"...I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day." "The spiritual meaning discovers the Messiah the chief Corner-stone, the gospel church founded thereon, guided by the perfect wisdom and preserved by never-erring Providence, and blest with the pardon of all her sins, taken away in one day, by the meritorious death of her Redeemer." writes Matthew Poole.
Amazing and life-changing words! To just say "wow" shows the lack of vocabulary of this barely novice writer. Our entire universe was created in six days. Not because of God's need to take that long, but because that is the order in which He desired to create. Man plunged the entire human race into a desolate state by just one act. And Jesus resolved that act in just one moment of one day for all people in all time. As the book of Zechariah 3:9 says, "in one day." You may say, "so what?"
So, what Jesus did "in one day" was to restore the order lost by removing the sins of God's people. The church, "the whole church" says Poole, "in gospel days, when Christ, the chief Cornerstone, shall have purged away sin, and established his church." And as verse ten goes on to enlighten us, "In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree." Mr. Poole's explanation of "shall ye call every man his neighbor" is beautiful: "invite with love, and peace, such as becomes neighbors, who are partakers of the same grace of God, and blessings of a Redeemer." And for the remainder of that verse which describes the shade and fruit, he writes, "to feast or refresh themselves under the pleasing shadow, and with the sweet, delicious fruit of the vine and fig tree, of both which there were ever greatest store, and of choicest taste, when the people of God, the Jews, did obey, worship, and fear the Lord, and long for the Messiah, and loved each other."
That is what the church is suppose to be about. I'm not talking about church in the broad sense but the true church of the Living God; the people of God that love and live His word. No, not perfectly, but with a bent on perfection and desire to continually throw off everything that hinders and look more and more like the LORD of Life who pardoned their sin and began a transformation process in them. Come to Christ! All you who are weak and heavy, come to Him Who pardons, forgives, loves and cares for you like no one ever will! He will do that for you in one moment of "one day".
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Desired Clusters
"Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the first ripe fruit." (Micah 7:1) The prophet, Micah, is, in the last chapter of his book, bemoaning the loss of godly men. However, as he meditates on the known goodness of His God, he has hope. Much like Jeremiah in chapter three of Lamentations, he remembers, therefore he has hope. And like all true prophets of God, when they take advantage of time spent with God, know that hope is certain. God's word, above everything, is all anyone can ever hope to expect to be their fulfillment and peace and thus their hope.
Hope is what keeps our faith and foundation secure while we live on this uncertain earth. And at a time like a pandemic, when we are not able to meet together with others of like mind, it is of the utmost importance to stay in the Word. There is nothing new under the sun and the Word of God is a resource of encouragement of how godly men of the past rested under adverse circumstances. The prophet, Micah, was a man just like us, living in a time of confusion, fear, and ungodliness. As he comes to the end of his prophecy, he cries, "woe is me." Why? His hope is shaken. The godly men are scarce. He has little camaraderie.
Sounds familiar as our churches cannot meet. But we do have technology! I have bemoaned it (technology) much. But God has used it to encourage us in so many ways during this uncertain time. And as Micah bemoans the lack of men to which he can talk, we may not be able to meet, but we can talk. Email, texts, phone, you tube, and livestream have been a great encouragement to me. Micah had none of that and his complaint is heartbreaking.
Israel and Judah should have been a fruitful vine, full of clusters, yet they were barren. There was no cluster to eat. Micah longed for the delight of discourse with godly men. It's a godly man's encouragement in the pains of life. Matthew Poole writes in his explanation of Micah's "woe": "Such good converse would as much delight, refresh, and encourage me, as a fair cluster of grapes doth a thirsty and hungry person, but there is not one such cluster." No desired cluster of discourse for Micah's woe. He does, however, rest in God's promises by the end of the chapter.
We, above many, have rest as well. Yes, let us praise God for the times we live, in which we can enjoy the benefits of technology. But remember, it is the Word of God that is the root of any encouragement. God is the source of all good things, and it's Him, from which all our encouragement will ever make us the resolute and godly people we must be to be used as lights in this darkness. And this, above all things, is our work. This is, indeed, our fulfilling rest.
Hope is what keeps our faith and foundation secure while we live on this uncertain earth. And at a time like a pandemic, when we are not able to meet together with others of like mind, it is of the utmost importance to stay in the Word. There is nothing new under the sun and the Word of God is a resource of encouragement of how godly men of the past rested under adverse circumstances. The prophet, Micah, was a man just like us, living in a time of confusion, fear, and ungodliness. As he comes to the end of his prophecy, he cries, "woe is me." Why? His hope is shaken. The godly men are scarce. He has little camaraderie.
Sounds familiar as our churches cannot meet. But we do have technology! I have bemoaned it (technology) much. But God has used it to encourage us in so many ways during this uncertain time. And as Micah bemoans the lack of men to which he can talk, we may not be able to meet, but we can talk. Email, texts, phone, you tube, and livestream have been a great encouragement to me. Micah had none of that and his complaint is heartbreaking.
Israel and Judah should have been a fruitful vine, full of clusters, yet they were barren. There was no cluster to eat. Micah longed for the delight of discourse with godly men. It's a godly man's encouragement in the pains of life. Matthew Poole writes in his explanation of Micah's "woe": "Such good converse would as much delight, refresh, and encourage me, as a fair cluster of grapes doth a thirsty and hungry person, but there is not one such cluster." No desired cluster of discourse for Micah's woe. He does, however, rest in God's promises by the end of the chapter.
We, above many, have rest as well. Yes, let us praise God for the times we live, in which we can enjoy the benefits of technology. But remember, it is the Word of God that is the root of any encouragement. God is the source of all good things, and it's Him, from which all our encouragement will ever make us the resolute and godly people we must be to be used as lights in this darkness. And this, above all things, is our work. This is, indeed, our fulfilling rest.
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