The Valley of Death ~ 2

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me: Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4

There are so many people in the Old Testament who came to a bad end--not only individuals, but whole nations at times. So let's look at someone who came to a good end. David is a man whose sin changed the course of his life, but not his inevitable death. David is the shepherd boy who fought and killed the giant Goliath, because he had so much faith in God. When Saul told David that he was too young to fight a man of war, he said: "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Faith and trust are two of David's strongest characteristics.

And when Saul was struck with depression, it was David who played the harp and brought him out of it. Saul's advisors had told him that "the Lord is with him." And when Saul, as the first king of Israel, decided to follow his own way instead of God's, God rejected him as king and chose David. As king, David began building the greatest empire that had ever existed, but because there were so many enemies to conquer, which put blood on his hands, God wouldn't allow David to build the temple. But David didn't sit on his hands--he collected money, materials and plans for the building of the temple. There are so many significant facts about David, but for our lesson, we want to look at his death. Here are a few of his last words, which can be found in 2 Samuel 23.

The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,

And His word was on my tongue.                                                                  

The God of Israel said,

The Rock of Israel spoke to me:

He who rules over men must be

             just,

Ruling in the fear of God. 

All of his last words are there, if you want to read them. I simply wanted to reflect the fact that David was within God's embrace at the time of his death. In fact, David left a legacy which continues, and which I list in a blog written September 21, 2010--10 Things You May Not Know About David & Prophecy. He was truly "a man after God's own heart."  

                                                                            

Now let's move to the New Testament, where you can learn about the life and death of Jesus and the apostles. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up to be a carpenter, but he was a child who spent time in the temple, talking to the scribes and Pharisees. When Jesus was ready to reveal His purpose as the Son of God, John the Baptizer was sent to make way for Him. He chose 12 apostles to spead His gospel, and He had many disciples. Jesus had multitudes of people following Him as He taught them and healed them, and sometimes even fed them. Jesus had a message that had never been heard before--a message of hope, love, mercy, and victory in life and over death. And when His words and deeds proved that He was the Son of God, it made the leaders of the Jews indignant, and they decided He had to die.

When it came time for Jesus to die, and after the supper with His apostles, Jesus went into Gethsemane and prayed: "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." The agony that Jesus suffered is impossible for us to imagine, but by His willingness to die for our sins, we can have that same hope and trust in God's will to save us.

And when He died on the cross--a miserable, criminal death--He cried out to His Father. And at the moment of His death, the veil in the temple was split in two pieces, and there was an earthquake. Then He triumphantly rose again and was seen by His disciples, some of whom watched Him ascend into heaven. Our Savior's death was full of anguish, bitterness and sorrow, but he bore it all for you and for me. These truths, which show the love of God and His Son, should give you pause. God's great love should create a desire in you to live with Him forever.    

                                                            

Now after the death of Jesus, His apostles continued to teach, even though they were commanded by the Jewish council not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But they ignored the Jewish leaders and were persecuted because of their belief and teachings. In Acts 4:19-20, Peter and John answered the council's commands, saying: "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." They were threatened and let go because the miracle they'd performed made the people glorify God. And the leaders were afraid of the people. Then the disciples came together, and Acts 4:31 says: "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." 

And when the apostles were again brought before the Jewish council, Peter was asked why he had continued to teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and the other apostles said: "We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."  Naturally, this infuriated the council and they determined to kill them. All of the apostles except John died because of persecution.
                            

And Paul willingly went to Jerusalem, knowing that "the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me." But what did Paul say as he faced his own death: "...nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." What an attitude! And, of course, that's just the smallest example of Paul's life preaching Christ. He traveled and taught the gospel of Christ until his death, which he knew was coming, and accepted with the knowledge that his home was in heaven. Something for us to contemplate. 

This is a grand subject, which I have rather butchered in order to give you some thoughts to chew on. I encourage you to read and study further to strengthen your knowledge on the subject of death. While you are still living, you have the chance to enhance your life and prepare for your death through the study of God's word.

I hope you're all enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon with your family!

Blessings...Mimi  

The Valley of Death ~

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me: Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  Psalms 23:4

No one wants to think about death! And yet, death is one of the great realities of life, so shouldn't we think about it, talk about it, and plan for it? The question is: Are you prepared to walk through the Valley of Death? You and I can be, but it doesn't happen by chance. It happens because we look at the truth in the scriptures and take steps to make sure that we can bravely face the Valley of Death. Remember that we weren't created to live on earth eternally; we were created for another place, a place of the spiritual, a place for the soul.

The Son of God came to earth to make it possible for us to live eternally with God. And because we're too sinful without the blood of Christ, He was crucified so that our sins could be forgiven. Remember what 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 says: "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." So with this in mind, we boldly look at the subject of death!

                                                        

How many times have we looked at the conclusion of the whole matter with Solomon in Ecclesiastes 12:14? But it applies so fundamentally that I don't want to leave it out of this lesson: "Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil." That should get your attention every time! And Ecclesiastes 9:5 says that while we're still living, knowing that we're going to die, why not take advantage of that fact and prepare. The living still have hope! And Solomon gives some thought to the fact that we don't know when we're going to die, so we should prepare and not be taken unaware. And that is the point of our lesson.

                                                      

Why don't we look at some people who were caught off-guard--not because they weren't warned, but because they just didn't believe their ears. Most of us have heard the story of Noah, how he built an ark to God's specifications when he was being jeered and ridiculed for building a boat when there was no rain. It must have looked ridiculous to the people in Noah's world. But why did God destroy most of His creation? Because "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." Do you think that Satan has the ultimate weapon in television--that it provides an opportunity for "evil continually?" I'm not saying don't watch television, but I AM saying that you should take care as to which programs you watch.

That is very strong commentary on the people in Noah's day, isn't it? "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." I know we're living many centuries after God saved Noah and the eight other people with him, but do you think we might be grieving the Lord today? Can you say that God is NOT sorry He made you? God put this in your hands. He established a beautiful covenant with mankind--a rainbow that appears in the clouds after a rain--a promise to us that every living thing would not be destroyed again as in the flood. That is a sign that should make everyone marvel at God's grace and mercy!

And do you know about Korah and those who rebelled with him? In Numbers 16, he and 250 leaders of the congregation rose up and said to Moses and Aaron: "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?" Now Korah was of the tribe of Levi, the ones chosen to lead the people. But here he gathered men from other tribes, as well as some of the priests, to say to Aaron that he and other priests were "taking too much upon themselves." But in saying this, they were setting themselves against the Lord. Moses had Korah and those with him to come before the Lord at the tabernacle. God was going to consume the whole congregation, but Moses asked God to punish only those men who had sinned. So all the men who rebelled with Korah--these were of the tribe of Reuben and had complained that they'd been brought out of Egypt only to die in the wilderness--were swallowed up by the ground on which they stood. And the 250 Levites who rebelled, and who were offering incense at the time, were consumed by fire.

And so Moses and Aaron were proven to be the chosen ones to lead the people. Rebellion is a behavior that we don't take seriously sometime. Maybe you just can't believe that you're rebellious. But do you realize that each time you choose your way rather than God's, you ARE being rebellious! Korah and all the people that rebelled with him were self-righteous--wrongly believing they were right. And they died because they didn't actually believe God. So it's worth examining your heart and mind to see if you're guilty of rebelling against the God you profess to believe in.

There are many acts of rebellion in the Old Testament beginning with Adam and Eve, Cain killing his brother Abel, and all the rebellions of the children of Israel. But what about the Christian age? Are there any examples of a rebellious spirit? We can look at what Paul says in Colossians 1:21-23 to see something of those who were once rebellious, now being brought back to God. Paul says:

"And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister."

                                
Is that your wish...to be always reconciled to God so that you can live with Him eternally? Then think on these things! What does Hebrews tell us: "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: 'Today, if you will hear my voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion'."

                                                             

Knowing the tendency of mankind to rebel and follow their own heart and mind, God has given us examples of those who turned from their wicked ways to listen to God. Sometimes we may forget that God wants us to be saved; He wants us to be perfected so that we can live with Him. God has prepared a place for us and wants us to enter His rest. The people of God should hear this: "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." The message is:  you can't escape. You'll enter His rest or you'll never live with Him.  

                                                                                            

God has done His part in giving us the way of life. And if we follow God's plan for us, we'll be pleasing to Him, and we'll be so much happier being full of faith. So what does all of this have to do with death? We have to understand that if we want to face death fearlessly, we must be pleasing to God. So tomorrow, we'll look at some examples of those who were prepared to face death, knowing that God was with them. These include David, Jesus, the apostle Paul, as well as the other apostles.

Have a beautiful Saturday!

Blessings...Mimi