Marching Forth!

" But now, thus says the LORD , who created you, O Jacob,  a nd He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name;  y ou are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; a nd through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  w hen you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,  n or shall the flame scorch you ." Isaiah 43:1-2 God did a phenomenal thing in birthing the Jewish nation out of slavery in Egypt.  It was a demonstration of love and grace which rivals the salvation God has provided Jew and Gentile through faith in Jesus Christ.  See what God said to the Hebrews in in  Deuteronomy 7:7-8 :  " The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has broug...

Today I read about when King Ahasuerus hosted a great feast in Shushan.  In the third year of his reign he displayed the power of Media and Persia, inviting nobles and rulers from the 127 provinces he ruled for 180 days.  That would be quite the gathering!  When those days were completed, he hosted a feast for 7 days and all in Shushan were invited to the court of his garden palace.   Esther 1:6-7 describes the elaborate and luxurious decor:  " There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. 7 And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king ." It must have been a treat for the people of Shushan to partake of the generous bounty of their king.  The valu...

Yesterday in church the text we examined was the first half of Acts 13 which included Paul's interaction with the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus.  Being an intelligent man and likely interested to learn new things, Sergius Paulus summoned Barnabas and Paul to hear the Word of God.  A Jew named Elymas withstood the apostles when they arrived, trying to turn Sergius Paulus from the truth of the Gospel.  Finally Paul rebuked Elymas strongly and declared he would be rendered blind for a season.  After this immediately came to pass  Acts 13:12 reads, " Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord ." Reading this struck me as I considered the question:  would I be more astonished by a person struck completely blind or by the "teaching of the LORD?"  Likely seeing someone suddenly blind by words alone would be more astonishing.  What this drives home is how the Bible should astonish us; th...

The Bible presents a vivid demonstration of God's faithfulness and grace.  He birthed the Jewish nation out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  Though they rebelled against Him and served other gods, He was faithful to them and would not destroy His inheritance.  God's presence led and dwelt among His people, and He protected, provided, and cared for them continually.  He brought them into the land He promised them and drove out their enemies before them.  When God sent prophets to instruct His people they provoked Him to anger with their sin.  He allowed them to be scattered and brought into captivity in Babylon, but by His grace brought them out again and established them in the land according to His promise. King David wrote  Psalm 124  as the nation of Israel reached a zenith as a notable kingdom long before the destruction of Jerusalem or captivity in Babylon.  The words recorded were valid then, after captivity, and even to this day. ...