ephesians 1:18–21).

He is the “Almighty God” of Abraham (Genesis 17:1), “the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 40:28). “Our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3).

God can do whatever He pleases, except anything contrary to His nature. He “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2), for He is “the truth” (John 14:6). His inspired Word is inerrant—“the scripture of truth” (Daniel 10:21). We can be certain that He did not “create” the world by evolution, for that would be contradicted both by His infallible Word and by His omnipotence. Being all-powerful, God would surely not create by such a cruel, inefficient process as evolution.

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Seducing Spirits

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Timothy 4:1).

This very cogent warning by the Holy Spirit, spoken “expressly” (or “with special clarity”) for those living in the latter days, predicts an unusual outbreak of seductive demonism-not just in pagan, idol-worshiping or animistic cultures, but in “Christian” nations, where they can lead many to “depart from the faith” which their forefathers once professed. Christians, therefore, should not be taken by surprise at the vast eruption of witchcraft, new-age mysticism, eastern occultism, rock-music demonism, drug-induced fantasies, altered states of consciousness, and even overt Satan-worshipping cults that have suddenly proliferated in our supposedly scientific and naturalistic society. Behind it all are the “seducing spirits” and “the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Ephesians 6:12).

It should be obvious that Christians must completely avoid all such beliefs and practices. “I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (I Corinthians 10:20). “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing” (II Corinthians 6:17). Even “innocent” fun (Halloween parties, ouija boards, dungeons-and-dragons games, etc.) and well-intentioned (but many times superficial) exorcism of apparent demon-possession by Christian workers have often led to dangerous demonic influences in the lives of Christian people, as well as in Christians who have sought supernatural experiences or revelations. In anything that even touches on occultism or demonic influence, the advice of Peter is relevant. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith” (I Peter 5:8,9).

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His Master’s Crib


“The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider” (Isaiah 1:3).

What an indictment this is—not only against the people of Israel, but against men and women everywhere. All were created and made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26,27), for fellowship with Him, but even His own chosen people rejected Him, and most people everywhere all but ignore Him in their daily lives.

“Crib” is the same as “manger,” and when God became man, His human parents “laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7), as there was no room for Him anywhere else. The animals knew Him, and so did the angels, but His people were unconcerned. “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not” (John 1:10).

When He came into Jerusalem, offering Himself as King of Israel, He rode on an unbroken colt, “whereon yet never man sat,” and the little “foal of an ass” (Luke 19:30; Zechariah 9:9) willingly submitted, knowing his divine Master and Maker. But the people of Jerusalem as a whole joined in clamoring for His crucifixion just a few days later.

The indictment against Israel could be lodged with even greater justification against America today. “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: . . . I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me” (Isaiah 1:2). The morals of our people seem to have been turned upside down, and God would say to us also: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20).

Yet—in modern America, as well as in ancient Israel—“as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

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Fire In The Bones

“Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jeremiah 20:9).

When God’s Word really becomes a part of one’s soul, that one can never be the same again. As dejected Jeremiah said in his imprisonment: “The word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily” (Jeremiah 20:, he testified; so he said: “I will not . . . speak any more in His name.” But he could not quit! God’s Word was burning in his bones, and he must let it out. “Is not my Word like as a fire? saith the L SIZE="-1">ORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29).

The psalmist, David, had a similar testimony. “I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue” (Psalm 39:2,3). When the resurrected Christ “expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself,” the two disciples from Emmaus later testified: “Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:27,32).

Of all the symbols applied in the Scriptures to God’s Word, that of fire is the most awe-inspiring. Fire was not a discovery of some primitive man, as evolutionists imagine, but has always been an instrument of God’s judgment, from the flaming sword in Eden (Genesis 3:24) to the lake of fire in hell (Revelation 21:. In fact, God Himself is said to be “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

The Word of fire, in the burning heart cannot be contained, but must be proclaimed at any cost. As Paul acknowledged: “Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (I Corinthians 9:16).

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Choose You A Man

“And he (Goliath) stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and ye servants of Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me” (I Samuel 17:.

The story of David and Goliath was once well known. Even those who never went to church or Sunday school knew it. It’s story line was frequently used as an analogy for an underdog overcoming a favored opponent in sports, politics, or other contest. Unfortunately, recent polls show that many Americans, especially younger ones, have never heard it. Evidently, the humanistic academic establishment has such a strong-hold on American education, as the cultural elite has on the media, that “stories” like this are systematically censored.

Now, more than ever, Americans need to “choose” godly men and women to leadership positions who will lead us into battle against the modern-day Goliaths. And the battle is winnable, for, as David said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v.26).

David had seen, as we have seen, many prior deliverances at God’s hand (v.37), thus he knew the Lord would “deliver (him) out of the hand of this Philistine.”

As he charged, David shouted: “I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts. . . . This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand . . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. . . . For the battle is the LORD’S” (vs.45–47).

If Christians consistently voted, or ran, or supported candidates committed to godly principles, they would win every political race, school board seat, or local administrative post. The political Goliath, then, would be defeated.

Let us not be “dismayed, and greatly afraid” (v.11) as were Saul’s armies, or reconciled to defeat as were David’s brothers (v.28), but become mighty conquerors, in God’s name.

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Logical Milk


“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2).

This exhortation is directed to young Christians who have only recently trusted God’s enduring Word, preached to them in the saving gospel of Christ.

Because of this miracle of regeneration just experienced, a new Christian must now “lay aside [the verb form here means to ‘lay aside once and for all’] all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies” (I Peter 2:1) and partake—as babes—of the “milk of sincerity.” The word for “sincere” means, literally, “without guile,” so he/she must now build all future progress in his/her new life—not on guile, but on guilelessness!

The phrase “of the word” is especially noteworthy. This is not the usual word for “word” (Greek logos), but a closely related word (logikos) from which we get our words “logic” and “logical.” It is used only one other time in the New Testament, where it is rendered “reasonable,” in the classic passage dealing with “your reasonable service” (Romans 12:2).

Thus, Peter is talking about partaking of a spiritual milk which is both logical and without guile. This can be nothing else (as seen in the context) then the incorruptible, eternal, regenerating Word of God, and the living Word (Jesus Christ) revealed therein.

Now the Lord Jesus is surely logical, for He is “the Truth” (John 14:6). In this same chapter, Peter also notes that Christ was without guile (I Peter 2:22). These attributes must be equally true of His written Word. The Scriptures are not full of secret meanings which only specially-trained interpreters can fathom. They are sincere, meaning precisely what they say! Neither are they naive and unscientific, but fully logical and correct in everything they say. Therefore, they are genuine spiritual nourishment for babes in Christ, and will certainly enable them to “grow thereby.”

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Exceeding Greatness

“And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19).

There are a number of Scriptural superlatives that convey something of the tremendous magnitude of our great salvation. These are marked by the adjective “exceeding,” which in the Greek implies essentially boundless surpassing dimensions of the attributes it describes.

First of all, as our text implies, His power available to us is one of exceeding greatness. Its magnitude is measured by the power required to bring Christ back again from death and Hades.

Consider also the measure of His grace, “that in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). His grace has saved us when we were dead in sins, but this is only a small token. In the ages to come, we will experience His grace as one of exceeding riches.

Then there is the wonderful peace of God. “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). In this verse, the word “passeth” is the same word. Paul is saying that God’s peace is one exceeding understanding.

Finally, consider His glory. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (II Corinthians 4:17). The future eternal glory is one of exceeding weight, or abundance.

Thus the infinite blessings and resources of our salvation in Christ are described as providing the power of surpassing greatness, the grace of surpassing richness, the peace which surpasses all understanding, and the eternal glory of surpassing abundance! All of this is freely available “to us-ward who believe.”

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Like The Most High

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14).

These are two of the “I will’s” of Satan, or Lucifer, as he aspired to usurp the throne of God as ruler of the universe (see Isaiah 14:12–15; Ezekiel 28:11–17). Not content to be “the anointed cherub,” the highest of the angelic hierarchy (Ezekiel 28:14), he wanted to be God, and this monstrous pride became “the condemnation of the devil” (I Timothy 3:6), so that he is now “fallen from heaven” and will soon be “brought down to hell” (Isaiah 14:12,15).

Lucifer, of course, is not the Creator, for he was “created” (Ezekiel 28:15) himself. It would seem, therefore, that for him to rationalize his ambition to be like the most High, he must somehow persuade himself that he is like the most High—that is, that God is a created being like himself, and thus can be defeated. He only had God’s word that he had been created by Him, and he evidently chose not to believe what God said (just as do multitudes of men and women today).

He, like they, chose rather to believe that the eternal cosmos had somehow created them all by its own powers. The great cosmos (call it Mother Nature, perhaps) has “created” spirit beings, as well as men and women, and all the worlds inhabited by them. In this scenario, the true Creator God is viewed as only one of many. Therefore, He is vulnerable to defeat—or so Satan evidently believes.

Thus Lucifer became the first evolutionist, and this great lie by which he deceived himself became the basis of his later deception of Eve and then of the founders of all the varied pantheistic religions of the world, as well as modern evolutionism and New-Age philosophies. Nevertheless, God is still on His throne, and “the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14).

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Rest And Work


“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28,29).

There are many types of burdens which we may try to carry. Consider the burdens of sorrow, pain, grief, fear, worry, and above all, sin, which plagues us. In our text for today, Christ promises hope for the “heavy laden” if we will but come to Him and accept His gracious offer of salvation and cleansing. He will either remove the burden, lighten it, or give us strength to bear it—whichever is best. His offer of rest includes inward peace, even in times of trouble here—and perfect peace hereafter.

It may sound paradoxical, but we can actually lighten our load by taking up His “yoke.” “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). In our text, Christ said we are to “learn of Him,” thus emulating His meekness and lowliness in heart as we carry our cross. If we accept His yoke in humility, because of our love for Him, we can endure every hardship and bear every burden with hope and patience.

Even though we are children of the King, we still have work to do. It has always been so, for even sinless Adam and Eve were responsible for tending the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). God knew that idleness and lack of responsibility was improper. Likewise, in the future, we will have responsibilities given to us according to the handling of our responsibilities in this life (Matthew 25:21). We may be co-regents of the Kingdom (Revelation 20:6), but we will still have our responsibilities.

The burdens He gives us now are not oppressive, but with His help, and with the proper attitude, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. It is a “rest” to work for Him.

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The Scattering Hammer


“Is not my Word like as a fire? saith the L SIZE="-1">ORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29).

One of the most picturesque of the figures used to describe the holy Scriptures is that of the hammer striking and shattering a rock. In this text, however, the “rock” is literally a mighty rock mountain.

Furthermore, the effect of the hammer is to “break in pieces.” This phrase actually is a single Hebrew word, which normally means “disperse,” or “scatter abroad.” It is frequently used, for example, in describing the worldwide dispersion of the children of Israel. It was used even earlier, in connection with the first dispersion at Babel: “So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:. Perhaps most significantly of all, it is used in the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7: “Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.”

This verse was quoted by the Lord Jesus just after the last supper, and applied to Himself: “All ye shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matthew 26:31). Combining all these themes, our text really seems to be saying: “Is not My Word like a mighty hammer from heaven that shatters the great mountain and scatters it abroad?”

Our text is inserted in the midst of a stinging rebuke by Jeremiah of Israel’s false prophets, contrasting their lies with the mighty power of God’s true Word. Perhaps it is also a parable of the living Word, who is also the great Rock of ages, as well as the loving Shepherd. When the Rock was shattered, the living stones were ejected from the Rock. The sheep that were thus scattered from the Shepherd became the spreading fire of the written Word, and “they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word” (Acts 8:4).

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No Measure

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man” (James 1:13).

In our text verse, there are two different Greek words used in reference to the “temptation” of man and the fact that God cannot be “tempted” with evil. The word “tempt” in reference to the temptation of man is a Greek word also translated elsewhere in Scripture as “assay,” “examine,” or “try,” in the following examples: “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying (trying) to do were drowned” (Hebrews 11:29). “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves . . .” (II Corinthians 13:5). “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son” (Hebrews 11:17). It is interesting to note that current usage of the English word “assay” most often denotes weighing or measuring. The tempting of man is actually a measuring of the one being tempted.

Although the Greek word used for the temptation of man has many uses in Scripture, the word James uses, when he says the Lord “cannot be tempted,” is used exclusively in this passage. The direct translation is “not temptable.” Our Lord cannot be measured because one has to be in some respect larger or greater or better than that he is measuring! “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). “I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number” (Job 5:8,9).