16 Men Who Changed the World! Monday, Mar 22 2010 

Biblical history and Biographical and Doctrine and Old Testament kennethbow 8:53 am

The Prophets.

When Israel left Egypt on that fateful night of the Exodus, they were ill equipped to be a world member in the family of nations.  Their centuries of slavery had left them without the basic skills to form a nation and function.

They needed laws and leadership.  God provided them with both.

While they made the transition from slavery to a warrior nation to conquer the Promised Land, they needed something to anchor them to their past, to their beliefs and their survival.  God gave them the Tabernacle as that anchor.  It was the central element that polarized them as a people.  It was the central purpose and function of their lives.

The Tabernacle eventually became the Temple and the Temple stood as their foundation and polarization for centuries. It was the central point and purpose of their lives.

After their conquest and several hundred years of judges and monarchy, they had become an urban people with need of a different anchor.  The nation had not become, or remained what God had intended!  They needed another anchor for a different environment of urban life.

God sent them their second anchor…the Prophets!

The first prophets were miracle workers.  Elijah and Elisha types.  They got the attention of the Nation at locals like Carmel when Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal.

When it was evident that the miracles alone would not  turn the nation back to God, God then sent them a whole new group of men.  The writing prophets!

About 40 years after Elisha, the first writing prophet appears on the national scene.  God introduced the second anchor for the nation!  His word!

From the moment the writing prophets arrived, all of history changed.

These prophets were diverse.

  • Some were highborn, educated and mixed with the highest echelons of society.
  • They were consults of Kings!
  • They were advisors of the highest decisions made in the world.
  • Others were simple country men.
  • They were ridiculed and scorned.
  • Their verbiage and illustrations were simple and homespun.
  • They preached messages,
  • Wrote poems,
  • Composed songs,
  • And condemned Kings.

They are without equal or comparison in any period of history or in any culture in the world.

The Eastern religions of Buddism, Hinduism, and Muslims, for all their lasting impact, have never produced the likes of the writing prophets!

The Prophets wrote their visions and conversations with the Almighty.  They left behind a glimpse into the mind and nature of God that became the mantle of all preachers for all time.  We would not have survived without their writings.  Simple or complicated, rich or poor, heard or rejected, to a man….

They were magnificent!

Thanks for reading today.

 

He was only 14 years old, he lived a lifelong nightmare! Saturday, Mar 20 2010 

Biblical history and Biographical and Doctrine and Motivational and Old Testament kennethbow 9:16 am

Jeremiah

Which fourteen-year-old boy in your church can you envision preaching and being God’s Mouthpiece?  That was the age Jeremiah began his prophetic work.  He then proceeded to speak to a nation who would not listen for the next 40 years.

He has been called the “weeping prophet” because of the times in his book he sheds tears.  Jeremiah prophesied while his nation tottered on the bring of captivity.

Jeremiah certainly lived one of the most dramatic lives in the Bible.  It appears he never learned to like his role.  He was reluctant and unhappy with the job God asked him to do.

God chose him before he was even born, while he was still in his mother’s womb.  His assignment was to be over nations, to root out, to tear down, to build and to plant.  The only resource he had to accomplish this task was his mouth.  His response?  “Ah Lord God, I cannot speak, for I am a child” (1.6), and he was! He was only 14 years old!

He was given the unusual directive that he could never marry, never attend a happy event or a sad event.  He was not to experience any human emotion so he would never be confused as to what he felt.  He felt what God felt!

For forty years Jeremiah gave the nation’s leaders messages they did not want to hear.  They arrested him, they imprisoned him, and they almost killed him.

Jeremiah hung on.

He let them know that the Babylonians were coming and would carry them into captivity.  He warned them that alliances with powers like Egypt would not do any good.  They ignored him and he pressed on anyway.  Jeremiah made it clear, Judah’s only hope was to renew their relationship with the living God.

Jeremiah does not impress us like Isaiah.  His book is not poetic or beautiful in imagery.  The power of the book comes entirely from the insight of this prophet’s mind.

He was living a nightmare and that nightmare was coming true.

The nation was going under!

No person in the Bible shows their feelings like Jeremiah.  He quarreled with God.  He told God he wished he were dead.  He accused God of being unreliable. And yet, he stood, never wavering!  No relationship in the Bible speaks more to me of what it means to serve God.  He continued to follow God no matter what.

I am sure he tired of the ridicule.  He continued to stand alone against the crowd.  He spoke dark things in dark times.  His message was not wanted or popular.  In the end his message proved true.

He stands greater and more important to the kingdom of God than the very Kings who detested him.

The book of Jeremiah is an anthology of prophecies given at different times.  It jumps back and forth and is not in any chronological order.  It is a glimpse into the troubled mind of a man trying to warn a drowning nation.

300 years before the nation had been split into two nations with the civil war.  Israel and Judah had existed side by side for 200 years.  Then, 100 years before, the northern nation had been carried away into captivity into Assyria never to be heard from again.  He was seeing deja vu for Judah.  This time mighty Babylon was breathing down their neck and invasion was imminent.

Bullet points for Jeremiah:

  • Prophesied during 5 kings
  • Lived through the Babylonian invasion
  • Contempories were Zephaniah and Habakkuk
  • He was forbidden to marry
  • He was forbidden to go to any social meetings, happy or sad
  • His book has no particular order
  • He was called at 14 years old and preached for 40 years
  • Tradition says he was stoned in Egypt at the end of his life
  • He was the first person to speak of 70 years, then Daniel picked it up
  • Never liked his role but he obeyed
  • His only weapon was his voice
  • He was one man against a surging mass going in the opposite direction
  • He quarreled with God and told God he wished he were dead (20.14-18)
  • Accused God of being unreliable (15.18)
  • Had no social life (16.8)

Some of his memorable messages:

  • Broken cisterns
  • Potters house (18)
  • Rechabites (35)
  • The miry clay
  • The buried sash
  • The smashed pot
  • Purchasing land for the return after the exile

His supreme contribution:

It is my opinion that Jeremiah gives us the high point of the Old Testament.  In chapter 31 he gives the turning point after 1000 years of failure as a nation.

God wrote the law on tables of stone and the nation never was able to fulfill their destiny.  It was smoke, ashes, debris, and failure.  It was time for the second edition to be written!

Abraham was called in 1921 BC.  The children of Israel entered Canaan in 1451 BC.  It had been 1300 years since Abraham’s call and 800 years since they crossed the Jordan.  The judges, the kings, the prophets, had all proved unable to stem to tide.

God called a fourteen-year-old boy.  God quarantined him from social events, and gave him the New Covenant!

1000 years of history flowed into this young boy’s heart. From that river flowed out the New Covenant that is the foundation of the New Testament.

This time God would write it not on tables of stone, but on their hearts.  Jeremiah chapter 31 becomes the foundation of all the teachings of Jesus and the Apostle Paul.

It is an incredible story of an incredible man, used by God.

It is the story of a 14 year old boy who lived a lifelong nightmare!

Thanks for stopping by today.

 

Checkmate! When God plays Chess. Friday, Mar 19 2010 

Biblical history and Doctrine and Old Testament kennethbow 10:25 am

Checkmate! When God plays Chess.

Chess. Strategy, maneuver, tactics, ultimately expose the King by taking away all defenses.

Could I convince you today that God played chess on a worldwide scale for 450 years? Let me explain….

God called a nomad named Abram around 1900 BC, and began a nation. From his loins came Issac, then Jacob, then the twelve tribes and eventually the Hebrew nation. From there the 70 souls went down to Egypt to escape the famine, and emerged some 400 years later to cross the Red sea, and do the wilderness journey.

Once they entered the land of promise, there was a period of time of about 450 years when Judges governed the land. While the nation was making the journey from a nation of slaves to a nation of farmers, the Judges worked well enough. Then slowly they began to emerge as a nation of cities, and a whole new need arose.

Soon the cry for a King like other nations began, and finally became a din that God answered. The time had come for Israel to have a king, and the monarchy was born. Coming on the heels of the Judges, it certainly looked like anything would be an improvement. Sadly that was not to be.

Before the Monarchy had run it’s course, it would eliminate 10 tribes forever. It would also take all 12 tribes to spiritual lows never known before, and to this day, never matched again.

There was the period of the United Kingdom for 120 years. Each of the first three Kings ruled for 40 years (Saul, David and Solomon). Those 120 years were followed by a civil war that resulted in the nation being torn into two nations, known thereafter as Israel and Judah.

Israel was the northern kingdom and was comprised of 10 tribes. Over the next 200 years there would be 19 kings in a row and every one of them were bad. Not one King in 200 years of the northern kingdom served God. Finally God had enough. In 721 BC the nation of Assyria came and conquered 46 cities, and led away 200,000 captives.

The Assyrian army marched to the very gates of Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom, and surrounded the city. Rabshakeh, the Assyrian general, informed King Hezekiah of the Southern Kingdom, they were next on the list to be taken captive. Rabshakeh mocked Hezekiah and said even if I gave you 2000 horses for war, you could not put riders on them.

The southern kingdom was at the mercy of the greatest army in the world.

Hezekiah asked Isaiah the prophet what to do, and what followed is one of the most remarkable stories in the history of mankind. Isaiah told King Hezekiah to not worry about those 185,000 men encamped about the city of Jerusalem. When the Hebrews awoke the next morning they found out that the Angel of the Lord had gone through the camp of Assyria and killed 185,000 men.

It ranks as one of the greatest victories ever, anywhere, in the history of the world!

The southern kingdom was spared and lasted another 135 years. There were 19 kings and one queen in the southern kingdom. I say there were 8 good kings. It does depend on what you call good. But from my perspective 8 kings in the south were good. The book of chronicles which was originally one book, (* see note below), unlike the book of kings, primarily deals with the good kings of Judah. It has even been referred to as the white washed history because it eliminates things like David’s sin with Bathsheba.

Chronicles focus is on the monarchy that was good, and the temple. These were the two things that had permanence in Hebrew life.

So was the monarchy, success or failure? There were 41 kings in all and one queen. At best 11 kings might be said to have ruled well. That leaves 30 kings who ruled poorly and one queen who was the most wicked monarch of all. The monarchy ruled for 455 years. It was almost the exact same number of years the judges ruled.

My conclusion is that it was a failure just as notable as the Judges. God never intended for man to rule over man. God has always been the right ruler in man’s life.

With the whole world as His chessboard, God exposed the Kings for their weaknesses. He ultimately took away their defenses and exposed the need for a Messiah.

Some day our great God will reveal the King of Kings, and believe me it will be checkmate!

Thanks for joining me today!

Note: The book of Chronicles and the book of Kings were written in Hebrew which has no vowels. When translated into English, both books were too long and so they were divided into two books. Kings divides when the divine ministry of the prophets begins with Elijah. Chronicles divides with Solomon who builds the temple. No doubt the translators felt the ministry of the prophets, which would replace the monarchy, and the Temple, were the natural points to divide the books.

 

The Woman Who Could Not Be Bought Thursday, Mar 18 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 6:42 am

Song of Solomon

Love stories have captured the hearts of men and women since the dawn of time. Lovers are forever linked together, even centuries after their lives are over. The names of Romeo and Juliet, Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Dante and Beatrice, Hosea and Gomer, live on even now, eternally linked together.

The Song of Solomon is a love story. It may very well be the greatest love story ever told. Solomon was named by God Himself as the wisest man who ever lived! He knew as much about women as any man ever has. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. I think that qualifies him for nomination for a PhD in womanology.

Solomon wrote three books. He wrote the Song of Solomon as a young man. He then wrote Proverbs when in middle age. Later when he was elderly, he wrote Ecclesiastes.

He who wrote 1005 songs and 3000 proverbs, said this was the Song of Songs. Out of the 1005 songs he wrote, this was number 1. Is it feasible that he wrote a song for each of the women in his life? Possibly 1000 women and 1005 songs. We know this song was written to the Shunamite girl and we know she resisted his enticements. So, I suggest it is at least possible his modis operandi was a love song to each woman he courted.

Out of all the songs he wrote, he felt this was the Song of Songs. The question is why? I submit it was because he saw in this young girl the kind of love he wished Israel as a nation had for God. If somehow Israel would fall in love with her Shepard like the Shunamite girl loved her Shepard, then Israel would be blessed.

The story goes something like this. Solomon had a summer home. This we find in the Bible. While making the journey there one summer day he sees a young shepardess and a young Shepard under an apple tree.

That night Solomon sends for the young girl who is black by the sun and very poor. She has never had nice things or even shoes upon her feet. When she is brought to Solomon’s palace she is overwhelmed. When Solomon makes his intentions known, she is speechless and is given until tomorrow to make up her mind.

There are 140 women with Solomon at this time. While she lies upon her bed with her head spinning, she hears the young Shepard boy at her door. He has come looking for her. He is panicked at the thought of losing her to Solomon. He has braved the dangerous night to find her and take her home.

While lying on her bed, she hesitates and he moves on. Finally she rises and goes to the door, and can smell his lingering fragrance. She runs though the night city looking for him but he has gone.

The next day when she appears before Solomon, he makes his plea for her. She is torn between the pull of Solomon and all he can offer and her Shepard lover. Solomon makes a fatal mistake when he mentions the apple tree. When Solomon says that her mouth is like apples, she rises and flees. She runs from the summer palace and runs home.

The Shepard is disconsolate because he thinks she is lost to him. Then suddenly he sees her. She is running to him. Her garments are flying in the wind. Her hair is blowing free. The Shepard realizes she loves him more than all the allurements of money or fame. The time spent under the apple tree with him forged a bond between them that was as strong as death. She is reunited with her Shepard lover.

Back at the summer palace, the whole court of Solomon is aghast. The young girl just ran out. No one had ever done that before. They were stunned. They were stunned because the girl had the nerve to reject the King, but even more stunned by the King himself.

He just sat on his throne with a puzzled look on his face. For a long time he said nothing. Then he asked for a writing instrument and something to write on. They were amazed. Why, he was writing a song! A song of tribute to the woman who could not be bought. To the woman who was so in love with her Shepard, that nothing could influence her to give that love up for another love.

Slowly they began to see what the King saw. If only God’s people would love their Shepard that way. Solomon hummed the tune to The Lord is my Shepard. For the first time in his young life, Solomon understood true love. A love based on time spent together. A love that was not based on things, but rather on value of each other.

The wisest man of all the ages wrote a song about that and declared it to be the “Song of Songs”. A tribute to the love for a shepard that was forged under the Apple tree. A love so strong that even death itself could not sever it.

May God give us that kind of love for our Shepard!


 

Look at me Mr. Atheist, I am evidentiary proof there is a God. Wednesday, Mar 17 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 7:25 am

How To Answer An Atheist.

Most of us have encountered someone in our life who just does not believe in God.  It is difficult to witness to them because we have no common ground.  You offer your practiced, rehearsed, standard line of communication and they reject it wholesale.  You are left frustrated and feeling inept. The Devil taunts you as a poor witness of the grace and glory of God!

This blog is an attempt to give you some beginning bullets to initiate conversation and draw them into your conversation.

First of all I believe it is always polite to inquire what they believe.  Value their opinion even if you disagree.  God Himself gives that individual the prerogative to form an opinion even if it is wrong.  Should we do any less?  Listen carefully to their explanation and see if there is logic and reason in it.  Sometimes you can begin on their “turf” and get them to open up, and a door will open to you.  Be patient, they have spent a lifetime forming that perspective and usually are reluctant to surrender it quickly.

I have found if you listen long enough and show genuine interest, they many times, will in turn say something like, “what is your opinion?” Take that opportunity to share your genuine, sincere feeling about God.  Be passionate! If you do not feel it strongly, they will intuitively know it is not exciting or captivating.

Most professing atheists I have encountered are strong on reason and rationale. I believe it would be to your advantage to learn some scientific facts that support the Bible as a legitimate document.  About 20 years ago I read Josh McDowell’s books on Evidence that demands a verdict.  His approach provided me with good solid information to approach the Bible from a scientific viewpoint.  I have used this at times in personal conversation as well as in college classrooms.

I strongly believe you can put the Bible on any battleground and it will be victorious.  The Bible is the mind of God.  What argument or approach can finite man use, that God cannot show man to be a fool?

I worked on an archaeological dig in the summer of 1994.  At night there were classes by world class, and world renowned, archaeologists.  Each one I met was either an agnostic or an atheist.  They would lecture and make preposterous statements.  The other people were not inclined to challenge these professors because of their education.  I had no such qualms.  I will site just one example.  One particular professor from Penn State University made the statement one night that the majority of the stories in the book of Genesis are just fairy tales.  From the front row, before I thought I blurted out “Excuse me?”  You can imagine the quiet that fell.  All eyes turned to me.  How dare I question such a noted, learned authority as this?

I had stopped off at London for a week of vacation with my family before going to Megiddo, Israel, for the archaeological dig.  I saw the Rosetta stone at the British Museum.  I had viewed other archaeological displays. Into that silence with everyone looking at me, I calmly said, “If Abraham is a fairy tale, does that mean the Rosetta stone, and the code of Hannurabi are not credible as archaeological evidence?”

He was trapped.  If he said the Rosetta stone and the code of Hannurabi are credible, then Genesis is validated.  Abraham is validated. The Ten Commandments are validated.  The law of Moses is validated.   If he said no, it is not credible, then archaeology is not valid as evidence.  That world-renowned professor with his PhD backed up.  He turned red in the face and just looked at me.  I quietly said, “Sir you can’t have it both ways”, and smiled.  He merely nodded and continued his lecture.  But he was careful from then on because someone stood up to him and made him make accurate statements.

My point is, do not be afraid, and do not surrender because they are more educated or show condescension toward you.  You are a child of God and you have every right to your opinion.

One more example before you leave me today.  It was a geology class in college.  The study was the beginning of our universe.  The big bang theory, hot and cold diffusion, heavy planets and their orbits in our universe.  It was the whole enchilada.  We covered fossils, and the ages of the so called past.  Finally I raised my hand and asked the professor if I might ask him a question.  He said of course (with a smile!)

I asked him if it was true that I had as much empirical evidence for creation by God as he had for the theories he was promoting. He looked at me (with a frown!) and slowly nodded his head and said, yes that is true.

The Truth is neither of us has empirical evidence to support our view.  I have faith and he has supposition and theory.  Touché it is a draw.

Lastly I believe the most powerful tool you possess is your personal testimony.  Sincerely and succinctly tell them what happened to you.  No one, not even an atheist can argue with that! God has provided you with the most conclusive evidence mankind can produce.  Look at me Mr. Atheist, I am evidentiary proof there is a God.

The Apostle Paul used his personal testimony before Governors and Caesars. If it works in that arena, it will work when an atheist scoffs and sneers.  Hold your head up high. You are a child of God, and you have no reason to be ashamed.

Thanks for reading today!

 

(4) Jesus There Is Something About That Name Tuesday, Mar 16 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 7:10 am

Jesus…..there’s something about that Name!

In Genesis… He is the Creator…sun, moons, stars, worlds, man, animals, flora & fauna, cosmos, universes infinitive!

In Exodus… He is our Passover Lamb

In Leviticus… Our Law Giver

In Numbers…Our Brazen Serpent, high and lifted up

In Deuteronomy…Our “Hear O Israel, the Lord thy God is One”

In Joshua…Captain of the Lords Host

In Judges…Our Faithful Judge

In Ruth…Our Heavenly Kinsman

I & II Samuel…Our King in the midst of Blessings

I & II Kings…Our King in the midst of Apostasy

I & II Chronicles…Our Restorer of a lost nation

Ezra…Our Faithful Scribe

Nehemiah…Our re-builder of broken down walls

Esther…Our Mordecai

Job…He’s the one who believes in us when our Friends flake out!

Psalms…Our song in every circumstance on life’s road

Proverbs…Our answer to life’s riddle

Ecclesiastes…Our wisdom

Song of Solomon…Our Shepard in the night!

Isaiah…The Son, Immanuel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, our Everlasting Father, and our Prince of Peace

Jeremiah…Our weeping prophet

Lamentations…The Eulogy of a fallen nation

Ezekiel…The four faced man in life’s trial

Daniel…The fourth man in life’s fiery trial

Hosea…Our Rapah, our Husband, our Redeemer!

Joel…The Holy Ghost Giver!

Amos…The Shepard who gathers the broken pieces of our life and heals us.

Obadiah…The recompense to our enemies

Jonah…Our evangelist

Micah…Our light in the darkness

Nahum…Our judgment on unrighteousness

Habakkuk…Reviver of our work in the midst of our years

Zephaniah…The Re-gather of a lost nation

Haggai…Fruit Giver to a starving & barren nation

Zechariah…The Olive Tree and the Candlestick

Malachi…The echoing voice of God that reverberated for 400 years.

Matthew…Son of Abraham

Mark…Son of Man

Luke…Son of God

John…The Word which is; which was and which is to come.

Acts…The Holy Ghost

Romans…Our Justifier

I & II Corinthians…Our Sanctifier

Galatians…The breaker of the curse of the law

Ephesians…He who repairs our broken down wall of partition that kept us from God

Philippians…The Name at which every knee shall bow

Colossians…All the fullness of the Godhead bodily

I & II Thess…Our coming King

I & II Timothy…God manifest in the flesh

Titus…Our washing of regeneration

Philemon…Our deliverer from slavery

Hebrews…High Priest and our New Covenant

James…Our Faith that makes devils tremble

I & II Peter…He quiets the scoffers of all ages

I & II John…Our Love, or propitiation

Jude…Our contender for the faith that was once delivered to His saints

Revelation…Our Alpha, our Omega, our First and Last, our King, our Priest, our Lion our Lamb, our Savior, our coming King, our Judge, our redeemer, and The Almighty!

Jesus, there is something about that name!

 

The Incomparable Christ Monday, Mar 15 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 7:39 am

The Incomparable Christ

He came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman.  He put on humanity that we might put on divinity.  He became the Son of man that we might become the sons of God.

He left the region where the rivers never freeze, winds never blow, frosts never bites, flowers never fade; where no doctors are needed, because no is ever sick; where graveyards never haunt, death never comes, where no funerals are ever conducted.

He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty and reared in obscurity; only once did He ever cross the boundaries of His own small country.

He had no wealth, training, or education, and whose parents knew nothing of the niceties of social tradition.

In infancy He startled a king; in boyhood He puzzled the wise; in manhood He ruled the course of nature.

He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services.

He never wrote a book; yet all the libraries of the world could not contain all the books that could be written about Him.

He never wrote a song, and yet He has provided the themes for more songs than all earthly writers combined.

He never founded a college, yet all the schools of earth have not had the students that sat at His feet.

He never practiced medicine, yet has healed more broken hearts than the world has ever taken note of.

He never marched an army, never drafted a soldier, or fired a gun, yet no leader has ever had the volunteers who under His orders, made rebels stack arms and surrender at His command, never firing a shot.

He is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the Lamb and Lion of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discord, and Healer of all diseases.

Great men have come and gone; He lives on.

Herod could not kill Him; Satan could not seduce Him, death could not destroy Him and the grave could not hold Him.

He laid aside His purple robe for a peasant’s gown.  He was rich, but for our sakes became poor, that we might be rich.

How poor?

Ask Mary!  Ask the wise men!

He slept in another’s manger; He rode another’s beast; He was buried in another’s tomb.

All others have failed; He never!

The ever perfect one: the Chief among ten thousand; altogether lovely:

THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST

 

(2) Jesus There Is Something About That Name Sunday, Mar 14 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 5:26 am

If you look for Him, you will see Him…

In Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers Jesus is there. He was there in every chapter and every line.  You will see Him in the coats of skin that cover Adam and Eve’s sin.  You will see Jesus in the blood of Able that speaks of better things.

You will see Jesus in Moses’ face , sent to deliver his people out of Egypt.  You will see Jesus in the blood on the doorpost and lintel.

If you look for Him, you’ll see Him in the meal offering, for He is the bread of life.

You’ll see Him in the wave offering for He was offered up for our sins.

You’ll see Him in the drink offering, for He was poured out so I could be saved.

You’ll see Him in the feast of weeks and feast of the tabernacle.  He is my tabernacle, my outer court, my inner court, my holiest of holies.

He is my meal offering, my drink offering, my bread, my incense.

He is the door by which if any man shall enter in, he shall find green pastures.

He is the candlestick that lights my way into the presence of God.

He is my light, my bread, His blood is my wine, He is the veil; for when the Roman soldier pierced His side, the veil was rent in twain.

The rending of His flesh gives me access to the Father.  I have stepped behind the veil into the holiest of holies, because of Jesus.

Don’t look down your nose at me when I praise Him.  He is my “all in all”, my everything!

He is Aaron’s rod that budded, my high priest, my pot of manna, He is my ark of the testimony, He is my fulfilled law, He is my Sabbath, for when I am in Him I find rest and peace!  I cease from my labors and find rest.  “Come unto me all ye that labor… I will give you rest”.

He is my Shekinah glory, He is my glory of God.  He lights my dungeon.

He is my cloud by day pillar of fire by night, my brazen serpent in the wilderness – I had been bitten by sin, but He was lifted up and I am healed.

He is my tree that was thrown into the bitter waters of Mara, He changed my bitter life into sweet water, He is my rock, smitten on Calvary, whose gushing waters quench the thirsting of my life.

Jesus, There Is Something About That Name!

Tomorrow….The Incomparable Christ…see you then.

 

Jesus…..There’s Something About That Name Saturday, Mar 13 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 7:44 am

(For the next few days I will be posting about Jesus.)

Jesus…there’s something about that name!

His names are many.  The Messiah, Son of Man, Son of David, King of Israel, Savior, Servant, The Prophet, Son of God, and the Christ.  He was hailed and acclaimed as the being who held the highest spiritual status attainable in human form.  The perfect one,  the Avatar, God as man.

To some he was nothing more than an extraordinarily wise and compassionate teacher.  To others he was a political revolutionary who had divinity projected upon him by his followers.  To some he is just a myth, a legend; he never really existed at all.

No figure in history has provoked so much controversy and debate, nor inspired so much faith, as Jesus. Today the religion based on His teachings called Christianity, is the largest religion in the world.  1 Billion, 900 hundred million, on every continent, in almost every country.

The Mexican peasant in his hovel claims to be a Christian.  The Cardinal in Rome, in rich robes and elegant rings, claims to be a Christian.  The African learning English in a missionary school, is a Christian.  The New York business man signing papers in his office 30 floors above wall street, is a Christian.

Christianity has spread across the globe touching every culture and society on earth.  Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God.  He was sent to earth to save humanity from their ignorance, suffering, and sin.

What we know about Jesus comes almost exclusively from the gospels.  Jesus left no writings, so the gospels are the primary source of information about His life.

Matthew and John knew Jesus and followed Him.  Luke and Mark received their information from others.

There are all kinds of debate among scholars.  Some say none of these men ever really knew Jesus and did not even use their real names.  They question everything; they are skeptics.

In the time Jesus lived, there was a strong oral tradition of passing information from generation to generation.  This oral tradition was an art form.  People carefully memorized the information.  They worked hard at retaining the original facts and flavor.  This oral method of preserving information was how Homer’s Iliad and Oddessy were preserved.  It is more reliable than our modern journalism. Some prodigys memorized up to a million words by the time they were 12 years of age.

The earliest information written on Jesus that does not come from His followers comes several years after His death.  There are remarks by Josephus, who wrote around 90 AD.  Pliney the younger wrote about 112 AD, Tacitus wrote around 115 AD, and Seutonius wrote around 120 AD.

When you combine all these, Christian and non-Christian, we get a basic outline of Jesus life.  There are large gaps in Jesus life we have no information on.  We do know of His birth in Bethlehem. His birth was probably around 6BC, when Herod the great was King.  There is a brief glimpse when Jesus is 12, then nothing more until He becomes an adult.

Jesus was born in Palestine.  It had always been a troubled area, bathed in blood.  This area was shuttled back and forth between world powers, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Antioch Epiphanies, and Rome.  In 63 BC Pompey the Roman General captured Jerusalem.  The Romans allowed the Jews to retain their religion, and a figure head king (Herod). Then the Romans simply appointed a Governor to rule over Judea after Herod Archelaus was removed because of his cruelty.

Pompey was defeated in 63 BC, by Julius Caesar.  Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.  Mark Antony came briefly to power, and then Octavian replaced Mark Antony.

Through all of this Herod and his line maneuvered and kept the title “King of the Jews”.  The Romans mocked, and smiled indulgently at this absurdity.

After Herod massacred the infants, Herod’s son, Archelaus, took the throne.  The night his father Herod the Great died, Herod Archelaus became tetrarch of Judea, Idumea and Samaria.  Another son Antipas was given Galilee and Perea.  Phillip became tetrarch of Trachonitis, Iturea, Batanea and Auranitis.  Caesar approved this.

Remember… Joseph and Mary had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod the Great, but when Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptist, Jesus simply left because Herod Antipas had authority only in Galilee.

These Herods were wicked men.  Archelaus inaugurated his reign the night his father died, carousing with friends, and slaughtered 3000 Jews in the Temple.  The Jews appealed to Caesar and Archelaus was banished.  So Judea was free of Herods.

Caesar said, okay I’ll appoint a ruler, so he appointed Quirinius Caponius, then Ambivius, Annius Rufus, Valerius Gratus, then Pontius Pilate.  Pilate ruled from 26-36 AD.  Pilate was so cruel Rome removed him 3-6 years after the Crucifixion.  It was his cruelty that led to his dismissal.

The Romans divided the area into Judea (with Jerusalem) and Galilee.  In the New Testament,  Judea was governed by Pilate; Galilee was governed by Herod’s family.  (This is the reason Pilate sent Jesus to Herod; Herod was the puppet king of Galilee).

The people of Palestine suffered terribly under both the Romans and the Herods.

 

The Psalms Friday, Mar 12 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 8:23 am

Psalms

God gave mankind the five books of the law and a grateful mankind gave back to God the five books of the Psalms.

  • Book 1 chapters 1-41
  • Book 2 chapters 42-72
  • Book 3 chapters 73-89
  • Book 4 chapters 90-106
  • Book 5 chapters 107-150

The collators of the Psalms took time to place these books in their current order to correspond with the first five books.

  • Book 1 relates to Genesis
  • Book 2 relates to Exodus
  • Book 3 relates to Leviticus
  • Book 4 relates to Numbers
  • Book 5 relates to Deuteronomy

God presented mankind with the law and a grateful Israel responded with a Pentateuch of praise in acknowledgment of God’s gift.  The psalms are a second Pentateuch, the echo of the first.  This may be pure conjecture, but the existence of this idea from ancient times shows that the five fold division attracted early support in history.

Placed in the center of the Bible, rising like a tune from the very heart of the Bible are these songs!  These songs wrestle with the deepest sorrow and ask God the hardest questions. These songs cry out to God and at other times shout for pure joy.  The God they sing of is not a distant God, but a God that is near and personal.

They span over a thousand years of human circumstances.  There is a psalm to match every human emotion and mood! They put your unspoken thoughts into words and form your unspoken conversation toward man and toward God.  They give backbone to the raging emotions of humanity.

Psalm 1 and 2 have been called the orphan psalms and are the introduction to the entire body of psalms.  God starts out with Blessed (happy) is the man who does not do certain things.

True happiness is not in unbridled liberty, but rather in the restrictions God places in our lives.  The more narrow the channel, the more raging the current.  No boundaries or limits allow a body of water to be one inch deep and forty miles wide.

Such is our lives.  When God’s boundaries are observed, our lives are happy and blessed.  When those boundaries are ignored or removed, we are a stagnant unhappy people.

The last 5 psalms are the great doxologies of the Temple.  They were written for and sung at the dedication of the repatriated temple.  There is not a single syllable of complaint or request in these last psalms.  They are pure undistilled praise.  Each one begins and ends with “Praise ye the Lord”!

The authors:

  • David 73 psalms
  • Asaph 12 psalms
  • Sons of Korah 9 psalms
  • Solomon 2 psalms
  • Moses 1 psalm
  • Roughly one third are anonymous

The psalms were used in the temple daily:

  • Monday psalm 48
  • Tuesday psalm 82
  • Wednesday psalm 94
  • Thursday psalm 81
  • Friday psalm 93
  • Saturday psalm 92
  • Sunday psalm 24

The subscriptions and superscriptions above and below the psalms are important. Many people do not even notice them. They add explanation and impact.  Here is a list that I have of the titles, subscriptions and superscriptions.

  • Aijeleth shahar- the day dawn
  • Al Alamoth- relationg to maidens (sopranos)
  • Al Taschith- destroy not
  • Gittith- the winepress (sang at harvest of grapes)
  • Higgaion- a soliloquy or meditation
  • Jeduthun- name of one of the 3 chief musicians
  • Jonath Elim Rechokim- the dove in the far off Terebinth trees
  • Mahalath- the great dance
  • Mahalath leannoth- the great dancing and shouting
  • Maschil- understanding or teaching psalm
  • Michtam- engraving, permanent writing
  • Muth Labben- death of a champion
  • Neginoth- smitings (like smiting  a string on an instrument to bring forth music)
  • Nehiloth- the great inheritance
  • Psalm
  • Selah- pause like a musical rest, can mean “what do you think of that?”
  • Sheminith- the eighth
  • Shiggaion- loud passionate cry, emotional outburst
  • Shoshannim- lilies, re: Passover feast

To understand the psalm adds greater meaning.  Example, when David sinned with Bathsheba he repented and said he would teach transgressors God’s ways.  Psalm 32 is the psalm David wrote for that purpose.  It is a maschil psalm, a teaching psalm, to teach the transgressor how to get back to God.

Putting words to music somehow imbeds them deeper into our memory.  Like a child learning the ABC song, these psalms were sung to drive the lesson deep into the learner’s mind.

How important are the psalms?  When dying on the cross, Jesus quotes from the psalms! (22.1,31.5).  In the disciples efforts to explain Jesus’ life, they quote the psalms more than any other book or part of the Bible.

On a personal note, I believe the 119th psalm was written by Daniel.  There is much speculation about this.  Some attribute it to Hezekiah.  My reason is the writer makes no mention of the temple, or the ritual law.  The writer has powerful enemies who could do him harm. He is a young man. He is in love with the word.  That picture speaks to me of someone in a foreign land without the formal religion to lean on.  The word was all he had, so that became the love of his life!  That speaks to me of Daniel.

May the Bible become that to each of us on our life journey.

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »