I feel very strongly about this. We should be sheltering our children more. It seems so impossible to do these days. Commercials about erectile dysfunction. Bed scenes on TV showing way too much. Miley Cyrus twerking. I was flipping through the channels one night a few weeks ago and some music awards show was on. Britney Spears, with hardly anything on, was atop a big guitar looking like she was humping it. It was not attractive. It was disgusting. I like the show The Voice, but I am so tired of looking at Christine Aguilera’s boobs. Honestly. Cover them up. And it isn’t just the TV. We can try to shelter our children at home, but we can't keep them 100% sheltered. I remember when my daughter was 11 she went to a sleepover and the mom had rented R-rated movies for the girls to watch! I found out the next day and I was so upset. When my daughter was in 2nd grade and I was drying her hair one night. She started singing the song by Alanis Morissette with the words “Is she as perverted as me? Will she go down on you in a theater?” I was like “Whoa!” And I had a conversation with my 8 year old daughter I never imagined I would have – about what a pervert is. Some things are better left unknown until they reach a certain maturity level. They just are. Heavy knowledge. I recently re-read the book The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (affiliate link) and it is the following passage which is prompting this post. I can't stop thinking about it. Scene - Early 1900’s. Corrie’s dad owned a watch shop and every Monday he would take the 30 minute train ride to Amsterdam to get the exact time from the Naval Observatory. Sometimes Corrie would go along with him. Oftentimes I would use the trip home to bring up things that were troubling me, since anything I asked at home was promptly answered by the aunts. Once – I must have been ten or eleven – I asked Father about a poem we had read at school the winter before. One line had described “a young man whose face was not shadowed by sexsin.” I had been far too shy to ask the teacher what it meant, and Mama had blushed scarlet when I consulted her. In those days just after the turn of the century sex was never discussed, even at home. So the line had stuck in my head. “Sex,” I was pretty sure, meant whether you were a boy or a girl, and “sin” made Tante Jans very angry, but what the two together meant I could not imagine. And so, seated next to Father in the train compartment, I suddenly asked, “Father, what is sexsin?” He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case from the rack over our heads, and set it on the floor. “Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?” he said. I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning. “It’s too heavy,” I said. “Yes,” he said. “And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.” And I was satisfied. More than satisfied – wonderfully at peace. There were answers to this and all my hard questions – for now I was content to leave them in my father’s keeping. There is some knowledge that we should try to carry for our children as long as possible. Don't let your children carry such a load. I feel very strongly we should shelter our children more. How do we do this in today’s world? I don’t know. I don't have the answers. But I believe a beginning point is on our knees in prayer.

When you read the New Testament you see the words “Pharisees” and “Sadducees” a lot. An awful lot. Jesus had quite a bit to say to them. If you don’t understand who these people are and the differences between these two groups, you are not going to understand the significance of what you are reading. You don’t see “Pharisees” and “Sadducees” in the Old Testament. So where did they come from? They came into existence in the time period between the Old Testament and the New Testament. This time period was about 400 years and a lot happened in the geographical location of Israel and to the Jewish people that prepared the way for our Savior to be born. Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son,… This 400 year time period is often called The Intertestamental Period or The Silent Years (because God did not send any prophets or writers to His people.) Lots of foreign powers were in control during the Intertestamental Period and a lot happens. Alexander the Great. The Greek language. The rise of the synagogues. Persecution of the Jews during one period. Then the Maccabean revolt occurred and the Jewish people once again became a nation and ruled themselves. This is called The Maccabean Era (165 – 63 BC.) The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the “Feast of Lights,” came about because of the Maccabean revolt. Ruling themselves didn’t go too smoothly for the Jewish people. Their leaders became progressively corrupt and internal strife led Jewish leaders to ASK the Roman general Pompey to come and restore order. Pompey did so, but he also brought Roman rule, which began in 63 B.C. and lasted into the fourth century A.D. The Jewish people asked Rome to come in! Talk about a colossal mistake! And when Rome took over is when most of the sects of Judaism developed. The various sects: Herodians Zealots Essenes (not mentioned in the Bible/ Dead Sea Scrolls) Sadducees Pharisees It is important to note that the majority of Jewish people did not belong to any of these groups. They were simply Jewish. The Sadducees were the conformists. Aristocratic and politically minded. Leading officials of the Sanhedrin. Not popular. The Pharisees were zealous followers of the Jewish faith. Known for legalism. The most influential on the general public. The Sadducees and Pharisees had very different theological beliefs. The Sadducees: Powerful political leaders Leading officials of the Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin was comprised of 70 people plus the high priest. They were in charge of the temple.) Considered only the Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament) as authoritative Did not believe in Angels Spirits resurrections The Jewish Sanhedrin, or Council retained broad authority, but always under the watchful eye of Rome. They were largely controlled by Rome. The high priest was the head of these 70 officials. Rome took over the appointment of the high priest and appointed them or removed them at will. So the high priest and the Sanhedrin were puppets of Rome or they lost their job. Sadducees were mainly members of the priestly order. Remember the high priest was to represent Jews before God on their most sacred occasions! The Jewish people knew what was going on and looked on the Sadducees with contempt/ suspicion/ dislike. The Sadducees weren’t looking out for the people they represented. They were looking out for themselves. The Sanhedrin presided over civil cases and also criminal cases for the Jewish people. They could have people arrested and imprisoned, but everything was done under the watchful eye of Rome. Let’s look at their theology briefly. They didn’t believe in angels or spirits or a spiritual realm. Angels are referred to in Genesis through Deuteronomy (the Torah) so I don't know why they didn't believe in them, but Scripture tells us they didn't (Acts 23:8.) And they didn’t believe in resurrections. They believed when you died, you died - that your soul perished at death. There was no future state. As my pastor said one Sunday, “Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrections. They were sad you see.” When you are reading the New Testament and you see the word "Sadducees" note how often the word "resurrections" is in the same verse or passage. The Sadducees had it all wrong. Jesus told them there is resurrection of the dead, that the dead are raised and live like the angels (in other words, angels exist) in Luke 20:27-40. And He quotes from the Torah (which the Sadducees believed) in verse 37 and tells them "the dead are raised" and that God is the God of the living. The belief in resurrection – of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and of our own future resurrection is an essential Christian belief. It is our hope. It is what makes us long for heaven. One day we will be with Jesus and there will be no more evil, sorrow or weeping, pain or disease! Only joy. Pure joy! Everlasting joy! (See Isaiah 35:10) The Pharisees: Largest group of the various sects of Judaism Students and teachers of the Old Testament Scriptures Maintained the sacred character of the entire Old Testament Scriptures Believed in (sound theology) resurrections judgment of the last day the existence of angels and spirits The name “Pharisees” means “set apart, be separated.” They were the teachers of the Law. The Pharisees read their Scripture, defended the faith, respected tradition, called the people to obedience, sought purity, denounced worldliness, maintained high standards, and attended synagogue at every opportunity. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? So why did Jesus get all over their case? Because they were legalistic. The Pharisees taught the Jewish people a large complex body of material known as oral Torah. Over the centuries as the rabbis tried to interpret the Law they added commands and prohibitions to what the people could do. For instance, the Sabbath was considered to be a day of rest. So they contemplated what was considered “work” on the Sabbath. Things like if you could cook on the Sabbath. How many steps you could take on the Sabbath. The oral traditions grew and grew and people regarded them as having divine origin. Eventually 613 rules were added! The rabbinic traditions or oral Torah were regarded as law with authority for their lives. The oral Torah became equally as authoritative as the written Torah/ Scripture! And the Pharisees became the keepers of this oral law and written law. They were the religion cops - telling the people what they could do and couldn’t do and handing out the punishment for disobedience. Source of picture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2s7a2ANZxk The Pharisees and Jesus clashed a lot. Read Mark 2:1 through Mark 3:6 for instance. So they got all over Jesus when His disciples started picking the heads of grain on the Sabbath. The Pharisees got on His case when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Jesus condemned the Pharisees. Read what He says to them in Matthew 23. This chapter of the Bible is called Eight Woes. Jesus pronounced these rules “the tradition of men” (Mark 7:1-23, esp. v. 8) The Pharisees just didn’t get it. They had become so obsessed with following all of these rules that they were missing the point. It was about an intimate relationship with the Lord. About loving the Lord with all your heart, and mind, and soul. They had become so obsessed with a literal circumcision (a legalistic viewpoint of do’s and don’ts) that there had been no circumcision in their hearts. Mark 3: 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. Jesus was angry with the Pharisees. Jesus was grieved at the hardness of their hearts. Many people today do the same thing as the Pharisees. They think if they are good people, obey the laws, go to church, do all the right things that is how they will be saved. While doing those things are good; they aren’t what saves us. We can’t earn our way into heaven. There are going to be a lot of “good” people who will end up in hell. I’ve heard that going to church doesn’t make you any more a Christian than standing in your garage makes you a car. Or standing in McDonald’s makes you a hamburger. It isn’t about what you do. It is about your relationship with Christ. (Although Christians should be all over doing good works too.) Do you realize you can never be good enough to stand before a holy almighty God? Have you recognized you are a sinner? Have you repented and asked God for forgiveness? Have you believed in Who Jesus is and accepted Him as your Savior and Lord? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? If not, perhaps you are a person who goes to church and still doesn’t get it. Perhaps you are a Pharisee. #Pharisee #Sadducee #readtheBible

The apostle Paul wrote more books of the Bible than anyone. 13 in all. The books Paul wrote are called epistles which is just a fancy name for letters. He wrote letters to churches and to individuals. Paul was the greatest missionary of all time. But he didn’t start out that way. He didn’t even start out with the name Paul. His Hebrew birth name was Saul. We first come across Saul at the end of Acts chapter 7. He was standing there watching the Jews stone Stephen. (See also Acts 22:20.) On that day a “great persecution” against the church began. Who was the leader of this persecution? None other than Saul. He went from place to place and imprisoned and beat those who believed in Jesus. Paul cast his vote to have believers put to death. In Acts chapter 9 we read about Saul’s conversion. Saul had received permission from the Jewish high priest to go to Damascus and arrest any believers he found there and return them to Jerusalem. (Damascus was then and still is in Syria.) As Saul neared Damascus he had a life-changing encounter with the risen Christ. This enemy of Christianity became a believer himself. What do we know about Paul? Born Saul (Jewish name) in Tarsus (modern day Turkey) Born a Roman citizen Jewish – a devout Pharisee From the tribe of Benjamin A tentmaker by trade Superior education under Gamaliel At first, fiercely anti-Christian Present at the stoning of Stephen Converted through encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus Became known as Paul in Acts 13:9 Called to reach the Gentiles with the Gospel Defended authenticity of Gentile Christians’ faith Traveled extensively Was an apostle A Roman citizen – This has significance in a couple places as you read the New Testament. A Roman citizen had special rights and privileges. They could not be tortured or whipped. It was required to give a Roman citizen a fair trial. Paul was a Roman citizen by birth. Somehow his father or grandfather acquired citizenship. We don’t know how. It was highly unusual for someone to be Jewish and a Roman citizen. In Acts 21 Paul is put in chains for causing a ruckus in Jerusalem. In Acts 22:23-29 his Roman citizenship kept him from being scourged. Later Paul was arrested by the Jews and they conspired to have him killed. Because he was a Roman citizen he was guarded by Roman soldiers and sent to the governor, Felix. See Acts 23:27. Felix keeps Paul in prison for a couple years. Then Festus takes over for Felix. Poor Festus has to deal with the last guy’s problem. Paul appeals to Caesar. Festus takes the case to King Agrippa and because Paul appealed to Caesar (Paul’s right as a Roman citizen), he sends Paul to Rome for trial. All of this because it was God’s purpose for Paul to witness to Rome. The Lord told Paul, "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also." Acts 23:11 Do you see what happened? God purposed for Paul to be born a Roman citizen in order that decades later Paul could take the good news to Rome! And even in death, Paul’s Roman citizenship came into play. The apostle Paul was reportedly beheaded around A.D. 67 on the orders of Emperor Nero. Roman citizens were exempt from a death by lingering torture such as crucifixion or stoning. Maybe as many as 6 of the apostles and many disciples died by crucifixion. (See Would You Die for a Lie?) The Romans used crucifixion as a means of putting to death slaves and non-citizens. Crucifixion was a brutal tortuous way to die. Our Savior was crucified. Jewish, a devout Pharisee – Not only was Paul Jewish, he was a Pharisee. The name “Pharisees” means “set apart, be separated.” Pharisees were the teachers of the Law. They: were highly educated had extensive training had a high view of Scripture and adhered to strict obedience to the written commands and the oral traditions of Judaism. Very legalistic Paul was trained under the tutelage of Gamaliel, one of the leading Jewish rabbis of his day. Paul was as Jewish as you could be. Looking at the bigger picture – God took a Pharisee who hated Christians and used him as the “apostle to the Gentiles” (non-Jewish people.) A Pharisee would have had nothing to do with a Gentile. And yet Paul took the gospel to them and defended the authenticity of their faith. Paul is a fascinating person. He was zealous for Christ. On three missionary journeys he carried the gospel far and wide. He suffered greatly for the Lord. In his second letter to the church at Corinth Paul tells about what he has endured. Imprisoned. Beaten. Scourged. Stoned. Shipwrecked. Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. Paul gave his energy, his life, his all to Jesus. What would make a man change so drastically? Only an encounter with Christ. #Paul #Apostle #Saul

The New Testament has 27 books. The first 5 books are the historical books and record the life and ministry of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the beginning of the universal church and the spread of the gospel message. The next 21 books of the New Testament are letters (also called epistles.) Revelation is unique and stands alone in that while it is a letter to churches; it is a prophetical book. All of the letters are instructional in nature. They encourage and instruct Christians on various issues related to our personal life and to our churches. These books tell us how to live the Christian life. The canon of New Testament Scripture is organized by The Historical Books – Matthew through Acts Paul’s Letters – Romans through Philemon General Letters – Hebrew through Jude Revelation Pauline Letters: Paul wrote 13 – Romans to Philemon Paul’s Letters to Churches – Romans – 2 Thessalonians Romans to the church in Rome 1 and 2 Corinthians to the church at Corinth Galatians to the church in Galatia Ephesians to the church in Ephesus Philippians to the church in Philippi Colossians to the church in Colossae 1 and 2 Thessalonians to the church in Thessalonica Paul’s Letters to Individuals – 1 Timothy – Philemon 1 and 2 Timothy to Timothy Titus to Titus Philemon to Philemon General Letters Most of the General Epistles/Letters were written during the years of heavy Roman persecution of the Christian population. The content encourages the Christians to stand firm in their faith. The content and tone combats false teaching (heresy). General Structure of the New Testament Letters: Greeting A word of grace followed by a word of thanksgiving Body of the letter Closing with a praise to God (doxology) and/ or a blessing (benediction) CAUTION!!!!! I have heard people talk about “taking the Bible literally.” Do I take the Bible literally? Yes and no. Instead let me say I believe the Bible is the Word of God (I have sound logical reasons for believing this) and it is therefore, relevant and applicable to my life. The Bible is my rule of faith. I try to read and apply the Bible in context. There is a lot of applicability in these letters for our lives! However, it is important to know that the letters were written in specific historical and cultural contexts. We should understand how the writer intended it to apply to us. The culture of the New Testament was quite different than ours is today. Human nature, however, hasn’t changed since the beginning of time! The letters were written to churches and individuals to address specific situations that were going on in that day. Do those same issues happen today? Most certainly they do. But the differences in our culture today and the culture at the time the letters were written does require some level of discernment on our part. It would therefore be helpful for us to know as much about the historical and cultural context of the letter so we correctly apply the text to our lives. According to Dr. George Guthrie in his book, Read the Bible for Life (affiliate link), there are at least three ways we can go wrong when dealing with cultural differences. To read over them and fail to discern the underlying principle. To misunderstand the significance of the cultural expression in a passage. To interpret all expressions of culture in the New Testament as normative for us today. To obtain historical and cultural context I suggest you read the introduction to that book of the Bible in a study Bible or to read about the letter in a book that gives you an overview of each book of the Bible such as Stephen M. Miller’s book, The Complete Guide to the Bible (affiliate link.) Also study Bible text notes can be helpful for specific verses. And always pray before you read Scripture asking for discernment and clarity. When I first felt God prompting me to teach and as I was being mentored to teach, there was one Scripture verse which bothered me. It was 1 Timothy 2:12. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. If I took this verse "literally," I would not be able to teach men. Before I taught I researched that verse. I read the text notes in all of my study Bibles, and I read commentaries by reliable authors (one who believed women should not teach men.) I read both sides of the argument over this verse on reliable internet sources. And I sought wise counsel from a seminary student; two seminary graduates; and a pastor who has his doctorate in theology, is a published Christian author, was a professor at a seminary and used to be president of a well-known seminary. And I prayed for discernment. Based on my due diligence, I concluded it was acceptable for me to teach men. Yes, there are some verses which are colored by historical and cultural context, but these are the exception and not the rule. There is so much that is applicable for us in the New Testament letters! Randomly opening my Bible to the First Letter of John – 1:8-9 says: If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Applicability – We are sinners. Confess those sins to God and He will forgive us and make us clean. It's not rocket science, thank goodness! Colossians 3: 12-17 This passage is quite applicable. …put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other,… Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,… Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,… The New Testament Letters tell us how to live the Christian life. How we should behave in our relationships with others. How to handle hardships in our life. They give us encouragement. They give us hope. They tell us how to live an abundant life. Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10b NASB This post contains two affiliate links to Christianbook.com: Read the Bible for Life The Complete Guide to the Bible Thank you for your support! #letters #NewTestament #booksoftheBible #Bible #abundantlife

I just re-read Redeeming Love. It is an awesome book! Author, Francine Rivers, weaves a captivating story set in 1850 in California’s gold country. Angel was sold into prostitution as a child. She is broken and empty. Michael sees her and God tells him she is to be his wife. Sound familiar? The Bible has a similar story about God telling Hosea to marry a harlot named Gomer. (Let’s get it out there – the name Gomer makes me smile.) Redeeming Love is about how God takes a hopeless miserable wretch; loves her; and makes her clean and whole. This book is classic Christian fiction and is a really good read. What struck me this time as I read Redeeming Love* is how the author has the characters talk to God and has God speaking to the characters. His words are intimate and loving words full of guidance and encouragement. God to Michael: This is the woman I have chosen for you. Go back and get Angel. Do my will, beloved. I drew you up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set your feet upon a rock. Go back to Angel. She’s fighting you the only way she knows how. Wait. Have patience, beloved. Michael, there is a time for all things. Comfort my lamb. Trust in me with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (God! Is there a sin this woman hasn’t committed?) No. (And you ask that I love her?) As I have loved you. Let her go, beloved. Give her to me. Beloved, I am always with you, even to the end of time. God to Angel: (She is thinking she didn’t know anything to survive.) You’re going to learn. You have to die to be reborn. Live. Keep going. Don’t give up. Go into that café and rest. I am the way. Follow me. Be still for I am here. Sing, beloved. Though you deny me, I love you with an everlasting love. Come to me, beloved. Stand and come to me. I have not given you a heart of fear. God speaks to the characters in specific applicable ways. In the book though it just doesn’t have God speaking to the characters. Satan speaks to them too. Satan to Michael: When are you going to act like a man? Why are you holding back? She belongs to you, doesn’t she? What are you waiting for? Satan to Angel: You have to go back, Angel. You must. You’ll never be free if you don’t. Besides, he’s crazy praying to a god who doesn’t exist or care and reading a book of myths like it was the answer to everything. Run away from him, Angel. Run away now. Come on, Angel. Remember how you used to close your mind? You’ve done it before. Do it again. Don’t think. Don’t feel. Just play the part. He’ll never know. It would never have worked, Angel. Not in a million years. The world has no mercy, Angel. You know that. There’s a price for everything, Angel. You know that. You’ve always known. You just don’t belong, Angel. You never will. Because Michael fed you hope, and hope is deadly. Because you are living a lie. If he knew everything he would detest you and cast you out. Fool! You want to end up like your mother? Michael’s just a man like any other. Stay! Don’t you deserve some happiness after all the years of living in misery? He’ll never know, Angel. Satan speaks in specific ways too. Deceiving. Lying. Manipulating. Accusing. That is what he does. On the other hand, God’s word gives us direction, encouragement, love, mercy and grace. God speaks to us. He is drawing us closer to Him with His redeeming transforming love. He has the power to make us whole. To forgive us. To cleanse us. To cast our sins as far as the east is from the west. To make us pure as snow. To cast our sins into the depths of the sea. To protect us. To provide for us. To give us hope. To give us a future. To give us peace. We hear two voices. The one of deceit which tears us down and the one of love which builds us up. Which one do you choose to listen to? [*This post contains an affiliate link to the book, Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers.]

The Kingdom Books of the Bible – Joshua through 2 Kings - are fascinating to read! Lots of action and drama. Mighty battles. Deception. Gory deaths. Great obedience. Humongous sins. Lots of second chances for the people. And human nature at its finest and at its worst. These books are historical books and cover 3 historical periods of Conquest, Judges, and Kingdoms. As always we can learn a lot from history. Here’s a rundown of them: God gave the Promised Land to His people. The conquering of the Promised Land is recorded in the book of Joshua. This is one of my favorite Old Testament books because of the concepts it introduces us to and the concepts it expands upon that we will see over and over in the New Testament. Covenant. Inheritance. Rest. Redemption. Warfare. The Kingdom of God. Building monuments in remembrance of God’s mighty deeds. God fights our battles. Then comes the book of Judges where for 400 years the different sections of Israel had different judges. God is King. His Law is legislative. The judges are civil leaders. The period of the Judges was one of spiraling downward into anarchy until the people asked God for a king. They wanted to be like the other nations. God had intended for them to be a theocracy – ruled by God, but they wanted a monarchy. God permitted it and the people asked for Saul to be their king. Then comes the sweet book of Ruth where we are introduced to the concept of kinsman redeemer. We connect that Jesus is our Redeemer. And we learn about Ruth marrying Boaz and King David being a descendant of theirs. Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David. God made a covenant with David - the Messiah was to come not only from the tribe of Judah, but to be a direct descendant of King David’s. The genealogy given at the beginning of the New Testament in Matthew 1 was written to show the Jewish people Jesus is the Messiah. Note Ruth’s name in that genealogy. The books of 1 Samuel through 2 Kings tell us about the kings of Israel. God permitted the people to select their king. They chose Saul and he ruled for 40 years. Saul didn’t work out too great so God chose David to be the next king. David ruled for 40 years. Then David’s son, Solomon, became king and ruled for 40 years. This period of time when Saul, David, and Solomon reigned was called The United Kingdom because all 12 tribes of Israel were ruled by one king. They were one united nation. Upon Solomon’s death, his son, Rehoboam, became king in 931 B.C. (before Christ.) The people were oppressed with high taxes and forced labor. They asked King Rehoboam to ease up. Instead of taking the counsel of the elders who said to give the people a break; Rehoboam decided to listen to his friends who agreed with him. He said “no” to the people. (It’s always best to seek wise counsel instead of people who are going to agree with you.) The 10 tribes of the North revolted, broke away and formed the Northern Kingdom. The other 2 tribes in the area around Jerusalem were called the Southern Kingdom and were ruled by King Rehoboam. This time period of history is called The Divided Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom was called Israel and had a series of 20 kings all of whom were bad kings. By “bad “I mean they “did evil in the sight of the LORD.” Their religion was idol worship with some traditions and ceremonial rites of Judaism. They built their own temple and performed sacrifices to idols! (Some lists of the kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel list 18-19 kings. This is because a couple kings overlapped and one was only king for a little while.) Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps & Time Lines, Rose Publishing, 2011, page 66 (affiliate link) The Southern Kingdom was called Judah and had a series of 20 kings. Some were good rulers and some were bad rulers. (Some did “good” in God’s sight and obeyed Him. The “bad” kings did evil and started worshipping idols.) God sent prophets during The Divided Kingdom time period to both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. Prophets were spokesmen of God. People think prophets gave predictions for the future. They did. But they also were sent to call the people to repentance. They told the people, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants and prophets.” (2 Kings 17:13b) And the prophets predicted the consequences if the people did not turn back to God. And they weren't pretty. The Northern Kingdom of Israel, to their demise, ignored these prophets and continued to do evil in the sight of God. And just as the prophets had predicted, God judged the nation of Israel in 722 B.C. with the brutal Assyrians. The Assyrian Empire at that time covered the area of modern day Syria and Iraq. Assyria invades and besieged the capital of the Northern Kingdom for three years. They conquer the Northern Kingdom of Israel and round up the people and take them back to Assyria, to what is now Iraq. The account of this is found in 2 Kings 17:6 and 18:11 and in 1 Chronicles 5:26. It really doesn’t say much. Just that Israel was carried away to Assyria. Those 10 tribes were lost forever. We don’t hear of them again in world history. The Bible doesn’t give us much detail on this major historical event. But we know the Assyrians were excessively cruel. They would skin their enemies alive and decorate their city walls with human skin. One Assyrian king bragged about cutting off the feet and hands of prisoners. They reportedly would also cut off noses, ears, and lips on others. They would put their enemies heads on spikes and line the roads to their cities. They not only conquered; they did it in a brutal, vicious, inhumane ways so as to install fear into the people and the nations around them. The Bible doesn’t tell us if this is what the Assyrians did to the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. But we have no reason to believe they didn’t. That was their standard operating procedure. After they conquer Israel, the Assyrians send their own people into the land. The people from the 10 tribes who survived the conquest were assimilated into the Assyrian culture and intermarried with the Assyrians. This region of the world was Samaria and this new race of people were called Samaritans. In the New Testament we read about the Samaritan women at the well in John 4 and the Good Samaritan. The Jews hated the Samaritans because they considered them racial half-breeds and followed a distorted faith which was not Jewish. The fall of the Northern Kingdom was all God’s doing. The prophets warned. They predicted what would happen. The people wouldn’t listen. Later God judges the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 B.C. with the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar. God had sent prophets to Judah. Occasionally one of their kings would listen and the people would turn back to God. And then they would sink back to their evil ways. God out of His great mercy gave Judah many chances to turn back to Him. They decided to do their own thing. The Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem starving the people, conquered it, destroyed the temple and carried the survivors to Babylon. Another brutal judgment. (Later Persia conquers Babylon and permits a small remnant of Jewish people to go back to rebuild Jerusalem and the second temple.) When Judah is judged in 586 B.C. for the first time in 600 years there is no Jewish nation on the world map. From this point on in history the Jewish people were ruled by other nations. They were no longer their own nation. (Except for a brief 70 year Maccabean Period during the time between the Old Testament and New Testament and we know in modern history what happened in 1948 A.D. to form Israel.) In both these instances of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, they did evil in God's sight and He used brutal pagan world powers to judge them. The nation of Israel had gone from being His people to doing their own thing and rejecting God. He finally had enough and the second chances ran out. He judged them. (But He did not leave them without hope.) Key Teaching about God: God’s presence is conditional. God controls the fate of nations. God is slow to anger. God is sovereign. 2 Kings 17:18-23 (NASB) So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah. Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced. The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight. When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin. The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them until the LORD removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day. Second Chronicles 20:6 (NASB) And he said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. Psalm 22:28 (NASB) For the kingdom is the LORD'S and He rules over the nations. Psalm 47:8 (NASB) God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. Psalm 66:7 (NASB) He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. I think we have a valuable lesson to learn here. If we reject God, He will leave our nation to our own demise. And it appears that is what is happening. I hear many Christians pointing to what is going on in our country and saying, “This is the beginning of the End Times.” I think things will get a lot worse before the End Times come. Perhaps though we are in for a horrible judgment from God before then. What if it is His purpose to bring in a foreign power to rule us? We can’t even fathom that happening. I’m sure Israel and Judah didn’t see their fates coming. We are ignorant to reject God and then expect Him to bless us. God uses the histories of nations to bring about His plans. Perhaps our nation will turn back to God and He will fight our battles, protect us, and bless us. Or perhaps we won’t and He will judge us. Whatever happens, God is always just with us. We will get what we deserve. Be courageous. Be calm and pray for our nation and for other nations. Christians should fight the battle on our knees. In witnessing all of the horror in the world today; I think of the historical past. I think of the nature of God. I think of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. I think on redeeming grace. And I have hope. A just, merciful, loving God is in control. He has not called us to waste time worrying about the future. He has called us to trust Him and to be salt and light to those in our sphere right now. He has it covered. He always has.

I first heard about choosing a life verse at my son’s high school. He graduated from a Christian high school and as part of the yearbook, sport’s senior night and for graduation, they were supposed to choose a “life verse.” I think for most of the students the life verse was just their favorite verse. I remember him asking me if I had one. Nope. Interesting my son chose Colossians 3:17 and I think this is a very good life verse. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. I didn’t have a life verse. I had never even heard of it. And so I do what I always do and I googled “life verse” and researched it a little. It was interesting to read what people said their life verses were and why they chose the particular verse they did. Years ago a dear friend contacted another friend and me and said, "Let’s make a list of our favorite verses and work on memorizing them." Nancy made a list of just a few verses – maybe 10 and sent it to Beth and I. Beth and I added dozens. Then for years as I read the Bible, I would add verses to my list. I think it grew to 156 verses! That may seem like a lot, but since there are 31,102 verses in the Bible, it is just a drop in the bucket. What is so great about this list is that it takes you through the entire Bible book by book. It is interesting to just read key well-known Scripture verses. It is like the bird’s eye view of Scripture. Anyways, as I continued to ponder this whole life verse thing, I re-read this list of Well-Known Scripture to see if something popped out at me as my all-time favorite verse that I could call my life verse. Nope. Nothing did. Lots of good verses, but not one which stuck out to me. One day at the Christian bookstore I worked at, we received rings that had Scripture verses on them. I guess you would call them infinity rings. They twisted and the verse was written on the outside and inside of the ring. Costume jewelry. Nothing fancy. They had different verses on them like John 3:16 and Philippians 4:16. And lo and behold, one of the rings had 2 Peter 3:18! But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. I knew immediately this was my life verse! I had spent years growing in the knowledge of my Savior. I pondered how much had I grown in grace though? Had what I had learned in my head migrated to my heart? To my actions towards others? Some of it had. This was a verse I could look to every day of my life as I continued to grow in grace and knowledge of Him. And this verse ends with a doxology – a praise to my Lord! Bonus. When I set-up this webpage I had no problem figuring out a website title - PassiontoKnowMore. And I had no problem knowing what I wanted on the home page – Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Really that took 5 minutes. And when I launched the webpage my friend said she liked how I put 2 Peter 3:18 on the home page as she knew it was my life verse. I asked her how on earth she remembered that was my life verse and she sent me this picture. Awww, I was moved. You probably have many verses which mean a lot to you, but maybe there is one verse in the Bible which speaks to you in a way no others do. Do you have one? I’d love you to hear what it is and about why you chose it. #lifeverse #Scripture #Bible

I wrote a recent post about the key word “lovingkindness” which is found over and over in the New American Standard Bible. (If you want to read it, see He is Full of Lovingkindness.) I suggested in that post that you spend some time and read the verses in the Old Testament with the word “lovingkindness” in them and I had a link to those verses. These verses tell you God is tender-hearted, loving, merciful and compassionate. God loves kindly. I hope you noticed something else in these verses. There is another key concept that we need to get down. Yes, God loves everyone. But according to these verses He shows lovingkindness to certain people. Let’s look at just a few of the many verses with “lovingkindness” in them. I made the words I wanted you to notice bold: Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; Deuteronomy 7:12 “Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. 1 Kings 8:23 He said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, Psalm 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him. Psalm 36:10 O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. There are dozens more verses like this. But you get the gist of who God extends His lovingkindness to: to those who love Him and keep His commandments/ people who listen to these judgments and keep and do them/ His servants who walk before Him with all their heart/ people who trust in the LORD/ those who know Him and are upright in heart/ those who fear Him. And this leads us to a fundamental phrase found in the Bible. “The fear of God” This phrase “the fear of God” or “fear God” or “fear of the LORD” is found throughout the Bible. Did you know? The concept of the fear of God is mentioned close to two hundred times in the Bible! When something is mentioned that much, it is a key word. Well, in this case a key phrase. Psalm 103:13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. Psalm 111:9-10 He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever. Psalm 128:1 How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. Psalm 147:11 The LORD favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness. Proverbs 19:23 Fear of the LORD leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm. Luke 1:50 And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. Don’t let the idea of fearing God turn you off or scare you. Fear = revere Fear of God = A profound reverence/ a reverent awe for God “That fear is not slavish dread but rather contains an element of recognition of God’s glory and majesty along with trust.” (Source: LifeChange Series – Joshua, copyright 1988 by The Navigators, page 52) Fearing God means we realize He is a holy God. And would you want any other kind of God? I took a class on the “Fear of God” taught by a woman who has her doctorate and is a professor at a seminary near where I live. We spent weeks on this concept reading about the sovereignty and holiness of God. Taking this Fear of God class made me feel a little down. I began to feel like a slug. Lower than a slug. I am a wretched sinful person. He is an almighty God. I learned a valuable lesson from taking this class. Balance. Too often everyone seems so focused on God is loving and “God loves you.” He is and He does. I’m not denying that in any way, shape or form. Yet these same people who talk about God being loving often seem oblivious to their sinful nature. In this “fear of God” class I tipped the scales to the other end and was so focused on His holiness that I seemed to forgot how very much He loves me and He is my Abba, my Father. Yes He loves us and He treats those who love Him and obey Him (in a covenant relationship with Him) with lovingkindness. But we should always be mindful of Who He is. It is by His grace we even take our next breath. It is by His grace we are forgiven of our countless sins. It is by His grace we are saved. Don’t think you can accept His grace and then act however you please. That's called cheap grace. Don’t forget how very much He loves you and wants to protect you and give you what is best. Read the Bible with balance. God is both holy and loving. God treats those who fear Him with lovingkindness.

The Hebrew word hesed can be found throughout the Jewish manuscripts and is a key word of the Old Testament. [Technically the Hebrew word is חֶסֶד and a rendering of it is checed according to blueletterbible.com and Strong's. Different languages have different alphabets. Transliteration is when you change a word into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language. Just like we often call Chanukah, Hanukkah (the English version); we call checed the English version, hesed.] It is the translators' purpose to translate the original language manuscripts into words of a receptor language (in our case English) so that what the word meant to the original writers of the day is as close as possible to the same meaning for us today. The people who compose the translation teams have incredible credentials. These translators are at the top of their field in biblical studies and linguistics and usually have some training in anthropology and sociology. They realize they are working with the Word of God and treat their translation task with reverence. The Hebrew word hesed refers to God’s faithful, kind, and merciful love. It expresses the love between people who are bound by a covenant – God’s favor towards His covenant people or the love that people are to show to others. It is often translated “love”, “lovingkindness,” or “unfailing love.” I primarily read from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and it translates hesed to "lovingkindness." As I was reading the Old Testament I kept seeing the word over and over and I realized it is a key word. The word “lovingkindness” is found in 182 verses in the Old Testament of the NASB! I love the word “lovingkindness” because of the image it evokes in my mind. Spellcheck doesn’t like it though because it really isn't a word and puts that red squiggly line under it. "Lovingkindness" is used often in the King James Version (KJV), the New King James Version (NKJV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the Orthodox Jewish Bible. Modern versions of the Bible like the English Standard Version (ESV), New International Version (NIV), and New Living Translation (NLT) often translate hesed to “love,” “unfailing love,” “mercy,” and “steadfast love.” I’m partial to the word "lovingkindness" though. It makes me think how you treat a newborn baby or puppy - gentle, compassionate, loving, merciful, tender, and protecting. We may say God loves us, but we are so casual with the word love. We say we love our job. We love the color green. We love our spouse and our children. We love pizza. We love to sing. We love your new haircut. We love our dog. Are those all the same kind of love? Of course not. Yet we only have that one word for all of those different levels. We fall in and out of love with each other. We are so undependable and fickle with our love. But not God. "For His lovingkindness is everlasting." So when we hear or read God loves us, we are like yeah, yeah, sure He does. We can't really fathom how much He loves us. In our minds we are comparing His love to our shallow perception of what love is. But I think the magnitude of His love is much more clearly conveyed with the word "lovingkindness." Stop and visualize that word. Adding the word “kindness” to “loving” gives it a whole new depth. God loves us kindly. Smile. People often have this perception that God is mean and angry in the Old Testament. Nothing is further from the truth! And when people say the God of the Old Testament is angry, I know they haven’t read it. God is described over and over there as a God full of lovingkindness towards us. Just a few of the "lovingkindness" verses: 1 Kings 8:23 He said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, Nehemiah 9:17 “They refused to listen, And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; so they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; and You did not forsake them. Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. Psalm 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him. Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 117:2 For His lovingkindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD! Isaiah 54:10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” says the LORD who has compassion on you. There are days I feel completely unloveable. Sometimes I wonder how God could possibly love a sinful wretch like me. And then I think of the word lovingkindness and all the verses that promise that is how He feels towards me. And towards you too. How about doing a word study and reading the list of lovingkindness verses in the NASB? You can find the list on this link: (There are many pages of verses. At the bottom of the page click the next page arrow.) https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=lovingkindness&qs_version=NASB Maybe God put the word "hesed" over and over in the Old Testament so we would truly believe it. [For the other side see Fearing God post on May 12, 2016.]

Many years ago I heard Christians should pray using the acronym ACTS as a model. It has always stuck with me. "A" stands for Adoration - worshipping and praising God. "C" stands for Confession - confessing our sins to God. "T" stands for Thankfulness - giving thanks to God. "S" stands for Supplication - praying for ourselves and for others. I like how the Billy Graham Evangelistic Organization explains it in this link: How does one pray? I have a prayer book that is just awesome! I first heard about it when I was at a retreat in 2006. The speaker at this retreat mentioned she read from The Valley of Vision every day. It is a book of Puritan prayers. This little book has about 190 prayers in it. The Puritan Movement was in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but its influence continued until the late 1800's. So some of the language resembles King James Bible version language - rich, poetic, dramatic. It says in the introduction of the book: The book is not intended to be read as a prayer manual. The soul learns to pray by praying; for prayer is communion with a transcendent and immanent God who on the ground of his nature and attributes calls forth all the powers of the redeemed soul in acts of total adoration and dedication. The prayers are divided up into the following sections: FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT REDEMPTION AND RECONCILIATION PENITENCE AND DEPRECATION NEEDS AND DEVOTIONS HOLY ASPIRATIONS APPROACH TO GOD GIFTS OF GRACE SERVICE AND MINISTRY VALEDICTION As you can see by the categories, this is a pretty deep thinking prayer book. But oh my, did those Puritans know how to pray! For years I would read off and on from this book and highlight lines that spoke to me. One day I opened The Valley of Vision and realized I had read almost every prayer, but I had ignored one whole section! I hadn't read one prayer in that group. Can you guess which section it was? It was Penitence and Deprecation. With titles like "Yet I Sin"/ "Heart Corruptions"/ "Shortcomings"/ "Pride" - can you blame me? Oh, was I convicted. And now I try to be very mindful of the "C" part of ACTS during my prayer time. My pastor sometimes tweets something from The Valley of Vision. I messaged him I love that book. And he replied he uses it to start his quiet time. And sometimes that is as far as he gets because it is such a hammer to his heart and mind. Reading these powerful prayers will transform your prayer life. It is one for your library. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 [This website is an affiliate of Christianbook and this post has an affiliate link to the book. The Valley of Vision comes in black-bonded leather or paperback. Your purchase helps support this website and I am very appreciative.]

A devotional is a book that helps you grow in your relationship with God. Most devotionals have a daily reading with a Bible verse and a few paragraphs with insight on that verse. The day's reading usually takes just a few minutes to read. Devotionals are extremely popular. The Christian bookstore I worked at had an entire isle just with devotionals. On the Christianbook website I searched for "devotionals" and there were 11,941 search results! My goodness! Apparently a lot of Christian authors are feeling the devotional route. There are devotionals for women, men, children, teens, couples, singles, graduates, teachers, recovery, sports/ athletes (golfers, hunters, soccer moms, etc.), and the list goes on and on! A daily devotional can be a great way to start or end your day. Over the years I've accumulated quite a few devotionals as you can see by this picture. (Now you see why my husband gives me grief when I bring another book in the house.) You have probably heard of Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It is a popular devotional right now. I tend to lean more towards classic authors - C.S. Lewis, Charles Stanley, Henri J.M. Nouwen, Corrie ten Boom, Andrew Murray,... One of my favorite is the classic devotional, My Utmost for HIs Highest by Oswald Chambers. (Because of their popularity both Jesus Calling and My Utmost for His Highest come in hardback, paperback, and imitation leather.) Oswald Chambers was born in 1874 in Scotland and spent most of his life there. He became a traveling speaker and teacher at a Bible college. The last two years of his life he was a YMCA chaplain for British soldiers in Egypt. He died in Cairo in 1917 at the young age of 43 from complications of an emergency appendectomy. Chambers' widow took the notes from Oswald's talks and compiled the devotional My Utmost for His Highest. It was first published in 1924 and has never been out of print since. It has been translated into 39 languages. I recently cleaned out my aunt's room and I found her copy of My Utmost for His Highest. I opened it up and looked at some of the sections she had highlighted. It made me smile and feel connected to her. Here's a sampling of what she highlighted: February 3 - The marvel of the Redemptive Reality of God is that the worst and the vilest can never get to the bottom of His love. February 25 - The real test of the saint is not preaching the gospel, but washing disciples' feet, that is, doing the things that do not count in the actual estimate of men but count everything in the estimate of God. June 28 - Never water down the word of God, preach it in its undiluted sternness; there must be unflinching loyalty to the word of God; but when you come to personal dealing with your fellow man, remember who you are - not a special being made up in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace. August 29 - Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us. September 1 - The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. December 2 - Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God is not after perfecting me to be a specimen in His showroom. He is getting me to the place where He can use me. December 31 - Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistable Future with Him. My Utmost for His Highest is a classic devotional that Christians have enjoyed for decades. It isn't light reading like so many others. It is deep. It will make you squirm. It will convict you. It will encourage you. And mainly, it will help you grow spiritually. And isn't that the goal of reading a devotional? It is the best-selling and most beloved devotional of all time! This is a devotional to have. [This website is an affiliate of Christianbook and this post has several affiliate links to devotionals. Your purchase through these links helps support this website and I am very appreciative.]

When reading the Bible there are certain key words that you will see over and over and it is important to grasp the meaning of these words. One such important key word is the word “covenant.” The word “covenant” is found 332 times in the New International Version of the Bible – 295 times in the Old Testament and 37 times in the New Testament. When a word is repeated over and over in the Bible you should stop and take notice of the verse and the context of the passage. I like to highlight and underline key words. A covenant is a binding agreement; a solemn promise; a testament. God’s plan of redemption centers around a series of covenants, or binding agreements, which God makes with His people. A covenant is a common thread throughout the Bible that weaves God’s redemptive plan together. The first time we see the word “covenant” in the Bible is in Genesis 6:18 where God establishes a covenant with Noah. You are probably very familiar with the story of Noah in Genesis 6-9. God saw mankind had great wickedness and verse 6:6 tells us ‘The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.’ God decides to destroy the world, but Noah found favor with Him. God instructed Noah to build an ark and God saves Noah’s family and the animals. God makes a covenant with Noah to never again destroy the world with a flood and the sign of that covenant is the rainbow. Next God makes a covenant with Abraham that promised: Abraham would become the father of a great nation. God would give that nation the land of Canaan. A descendant of Abraham and that nation would bless the whole earth. Covenants define God’s relationship with man. God is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God. The covenants in the Old Testament are: With Noah – Makes a covenant with Noah never to again destroy the world with a flood. With Abraham – God will create through him a great nation (Israel) and to bless all nations through his descendants. With David – A king will come through David’s descendants who will reign in righteousness and justice. Through Jeremiah - God will establish a “new covenant” with His people, which will bring about true knowledge of God, and full and complete forgiveness of sin. The Hebrew and Greek word for “covenant” used in the Bible means “testament.” Covenant = Testament Old Testament = Old Covenant New Testament = New Covenant The Old Covenant – Exodus 24: 1-8 24:7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” 24:8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” New Covenant Promised – Jeremiah 31: 31-34 31:33 …”I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 31:34 “…for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." New Covenant Fulfilled – Luke 22: 14-20 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” The book of Hebrews talks a lot about this new covenant. 9:15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 9:26 …but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 9:28 …so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. The new covenant is all about Jesus. God is a covenant-keeping God. God is faithful to His part of the covenant. We can count on it. Let us be faithful to our part. Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21 Ending with a doxology (praise) to the guarantee (Jesus) of a better covenant. Smile.