THE LORD SPOKE (December 23)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Nahum 1-3

That which Jonah longed for was accomplished in the days of Nahum, some 150 years later. Jonah wanted to see Nineveh judged for her sins, which were many. Instead, God brought about the repentance of Nineveh through Jonah’s preaching. At least temporarily. In his own words to God, Jonah didn’t want to preach to them because he “knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2). He wanted God to rain down fire and brimstone on Nineveh and He didn’t. Instead, He let them repent and then He forgave them.

But God’s patience has a limit. He is “slow to anger” (Nah. 1:3) but look out when He does finally take vengeance! The very earth trembles. He controls all the elements. At His command, even rocks shatter. Just read Nahum 1:3-6!

If you go there today, Nineveh is a tangle of weeds and broken down stones. The only evidence of life to be seen is the goat droppings scattered over the surface or an occasional lizard that scurries past. For three full chapters, Nahum describes what happens when the Lord says, “I am against you” (3:5). Nineveh was crushed and has been only a vague memory for the last 2600+ years. People clapped for joy when Nineveh fell (Nah. 3:19).

Judah, though afflicted for her own sins (Nah. 1:12 - the NIV inserts are helpful here), stands in stark contrast. She will be restored (Nah. 2:2) to God’s favor and her former splendor. In fact, it’s happening today before our very eyes. The growth and development of modern Israel is the beginning of the fulfillment of just such prophecies. There’s a long road ahead. She has still not repented and received her Messiah but that too is part of the prophecies.

We may be sure the Lord will do it because He has promised. And herein lies the message for us. Just as God has promised to bless Israel, He will receive and bless those who trust in Him and follow his Word. Or, as Nahum says it:

The Lord is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him.... (Nahum 1:7)


Proverbs 23

Back in the story of Samuel when he discovered and anointed Jesse’s youngest son, we’re told that “the Lord looks on the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). David was “a man after God’s own heart” (I Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), one “who enjoyed God’s favor” (Acts 7:46) because his heart was right with God. He wrote, “You have filled my heart with greater joy” (Ps. 4:7).

Throughout the Bible, the heart represents the center of human emotions, thoughts, motivation, courage, and actions. Solomon warns:

Above all else, guard your heart,
For it is the wellspring of life. (Prov. 4:23)

Here in Proverbs 23 we have several key references to the heart from which we can learn much to give us direction on our way:

• Prov. 23:12 - “apply your heart to instruction” - There must be a conscious effort on our part. Apply means “to employ diligently or with close attention” (Webster). This is not something to approach lackadaisically.
• Prov. 23:17 - “do not let your heart envy sinners” - Again, this instruction calls for conscious effort. Since it’s natural to envy that which appears to be successful, we must consciously exert an effort in the opposite direction. The second half of the verse is instructive here: “always be zealous for the fear of the Lord”.
• Prov. 23:19 - “keep your heart on the right path” - This means choosing the right forks in the road and saying no to tempting rabbit trails. It means choosing your company carefully (Prov. 23:20) and not trading your birthright for a mess of pottage (Prov. 23:22-23).
• Prov. 23:26 - “give me your heart” - The second half of this verse and what follows tells us that the heart bone is connected to the eye bone. A significant part of giving our heart to the Lord has to do with what we allow our eyes to see! Guard the eye-gate carefully if you wish to be a man after God’s own heart.

Where’s your heart today?

Search me, O God,
And know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior,
Know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be
Some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin
And set me free.

THE LORD SPOKE (December 04)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Daniel 7-8

Until you get to the book of Revelation, there are not very many descriptions of God’s throne room. None are more vivid that this one in Daniel’s vision:

As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened..... In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Dan. 7:9-10,13-14)

It’s the first reference to the Messiah as “the son of man”. That was the name preferred by Jesus himself; it is used 81 times in the Gospels, always by Jesus. When Peter made his great confession (Mk. 8:29), “You are the Christ/Messiah”, Jesus immediately juxtaposed it with what the Son of Man would have to endure (Mk. 8:31). The fact that John related the revelation he received with that of Daniel, is clearly evidenced by the repetition of “I saw...one like a son of man”. There follows then the only description in the Bible of Jesus’ physical appearance. Though we have a few hints in the Gospels, this is the most complete portrait found in Scripture:

...and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Rev. 1:13-19)

Because the Son of God became a son of man, He qualifies as our mediator. Do you long to see Him? These two verbal pictures will give you plenty of food for thought until then.


Proverbs 4

Above all else, guard your heart,
For it is the wellspring of life. (Prov. 4:23)

Jesus elaborated on this when He said: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Lk. 6:45)

So, how do you store up good things in your heart? Solomon gives us ten tips here in Proverbs 4.

1. by paying attention to instruction (vs. 1-2)
2. by laying hold of good words (vs. 3-4)
3. by pursuing wisdom (vs. 5-6)
4. by paying any price to obtain understanding (vs. 7-9)
5. by listening to wise counsel (vs. 10-13)
6. by avoiding the paths of the wicked (vs. 14-17)
7. by following the light of righteousness (vs. 18-19)
8. by keeping your talk pure (vs. 24)
9. by fixing your eyes on the right things (vs. 25)
10. by maintaining your feet on the straight path (vs. 26-27)

There are literally hundreds of references to the heart scattered throughout Scripture. You can have a proud heart, a deceitful heart, a false heart, an evil heart, a rebellious heart, a hard heart, or a stony heart. You might experience anguish of heart, bitterness of heart, a fearful heart, or sorrow of heart. It could leave you faint-hearted, half-hearted, heavy-hearted, or slow of heart. Your heart might be troubled, broken, or hardened.

On the other hand, you can have a merry heart, a pure heart, a good heart, a glad heart, a prudent heart, a stout heart, a true heart, a tender heart, or a cheerful heart. You might be upright in heart, lowly in heart, wise in heart, and have singleness of heart or gladness of heart. You could be sound of heart or subtle of heart. Best of all, you can have a heart after God’s own heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
Take not Thy holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Keith Green

THE LORD SPOKE (October 13)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Jeremiah 4-5

It’s a matter of the heart! Jeremiah has more to say about the heart than any other biblical writer. He is the one who tells us that “the heart is desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). The NIV renders this “beyond cure”. Our heart is sick. It deceives us into believing all sorts of wrong things. Our seat of emotions so fogs our thinking that we don’t even perceive our error. It deludes us. We believe lies and don’t even know it.

To make matters worse, we actively pursue evil. We follow our heart’s desires. We sin because we want to sin. We look for ways to sin and then we justify it or we cover it up. Sometimes we flaunt it. Our heart takes the lead and we follow quite willingly.

Jeremiah describes the results in these words:

Jer. 4:18 - “your own conduct and actions have brought this [God’s judgment] upon you”
Jer. 5:25 - “your sins have deprived you of good”

So what’s the answer? Jeremiah suggests two actions with regard to the heart:

CUTTING - “circumcise your heart” (Jer. 4:4)
If we are to circumcise our hearts, there are some things that need to be cut away and discarded. We must learn to say “no” to...

• passions that pull us away from intimacy with our God
• desires that destroy our longing for Him and His word
• ambitions, appetites, and attractions that stifle the Spirit and quench Him

CLEANSING - “wash the evil from your heart” (Jer. 4:14)
The dirt of sin needs to be washed away. In doing so, we must...

• confess our sins (I Jn. 1:9)
• confront Satan (I Pet. 5:8-9)
• commit ourselves to the Lord (Ps. 37:5)
• cling to the Savior!

He stands at our heart’s door knocking and asking for entrance (Rev. 3:20). Will you open your heart to Him? This goes beyond salvation. It entails a surrender of your self - an abandonment of your own selfish will and desires. It’s a matter of control. It’s a matter of the heart.


Psalms 53-54

Have you ever been betrayed? Did someone you should have been able to trust ever let you down? Then you know how David must have felt when he wrote this psalm.

The Ziphites were his own people. They were Judeans living just south of Hebron. David had for some time been operating in the area, protecting the local inhabitants from the Philistines. He had done so by God’s command at Keilah (I Sam. 23:1-5). He did more of the same around Carmel, Maon, and Ziph (I Sam. 23,24,25). During that time a band of desperados gathered around him - “all those who were in distress or in debt or discontent” - growing from four hundred men to six hundred (I Sam. 27:2). This personal militia was the core of what became the national army when the Judeans made David their king (II Sam. 2).

But the Ziphites didn’t see it that way. They went to Saul at Gibeah and revealed David’s hiding place among them (I Sam. 26:1). With three thousand men, Saul went in pursuit but David’s scouts warned him. Not only did David escape, he did so with Saul’s spear and water jug in his hand. Sparing Saul’s life again, David recognized, “The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed” (I Sam. 26:23-24). Quite the opposite of the Ziphites!

That is the context of Psalm 54. When David was “in their hands”, they raised a hand against him though he was the Lord’s anointed and they knew it. The psalm is a model of perfect symmetry.

vs. 1 - A Cry for Vindication
vs. 2-3 - The Ugly Situation Described
vs. 4 - A Statement of Confidence
vs. 5-6 - The Ugly Situation Reversed
vs. 7 - Praise for Deliverance

It was “while David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph” that Jonathan came to help him (I Sam. 23:15-18). Such help! The text says he “helped him find strength in God”. Do you suppose that’s how David could write, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me” (Ps. 54:4)?

How are you doing today? Do you need to look to the Lord to find strength?