Has Israel Been Cursed?

Yes. “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 1:19-20 KJV). If Israel is cursed, it is only because they have rebelled against the LORD. How is the cursed removed? “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2Chronicles 7:14). National repentance works for any nation to return to God. How long will Israel’s curse last? Until their national blindness is lifted by Jehovah.”For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27). 

When will all this happen? “I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early” (Hosea 5:15). Israel will collectively realize their offense against the Son of God. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). This will occur in a single day— at the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah, at the end of the Tribulation Week, the Seventieth Week of Daniel. “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8). Father, we pray for Israel’s repentance that You might lift the curse from Israel. Lord Jesus, return quickly, that Israel may be saved. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Longing for Thy Judgments (Psalm 119:20)

“My soul [Hebrew, nephesh, living being, whole person] breaketh for the longing that it hath unto Thy judgments at all times” (Psalm 119:20 KJV). Sounds like the modern phrase, This breaks my heart, which means such an intense desire or conflict, it would do damage to our whole person, if the LORD does not intervene, like an addiction to God and His Word. “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments” (119:10). OT Israel may not have had the NT covenanted Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but the LORD placed no limit with their contact with His Word. It achieved the same goal — oneness with God manifested in obedience to our LORD. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8). Father, may we under Your New Covenant receive all the blessings of Your Indwelling Holy Spirit to inspire us to obey You and be drawn ever more closely to You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Cannot Fool God

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7 KJV). Religious arguments are easy to settle. Take yourself and the opposing person out of the discussion and see what God says. We arrive at the position that makes the most sense to us, but it does not always mean it answers all the objections of the opposing person. This is why we must “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:18) by changing our position whenever our understanding improves. For instance, ‘I’m going to Heaven because I prayed Jesus into my heart,’ ‘I’ve been baptized,’ ‘I’m doing the best that I can,’ ‘I’ve joined the Church,’ ‘I tithe,’ ‘I don’t do something that everyone feels negative about,’ or ‘I do some things that everyone feels positive about,’ may represent possible answers. 

Faith is essential, i.e., “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). Baptism is necessary, for it is a Loyalty Oath, i.e., “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Good works are essential. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20, 26). Unfortunately, we have given some the impression that Heaven is like a Monopoly Game with a “Get Out of Jail” Card, where we pass “Go” and collect Heaven. Crude analogy, but anything short of absolute trust and complete surrender to Jesus as our salvationis an attempt to fool ourselves, our neighbors, and God. 

Ananias and Saphira had believed and been baptized, yet both were struck down by God (Acts 5). Simon the Magician believed and was baptized but still offered Peter money to enable him to dispense the Holy Spirit to whoever he would lay his hands upon (Acts 8). Whether the accusation is Easy Believism or Baptism Is A Self-Righteous Work, Perseverance of the Saints or Preservation of the Saints, Losing Your Salvation or Losing the Testimony of the Spirit, all hinges on the Spirit of God testifying to us of our sonship. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16). 

Father, we completely trust and surrender to You as the source of our salvation, and we plead only Your Spirit would testify of us that we are the Children of God. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Have You Seen Your Phlebotomist Lately?

A phlebotomist [fluhbotuh-mist] is a nurse or health care worker trained in drawing venous blood for testing or donation. In other words, have you donated blood to your blood bank recently? “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” (Luke 6:38 KJV). You may rarely need a blood transfusion, but blood and blood products are critical for the survival of humanity. “Whole Blood” is normally and quickly taken from donors, after briefly answering a few questions like, Are you HIV+, or Have you had malaria? Both would disqualify donation. “Plasma” takes less than an hour to give, but it is especially useful for burn patients. And, if you have the time, “Platelets” are especially valuable for cancer patients. That may require two hours of your time. Thank you! And, if you’re Type O Negative, your blood can be used in transfusions for any blood type. What a useful way to practice, “Love thy neighbour” (Matthew 22:39)! Father, cause Your people to be the salt of the earth that all would praise You for raising such good children. And, may Your children walk humbly, knowing their reward is with You and not from man for donating blood. Return quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

You Are Not Your Own

Slavery exists in our world. Human beings are treated like cattle, bought and sold to be used and disposed of at the whim of the owner. Hard to believe for us in the modern world, yet sex trafficking and drug addiction are real and must be overcome like anything else in our environment. God is our equalizer. “They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you, says the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:19 NET). Why is God so generous? Because we belong to Him. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1Corinthians 6:19 NET). Mind you, ours is a Volunteer Slavery, for God could have created us as a soulless droid to perform His bidding, as the devil will experience with his creations during the Tribulation Week or the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). Thank God, we do not have to be present then! What is the secret of our freedom? “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1Corinthians 6:19-20). May we continually remind ourselves, the price of our emancipation from the slavery of sin caused the Son of God to suffer on our behalf. Why wouldn’t we join James — Jesus’ younger half brother — as saying, “James, a servant [Greek, doulos, slave] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). We can reject the insanity of such language, but why would we? Father, we are privileged You have sacrificed Your Only Begotten Son on our behalf. We cannot comprehend You allowing us to sit at Your table, when we would deem it our honor to serve You forever. We love You and Your service. Lord Jesus, return quickly. Amen.

Live Long and Prosper

Persecution did not annihilate the Early Church for it was growing faster than it was dying. Jesus promised the Suffering Church of Smyrna, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10 KJV). It is in God’s best interests to cause His Church to live long and prosper until prosperity becomes an opiate to put the Church asleep. God highlights the fifth of the Ten Commandments, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12) as the “first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2), i.e., obeying parents produces long life. 

Prosperity attends the servants of God, and generally causes society around us to be similarly benefitted. Secular policies giving allowance to godliness benefits society without their admission the good came from God. “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” (Psalm 35:27). Philosophers and economists can theorize on the nature of the Invisible Hand which causes the wealth of nations, but the godly know, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). Jehovah informed His people to “seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace” (Jeremiah 29:7). Laban said to Jacob, “I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake” (Genesis 30:27). The world may not promote the godly nor understand the benefit, but they are better for it, when the godly prosper. Christian, “ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) because Jesus is our light (John 9:5). 

We do not require recognition from the world to function, because the Holy Spirit works through us without their permission — until the Rapture of the Church removes us. “For the hidden power of lawlessness [Satan] is already at work. However, the one [the Holy Spirit working through the Christians] who holds him [Satan] back will do so until he [Holy Spirit] is taken out of the way [at the Rapture]” (2 Thessalonians 2:7 NET). Even Lot benefitted Sodom and Gomorrah by his presence, for the LORD would not destroy them until Lot was removed from among them. Remember the Psalmist legitimately prayed for prosperity to “live, and keep Thy word” (Psalm 119:17).  Father, may we prioritize You before long life or prosperity, but may the increase of life or bountiful dealing with us serve only to cause us to walk in obedience to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Behold Wondrous Things (Psalm 119:18)

“Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18 KJV). Only the Living God can take the blinders from our eyes to see the wonders of His Law. Self-discovery is the exact opposite of seeking the mother lode of riches from God’s Word. In these NT times, the eureka of discovering understanding from the Word of God is tied to our discovery of Jesus Christ as the Living Word. Scripture makes it easy to make the connection between Christ and His Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Rather than attempting to make Scripture a book of physical realities, we should realize our physical world is only an attempt to duplicate the realities of the spiritual world. We need to give up on becoming acceptable to the faithless world, and concentrate on the Holy Spirit showing us and through us the more important substance of the Unseen Realm.  “12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:12-13). Notice how Hebrews 4:12 fluently transitions from the “word of God is quick” to “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight” (4:13). The Word of God is Jesus!

Just look at how foolish the things of God are to this world. Do we mind looking foolish to the world? 

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1Corinthians 1:18).

“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1Corinthians 1:21).

“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness” (1Corinthians 1:23).

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Corinthians 1:25).

LORD, bless the foolishness of preaching Your Word that we might lift up Your Son Jesus as the wondrous pinnacle and point of all of Your Law and Scripture. Magnify Him, whose “name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13), to Your everlasting praise. Amen.

Deal Bountifully With Thy Servant (Psalm 119:17)

“GIMEL. Deal bountifully with Thy servant, that I may live, and keep Thy word” (Psalm 119:17 KJV). The prayer request of the Psalmist is for bountifulness to result from service to the LORD: 

1- “That I may live” (119:17), i.e., not just barely survive, but with a greater liberty or freedom to pursue the worship of Jehovah. “And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family” (Leviticus 25:10). 

2- “And keep Thy word” (Psalm 119:17), i.e., Of what good is bountifulness, which is not devoted to the obedience to God’s Word and the worship of Jehovah? 

There is no aspect of pursuing God, which is redirected or devoted just to me, because I have earned or deserved it. We do not siphon away from God our part and leave Him His “little half acre.” It is all His, including the part we retain for our sustenance. Our survival is His survival. His prosperity is our prosperity. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28). 

Once we begin to see our life wrapped up in the obedience of God’s Word, we become one with Him. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). No longer is it Him versus us, just both us together. Father, may the understanding of our bounty be so integrated with our obedience to Your Word that we would cease to look at Your interests compared to our interests, but may we see all as both “our” interests. Cause Your Spirit to inspire within us an appreciation of You motivating us to obedience. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Meeting and Kissing

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10 KJV). Physical existence is only an attempt to replicate spiritual reality. We understand meeting a spouse with a kiss is a sign of close affection, and so it is with mercy and truth, righteousness and peace. The truth is we need God’s mercy, for only the righteousness of a right relationship with Him can give us the perfect peace with our Creator, Savior, and King. Mercy is God withholding the punishment we deserve for our sins. “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). The truth, as it is in Jesus, is only completely surrendering to Christ can give us a right understanding of Pontius Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” (John 18:38), for Jesus had just said to him, “Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice” (18:37). Righteousness is a right relationship with God causing us to rightly act, but it is impossible without first coming into contact with the Prince of Peace, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. The supernatural act of balancing mercy and truth, righteousness and peace comes only from God’s Spirit working in us “to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). 

Surrendering to Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life is part of accepting Christ into your life. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). Without complete submission to Christ, it is impossible to defeat the devil. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Satan already knows submission to Christ is resistance to him, and resistance to Christ — in anything — is submission to the devil. Father, awaken the understanding of Your Professed Church. May Your Professed Body admit we are at war with the devil. Grant to us a firmness, which will prevent cowardice, but a softness, which will invite You to control our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Spy Out the Land

OT Jewish espionage meant to “search the land of Canaan, which I [Jehovah] give unto the children of Israel” (Numbers 13:2 KJV). It was a spying out, reconnaissance, or probing of the Promised Land of Canaan to determine how best to take possession of it. Moses sent twelve to “spy out [Hebrew, tûr, explore] the land of Canaan” (13:17). They returned after 40 days to verify, “The land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this [grapes, pomegranates, and figs, they brought back] is the fruit of it” (13:27). 

Before we condemn the Majority Report of the spies — and, it should be condemned — take note, they accurately described the enemy. Only their cowardice to face God’s enemies was to be condemned. “31 But the men who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against these people, because they are stronger than we are! 32 Then they presented the Israelites with a discouraging report of the land they had investigated, saying, The land that we passed through to investigate is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people we saw there are of great stature. 33 We even saw the Nephilim [Hebrew, nephîyl, giants] there (the descendants of Anak came from the Nephilim), and we seemed like grasshoppers both to ourselves and to them”  (Numbers 13:31-33 NET). 

Nephilim? Exactly who are the Nephilim? 

You will find God defining His terms coherently by such as the Law of First Mention in Scripture. “There were giants [Hebrew, nephîyl, Nephilim] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God [Hebrew, ben ělôhîym, only used to describe angels in OT, e.g., Job 2:1; 38:7] came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them [Jesus described the lack of necessity and forbiddeness of angels procreating with human females, i.e, Matthew 22:30, not the impossibility of angels doing so, rebelling against God’s command, who ‘kept not their first estate,’ Jude 1:6], the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown” (Genesis 6:4).  “Also after that” (Genesis 6:4) means there will be Nephilim in the earth at future times, i.e., Goliath of Gath, the giant whom David killed (1Samuel 17). And, yet again, “there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant” (2Samuel 21:20). 

On face value of the text, it appears the disobedient Fallen Angels were simply attracted to the physical beauty of the human females, i.e., “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” (6:2). But, Yahweh’s Declaration of War upon Lucifer, following the sin of Adam and Eve, indicated a Seed War, where the physical fruit of Eve’s body would produce Christ (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6). But, the Adversary would also respond with Fallen Angels cohabiting with human females to eventually produce the physical seed of the Antichrist — a Nephilim. The Protoevangeleum:  “[Jehovah addressing the Serpent] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed [to produce the Antichrist] and her seed [to produce the Lord Jesus Christ]; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). 

Where were we?

The Promised Land of Canaan was just in reach of the Children of Israel, but ten out of twelve of the spies discouraged their brethren from obeying God to enter in and conquer the Promised Land. We may not be physically conquering a land; but, we must face our own Nephilim to bring the Gospel to the world (Matthew 28:19-20). If Scripture teaches us, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2 ), then we may have unwittingly encountered God’s angels. But, we may also have unknowingly come across the Adversary’s Nephilim. Just as we know to turn away from evil, we need to turn away from evil companions, whether or not they are unknown-to-us-Nephilim. “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character” (1Corinthians 15:33 NIV). And, even if we were suspicious of our bad companions, we should treat the Nephilim like we would the Wicked One. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Father, give us grace to help in our time of need that we might have the certain victory over our Adversary the Devil — and, even the Nephilim. May You receive the credit for the victory. Lord, preserve Your people. In Jesus’ conquering name, we pray. Amen.