Our Jealous God Part II

“And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17).

Lord, help us to understand Your truth and Your faithfulness to mankind. Deepen our knowledge and wisdom of Your character and Your purpose for our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I’ve been praying since I wrote the last lesson entitled: Our Jealous God. I wanted to understand more of how and why God became so angry with His chosen race. What stirred up His anger? He is after all the God of love and power. In the next several blogs, we are going to uncover the progression of man’s evil deeds.

Let us start with Adam and Eve. In chapter two of Genesis, we are told that God created Adam and gave him specific instructions to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Now, first of all He didn’t say that they could not eat from the tree of life. He said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…” I highlighted the word “any” because I wanted you to see that that word includes the tree of life. They could’ve eaten from the tree of life and live forever, but instead, the enemy chose to tempt them with the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Why?

It was not an order of the Lord to not do. Had they chosen to eat from the tree of life, they would have lived forever and Satan couldn’t do a thing about it. So, he used the only thing he could to tempt Eve: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God specifically ordered to not eat. Notice who changed the wording of God’s command. All Satan did was added the word “not”. God said, “you are free to eat from any tree in the garden…” Satan (on ch. 3, v. 1) said, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”. So, if you compare the two sentences, the only difference is the word “not”. And Satan was the one to add that word to it. Satan left everything else intact. How skillful of him. He caused her to doubt first, then to deny the truth.

The second thing I picked up on is how Eve responded: “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” Notice she didn’t specify which tree. God planted two trees in the middle of the garden. God ordered them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Of all the trees in the garden, the enemy chose to use the only forbidden tree to tempt Eve. She responded wavering with great desire to taste the fruit and gain knowledge and wisdom.

God gave them the whole kingdom of Eden. They were free to roam around the whole garden and eat whatever they pleased as long as they stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. One command. Satan, in his subtlety, tempted them with the only thing God forbid them from doing. Satan caused them to doubt God’s goodness. Then he caused them to deny God’s truth, and finally to rebel against God. And, he has used the same method to this day; we continue to fail today. We bow down to the same temptation. It’s no wonder the author of Proverbs 31:30 said “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised”. To honor God is to show Him respect and obedience.

Be Encouraged!

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Just being away from writing and blog hopping for so long and facing some mild issues in my life has really brought me down and mellow today. Writing today has been very challenging to me. Like one lady said to me, I know the Bible and what it says, I know the principles of positive thinking, but for some reason I’ve just felt very sleepy and mellow. Today, I jumped from a couple of blogs to Godtube.com. The messages are the same, Be Encouraged.

I listened to Kathy Troccoli sang. Ummmmh! What a song. It spoke to my heart. It blesses my heart to know that God is looking down on me. He knows my broken heart and crushed spirit. He’s very closed by and He’s working on bringing me happiness and joy and peace. I’ll let you listen to Kathy’s song and meditate on the scripture above. I will be back to post more. Now I have to go and debug myself. I think it's because I've not opened my window curtain nor drink my tea today. I'm not sure. God sure is good. Enjoy the song.

Abigail's Speech

Reading: 1 Samuel 25:23-31

I’ve been following Rachel Olsen’s Bible study lessons on women of the Bible. I’m always in awe of the roles God called women to play, especially Abigail’s. Go here to read Rachel’s comments:

Since Rachel has done a wonderful job of presenting the overview of the life of Abigail, I want to focus on her speech. I’m intrigued with her speech. So, let’s take it verse by verse.

As soon as Abigail saw David, she wasted no time; she, humbly and quickly, got down with her face to the ground. She fell at his feet and began her speech: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be!” (vv. 23-24 NKJV). She was saying, let me take the blame. Now, if you read the verse before, you notice that David was murmuring to his fellow soldiers about how angry he was that Nabal had shown disrespect to him. So, I’m sure Abigail, in her wisdom, noticed the tension David was in-the anger on his face. She humbly dismounted and fell face down to the ground. Immediately pleaded for mercy, putting her life on the line.

So, first she said, let me take the blame alone. Next, she said, allow me-your servant-to speak to you. Hear what I have to say. She didn’t pause, she didn’t stop, immediately went on her next task which was to address Nabal’s foolishness (v.25). She said, “may my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.” So humble and bold. What she was saying was Nabal was foolish. He was living up to his name. Had Abigail seen the men David sent, they would not have returned to him emptied.

Then, she wasted no time to tell David of his benefits (v.26). God has kept David from bloodshed; anyone who would have fought him would become foolish like Nabal. She addressed two parts on this verse: 1) she said God has kept David from bloodshed. How? Well, she came to him before he reached her home. I’m sure it took time for her to bake all those breads and prepared all those gifts. David, on the other hand, had wasted no time to organize his soldiers for the battle. So, does it take more time to bake or to organize the troop? She packed “200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, 100 cakes of raisins, and 200 hundred cakes of pressed figs” (v.18). Just to count the things she brought, took time, and to bake it? Well, I’ll let you do the math. She knew David was smart enough to figure out that it was God who brought her to him before he reached her home. 2) She said, since God saved David from bloodshed, not having to avenge his own life, let anyone who was to fight with him become foolish like Nabal. What she was really saying was that Nabal was foolish, but David was wise because God favored him.

Verse 27, Abigail offered David her gifts and asked him to distribute among his followers. She was, in her own wise ways, telling David she brought enough for his whole army.

Verse 28, she once again asked for his mercy not because she deserved it but because God favored David to fight His battle. From verse 28 to 29, she prophetically spoke of God’s provision and protection of him and establishing his future reign as king of Israel. She said that he would be securely bound in “bundle of the living by the Lord”. “Bundle”-when I think of bundles I think of many things in one package or deal. Like Time Warner’s cable bundle: you get t.v., internet, and phone for one low monthly price-David would be blessed with many good things as he abided with God: he ended up as king of Israel, Abigail as his wife, and a promise to have his descendents never to descend from the thrown of Israel.

And, anyone who wished to destroy him would be hurled away. He was guaranteed to be safe because he was fighting the Lord’s battle. In verses 30 & 31, she said when God has blessed him with all good things he will have peace knowing that he didn’t kill Nabal, as he reigned over Israel: “my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself…”

Finally, she asked him: “And when the Lord has brought my master success, remember your servant” (v.31b). She gave him one of the most profound and bold speeches of all time. Then, she boldly and humbly asked him to remember her when he became successful.

She’s the only woman recorded for making the longest female speech in the Old Testament. Her speech changed David’s heart of pursuit for Nabal. She overcame his anger with benefits of peace and God’s provision and protection of him and his life as her master and king of Israel. Throughout her speech, she consistently addressed him as her master and herself as his servant. She elegantly crafted her speech to create a sense of intelligence and honor for David in such a way that has turned his heat of anger into peace and calmness. He accepted her gifts and her speech and promised to fulfill her request.

As a woman who desires to show God a fearful heart, I’m in awe of Abigail’s wisdom. She had a discerning heart. God blessed her: He took Nabal away from her and replaced him with David as her husband. She went from living in an abused relationship to living in an honorable one. She became one of the most blessed queens in Biblical time. Her life presented an example of God’s blessing for women who persevere through difficult relationships. I’ve been encouraged by her strength and blessings. I hope you have, too.

For more discussions of Abigail, please visit Rachel’s blog.

Where you Lead Me I will Follow by Mercy Me

Okay, I can't help myself. This song speaks to me. I have to share it with you.

Intriguing video

Well, ladies, I've been catching up with life, but I thought while you wait for my post, I thought you might want to see this video. There are numerous opportunities for us to witness for Christ. Check this video out.

Our Jealous God

“I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in anger and fury and great wrath” –Jeremiah 21:5.

When I do my devotions in the mornings, I usually look for a special positive verse that would encourage me throughout the day. However, this morning I was reading through Jeremiah 21, and well, it is one of those “doom and gloom” chapters of the Old Testaments where it is hard to draw in for an encouragement, at least for me. But, the Lord has pressed upon my heart to trust Him and write down verse 5. After, I’ve done a couple of cross referencing, I became interested because I was as confused as can be. So, I called my husband over and asked him why I’ve always believed that God would never harm His children and yet this verse strongly stated that He would fight against the nation of Israel with His outstretched hand.

“Well, He disciplined them because He loved them?” he said without hesitation, and left the room.

Well, that was easy for him to say. He’s a minister. He studied the Bible. And, isn’t that what ministers usually say anyway. You know, stay positive. Support God and you can’t go wrong. I shook my head and read on more verses. I found myself praying this prayer: "Lord, thank You so much for taking such great interest in me, that You would go to such great lengths to save me from destructions. In Jesus’ name, Amen. "

I was stunned. That was my message. God loves me so much, He would do whatever it takes to bring me back to Him. Even if He has to cause me to feel pain and loss in order to bring me back to Him. After all, the Bible does say God is a jealous God.

This reminded me of a time when I wondered whether my husband loved me. He certainly didn’t show any envy or affection. And, when I asked him why he was so confident I wasn’t going to do him no harm that he would not show any sign of jealousy like other men. His response was I was in the hand of God. If I didn’t fear God and I do wrong I would be the one having to deal with God. Although I agreed with him, I still wondered if he loved me at all because there was no sign of jealousy in our relationship, at least on his side.

Unlike my husband, God doesn’t want us to wonder if He loves us at all. That’s why the Bible clearly states that Our God is a jealous God. He wants our affections and devotions. He wants our total attention, total reverence to Him, and total love for Him. Therefore, He urges us to stay focused on the cross so we won’t go astray. I am so glad God has made me realize just how much He loves me by showing me Jeremiah 21:5. He went as far as sacrificing His own Son for me (and you) so that I can live to share with y’all this little message today. Isn’t that awesome?

Father God, You are always awesome, always mighty, always loving, always merciful and compassionate. Thank You for loving us and sharing Your heart with us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Grief I’ve Caused

“Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for my virgin daughter—my people—has suffered a grievous wound, a crushing blow” (Jeremiah 14:17).

My son’s teacher emailed me his progress report, I was struck dumb. I didn’t know how I should react to this. He’s normally an “A” student and not having any trouble doing his homework or his tests. So, to receive this kind of report was troubling for me. I was dumbfounded. I didn’t know what to do, so I prayed. I knew that anger was not going to resolve it. Neither would punishment. So, I was thinking about rewarding him, should he choose to make up some of his missed assignments; And, if he so choose to not make them up, I would punishment him by taking away his video games.

So, I was anxious for him to come home because I was cooking up a reward, I knew he would love-I would let him spend the night with his friend and buy him a new game. When he came home, I asked him about his grades, he was upset but said that he had already written the essay and was waiting for me to let him on the computer so he could type it. It was music to my ears. I asked to see the essay. After several minutes of demanding on my part and fumbling on his, he finally handed over the handwritten essay.

I turned on the computer and let him type it. Then, he asked me to proofread it. I did and had problem with a few areas of the essay. To me, it was a contradicting essay. Now, before you start throwing stones at me, let me tell you why: this son of mine is very smart. An “A” average student writing a supposed to be persuasive essay. His sentences made perfect sense, remember he’s the one correcting my grammar here. But, his essay was not persuasive enough for me.

However, he was determined to keep the essay as it was and not willing to change according to the few suggestions I’ve made. Therefore, I’ve resorted to tell him I was going to reward him if he completed the essay and turned it in. And he said, “With what, a day off doing dishes?”

I was mad. Had my son think so little of me that he would say such demeaning thing to me? Tears streaming down my cheeks, I turned my head up to heaven, and said, “Lord, don’t let these tears fall on my son.”

As I thought more and more of this account, the Lord revealed a troubling truth to me: over the history of my life, the Lord has stated how much I was worth to Him and how He longs to reward me with unimaginable rewards. And, had I asked Him, “With what?” What a heart-wrenching statement! How degrading of His authority and provision over me!

His love for us is deep and wide: when he made us, He said that we were fearfully and wonderfully made. He gave careful thought to the form of our image and frame; to create our skinning, just right, or big butt, big eyes with long lashes or skimpy eyes with no lashes, skinny legs, etc. To Him, we are His creative arts. Thus, each time we cried out to Him how unfair that we are made to be the way we are with no talent or too many talents we don’t know what to do with them, we cause Him to grief. God wants us to appreciate our long or short noses. He wants us to understand we are His creative arts and for special reasons.

He’s waiting for us to accept ourselves where we are and allow Him to finish us, His pieces of arts, so that we can be these wonderful individuals that we were meant to be and able to receive His rewards. His rewards are bigger than our eyes can see, louder than our ears can bear, and deeper than our minds can conceive. How long then will we cause Him to cry by feeling ashamed of our frames, denying our existence, and defeating His purpose through us by degrading His art? To fear Him is to show our appreciations for His art.

Lord, thank You for this wonderful body of mine. Thank You for this gift of spirit and talent You placed in this body. Forgive me for all of my past behaviors toward Your master plan in the creation of me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.