August 21
(God's Faithfulness Is Greater Than Our Faithlessness)
Today's Reading - Lamentations 1 - 5
(Lam 3:22-23 KJV) "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his
compassions fail not. {23} They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
In today's reading, we encounter the book of Lamentations. A lamentation is an expression
of grief or sorrow. The author of this book was Jeremiah, and I am sure he grieved, along
with the people who went into captivity. One can see the pathos in this little book. There
is always grief and sorrow as a consequence of living a disobedient life. I can just
imagine how much lamenting goes on in individuals who may have adulterated their marriages
for a fling, and then as they ponder their actions, they realize how good their marriage
was and what they sacrificed on the altar of disobedience. What about the person who has a
great job, and then decides to cut a few corners on verity, and winds up losing it all. I
am sure we can think of things in all of our lives, where we lament a wrong decision or a
wrong act, which may have caused a major unexpected and detrimental event, as a result.
However, even though we may have made a shipwreck of a part of our life, our verse today
gives us a great hope. No matter how badly we have done, or what we caused in our life, we
can always be assured that if the sun rises the next morning, we can count on the fact
that the mercies of God will be as new and as fresh as the sunrise. God can take the
broken life of One of His Children and mend it. This is why He is known as the Great
Physician.
Jeremiah knew God, and that is why in the midst of such lamenting and suffering of the
people, he could speak of the mercy and faithfulness of God. God is faithful in two ways:
First, He is faithful to His promises that disobedience will be punished; secondly, He is
faithful to His promises to keep and protect His Children. Sometimes consequences are
always the last thing we think of when engaging in some type of unbiblical activity.
Consequences are always the unwritten part of disobedience. Yet, God promises to us that
He will restore us those years that disobedience has taken from us, as Joel speaks of it
as the years the locust have stolen.
As we face the consequences of our actions, God is right there to teach us the right ways.
He never chastises us for the purpose of breaking us or harming us. He is teaching us so
we may come back to a life, which is in concert with the Christian life. A Christian who
sins, does not exhibit the inward transformation that salvation brings. Those of us who
are saved do not really want to sin, but sometimes we allow our flesh to override our
spirit, and that is when we get into trouble. No matter how deep we get ourselves into
trouble, we can always count on the new mercies of God. His faithfulness is greater than
our faithlessness.
August 22
(Descended From Pure Spiritual Lineage?)
Today's Reading - 1 Chronicles 1 - 3
(1 Chr 1:1 KJV) "Adam, Sheth, Enosh,"
We now come to two books in the Old Testament, which parallel the Books of Kings. The
books of Kings are geared more toward the political aspects of the Kings of Israel and
Judah, but the books of Chronicles are geared toward the spiritual aspects of the events
surrounding the Kings of Israel and Judah. The author of the books remains anonymous. As
we look at the books of Chronicles, many wonder why they are included in the Bible, and
what is their importance? The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles gives a detailed
genealogy of the founding of the nation of Israel. God even goes back to the beginning of
time, starting with Adam, as we see in our verse above.
What is important about genealogy? It is important, because it gives the purity of a line
of descendants. This was important in the time of Israel, because of the many diasporas
they had undergone. When Judah came out of the captivity and returned to the land, then
Ezra the Scribe had brought with him the genealogy of the true children of Israel. (Ezra
8:1 KJV) "These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them
that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king." The
genealogy was important, so no foreigners would take part in the temple service, which was
specifically set apart for the Levites. 1 Chronicles 6 gives us the lineage of the tribe
of Levi, of which both Moses and Aaron were a part.
We can learn a basic spiritual lesson from the lineages. Those who were appointed to the
temple services had to be purely Levitical. Whenever we think about the experiences in our
own Christian Walk, especially in our church, do we see the principle of pure spiritual
lineage? No one should be teaching the Bible, unless they are born again. No one should be
considered for any type of Christian service, unless they can give evidence they are born
again. Since the Lord Jesus Christ descended from the tribe of Judah, those who have
become saved are really "spiritual Jews." Like the physical Jews of old who had
to give proof of pure lineage before they could be considered for certain tasks, those who
are considering any service in the Lord's Work must give evidence of being descended from
spiritual lineage. In other words, they must be Redeemed.
Being born again by the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the purest lineage that a person can
have on this earth. It is the divine lineage of the family of God. The genealogies in 1
Chronicles listed a person's tribe. Either you were of one of those tribes, or you were
not. It is the same with salvation: Either you are saved, or you are not. An unsaved
person with a religious education does not have the same teaching capabilities as a
Christian with no formal education. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes all the
difference. Today, examine yourself to see if you are in the lineage of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
August 23
(The Prayer Of Jabez: What The Bible Teaches)
Today’s Reading - 1 Chronicles 4 - 6
(1 Chr 4:9-10 KJV) "And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother
called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. {10} And Jabez called on
the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast,
and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it
may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."
In today's reading, we come across the Prayer of Jabez. This little prayer has been the
subject of a book, which has sold a couple of million copies. I have never read the book,
but I have been saved long enough to know that when a book like this is read equally
zealous by both believers and unbelievers, then it has to be as phony as a three-dollar
bill. From what I know and have heard about the book, it turns the prayer of Jabez into a
formula for success. In other words, another "Good Luck Charm" for Christians.
It is like these false churches and organizations that send out prayer cloths, holy oil,
or other such abominations, just to collect money. These items are supposed to bring us
health, wealth, and anything that we want. What a concept! --I send money to a false
organization, and that means God will do for me whatever I want. I feel sorry for
Christians who fall for this nonsense, because it shows they have no biblical sense.
When we look at the prayer of Jabez, it applies to any Christian. First, God says that he
was "more honorable than his brethren." God does not speak of sinners as being
honorable, but only those who are saved through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jabez goes on to
ask the Lord for His blessing. This is something Christians have been doing down from the
time of Abel. (Ruth 2:4 KJV) "And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto
the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee." Then
Jabez asks God to "enlarge his coast." --Have you been faithful in the Lord's
Work? Have you ever led anyone to the Lord? Have you donated to ministries, or to your
church, where people are becoming saved? As you begin to add souls to your ministry, then
your coast is being enlarged. God is bringing people to salvation through your faithful
efforts of evangelism. We ask God to use us to bring souls to Him. Jabez knew this task
was impossible on his own, so he asks God that "His Hand" would be with him.
This is the help every Christian needs. It is the strength of the Lord, which "the
Lord's Hand" represents. (Psa 18:35 KJV) "Thou hast also given me the shield
of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me
great."
Jabez also prays for discernment that he would be kept from evil. (John 17:15 KJV)
"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest
keep them from the evil." The Lord Jesus prayed that prayer to keep us from evil.
Evil is all around us, so he was not speaking of the present world. He was speaking in the
terms that Satan and his demons have absolutely no power over us at all. (John 14:30
KJV) "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh,
and hath nothing in me." Jesus is stating that Satan has nothing in Him, and
being Christians, he has nothing in us either. We sin by volition, and not by necessity.
Jabez knew that sin would grieve him, because the Holy Spirit indwelling him would be
grieved by sin. (Eph 4:30 KJV) "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye
are sealed unto the day of redemption." This is why Jabez, as well as every
Christian, feels bad after sinning. It is God's initial warning system to His Children.
Also, when we seek the Lord in sincerity as Jabez did, He will answer those prayers, only
because the requests are in the Will of God. So we must be careful when we read books that
turn the Bible into a "Good Luck Charm." These prayers are there to strengthen
the Christian, and not to be merchandised by a false teacher. For your own spiritual
welfare, pray that God gives you discernment to know the difference.
August 24
(Chosen For God's Work) -OR- (Nothing But The Truth)
Today's Reading - 1 Chronicles 7 - 9
(1 Chr 9:22 KJV) "All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two
hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David
and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office."
In today's reading, we come across this verse, which points to the fact that the
genealogies were not only written down for future generations, but these documents were
called upon to choose those who would be involved in the Work of the Lord, especially the
temple service. A person had to be a pure Israelite to serve in the temple. By the time
the Lord Jesus had come on the scene, the genealogies were not used. We can see this by
the fact that Herod the Great, who ruled Judah as a puppet king for Rome, was an Idumean,
which is the Greek term for "Edomite." Basically, a foreigner was ruling over
the land of Judah. It was he who had all the males, who were two-years-old and younger,
killed. He was trying to protect his throne from the birth of the Messiah. This is a
perfect example of what happens when an unbeliever rules. He repeated the action of
Pharaoh in 1527 BC when he, too, had all the two-year-old Hebrew males killed in trying to
kill the Deliverer. Unbelief will always spawn the works of unbelief. This is why God had
given the genealogies to make sure that only true Israelites were involved in His Work.
On the other hand, we can say that belief always spawns the works of belief. This is the
ideal situation. A Christian cannot grow in the faith if they are subjected to the
teachings of an unbeliever. Can a Christian grow in Truth if they read the materials of
false teachers? --The answer is no! Whenever we try to mix false teaching with the true,
there will always be mass confusion, and the true believer will be halted in their growth
and will plateau. God does not want plateau Christians. He wants His Children to continue
to grow in the faith every single day, with every situation and every verse of Scripture.
The reason we want to grow in the faith is because the result of growth is strength. We
become stronger Christians. Studying false teachings will never bring about the true
strength a Christian needs. Take the example of the human body. If you feed it sugar and
saturated fats all the time, then can you expect that body to function properly? --The
answer is no. But when you eat good foods and supplement them with vitamins, minerals, and
some herbs, your body will grow and be strengthened. Make sure that when you listen to
someone, discern quickly if they are the lineage of Truth or the lineage of lies. Your
spiritual life depends upon it. The truth is, if you know your Scriptures pretty well, you
will discern quickly.
Some years ago, I was in the bookstore at America's Keswick in Whiting, NJ, and as I was
scanning the books, a fellow walked up to me and said, "I have found evidence in
Scripture that teaches that people will be able to get out of hell and not spend eternity
there." I was curious, so I asked him if we could meet later and discuss it. He never
got back to me, so I wasn't able to investigate his "new revelation." It is
these types of quick meetings that we have to be prepared for. Someone may drop their
spiritual ordinance and run. We need to be spiritually astute to defend and debunk these
false beliefs. All it takes is knowing the Truth. Remember, the lineage of Truth and the
lineage of falsehood will always be in opposition to each other. In other words, the
Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan will be at war until the latter is finally
destroyed.
August 26
August 27
(Lifestyle Seed Sowers For Life)
Today's Reading - 1 Chronicles 17 - 19
(1 Chr 17:1 KJV) "Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to
Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the
LORD remaineth under curtains."
In today's reading, we come across this verse, which gives us a little insight into the
concern that David had for the things of the Lord. David was internally lamenting over the
fact that he seemed to have living quarters that were superior to what the Ark was in. He
loved God, and this laid heavily on his heart that God is the One Who should have the
better residence. David wanted to do something about this and Nathan told him to do all
that was in his heart. There was a second time when this subject comes up, and it is in
the Book of Haggai, when the prophet Haggai was chiding the people because they were
living in good houses, but they had no regard as to where the Ark was. They were living
good, and spiritual things were farthest from their minds. It is like many Christians
today who are living in large homes with big-paying jobs, and when the pastor of the
church mentions an offering for missions or for a project, then out comes one of two
things: The one dollar bills, or the excuse why they shouldn't give any more than they
have already given. I remember showing a movie at a church I attended called, "Gods
of the New Age." A friend of mine was attending who was quite wealthy. I placed a
collection plate to raise funds for tracts to send to India, and my friend put in a sum
total of 85 cents. (Let me just interject, when I write about certain things in Scripture,
I don't make up scenarios, because I have experienced them and want to pass them on to
you.).
David's heart was in spiritual things, as should be the heart of the Christian. Do we ever
sit down and ponder what more we can do to get the Gospel out to the world with the
resources we have? God does not expect us to give what we do not have, nor should we take
out loans on our credit card to fund missions. The other day, I received a mailing from
World Missionary Press, and it seems the Cuban mission field is open. Cuban pastors are
asking for thousands of copies of tracts and Christian materials to pass out to the
spiritually hungry people. I wonder how many are going to look at that mailing and toss it
out.
David's desire was to build a temple for the Lord. That temple is a picture of the
building of the body of Christ. Is our heart in concert with God's when it comes to
missions? That is, do we possess the heart of David when it comes to spiritual things, or
do we possess the other heart of David when he lusted and sinned with Bathsheba? --In
other words, his heart temporarily focused on worldly things, and it caused much pain for
him and his family. As Christians, we have a responsibility to use all the talents and
funds that the Lord gave us to build the body of Christ. God knows we have bills and other
things like that, because we still have to live in this world. What He is counseling us
not to do is to buy every material good we see, just to resell it a year later at a yard
sale.
God said that He would provide seed to the sower, but if the sower is not going to use
that seed for Kingdom building, then it is being used for personal kingdom building. This
is what David concerned himself about --that he was living good, while the Ark of God was
in a tent. When we know God intimately as David did, we will not desire to build a
personal kingdom. Those who build personal kingdoms eventually are heading for personal
disaster and disappointment, because material goods cannot take the place of your
responsibility to the body of believers. So the next time the plate is passed, view it as
an opportunity and privilege for service.
August 28
(Beware The Numbers and Popularity Trail)
Today's Reading - 1 Chronicles 20 - 23
(1 Chr 21:1 KJV) "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number
Israel."
In today's section, we start out by reading how David
succumbed to temptation by numbering Israel. Joab had the good sense to see that this was
displeasing to the Lord and would constitute a major sin on David's behalf. Obviously,
Joab knew that the amount of people in Israel did not matter, as long as God was still
their King and was watching over and protecting them. Sometimes those in authority do not
pay attention to the counsel of those underneath them. Verse 4 says that the King's word
had prevailed against Joab's, and the numbering commenced. The numbering of Israel was
completed and Joab gave the count to David. Since David did not listen to Joab and went
ahead with his sin, God was sorely displeased with this act, and He smote Israel. He gave
David a choice of punishment, but David left it in the hands of the Lord. David's sin cost
the lives of 70,000 men and the partial destruction of Jerusalem. This shows that no one
can sin alone, and every sin that we commit, especially those in the lives of public
officials like David, will affect the lives of all the people under them. We see the sins
on today's business world where those at the top engaged in deceit and caused the
retirement accounts of many to disappear.
If David did this sin on impulse, we could maybe understand why he went ahead with it, but
David had received sufficient counsel from Joab to at least wait until he sought the Lord,
and then the Lord may have told him not to do it. It was like David did not care about the
counsel he received, and did not take this to be a sin. But David should have learned from
Gideon's experience. God reduced the size of Gideon's army from 10,000 to 300 (Judges
7:7). God wanted to make sure that Israel knew that the Lord was the One who was
delivering them from the Midianites, and not the strength of numbers in the army.
In Christianity today, many shoot for numbers of conversions. How many times do you hear
reports from evangelists who always include the number of those who "come
forward"? There is never any evidence given that those numbers of people all became
saved. Whenever we focus on numbers, we have been diverted. It is God's business who He
wants to save. Our business is to remain faithful in sending out the Gospel. The problem
is that when we shoot for numbers, we have to make the Gospel palatable and remove the
sting of hard Truth, so more will be attracted to it. This is one reason why numbers
should be the farthest thing from a Christian's mind. Neutralizing the Gospel for the
purpose of popularity is a sin equal to what David did. Sometimes what we do may not seem
like a sin to us, but it may be a heinous sin in the sight of God, as in David's
situation. Could popularity be a major reason that many personal and organized ministries
fail? Let's evaluate ourselves and make sure that we are not on the popularity trail.
August 29
(Purposed Placements Of God's Workers)
Today's Reading - 1 Chronicles 24 - 26
(1 Chr 26:17 KJV) "Eastward were six Levites, northward four a day, southward four a
day, and toward Asuppim two and two."
In today's reading, we come across this verse, which teaches about the placements of the
workers in the temple of the Lord. We can also see how meticulous God is in that He places
people in the temple at specific points. Nothing in the temple was done on a whim, but
everything was carefully planned and executed. As we look at this planning, we can also
see that not only did God carefully plan the temple, but He has also planned carefully the
spiritual temple, or the body of Christ. Once He saves a person, He places them in
specific situations. Right at this moment, you are in the very place that God has designed
for you. Every true believer has at least one spiritual gift, by which God empowers them
to do the specific task assigned to them. Has God ever placed anyone across your path with
just the right gifts at the right time? God has always had people in the right places at
the right time in all our lives.
Here are some examples: When one reads the story of Martin Luther, there was always
someone who God raised up to help him, especially while he was debating the Roman Catholic
Scholars who wanted to try and destroy the faith of the Reformation. Look at how God had
trained Moses for 80 years, before he was ready to take on the task of leading the
Israelites. We see how God had raised up Rahab, the harlot, to give shelter and protection
to the two spies that Joshua sent out. When we read the life of Paul in the Bible, we see
the many people God had placed at strategic places to aid Paul. The time they let him down
in a basket to save his life is one good example. Now, as you look back over the years,
can you think of someone or a number of God's folks that were strategically placed in your
own life? I am sure we can all look back with 20/20 hindsight, and see how perfectly God
worked out some things in our lives, especially when we thought the situation was
hopeless. Have you ever pondered your own life and seen where God has used you
strategically in the life of another person? Sometimes we look at our present situation,
and it may be quite mundane, but we can ask ourselves the question: "What have I
really done for the Kingdom of God?" Then as we begin to reflect, we see how God has
placed us in certain situations, where we were able to help others in difficult
situations.
The body of Christ is not a place where everyone does what they want to and where they
want to. The body of Christ is designed by the Lord to have His People placed at specific
areas for specific situations, even though they may be somewhere in the future. For
example, I remember when I was 18 years old in 1971, I was not a Christian yet, but I see
the Hand of God in it now. I was traveling along the Pennsylvania Turnpike with some
friends on our way to Michigan. Well, my water pump seized up and had to be towed to a
Turnpike garage. At that time, I was driving a 1965 Chrysler 300 with a 383. We were towed
into the garage, and the mechanic was able to look at it immediately. Lo and behold, he
had a water pump for a 1965 Chrysler 300 with a 383 engine. Now, what garage would keep a
water pump for that specific car? Someone could have ordered it by mistake or something.
But in God's economy, no matter how it was ordered from the auto shop, it was ordered for
me, before I even started the trip. That means whoever ordered the part, was doing so for
one of God's future Children. As Children of God, when we look back to our unsaved portion
of our life, we can now see the Hand of God protecting us and guiding us through certain
situations, by having people stationed at certain points in our lives. So remember, you
are where you are, by the designing Hand of God.
August 30
(Giving And Volunteering: To Offer Willingly)
Today's Reading - 1 Chronicles 27 - 29
(1 Chr 29:9 KJV) "Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because
with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced
with great joy."
In today's reading, we come across the section where David had begun to gather the
materials to build the temple of the Lord. David was not allowed to build the temple,
because he was a man of blood, so God allowed Solomon to build the temple. The collections
were coming in greatly. Much gold, silver, brass and iron were being offered. The people
were rejoicing, as it was a time of festivity before the Lord. The word
"perfect" may also be understood to mean, "complete,"
"total," or "fullness." The people were so joyful that the entire
nation was giving to the temple-building with completeness. It was like during the time of
Ezra, when he read the Law, the nation of Israel stood as "one man." This was
the heart of Israel at this time. They were in total agreement with the building of the
temple, and giving to its completion was their joyful priority. Both of the terms,
"offered willingly," means the people "volunteered." 1 Chronicles 29
is probably one of the most joyous chapters in the entire Old Testament. It lays down some
wonderful principles of Christian attitude, and two of them being "giving and
volunteering." The people saw that there was a great project at hand, and they
responded willingly. This is a great example to us. When the Lord lays a project before
us, do we joyfully go forward with it, or do we try to run and hide and hope that someone
else will take up the project?
Sometimes we Christians get caught up in our Max Lucado or Frank Peretti novels, that we
tend to forget there is a "real" world out there that needs the attention of the
Christians. The Great Commission is far from complete and needs the involvement of every
blood-bought Christian on earth. Our task on earth will be completed when the last One
becomes saved. Until then, we are like the Israelites of old. We are continuing to build
the temple of the body of Christ, until the last nail is in place. We need to take up the
ministries of volunteering and giving again. In the old days in this country, most of the
communities were built around the church. For example, Newark, NJ is a major city. It was
founded in 1660 by the Congregation of the First Presbyterian Church. The real name was
"New Ark." It was named after Noah's Ark, which represented the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself as bringing His Children safely through the worldwide deluge, thus Christ
being the "New Ark." In the old days, people would volunteer to help their
neighbors with what little they had.
If anyone ever visits the Amish parts of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, or other places, you
may happen to come upon a barn-raising. You will see a great number of people helping
their neighbor rebuild a barn. In our mobile society, I think we lost that neighborly
mindset. At least in the Christian community, we need to rekindle that type of long-lost
fellowship. If we are always distant, we will never know the needs of others. For example,
Internet-based clubs, groups, or even chat websites, like PalTalk, should not be the
primary source of fellowship. We must remember, it is a mass of computers hooked into a
common site, and those who look to the Internet as their only source of fellowship will be
heading for sorrow. The people tuned in will find that they are still alone or lonely, and
out of physical proximity and regular, close fellowship with each other.
Maintaining a membership in a good church will keep you abreast of the needs of those on
foreign Mission fields and at home. If we are able to meet those needs, then we should.
But if not, then we can pray that God may raise up someone else to help. One thing that
bothers me a little is when Christians have an abundance of money and things, but pray
that God raises someone else to open their pocketbooks. Who gave you the wealth? And He
can take it away too. God did not give wealth to Christians to hoard it. He gave it to
fund Missions projects and to send the Gospel forth. When the Lord returns, He is going to
find billions of dollars in liquid assets and material possessions, which Christians have
hoarded, but could have been used for the spreading of the Gospel. So let us check our own
mindsets and see if they are in line with the mindset of God on giving and volunteering.
The Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily gave His life for us. What are we voluntarily giving for
Him?
August 31
(Hewn Down And Shaped For Service)
Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 1 - 3
(2 Chr 2:18 KJV) "And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of
burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six
hundred overseers to set the people a work."
In today's reading, we come across this verse, which teaches us that when Solomon was
ready to build the temple to God, he had conscripted thousands of workers. In fact, he
used all 153,600 strangers to begin the preliminary work of the completion of the temple.
For the temple to be built, this entire army of laborers had to work together to bring
about the supplies they needed to begin the building of the temple. This was not a small
amount of people, which means the need for the goods from the mountains was large. Solomon
had 80,000 of them as hewers. The hewers were the ones who handled the cutting down of the
trees. Try to get 100 people to work together, never mind 153,600, but they had a large
project before them, and the people had a mind to work. They knew this was to be used for
the temple of the Most High God. Whenever we look at a scenario like this, we can be
reminded that the body of Christ is a great army also, with a mandate to build the temple
of Christ. It is like the 153,600 people had gone out to the mountains to bring in the
wood to the temple to build it.
It is interesting to note that the believer is also referred to as a tree. (Isa 55:12
KJV) "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and
the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall
clap their hands." This verse is not speaking of actual trees clapping, because
trees do not have hands to clap. This is a metaphor for the Christians who shall be led
forth into singing, because we have all been given a new song to sing. The hewers went to
the mountains to bring back the trees, and the Isaiah verse speaks of the mountains and
the hills breaking forth in singing. (Isa 61:3 KJV) "To appoint unto them that
mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of
righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
When a person becomes saved, he or she goes from being a sinner to a Saint, and is
righteous before God, because of the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Once a
person becomes saved, they are part of the great temple of the Lord Jesus Christ. When
those trees were hewn down, they became part of Solomon's temple. Isn't it an interesting
parallel concerning the trees in the mountains, and the trees of righteousness? Those
trees in the mountains grew wildly, until they were hewn down and shaped for service in
the temple. This is the exact situation of the believer. Before we are saved, we were also
growing wildly in the world, until we were saved by the Grace of God, and then the Holy
Spirit indwells us. Isn't the Bible rich with pictures of God's Grace?
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