Jehovah Shalom

We are first introduced to Jehovah Shalom, The Lord is Peace, in Judges 6:1-24. This is the main passage that we covered in both the homework and Tuesday’s class taught by Sandee.  Although we studied the same passage, each teaching brought out excellent points of scriptural insight and application. Prior to delving into each individually, I want to give you an overview of the passage as a whole that I gleaned from both. Please read Judges 6:1-24.

Chapter 6 opens with the following words; “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites”.  The Israelites were repeating a pattern that we have seen as we have studied the Names of God this year.  There is a time of peace, followed by rebellion, followed by loss of blessing, followed by repentance, and finally followed by deliverance.   As you read through Judges 6 you will see how horribly their land and crops were ravished by the Midianites as a result of their disobedience.  When the Israelites called out to the Lord for deliverance He sent them a prophet who conveyed the LORD’s displeasure with Israel, “I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.' But you have not listened to me” (Judges 6:10).

The Angel of the LORD then appeared to Gideon, a man of low standing in his family whose clan was also the weakest in the region.  “When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12).  Gideon questioned the LORD about the circumstances that Israel was now dealing with and asked,  if God was with them, why was this happening to them. “The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?” (Judges  6:14).  The LORD then reassured Gideon that they would be in this battle together.

Before the Angel departed Gideon prepared a sacrifice. As it was accepted and consumed by fire Gideon realized that it was the LORD who he was actually speaking with and feared for his life. “But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace” (Judges 6:23-24).

In the homework and in class we looked at the definition of peace. It might be described as a state of inner tranquility. Conversely, a lack of peace would be a state of anxiety or worry.  The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, conveys a much deeper meaning.  It connotes a state of wholeness, completeness, commitment, or well-being.  As born again believers we do have judicial peace with God; “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we  have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).  Experiential peace is what we walk inor forfeit in our day-by-day lives with God. This is what we have been studying this week.

Insights From Class

The Importance of Obedience : Looking back at Leviticus 26, the LORD gave the Israelites a very specific command 'Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God” (Lev. 26:1).  God followed this command with a promise of prosperity, peace, and power as the Israelites obeyed.  But Israel was clearly living in disobedience. Their livestock and crops were destroyed. They were hiding in caves.  They had lost their peace.  Sandee pointed out that we also can live like paupers, missing out on the goodness of our God because of disobedience.  John 14:15 tells us,"If you love me, you will obey what I command”. 

Our Potential: This is what God said about Gideon: “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). This is what Gideon said about himself: "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15).  Like Gideon we may judge our potential in serving the LORD through our own eyes and human limitations.  How wonderful it is to know that this is not the way God sees us at all. Sandee gave us six points about God’s point of view:

1) God sees our potential.

2) God does a work of transformation in us.

3) God meets us where we are.

4) He knows our weaknesses, faults, and shortcomings.

5)  He takes our inadequacy and transforms it by His adequacy.

6) God sees us beyond our frailties. He does not save us and use us for what we are but for what, by His grace, we may become in Christ.

The Key to Inner Peace: Living in this world we will always have problems and situations that can rob us of our peace. But God says to us, “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, "'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. (Lev 26:3,6).  The commands in Leviticus were under the Old Covenant but because we live under the New Covenant the law is now written on our hearts. We no longer live by a written list of rules. By His grace, the Holy Spirit enables us to walk in obedience to God’s statutes.

Sandee left us with some words of God to meditate upon:

“Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165).

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

Insights and Application from the Homework

The specific focus on this week’s homework was how the Israelites lost their peace and what they needed to do to get it back.  As we read through and studied the account of Gideon in Judges 6 we saw how these things played out in the lives of the Israelites. As we went through the lesson it was clear how we could apply these principles to our own lives.

How did the Israelites lose their peace?  

The Israelites lost their vision of God. Going back to Judges 21:25 we read, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit”.  Many of us have witnessed the lives of people who have lost their vision of God and the chaos that was the result.

The Israelites lost their relationship with God. It says in Judges 2:10, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel”.  The Israelites no longer knew God in a personal way.  Slowly but surely their relationship with the LORD died.  We need to help the generations that follow us to live out their spiritual heritage.

The Israelites lost their devotion to God. “Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them” (Judges 2:11-12).  In the same way, we can begin to worship the gods around us – fame, wealth, external beauty. We must guard our hearts and be aware of this danger.

The Result: As we learned in class the result of their loss of peace was the cycle of sin. This very thing can happen to us.  When we lose our vision of God we may take a step back from the things of the LORD like studying His Word or fellowshipping with other believers.  As it said in the homework, ‘we sacrifice the relationship we need to nurture the most’.

What would they need to do to get their peace back?

They would need to cry out to the Lord. “Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help” (Judges 6:6).  We were asked the question, ‘at what point in our troubles do we cry out to the LORD?’  They would have to fight for peace. “When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12).  We were reminded that God never told the Israelites that they wouldn’t have to fight. In the same way we may become complacent with a gift God has given us. Is there something in our lives that God wants us to fight for?

They would have to give up their excuses. “"But LORD, " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15).  Do we question our suitability for a task God has entrusted us with?  By faith we need to trust God’s assignments for us.

They would have to go in complete dependence on God. “The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?” (Judges 6:14).  He also said, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." (Judges 6:16).  God assured Gideon that He would be with Him in the battle. In Judges 6:19-21 Gideon made an offering to the Lord; a gift. In the same way we need to offer God all we have and come to Him in complete dependence, trusting in Him to bring the victory and not in our own abilities.

Summing it All Up

As children of God, walking in peace is something that can be a reality in our lives. As we learned this week there are many ways we can forfeit this blessing but as we apply scriptural concepts to our lives we can walk in victory.  It says in James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says”.  It is not enough just to study about God’s peace, we need to take in His Word in so that it becomes a part of us; something that changes how we think, feel, believe and act.

Bible Memorization Project 2013 ~ Week 3

By Eva Jester

Light vs. Dark

So what happens when the lights go out & it is pitch dark?

We get our flashlights out or we light candles.

Why do we do this?

Because the light shines our path so that we can see more clearly.  It makes it easier to get around in the dark.

The Word of God can work the same way in the dark world we live in.

Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (NIV)

So like a flashlight or a candle in the dark, the Word of God lights our way and shows us the way to go.  Without the light, we will get off the path we are supposed to go on and will be stumbling around in the dark.

The Life Principles Study Bible says, "Left to ourselves, we often don't know which way leads to life and which way ends in death; we remain in the dark.  But God's Word provides us with a searchlight to cut through the darkness and lead us to safety."

This applies to reading God's Word but also to memorizing verses.

So ladies get your searchlight out, read & memorize the Word of God!!!!  Time to hear your third verse of our Bible Memorization Project 2013.

Please post it in the comments below.

 

Jehovah Tsidkenu

This week we have been studying Jehovah Tsidkenu, The LORD our Righteousness.  On the surface, righteousness might not be a characteristic of God that you are hungering to study. It might seem…somewhat dry. But read on! Righteousness is foundational to our relationship with the LORD.  If this is something we understand, not just with our heads, but are truly living out in our lives, our relationship with God will be one of true freedom.

What I Learned In Class

Today Pastor Grace jumped into the passage in the Old Testament where God makes himself know as Jehovah Tsikenu.  Please read Jeremiah 23:1-8.  God is declaring judgment on the leaders of the Israelites who mistreated ‘His flock’. God then goes on, through the words of Jeremiah, to prophesy over Israel’s future.  He says, “The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is right and just in the land. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The LORD our Righteousness” (Jer. 23:5-6).

A question we might ask ourselves is ‘what exactly is righteousness?”.  Pastor Grace described righteousness as being morally right, blameless, guiltless, holy, innocent, just or sinless.  None of us would use these adjectives to describe ourselves yet each one of these words describes our LORD and all His actions.  Even in His judgment of Israel, God had a plan to restore them to Himself. He will always do what is right on our behalf because of His great love for us.  It says in Deut. 32:4, “He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He”.  

Look closely at the final words of Jeremiah’s prophecy in 23:6, “The LORD our Righteousness”.  Let’s delve into the homework lesson to learn the significance of this little word!

What I Learned In The Homework

Both the New and Old Testaments have much to say about our righteousness. Let scripture speak for itself: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6a). In Romans 3:11 it says, “There is no one righteous”.  Scripture goes on to say that we can’t even become righteous by following the Law, rather it makes us conscious of sin:  “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law, rather, through the law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:19).  Striving to achieve righteousness on our own, in the eyes of God, will always be a futile endeavor.

The good news is that God does not leave us without hope!!  “But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness, from God, comes through Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:22-22).  It goes on to say in Romans 3:28, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law”.  

That brings us back to Jer. 23:6, “The LORD our Righteousness”.  By faith, Jesus is our righteousness.  This means that we have right standing with God because we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When God sees us, it is through Jesus and His righteousness. Many of us understand this in our heads but it doesn’t quite make it into our life experiences. We try to live up to a standard that we cannot possibly meet and walk away feeling condemned, like we will never measure up. The homework pointed out that this is something that Jesus actually condemned.  To better understand this, the homework brought us to Luke 18:9-14, “The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector”.

Before continuing, please take a few minutes to read this parable. It begins by telling us to whom Jesus was speaking: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else,” (Luke 18:9).  The Pharisee proclaimed his goodness to God by detailing the ways he had upheld the law. He then contrasted his actions to those leading sinful, evil lives.  In the temple at the same time was a tax collector, one of the very people that the Pharisee was condemning.  The Scriptures tell us that “the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner’” (Luke 18:13).

As we have been studying the bible together, we have learned that the original language with which Scripture was written (Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic) could convey a slightly different meaning when translated into English. The word for ‘mercy’ in Luke 18:13 is one of those times.  The Greek word used most often for mercy is eleos. It means mercy, compassion, or active pity. In the homework we learned that the Greek word found in this verse (hilaskomai) is only translated into the English word for mercy in two other places. Hebrews 2:17 is one of these places: “For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way. In order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people”.

Looking back to Luke 18:13,   this means that the tax collector was not asking for mercy or compassion; what he really was asking for was something so much bigger. He was asking for a Savior!!! This humble man knew that he could not satisfy God with his own efforts. He knew he needed a Savior. Listen to what Scripture says about this man as he left the temple: “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).  We learned in the homework that being justified before God means that He has pardoned the sins of those who believe in Jesus and treats them as righteous (or not guilty) in the eyes of the law. 

To Wrap It All Up

There is something so important in this lesson, so foundational to our faith, that I want you to walk away with.  In the homework it stressed that there is nothing we can ever do to earn right standing with God. There is no amount of striving or self effort that can accomplish this. Our righteous comes through faith in Christ alone, by His grace. If we are not living this out in our lives we will never truly reflect that we are God’s.  Paraphrasing the words in the homework, righteousness is not something we do rather it is Whose we are.  Going back to the very beginning of this post, this is what it means when we read “The LORD our Righteousness”.

“For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him.  I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.  For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.” (Phil. 3:8b-9)

Jehovah Mekadesh

Today in Bible Study Arlene taught on Jehovah Mekadesh, The Lord Who Makes You Holy.  Many of us, me included, find the concept of holiness hard to grasp. What exactly is holiness? What does it look like in my life? Why is it important? The message today answered these questions and brought holiness into a much sharper focus.

WHAT IS HOLINESS?

The LORD makes Himself known as Jehovah Mekadesh to the Israelites in the book of Exodus: "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy” (Ex. 31:13).  Holiness is not just relevant to the Israelites of the Old Testament; it is just as important to us today. In 1 Peter 1:15-16 God says: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.”  From the Hebrew, holiness can be defined ‘to be set apart or made hollow’.  Arlene gave us four characteristics of holiness to show us what it should look like in our lives.

1) Holiness is characterized by rest. As we just read, the Lord made Himself known by Jehovah Mekadesh in Exodus but the first mention of holiness is found in Genesis 2:3: “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Gen. 2:3).  We have been reminded throughout the year that first mention is important and ‘context is king’.  God expresses that the there is a connection between holiness, rest and blessing. This rest could be characterized in our lives the following ways:

Relinquishing our sovereignty-A realization that I am not the god of my own life.

Relinquishing our agenda. I need to make room in my life for the surprises of God.

Relinquishing our striving.  I need to trust God and let go of self-sufficiency.

Relinquishing our self-righteousness. God makes me holy; I can’t make myself holy.

Relinquishing our work. God tells us to come to Him when we are weary. Sometimes we just need to stop. He wants us to have times of rest, recreation and refreshment.

2) Holiness is characterized by distinctiveness. In Exodus 31:13 in the Amplified Version this verse reads: “that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you (set you apart for Myself).”   We can see once more that it is the Lord at work. We can also see that there is a close relationship between being made holy and being set apart to Him.  Being set apart makes us distinctive.  He sets us apart so that we will look like Him to the outside, watching world.

Leviticus 19 opens with the following: "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy” (Lev. 19:2).  The remainder of the chapter details commands from the Lord regarding the behavior of the Israelites. God is giving them commands so they would live differently than the pagan people they were surrounded by. He wanted them to look like Him and reflect His character.  This is God’s desire for us as well. We should look different.   

How do New Testament Christians look different?  a) We don’t suffer the same; “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:5-6);  b) We don’t view success the same. In the world. acclaim and material wealth signal success; as Christians, doing what God has called us to do marks a successful life;  c) We love our enemies; and d) We forgive.

3) Holiness is characterized by possession and identification.

We are God’s possession. “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession” (Exodus 19:5).  In Isaiah 43:9 it says “But now, this is what the LORD says--he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” Isaiah 43:9).

Our identity also lies with Him. “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col. 3:12).

4) Holiness is characterized by process and change.

As we have just learned, it is God who makes us holy. So what is our part? We have to cooperate with Him. Arlene shared an equation to bring this point home:

Grace + Truth + Time = Change

Grace – “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12). 

Truth – “Sanctify  them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

Time –“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:18 KLV)

Arlene explained that when we have grace but no truth, licentious is the result. Conversely, truth without grace is legalism.  When we go to God we do not deny our sin or try to fix ourselves. We don’t put ourselves under the law and condemnation. We confess our sin to God and ask for His grace to overcome.  We then pour God’s Word of truth into us. We meditate of those verses that speak to our struggle and even commit them to memory.  The more we are in God’s word the more it will work in us. Over time God will change us. As Arlene pointed out, change is a process. In our society quick-fixes are the norm. This isn’t how God works. He wants us to cooperate with Him and over time there will be change.

WHY IS HOLINESS IMPORTANT?

1) Holiness increases the awareness of God’s presence and activity in our lives. “make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). I want to see the Lord!

2)  Without holiness we may miss out on the amazing things that God is doing. “Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5). The more we cooperate with God the more we will see His awesome works!

“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.  If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Tim. 2:20-21).

Bible Memorization Project 2013 - Week Two

By Eva Jester

Most of you know that I have a son who is 8 years old.  Yesterday as he was getting ready for school, we were talking about the Bible & the armor of God from Eph. 6.  We talked about all the different parts & then we got to the sword of Spirit.  My son says, "But mom, I cannot take my Bible with me to school."  I said, "Oh really?"  He said, "One of my friends brought a Bible and got in trouble because of the school system."  I don't know how accurate that is but in the environment that we are living in, it could be very true.

But I told him that you can take the Bible with you and he said, "What do you mean?"

I told him that the Bible is within him because he knows the Bible.  He proceeded to recite a memory verse that he had learned from Junior Bible Quiz.  He then proceeded to go down the list of different things he knows from the Bible.  So I told him that he was taking the Bible with him & he was excited about that.

We want to encourage you as I encouraged him that yes you can take the sword of the Spirit with you.  There may be places you cannot take it or there may be a time when we don't have the Bible.  But by memorizing the Bible it becomes a part of us and it becomes a part of our memory.  It can then come back to us even in those times that we might not have the Bible with us.

We hope that you ladies are encouraged that the Bible is active and alive as Heb. 4:12 says and if that's true which it is then it is applicable to every part of our lives and by putting it to our memory banks it will come back to us when we need it and that is a beautiful thing.

So ladies let's see your posts with your second verse on the blog.