Jerusalem and God's Holy Plan

How should a Bible believing Christian view Israel and Jerusalem? That is one question that is not easy to give an answer to in today's political climate. Any misinterpretation of words or thinking can bring out anger in those whom might be closely affected by what is happening.  I wanted to speak on this topic, but I want to take a different approach, one that I feel I can speak too.

Much has gone on and much we do not know. Personally, I spent a lot of time in my educational background studying the political climate in the middle east and the history of what has happened there. I've also heard the plights of Palestinian friends and what they've had to go through and I have had the privilege to see the holy land for myself.  Yet, I dare not say that I am an expert on the subject. Living there, being part of the every day life is a whole different thing.

Jerusalem has been the center of the main religions in the world and thus, it has also been the center of much of what is on the news. The city has a vast importance, and we cannot disregard this. Most people believe it is a city that no one has a claim too, that it is shared. Though, in Genesis 17:8, God speaks to Abraham and says, "The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

So we can see from the beginning, that the land of Israel was promised to the descendants of Abraham and that it shall be everlasting. If God lied, then this promise would be null and void. There is much more on this subject and what the Bible says regarding it is both vast and deep. One book could not cover it all and thus, one blog post limits what I can say. Though one thing that is of importance to mention is that God directed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain(Mount Moriah) in which the Holy Temple was later to be built. At the last minute, God provided Abraham with a ram to sacrifice and thus showed through this a future prophecy of what Jesus would do on the cross for us, by giving His life for our sin.

The city of Jerusalem was established as the capital of the Jewish nation back in 1000 B.C. by King David and has had significant meaning ever since. After the Jewish people were banished by the Babylonians, they were able to come back and rebuild the city and later the temple. The Jews kept their nation through the Roman conquest as it was added to the empire. This was also during time where Jesus of Nazareth was born. Around 72 A.D., Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans due to their rebellion against the empire. The nation of Israel did not exist again until 1948, even though there were still some Jews who lived there in peace with their Palestinian neighbors.

Here is my point with this brief history.  If we look at the books of the prophets Ezekiel, Joel, and Zechariah among others, we see that there are still future prophecies that are going to happen. Ezekiel 36 speaks to that God will bring the Jews back to the holy land and cleanse them from their sin. Zechariah says that God will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land(Zech 13:2). So we see God promising that he will bringing the Jews back to the promised land and restore it.

Secondly, the end times will have a focus on Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:3, "On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. And 14:2 reads, "I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it."  Joel, another prophet speaks by saying in 3:1-2, "In those days and at that time, when i restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land."  Are we not seeing this starting to happen right now? How much anger is against the Jewish nation? I believe it will only get worse leading up to the fulfillment of these prophecies.

To sum it up, here are the three points that I want to make.

1) God has a plan for the Jews and this involves his holy land of Israel that He gave to them through Abraham.
2) God's plan was to bring the Jews back to Israel and to save them, give them a new heart, one not of stone.
3) The nations will rise against Israel for their anger against her and Jerusalem will be the focal point of all this.

Though, it is not for the sake of the Jews that God is doing this, it is for the sake of His holy name.

I will end by quoting Ezekiel 36:22-27,

"Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 

I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

"‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 

And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

Sin Humbles Us

Human interactions are based on self-interest and self-motivation as we tend to do what we think is best for ourselves rather than others. Even if it is for others, our motivations are not pure, we want the recognition that comes with doing something "good". Our friends become only those who do not offend us, those with whom we agree with and act like us.

Once you are saved, I believe that you develop a sense of self-awareness through the Holy Spirit. You start seeing your problems as what they are...flaws created by sin. The effect of salvation through Jesus is that it brings about a consciousness to sin as the Holy Spirit makes its home within us. We start to understand sin for what it is and the power it has on our lives and on others. We see its effects more clearly, the destructive power that it has and how it ruins our lives and those around us.

Sometimes, I do not think we truly understand how frightening sin is and how it dictates our lives. No matter what character in the Bible that we read about, there was always a flaw. Even David whom was mentioned was a man after God's own heart, committed adultery and tried to cover it up by murdering the woman's husband. I do not think that this was David's plan to begin with, but sin creeps in and destroys when we least expect. As the Bible says, everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). When the prophet Nathaniel came to hold David accountable for his sin, it humbled David, and he had to pay the consequences for his actions.

Even still, we look at other people to be examples of a Christian who walks with God. It is through real life examples of others that we create a stronghold to keep ourselves strong in faith. To say that it is possible to live a sinless life. But these people, these examples in our life, never seem to work out. Their mistakes causes us to falter and wonder if living a Holy life is even possible. We lose the encouragement that we can win the fight against sin and the schemes of the devil.

This sin, this inability to do what is right at all times, does humble us. We hurt others with our actions, we cause others to stumble who rely on us for encouragement, and we do things out of our own selfish desires. We see the consistent failures of those around us and wonder if there is such a thing as a good Christian? We fail others ourselves…and we feel regret, thinking if its even worth it to try and live for God. Paul says,

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Rom. 7: 18-25 (NIV).

Along comes Jesus, whom the Bible says is without sin. 1 John 3:5 says, "But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin." He becomes this example for us. This encouragement that you can fight the sin in your life and overcome it. We may never be perfect in this life, but we should not give up hope to strive for the sake of righteousness.

Micah 6:8 says that God wants us to walk humbly with him. Thus, God is not looking for your perfection and we need to understand that we cannot live this life trying to do what is right on our own. We need to rely on God. His strength will guide us, His Holiness will lead us, and His might will hold us up. People do not want to see our pride of being better than them, they want to see someone who realizes that no one can reach this place without help, without guidance, without the Holy Spirits help. Our love and forgiveness with each other is what pulls those who sin back up. Do we do this all the time? Heck no! But I think that love and forgiveness is an easier step than judging. Let God be the judge and let us encourage instead. As Thessalonians 5:11 says, "Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing".

I constantly feel a heavy burden of weight on my shoulders to achieve to the standards of a “good” Christian. Even though having high standards for myself is important and sin and hurt to others weigh heavy on my heart. I have to understand that I cannot achieve anything fruitful without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus sums up the old testament in one sentence as he knew beyond a doubt that being under a law dos and don'ts will not give us the heart for others that He wants us to have.

“[Jesus] said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” - Luke 10:27

We should be humbled by sin and the consequences that it has on our lives. We need to realize the gravity of it and the sickness it brings. So let us be humbled by our sin, not to fall into depression because of it, but instead with a want to change it. And instead of letting those who sin fall and be left at the bottom…why do we not just…dive in after them? Should we not rescue our fellow brothers and sisters from the depths that sin brings? So, let us continue to fight for the sake of righteousness so we can be the kingdom of God on this Earth to others.

Be Still and Know that I am God - Reflection on Psalm 46:10

Be still...

There is something very profound within these two simple words. In our daily life, we sometimes forget to breathe. To relax and enjoy what we have. We get too busy with entertainment, family, errands, friends, work, and life. God simply tells us...be still and know that I am God.

We make poor decisions without the time to think, we are rash in our judgments, speak poorly to others out of our need to always be on the run. We can not take the time to think about our actions before we take them. We do not take the time to find counsel and wisdom in this society that demands an immediate response and even quicker actions. Where do we find the time to rest and be still when the demand for constant movement is ingrained in our very society?

And yet we hear the words...be still. It comes from above, a greater source than our own. It demands a different kind of action, an action of silence and reflection. Something that is foreign to us, as it goes against our very own human nature.

And then we see everything that goes wrong in our world and it frustrates us. We feel the pain that people suffer.  How can we be still?  We demand of God that being still will not solve anything. We make the demands because we see the problems that are happening around us, hurricanes, forest fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. Why are we just unable to see that God is bigger than this?

Psalm 46:1-3 states:

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam (hurricanes and tsunamis)

and the mountains quake with their surging. (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions)

And yet, through all of this, in verse 10, it simply says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the Earth."

Our God is bigger than everything that is going on. He knows about natural disasters, He understands the stress of life. And yet...what he demands of us is simple. Be still... Not in a fashion of laziness or idleness but to seek Him first and His presence. Something we don't seem to have time for. 

God simply wants us to dwell in His presence, in His holy place (verse 4). God is bigger than all that is going on. He holds all wisdom, all knowledge, all power. If we can only take our time to see this, to seek Him in the midst of life and the stress associated with it, then we can start to understand. God wants a relationship with us, He wants us to know that He is there and He cares for us (verse 1). 

But, for one day of the week, for a short time of our life, we need to recognize this one thing. To make our own Sabbath and set it aside for God. So we can reflect and understand what it means to be still.

To breathe...

To relax...

To close your mind to all the noise that the world is creating.

Dwell in God's presence.

And know that He is God and in complete control. 

Suffering - Reflection on John 16:33

Jesus said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." -John 16:33 (NLT)

There was one thing that Jesus understood we had to endure, that is suffering. He did not want us to be without them, nor did he want us to leave the world without experiencing them(John 17:15).  The more I dwelt on the suffering of this world, both for me and in others, I came to realize that to follow Jesus means that we will go through it at certain times in our life.

But why?

Can we not be saved from suffering if we follow Jesus? Couldn't God just take all suffering away from us so we can live a joyful and easy life? It sounds good and it would be a great way to talk people into being a Christian. "Come join us because we who don't suffer anything!"

Ah, but something seems off with that statement. We want comfort, but this world is not meant for our comfort. We want to live an easy life, but the world is not after our laziness. We want to seclude ourselves from suffering, but the world does not need our ignorance. Jesus knew this. That's why He came down to Earth to live a life that is filled with temptations and suffering so we would know that He understands what we are going through.  As Hebrews 4:15 reads,

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin."(NIV)

Many think that Jesus came to Earth to suffer so we do not have to and instead allow us to live a comfortable life. I don't think that was ever the mission that Jesus had for us, yet many seem to preach this. Why? Because that is something we all want in our lives. It is what the world seeks. An easy and comfortable life.  That is why in Heaven there will be no suffering, but on Earth, where the devil reigns, we will see suffering and there will be sorrow. This is a guarantee. That is what Jesus said would be the case. We have overcome the world and its ruler, the devil, as Jesus did.  But that is not so for everyone else who are still living in bondage of sin. How can we reach those who are hurting and suffering and that do not know that Jesus came to set them free? Do we not have to leave the kingdom of heaven to be the kingdom to those around us? We have to get dirty in order to reach those who are dirty. Jesus had to die outside the city gates(Heaven) in order to reach those who are on the outside...that is us. (Heb. 13:12). That is why Jesus wanted us to remain here on Earth for this reason, to be little Christ's to those around us. To bring the kingdom of God to those who desperately seek it.

So what happens when we suffer, when we are hurt and do not want to reach out to people? When pain hurts as a knife to the heart? Paul wanted us to remember the words of Jesus in John 16:33. He writes that that we should be joyful in hope knowing that Jesus has overcome the world, to be patient in our suffering and to always be constant in prayer(Rom. 12:12).

And then, as I realized the truthfulness of this. It all made sense. It was not about us, it was never about our suffering or our pain. No, no, no. Jesus suffered on the cross, not for himself, but for US! He knew the mission of God, and that is why he told us to have peace in him as his peace came from the Father above. We too, are pointing others to Jesus through our own suffering. Why? Because when we suffer, when we are torn down and broken, what we cling to is what our foundation is made of. And if our foundation is Jesus, we will have peace, even if the waves seem as if they would take us under. It is a foundation that will not give way or fall beneath the crashing waves of life.

And when we hold to this, others will see. They will ponder why someone can be so broken and still have peace. Where they might falter, you do not. Where they turn to their old habits, you do not.  When they do not see a meaning to life, you do as you cry out for Jesus. And when you realize that the suffering you experience was not just about you, but for others to see so they too might believe, it will change you.  Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9,16-18 speaks to this:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay 

to show that this all-surpassing power is from God 

and not from us. 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; 

perplexed, but not in despair; 

persecuted, but not abandoned; 

struck down, but not destroyed.

Therefore we do not lose heart. 

Though, outwardly we are wasting away, 

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 

For our light and momentary troubles 

are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, 

but on what is unseen, 

since what is seen is temporary, 

but what is unseen is eternal."  (NIV)

What on Earth can we Keep? - Reflection on Job 1:21

This week, after the events of Hurricane Harvey on Houston(the Hx3 disaster), I took the time to help those with flooded apartments around my area to throw away what was no longer good or useful. Many of the apartments had a multitude of items that seemed overwhelming to me at first glance. They had collections of movies, books, dolls, and other trinkets that filled their place to the brim. The apartments did not look livable, even before the flood, from all the stuff that made it impossible to move throughout. How could a collection of things fill a place to the point where one could barely walk? Does a person realize what a mess they live in? Through this time, God reminded me of Job 1:21. It reads:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,

and naked I will depart. 

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, 

may the name of the Lord be praised." (NIV)

Job had everything he could've needed and, in a matter of a day, he lost it all.  Though, instead of cursing God, he made the statement above. He understood that what we have on Earth is temporary and we cannot take it with us. As my friend put it bluntly, "You don't see a U-Haul dragged by a Hearse." All I saw in what i threw away was possessions that people collected and desperately wanted to hold on too. In the end, they lost it all. They were not able to take it with them...

Jesus said in Luke 12:33-34:

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If we seek to fill our life with material possessions, it can be taken away from us in a matter of a heartbeat.  Seek instead to put your treasure in heavenly things, because in the end, it cannot be destroyed or removed. It will be unbreakable and everlasting.  It will give you joy that will not depart from you and a smile that will be there through the tough times. So I pray that this disaster will help people rethink their priorities. That material things are just that, material. That they can be lost and destroyed. But instead, that people will focus on the immaterial, the things that cannot be taken away, stolen, or destroyed. Happiness cannot be bought in what we own.

Holiness in Separation

God, through his covenant with Abraham, had a plan for the Israelites. He brought them out of Egypt and he led them into the dessert. At Mount Sinai, he told them through Moses that they were to be a nation of priests(Exodus 19:6). A nation set apart from all the other nations. That through them, everyone will know that there is one true God. Even though the Israelites failed in this task over and over again, God was still faithful to his covenant.  

God had chosen a people to represent Him on Earth. They were called to be a holy nation, a nation separated from the rest(Leviticus 20:26). But this is where it hit me, God did not just call Israel to be a holy nation so He could separate them from everyone around and put them on a remote place on Earth.  No, God placed them right in the heart of all commerce, trade, and the center of the known world. He wanted the world to know who He is, and His plan was to do so through the nation that He personally picked out and called to be Holy. God told the Israelites that this will be your land, this is your inheritance and you will possess it in my name as I have set you apart(Leviticus 20:24). 

This means that God wanted to separate his chosen people and to keep them Holy, but not for themselves, but to show other nations that there is a one true God. And only He can protect them. It is through the law and lifestyle of the Israelites that the world would come to know who God is. That is why God took it so seriously when they started worshiping other gods. He was jealous for His name and the covenant He made to the people He had chosen out of the world. He took their sin more seriously because of their responsibility to be a nation of priests. God did not want his name to be tarnished by their actions.

What does this mean to us? First, it is important that if you call yourself a Christian, that if you follow God and He has chosen you out of the world through the Holy Spirit, then you are also called to be holy. To be a representation to the world and to be the light of Christ and to be the salt of the earth. You are set apart. This task should be taken seriously as we are not to live as part of the world. You have been separated, you have been chosen to show Christ to others and to represent who He is on this Earth. Do not tarnish the name of God.

Secondly, we are not told be a Christian and live like a hermit. God placed Israel right in the center of the known world for a reason. The world was to know who God was by the example and life style of the Jews. That means that we are as well to be an example of God's glory. To be the witnesses to the world of what God has done in and through us.

We are called to be holy and not to be a part of this world. But at the same time, we are not to remove ourselves from it. Be a light to those around you, let people see what God has done in your life, and do not let failures hold you back. God will work through you as long as you are humble and willing to be led by the Holy Spirit.  The worst thing you can do is to keep what God has done for you to yourself.

He was Shamed to Cover our Shame

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it through the Word. Having done so, God created man on the sixth day. After this God took a rib from man and created woman. In them was no sin and they felt no shame in their nakedness(Gen. 2:25). This was the human life that God created in his perfection and what God intended for life to be...before the fall. Life, lived to the fullest. There was no shame, there was no need to cover up any sin, and there was no death. It was a life of freedom and an unbroken relationship with God. One of complete joy.

But sin found its way through Satan in the form of a serpent, corrupting man and woman, bringing a knowledge of good and evil and all that came with it.  The guilt, the shame, the sin, the need to cover up, the need to hide from wrong doing entered into this world.  God knew what the consequences would entail, but man and woman wanted more than what was given and took the choice to act on their thoughts. Genesis shows this through the actions of Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:7 states, "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Verse 8 goes on to say, "...and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden."  

Sin found its way into the world and it brought with it two distinct actions.

The first is realizing the guilt of what you have done and feeling shame for it.
The second is to try and cover it up and hide from the actions you have done.

Sin finds comfort in darkness, it does not like the light. So Adam and Eve hid from their actions and were in shame for what they had done and they did not want God to find them.

God in his righteousness had to take action. He could not accept sin, because sin and shame and darkness were against his very nature. He knew that giving man and woman freewill would eventually lead to this, but it still saddened him to see death entering the world. Actions had to be taken against sin and the Lord acted on justice because he is a just God. But God had a plan. In his punishment He gave an answer. In His hurt from the sin of man, he provided hope that only he could fulfill. He was to crush the head of the serpent while the serpent would only strike his heel. (Gen. 3:15). This was it, the story of salvation and the plan of redemption revealed from the beginning of time. But how would he crush the head of the serpent?

That is why the story does not end there. It was verse 21 of chapter 3 that got me. After sentencing man and woman for their sins, God showed an act of love that broke me. The Son of God, not yet man, not yet born, did an act of compassion that surpassed my own understanding. Jesus himself, having punished man for sin and with the knowledge that they would be forever banished from the Garden of Eden, showed an act of service to both Adam and Eve. The Son of God, the Son of Man, in all his glory, made clothes for Adam and Eve. He made clothes... Just dwell on that for a minute. He served man and woman when all he had to do was cast them out. God had a love for human kind that surpassed all understanding, even in his righteous anger. God, from the beginning of creation showed both grace and truth, both compassion and justice. This,,,is the God we serve.  Though, if we dig further into the verse, we come to realize what the clothes were from. It was no fabric, no wool or silk.  It was skin.  Jesus, the Son of God, the Angel of the Lord, put the wrath of sin on an animal to die the death that man should have. The first death on earth was done to atone for the sins of Adam and Eve. The sacrificial animal paid the price for sin and it was used to clothe man and woman. A price had to be paid...

Fast forward to the birth of Jesus. We see in the gospel of John that the story was connected all along. John states in verse 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, the Word was God."  In the beginning...from before creation, the Son of God, ever existing, never changing. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...full of grace and truth. The same traits that were exuded from the beginning in the book of Genesis. Carrying the truth to punish sin, yet showing the grace to find a way to bring people back into a relationship with Him.

Having served his time on Earth, Jesus was sentenced for blasphemy, for claiming to be God, yet having portrayed God fully, showing God's nature through Himself and His actions. Jesus knew though, that this was his mission all along. He was to crush the serpents head and end the reign of sin once and for all. To take the wrath of God's righteousness upon Himself. To die the death we should have died.

And then, as Jesus was being crucified, we see in John 19:23 that Jesus was stripped of his clothes so that he would be put to shame upon the cross. Wait a minute...whhaatt? Jesus was stripped of his clothes? Jesus was shamed?  That is not right, that is not fair. Jesus is the last person to deserve something like this! How could Jesus clothe us from shame and then be stripped to be shamed...unless, unless that was His plan all along? Was it not Jesus in the Garden of Eden that first clothed man and woman in their shame? Did he, as he was making the clothes of skin from an animal, think about the cross and that his own clothes would be stripped from him? That his own people, his own creation, would be the ones to commit this crime? No...it can't be! That God Himself, in his compassion, knew all along that He would be the one to carry our shame and our sin upon himself in order to crush the head of the serpent. That Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, would carry our shame so that we did not have to. That, just as an animal in the Garden of Eden was killed to clothe Adam and Eve, Jesus, in return, became the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God, for us. He became the final sacrifice that would clothe us and cover up our shame and our sin forevermore.  How compassionate is our God! That from the beginning of time, He showed us what He had to do by clothing Adam and Eve with skin of an animal. The one who conquered sin and allowed us to live without shame, knowing that he took this shame upon himself through his death upon the cross.

The Father in heaven could not be around sin when the Son took it all upon Himself on the cross. In His anguish of being separated from His Father for the first time in eternity, he cried out. David knew this prophecy all along. He knew it, and He spoke about it. Telling all of his brethren, all of the fellow Israelites to rejoice for this day! Jesus, in his dying moment, pointed us to this, he yelled it from the cross!

Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Matthew 27:46
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And then we see and we read what David foretold would happen to the Messiah, the Son of God.


Psalm 22:7
All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

Luke 23:36
The soldiers also came up and mocked him...

Psalm 22:8
"He trusts in the Lord," they say, "let the Lord rescue him."

Luke 23:35
...They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is God's Messiah, the Chosen One."

Psalm 22:16
...they pierce my hands and my feet.

Luke 23:33
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there...

Psalm 22:17
All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 

Luke 23:35
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.

Psalm 22:18
They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment."

John 19:23-24
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."

Psalm 22:31
They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

John 19:30
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished."


Yes indeed! God did it! He finished his work on the cross to clothe us from shame and save us from death. How great is our God!  He was shamed so we do not have to live in shame. He was buried in a tomb of darkness so we do not have to live in darkness. He rose from the grave so we too will rise from death to life. The plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, it is written, it was foretold, and it was accomplished.

Psalms - Remixed

As I was reading through Romans 3:10-18, I came to realize the uniqueness in which Paul put the psalms together to describe the brokenness of man. The Psalms are so rich and full of prophecies and every kind of emotion. I decided to take some of the verses in the psalms that I have held close to my hearth and put them together in a coherent, separate psalm.

Can you guess all the psalms that these verses are pulled from?

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

The world, and all who live in it

For he founded it on the seas

And established it on the waters

When I consider your heavens,

The work of your fingers,

The moon and the stars

Which you have set in place.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

All the days ordained for me were written in your book

Before one of them came to be.

Your eyes saw my unformed body,

For you created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Before a word is on my tongue

You, Lord, know it completely

You have set our iniquities before you,

Our secret sins in the light of your presence.

My guilt is not hidden from you.

Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

You taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead

For you have delivered me from death

And my feet from stumbling.

I will be glad and rejoice in your love.

Psalm 108 - My Devotion

In all my pain, my sorrow, and my sadness Lord, my heart remains steadfast. I sing with joy because you are the only thing I can hold onto. Everything else that I tried to worship could never last and it never satisfied. I have sacrificed time with you and your will in pursuit of idols that had my utmost devotion. But you bring me back Lord, as you have always done, and I cannot stop praising you. You are my shepherd and you call to me as one of your sheep. I hear your soft voice and it breaks the chains that bind me. You are my heart, my devotion, and my love. I will remain steadfast Lord because your love for me is higher than the heavens and your faithfulness to me reaches to the skies. I will praise you to the nations and exalt your name among its people. Oh Lord, let your name be glorified through me so that others may see and believe.

So Lord, I pray that you will provide help in my time of persecution. The times when I cannot stand without your aid. That you will deliver me as you have promised and done before. That when I am drowning in a deep, dark sea, I can reach for your caring hand. Please do not reject me Lord in my time of need. The human idols I have put my trust in before will not deliver me as they failed to do in the past. Human effort for salvation is worthless. Only with you Lord will I gain victory over my enemies. It is you that will trample on Satan's plans and deliver me. It is your hand that will direct my path. Thank you Lord for loving me. I will praise you and sing of your victories forevermore.