A Daily Devotional

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Seven Three

“Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (Genesis 3:16).

This prophetic divine judgment on “the woman,” required because of Eve’s disobedience to the Word of God, is the first of the Bible’s “three-sixteens.” In contrast, note the promised blessing in the last three-sixteen of the Old Testament: “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name” (Malachi 3:16).

But look also at some of the three-sixteens of the New Testament. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (I Timothy 3:16). Then, how about II Timothy 3:16! “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

From the inspired Word, we are soon led to seek the indwelling Word. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). This truth also implies the indwelling Holy Spirit. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (I Corinthians 3:16).

But when Christians hear the words “three sixteen,” most all of us think immediately of these glorious words: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

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Italians And Israelites

“Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you” (Hebrews 13:24).

The unknown author of the book of Hebrews (possibly the apostle Paul) was apparently writing from Italy, and thus could send a brotherly greeting from the Christians there to their fellow believers in Israel. The significant thing about this is that the members of the sending church were probably all Gentiles; in the receiving church they were all Jews.

The apostle Paul, once a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5), detesting those outside the nation, had been transformed by the redeeming love of Christ into “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13).

It was necessary that the gospel be preached “to the Jew first” (Romans 1:16) and then “unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:. Although the first Christians, including the apostles and those to whom the book of Hebrews was written, were all Jews, it was not long before “they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness,” refused to submit “themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3), and returned to their ways of legalism. Thus, “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25).

In the meantime, through Christ, both Jews and Gentiles “have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18), for He “hath made both one” (Ephesians 2:14). Our text gives us a beautiful cameo of this new fellowship. Jewish Christians had gone all the way to Rome with the gospel and had won many of the Gentiles to their Christ. Now “they of Italy,” in turn, were saluting their new-found Jewish brethren, and encouraging them, through the apostolic writer who knew them all, to “hold fast the profession of (their) faith without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23).

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Obedience And Righteousness

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

Certainly the focal point of all history and the climax of Christ’s earthly ministry was His sacrificial death on the cross. Christ knew from ages past what was in store for Him, and yet He was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:.

However, as we see in our text, Christ’s obedience included more than His death, for He was perfectly obedient throughout His entire life. Indeed, it is a good thing, for any act of disobedience would have invalidated His sacrificial death. Animal sacrifices in the Old Testament, which prefigured the final sacrifice of Christ, had to be “without blemish” (Leviticus 22:19). But even a perfect animal was not enough (Hebrews 10:4) to satisfy God’s justice and take away sins. “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things; . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18,19).

Christ’s obedience, therefore, consisted not only of His obedience in death, but in His entire earthly life—from His incarnation, “I come . . . to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7)—to His childhood, “(Know) ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)—to His healing and teaching ministry among the people, “I must work the works of Him that sent me” (John 9:4)—to His preparation for death, “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Now, in His obedience, Christ calls us to a life of similar obedience. “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8,9).

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Full

“Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years: and was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:.

With the words of our text, Abraham ended a life of faith, having walked in such close fellowship with God that “he was called the Friend of God” (James 2:23). But when he died, 175 years old, his standing in the world, from human perspective, might not seem to have warranted his nomadic life of sacrifice and faith. He had sojourned in the land given to him by covenant, but he had not taken possession of it in any real sense. Although he had gained a measure of worldly possessions (Genesis 13:2), he had evidently given up a stable and satisfying life of luxury among his people to follow God into the land of promise. Once there, his nephew, Lot, had deserted him, taking the fertile land as his own (13:10,11). Abraham had seen war (Chapter 14), famine (12:10), compromise (12:13; 20:2), fighting between his two wives, and had not had children until his old age (Chapters 16 and 21), had lived with poor relations with his neighbors (Chapter 20), and had eventually lost his dear wife, Sarah (23:2).

But yet, when Abraham died, Scripture says he died completely satisfied, the literal meaning of the word “full” in our text (the words “of years” improperly added by translators). He had learned to measure time by eternity; to weigh the value of earthly things by the Spirit. “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). He had “believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3).

The fullness of Abraham was that of a wealth which death could not touch. The seeming fullness of those who walk by sight, and not by faith, is emptied in death. Men and women of faith carry their fullness with them. When the time comes, may we all die as Abraham died—full.

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Continue

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (II Timothy 3:14).

This encouraging exhortation by the apostle Paul is in the midst of a most discouraging prophetic warning of things to come. “In the last days,” he said, “perilous times shall come” (v.1). We may very well be entering those very times, and, in any case, we do well to be alert for the signs of those times. The doleful description that follows seems to be a very accurate picture of the beliefs and practices of modern secular humanists, including those religionists who have “a form of godliness,” but deny “the power thereof” (v.5).

Furthermore, there is little prospect that the situation will get better, for “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived,” and “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (vs.13,12). Should we, therefore, tremble and flee, or perhaps compromise, or even surrender to such powerful and persuasive deceivers?

No, we should continue! Just keep on believing and obeying God’s Word. Even in the dark last days, the “Holy Scriptures” are still able to make a man “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (v.15). Since they are all “given by inspiration of God,” they are still just as powerful and just as profitable for every need, “that the man of God may be perfect” (that is, ready for whatever comes) and fully equipped “unto all good works” (vs.16,17).

Paul, himself, set an inspiring example of “patient continuance in well doing” (Romans 2:7) under conditions of great trial. Awaiting execution in a Roman dungeon even as he wrote, he still requested his books and parchments (II Timothy 4:13), that he might continue to study and prepare himself. May God enable us, also, to continue, to remain, to abide, to stand, in His truth, in these last days.

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Everlasting Love

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).

Perhaps no doctrine in Scripture is as clearly stated as that expressed in our text and in many other passages. God loves us! His love is an “everlasting love,” and compels Him to act strongly and lovingly on our behalf. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10). This theme finds glorious expression in the grand hymn of the last century entitled “I Am His, and He is Mine.” Its Scriptural basis forms the outline for our next four daily installments. Loved with everlasting love, Led by grace that love to know; Spirit, breathing from above, Thou hast taught me it is so! O this full and perfect peace, O this transport all divine— In a love which cannot cease, I am His and He is mine.

Jesus prayed, “I in them, and thou in me, . . . that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am” (John 17:23,24). The Father will never allow us to part from Him or our Savior.

These precious facts are taught to us by the “inspired” (literally “God-breathed”) Scriptures (II Timothy 3:16), and “the Comforter . . . , the Spirit of truth (who) will guide (us) into all truth” (John 16:7,13). He drew us to Himself “in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Ephesians 1:4,5). “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (I John 3:1). In His grace, we come to Him, experiencing sweet forgiveness and everlasting love.

Cradled in the security of His undying love we have peace. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

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His Everlasting Arms

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

The third verse of Wade Robinson’s love poem to his Lord, “I Am His, and He is Mine,” remembers former times of alarm, fear, and doubt, but testifies of the rest and peace in His love, cradled in the “everlasting arms” of the Savior. Things that once were wild alarms Cannot now disturb my rest; Closed in everlasting arms, Pillowed on the loving breast! O to lie forever here, Doubt and care and self resign, While He whispers in my ear—I am His and He is mine.

This verse reminds us of the evening when Jesus and His disciples were in a boat, and a violent storm arose. They awoke Jesus from His sleep and cried, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). Of course Jesus cared, for He loved them. So “He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still” (v.39). To His disciples, He said “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” (v.40). The time would come when they would need that faith and peace. They would learn to rest in His loving care.

The song also reminds us of the special loving relationship between Jesus and the disciple John. “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). A deep intimacy with Him was John’s, and can be ours, if we will only pillow our head on Him.

No passage expresses that intimacy as well as the Song of Solomon, using the analogy of husband and wife to reflect the self-sacrificing love between our Lord and His children. “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine” (Song of Solomon 6:3).

The affairs of this life interrupt our times of intimacy with Him, but there will be a day when we will “ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:17).

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While God And I Shall Be

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38,39).

The final verse of the majestic hymn, “I Am His, and He is Mine,” focuses on the unending love between the believer and God. As we read in our text, nothing can “separate us from the love of God.” His forever, only His—Who the Lord and me shall part? Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart! Heav’n and earth may fade and flee, First-born light in gloom decline, But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine.

Resting in such supernatural love, which lasts forever, begets peace and rest even now. Our Savior beckons “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Aspects of our present life may be temporary, but His love lasts forever. “The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, . . . but my salvation shall be forever” (Isaiah 51:6). “And even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you” (Isaiah 46:4).

Consider the last line in the hymn. “But while God and I shall be, I am His and He is mine.” As long as either God or the individual remains, their love will last. “But the L SIZE="-1">ORD shall endure forever” (Psalm 9:7). “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). Thus, the Christian “will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23:6).

“I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27,28).

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The Prayer Of Moses

“O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14).

This majestic yet reflective psalm is the oldest of all psalms. The superscript of the psalm identifies it as “a prayer of Moses, the man of God.” While we are not directly told to do so, it is helpful to consider this psalm as the dying song of this man of God, as he reflected back on his long life, including the forty years in Egypt, the forty years in Midian, and, most importantly, the recent forty years of wilderness wanderings. As we survey this psalm, think of Moses pondering his life’s work shortly before he died.

The first stanza of the psalm (vs.1,2), contrasts the unchanging eternity of the Lord, “even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (v.2), with the perpetual changes of the recent wilderness wandering in which the people had no “dwelling place” (v.1). The next stanza (vs.3–6) notes the frailty of man, particularly the destruction of a whole generation. But God is the ever-living One; His years do not fail (v.4). God is also a holy God, justly exercising righteous wrath. The open iniquities and secret sins of all mankind, particularly the people of God, merit His judgment (vs.7,8).

In verses 9–12, we see the transient, carnal experiences of man contrasted with the permanent, spiritual nature of God. We need to recognize the intensity of His anger (v.11) and govern our lives accordingly. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (v.12).

Perhaps the climax of this psalm is reflected in verses 13–15, where we see the beauty of the Lord our God described as the crowning adornment of human character.

The only assurance of the permanent establishment of the work of a man is in its identity with the work of God. Our request of God should be: “Establish Thou the work of our hands upon us” (v.17).

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Weep Not, O Rachel!

“Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy” (Jeremiah 31:16).

One of the saddest records of Scripture was that written in Matthew 2:16. King Herod, fearful of the young child sought by the wise men from the east, “slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under” (Matthew 2:16). They died for Jesus, who later would die for them. As a result, “in Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not” (Matthew 2:18).

Rachel was Jacob’s beloved wife who had died in Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19). Thus the grieving mothers of Bethlehem’s slaughtered children were all personified in her name. She was the mother of Benjamin, whose tribal descendants were still associated with the town.

Significantly, this event had been prophesied long before: “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet” (Matthew 2:17), and then Matthew quoted Jeremiah 31:15, practically verbatim, as cited above in Matthew 2:18. The event must have some special significance.

So note His words of comfort, in the very next verse, which is our text above. “Refrain from weeping!” The slain children (too young for conscious sin, and with Christ’s blood covering their innate sin) are safe with the Lord and someday “shall come again from the land of the enemy.”

Surely all the innocent victims of infanticide (before or after birth) or other causes of death in small children can be justly regarded as secure in Christ, awaiting His second coming and their own resurrection!

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He Knows

“I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first” (Revelation 2:19).

Seven times, in the letters to His seven representative churches, in Revelation 2 and 3, the Lord Jesus says: “I know thy works” (Revelation 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15). Whatever we are doing—or not doing—He knows!

Sometimes such knowledge can bring—or at least should bring—great consternation. He knows, for example, all our hypocrisies: “I know . . . that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1). He also knows when our outward display of religious activity masks a real heart-attitude of compromising self-interest. “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot” (Revelation 3:15).

Yet He also knows when our service is genuine and our testimony is God-glorifying and faithful. “I know . . . thy labor, and thy patience. . . . I know . . . thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith” (Revelation 2:2,13).

Of these seven testimonies of His knowledge, the central one is in our text. He knows when we really love Him, for the “charity” mentioned is nothing less than agape, or unselfish love. He knows all about our sincere “service” and true “faith” in His Word, as well as our “patience” of hope.

Perhaps the most precious of His assurances, however, is that to the suffering church at Smyrna. “I know thy . . . tribulation, and poverty” (Revelation 2:9). When He says that He knows, the sense is that He understands, because He has been through it all Himself. Therefore, “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15,16).

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The Mother Of Us All


“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20).

Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was called the mother of all “the children of promise” (Galatians 4:28), and the wife of Noah was the mother of all post-flood mankind, but Mother Eve, alone, was “the mother of all living.” “Adam was first formed, then Eve,” Paul said in I Timothy 2:13, and so-called “Christian evolutionists” have never yet been able to explain God’s unique formation of Eve’s body in any kind of an evolutionary context.

Eve, as our first mother, experienced all the great joys and great sorrows that all later mothers would know. She evidently had many “sons and daughters” (Genesis 5:4), and probably lived to see many generations of grandchildren. With Adam, she had even known paradise, but sin had entered their lives when they rebelled against God’s Word, and God had to say: “In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children” (Genesis 3:16). The greatest sorrow was no doubt when Cain slew Abel, and as with another mother whose Son’s innocent blood was shed many years later, it was like a sword piercing her own soul (Luke 2:35).

Nevertheless, as near as we can tell, after her first great sin, Eve trusted God’s Word henceforth, and received His forgiveness and salvation. Later, as the mother of Seth, she taught him and her grandson, Enos, about the Lord and all His promises. “Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 4:26).

Most Christian believers are looking forward to seeing their own mothers again someday—restating their love and appreciation for all they did in bearing them, and in caring, teaching, and praying for them. But it will be a wonderful experience to meet our first mother, also, as well as Sarah, Hannah, Mary, and all the other godly mothers of old.

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Thou Hast Made Me Glad

“For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands” (Psalm 92:4).

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High” (Psalm 92:1). So begins this “song for the Sabbath day” (heading), the psalmist extolling the virtues of praising God both day and night (v.2). The true believer, with a proper understanding of God’s majesty, can see, in every situation, His lovingkindness and faithfulness. There is no better way to begin and end the day than to rehearse manifestations of His loving control over each event and circumstance, and express confidence in His ability to handle new situations. “O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep” (v.5).

Vexation over the seeming prosperity of the enemies of God is also proper, but we must rest in the fact that God will act justly at the proper time, when it best suits His purpose. “The wicked . . . shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, . . . shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered” (vs.7–9).

Conversely, the righteous will ultimately flourish. Whether in this lifetime or in the next, God’s justice will prevail. “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God” (v.13).

The claim of ultimate victory must not be considered as vague, insufficient, and improbable, as skeptics have always claimed. The reputation of God, Himself, is on the line. He will not allow His name to be tarnished. He must act “to shew that the LORD is upright: He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (v.15). As in our text, we can even now be “glad” and “triumph” in His works, whether we see them in this life or in the life to come. “O LORD, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep” (v.5).

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The Eternal Flame

“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out” (Leviticus 6:13).

The so-called “eternal flame” at the tomb of former President John Kennedy will surely eventually be extinguished. The same proved to be true for the continual burnt offering ordained by God in Israel’s ancient tabernacle sacrifices. The continual sacrifices for sin were of no more avail, once God’s own sacrifice had been slain. “Every priest standeth daily ministering and offering often times the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; . . . For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11,12,14).

There is one flame, however, which is truly eternal. Jesus spoke of it several times. For example: “It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark 9:43). “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Then, in the last book of the Bible describing the final judgment, “the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. . . . And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:10,15).

But there is also another symbolic significance to the continual burnt offering: “Did not our heart burn within us, . . . while He opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32). “His Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9). “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually” (Hebrews 13:15). Set on fire by the Word of God and the love of Christ, our hearts should burn with His praises continually.

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Thanksgiving And Prayer

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers” (I Thessalonians 1:2).

Thanksgiving and prayer are inseparably joined together in the Scriptures. Those who truly pray will be thankful, and those who are thankful will express this to God in prayer.

The apostle Paul connected these two privileges in many passages besides our text. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6). “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:17,18). “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” (I Timothy 2:1).

Daniel was another person who practiced this principle. His enemies coerced King Darius to enact a law “that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions” (Daniel 6:7). This, of course, did not stop Daniel from praying. “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime” (Daniel 6:10). With the certain prospect of being thrown into the lion’s den, he still prayed and gave thanks. We might have left the thanksgiving out!

At Lazarus tomb, “Jesus lifted up His eyes, (prayer), and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me” (John 11:41); “and Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down” (John 6:11). Our Lord included thanksgiving in His praying, and so should we.