Bible Study on Romans 8, verses 29 to 39, nothing can separate us from the love of God

 

Romans 8:29 ¶  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

 

Not only did God not create any human beings specifically for the purpose of casting them into Hell and then the Lake of Fire but those that He knew would receive Him in the form of Jesus Christ as their Saviour when they receive Christ are predestined to something after they are saved. That is, to be like Christ, the brother or sister of Christ by virtue of being conformed to His image.

 

1John 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 

And it is those people, those born-again followers of Christ, whom He calls to follow Him in holiness, good works, faith, and trust. And it is those people whom He justifies before Himself. And it is those people whom He justifies that He glorifies with Himself.

 

Brothers and sisters, you are now saved from the power of sin. You have been saved from the penalty of sin. You will be saved from even the presence of sin. This is your destiny, to be glorified with God by God.

 

1Peter 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

 

Romans 8:31 ¶  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

In this perhaps greatest passage in the Bible on eternal security, that those in whom dwell the Spirit of Christ and God, the Holy Spirit, known as the Holy Ghost cannot be lost.

 

John 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28  And I give

unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30  I and my Father are one.

 

For verse 36, see Psalm 44:22.

 

See here in verse 39 with creature as a created thing. Even the ancient Greeks like Plato understood that the forms we see and understand in this world have their perfect, eternal counterparts which first existed in the world of the spirit. It should not confuse us then that something like height or depth being spoken of as a creature. These things, first as ideas and thoughts, exist first in the mind of God and then in the physical world.

 

The point is though that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate those who have God’s Spirit in them from His love. Don’t let preachers try to talk you out of it to control you. Trust in the Lord. Put your confidence in Him. And above all things;

 

Titus 2:11 ¶  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Bible Study on Isaiah 10, verses 1 to 4, that widows may be their prey

 

Isaiah 10:1 ¶  Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; 2  To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of  my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! 3  And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? 4  Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

 

The tenth chapter of Isaiah is sometimes linked to 2Samuel, the tenth book of the Christian Bible.

 

22  For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

 

2Samuel 17:11  Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

 

The tenth Jewish book of the Bible is said to be 1Kings, though.

 

1Kings 4:20 ¶  Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.

 

Also, notice the symbol of fire.

 

17  And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

 

2Samuel 23:4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

5  Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow. 6  But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands: 7  But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.

 

Here, God speaking through Isaiah, condemns the lawgivers who give laws that are unrighteous which steal from the poor and the powerless.

 

Jesus condemned the Jewish leadership for such things.

 

Matthew 15:3  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4  For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5  But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6  And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

 

Matthew 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers…23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

 

See also this Psalm.

 

Psalm 94:20  Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? 21  They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

 

What will they do when God comes to them to do justice? Who will they run to for help? What good will their titles and privilege do them then?

 

Without God’s help and mercy these leaders will be crushed and killed. His judgment is not tired or wearing out and He is constantly working in history to accomplish His ends. And when this destruction comes God is not done yet, they are warned. Now, He turns to Assyria.

2Kings, chapter 18, brief comments

 

2Kings 18:1 ¶  Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2  Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 3  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 4  He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. 5  He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. 6  For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. 7  And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 8  He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

 

Now the narrative returns to the kingdom of Judah after having seen Israel removed. Hezekiah is a good king, faithful to God, and God grants him much success as he followed God closely. He refused to pay tribute to the Assyrians or to serve them. In addition, he had success against the Philistines of Gaza, so prominently in the news today. He was successful in all places against them.

 

2Kings 18:9 ¶  And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 10  And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11  And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes: 12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them. 13  Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 14  And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15  And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house. 16  At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

 

The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in the fourth year of the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah. Shalmaneser is known to scholars as Shalmaneser V. He transported the conquered Israelites to cities ruled by the Assyrians. Scholars say that Shalmaneser was deposed and Sargon II took control. Sennacherib is said to be Sargon II’s son.

 

Hezekiah acknowledges that he has not been a loyal tributary of Assyrian and offers to pay whatever tribute required to stop Sennacherib from reducing Judah. Hezekiah spoils his own palace and the temple of God to satisfy this extortion.

 

2Kings 18:17 ¶  And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field. 18  And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. 19  And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 20  Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? 21  Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. 22  But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? 23  Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 24  How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25  Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 26  Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews’ language in the ears of the people that are on the wall. 27  But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you? 28  Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria: 29  Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: 30  Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 31  Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern: 32  Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. 33  Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34  Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand? 35  Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand? 36  But the

people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not. 37  Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

 

In spite of Hezekiah’s submission the king of Assyria sends a force to punish the kingdom of Judah.

 

Key Archaeological Findings:

• Assyrian Inscriptions: Inscriptions from Sennacherib's reign, such as the Taylor Prism, detail his military campaigns, including the siege of Jerusalem, corroborating the biblical account.
• Lachish Reliefs: The reliefs from the palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh depict the siege of Lachish, a city captured before the assault on Jerusalem, providing visual evidence of Assyrian military tactics and the scale of their forces.
• Jerusalem's Fortifications: Archaeological excavations in Jerusalem have uncovered extensive fortifications that date to Hezekiah's reign, indicating preparations for an impending siege, as described in 2 Kings.

 

The implication here is that Hezekiah has reached out to the Pharaoh for help. As the Assyrian general, perhaps, Rabshakeh, gives his speech informing the people of Jerusalem of their dire plight, he insults God, presuming that the God of all creation cannot stop the mighty Assyrian empire any more than the gods of other peoples that have been transported by Assyria could have.

 

Bible Study on Romans 8, verses 26 to 28, part 2, the called

 

Verse 28 is a very important verse and a good introduction to what comes next. According to the sentence structure people who love God are the called according to His purpose. It’s not rocket science.

 

Where else are people referred to as the called? In chapter 1 it was the Christians at Rome whom Paul was writing to as well as Paul Himself.

 

Romans 1:1 ¶  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3  Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5  By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6  Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7  To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace

from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

When you believe you are called to something, called to be saints, sanctified ones set apart for God. Here in this passage in Romans 8 loving God precedes the calling.

 

In Paul’s argument in 1Corinthians 1 the calling is for those that believe, that they be sanctified, set apart for God’s purpose.

 

1Corinthians 1:17 ¶  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18  For the

preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29  That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

 

In fact, those who are called are also elected, known beforehand by God, by virtue of their calling.

 

1Peter 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

 

2Peter 1:10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

 

And yet, that we would be sanctified, those who believe, was from before the world began, based on His foreknowledge. We are chosen that we would be holy and without blame before him in love.

 

Ephesians 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

When we are saved we are said to be sealed and the Holy Spirit is given to us as a deposit, earnest money, so to speak.

2Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

            Now let’s remember this statement Paul makes later regarding God’s perfect will.

 

1Timothy 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 

So, let’s put it together. God wants all men to be saved. He did not make any for the express purpose of damning them. While God calls all men to Christ only He knows beforehand who will receive Him. Those who receive Christ have a calling and are called by God to serve Him and love Him.

 

We are about to see what we are predestinated to be and how we can be predestinated to anything.

 

But, to conclude with this passage, what does it mean all things work together for good?

 

The Bible is primarily a book to us, a conversation if you will, from God to us. It is the revelation of His ministry, God’s ministry, of reconciling mankind to Himself. Hence whatever brings us closer to God is good. This is not about you getting the job you want or having a good day with no nuisances. Either something draws you closer to God or it pushes you further away. All things draw us closer to God if we are saved, the chosen, the called, the saints, the sanctified ones who belong to God. Unfortunately, that magical 1-2-3 repeat after me mantra that passes for  salvation has fooled many people into thinking they’ve made a commitment when they haven’t even considered Christ’s resurrection, the belief in which is the foundation of our salvation as stated in Romans 10:9-10. If a painful event in your life can push you away from God you need to immerse yourself in His words in His book to learn the truth about reality and your life. I recommend really digging into Job. Then pray, ask for guidance, and submit yourself humbly to His will as revealed in the Bible and in reality.

Bible Study on Exodus 34, verses 28 to 35, the skin of his face shone

 

Exodus 34:28 ¶  And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31  And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 32  And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 34  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

 

Forty days is a significant time of testing in the Bible that something should be confirmed and something should be accomplished.

Genesis starts it.

 

Genesis 7:4  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.  

 

Here with Moses and then later with Elijah.

 

1Kings 19:8  And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

 

Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was given that time to repent of its sins.

 

Jonah 3:4  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

 

Christ endured Satan’s attempt to thwart His mission.

 

Mark 1:13  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

 

Luke 4:2  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

 

Then, after His resurrection regarding the time He spent with His followers.

 

Acts 1:3  To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

 

As a time of testing or something to come about we can see how the narrative of the Bible defines importance in a way we might not. Forty years is also important. For instance, notice in the account of David’s reign that there is forty years between his slaughter of the Geshurites, when Saul was king, and his son, Absalom’s, rebellion after spending time with his mother’s family, the Geshurites. First, the attack.

1Samuel 27:8 ¶  And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. 9  And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.

 

Then, the statement that David took a wife from them, the mother of Absalom

 

2Samuel 3:3  And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

 

2Samuel 13:37  But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 38  So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.

 

Then the rebellion that broke David’s heart, forty years thereabouts after the slaughter of the Geshurites.

2Samuel 15:7 ¶  And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD, in Hebron. 8  For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD. 9  And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron. 10  But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. 11  And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. 12  And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

 

David’s sins against the Lord in the matter of Bathsheba were forgiven eternally but one of the temporal consequences of the sin, which we forgiven people usually must face, was that David’s past would be used as a cause for temporal judgment. God used Absalom to judge David. Forty is a very significant number in the Bible.

Now, back to the text. Moses did not know that his skin glowed when he came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments. Wist not is used several times, not only in the Old Testament but in the New.

Exodus 16:15  And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

 

Mark 9:6  For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.

 

Remember Jesus’ appearance at the Mount of Transfiguration.

 

Matthew 17:2  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

 

One application here is that the glory of God is revealed by God and by those whom He has indwelt. People should see a life and a confidence in God that reveals that God has directly touched them. Others would not help but affected as the children of Israel were by Moses.

Moses had to put a vail on his face when he spoke to the Israelites because God’s glory made them afraid.

Bible Study on Romans 8, verses 26 to 28, the mind of the Spirit

 

Romans 8:26 ¶  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

Paul says here that many times we cannot even pray for what we should or as we ought to and the Holy Spirit opens up that communication channel with the throne and says the things that need to be said. The Holy Spirit, the very mind of God, makes the throne of the universe just a whisper away. As God has made man being composed of three parts; soul, body, and spirit, so is God composed of those three parts and yet being one God.

God has a soul we call God the Father, invisible, the seat of will and self-identity.

Psalm 11:5  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

 

God has a Spirit, how He moves throughout creation and acts on it and in it.

Genesis 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

This Spirit is called the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

1Corinthians 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

John 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you…26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Holy Spirit in its function, the Holy Ghost in His identity, is the mind of God and also God.

For contexts where the Spirit of God or the spirit of man can be synonymous with mind please see the following;

 

Romans 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

 

1Corinthians 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 

Ephesians 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

 

Philippians 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

 

2Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

God not only has a soul and a mind but has a body, His person, whom man can see, and has even touched, as God in the flesh, called the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

God searches you through your spirit, lowercase s, in you, using your very mind to see what you are about.

 

Proverbs 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

 

He knows your every thought.

Bible Study on Exodus 34, verses 18 to 27, part 3, adding leaven to your worship

 

God promised protection and supernatural at that when the males went up to appear before Him. No one would want their land while they were gone. There is an important promise to note in the Bible regarding such things.

Proverbs 16:7  When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Leaven is once again forbidden. Leaven here represents God’s insistence not to mix pagan elements that He has forbidden in with His worship. It is interesting to consider the use of the word leaven by Christ. Leavened bread was a symbol for Christ of the pollution of the Pharisees, the religious elite of His day on earth, of God’s commandments in Luke 12:1.

Leaven is something added to dough, typically yeast, to make it ferment and rise. It would be something added to Biblical doctrine, for instance, missing the point of God’s commandments and making being slavishly ritualistic.

Matthew 23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

It renders faith meaningless to God. For instance, in prescribing long prayers to feel spiritual.

Matthew 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

It includes things that may have their uses but makes them a sign of your faithfulness to God when they are not something He required.

Mark 7:1 ¶  Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2  And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3  For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4  And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

For instance, wearing a business suit to church may satisfy a man’s conviction to dress his best when he comes to church but when he makes it a doctrine for proof that another Christian who does not share that belief is not genuinely committed to worshipping God he, like a Pharisee, mingles leaven with God’s words.

There are many other things that can be included in this comparison like certain rituals, church words, ceremonial observances, and demands on time and money that would have been impossible for early Christians. The most striking leaven, though, would be to add something to the simplicity of Biblical Salvation in order to distinguish your doctrine from other people’s worship. You are probably about to add leaven after you say or think something like, “If they were real Christians they would…..”

Early eighteenth century Bible commentator, Matthew Henry, reported, apparently from older Jewish authorities, that it was common for the Gentiles to boil (see Ezekiel 24:5 for seethe as to boil) a kid (goat) in its mother’s milk and sprinkle that over fields to ensure a good harvest in the future. God forbade such magical nonsense. What is important here is what God has set up.