Psalm 23 - A Literal Translation

Monday, 29March2010	Psalm 23:1-6, Young's Literal Translation.
In the year 1862, Robert Young translated the Bible into English by following the original Hebrew and Greek very strictly. In the preface to his Second Edition, he wrote, "If a translation gives a present tense when the original gives a past, or a past when it has a present; a perfect for a future, or a future for a perfect; an a for a the, or a the for an a; an imperative for a subjunctive, or a subjunctive for an imperative; a verb for a noun, or a noun for a verb, it is clear that verbal inspiration is as much overlooked as if it had no existence. THE WORD OF GOD IS MADE VOID BY THE TRADITIONS OF MEN. [Emphases in original.]" Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young's_Literal_Translation (Accessed 29/3/10) I have reproduced Psalm 23 below from Young's Literal Translation. However, in this post I have used YHWH as the name of our God in place of Jehovah which was originally used in Young's version.
--------------------------------------------- A Psalm of David. YHWH [is] my shepherd, I do not lack, In pastures of tender grass He causeth me to lie down, By quiet waters He doth lead me. My soul He refresheth, He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, For His name's sake, Also -- when I walk in a valley of death-shade, I fear no evil, for Thou [art] with me, Thy rod and Thy staff -- they comfort me. Thou arrangest before me a table, Over-against my adversaries, Thou hast anointed with oil my head, My cup is full! Only -- goodness and kindness pursue me, All the days of my life, And my dwelling [is] in the house of YHWH, For a length of days!---------------------------------------------
Dear Believer, let us put our trust in our God YHWH through his Only Begotten Son, our Lord Yeshua the Anointed One!

A Prophecy of Two Messengers - its fulfillment

Saturday, 27 March 2010, Luke 3:1-20 (cf Malachi 3:1-5)

Part of a sermon delivered at IGBC 13 Dec 2009

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. (Luke 3:1-2 NKJV)

In my previous post entitled, A Prophecy of Two Messengers, I explained how Malachi had prophesied about two messengers of God who will be sent to Israel: the first, called "My Messenger" who will prepare the way for another much greater messenger, called "The Lord" or "The Master".

In that year

One day this prophecy of the one called "My Messenger" by God himself came true and is recorded for us in Luke 3:1-20.

It was the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Pontus Pilate was then governor of Judea. Herod was tetrach of Galilee while his brother Phillipi was tetrach of Iturea and Trachonitis. And Lysanias was tetrach of Abilene.

All these names can be verified in the literature of secular history, showing us that it was in that particular year, at that particular place in the world that the prophecy of Malachi 3:1 began to get fulfilled. That year, Annas and Caiaphas were high priests over the people of God.

John the Baptist - "My Messenger"

John son of Zechariah is more commonly known as John the Baptist to us today. Luke chapter 3 says that the Word of God came to him, and he went into all the region around Jordan. He preached a baptism of repentance - for the remission (NKJV) or forgiveness (NIV) of sins.

John was highly respected by many. In v.12-14 we can read that tax collectors and soldiers went to see him and called him Teacher. At the same time he was highly unpopular with one man, the powerful tetrach, Herod. (v.20)

John's preaching was beginning to bring about the drastic change as prophesied in Malachi 3:1-5, as we shall see in the following sections of this post.

A voice crying in the wilderness

Another prophecy written about John the Baptist is recorded in Isaiah 40:3-5 ESV,

3 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain.

5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Let us look at the "crying out" of John the Baptist more closely in Luke 3:7-14. Here are some strong words from this voice in the wilderness to people who came to him to be baptised:

He called them a brood of vipers! (v.7) And he noted that they were fleeing from the wrath of God that was coming upon them.

He also told them to bear fruits in their lives - fruits that are worthy of repentance (v.8), warning them against thinking of themselves highly as Jews who descended from Abraham.

And finally he prophesied that "every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire".

This very same cry for repentance in the wilderness was to be repeated later in the ministry of the apostle Paul, in obedience to his vision of the Lord Jesus at Damascus, going every where calling people to repentance, a ministry that is summarised in his own words when making his defence before King Agrippa in Acts 26:19,20

"Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. . . ."

What shall we do then?

The people who heard John's crying out for repentance asked him, "What shall we do then?"

[Malaysian slang, "So, like that then how leh?"]

John's answer:

Share your necessities with the poor and needy. He who has two sets of clothes must give away one set to him who has none (v.11). And he who has food should do likewise, i.e. share half of it with him who has no food to eat!

He went to tell the tax collectors and the soldiers to flee from greed:

To the tax collectors, John said, "Stop collecting more than required by law" (v.12). And to the soldiers, "Stop threatening people, or falsely accusing people for gain" (v.14)

In other words, John's message to them was that they should be contented with what God had provided them.

The most important question

Finally, we see in v.15-17 that John the Baptist answered the most important question of all,

"Is this person the Messiah, or not?"

Note that they dared not confront John the Baptist, but had instead reasoned in their hearts, tacitly as it were, conferring among themselves this crucial question.

Somehow, John the Baptist was aware of this tacit question. He began to tell them of the Second Messenger that was prophesied in Malachi 3:1 - the messenger whom they longed for, and in whom they delighted to see, the one who was called Adon, the Lord in Malachi 3:1.

John told them that while he baptized them with water for repentance, (to turn them away from the love of the world to the love of God), the second messenger who would come later would baptize them with God's Spirit (to make them God's children, see Romans 8:13-14) and with fire (to make them pure).

This reminds us that Malachi 3:2 has prophesied that when the Adon comes, he would bring about a great purification in Israel:

Malachi 3:2

But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like afire that refines metal.

Indeed, John says, the winnowing fan is in the hands of this second messenger, the Adon of Malachi 3:1, who will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat grains but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

In this way, the Lord Jesus who would come after John the Baptist, would bring about the great and drastic change among the people of God as prophesied by Malachi: a purification, a restoration and a final judgement - by unquenchable fire.

The Adon, Jesus the Messiah

In closing let us read Luke 3:12-22. It tells us that Jesus of Nazareth, who had no sin, who needed no repentance, also went to John the Baptist to be baptized by him. Note carefully that after Jesus came up and out of the water, he received the Holy Spirit of God in him. And the voice of God, his Father, spoke from heaven saying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased"

In this way, our Lord Jesus had indeed become the pioneer of all Christians. Like him we too must be buried together with him in death during baptism. Like him, we will also be raised to a new life and will receive the Spirit of God in us when we come out of the waters of baptism. In this way we are to be born again, by water and by God's spirit.

Later, in John 3:5, our Lord Jesus told King Nicodemus,

"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. . . ."

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us heed the cry of this voice in the wilderness - a cry telling us to turn away from covetousness and from the love of money. A cry that tells us to let God's Spirit to come upon us, to fill us and to empower us, giving us new birth as children of God. And it is a cry that tells to let God's fire purify our lives from sin and to restore us to be a holy and royal priesthood of God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Prophecy of Two Messengers

Friday, 26 March 2010, Malachi 3:1-5; Luke 3:1-22

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N.B. Unless otherwise stated, all Bible texts quoted in this post are taken from TEV. For OT texts, however, I have used YHWH instead of "the LORD" whenever the name of God, the tetragrammaton, occurs while YHWH Sabaoth is used for "the LORD of hosts".

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I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the LORD who rules over all*. (Malachi 3:1, NET Bible)

*  YHWH Sabaoth, or the LORD of hosts.

Two Messengers

In Malachi 3:1, two messengers are mentioned. Firstly, the one referred to as, "my messenger", who will prepare or clear the way before YHWH Sabaoth, the LORD of hosts. And secondly, one who is called "the Lord (adon) you are seeking" who will suddenly come to his temple. He is called "the messenger of the covenant whom you long for" and the people of God delights in him (NASB).

In order to understand this prophecy properly, it is helpful to compare the name of the prophet, Malachi, with the use of the term, "my messenger".

In Malachi 1:1, it is written that the Word of YHWH came to Israel by the hand of Malachi. In Hebrew, the word malach means messenger, and it's the same word used to refer to angels, while malachi means "my messenger". Thus, the name of the prophet, Malachi is a personal name which simply means "My Messenger" - a fitting messenger indeed sent personally from God himself to carry this prophecy about two future messengers.

The First Messenger

Turning back to Malachi 3:1, we find that the same term "my messenger", malachi, used in reference to the first messenger, refers to a person who will be sent to clear the way before God. Interestingly, this malachi is also later referred to as Elijah the Prophet in chapter 4:5, a reference explained by the angel of YHWH when announcing the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah in Luke 1:17,

"He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord's people ready for him."

Similarly, the reference to this first malachi as Elijah was further explained by our Lord Jesus himself in Matthew 11:10,14

For John is the one of whom the scripture says: 'God said, I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.' . . . and if you are willing to believe their message, John is Elijah, whose coming was predicted.

It is obvious, therefore, that the prophecy of this first messenger was fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist in the NT.

The Second Messenger

Moving on to the second part of Malachi 3:1, however, we find that the second messenger, in contrast to the first malachi is given the title, "adon", meaning a master of slaves, or a lord over people:

Indeed, the Lord (ha-adon) you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, the messenger (ha-malach) of the covenant whom you long for is coming, says YHWH..

Now, adon is a term in Hebrew which carries the connotation of a human master or human lord, and like the term malachi, the addition of the suffix -i, adoni, carries the meaning of "my Lord"e.g. Adoni Zedek means My Lord the Righteous, while Adoni Bezek means My Lord the Lightning.

In the OT, Joshua 10:1 carries an account of the capture and execution Adoni Zedek, a King of Jerusalem by Joshua's men, while Judges 1:4-7 tells us of Adoni Bezek, the cruel Caananite king who, in his days had captured seventy other kings, cut off their thumbs and big toes and forced them to pick up food scraps under his table. Finally, YHWH gave Adoni Bezek into the hands of Judah and Simeon who gave him a taste of his own medicine by cutting off his thumbs and big toes, before bringing him to die in Jerusalem.

It is clear, from the second part of 3:1, that this second messenger, adon, or master, is the long awaited Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, whose path was to be cleared before him by the first messenger, who was John the Baptist.

This adon is the Lord whom Israel had been seeking. He is the human King, the messenger of God's covenant whom Israel longed for, and who would come suddenly to his temple.

A Drastic Change

According to Malachi's prophecy, the coming of this adon, the Messiah, will bring about a drastic change to Israel. When we look more closely into Malachi 3:3-5, we can see at least three sweeping changes that is to come about among God's own people:

A Change for Purification

Malachi 3:2

But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like afire that refines metal.

When the Adon comes he will bring about a painful change of purification - a purification likened to refiners' fire and launderers' soap. This is a purification that removes wickedness and evil from Israel. And it's so severe that Malachi appeared to ask, "Who can endure it? Who can stand it?"

Surprisingly, it is the priests, the Sons of Levi, who will have to be purified under this painful removal of sin by soap and by fire. Not any sinner, nor wicked man nor any evil enemy of God in the land. Instead, they are the very priesthood of God, chosen among the people to serve God.

Malachi 3:3

He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metal-worker refines silver and gold, so YHWH's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to YHWH the right kind of offerings.

It reminds us also that in the NT, Christians are called to belong to the priesthood of God too. Twice in the first epistle of Peter, the apostle reminded the church that they are a "holy priesthood" and a "royal priesthood" of God (1 Peter 2:5, 9)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, today our Lord, Adon, Jesus Christ has already come in obedience to God, his Father and our Father. He has died for us, that we may also likewise die together with him. And God who has raised him from the dead, the same God, YHWH, has also raised us to a new life of obedience to serve Jesus the Messiah as our Adon, our master forever.

In this way we have become part of our God's holy and royal priesthood. And as priests, we too are called to be pure - a purity brought about by our endurance of various trials in life, in the course of following our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter wrote about this when telling us to look forward to the abundant blessings that God has kept for us in heaven, in 1 Peter 1:6

Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer.

He goes on to explain in v.7 that trials are necessary, and are meant to prove how genuine our faith is, comparing it to the purification of gold by fire - so that our faith may endure until the return of our Lord Jesus, when we will receive "praise and glory and honour" from God .

Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold which can be destroyed is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honour on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Indeed, this purification continues every day of our lives, working in us like launderer's soap and refiner's fire! Let us strive to remain part of this purified priesthood.

A Change for Restoration

Malachi 3:4

Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to YHWH will be pleasing to Him, as they used to be in the past.

The drastic change that the Adon will bring about is also a change to restore all the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem to a state where they will be acceptable again - a state described in verse 4 here "as in the former years" or "as they used to be in the past"

This acceptable offering, or sacrifice, is expounded in great detail in the book of Hebrews in the NT, where the Messiah, the Son of God is described as having entered into the most holy place of God's temple and has offered himself as a "once for all" sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Hebrews 10:11 says, "Every Jewish priest performs his services every day and offers the same sacrifices many times, but these sacrifices can never take away sins." The subsequent verses then go on to explain,

Christ however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective for ever, and then he sat down at the right-hand side of God. There he now waits until God puts his enemies as a footstool under his feet. Hebrews 10:12-13

Finally, in verse 14, the writer concludes, "With one sacrifice, then, he has made perfect for ever those who are purified from sin."

Thus, today we acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we call Adoni, as our one single sacrifice for all our sins, effective for ever. This is the sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to YHWH, by which we are made perfect by our Lord and are purified from sin.

A Change for Judgment

Malachi 3:5

YHWH Sabaoth says, "I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practise magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans and foreigners - against all who do not respect me."

Finally, the coming of the Messiah, Adoni, brings about a final and ultimate judgment upon all peoples. Note that while verse 3 says earlier that the Adon would come to judge and purify the priests of God, here in verse 5 the prophecy states clearly that it is YHWH himself who eventually come to his people for judgment.

Indeed, YHWH will testify quickly against those who practise sorcery, against the adulterers and false witnesses and against those who cheat poor labourers of their wages, including those who oppress widows and orphans, and who deny justice to alien peoples!

Dear Christians, behold, our God, Adonai YHWH, who will judge those who do not fear Him!

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, let us remind ourselves that we have been purified from sin by the acceptable, once-for-all, sacrifice of our Lord and Master, our Adoni, Jesus the Messiah.

Let us fear YHWH, our God and Father in heaven before whom we must stand on Judgment Day!

To be continued in the next post: A Prophecy of Two Messengers - its fulfilment.

How did Paul preach the Gospel?

Tuesday, 16March2010, Acts 26:19, 20

"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem . . . that they should repent, turn to God and do works befitting repentance." v 19,20

We are all familiar with the apostle Paul's teaching on salvation by faith.

When the jailor at Philippi asked him, "What must I do to be saved?", Paul had replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved . . ." (Acts 16:30-31)

And after a detailed exposition in Romans chapter 4 on the issue of justification by faith in contrast to that by works of the Mosaic Law, Paul had concluded in Romans 5: 1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"

Furthermore, in Romans chapter 10, he had written, "If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. . . . For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:9, 13)

All these, along with other similar accounts, appear to tell us that salvation is based on only one simple step: just believe in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, who died in our place for our sins, and just call him Lord with our mouths.

However, when I read the account last Sunday, of Paul making his defense before King Agrippa against his Jewish accusers in Acts chapter 16, I realised that I have missed a significant statement in Paul's testimony: that in his preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere he went, he told people to do three things:

1. That they should repent,
2. and turn to God,
3. and do works befitting repentance!

It occurred to me then, that underlying Paul's teaching about justification by faith is his call to repentance and to return to God Almighty, creator of heavens and earth! In other words, there is no justification without repentance.

I am also reminded from the Gospel accounts that calling people to repent was carried out as an essential preparation before our Lord Jesus began his ministry. Luke chapter 3 carries a vivid account of how John the Baptist called many people to repentance:

John called the crowds who came to him for baptism, "You brood of vipers!". Not a very pleasant thing to say to anyone who's coming forward for salvation! And he went on to tell them to produce fruits that befit repentance. It sounded very similar to Paul's words in Acts 16:20.

There were tax-collectors who came to John to be baptized, calling him Rabbi, and asked him what they should do. He told them not to collect any more than they were required by the Roman authorities to collect.

Others who came to John were soldiers. They too asked him what they should do. He told them not to extort money, nor accuse people falsely, but instead to be content with their pay.

But it was to those among the crowd that he gave them what appeared to be the most demanding reply of all:

"What should we do then?" the crowd asked. Luke 3:10

John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Luke 3:11

Such were the demands made by John the Baptist. His was indeed a call to honest and total repentance. Anything less would have been insufficient in preparation for receiving the coming of their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in Judea and Galilee.

And when I read Acts 16:19-20, I can see this very same call to honest and total repentance, the call of John the Baptist, being made by the apostle Paul everywhere he went in obedience to his heavenly vision of the Lord in Damascus.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us uphold this ministry of calling for repentance. Let us call people to repent before we ask them to sign a card, or raise a hand or say a simple prayer of acceptance. Let us call them to turn completely and honestly from their sins in the same way that John the Baptist called the tax collectors, the soldiers, and yes even the ordinary "man in the crowd" - to stop cheating, stop extorting and starting sharing with the poor!

Like the apostle Paul, let us call the penitant to turn to the Only True God, the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to receive grace from God through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

And finally, like both Paul and John, let us seek the fruits of repentance from people: that anyone who says that he has faith, that he believes that God has raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead must subsequently show his faith by doing "works that befit repentance".

Brothers and Sisters, merely asking people to agree with some statements about Jesus is not enough. Instead, let us preach Christ by declaring to people:

Repent, turn to God and do works that befit repentance!

Thanksgiving, Prayer and Praise in the Epistles

Friday 12March2010,

(This post is cited in a more recent post, Jesus Honoured His Father.)

The following is a list of verses which I have gleaned from the Pauline Epistles, clearly showing that the Apostle Paul was a monotheistic Christian, who praised, worshipped, gave thanks and prayed to the Only True God whom he called "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ":

2 Corinthians 1:3 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

Ephesians 1:3 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Colossians 1:3

We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

1 Peter 1:3 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Romans 1:8

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Romans 1:8-9

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ . . .God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers . . ."

Romans 7:25

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God . . .

Romans 10:1

Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

Romans 11:36

(after quoting Isaiah 40:13 and Jeremiah 23:18) For of him and through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever, Amen.

Romans 15:5-7

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy spirit.

Romans 15:30

Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me.

Romans 15:33

Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Romans 16:25-27

Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest and by the prophetic scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith - to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen

1 Corinthians 1:4

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus . . ."

1 Corinthians 10:31

Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 15:57

But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:19-20

For the son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us . . . in him was Yes. For all the promises of God in him are Yes, and in him Amen, to the glory of God through us..

2 Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the the fragrance of his knowledge in every place . . ."

2 Corinthians 8:16

But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus."

2 Corinthians 9: 15

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Galatians 1:3-5

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 1:22-24

22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.

Ephesians 1:15-17

15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

Ephesians 3:14-16

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

Ephesians 5:18-20

18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Philippians 1:9-11

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 2:9-11

9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 3:3

3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:20

20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

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Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us also turn to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and worship Him alone, as the apostle Paul did.

For a further discussion please view a more recent post, Jesus Honoured His Father.

Immanuel, God with Us

Friday 05March2010, Isaiah 7: 14, Matthew 1: 18-23.

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel

The following is my own observation, which I made, when I came across the words Immanuel in the book of Isaiah, one day during my own devotion several weeks ago. The interpretation is entirely my own, without reference to or adaptation from any articles or books by other authors:

Many Christians have been taught in church that this prophecy of the virgin birth of a Son, who is to be called Immanuel (God with us), a prophecy which was to be subsequently fulfilled in the words of Matthew 1:23, testifies to the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Apparently, the title given to Jesus, Immanuel, "God with us" is supposed to indicate that Jesus himself is God. This also appears consistent with the notion that "the Second person in the Godhead" has been sent to this world to "be with us".

In believing such teachings, however, we have failed to realise how the word Immanuel was used several times in the book of Isaiah, particularly when one compares the use of "Immanuel" in Isaiah 7:14 with two more occurrences of the same word in Isaiah 8:8 and 8:9, when Isaiah prophesied that God will send the armies of the Assyrian King to invade their land, quoted below:

Prophecy about Assyria's invasion:
Isaiah 8:8
He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel

Isaiah 8:9
"Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, but it will not stand,
For God is with us.” (in Hebrew: Immanuel)

It is obvious from the above verses that the title Immanuel was not used to address God, nor any "divine person within the Godhead". Instead, it was used to address people. That is, people who are called Immanuel are those who have the presence of God on their side, protecting them and giving them victory over their enemies.

In 8:8 the prophet appears to be writing somewhat satirically when he addressed the land of Judah as "O Immanuel" i.e. a land whose people were living in complacency, presuming that God was with them, when actually God was sending the armies of their enemy to "overflow" their land! Then, in 8:9, when announcing the impending doom that would come upon all the lands under invasion by Assyria, Isaiah even attributed the title "Immanuel" to the Assyrian army, telling Judah, Samaria etc that it was futile for them to "take counsel together" against such an invincible army, that it was as though God was with Assyria!

It is in this sense that we should interpret the meaning of Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14, when he prophesied that a virgin will conceive and bear a Son who's name would be Immanuel - i.e. God was present with him, or that God's presence was to be found in him! This is consistent with what has been said by the apostle Paul about "God in Christ, reconciling the world to himself" (2Cor. 5:19), and also Col 1:19,20

"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. . . ."

Furthermore, when we look at the passage in Matthew chapter 1 where this verse was quoted, we learn that Matthew referred to the child that Mary conceived as a child "from the Holy Spirit", rather than as a child "from the Trinity", or a child "from the Godhead". Of course, both these latter terms did not exist in Matthew's vocabulary, as he was a monotheistic Hebrew!

Matthew 1:18-23
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).