Your Days Are Numbered

I often do what most people don't … I turn to the Book of Job for counsel. I think its okay to do that because Paul said in 2nd Timothy 3:16 … "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness …"

Reading the Book of Job just reaffirms my feeling of mortality. Of course some might say it's because of reading the Book of Job. But I read it anyway. Let me take you through part of it.

Job 14:1 … "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble."

Our heritage is going to be … a few days full of trouble. Man is born to it being born in sin; sin and trouble go together. Where there is sin there is trouble; sin entered into the world, and death because of it.

Job 14:2 … "He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not."

Man is compared to a flower; he springs up, his bloom is often nipped by disease, blasted by afflictions and at last cut down by death. The bloom of youth, even in the most prosperous state, is only the forerunner of gray hairs, feeble muscles, impaired vision, and a general loss of ability. How nice. Sorry, but it's true.

I think the theme of Job is … there is nothing that is permanent. A shadow of a cloud moves on gently and silently, and is soon gone. It leaves and returns no more. They who have watched the shadow of a cloud on the landscape, and have seen how rapidly it disappears, will have a vivid conception of the truth of this illustration.

Job 14:5 … "Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass …"

"His days are determined …" God knows exactly and precisely how many days a man shall live … "thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass …" meaning an appointment of time, the boundaries of his life, and the period of his days beyond which he cannot go. Some say the "days" of a man's life are so peremptorily fixed and settled by God, that he cannot die sooner, nor live longer, than God has determined he should. (More on this in a moment.)

So, as with the time of a man's birth, the time of his death is according to the purpose of God; and all things (good and bad) that will come to man throughout the whole course of his life … they all fall under "the appointment of God," and are according to His … decree, design, purpose and will.

The word for "bounds" signifies a set, stated, or appointed time. Job also uses the word "determined" here, and it means "fixed or settled." Has God, fixed the number of a man's days, so that they cannot be exceeded?

But notice, although it is stated that a man cannot live past his appointed bounds, he may also live such a sinful and hard life that he may never reach all of them according to Psalm 55:23 which says, "… bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days …"

Three things we are assured of …

1.) Death cannot be avoided. Our life will come to an end; our days upon earth are not numberless, they are not endless; they are numbered, and will soon be finished.

2.) It is determined, by the counsel and decree of God, how long we shall live and when we shall die. The number of our months is with God, and they are within the disposal of His power, of which we cannot control. (I am not certain that God's providential care has ordered the days, months and years of our lives even though He knows the exact number.) But I am certain that our time is in His hand.

3.) The bounds God has fixed, the appointment of time … we cannot pass, for His counsels and decrees are unalterable, and His foresight infallible.

Job 30:23 … "For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living."

The phrase "to death" means to the house of the dead, or to the place where the dead are, the grave. That house is "appointed" for all, the rich and the poor, the young and old. It is not by chance that we go there, it has been so ordained; it is fixed and settled that all should die. Job knows it will be the same with him as it is with all men; death has become a necessary evil because of sin which brought the sentence of death on all men by the decree and appointment of God.

Job 12:10 … "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."

The Amplified reads … "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing or "life" as stated in the Amplified, which is the more correct meaning. The idea is … that all are under the control of God who gives life as He pleases; and if He so chooses, He can take it away. His sovereignty is also manifested in the beasts of the field, the fish of the sea, and the fowls in the air. Man is subjected to the same laws as the rest of the creation. God is sovereign and the same principles of His rulership may be seen in all His works.

Job says that we should learn this truth … that there is a Providence which guides and governs all these things by the rules and laws of nature of which we are neither acquainted with nor are competent judges of.

We should note and learn from God's sovereign dominion over all of nature … and then acquiesce (express agreement) with the disposition of His design, purpose and will concerning the affairs of men; even though many times they are contrary to our desires.

Job is resolute in his conclusion; he believes in the absolute propriety (proper conduct and behavior) which God uses with all His creatures … "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."

All of nature and man in particular, derive their being from Him, owe their being to Him and depend upon Him for their support. We are at His mercy, are under His direction and dominion, entirely at His disposal … and at His summons must resign our lives. All souls are His … and may He not do what He will with His own?

He will anyway … like it or not.


Comments welcome.

Grace and Mercy

When we first come to God we don't really know what grace is. We need pardon, we know that. Since we are guilty, and we are, our first cry should be for mercy. This is what we want first … mercy … that brings forgiveness and freedom from our guilt.

I don't know how many governments of the world still have a throne where a sovereign king sits as he rules over his people … but Heaven has one called the throne of grace where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father.

The Book of Hebrews, chapter 4, verses 14-16 states that because Jesus, our great High Priest is in Heaven; and because He can still be touched by what we feel … "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

According to Hebrews 7:25, our sovereign king and priest dispenses mercy to all those who come to the throne of grace … "For He is able also to save them … seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them."

"That we may obtain mercy" … there is mercy for the taking. Every man may go to the throne of grace, and take the mercy that is suited to his degree of guilt. Mercy refers to the pardon of sin, and being made right with God.

"And find grace" … undeserved favor, strength, help, counsel, direction and life support after we are pardoned through mercy. We need this grace to support us in our everyday life and to preserve us in our next day of temptation. And there will be another day of temptation or trials.

We are to call for mercy and grace when we need them. We have been given the liberty when we come up to the throne of grace to call boldly for mercy knowing God hears and will dispense the blessing we need. We come not on our own merits … we have none. We throw ourselves upon the mercy of the court knowing Jesus will make intercession for us.

Ephesians 1:7 … "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace …"

God's grace has given us redemption by the blood of His Son, and this redemption consists of forgiving our sins. Christ's blood was the price of redemption that God paid for our salvation; and this was "the riches of His grace" … which cost us nothing … but cost God His Son.

"In whom we have redemption through his blood" … Redemption supposes captivity or slavery, and the deliverance out of it. All of mankind by nature is in bondage to sin, we are fallen creatures. But through grace, we are redeemed from that captivity and set free from the bondage and condemnation of sin.

Christ is the author of this deliverance. Jesus, as the Lamb of God was sent to procure our redemption; of which He alone had the right to do … seeing He was not only God … but man as well. Jesus, all by Himself, without the help of any other being in Heaven or on earth has obtained through His obedience, suffering and death, this redemption that is so easily taken for granted by man since it cost us nothing.

This redemption is available to us through the blood of Jesus that purchased it; or a more proper term might be … "paid a ransom for" … the price being the blood of an innocent man; and not just a mere man, but One who is truly God as well as man.

And what is this redemption? Simply put … the forgiveness of sins; all sin, past, present, and future.

"According to the riches of His grace" … I don't believe we will ever know, at least in this present life on earth, the true cost of that ransom God paid. We are redeemed without cost and price of our own; but oh … how much it cost Jesus to procure our redemption and pardon.

Ephesians 2:4 … "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us …"

But God, who not only is rich in grace, is also rich in mercy … overflowing, abundant. Mercy is the riches or the wealth of God. He abounds in mercy and is so rich in it that He is willing to impart it to anyone who truly asks for it.

Ephesians 2:7 … "That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

Paul states … "in the ages to come" … compared to when this was written, that's where we are today. It's been about 2,000 years. But don't worry; His grace and mercy won't run out, it will continue for eternity.

Psalm 106:1 … "Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever."

There is a throne of grace. And it is always accessible. There is a God and He is always ready to give mercy. There is a redeemer. His name is Jesus. And He is always interceding. That's really all you need to know.



Comments welcome.

Binding and Loosing

Today I want to look at two verses of scripture used by many people as an act of authority granted to them by Jesus when they pray about a need of some kind.

The first is Matthew 18:18 … "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Jesus wasn't the first to use these words. The phrase to bind and to loose was often used by the Jews. It meant to prohibit and to permit. To bind a thing was to forbid it; to loose it was to allow it to be done.

Binding something was commonly understood by the Jews at that time, to be a declaration that signified some particular thing was unlawful to be done; and by loosing something signified the opposite, being a declaration that something could lawfully be done.

Jesus spoke to His disciples in a language which they understood, so that they were not in the least at a loss to comprehend His meaning even though today it is a strange and obsolete phrase to us. The words bind and loose, are both used in a declaratory sense … of things, actions or deeds done or to be done.

This also refers to rites and ceremonies in the church. Such customs as they should forbid were to be forbidden, and such as they thought proper to permit were to be allowed. Such rites as they should appoint in the church were to have the force of divine authority.

Accordingly, they organized the New Testament Church, and directed what was to be observed and what was to be avoided. The rules laid down by them in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles in connection with the teachings of Jesus, constitute the only law binding on Christians in regard to the order of the church, and the rites and ceremonies to be observed in it.

When Jesus gave this power of binding and loosing to the apostles, He meant that whatsoever they forbid in the church should have divine authority; whatever they permitted, should also have divine authority … that is, should also be bound or loosed in heaven and meet the approval of God.

The apostles were, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to establish the rules of church discipline, as found in Acts and the Epistles; which in essence … bind or prohibit things and loose or permit actions undertaken by men in the church. The phrase "in heaven" declares that the rules of discipline, used when necessary for correction in the church, would also be ratified and declared so in heaven.

"Whatsoever ye shall bind" … whatever determinations you make in conformity to these directions for your conduct concerning an offending brother, will be accounted just, and ratified or approved by the Lord in heaven.

The second verse is Matthew 18:19 … "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."

Now this prayer of agreement refers in all probability, to the binding and loosing in the preceding verse. The phrase … "Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree ..." is connected with the previous verses. Notice the first word … "Again."

The connection is this … the obstinate and stubborn man who does not listen after committing a wrong, after being spoken to … if two of you shall agree … is to be excluded from the church. Jesus is saying, the care of the church and the power of admitting or excluding members are committed to you, the apostles. Yet there is not need of the whole company to give validity to the action. When two of you agree, (have the same mind, feelings, and opinion) about the operation of the church or about things desired for its welfare, and you ask of God, it shall be done for them.

Albert Barnes speaks to verse 19 … "The promise here has respect to the apostles in organizing the church. It cannot with any propriety (correct or appropriate behavior) be applied to the ordinary prayers of believers. Other promises are made to them, and while it is true that the prayer of faith will be answered, that is not the truth taught here."

Vines Word Studies concerning verse 19 states …

The words shall agree means … together, in sound or voice … in symphony. The word thing means … deed … by extension … a matter, affair, business; something to be done.

According to Vines Word Studies, the literal rendering has, if any thing … a stronger meaning … everything, whatever it be, for which they may have asked. Vines puts it this way … "My Father shall consent of everything, whatever they shall ask and shall agree in any manner thing whatsoever they shall desire."

"Shall be done" … means … it shall come to pass, (come into being.)

The terms "binding and loosing and agreeing together" as found in Matthew 18:18-19, is generally interpreted to mean … concerning matters of discipline and authority.

But even so … if you have the faith to use these phrases of binding and loosing as a promise of authority given to believers, or the prayer of agreement concerning matters other than discipline … then I say … may God honor your prayer and confession of faith in the matter.

It's always been a matter of the heart with God anyway.


Comments welcome.

The Confidence Is

I was looking at the two verses in 1st John 5:14-15 that says … "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

Consistent with my usual study habits I wanted to see what some of my Bible commentary writers had to say about these verses. Something Albert Barnes wrote caught my attention. It didn't sound right … at first.

He said … "We cannot expect that God will work a miracle in answer to our prayers."

"What? That can't be right," I said to myself. But, having read much in the past of this man's opinion on the Scriptures, I kept on reading.

Continuing he said … "We cannot ask Him to bestow blessings in violation of any of the laws which He has ordained, or in any other way than that which He has appointed. It is better that the particular blessing should be withheld from us, than that the laws which He has appointed should be disregarded."

"Okay," I thought, "I can go along with that." But he didn't just stop there leaving my simple mind to try and figure all that out. He gave this example …

"It is better that an idle man should not have a harvest, even though he should pray for it, than that God should violate the laws by which he has determined to bestow such favors as a reward of industry, rather than work a special miracle in answer to a lazy man’s prayers."

So we see there can be and are necessary limitations in prayer. The above illustration is already covered with … "man shall work by the sweat of his brow." That is God's will for us because of sin. If you do not work, you do not eat.

God has not promised to grant anything that is contrary to His will, and it could not be right that He should do it. Nor should we ask to receive anything that is in opposition to what He judges to be best for us. No man should esteem his own will to be a better choice, (even though he has that choice) than the will of God for his life.

The limitation meant by … "according to his will" … probably implies some of the following things that are with-in His will.

The list is long and includes things like forgiveness of sins; having our basic needs met … food, shelter, health, peace; being able to endure the trials and storms of life by knowing that God is with us, etc., in accordance with what He has already declared in His Word that He is willing to grant.

Albert Barnes also states that the phrase, according to his will … "limits the answer to prayer to what God sees to be best for us. Of that we are not always good judges. We never perceive it as clearly as our Maker does, and in many things we might be wholly mistaken. Certainly we ought not to desire to be permitted to ask anything which God would judge not to be for our good."

Now back to 1st John 5:14 … "This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us …"

Please note ... The confidence is not that we will receive what we want; the confidence is that He hears us … when we ask … according to His will.

The word confidence as it is used in this verse is "parrhēsia" in the Greek. It is a little strange in that it is a derivative of two other Greek words, and when combined means … all out spokenness or a frankness, a bluntness, which by implication means … assurance (of speech.) Like in prayer?

This confidence or assurance has to do with knowing He hears our petitions (as long as they are in His will) even those asked bluntly. A better word might be, asked boldly.

The Amplified reads this way … "And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. And if (since) we know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the requests made of Him."

Because we are asking within the bounds of His will; which includes His secret will over all things, and what He has declared as His will to be for you, (both of which are known only to Him) or His revealed will for us found in His Word … because He hears, we are therefore to know and also be assured … "we have the requests made of Him."

You may say … that doesn't give us much to go on. No, it doesn't.

That's why the Word says … "The just shall live (walk, follow and ask) by faith."

That's also His will for you.



Comments welcome.