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PSALM
61 ... VERSE 1:
I've thought about this little Psalm for days now. It's "new"
to me. What Psalm?
Psalm 61 {To the
chief Musician upon Neginah, A Psalm of David.} 1) Hear
my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. 2) From the end of the
earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead
me to the rock that is higher than I. 3) For thou hast
been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
4) I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the
covert of thy wings. Selah. 5) For thou, O God, hast heard my
vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear
thy name. 6) Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his
years as many generations. 7) He shall abide before God for
ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
8) So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may
daily perform my vows. It only has eight verses. I would
like for us to study it this week. David wrote it sometime after
he became King. Verse six proves that he apparently wrote it
when away from Jerusalem. He considers himself "in the end of
the earth" in verse two! The older Commentators believed that
David wrote this Psalm when the revolt of his son Absalom was
occurring. The Passage contains several beautiful truths. What
do you do when your life is "overwhelmed"? See that word in
verse two. How do you respond when someone is apparently trying
to kill you? That's what's happening in verse six! Here's what
David did in those troublesome times. In verse one he
prays (to the Lord)! In verse four
he abides (in the Lord)! And in
verse eight he sings (about the
Lord)! And (also verse eight) David works
(for the Lord)! Now ... to verse one:
"Hear my cry, O God;
attend unto my prayer." (Psalm 61:1) In our verse
the first verb "hear" is in the imperative mood! "Shama" means
to "listen to." The imperative here underlines the urgency of
David's request. It usually carries the idea of hearing with
interest and concern. The noun "cry" means a creaking or shrill
sound! Even ... a shout! BUT in the King James Version it is
translated "singing" (9 times), "rejoicing" (3 times), "joy" (3
times), "gladness" (1 time) and even "triumph" (1 time)!
There's a note of victory and joy even in David's turmoil! The
Name of God mentioned here is "Elohiym." It has a veiled
reference to the Trinity I believe! (It's plural in form but is
treated as a singular grammatically! That means it's a "Three
in One" kind of word!) David is praying to the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. And ... YES I do believe He knew this doctrine.
The second verb of verse one is "attend." It's "qashab" in
Hebrew and literally means "to prick up the ears." It's a human
way to describe an action of the Almighty! Little animals do
this "ear pricking" thing when they hear something! Their ears
stand straight up in response to the noise (however slight)!
David is asking God to hear his slightest whisper in this time
of need! And the implication is that God hears better than the
beautiful deer in the forest! God doesn't miss a word when we
call upon Him! The noun for "prayer" ("taphillah") is found 77
times in Scripture and each time is rendered just that,
"prayer." (Never any variation!) It comes from a root word
that means "to judge." I've never thought of it exactly like
that ... but prayer does require some judging and discernment as
it is voiced. That's one reason why we need the Holy Spirit to
make intercession for us! Just by looking a one short verse the
Lord has taught us a couple of valuable lessons about calling on
God! Truly the Bible is a "wondrous" Book! I'm so glad you've
studied with us today!
PSALM 61 ... VERSE 2:
Our verse
today is one of worship! David, although going through trial, is
determined to pray to his God!
"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart
is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
Psalm 61:2 It is believed that David here is
having to flee the Palace. Notice that he is praying to the Lord
"from the end of the earth." Geographically he may be far from
home ... fleeing for his very life. (Chased by an enemy ...
maybe his own son Absalom!) Of course David’s heart may feel a
long way from the Lord too! Every Jew loved the city of
Jerusalem. That’s where the Ark of the Covenant would have been
... and later the Temple of Solomon. The verb "call" means to
summon, to invite or to call aloud for someone! The "time" sense
of the word is one of incomplete action ... the praying was a
continuous thing with David. "Overwhelmed" means (Hebrew = "ataph")
fainting or feeble. Some linguists feel that it comes from a
root word that means "to shroud or to clothe" ... therefore
being wrapped in darkness. "Lead" is the verb "nachah" which
means to guide or to bring or even to govern. David is asking
the Lord to constantly lead him back to the House of God (and
the city of God)! "Rock" (Hebrew = "tzsur") is a common noun
with an uncommon background! It is obviously a reference to
Christ, Who is a mighty Refuge! The first use of our word for
rock is in Exodus 17:6 where Moses is told to strike the rock so
that water could flow forth to save thirsty Israel! (That
smitten rock giving life-saving water is also a picture of
Christ!) The verb "is higher" is from the Hebrew word "rum" that
means to rise, to rise up or to be exalted! This action word
speaks of One being lifted higher and higher! Again, this sound
like Jesus to me! I heard an older preacher say that the word
picture here for being led to a rock that is higher than you is
one from the world of the sailor. It depicts one who is
shipwrecked and nearly drowning in the flooding billows and
waves! He frantically reaches and grasps for anything ... then
suddenly, he feels something! What is it? A Rock! He grasps it
and delightfully finds that it is a high rock! It leads upward
and upward and upward ... right out of the water and to safety!
That’s exactly what Jesus was to this drowning sinner! I was
going down for the last time and I found the Rock! (Really I was
floundering and the Rock found me!) Once upon the Rock I
discovered safety in its heights! He saved me from sure
destruction in the depths below! What a testimony David has
shared with us today! I feel like I’ve been standing on Holy
Ground! The Lord willing, tomorrow we shall look at verse 3 of
this 61st Psalm.
PSALM 61 ... VERSE 3:
The Old Testament is just full of beautiful
word pictures! Many of them concern the Lord Himself. Two are in
today’s verse.
"For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from
the enemy." Psalm 61:3 The words "hast been"
translate one Hebrew verb, "hayah." It means to be, to become,
to exist. It is almost always used in an emphatic sense. It’s a
Qal perfect verb. (Simply active voice and action completed!
David apparently has in mind some specific time in the past when
God was a Shelter and Strong Tower for him!) Now to the noun
"shelter." The word means a refuge. Also it can be defined as a
place to which one may flee in danger. Of the 20 times it’s used
in the King James Bible, it is translated "refuge" 15 times and
"shelter" 2 times and "hope" 2 times and "trust" 1 time. In Job
24:8 it pictures a refuge from the rain. In Psalm 94:22 God is
the "Rock" of our refuge! In Psalm 104:18 the high hills are
said to be a refuge for the wild goats. Isaiah 25:4 speaks of a
refuge from the storm. And in Isaiah 28:15 there are some who
have made "lies" their refuge! And our word is translated "hope"
in Jeremiah 17:17 where God is our hope in the day of evil!
"Strong" as in strong tower is the adjective "oz," coming from a
verb which means "to be stout." God cannot fail! He is strength
perfected! He is all-strong! (omnipotent) And "tower" is "migdal"
which means to be large (to twist). It pictures a tower in its
sense of being straight up in shape and reinforced in its
construction. Of its 50 Bible uses, it is rendered "tower" 47
times (and "castles" once in 1 Chronicles 27:25, "flowers" once
in Song of Solomon 5:13, and "pulpit" once in Nehemiah 8:4).
Wow! The Lord is my Castle! Preachers, remember the next time
you’re preaching from that pulpit that the Lord IS the pulpit!
(As He is everything else in the Christian life too!) The word
"pulpit" is only found this one time in all of the Bible! The
"pulpit" is a tower of strength for the Christian! The noun
"enemy" comes from a root word that means "to hate" or to be
"hostile!" It is clear from this verse that David puts his hope
for safety in the Lord! Dear Believing friend, today as you talk
to the Lord ... tell Him just what He means to you! Let him know
in your own words that He’s your "Shelter" and your "Strong
Tower!" Thank God for His protection!
PSALM 61 ... VERSE 4:
In today’s
study verse David makes some promises to God. What he says here
sounds a lot like the last verse of Psalm 23 ---
"And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever!" Here’s how he phrases it in Psalm 61:4 ---
"I
will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the
covert of thy wings. Selah." David is longing for
the House of God! He is for some reason fleeing Jerusalem in
this Psalm. (It may be when his son Absalom was rebelling and
trying to kill him.) When far away from the Tabernacle, David
always yearned for its beauty and presence. He truly loved to
worship God there! He makes a commitment here. He will ABIDE in
God’s House! The verb (Hebrew = "gur") means to sojourn, to
dwell for a time, to inhabit! The time sense of the verb is that
of incomplete action. He continually longs for the Tabernacle of
God. (To get an idea of the temporary nature of the verb’s
action, read the verse in which it’s first used in Scripture.
Genesis 12:10 --- "And there was a famine
in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn
there; for the famine was grievous in the land.")
The noun "tabernacle" means "tent." In Hebrew it’s spelled "ohel."
It is a reference to the dwelling place of the Ark of the
Covenant I believe. David loved it dearly and had brought it to
Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). The King just loved to be in a place
where he could worship his God! "For ever" translates a Hebrew
term that means the "vanishing point." (Until time is seen no
more!) David plans to be faithful in worshiping God. Of course
David knows that the Tabernacle will soon become the Temple! But
either place ... God is to be adored and honored! The verb
"trust" ("chasah") means to flee for protection! Or to seek
refuge! It also indicates on-going habitual action. Using our
very verb here, Psalm 2:12 says: "Blessed
are all they that put their trust in him." If you
make God your "trust" ... He also promises to be your Shield! 2
Samuel 22:31 --- "As for
God, his way is perfect; the word
of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them
that trust in him." And get Psalm 5:11 ---
"But let all those that put their trust in
thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou
defendest them." The word "covert" means anything
that covers.
(A shelter or hiding place!) It can be rendered: a "secret"
place! Though it is a strange way to illustrate the word, Job
24:15 says --- "The eye also of the
adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me:
and disguiseth his face." When we flee to
the Lord for safety ... He "disguises" us from the enemy!
Furthermore Psalm 27:5 says of the Lord ---
"In the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me." (Like a little chick, get under His
Wings! Like poor little Ruth ... get under the wings of your
wealthy loving Boaz!) And the word "wings" is just the common
noun for a wing, extremity, edge or border of something. I
believe it is a picture of the wings of the Cherubim that
overshadow the Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat that are meant
here. See what you think after checking the following verses.
Psalm 17:8 --- "Keep me as the apple of
the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings." Psalm
36:7 --- "How excellent is thy
lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their
trust under the shadow of thy wings." Psalm 57:1 ---
"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful
unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy
wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be
overpast." Psalm 63:7 --- "Because
thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings
will I rejoice." And notice the verse ends with the word
"selah." It is believed to mean "pause." (Maybe being a musical
term!) But the basic root definition of the verb is "to lift up
or to exalt!" It could indicate that the Psalm is going on now
to a "higher" level of spiritual meaning! David is prepared to
worship God! He literally grieves when he is unable to do so. No
wonder Acts 13:22 says of the Lord --- "He
raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave
testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse,
a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my
will." May we have the same hunger (or greater) for the
Lord!
PSALM 61 ... VERSE 5:
Think with me this Friday about one verse of
Scripture. In Psalm 61:5 David said:
"For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the
heritage of those that fear thy name." The noun
"vows" translates the Hebrew term "neder." It comes from a verb
which means "to promise." (To do or give something to God!)
David’s love for God is not just one of words! He performs
certain actions out of dedication to his Lord! Vows were
important enough in the Old Testament that whole chapters of
Scripture were given to them! (For example, Numbers 30) By the
way, notice that the vows are plural here! (In the New Testament
Paul calls our "giving" the proof of our love to God! 2
Corinthians 8:24) God is keenly interested in what we offer to
Him. (Jesus illustrates this in Mark 12 as He sat by the
treasury and watched how people gave!) Our verse says that God
"hears" the vows of his dedicated child! This particular verb ("shama")
means to listen with interest or attention! The verb is active
telling us that God Himself listens when we give to His Name.
The "time" sense of the verb is that of completed action. The
second you vowed ... God listened with care and heard every bit
of your loving commitment! Then David acknowledges that God has
given him something! Maybe God gives to everyone who vows
(gives) to Him! Don’t forget verses like Luke 6:38 ---
"Give, and it shall be given unto you;
good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure
that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
That’s a promise! (And a great one, too!) If you want this truth
in Old Testament terminology, here it is. Malachi 3:10 ---
"Bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you
the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
there shall not be room enough to receive it."
"Heritage" is one great word! In Hebrew it is spelled "yerushah."
It comes from a verb root that means to occupy, to seize, to
inherit! It can even carry the meaning "to expel or to
impoverish!" What God has given me has been TAKEN from the
enemy! I believe that at least part of the heritage David
describes here is the land God gave him. Moses led the
Israelites to the land ... but couldn’t enter! Joshua led them
into the land but failed to conquer it all! The Judges
experienced partial victory at times ... but never possessed all
the land God had promised! Saul certainly did not conquer the
land. BUT King David did fight and win battle after battle ...
on the way to Israel’s greatest land holdings ever! New
Testament Christian, you have inherited some things too! (Not
land ... but spiritual blessings!) For example: eternal
salvation, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the completed Word
of God, a local assembly in which to worship and serve the Lord,
a godly Pastor to feed you ... and so much more! To "fear" the
Lord means to reverence, respect, worship and hold in HIGH
regard the Lord God Almighty! If you want an exciting Bible
study, go through the Scriptures and list the blessings promised
to those who "fear" the Lord! They are both numerous and
astounding! This verse seems to me to be a little "love contest"
between David and the Lord! The Lord says to David, "I love
you." David says to the Lord, "I shall vow these things unto
You!" God says back to David, "Then I will allow you to inherit
these blessings!" David says in return, "I will reverence and
fear Thee!" And on and on it goes ... for eternity! Guess Who
"wins!" The Lord always out-loves us! In fact, 1 John 4:19 truly
says: "We love him, because he first loved
us." I have particularly enjoyed today’s verse! And it’s
found right in the middle of a little-known Psalm! All I know to
say is ... "Praise the Lord!"
PSALM 61 ... VERSE 6:
Truly King
David was a godly man at heart. He made mistakes ... but
eventually sought God’s forgiveness for them all. He wrote so
much (under divine inspiration) that we may know him quite well.
Charles Spurgeon, after having written his massive commentary on
the Book of Psalms called "Treasury of David," said that David
was his very best friend! Today’s verse gives us some further
insight into the heart and character of David ... and maybe even
some hints about the Greater Son of David, our Lord Jesus!
"Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many
generations." Psalm 61:6 Let’s examine this
Scripture. The verb "prolong" translates in Hebrew "yasaph"
which means to add, to increase, to further, to continue ... or
even to do again! It’s a "causative active" verb (Hiphil stem)
and means the God has the power to increase one’s years! (But
there must be a cause for doing so!) The noun used for "life"
here is most often translated as "day, time, or year." In Hebrew
it’s "yom." And the word "king" comes from a root verb that
means "to ascend the throne." But, wait just a minute. Of Whom
is David speaking? Does he want longer life for himself ... or
does he have Someone different in view? I can only tell you what
a lot of the old preachers (100 to 200 years ago) believed. They
were of the conviction that David here all of a sudden has the
Messiah in mind. He God will some day sent a KING Who will live
generations (eternally)! Into the ages of the ages! It would not
surprise me that when we get to Heaven and learn all the depths
of this precious Bible we’ve been studying together ... that the
Psalms were indeed a foreview of the Lord Jesus Christ! I
believe Jesus is foreshadowed in dozens and dozens of the Psalms
... mostly without our ever seeing Him. (My, what we are
missing!) There’s really no doubt in my mind but that Jesus
Himself read these words (not in English of course) and applied
them to His very Heart! David is here soaring to the heavens (as
he so often does under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit)! He
sees King Jesus Who will reign for a thousand glorious years
(the millennium) plus the whole of eternity! (This is Jesus in
His great Second Coming Glory!) David knew death was coming to
him ... as to every other man. (David died in 1 Kings 1:11.) But
there was One coming Who would conquer death, hell and the
grave. David even wrote of this Son of God. (See Psalm 16 for
example.) The second use of the word "years" is a Hebrew noun "shaneh"
and means year (about 800 times in the King James Bible). It’s
root stem is from a verb that means "to fold or to revolve!" (As
a year is repeated every 12 months!) "Many generations" is a
rendering of "dor," a Hebrew noun derived from the word meaning
"to gyrate or move in a circle." Again, a picture (though from a
different semantic source) of a revolution of time. (As days are
repeated and so are weeks, months, years, etc.) Any way you
study it ... this is a prayer for the coming (Second Coming) of
the Lord and for his eternal victory and prosperity and reign
and success and kingdom! Of course we New Testament Believers
know that in that coming kingdom age we too shall reign as kings
and priests with our Lord. (This should be one of the motivating
factors to cause us to want to be Faithful to our Saviour!) See
Revelation 5:10 --- "And hast made us unto
our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
Perhaps David did supernaturally see these coming events!
(Isn’t that what inspiration is, anyway?) I believe it would be
all right for us to pray for the sure success of our dear Lord’s
present and future Ministry! (Now He’s the Intercessor! Then
He’ll be the King!) "Even so, come, Lord
Jesus." Revelation 22:20 Now the liberals would just
laugh at this old fundamentalist preacher! They would say that
no way could King David see prophetically that far into the
future! They would suggest that he’s praying for his son and
grandson and great grandson as they continue to reign in Israel.
(Praying for a dynasty.) Of course, praying for one’s children
is a great (and a Biblical) idea. But I sense David is doing far
more than that here.But I do have a habit of taking almost any
text of Scripture and carrying it to Jesus! (I find that He
sheds Light on any Passage!) I can’t imagine getting to Heaven
and being rebuked for seeing too much of Jesus in the Bible, can
you?
PSALM 61 ... VERSE 7:
It is often said by the theological "liberals" that the Old
Testament has an inadequate idea of Heaven. (That "eternity" as
such is not taught in the first 39 Books of Scripture!) I
disagree! And one reason I do is the 61st Psalm. For example,
notice verse 7 ... "He shall abide before
God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may
preserve him." The verb "abide" translates the Hebrew
term "yashab" and means to sit down, to remain, to settle or to
continue! And it pictures "imperfect" action ... ongoing
incomplete action! David is going to keep on and on abiding
before God! (Sounds like eternity to me!) "For ever" is the
expression that (in Hebrew) means "to the vanishing point!" (As
far as one can see! Here ... as far as God can see! And that
is for evermore!) The verb "prepare" is great! It means to
count, to number, to reckon, to assign or to appoint! (Root: to
weigh out or to allot or even to enroll!) It is a Piel
imperative also. That reveals that David asks God to do this
vigorously, with determination and diligence! "Mercy" is our old
friend "chesed" and means "covenant love!" (The love a husband
has for his wife! The determination to make and keep vows of
love and protection and faithfulness to her!) "Truth" is in
Hebrew "emeth" and means faithfulness, sureness, reliability,
stability or continuance! And the last beautiful verb of the
verse is "preserve" (in Hebrew = "natzsar") and means to keep or
to watch or to guard or to observe with fidelity! It's a word
with a "time" sense that remains incomplete. We as Christians
are "guarded" forever by Mercy and Truth! What a verse we've had
today! It sounds like the New Testament, doesn't it? It just
seems that whatever "bad" situation comes David's way ... after
a short time of "shock" and readjustment ... he springs back
into a posture of praising and worshiping God! May his number
increase! (Remember, mercy and truth are what generated the
praise of Psalm 117!) It would not surprise me that the more
David ponders God "mercy" and "Truth" here ... the more he will
praise Him too!) Therefore we had better not look at tomorrow's
verse yet! No doubt there he will be shouting the praises of
God! (Oops! I peaked! David IS singing praises ... in spite of
his problems!)
PSALM 61 ... VERSE 8:
In Psalm 61:8
we read these words:
"So will I sing praise unto thy name for
ever, that I may daily perform my vows." So said
godly King David years ago. Let's study this verse today. It
begins with an adverb, "so." This is often rendered "hence,
because of, or therefore." It links our verse to the earlier
part of the Psalm. He's just said that he will abide before God
for ever! THEREFORE he will sing praises! (If one abides with
God ... he or she WILL be joyful.) Psalm 16::11
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in
thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore." The words "will
sing praise" translate one little Hebrew verb, "zamar." It has
an interesting background. The linguists say that it means "to
touch with the fingers!" It has the idea of playing a musical
instrument and singing with the melody. (David was a musician
and an inventor of musical instruments! Amos 6:5) ... BUT the
root of the verb comes from a word that means "to trim a vine"
thus "to prune!" Is the Lord teaching us something here? If we
will obediently praise His Name and sing His glories ... will
our activity help trim away unwanted areas of our lives? That
sure is what the word implies! (Also our verb here is a "Piel"
stem which indicates the action is dramatic and intensive!
REALLY singing and praising!) But look at what this joy does for
David! It further motivates him to "daily perform his vows."
The verb "perform" (in Hebrew = "shalam") means here "to
complete, to finish" ... and can have the idea of recompense or
reward! (God had been so good to David ... David wanted to love
and serve Him in return!) This word also is a "Piel" ...
vigorously performing his vows! A "vow" by definition is
something given or promised to God. It looks to me like David's
resolve (I will abide before God for ever! Verse 7) produced
David's praise (Verse 8a) ... which gave him determination to
keep his vows or serve God completely (Verse 8b)! And that's
EXACTLY what the Bible teaches elsewhere! Listen to Nehemiah
8:10 --- "For this day is
holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry;
for the joy of the LORD
is your strength." He began this Psalm far away
from Jerusalem and in need of a shelter from the enemy. He was
overwhelmed with problems. BUT he ends the Psalm thinking of
God's Truth and Mercy and singing praises for ever! (And ...
faithfully serving the Lord!) That's the pattern with the
Christian! (From sin-cursed earth to glory-filled Heaven!)
There are always "good things to come!" God always saves the
best until last! May YOU sing praise unto His Name all day long!
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the
LORD. ( Genesis 6:8 )
My Dear in Him,
Please follow me to study this words of hope from
the beginning to the end of the messages so you can found grace in the eyes of
The Almighty Father in obedience to The Divine direction to His prophet.
The word “grace” appears for the first time in the Bible in this verse. Noah
lived in the midst of the most heinously evil society the world had known, but
because he had found grace, God favored him with personal instruction about the
coming catastrophic judgment and the details for a new beginning on earth.The language of Genesis 6:8 gives us insight into Noah’s character. “Found” is a simple active perfect verb, not a passive one. Thus, Noah found favor—grace—in God’s eyes because he was actively looking for it. Likewise, Adam found no helpmate from among the animals that was suitable for him (Genesis 2:20), and Noah’s dove did not find rest for the sole of her foot (Genesis 8:9). Laban did not find his household images that Rachel had stolen and hidden (Genesis 31:35), and Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses (2 Chronicles 34:14-15). God could have used a passive verb in reference to Noah, but He did not. What can we learn from the life of this great man? Evidently, God intended for us to know this key factor: Noah’s life was righteous—in spite of the horrible condition of the world of his day. He was looking for God’s direction and for the answers to his heart’s cry. Noah wasn’t merely hanging around waiting for the inevitable destruction that he sensed must come as a result of the awful rebellion that surrounded him. Noah was anticipating a response from God—and when God finally did give him instruction, Noah “found” the favor that he sought! Captain of Industry Many centuries later, God warned Ezekiel of future judgment that would happen to the land of Israel because of its wickedness. God identified three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—as examples of the best “righteous” men in history (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). If that comparison has any meaning, Noah was much more than a mere chance recipient of God’s grace. Job was “the greatest of all the men of the east” (Job 1:3). His livestock resources (mainly those for caravan duty) were enormous. That certainly meant that he was a successful trade broker and possibly a source for prized stock. He had multiple houses and land—so much so that “bands” from nearby nations were necessary to destroy his wealth. God had labeled Job “my servant...there is none like him in the earth, a perfect [blameless] and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth [shuns] evil” (Job 1:8). Job was much more than a “nice guy.” He was probably the wealthiest man of his day, and yet he was of such godly character that God used him to teach Satan a lesson! Daniel was one of the king’s descendants and nobles from Judah taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:3). The account of Daniel and his three godly friends is well known among Christians, but the young adult experiences of Daniel often overshadow the long life that he led as the leader of the “scientists” (learned men) of that day. He was commissioned as a “great man” by Nebuchadnezzar and “sat in the gate of the king” (Daniel 2:48-49). Daniel served in some form of senior political and advisory position for six kings over some 70 years. Not bad for a captive! God identified Daniel as a “man greatly beloved” (Daniel 10:11). He was privileged to have unusual spiritual insight, which he could have used to his personal advantage. But he always made it clear that he was gifted by God’s grace—to whom he always gave credit. Furthermore, God used Daniel to record several of the most remarkable prophecies in all of Scripture. Scholars are still discussing the book of Daniel. He was a significant person indeed! If the comparisons of the righteous men listed in Ezekiel 14 are to be genuine comparisons, Noah must have been a person of significance in his region—if not well known throughout the world of his day. He clearly possessed or had access to the resources and skills needed to accomplish the monumental task that was assigned to him. Since God’s instructions to build the Ark are somewhat general, it is not beyond reason to assume that Noah ran an architectural and contracting business of some kind. The pre-Flood civilization would certainly have been advanced enough for such an enterprise. The evolutionary cloud has mesmerized most of the world into relegating the “ancient” world into some sort of pre-human existence—living in caves and grass huts with animal skins for clothing. The Bible paints a much different picture! There were cities during Noah’s day, as well as developed technology that included metallurgy and the skills to build and market musical instruments (Genesis 4:17-22). Somebody had to construct the habitations for the growing population, and someone had to coordinate the distribution and development of those manufacturing places that produced the products needed by that society. The world of Noah was very wicked, but it functioned with much the same needs as our current world. When the Lord Jesus wanted to emphasize the suddenness of the destruction in the coming end-times judgment, He did it by drawing a comparison with the “ordinary” life of the populations around Noah.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be
also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married
wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the
ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-27)
Noah was an important man in his day. Whether he was a general contractor,
an architect, or a business baron is pretty much an educated guess. But the
fact that he found grace is important. Noah was fully dedicated to the
work of God during his life.Walked with God The Bible says that Noah was one of only two men in all of history who “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). The other is Enoch, who may be more well known since he was taken up into God’s presence without dying (Genesis 5:24). Efforts by some to portray Noah as a bumbling, drunken hypocrite are simply not true. God’s commentary is that Noah was “just” and “perfect” (upright, without blemish). The Creator entrusted him with a monumental task that is unique in all of history. Noah was “just.” That simply means that he was known for his equitable dealings with others. Even in the wicked world that disgusted the Creator, Noah was “justified” in his dealings. He charged reasonable prices for his work. He gave a good product (whatever it was) to those who employed his services. His honest dealings gave rise to his influence in the community. He was proven to be a man of integrity (Genesis 7:1). Noah was “perfect.” That precious reputation, at least from God’s perspective, means that he was a man without condemnation. His “just” dealings resulted in a “blameless” record. Whatever the wicked people of his day may have said behind his back, they knew that Noah was above reproach. Just as folks today often resort to rumor-mongering and distortion of facts to cover their own guilt, those around Noah no doubt employed some of the same practices to discredit righteous Noah. He may well have had that kind of treatment, but God saw that he was “perfect.” Preacher of Righteousness Peter called Noah a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). Think of what that means in the context of Genesis 6! The whole earth was “filled with violence” and “every heart” only thought of evil. The social milieu must have been a real mess. Yet Noah had the guts to stand up publically for the righteous behavior that just about everyone else openly and loudly rejected. Perhaps his extended family members, and even some or most of his employees, were under his influence. But by the time the judgment of God fell, only Noah, his wife, and three of their sons and their wives were willing to follow his leadership into the Ark. Many would consider a ministry with such results a failure today, and yet God insisted that Noah’s faith not only “saved” his family but the future world from extinction (Hebrews 11:7)! We are not told in Scripture what Noah preached about. Enoch (the other man who walked with God) preached about the return of the Lord in judgment (Jude 1:14-15). Noah may well have preached about the coming judgment of the Flood and the desperate need of the world’s people to turn back to their Creator for salvation. Whatever he may have preached and however he implemented his heart’s desire, Noah was labeled a “preacher of righteousness” by the only Judge that ultimately counts. God’s grace is always available. It is not hidden from anyone. But it must be “found” by God’s servants as we “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
My Most Beloved,
If you look for God with your whole heart you will find Him and He
will remove that affliction out of your life, family, marriage and business.
God is great and also the wisest personage in the
universe. Your decision to look for Him today as the solution to the problems
that have weighed you down in this life is the only key to the problem.
You might be among those who are searching for God but
not with your whole heart. You might also be searching for God and at the same
time going to the places you know from your heart that is not pleasing to God
Almighty.
God is everywhere you go though not accessible from all
places you have fixed your heart for the solution to your needs.
So many people have looked for this God through many
gods of various religions and yet they are still confused of life and why they
even came into existence.
Others have believed that joining different kinds of
Self Realization organizations is the key to actualize and realize what they
are looking for.
I have seen others who are tired of other gods of other
people but now they have decided to create their own gods to worship. Can a man
create God?
Yet many men have created gods and deceived you to
worship them.
Many are calling upon the names of other gods they do
not know about simply because they want to try a certain kind of worship and
see how it can be with them. Some others
are busy looking for a place to discover another strange god which is not yet
discovered by any other man. If we move
a little into the Bible book we will discover the exact message of God
concerning searching and developing gods in any other scientific method which
the Bible rightly stipulated, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve
them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate me;
And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me,
and keep my commandments.” – EXODUS 20: 3-6.
God is warning you from this portion of the scripture
to stop developing any form of worship that will
entice you to worship other gods.
God is also warning you in particular to remove and
throw away those gods you kept in secret places which men do not know you are
worshipping.
Stars and other things in the skies are not made to be
worshipped by The Almighty Father and the Creator of universe. God commanded
you also never to worship gods of woods, silvers, gold and iron.
God
spoke to us through Moses and said. “And
the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye
might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
Take
ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on
the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
Lest
ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any
figure, the likeness of male or female,
The
likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl
that flieth in the air,
The
likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish
that is in the waters beneath the earth:
And
lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the
moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to
worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all
nations under the whole heaven. - Deuteronomy
4:14-19
God is angry with you as you are bowing down to them
and this is the source of those problems that refuses to go out of your life.
The Almighty Father does not want you to worship the gods of your land.
Some people do carry the gods of their lands in wooden
form to another country for worshipping purposes but The Almighty Father cannot
be carried in a wooden form because He is accessible from any place and any
condition you can call Him in truth and in Spirit wholeheartedly.
There is no good gods in seas and oceans. There is no
marine good gods that is capable to do what Almighty God cannot do for you.
He warned you never to bow down to any of them. Your
destiny is purely in the hand of The Almighty Father. None of your blessings
comes as a result of worshipping idols.
God is jealous and will not be happy if you are giving
the glories that are due to His Most Holy Name, Jehovah to other gods of
nations and other gods who have ears but cannot hear.
If you believe me today, and decide to drop those gods you
are serving and to come to The Almighty Jehovah through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The
Bible warned, “As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
To
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches. The Revelation of Saint John 3:19-22.
Why not decide right now as you are reading this
message and give your entire life to your Creator so it shall be well with you,
your family and all your businesses?
Will you continue to serve the gods that demands for
the blood of your children for ritual purposes and sacrifices so as to bless
and protect you?
Will you serve the gods that takes away your fertility
in other to give you unrealistic financial blessings and fame?
Reason well before you go.
God is telling me that some group of people is trying
to initiate you into a cult, an occult group, a satanic system of worship.
Please beware and run away for your dear life so you
will not regret the final outcome of it.
There is nothing absolutely good in Satan. He is a liar
and father of all liars.
If you believe this message is for you in particular
and you wants to be saved before it is too late. Why not call my attention for
my direction to establish your faith in Jesus Christ?
Accept and Confess the name of Jesus Christ so He shall
come into your life and be your God as you have totally dropped all form of
other gods with sincere heart.
Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me.If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.- JOHN 14:6-7
Am available to assist you to develop your faith in God
and also to pray with you for instant divine solution to those problems that has
taken you far and wide without hope for solution.
“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy
father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the
LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:
if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will
cast thee off for ever. - I CHRONICLES 28:9.
God bless you for giving a listening ear to this
message of God that is specially made for you today for your upliftment.
If you are moved by the Spirit of God to
support this work. Please don’t hesitate to tell us of how you are led by God
to assist. Or you can send us your Check to our office below for our mission to
Africa and building of schools for Orphans and Orphanage .
We need an offering and a monetary donation
motivated by the Spirit of God for the poor and less privileged because God
loves a cheerful giver.
Please
kindly send us Check of the amount placed in your heart by the Spirit of Most
High GOD JEHOVAH to- Bishop Uchenna Celestine Okonkwor 472 Amherst St Suite 732225 Nashua, NH 03063
U.S.A.
Tel:
781-569-0201.
Alternatively, I will also suggest that you
forward your donation to us for the poor through Our Payoneer Bank Account
details below to make the deposit…
Bank Account Holder: Uchenna
Celestine Okonkwor
Bank Name: Bank Of America Account #: 00003503352939167 ABA (Bank Routing) #: 061000052 Account Type: CHECKING.
You may as well send your financial
donation in support of this missionary work through our paypal account at
zionagency@yahoo.com.
You can visit our outreach and ministerial sites below
for perusal to enable you understand our mission practically well. We need up to $2,ooo,000 to facilitate the
schools building project for the poor and less privileged. This will have
primary, secondary and University educational system. We are pleading that you
give us your financial contribution and support as you are capable and also led
by The Spirit of The Almighty God.
http://agnes-orphanage.blogspot.com/
God bless you.
Bishop Uchenna C. Okonkwor
472 Amherst St
Suite 732225 Nashua, NH 03063
781-569-0201.
U.S.A.
JESUS CHRIST IS THE LORD.
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