40.d. “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it”

 

 

Genesis 49:28  All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him. Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

 Exodus 28:21     There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.

 1 Kings 18:31   Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,”

 Revelation 7:4     And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

 Job 5:26     You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its season.

 Job 14:10   But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he?

 Ecclesiastes 12:7     and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

 Isaiah 57:1-2    The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;  he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.

 Hebrews 11:13-16    These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.  If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Each son and each tribe that would come from them had their own calling and destiny. Yet the remarkable promise remained – that they each would survive and grow into significant tribes, without one perishing during the centuries to come in Egypt. (Guzik)

Jacob blessed every one according to the blessings God in after-times intended to bestow upon them. He spoke about his burial-place, from a principle of faith in the promise of God (Henry)

all these are the twelve tribes of Israel—or ancestors. Jacob’s prophetic words obviously refer not so much to the sons as to the tribes of Israel. (Jamieson-fausset-brown)

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,…. The twelve sons of Jacob before mentioned were heads of twelve tribes, who were afterwards seated, and had their part in the land of Canaan; there were indeed thirteen tribes, two springing from Joseph; but then the tribe of Levi had no part in the land of Canaan, which was divided into twelve parts; this shows that the above predictions respect not the persons of the patriarchs, but their tribes and everyone according to his blessing he blessed them; according to the blessing which was appointed to them of God, and was in later times bestowed on them, Jacob under a spirit of prophecy was directed to bless them with, or to foretell what blessings should come upon them, and which accordingly did. (Gill)

He gathered up his feet into the bed, not only as one patiently submitting to the stroke, but as one cheerfully composing himself to rest, now that he was weary. He freely gave up his spirit into the hand of God, the Father of spirits. If God’s people be our people, death will gather us to them. Under the care of the Shepherd of Israel, we shall lack nothing for body or soul. We shall remain unmoved until our work is finished; then, breathing out our souls into His hands for whose salvation we have waited, we shall depart in peace, and leave a blessing for our children after us. (Henry)

 “Jacob did not yield up the ghost until he had delivered the last sentence of admonition and benediction to his twelve sons. He was immortal till his work was done. So long as God had another sentence to speak by him, death could not paralyze his tongue.” (Spurgeon)

This ends the life of the last of the great patriarchs, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet the work and plan of God did not end. It continued through men and generations to come. (Guzik)

32.n. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers”

 

Matthew 11:25  At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

 Isaiah 5:21    Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

 2 Corinthians 4:3-6     And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

 Isaiah 29:10-14    For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).  And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”  And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”  And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,  therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

 Romans 11:8-10    as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”

 John 12:38-40     so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”  Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,  “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes:” This reminds us that if we do respond to Jesus, it is because the Father has revealed these things to babes like us. God revealed Jesus to us and Jesus revealed God to us. This revealing has been rejected by most and believed by those who, by this revelation, were awakened in their heart, mind, and soul to the Holiness of God, the need for repentance and forgiveness, and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

“I thank you Father” ought to be our immediate response to any revelation and awaking and understanding of Scripture as we read through God’s Word.  It is God who opens our hearts and mind to understanding. As God’s Word says; “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little”, is how, from the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we grow and continually mature. 

Just before you read God’s Word ask Him to keep distractions and temptations away and to,

  1. Reveal to your heart and mind more and more about His grace, mercy, and love. 
  2. Allow you to see areas in your life that do not bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ
  3. Give you wisdom and understanding to His Word
  4. Allow you to discern right vs wrong, truths false, and Godly vs worldly
  5. Allow you to see opportunities to share and show the Love of Jesus Christ in you

19.t. “Guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”

Romans 8:9  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Galatians 4:6     And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Ephesians 1:13   In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 1:17-18  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,  having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

 2 Timothy 1:14   By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

 1 John 4:4  for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

 Jude 1:19-21     It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

This means every believer has the Holy Spirit. It is a misnomer to divide Christians among the “Spirit-filled” and the “non-Spirit-filled.” If a person is not filled with the Holy Spirit, they are not a Christian at all.  However, many do miss out on living the Christian life in the constant fullness of the Spirit because they are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit as Paul commanded in Ephesians 5:18. They have no experience of what Jesus spoke about when He described rivers of living water flowing from the believer.  How does one know that they have the Spirit? Ask these questions: Has the Spirit led you to Jesus? Has the Spirit put in you the desire to honor Jesus? Is the Spirit leading you to be more like Jesus? Is the Spirit at work in your heart?  

Not only are we in Christ (Romans 8:1), but He also is in you, and because God cannot abide a sinful home, the body (old man) had to die when Jesus came in. (Guzik)

I think the problem most Christians have is that they tasted the indwelling Holy Spirit at conversion but somewhere in their life they quit listening to the Holy Spirit and reverted back to listening to what the world, worldly, and flesh has to say.  They are no longer influenced and led by the Holy Spirit.  The voice in their heart is that of the flesh and does what seems right in their eyes or in the eyes of the worldly.  This person has no victory over sin anymore.  They no longer listen for the Holy Spirit’s leading.  They find comfort and peace in not being convicted of sin and are not encouraged to honor and glorify Jesus Christ.  They have found it more pleasing to live in a neutral stasis thinking that living here somehow makes their lives easier to live out.  There is nothing further from the truth.  This is a lie from Satan and he is robbing them of power, strength, refuge, peace, hope, love, and courage, to live God-honoring, surrendered, and obedient lives.  In this neutral stasis, they seek what it can not deliver or provide.  How can they think they are Spirit-Filled?  How can they think there is a neutral stasis?  There is no neutral stasis.  There is either Spirit-Filled or worldly filled.  If you are not hearing the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart then it would be good to examine your heart and what is in it.  

18.l. “You are not your own”

John 14:25  “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

 1 Corinthians 2:10-13   Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

 2 Timothy 1:14    By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

 1 Corinthians 6:19   Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

 Ephesians 4:30    And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

 Acts 7:51    “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

The Holy Spirit is given by God to those who have believed in Jesus Christ for salvation, redemption, and forgiveness.  The Holy Spirit is given to us by God to lead us, to help us understand, to help us remember, and to teach us.  The Holy Spirit of God indwells those who believe and this is why Paul says to be mindful that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you.  In this simple statement Paul is saying; would you expose or allow into the temple to hate, greed, and anger when the temple is to be a place of love, joy, and generosity?  Would you expose or allow into the temple pornography, lust, and adultery when it is to be a place of purity, holiness, and righteousness?  Would you expose the temple to pride, self-reliance, and self-worth when it is to be a place of humbleness, surrender, and reliance in Jesus Christ alone?  Would you expose or allow into the temple drunkenness when it is to be a place of sober-minded holiness?  Would you expose or allow into the temple homosexuality and abortion when it is to be a place of purity and protector of life?  

When you imagine allowing these into the temple surely you see this is more than foolish it is a direct rejection of God’s plan for the temple.  We were redeemed at a great price.  God’s only Son suffered and died so that he could redeem us from eternal hell.  He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within each believer, making each of our bodies a temple of the Holy Spirit.  How then must we think, do, and act?  Should we not protect this temple from invaders, robbers, liars, haters, and false promises?  

The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth but surely we must spend time in holy reverence cultivating God’s Word and deeply desire and seek this leading.

6.o. “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

Revelation 5:1  Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The emphasis is not on the content of the scroll but on its seals and the One who is worthy to take it.  John says that he began to weep when no one in heaven or earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.  John had just been invited to heaven to see things that must take place, future things.  Now he is allowed to see a scroll that must have something to proclaim about the future and no one is worthy to open it.  In a moment John went from awe-inspired anticipation to hopelessness and discouragement.  He wept at not being able to see and communicate what was to come.

What would our lives be like if we looked at God’s Word with this awe-inspired anticipation?  What impact would it have when we read it?  Would we trust more, follow,  and obey it more?  Would we see what is written as God speaking to us personally?  Would we see things in this world in a different light?

Come to His Word each day with awe-inspired anticipation and see what God reveals to you.  When you come to His word like this God will lead you into a maturity of faith, joy, peace, love, hope, and strength,  which will manifest in your life a thousand different ways each and every day.

That I may live and keep your word.

Psalms 119:17  Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.  Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.  I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!  My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.  You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.  Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.  Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.  Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

Isaiah 29:10-12     For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).  And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”  And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

Isaiah 29:18     In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.

Isaiah 32:3     Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention.

Isaiah 35:5     Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

Matthew 13:13     This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Matthew 16:17    And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

John 9:39     Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

Acts 26:18    to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

2 Corinthians 3:14-18     But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.  Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.  But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Ephesians 1:17-18     that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,  having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

This is true  a love of God not desiccated by study but refreshed, informed and nourished by it.”

The Psalmist didn’t need new revelation; he needed to see the revelation that was already given. He didn’t need new eyes; he needed to see with the eyes he already had.

“In order to keep God’s word, must we not pray to understand it? What then is this prayer? Not – give me a plainer Bible – but open my eyes to know my Bible. Not – show me some new revelations beside the law – but make me behold the wonders of the law.” (Bridges)

There are wondrous things in Scripture; but they can only be seen when the eyes are opened by God.

It also means that not everyone sees the wondrous things in God’s word, but that when one does see them, they should regard it as evidence of God’s blessing and favor.

God has given man a sense of wonder, and there are certain things that prompt it. The new and unexpected can cause wonder; the beautiful and great and cause wonder, and the mysterious and unknown can cause wonder. We can say that God has provided for this sense of wonder by giving us His word. The Holy Spirit can make us alive to the Bible, and constantly see things that are new and unexpected; things that are great and beautiful; things that are mysterious and unknown. It is a shame to many Christians that they look for their sense of wonderful to be satisfied without looking to the Word of God.

Think of all there is in the Bible that you don’t see. Think of all the wonder, all the treasure that is there, but you don’t see it. You can see such things, though you can’t see everything, and sometimes you will think you see things that are not really there. Yet those who see more than you are not necessarily smarter or better; their eyes are just more open.

“If we want to see wonderful things in the Scriptures, it is not enough for us merely to ask God to open our eyes that we might see them. We must also study the Bible carefully. The Holy Spirit is given not to make our study unnecessary but to make it effective.” (Boice)

You will receive power

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

“Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him”

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

John 7:37  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 14:16     And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:26    But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you

Proverbs 1:23    If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

Isaiah 44:3     For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

Joel 2:28     “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

Ephesians 1:13    In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

This is the verse that has me thinking; “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.”  If we turn at His reproof – How do we know of His reproof?  How do we understand that we have done something wrong, or are doing something we shouldn’t, or not doing something we should, or thinking something we shouldn’t??????  How do we know we are on the path and in the purpose God has for our life?  First we must have a heart, soul and mind deep desire to know, humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.  Second, we must understand to know Him we must have a mind that trusts in , clings to, and rely on Him.  Third, we must stay in His word.  Fourth, we must want to hear His leading in our life on paths which are in line with His word.  Fifth, we must talk to Him in prayer.  Sixth, we must believe He is able to guide, direct, lead, instruct, protect, and be our refuge, hope, joy, and power.   We do not get His leading through complacent neglect of His word.  It takes faith and commitment and time in His word each day to overcome the dilution affect this culture we live in has on our life.