Saturday, November 30, 2024
Friday, November 29, 2024
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Psalm 86 comments
Psalm 86:1 ¶ «A Prayer of David.» Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. 3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. 4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
This may have been when David was hunted by
Saul or an expression of his weakness during the civil war with his son. But it
is a prayer we can all cling to in desperate times. We are poor and needy
before God and in terrible circumstances of sickness, bankruptcy, or grief.
Psalm 55:17 Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
David here expresses trust in God and praises
Him for His willingness to bestow mercy on all that call on Him. David calls
upon God and is confident that God will respond. It doesn’t have to be in an
audible voice but in circumstances that we can see God’s answer to our prayers
of distress.
David’s appeal to God’s mercy, His confidence
in God, and His expectation continue. How often do we expect something from God
when we pray or read the Bible? I’m not saying that we must demand a favorable
response but to see something and to understand that is from God. When I speak
to someone, asking a question, I expect a response. It can come in several
different ways from words to an action or actions. When we pray we should not
just mouth words but expect to see or hear or feel some kind of response
because, if we are His, God will respond, and even if we are not He typically
makes something plain for us to see. Are we looking? Or are we like the person
who asks a question and then doesn’t wait for a response but keeps talking. We
all have known people like that.
Psalm 86:8 ¶
Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are
there any works like unto thy works. 9
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O
Lord; and shall glorify thy name. 10 For
thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk
in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. 12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all
my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. 13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and
thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. 14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and
the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not
set thee before them. 15 But thou, O
Lord, art a God full of compassion, and
gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give
thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. 17 Shew me a token for good; that they which
hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me,
and comforted me.
There is no one on heaven or earth like the
Lord God. There are no human rulers nor are there any of the mythological gods
of the heathen like God the Creator. He was not born in some primordial time
issuing from something that went before Him. There is nothing to compare to
God, not the lightning wielding, thunderbolt shooting myth of popular
imagination or the Odin of the ancient Vikings.
One day, at the end of human-centered
history, all nations remaining will come before Him to worship Him and glorify
His name.
Zechariah 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it
shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the
nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We
will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
Revelation 21:24 And the
nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of
the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
There is nothing to compare to the works He
does. Not only does He cause things to happen that we see but every cell
function, every beat of our hearts, the faraway activity in distant space, or
the remote jungles of Borneo is by His hand. He created all that is, was, or
ever shall be. He created Israel out of the Gentiles of Ancient Mesopotamia. He
gave the Bible by inspiration. He gave His people His own mind when they
believed and the Holy Ghost came to dwell with them as the Spirit of God.
The Psalms asked God to lead and to teach.
For example;
Psalm 119:33 ¶ HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes;
and I shall keep it unto the end.
There was a promise that this teaching would
be followed.
Psalm 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
And that God would be praised.
Psalm 34:1b ¶ …I will bless the LORD at all times: his
praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Then comes an acknowledgement of God’s great
mercy in a verse that shows how foolish it would be to translate Sheol as
grave when the deliverance here is from the lowest Hell. How would the lowest grave
make any sense of that verse?
The Psalmist is in danger from proud men who
have no thought of God. Yet, he is confident of God’s character traits of being
full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and
truth. How we need to contemplate and pray about God’s character! Without
those traits of God we would not even exist or our suffering would be
unbearable.
So, he looks for mercy, and that for something
that his enemies would see, that they would know that it is God who delivers
him. David, like ourselves, faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles and
unstoppable enemies even if our enemies are not physical but of a spiritual
nature. We can confidently pray this prayer, ask for these mercies, and be
confident that God will deliver. These three things are important in our prayer
life. Lay out what is happening that overwhelms us, pray for God’s merciful
deliverance, and then feel confident that He is able to deliver.
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Monday, November 25, 2024
2Samuel, chapter 17, brief comments
2Samuel 17:1
¶ Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom,
Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after
David this night: 2 And I will come upon
him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all
the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:
3 And I will bring back all the people
unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so
all the people shall be in peace. 4 And
the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel. 5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the
Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. 6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom
spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after
his saying? if not; speak thou. 7 And
Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not
good at this time. 8 For, said Hushai,
thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be
chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy
father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. 9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some
other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown
at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among
the people that follow Absalom. 10 And
he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion,
shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty
man, and they which be with him are valiant men. 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.
12 So shall we come upon him in some
place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on
the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall
not be left so much as one. 13 Moreover,
if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city,
and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found
there. 14 And Absalom and all the men of
Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the
counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of
Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
Ahithophel’s wise recommendation is for a
relatively smaller, lighter force to take advantage of the king’s weakness as
he flees from the capital. However, Hushai’s recommendation is for massing all
of the forces available to him for a decisive battle. Ahithophel’s advice was
more likely to produce the intended result while Hushai’s appealed to the lust
for glory and pride of the rebellious Israelites.
The elders were pleased with Ahithophel’s
advice while the men of Israel were pleased with Hushai’s. We have a similar
misplaced trust in the advice Solomon’s son will get later on taxation.
Some decisions bear unavoidable and
unpleasant fruit, in this case, for the rebellion. Hushai will now send secret
communications to David.
2Samuel 17:15 ¶ Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar
the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of
Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled. 16
Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night
in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be
swallowed up, and all the people that are with him. 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel;
for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told
them; and they went and told king David. 18
Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of
them away quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, which had a well in
his court; whither they went down. 19
And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and
spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known. 20 And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman
to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman
said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought
and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 21 And it came to pass, after they were
departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and
said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath
Ahithophel counselled against you.
Hushai seals the deal by alerting David.
David has been warned. Absalom has abandoned the counsel of Ahithophel. The
stage is set for disaster for the rebellion.
2Samuel 17:22 ¶ Then David arose, and all the people that were
with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not
one of them that was not gone over Jordan. 23
And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his
ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his
household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the
sepulchre of his father. 24 Then David
came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel
with him. 25 And Absalom made Amasa
captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man’s son, whose
name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of
Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother. 26
So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead. 27 And it came to pass, when David was come to
Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and
Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
28 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen
vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans,
and lentiles, and parched pulse, 29
And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for
the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is
hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.
As David makes his strategic retreat or
withdrawal over the Jordan Absalom and his rebels follow. David will draw them
into a pitched battle on ground of his choosing it seems. Ahithophel realizes
that all is indeed lost and that he faces a terrible fate as a traitor when all
is said and done so he kills himself. Absalom appoints Amasa as his general in
Joab’s place, Joab being loyal to David. Amasa is Joab’s cousin. Supporters
bring David’s forces supplies and sustenance. If Absalom had taken Ahithophel’s
advice using a smaller force and trapping David before he could have his men
supplied with victuals, as weary as they were, victory would have been possible
and even likely.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Monday, November 18, 2024
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Friday, November 15, 2024
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Psalm 85 comments
Psalm 85:1 ¶
«To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.» LORD, thou hast
been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy
people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. 3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast
turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. 4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause
thine anger toward us to cease. 5 Wilt
thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that
thy people may rejoice in thee? 7 Shew
us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
Here is a plea for God’s mercy and
deliverance and also that His anger will be withdrawn from His people. Some
Jewish writers, according to John Gill, said that this Psalm was written about
the Babylonian Captivity while others suggested that it foretold of the Jews’
suffering in the two thousand years after the fall of Jerusalem and the
destruction of the Temple by the Romans. Of course, it could be both. Bible
verses, prophecies in particular have multiple applications; for immediate
context and for future prophecy. This brilliant pattern by God keeps the Bible
from being thousands of volumes as opposed to the not much over a thousand
pages it is.
The Psalmist refers to the land belonging to
God. Now we know that the whole earth belongs to God.
Exodus 19:5
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant,
then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the
earth is mine:
But God claims the area of Israel as His
particular inheritance.
Jeremiah 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity
and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine
inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.
He brought the captives of Jacob out of
Egypt, out of Babylon, and particularly out of Satan’s control and of sin. He
took them from the Gentile world, who are under Satan’s captivity.
2Timothy 2:26
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who
are taken captive by him at his will.
2Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Then, see;
Psalm 32:1 ¶
«A Psalm of David, Maschil.» Blessed is he whose transgression is
forgiven, whose sin is covered.
The psalmist in this passage is declaring the
mercy and forgiveness of God, which we know more fully through Christ, and
pleading that God’s anger will not abide on His people for all time.
1Thessalonians 2:16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that
they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon
them to the uttermost.
The psalmist pleads for revival which clearly
shows that we don’t “have a revival” as revival can only come from God. I call
so-called “revival meetings” as “hopeful revival meetings.” We, as they did,
need God’s mercy and God’s salvation, which in this context might be saving
from temporal, earthly distress but, in our case, can be thought of as the
salvation that leads to eternal life with our Creator.
We should pray this Psalm often as it applies
so well to our current state. God has had mercy on us in saving us and we pray
for God to continue to have mercy on us in our pathetic, sinful behavior and
thought processes.
John 15:5
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
1John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I pray for God’s mercy every day in this
perilous time of life that I live. I hope you will too as God’s grace, His
mercy, and His salvation is abundantly poured on us, if we are saved.
Psalm 85:8 ¶
I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto
his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. 9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that
fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. 10
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each
other. 11 Truth shall spring out of
the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is
good; and our land shall yield her increase. 13
Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of
his steps.
We can let God speak to us through His words
in the Bible, through our experiences judged by His word, and He will save us
from our sins. Let me repeat;
1John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Apparently, this requires a relationship as
God takes the desire to commit our preferred sins away or perhaps makes the
consequences, if we persist in doing them anyway, unpleasant. God’s word is
designed to always produce peace between Himself and His saints. Here in verse
8 we see that His people and His saints are synonymous. A saint
is not some glorified spiritual “medal of honor” winner who performed some
outrageous miracle and were deified by church elders. They are simply God’s
sanctified ones, who belong to Him.
John 17:17
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
For the Israelites the fear of the Lord would
protect them and God’s glory would cover the land if they were obedient. We are
not promised a painless existence if we obey but we are promised God’s strength
and that He will stand with us in our trials.
2Corinthians 12:9 And he
said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect
in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your
conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye
have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace are personified here. These
are things we should seek, that which is good. In doing so, God will
establish us in His ways and we shall be, of all people, most blessed. He will
walk with us. I find that a very comforting thought and very frustrating in
that I did not seek those things in my heart before I was a Christian and for
long after as well.
God has forgiven us through our receiving Christ as our Saviour
and His anger and wrath no longer rest on us.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting
life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of
God abideth on him.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
2Timothy, chapter one, comments
2Timothy 1:1 ¶ Paul, an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life
which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my
dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God,
whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without
ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful
of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5
When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which
dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded
that in thee also.
While the first letter to Timothy was written from Laodicea, it is
said in the postscript that this letter to Timothy was written from Rome where
Paul was a prisoner. It shows that Timothy was the first pastor/bishop of the
Church at Ephesus.
Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ by God’s own will, according to
the promise of eternal life in Christ. See how we all come to Christ.
John 1:12 But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name: 13 Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God.
Notice Paul’s declaration before of his apostleship.
Romans 11:13 For I speak to
you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine
office:
1Titus 2:7 Whereunto I am
ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie
not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
He regards Timothy as his spiritual son and blesses him praying
for grace, mercy, and peace from God. And Paul is very thankful for Timothy and
prays for him unceasingly. He longs to see him, understanding Timothy’s tears
of grief over Paul’s condition possibly as Timothy brings Paul joy with his
pure faith that he learned from his mother and grandmother, making the
importance of women in the propagation of the gospel apparent. Having the main
hand in teaching their children women like these instilled their faith in those
children living by example as well as teaching. There is no greater ministry
than your own family which makes it disturbing that so many Christian parents
today have children who turned their back on the faith in Christ. Did their
parents teach them and live as an example before them or did they leave that up
to the church one or two days a week? It is a sad state of affairs.
We can see great women of the Bible from Sarah, Deborah, Hulda,
Mary, Elizabeth, Lydia, Dorcas, Phoebe, and others (look them up) whom God used
and who had their own impact on God’s ministry of reconciling mankind to
Himself. Review the study on Acts to see some examples of the role of women in
the early church.
2Timothy 1:6 ¶ Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
The laying on of hands was a symbolic act of transferring
authority and, in fact, a responsibility to another person. It was an
acknowledgement of passing on authority like Moses laying on of hands on Joshua
in Deuteronomy 34:9.
1Timothy
4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in
thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the
presbytery.
Paul has laid hands on Timothy.
The context of this passage shows that we are not to be afraid of
delivering the Gospel message. God has given us, not the spirit of fear, but of
the power of His word, a love for the lost and for the church, and a mind and
spirit that is well-ordered, filled with wisdom and understanding, calm and
assured, and generally just, as it says, sound.
Timothy should not be ashamed of either the testimony of Christ or
of Paul, who admits here that he is writing to Timothy from confinement, a
prisoner. Timothy, too, would share in the trouble that came from giving the
Gospel to a dying world, but by the power of God.
2Corinthians 1:3 ¶ Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and
the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth
us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any
trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us,
so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
Paul reminds Timothy that we are saved by God, then called
according to His purpose, not according to our works, from before the world
began.
John 1:12 But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name: 13 Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God.
Where else are people referred to as the called? In chapter
1 of Romans 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. In Romans 8:28 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:
This is not according to our own works, or our own effort.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them.
Christ has made this clear by abolishing death and bringing
eternal life through the Gospel.
Hebrews 2:14 ¶ Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil; 15
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.
Daniel 12:2 And many of
them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Matthew 19:29 And every one
that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or
wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold,
and shall inherit everlasting life.
John 3:16 For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life... 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting
life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of
God abideth on him.
John 4:14 But whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water
that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into
everlasting life.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I
say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life.
Romans 5:21 That as sin
hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23 For the wages
of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Paul again declares himself the apostle to the Gentiles. This is
why he has suffered.
Romans 15:16 That I should
be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God,
that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by
the Holy Ghost.
2Corinthians 11:23 Are they
ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant,
in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty
stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten
with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I
have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings
often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own
countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the
wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that
which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Paul is not ashamed and is completely trusting in God that Christ
will keep Paul’s soul to the end. He admonishes Timothy to remember Paul’s
teachings in the faith and love of Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost who
indwells both Paul and Timothy, guarding and growing the Gospel message and the
ministry that was imparted to Timothy, that good thing.
2Timothy 1:15 ¶ This thou
knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are
Phygellus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord
give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not
ashamed of my chain: 17 But, when he was
in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. 18 The Lord grant unto him that he may find
mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at
Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
In the final part of this chapter of Paul’s second letter to
Timothy he makes mention of two Asian Christians who turned their back on him.
Asia was a province of Rome that would correspond to much of the nation of
Turkey today. Asia began to be used for that entire part of the world including
the Far East during the age of Imperialism in the 19th century when
Europeans went aggressively out to conquer foreign lands.
Paul asks for mercy to Onesiphorus who has been kind to Paul and
was not embarrassed or offended by his imprisonment. Paul prays for Onesiphorus’
salvation.