WORD OF LIFE, PART 14 - "THE ETERNAL FLAME"

"Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light to my path"

Psalm 119:105 (above) is one of those verses we see Christian apparel marketers or bumper sticker creators maximize in their usage. There is nothing wrong with this because the words therein, are perfectly true and should be worn on both one’s sleeves or on a ball cap. Two things are happening here which are directly related to each other as our portion in the land of the living. 

First of all, a lamp is a fixed unit which sends out light when fueled by an agent and a wick. The fuel could be oil, gas or even battery/electric powered. The wick is the means by which the fuel shoots the light which illumines atmosphere around the lamp as long as the fuel lasts. 

Secondly, the other thing happening is "the path" which the lamp lights up. In the Christian life, the Pathway we are on, in this journey of life is our full time Christian walk, until we graduate up to Heaven. The Lamp, the Word of God here, is fueled by the Holy Spirit. The good thing is this fuel never runs out, as opposed to the lamps and bright lights made by man. There is a supernatural sources which never runs dry. The wick is still the Holy Spirit who is both fuel and source of Light. This wick is similar to the "Pillar of Cloud" which led the Israelites out of Egypt by day and the "Pillar of Fire" which then led them by night through the desert etc. for forty years. Those "Pillars" lit up the pathway for God's Chosen Nation just as the Word of God lights up our hearts, minds, bodies and souls NOW. This modern day pillar is what we MUST saturate our very beings with so we can fulfill God's Law and purpose. His Law, remember, is to love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength (bodies).

The purity and quality of the supernatural fuel never changes. This lamp is not a flashlight which is weak and runs out of battery. This Lamp is burns bright within our soul because the very Power of God is its fuel. It need not have any recharging. We are the ones who need recharging. It needs not have a wick or a filament to burn bright. The Holy Spirit releases more and more lumens to make the picture more high definition so we can grasp the Wonder and Work of God being done in our lives. 

This Lamp is not just a torch which burns bright and then is extinguished, but it guides us like a Pillar of Fire through the Pathways, Highways, Byways and yes – the Deserts of Life, until we reach the Promised Land. That is the Lamp we are talking about in this verse.

Psalm 119:105-112
Nun.
105   Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
106   I have sworn and I will confirm it, that I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
107   I am exceedingly afflicted; revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
108   O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your ordinances.
109   My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your law.
110   The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts.
111   I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

112   I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, even to the end.

Everything else flows from this. Unlike rebel Israel in the desert for forty years during the Exodus, we, who are called by His Name, are to react just as in verses 106 and 108. We understand completely and have a full grasp of the meaning of our Salvation. To that end, the Word and us have become One. As we study the progression of the previous 100 verses, the Word of God is now honey to the taste and supernatural food which forever satisfies (verse 106). To that end, we are duty bound to praise and worship Him (verse 108). While the request is made for acceptance of that offering, it will be received as it was done in righteousness.

There is a huge caveat. The Lamp has to be fuel with the fire of the Holy Spirit Who installs in us, the very Spirit of Christ to both accept, process, embed and then TREASURE all His Words in our own heart. This process leads to such hope, peace, joy and contentment that we above all the rest, are the people mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 4:9. These are the blessed ones who have rest because we are the people of God. His Word confirms that we, indeed are. 

This Rest spoken of and promised by the Lord Himself is crucial, if we desire to persevere through the many valleys which life takes us through. Verse 107 speaks of the suffering of most of God’s people. From the underground churches where up to 300 million Christians worship under constant daily threat of violence and worse. Verse 107 speaks of Christians in the Middle East or Central Africa or Asia, under duress…and so on. Verse 109 speaks directly of our condition in times like these. For many, life does hang in the balance, whether it is a serious health issue or as in some parts of the world, bodily harm and persecution await Christians, from the enemies of the one True God (as previously mentioned). But even in those times, we can rest and rely on His promises, being boldly determined to keep every single decree and statute of the Word of God – until the End (verse 112).  This is the nature of the fulfilled Christian man or woman of God. 

THE PRAYER OF MOSES, PART 1

 Psalm 90 verse 1: “You have been our dwelling place in all generations”.

Moses the most humble man on the world here in Numbers 12:3 "Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth". It is my humble opinion that this statement still stands over 3500 years later because there is no one alive today who fits this description....or can come close to the Face to face relationship the great prophet Moses had with the Lord Yahweh!

Many in the Bible, and now - from personal experiences - have had brief life-changing encounters with the great God of Heaven, but Moses was different. Jesus met so many times with Moses in the Tabernacle and for those extended periods on Mt. Sinai where He not only instructed Moses, but gave him the Law and the direction to lead his people to the point where Joshua could cross them into the Promised Land.

As great and humble as He was, God never forgave the last big sin Moses committed- pride in striking the Rock when he was told specifically to speak to the Rock (which was Christ). This is a perfect example of the extremely high standard God has for those who are His leaders- then AND now!

To understand the final recorded prayer of Moses, please grasp the full meaning of what he actually did! Yahweh, through the Holy Spirit, had Moses physically write down the ENTIRE first five books of the Bible – the Torah/Pentateuch. These greatest ever writings include the COMPLETE revealed knowledge of human history for its very beginning!! Moses was and is the only person in the entire history of mankind, who KNOWS what happened at Creation and in those early days. While he was not there at the moment of Creation, Moses heard it  directly from the One Who actually created the earth- Jesus! No matter how many big named preachers who ever lived preach or no matter how many times we read the Bible cover to cover, we will  never have the original intent and insight that Moses had because of this – never in this world!

Therefore, when Moses writes in verse 1: “You have been our dwelling place in all generations, he is speaking from the position of Authority of one who spent more than 40 years in the Sinai desert.

As Christians, we are not in the Heavenly Realm as yet, since the plans and purposes of God are still in place, until the completion of time. What the Holy Spirit is saying through Moses’ prayer is that just as He – God – was within a breath and a prayer’s reach of Moses at all times after he was called at the Burning Bush, He (the Spirit and Person of Yahweh) is there for us as well!  This is SOP – Standard Operating Procedure – for ALL the people of God who have put their Faith and Trust in Him from Adam and Enoch to the last person under the wire before Jesus shuts it down for good! This is for ALL Generations – Old AND New Testament saints, Jew, Gentile and every configuration in between.

God Himself provides the proof in the very next Psalm – Psalm 91:1  where He says “He who dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High, shall ABIDE (dwell, live, set up camp, settle down) in the shadow of the Almighty”.

How can a person dwell and live in God, when he or she currently lives among the most disgustingly corrupt times in all humanity – by Faith! By Faith!  Read John 15:1-11 and marvel and love and be blessed by the Savior – Jesus Christ/Yahweh – who said in Verse 7 “If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done”.

This is the good, kind, loving, and wonderful merciful Savior, Savior Redeemer and friend who rescued the souls of all who seek to follow Him, love Him, obey Him…..and turn from all sin, repent and trust/obey/accept Him as Lord of all. 

Moses knew this Jesus personally and relationally. Hebrews 11:26 tells us that Moses “esteemed (held high and dear to his soul) the Reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward”! How did Moses know Jesus Christ 1500 years before He was born in Bethlehem Ephratah in a cold damp cave? Moses knew Him from the Burning Bush, the Mountain, the Pillar of Cloud, the Pillar of Fire, Face to face, in the Tabernacle and in the Voice of the Spirit dictating the Oracles of God. We, who are called by the Name of the King – Christians – have no idea who fortunate and blessed beyond measure we are heirs to the Kingdom of Yahweh, the same Jesus Who walked and talked with Moses!. Meditate upon this, and fall on your knees in gratitude. 

SO, FATHER, JUST WHO IS HE?

FIRST COMMANDMENT (Part 2)

Yesterday, we examined the First of Ten Commandments of the Moral Law, which is written on every human heart who ever lived. Today, just briefly, I wish to take a look at just WHO was it who gave that Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai...and WHO was it Who led up to four million Israelites out of Egypt in the Great Exodus! The reason that THIS is important is we MUST know WHO this God is that says He is to be God above all those other things man call god!

The Lord said in Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" The word for LORD here is Adonai. This is Hebrew for Master...or as in "my Lord and Master". Who is this? JESUS CHRIST!  It was Jesus Who was in the Pillar of Fire that led by night and the Cloud by day. It was Jesus Who then appeared to Moses and gave Him the Law. It was Jesus Who was in the Rock that Moses struck for water, when Moses was only told to SPEAK to it (this led to Moses' death). It was Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!

They missed it! THEY MISSED IT! The Jews not just missed it in the Wilderness for forty years and were destroyed except for their children, Joshua and Caleb, but they missed it 3500 years later when Messiah showed up in Jerusalem for His three years of ministry! He was prophesied about throughout the entire Old Testament and especially in this verse below....but they missed Him!

Who has ascended to heaven and come down?

Who has gathered the wind in His fists?

Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is His name, and what is His Son's Name?

Surely you know!

                                                     (Proverbs 30:4 ESV)

How can a seemingly religious people miss the fact that the God of this Universe has a Son - whose Name is Adonai? Well, do we miss it too? We can talk as much as we want about them, and we KNOW WHO HE IS, and we too miss it! We sing about Him, write about Him, call on His Name, PRAY in His Name....some pagans even cuss in His Name, liberals and heathens are trying to stamp out His Name in the public square....but friends, as His followers, do we miss just Who He really is and what He should mean to us?

My dear brother Doc, a spiritual mentor to me as an older man in the faith, was talking to me yesterday about the Gospel of the Kingdom. I exhort you, as well, to read Matthew Chapter numbers 23-25 and ask the Lord, I mean Adonai, to not just reveal to your own spirit (who is indwelled by HIS Spirit if you are saved) not just what those 3 chapters mean...BUT AS YOU READ ASK "SO, FATHER, JUST WHO IS HE?!!!"

(image by google)