Tag: Understands

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)

35.v. “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one”

 

 

Genesis 6:5   The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

 Psalms 14:1-4   The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.  The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.  Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD?

 Romans 1:28-31   And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.  They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,  foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

 Romans 3:9-19    What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,  as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  “Their feet are swift to shed blood;  in their paths are ruin and misery,  and the way of peace they have not known.”  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

 Ecclesiastes 7:29   See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

 Matthew 15:19     For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

 Ephesians 2:1-3   And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Jesus said, as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. In other words, the conditions of the world before the coming of Jesus will be like the conditions of the world before the flood: Exploding population, Sexual perversion, Demonic activity, Constant evil in the heart of man, and Widespread corruption and violence. (Guzik)

Abundance of sin was committed in all places, by all sorts of people; and those sins in their own nature most gross, and heinous, and provoking; and committed daringly, and in defiance of heaven. (Benson)

God saw that every imagination, or purpose, of the thoughts of man’s heart, was only evil continually. God is described as about to alter His visible procedure towards mankind—from being merciful and long-suffering, He was about to show Himself a God of judgment; and, as that impious race had filled up the measure of their iniquities, He was about to introduce a terrible display of His justice. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown)

It was not only the actions of man that were corrupt and sinful but their very thoughts were corrupt and sinful. It is one thing to, at the spur of the moment, be tempted and sin, do wrong, choose poorly, retaliate, speak falsely, do harm, lie, cheat, etc……, but to have a mind that continually thinks about and how to execute sin upon sin is a deeper rooted issue. “Free Will” given to man allows each of us to choose to honor and glorify God or not. God’s Word is clear, man’s hearts and minds not only lean toward doing wrong but they will continually devise new ways to do wrong.  How is a person to overcome this inherent evil resided inside of their heart and mind? Being inherent sinful what choice is there to follow? If our hearts and minds, are filled with only the desire to satisfy sinfulness, how is it possible to change this spirit of sin with us? With man it is impossible! With God it is possible. Redemption, salvation, forgiveness, = restoration. How is this possible? 

  1. God has placed within the soul of each person knowledge of Himself.
  2. God has reached out to mankind through His Word.
  3. God has demonstrated His power and might through creation and other works and wonders.
  4. God sent prophets to warn, teach, convict, and condemn sin and sinfulness, and encourage righteousness.
  5. God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to redeem fallen man from sin.
  6. God sent His Holy Spirit to abide in those, who by faith, humbly confess, repent, follow, obey, trust, and rely on Jesus Christ.
  7. God creates in these a new heart. They are born again, a new creation. The old is passed away, all things are new.

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. There is no person so depraved, so far gone, or so sinful that this grace, mercy, and love of God cannot save and create a new heart, born again, a new creation. 

If God has in some way softened your ears to your heart and mind to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you find yourself longing for peace, joy, and hope in your life, turn to Jesus and humbly confess, repent, follow, obey, trust, and rely on Jesus Christ. In doing this God has promised to forgive your sin and give you a new heart and make you a new creation and fill you with the Holy Spirit who will guide and direct you on paths that will honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

19.h. “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

Romans 4:1  What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Ephesians 2:9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Jeremiah 9:23-24   Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,  but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

2 Corinthians 11:30   If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Galatians 6:14    But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

This boasting is nothing because before God, every pretense is stripped away and it is evident that no one can really be justified by works. Boasting can take many forms.  It can be voiced; I am a good or great person, I do good or great things, I speak good or great things, I understand and have great wisdom, I am strong, I am powerful, I am an example to be followed, I am a light to be followed, I am a great giver, I am a great speaker, etc…….. It can also be silent and these same boasts can be spoken.  They are spoken within our minds directly to our hearts.  These boasts are silent killers of our souls.  When boasting is verbal at least it can be discussed in the context of God’s holiness and righteousness.  It can be challenged by the hearer.  It can be debated and rooted out for what it is.  It can be rebuked by the hearer.  However, silent boasting within our minds goes unchallenged and, if allowed to fester, will soon lead to self-reliance and self-worth.  This silent killer has and continues to lead many people directly to hell without them even knowing their unholy sickness of certain condemnation to hell and eternal punishment.  They have judged themselves worthy of salvation by the acts they proudly boast to themselves within their mind. They do not judge in light of God’s Word or His holiness, or his righteousness.  They are convinced that the world’s view of their acts justifies their stance before God.  This lie has blinded them to the need for Jesus Christ.  This lie has deafened their ears to the Word of God.  It is in this blindness and deafness they internally boast of their goodness and good works.  God’s Word is clear; “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

There is an urgent shout to the souls of man to reject self-reliance and to cling to, rely on, and trust in Jesus Christ alone.

15.t. “While no one understands”

Phillipians  1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

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.

Philippians 2:21  For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:6  So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,

2 Corinthians 5:8  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Revelation 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Dilemmas: we face them just about every hour of every day. What is a dilemma?  A dilemma is usually defined as a situation involving a choice between equally unsatisfactory alternatives.

Sometimes the dilemmas we face are not between two unsatisfactory choices. It might be between the known and the unknown. Do I keep my present job, or do I take that new position in a different city? Sometimes our dilemmas involve two equally satisfactory choices. Do I take the pecan pie or the chocolate pie? Sometimes our dilemmas involve choices that are very important.  Do I forgive my child one more time, or do I ask him or her to move out? But, at some point, we will face death.  Like it or not we will come face to face with it.  Now here is the dilemma; Do I make the choice, now, for heaven “Believing and Trusting in Jesus Christ”, or do I give no thought about heaven and hell and take the consequence of hell because I chose not to believe and trust in Jesus Christ while I was alive.  Heaven and hell should not even be a dilemma, but sadly it is.  Too many people choose to deny Christ and would rather live to satisfy themselves rather than living for Jesus Christ.

What is your purpose in life?  What have you chosen?  Have you chosen Heaven through Jesus Christ or hell through Satan and self-reliance?  Your purpose in life determines how you will act, think, speak, and live.  Remember, there is no choice after death.  None of us know the minute, hour, day, week, month, or year when we will die.  Heaven or hell both are eager to welcome you.   One to eternal life and the other to eternal damnation.

63. For the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.

Deuteronomy 31:16  And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’

Judges 2:14-15     So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.  Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

Psalms 2:12     Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalms 90:11     Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?

1 Chronicles 28:9    “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

Psalms 104:29     When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

Isaiah 64:7     There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.

There is nothing hidden from God past, present or future.  Just look at how he spoke with Moses and told him what was going to happen.  We can read over and over again how people who were close to God and living in and under His blessings soon turned away.  It is not as though they did not know God but rather they chose to go their own way and serve self-interests.  Beware of what our culture is selling.  It will surely lead you down a path where God is nothing more than a second thought.  Keep an earnest desire for Him and learn to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

Let them consider

“but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Psalms 107:43  Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

 Psalms 28:5    Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more.

 Psalms 64:9     Then all mankind fears; they tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done.

 Isaiah 5:12     They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands.

 Jeremiah 9:12     Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through?

 Daniel 10:12    Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.

 Hosea 14:9   Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

 Psalms 50:23     The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

 Ephesians 3:14  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,   may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

There always seems to be a way man finds to avert focus on God.  When they do not focus on God, they stumble, their land is laid waste,  they are not built up, they are beat down, or they do not see His salvation.  On the other hand those who, ponder, discerns, set their heart to know and seek God, and consider what God has done, they are strengthened with power in their inner being.  They are grounded in His love.  They know Love that surpasses knowledge.  They see God’s salvation.  They humble themselves.  None of us are immune to getting sideways.  None of us are immune to Satan’s attacks.  None of us are immune to our sinful nature and it’s wants and desires.  Our battle is to keep these influences at bay with knowledge and understanding of God and His holiness.  Our hope can be found in no one else.  Our faith can be in no one else.  If his word is not in our daily lives we will surely loose our way.  Remember salvation is offered to all but it is not because we are worthy.  It is because we have come to a place where this world and all it has to offer, leaves us wanting and empty.  Do you want to find true purpose and satisfaction this side of eternity.  Seek God and you will find.  Knock and the door will be opened by God.

Discern, Know, Understand

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them;” 

Hos 14:9  Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Psalms 107:43  Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

Proverbs 1:5-6   Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

Proverbs 4:18  But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

John 18:37   Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

John 8:47   Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
Job 34:10-12 “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.  For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him.

Hosea has been a very good book to study.  I am amazed at how many times knowing and understanding God was mentioned.  The moral condition of the people was corrupt and God was ignored. Even with all of these warnings many did not return to God.  What does it take to get us to return to God?  Do we not take them serious?  Do we expect our lives to be any different than those  before us who chose to ignore God?  Do we expect understanding and knowledge of Him and His purpose in our lives if we neglect His word?  We are encouraged to draw onto Him so that our eyes, hears, and mind are opened to His holiness, love, mercy, grace,  atonement, righteousness, gentleness, wrath and judgement.  Ignorance and neglect have a price on our soul.  Do not neglect Him in your life.  Choose to commit each day to Him and study His word to become a workman who is not ashamed of the life led this side of eternity.