A Daily Devotional

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The Swoon Fantasy


“And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury” (John 19:39,40).

Skeptics refuse to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, but they have had an inordinately difficult time in trying to explain it away. One of the most widely advanced—yet most ridiculous—notions is that Jesus merely swooned, and later, in the cool air of the tomb, He regained consciousness, unwrapped His grave clothes, moved the great stone aside from the tomb’s entrance, overpowered all the Roman soldiers stationed there, and returned triumphantly to His disciples, who then incorrectly reported that He had been raised from the dead.

This whole tale is an absurd fantasy for many reasons, born of desperation. In our text verses, for example, Nicodemus brought a great weight of burial spices and linen clothes in which to bury Jesus’ body. John is careful to say that all these spices and clothes were “wound” together. When Lazarus had emerged alive from the tomb a few days earlier, he “came forth, bound [same word as ‘wound’] hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin,” so that others had to “loose him, and let him go” (John 11:44).

The clothes about Jesus were thus tied together so firmly that He could not possibly have untied them by Himself, even if He had been strong and whole. He didn’t have to untie them, of course, since His resurrected body simply passed through the clothes, leaving them lying there as though they still held Him in their folds (John 20:6,7). The Lord Jesus assuredly did not swoon. He died for our sins, and rose again!

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Our Rock: The Creator

“Of the Rock who begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee” (Deuteronomy 32:18).

Just before his death, Moses predicted the coming apostasy of Israel in a prophetic “history” of Israel. Not only did his prophecy come true for the nation of Israel, but the same could be said for much of western Christianity today.

Moses recounted the fact that Israel had been blessed greatly of the Lord, but instead of drawing closer to Him, they grew “fat, and . . . forsook God which made [them], and lightly esteemed the Rock of [their] salvation” (Deuteronomy 32:15). The use of the term “rock” refers to the rock which Moses struck, yielding water to sustain them in the parched desert region. This rock followed the people on their journeys and provided an ever-present reminder of God’s marvelous provision. (If one should further doubt as to the identity of the Rock, “that Rock was Christ” [I Corinthians 10:4].) They totally forgot, however, the God of their Creation and Salvation, and sacrificed to demons, old gods, and to any new gods around (Deuteronomy 32:17).

God has given us life, and without His daily sustenance, all life would cease. How foolish it is to attempt to live life without the One “who begat” us—who gave us life and even now maintains it. All too often the Creator God is excluded from our churches, our government, and our schools. Even many Christians live their lives as practical atheists, making decisions and living their lives just as if no God exists. Let us recommit ourselves to giving the rightful place in our lives and in our sphere of influence to “the Rock who begat us.”

“I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He” (Deuteronomy 32:3,4).

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Justification, By Faith Or


“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no fresh be justified” (Galatians 2:16).

Some have argued that James contradicts Paul at this point, since James emphasized that both Abraham and Rahab, among others, were justified by works (James 2:21,25). In fact, this seeming conflict between Paul and James has often been cited as one of the “contradictions” of the Bible.

There is no contradiction, however. Neither Abraham nor Rahab could have been justified by the “works of the law,” and James never said they were. Abraham lived before God even gave the law to Moses, and Rahab lived in a pagan culture which knew nothing about it. Furthermore, James himself knew that no one could really be saved by the law, for he said that “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

Actually, both Abraham and Rahab were “justified”—which means “seen as righteous”—by faith in God and His provision of salvation (note James 2:23; Hebrews 11:31). The righteousness of Christ, who did keep perfectly the law of God, is imputed to believers by faith (Romans 4:3–5). God sees him or her as “in Christ,” and so they are justified (recognized as righteous) solely through faith.

However, other men cannot see our faith, and therefore we must be justified in the sight of men by our works. Again, there is no contradiction, for true saving faith inevitably will manifest itself in works of righteousness. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: . . . For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8,10).

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Preservation


“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast” (Psalm 36:6).

Preservation is a term used to describe God’s continued maintenance over all He has created. Wherever there is any created thing, God is not only there in knowledge, but also in presence maintaining it. This truth is clearly seen in Nehemiah 9:6. “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.” Paul stated this truth thusly, “And He (Christ) is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (or, are held together) (Colossians 1:17). Not only are the things of nature held together by Christ, but our very breath is under His control. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

The doctrine of preservation becomes ever more beautiful when we examine it in the life of the believer.

“Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1). “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (Psalm 121:7,8). Because of God’s preserving power, the evils that come during the day or night will not overcome the believer.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thessalonians 5:23). Jude writes, “to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ” (v.1). Our salvation, both now and forever, is absolutely secure through God’s continued preservation.

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When The Rivers Run Dry


“The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness” (Joel 1:20).

After the Flood of Noah, God set a boundary for the waters, “that they turn not again to cover the earth” (Psalm 104:9). There is a time coming, however, when even such a mighty river as “the great river Euphrates” will run dry, and “the water thereof (will be) dried up” (Revelation 16:12). Instead of covering the earth, the life-giving waters will be withheld, as one of God’s coming judgments on the rebellious world of the last days. His prophetic witnesses will be given power to “shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy” (Revelation 11:6). Furthermore, the atmosphere will be so restrained that “the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree” (Revelation 7:1), yet the sun will burn so intensely that “men (will be) scorched with great heat” (Revelation 16:9).

All of this will generate great fires and famine around the world. The prophet Joel places all this in the context of the coming “day of the LORD . . . as a destruction from the Almighty” (Joel 1:15). The pastures will burn up, and the rivers will dry up, “for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” (Joel 2:11). “Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left” (Isaiah 24:6).

Yet there is also a time coming when the judgments are past and “the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: . . . And the ransomed of the LORD shall return. . . : They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:7,10). In that day—as in this—it is all-important to be among the ransomed.

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A Divine Pattern For Life

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1).

This beautiful Psalm has been a source of perennial joy and challenge to Christians everywhere. David wrote most of the 150 psalms of the Bible, and many of them, especially the first, he set forth a divine pattern for the life of a person of any age or culture.

Many translations, including the ancient Septuagint version, render the opening word “blessed” to read “happy.” This first psalm sets forth the pattern of soul enjoyment resulting from the positive study and investigation of the Word of God.

There is a series of interesting triplets in the first verse: walk, stand, sit; counsel, way, seat; ungodly, sinners, scornful. The man who avoids the second and third triplets by properly using the verbs in the first triplet is “happy.” The world offers three systems of communication: counsel, way, seat, all of which are very attractive. But consider the source of these three kinds of communication. They come from the triplet: ungodly, sinners, and scornful.

The second verse gives the justification for divine blessing on any individual who “delights in the law of the LORD” (v.2). In our day, the words “law of the LORD” can be broadened to mean the Bible. This is a day-and-night program, utilizing both spare moments and selected moments. The result: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, . . . and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (v.3)

What a precious reservoir of blessing the Bible becomes to the one who occupies himself with the Word of God; “For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish” (v.6).

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The Apple Of The Eye

“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath He sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:.

This common phrase is often used to identify an object of one’s special favor or affection. The apple of the eye, of course, is not a fruit, but the pupil of the eye, so essential for sight that it becomes a peculiarly apt symbol for a prized possession. It is used five times in the Bible as a translation of three different Hebrew nouns, none of which refer to the actual apple fruit. In each case, however, it speaks of something highly valuable to the owner.

Three of these (Deuteronomy 32:10; Lamentations 2:18; and our text above) are in reference to the chosen people, Israel, as the “apple of the eye” of God Himself. God has often punished Israel for her sins and has allowed other nations to be His rod of judgment, but woe to that nation that touches the apple of His eye in this way!

That individual believers can also be so regarded by the Lord is evident from one of David’s prayers: “Show by thy marvelous lovingkindness. . . . Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings” (Psalm 17:7,8).

To be kept by God as He would keep the very apple of His own eye, requires an implicit trust in Him and His word. In fact, His word must become the apple of our eye! “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye” (Proverbs 7:1,2).

There are many beautiful and appropriate figures used for God’s word (“light,” “hammer,” “sword,” “milk,” etc.), but none more personally meaningful than this. May the Holy Scriptures, the indispensable word of God, truly be the apple of the eye for each of us!

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Choose Life

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Shortly before his death, Moses restated the Law and the Covenant between God and His people summed up in the greatest commandment: “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Furthermore, Moses claimed that “this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven. . . . Neither is it beyond the sea” (Deuteronomy 30:11–13). Nothing about it was hard to understand. “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (Deuteronomy 30:14).

Indeed, the evidence that God is Creator, Judge, Provider, and Redeemer is all around us. Our text informs us that “heaven and earth” are witnesses of God’s nature. We have more than enough information than we need in order to respond. In fact, these things “from the creation of the world are clearly seen” so that those who reject are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Indeed, to ignore the evidence of Creation and the Flood, one must be “willingly ignorant” (II Peter 3:5). Rejection is foolishness.

“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15). The choice is between blessing (v.16) and cursing (v.18). All lines of reasoning point toward the God of the Bible as the one true God. “Therefore choose life,” as our text encourages us, “that thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life” (v.20).

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Bewitched



“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” (Galatians 3:1).

The Greek word for “bewitched” is used only this once in the New Testament and does not necessarily refer to witchcraft as such. The connotation is “fascinated” or “deceived.” Unlike most of his other epistles, the book of Galatians includes no commendations from Paul, nor even any prayer requests. Paul evidently was very disappointed in this church and its ministry.

He had clearly preached the gospel to them, setting forth “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2) among them, and they had apparently believed and started out well. They seemed to understand the great doctrines of salvation by grace and of liberty in Christ, and it was hard for Paul to understand how they had been so quickly led astray.

If anything, this is even a greater problem today than in Paul’s day. Professing Christians are being “tossed to and fro . . . with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14)—not only with legalism (as in Galatia), but also with evolutionism, hedonism, emotionalism, materialism, and many other unscriptural heresies. Many who profess to be Christians have, like the Galatians, been “bewitched” by clever persuasion and peer pressure into such deceptions.

They may consider themselves specially enlightened in some way, or intellectual, or just up-to-date, but Paul would call them “foolish,” just as he did the Galatians. In Christ alone—our Creator, Redeemer, and Lord—are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). As Paul concluded his letter to the Galatians: “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).

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Treasures Of The Snow


“Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?” (Job 38:22).

It is interesting that this book, the oldest in the Bible, contains more references to snow, ice, and frost than any other book of the Bible. This is despite the fact that Job’s homeland was in what is now essentially a desert region. Possibly the effects of the post-Flood Ice Age were still strong in Job’s day. In any case, the beautiful phrase, “treasures of the snow,” is both appropriate and prophetic. Its crystal structure, though mostly in the form of delicate six-pointed “stars,” is endlessly varied and always intricately symmetrical and incredibly beautiful.

The snow is a treasure in other ways as well. The winter’s snow pack in the mountains is often called “white gold,” because of its indispensable water storage capacity, released in the melting season each spring to provide life to teeming cities and irrigation in the desert for needed food supplies. The snow also aids in maintaining the planet’s chemical cycles by returning various elements in the nuclei of its flakes back from the ocean to the lands from which they were leached and transported by rivers to the ocean. When the snowpack becomes a glacier, it can greatly assist in the breakup of rocks to form fertile soils.

In the Scriptures, its pure white color is often used to symbolize the cleansing of a sinful heart that trusts the Lord. “Wash me,” said David, “and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” the Lord promises those who come to Him for salvation (Isaiah 1:18).

As the snow comes down from heaven, so comes the Word of God to ask the soul as in our text: “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” (Job 38:22).

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A Resting Place

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5,6).

Certainly one of the most precious doctrines of all Scripture is that reflected in our text. Our salvation depends not on our own “works of righteousness,” but upon His mercy and grace, given us freely through the atoning work of Jesus Christ our Savior.

The grand old hymn, found in almost every hymnal, “My Faith Has Found A Resting Place,” reflects this theme. Let us use its four verses and chorus to focus our study as well as our hearts, these next four days.

My faith has found a resting place, Not in device nor creed; I trust the Ever-living One, His wounds for me shall plead.

Nothing we could do (i.e., device) or nothing we or our church could believe (i.e., creed) can provide a resting place for our faith. “For we which have believed [i.e., faith, same Greek word] do enter into rest. . . . For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works . . .” (Hebrews 4:3,10). The only work which counts for anything is that which the ever-living One accomplished when He died on the cross. “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 [i.e., wounds] ye were healed” (I Peter 2:24). It is not so much our physical health in view here, but the healing of our sin-sick souls.

Since “Christ died for our sins” (I Corinthians 15:3), there is no more penalty to be paid. Since He rose from the dead; He conquered both sin and its power, and our faith can rest.

I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.

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Enough For Me

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” (Romans 3:24,25).

Jesus has done all that is necessary to bring us into right standing with a holy God, if we but believe and accept His free gift of salvation. Jesus saves! It is enough! “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). The second verse of the great hymn, “My Faith Has Found A Resting Place,” further explains this truth:

Enough for me that Jesus saves, This ends my fear and doubt; A sinful soul I come to Him, He’ll never cast me out.

Jesus who loved us, said, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). There is no fear here, for “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (I John 4:18). Nor should there be any doubt in Him or His intentions, “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him” (Ephesians 3:12). Furthermore, “Being confident . . . that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

The chorus of the hymn likewise presents a thrilling truth. It paints a picture of a courtroom and the interrogation of a defendant. When asked why one should be forgiven, granted eternal life and entrance into heaven, the argument or legal defense can be given that Jesus has died, and that is enough. No other legal defense or answer need be given. The plea has already been entered, and the court’s findings are guaranteed, “justified freely by His grace.”

I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.

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Leaning On The Word

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. . . . These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (I John 5:11,13).

Our salvation does not find its basis in an emotional experience of the heart, although our emotional tendencies are God-given and not to be denied. Indeed, the salvation experience may be sweet and memorable, but all sorts of religions, non-religions, and cults have emotional experiences, like the Mormon’s “burning of the bosom.” But experiences alone are subjective and easy to be misinterpreted. Our faith should be a faith from the heart, and it should be founded on the written word of God. The third verse of our hymn, “My Faith Has Found A Resting Place,” presents this timeless truth.

My heart is leaning on the Word, the written Word of God, Salvation by my Savior’s name, Salvation thru’ His blood.

The Bible, God’s holy word, is a book about Jesus and how God, through Jesus, deals with man. Much more could have been written: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (John 20:31). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:19).

And this is sufficient! Nothing else need to be done or said or paid! Christ’s blood is enough! His word tells us so.

I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And the He died for me.

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I Need No Other Argument

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13,14).

Each of the four verses of the majestic hymn, “My Faith Has Found A Resting Place,” repeats the theme that Christ’s blood was shed on our behalf, and it is enough. Nothing else remains to be done. The final verse adds perspective to the other three:

My great Physician heals the sick, The lost He came to save; For me His precious blood He shed, For me His life He gave.

Christ was certainly “the great physician,” for He “went about all Galilee, . . . healing all manner of sickness” (Matthew 4:23). But His ministry was not only to the physically ill, for as He said, God “hast sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives” (Luke 4:18). His mission was a deeper one, that of healing the sin-sickness of the soul. “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17). “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

As we read in our text, “we have redemption through His blood,” and through His blood alone. As a result, we have “forgiveness of sins,” we are “delivered from the power of darkness,” and we are given a home in “the kingdom of His dear Son.”

And there we will join in singing “a new song, saying, Thou art worthy . . . for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9). He has done it all, and He has done it “for me!”

I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.

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Abba, Father

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6).

Perhaps the most moving portions of Scripture are found in the record of Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. “And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:35,36).

Because of Christ’s willingness to do His Father’s will, we are given the privilege of crying “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15)—an endearing, intimate term. Jesus said, “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17). He “knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him” (Matthew 6:.

What we can know of our Father we have learned through Jesus Christ. He is our righteous “advocate with the Father” (I John 2:1). To Philip’s request, “show us the Father,” Jesus replied, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:8,9). “For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26). Jesus further promises, “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:29–31).

The key to our relationship with the Father is our relationship to His Son. Jesus said “He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father” (John 14:21); “if any man serve me, him will my Father honor” (John 12:26). Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and our Heavenly Father is the husbandman—glorified when we bear much fruit (John 15:1–8).