Christ In The Shadows. Part [13] 02/19/2024 (Evening thought)

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

When Christ is the theme and focus of our attention in the study of the Bible, we’ll always have a perfect example of what we can or cannot do, as far as the building of sterling character goes, and as God leads us in the various vicissitudes of life. Thus, when we might read in the Psalms of a call for vengeance, we must also remember the following passage, which justifies the utterances of The Holy Ghost through David, in Psalms 109.

[The Desire of Ages pp 115] Satan had known that he did not hold absolute sway over the world. There was seen in men the working of a power that withstood his dominion. With intense interest he watched the sacrifices offered by Adam and his sons. In these ceremonies he discerned a symbol of communion between earth and heaven. He set himself to intercept this communion.

Let Jesus always be the focus of our study and dark things will be made plain, clarity would be brought to otherwise difficult passages of Scripture, and we will have Christ’s perfect example before our faces so that we need not err. We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that should help us to keep our focus on Christ, for the Bible is all about the Person and Character of Jesus, from beginning to the end.

2nd Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open faces, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!

Christ In The Shadows. Part [12] 02/18/2024 (Morning thought)

Matthew 27: 39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroys the temple, and builds it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

The reason why it’s important for us to always have Jesus as the focal point of any Bible study is because if one were to read Psalms 109 and were to come to the conclusion that David is referring to himself, the next conclusion would be that it is okay for persons to follow his lead, and since he prayed for revenge, we too can also pray for revenge against offenders.

The fact is that there are things that David and some of the other prophets and Bible writers did, which we must never ever do, even though their deeds are written in the Scriptures. In studying the Bible and its writers, we’ll have to choose the good and utterly refuse the evil because many of them did some good things, but many also did some bad things. Noah’s drinking must never be emulated, but you can follow his preaching.

Moses’ faithfulness can safely be duplicated by the people of God, but his anger management must be avoided. Abraham’s practice of the morning and the evening sacrifice can be mimicked by the saints, but the tendency to tell lies when in difficult situations, must be avoided.

Numbers 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!