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Psalms 78:1-16 A
Contemplation Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will
open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, Which we have
heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, Telling to
the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His
wonderful works that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, And
appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should
make them known to their children; That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, That they may
set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His
commandments; And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious
generation, A generation that
did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God. The
children of Ephraim, being
armed and carrying bows, Turned
back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused
to walk in His law, And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown
them. Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, In the land of
Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He
divided the sea and caused them to pass through; And He made the waters stand
up like a heap. In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, And all the
night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the
depths. He also brought streams out of the rock, And caused waters to run down
like rivers. Father, we ask
that you bless each and everyone that reads this message. Not only them, but
their loved ones also. Comfort those that have lost loved ones and keep us safe
as we go about our daily activities. We give you all the glory and praise. Amen!
Romans 10:16-21 NKJV
The Psalm above starts out speaking of children. Last
week I noted how little children have great faith and they believe what they
are told when they are 2 – 6 years of age without questioning. As parents we
need to read and teach what God’s Word says. It is the perfect time to read and
explain the parts of the Bible a young mind can understand. After all if they
can learn to speak Spanish watching Dora then they can learn the Ten
Commandments and what they mean. It will give the little ones a foundation for
their life. In fact it is our duty to do this if we call ourselves Christians.
This week’s lesson Paul is explaining to his
listeners/readers that hearing and reading the Word of God one should become a
true believer. But not all do, in fact very few do. We as human beings are hard
hearted and stiff necked when it comes to understanding God’s way, but ask us
about sports statistic or where to find the best deal in shopping centers, and
we can go on for minutes with an answer. It is too bad everyone can’t go on for
minutes explaining the in-depth the meaning of the 1st Commandment
or how we offend God with the language we use. This lesson also deals with
prophecy, anger, jealousy, love, grace, hearing God’s Word, God’s outstretched
hand, and rejection.
Romans 10:16-21
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For
Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
But
they have not all obeyed the gospel;
Who is Paul referring to? It’s the Jewish people of his time, but it also
applies to the here and now. There were many that rejected Jesus of his time
and there are many that reject Jesus today. Many people know who Jesus is, but
don’t have that personal relationship with Him that they need for eternity.
Many people want to deny the following verse that Jesus said, but the fact of
the matter is that it is true based on the teachings of the Bible. It is our
carnal mind that keeps us from believing what it says. We compare ourselves
with other human beings and declare we are good. Matthew 7:14 Because narrow is
the gate and difficult is the
way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
LORD,
WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT; Here
again Paul is quoting from the OT. It was prophesied in the OT by Isaiah that
God’s chosen people would reject Jesus. Isaiah 53:1 Who has
believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? They not only reject Jesus, but they rejected
God who led them out of Egypt. It just shows how wicked man is toward God. It
is no wonder there is enmity in the mind of man toward God. Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God,
nor indeed can be. I’ve
said this in the past about the Israelites of the OT and also of the NT it
amazes me how the Jewish people rejected God and Jesus when they were eye
witnesses to the miracles that were performed. How stiff necked and hard
hearted they are toward God. This also pertains to the present times also.
People in general just have a very hard time in trusting in Jesus. The carnal mind
is something else when it comes to matters like these. The mind says no that
can’t be, it must be some kind of magic trick. Don’t believe what you see,
believe in yourself. The mind also says don’t believe what you can’t see
either. So where does that leave an individual? It leaves a person flopping
around in life like a fish out of water. You’re not liking what is going on in
your life, or around you, and to stiff necked to turn to Jesus, because we as
human beings think we have all the answers instead of trusting in Jesus.
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. What this verse is about is that one
will come to God and become a believer if they hear and study the Word of God. If
a person is diligently seeking Jesus the Bible is the one and only true source
of information that one needs. We not only need to hear the Word, but also
study it. The Bible is a resource that one can make a lifelong study of,
because every time one picks it up and reads it, something new is revealed to
the reader by the Holy Spirit. Reading the Bible daily is a must in a person’s
life if their desire is to live for Jesus. This is a very simple thing to do
with today’s smart phones. There are many resources to download like the
Expositors Study Bible, KJV, NKJV, or commentaries like JSM or Albert Barnes.
With these things on your smart phone one can read at work during breaks,
waiting for a loved one at school or shopping, etc. So no one has an excuse for
not having time to read the Bible. Just make sure what you download is a
reputable source.
We can
hear many things about God, Jesus, Heaven, etc. but if it is out of books other
than the Bible then we can be deceived and led away from Jesus. Some
denominations do this not intending to lead people away from the true Gospel,
but they do with their publications of pamphlets, books, study guides,
catechisms, doctrine, etc. The Bible or a good study Bible that explains every
verse is all one needs to come closer to Jesus. Many other publications on the
book shelves tend to be based on physiology.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
"THEIR SOUND HAS GONE OUT TO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF
THE WORLD." Paul
is bringing back the thought or question to his Jewish kinsman that they have
all heard about the Messiah from the prophets of old. He is reiterating what he
stated in verses 14 and 15 of last week’s lesson. The message had been
proclaimed of the coming of Jesus in OT scripture and preached to many, but
still they refused to believe. Even today the Gospel is preached throughout the
world and many still reject Jesus. This verse is taken from Psalms 19:4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for
the sun.
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses
says: "I WILL PROVOKE YOU TO JEALOUSY BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT A NATION, I
WILL MOVE YOU TO ANGER BY A FOOLISH NATION."
But
I say, did Israel not know;
Paul is asking the Jewish people why they didn’t know about the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, after all Moses even prophesied the fact that Israel would reject
Jesus. This verse is taken from Deuteronomy
32:21 They have provoked Me to
jealousy by what is not God;
They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to
jealousy by those who are not a
nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation. If they were so self righteous and
lived by God’s word, as they proclaimed they did, then they had no excuse for
not knowing or recognizing Jesus as their Messiah. It is almost like Paul
saying what is wrong with you people, why can’t you see the truth? Come on get
with the program! How frustrated he must have been! This is so true today also.
I WILL PROVOKE YOU TO JEALOUSY; I WILL
MOVE YOU TO ANGER;
both of these phrases are referring to God speaking to the Israelites.
THOSE WHO ARE NOT A NATION; BY A
FOOLISH NATION; What
nation is Moses talking about here? It is not the Jewish nation it is the rest
of the world, the Gentile nation. Anyone not being of an Israelite descent. The
Apostles were commissioned to go out and spread the Gospel to all nations. It
meant Jew and Gentile alike. The day of Pentecost kicked off this movement of
preaching the Gospel to all nations and the true church of believers of Jesus
Christ was formed. This provoked the Jewish people to jealousy because how
could Gentiles proclaim knowing God? They didn’t have the OT scrolls only God’s
chosen people the Israelites had those. They weren’t the chosen people. They
didn’t live by the OT laws sent down by God. They were of heathen descent. The
Jewish people were moved to anger by a foolish nation meaning the pagan world.
This anger is what caused the persecution of the Christian church. Believers
were hunted down and thrown in prison or killed. Because of this anger, all the
Apostles with the exception of John were martyred.
Even
today denominations claim to be the true church, but are deceived by the
religion they practice. The true church consists of Born Again individuals,
those that have had a Spiritual Birth and live for Jesus. These individuals are
from many religious backgrounds, but only a remnant. One day these individuals
will be in Heaven because of their faith, not because of their religion or self
works.
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I WAS
FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME; I WAS MADE MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT
ASK FOR ME."
Paul takes this verse from Isaiah
65:1 "I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said,
'Here I am, here I am,' To a nation that
was not called by My name.
Paul is trying very hard here to get his Jewish kinsman to see the truth by
quoting numerous scripture from the OT scrolls. He is using quotes from leaders
of the past that the Jewish nation held very highly. All that was happening was
foretold in the past by these prominent leaders, but still a veil covered their
minds and they couldn’t see the scriptures unfolding in front of their very
eyes. This verse is again referring to the Gentiles that found Jesus and
believed. They weren’t seeking God like the Jewish people were, but God made
Himself known to them and they were saved.
21 But to Israel he says: "ALL DAY LONG I HAVE
STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND CONTRARY PEOPLE." This verse is taken from Isaiah 65:2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a
rebellious people, Who walk in a way that
is not good, According to their own thoughts; This
verse reaches out and touches my heart. How must God feel when people won’t
accept the truth? All day long God has his hands outstretched, yet to no avail.
Have you ever been in a situation where someone you love is struggling and due
to pride will not accept your helping hand. They view your help as a handout
instead of an act of love. It is out of love we want to help these individuals,
but they don’t see it that way and as a result we have to stand by and watch
these people suffer and struggle through life. What is really sad and heartbreaking
is we hear these people moan and complain, but when we want to help they push
us away.
This is exactly how God
feels. Our God is a compassionate God and wants to help us, but many are to
prideful and self righteous to accept Jesus as their Saviour. They can’t and
won’t believe the truth. They have the same veil over their minds as the
Israelites did. This way of thinking actually causes enmity between them and God,
but they don’t realize this. They think they are good and in God’s good graces.
Some day they will see the truth, but it will be too late.
I pray that all that have
been reading these lessons have come to the conclusion that a religion or a
person’s self works will not get them to Heaven. There is only one thing that
will get you to Heaven and that is simple faith in what Jesus did on the Cross.
Believing in this act of love, confessing one is a sinner, asking God for
forgiveness, having the desire to turn from a sinful lifestyle, and asking
Jesus to come into one’s heart to rule and reign will result in a Spiritual
Birth.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…...
Psalms
51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit
within me.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill Wiesbrock
Last Week’s Trivia: Who was Abimael?
Answer: Abimael was one of Noah’s numerous
descendants, Abimael is listed as one of the grandsons of Shem through Shem’s
son, Joktan. Genesis
10:26-28; 1 Chronicles 1:20-22
This week’s Trivia: Who was Abinoam?
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