service genset jogja
Hebrews 3:1-4, Exodus 7:1, 1John 4.1

Jesus as an Apostle!!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 31, 2021

The word that’s translated as “Apostle” in the New Testament literally means, “Sent One.” The Greek English Lexicon gives this definition. “…a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.” 1 When we hear the word “Apostle” we normally think of the twelve men appointed by Jesus to go out and spread the message of the good news. Indeed they were men sent out with orders. But there is also reference to lower case “apostles” in the New Testament which seems to refer to those sent out on missionary journeys from various churches in the Apostolic age. Some groups today call their missionaries “apostles” today with the idea that any who is sent out to share their faith is also rightly called an “apostle.” We don’t usually think of Jesus himself being an apostle, but that’s what he is called in Hebrews 3:1-2. It says, “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.” We see that Jesus was “sent out” from the “one who appointed him” for a particular mission. Moses was the one that God sent to Pharoah with a mission to set the Israelites from from captivity and just as he was faithful to that mission so too was Jesus faithful to his calling to be the sin bearer of the world. 1 John 4:1 makes this perfectly clear. John writes, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” So, Jesus is an “Apostle” in the true meaning of the word.

According to another Greek Dictionary the word includes the idea of “Ambassador.” Liddell’s entry for the word is, “ἀπόστολος, ὁ, (ἀποστέλλω) a messenger, ambassador, envoy…”2 Regarding this title Charles Rolls says, “Christ as the Apostle was specially called and commissioned by the Father as heaven’s ambassador to earth. He represents the Father perfectly and heaven in reality. The Father placed in Him absolute confidence and sanctioned full exercise of authority to fulfill the divine purposes, confirm the promises and execute the prerogatives.”3 In the handbook that the United Bible Society published to help Bible Translators, we read, “Some of the meaning of the Greek term traditionally rendered “apostle” may be expressed as “God’s messenger” or “God’s ambassador.” In some languages this is expressed literally as “one who speaks God’s words” or “one who announces what God has said.”4 Now, going back to the passage in Hebrews 3:1-2, the writer exhorts his readers to “consider.” Without adding a new group of footnotes here, this Greek verb means, “To think carefully” about something; to “reflect on” the ideas, to “meditate” on this truth.

Since the writer of this verse includes Moses let me give you something to contemplate. Moses was God’s Ambassador to Pharoah. He came with God’s authority and message. When we reflect on the Old Testament we are amiss if we fail to understand it’s message as it relates to Jesus himself. In Exodus 7:1, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh…” Yes, Moses was like God, he spoke for God, he exercised God’s power through the 10 plagues and more but the author of Hebrews will later make it perfectly clear that Moses, the greatest figure in Israel’s history, does not have the same authority that was given to Jesus! Hebrews 3:4 goes on in our passage and says, “For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.” There may be a lot of lower case “apostles” who are sent out for a mission. There were 12 upper case “Apostle” who were sent out specifically by Jesus. But there is only one “Apostle” like Jesus. Whereas Moses spoke for God, Jesus spoke as God. One more quote (sorry). Guthrie says in his commentary, “To look at a beautiful, artfully crafted building may inspire appreciation or wonder, but praise belongs to the craftsman rather than the craft. In this case the author of Hebrews considers Moses as part of the house that Jesus built. The inference to which the analogy points is that Jesus, as God, has made Moses, a member of the people of Israel, and as Creator is worthy of more honor and glory than one of his creatures. Thus, the author continues to point to Jesus as God.”5

1 Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889), 68.

2H.G. Liddell, A Lexicon: Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996), 107.

3 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

4 Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 52.

5 George Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 128.

Tags: , ,
Permalink
Hebrews 6:19

Jesus: Our Steadfast Anchor!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 30, 2021

Jesus is the guarantee of God’s love for us. Even while we are sinners, God demonstrated His love for us on the cross of Calvary. The cities of refuge were spread out across Israel so that any sinner could make it to a city of refuge in a day or less. This was so designed so that every citizen would have within reach a place where they could find protection and safety.  At the time of the writing of the letter to the Hebrews, the cities of refuge no longer existed in Israel. But their illustrative value to Bible readers cannot be missed. Jesus took the place of the cities of refuge. Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses on our behalf. Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system. No more blood sacrifices need be made. The Priesthood of Aaron has been superseded by the Priesthood of Jesus in the order of Melchizedek. You see, everything in the Old Testament is about Jesus! The Bible is still relevant today because it all offers mature insights into the person and work of Jesus which nourishes our faith.

In Hebrews 6:19 the writer talks about the most sacred of places in the Old Testament as a picture of where Jesus went on our behalf. He’s talking about the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant rested upon which the mercy seat lay. He writes, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain…” As any good seaman knows, anchors don’t always hold. It depends upon what it takes hold of and on the stability of that object. Jesus is our anchor! Jesus is the subject of the whole Bible. He is the physical embodiment of God’s promises from Genesis to Revelation. He is the Lamb of God that makes atonement for sin. He is the true king, priest and prophet. He is the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham and the seed of David. He is the full and complete demonstration of God’s love for us all. Priscilla J. Owens wrote the beautiful little hymn that captures this verse’s truth. One of the stanzas goes like this,

“We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll;

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”

Once the anchor has dropped we can no longer physically see it. But we know it’s there and when it finds a stable hold we can rest knowing that the ship is not going anywhere. Lenski writes, “As the anchor is out of sight, so the hope, promised and sworn to us, is out of sight. It is in the heavenly Sanctuary. It is the promised salvation through the all-atoning blood of Jesus.”[1] In the early church three images arose as acceptable symbols of the Christian faith. Clement of Alexandria around 200 AD acknowledges these three symbols as the Dove, the Fish and the Anchor. Brown observes, “Clement of Alexandria, an outstanding teacher in the early church, mentions the anchor as an appropriate device for a Christian’s ring: And let our seals be either a dove or a fish … or a ship’s anchor. It is sometimes found on early Christian epitaphs as a symbol of secure hope.”[2]

[1] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1938), 205.

[2] Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 121–122.

Tags:
Permalink
1 John 2:1-2, John 14:16, Hebrews 9:24

Jesus is the best Lawyer!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 29, 2021

Jesus is called the “advocate.” 1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC) adds this comment, “The thought here in 1 John 2:1 is of a defense attorney who takes up the case of his client before a tribunal.” The Greek word, Paraclete, is usually referring to the Holy Spirit who takes up our cause and “comforts” us in all of our trials. But the Apostle John says clearly that Jesus is our “Advocate.” It seems that the Holy Spirit is our “advocate” here on earth while Jesus is our advocate in Heaven before the Father. I think the distinction between our advocate in this life and our advocate in Heaven is clear. When Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure he promises to send them “another” advocate. Of course, this additional advocate is the Holy Spirit. Jesus made this promise in John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, in order that he may be with you…” Then another biblical author teaches us like John did that Jesus is in Heaven making intercession for us. Hebrews 9:24 says, “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”

If I were arrested for any crime I’d really like to have one of the best lawyers to defend me whether I was guilty or not. In American today, Alan Morton Dershowitz is probably the best known if not the best lawyer in our country. The web search on him describes him as “… an American attorney, political commentator, and jurist. He has spent the past fifty years practicing the law and is well recognized for handling a number of high-profile legal cases. As a criminal appellate attorney, Alan has won fifteen, which is a high percentage of the dozens of attempted murder and murder cases he has managed. The attorney has represented several celebrities, which include Jim Bakker, Mike Tyson, and Patty Hearst. His most prominent cases include his role as an appellate consultant in the O.J. Simpson case, and for overturning the conviction of Claus von Bulow in 1984. In addition to his consulting and appellate practice, Alan is a Professor at Harvard Law School. In 1967, at the age of twenty eight, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history. Since 1993, Alan has held the Felix Frankfurter professorship at Harvard.” But even Dershowitz has no argument that could sway God in the least. Any argument he could produce to substantiate the claim of my innocence of all sin in life would be ludicrous at best.

But Jesus doesn’t defend or advocate on our behalf because we’re innocent. He advocates on our behalf because we are guilty and He’s righteous. This is why John adds the final description of Jesus in 1 John 2:1 that our advocate is Jesus Christ “The Righteous One.” The United Bible Societies handbook for translators explains, “The adjective righteous is best taken as a predicate, adding a new trait to the argument. It serves to make the reader aware of the fact that Jesus, since he does what is right before God, is man’s most effective advocate with God. His prayers for man are not hindered by sin and, therefore, will certainly be heard by God.” Kruse in the Pillar New Testament Commentary explains the significance of this. He writes, “Thus it (The adjective “righteous”) would seem that it is used in the present context to indicate that it is the One who has acted righteously, who now stands in the presence of the Father to speak on behalf of those who have not acted righteously. However, Jesus Christ is much more than an advocate who intercedes for those who have sinned, as becomes apparent in the next verse.” 1 John 2:2 says, “he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Again, Kruse explains, “The author emphasises that Jesus Christ is not only our advocate who speaks in our favour in the presence of God despite our sins, but that he is also the atoning sacrifice for those sins. In the first case he appears as an advocate in court, in the second as a sacrificing priest in the temple.”

Tags: , ,
Permalink
Exodus 25:21-22, Hebrews 10:19-22, John 6:31-35

Jesus and the Ark of the Covenant

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 28, 2021

Jesus is not Called “The Ark of the Lord” but there are so many allusions from it to the Christ it’s unmistakable. It is called by various names: The Ark of God, the Ark of the Testimony, The Ark of the Covenant, The Ark of the Lord, and even the Ark of your might (See Psalm 132:8). But we mostly know it as the “Ark of the Covenant.” It was the actual presence of God with his people. Even Indiana Jones knows that God dwells in the Ark of the Covenant. The cloud and the fire that led Israel from Egypt settled on the Ark and represented the presence of God who had promised to be “with” his people. It’s the place where God promised to meet with His people in Exodus 25:21-22. It says, “And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.”

There are some things about the Ark of the Covenant that set the stage for the presence of God with mankind in the person of Jesus. Numbers 10:33 speaks of God “going ahead” of them to lead the way to the place of rest, “And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them.” In Matthew 11:28, Jesus calls people to himself to find true “rest for their souls.” He is the resting place. Also, when Jesus talked about himself being the “good shepherd” he said in John 10:4, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” In the same way as the went “before” the people, Jesus goes “before” those who believe in him. When the Temple was built the Ark of the Covenant was put in the Holiest of all places. Only the High Priests could come into that place where God had promised to be “with them.” There was a huge curtain, veil, the kept regular people from having access to the presence of God. But Jesus took care of that barrier on the cross. Hebrews 10:19-22 tells us, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…”

The Israelites were directed to gather a quart of the manna that they had eaten during their wilderness wanderings and place it in the Ark of the Covenant. God wanted them to remember how God fed them throughout their wanderings every day. But Jesus made it clear to the people and to us that the “real” manna isn’t the stuff they ate in the Wilderness. In john 6:31-35 we read what Jesus said to the Israelites, “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’  Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” Also notice that the “Rod of Aaron” that budded was really a shepherd’s staff. Jesus is the good shepherd who leads his people beside the still waters in green pastures where they find nourishment and rest. Jesus is the “bread of life” from which one is nourished with that which will lead to eternal life through simple faith in the good Shepherd.

Tags: , ,
Permalink
Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 63:9

The Angel of the Covenant!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 27, 2021

Alumni of Ohio State University like to let everyone know that their university is unique from all others and is in a class all its own. They will refer to it as “The” Ohio State University to make that clear. There is not any others like it! Of course that’s one of the grammatical uses of the definite article “the.” I hesitated to use that example but it does illustrate the use of the definite article. The Bible used that article when referring to one particular angel in the Old Testament. In Greek the word for “Angel” is also frequently translated as “messenger.” I think that’s why John Nelson Darby translated Malachi 3:1 leaning on the Greek Translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. Most translations call this person the “Messenger of the Covenant.” But, Darby translates it as “Angel of the Covenant.” This verse in the last book of the Old Testament foresees the coming of a messenger who will prepare the way for the Messiah. We see the Gospels quoting this part of the verse to refer to John the Baptist. But the verse goes on to foresee the coming of Jesus, who will fulfill God’s promises of salvation as contained throughout the Old Testament. Here’s how Darby translates Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek will suddenly come to his temple, and the Angel of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.”

There are lots of angels mentioned in the Bible but there is only one “Angel of the Covenant.” He is “the” angel! Now he is called other things in the Old Testament but always with the definite article. He is referred to as “The Angel of the Lord” over a hundred times. He’s called “The Angel of God.” The term “Angel” is even used to refer to Satan as the unique and only angel like himself. Revelation 9:11 calls him “The Angel of the bottomless pit.” But “The Angel of God,” “The Angel of the Lord,” and “The Angel of the Covenant” cannot be mistaken for anything but the pre-incarnate Jesus, the Messiah himself. Isaiah 63:9 calls him “The Angel of His Presence.” Meaning the manifestation of God Himself to his people. In 1 Kings 19:7, It was “The angel of the Lord” that fed Elijah in the wilderness and Charles Boll observes “ He who prepared a meal for weary Elijah and said to him, “Arise and eat,” is the same who prepared a meal for tired disciples on the shore of Galilee and said to them, “Come and dine.” Yes, the scriptures make it obvious that “The Angel of the Lord” is none other that the Christ Himself.

Malachi calls this Angel “the one you delight in.” He is not the one you need to fear and cringe before. He’s the one who brings comfort to his suffering people. Jesus said himself that he did not come to “condemn” but to “save.” Those who believe in Jesus, look forward to his coming. He is the one we delight in. In so many of the references referring to the actions of “The Angel of the Lord” we see that when he appears he brings comfort to the people amidst great trials and sufferings. He was the one who comforted Hagar in the wilderness. He was the one who fed Elijah, He was the one that Abraham spoke to, that Isaac followed, and that Jacob called on the bless his descendants. At his death in Genesis 48:15-16, Jacob prays, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” Finishing up the quote from Isaiah 63:9, we read about this “one and only angel” that took care of His people, Israel, and will take care of us: “ In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”

Permalink
John 12:37-40, Isaiah 53:1, Psalm 118:15-16

The Arm of the Lord!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 26, 2021

When Jesus had performed many miracles the religious leaders and others still did not believe in him. Jesus then spoke to his disciples using a quote from Isaiah and applying it to himself. In john 12:37-40 we read, “Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” The “arm of the Lord” phrase shows up three times in Isaiah but it seems the quote that Jesus is referring to comes from Chapter 53 which is the most famous of the messianic passages. Isaiah 53:1, begins the chapter saying, “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Further the Psalmist sings about the “arm of the Lord.” Psalm 118:15-16 calls it the “right arm of the Lord.” It says, “Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things! The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!” Isaiah and the Psalmist both set forth the prophecy concerning the Messiah so that the people would see Jesus as the one the Bible promised from the beginning. But, like today, even the marvelous works of God do not evoke faith in everyone.

All the mighty works, miracles, that Jesus performed were motivated to bring people to recognize Him for who He truly was. He was the Lord, Himself, manifested to us in the flesh. He was the promised “Immanuel” (God with us) that we celebrate in the Christmas season! Jesus even told those who did not believe in Him to look at the miracles, the mighty deeds, and let the mighty deeds speak to them about the one who performs them. He did not simply change water to wine to show off. He did not give sight to the blind, healing to the lame and sick because he felt sorry for them and wanted to help. All the miracles that Jesus performed were performed in order to open the hearts and minds to Him and to bring salvation to all who would believe. Jesus condemned the ones who followed him just to get the free bread or to learn how to perform miracles themselves. He wanted their faith! He wanted them to trust Him. It’s not about the miracles themselves, rather it’s about the miracle worker. God has revealed himself to us in the person of His son, Jesus.

The “arm of the Lord” is Jesus’ arm! This was clearly seen in the miracle where Jesus brings Peter to walk on the water. Peter saw Jesus walking on the water coming toward them who were in the boat and called out for Jesus to let him also walk on the water. Jesus simply told Peter to come out of the boat and do it! Without question Peter did climb out of the boat and walk on the water, at least for a few minutes. Then Matthew 14:30-31 tells us, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”. I like to think that Jesus used the hand at the end of his “right arm.” Just as the Lord’s right arm was powerful enough to save Peter it is also powerful enough to save us through all the storms of life along with the ultimate demise into the sea of death. We can relax in His hand and trust His intention and ability. He will not let us drown. Arthur Pink said it like this, “One of the outstanding glories of the gospel is its promise of eternal security to all who truly believe it. The gospel presents no third-rate physician who is competent to treat only the milder cases, but one who heals all manner of sickness, who is capable of curing the most desperate cases. It proclaims no feeble redeemer, but one who is mighty to save.”

Tags: , ,
Permalink
Revelation 1:7-8

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 24, 2021

According to my internet search, “The English words ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ were first written by novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu, chief minister to King Louis XIII, discovers a plot to kill him, but as a priest he is unable to take up arms against his enemies. His page, Francois, points out: But now, at your command are other weapons, my good Lord. Richelieu agrees: The pen is mightier than the sword… Take away the sword; States can be saved without it! The saying quickly gained currency, says Susan Ratcliffe, associate editor of the Oxford Quotations Dictionaries. ‘By the 1840s it was a commonplace.’” Now, when Jesus called himself the “Alpha and the Omega” one can’t help but think of the alphabet, the letters of which are all written with a pen. But when Jesus calls Himself the “Alpha and the Omega” in Revelation 1:8 he adds a final title to his name. Look at this, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Yes indeed! The pen proved much mightier than the sword.

I just finished reading Phillip Schaff’s History of the Christian Church, Volume II. I haven’t finished the whole volume but I did finish the section dealing with the martyrdom of Christians during the first 300 years of Christianity. They were burned alive. They were thrown to wild beasts. They were tortured in many ways, but the most common form of execution was with the “sword.” All these Martyrs had put their faith in the “Almighty” one that they had learned about through the writings (The New Testament) of those who have gone before them. Most of the writers of the New Testament ended as Martyrs themselves but their written works of the pen didn’t die with them! During these periods of persecution the emperors also attempted to eliminate the writings of the Apostles. When one copy was burned, four more appeared in the Empire. The Bible, inspired by God, containing the “Word” of God manifested to man in the human person of God’s son, Jesus, persevered through thousands of executions. Tertullian, one of the more prolific in penmanship (in contrast to swordsmanship) wrote, “The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Man’s swords could not overcome the almighty power of God’s son revealed to all mankind through the pens of the Apostles! By 300, those who wielded the swords of execution were all gone but the words of the Bible persevered and took over the entire Roman Empire with the conversion of Constantine.

Looking at Revelation 1:7 and 8 together we read, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” The sword that pierced Jesus’ side to insure his death failed marvelously! No human sword can stop the “Almighty.” I’m not as good with the “pen” and with words as I should be so i have learned to lean on the words of others to help me when i’m speechless. Here’s what Charles Bolls writes about the Almighty: “His almightiness is expressed alike in the material, physical, spiritual and judicial realms. This feature may also be applied to His sublimity of thought, stability of mind, sovereignty of will, sufficiency of wisdom, security of power, suitability of grace and serenity of peace, in all of which He is the Almighty. When we pause to ponder His enormous energy, His prodigious power, His stupendous strength and marvelous might, these ponderous qualities of ableness, with their tremendous potential, cause us to tremble at the thought of meeting such forces in exercise; but when we turn and learn of the blended qualities of goodness demonstrated in the character of divine activity, we behold the gracious care, generous pity, gorgeous gifts and glorious love which are lavished so freely, and our fears depart for we view His heart.”

Tags:
Permalink
Daniel 7:13-14, Hebrews 13:8, 1:12

Jesus is the “Ancient of Days”

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 24, 2021

Jesus is the “Alpha and the Omega.” As such he is also the “author” of everything. Another “A” title of Jesus is “Ancient of Days.” Daniel uses this phrase frequently. In Daniel 7:9 we read, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool.” The “Ancient of Days” is a strange title for us but the Bible uses it more than once to speak of Jesus. We can only surmise from other passages what that might imply. I’m thinking of Hebrews 13:8:, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” I’ll be 75 next month (January 15, 2022). My grand kids might want to refer to me as the “ancient of days” and I sometimes feel that would be correct. Things have certainly changed over the years for me. I’m not up for a lot of running. I don’t care too much for the idea of roller coasters and other amusement park rides. I’ve no interest in bungee jumping or hang gliding, or high diving. I’ve done some of that in my youth but, wow, have I changed. But the days and the years do not change Jesus! I like the way Charles Rolls puts it. He writes, “Christ is not described here as the Ancient of Years, which would imply age, but Ancient of Days, which indicates His ageless, timeless, changeless character. No furrows disfigure His graceful features, no defects mar His clear discernment, nor is there any weakness in His wondrous will. His body of glory and beauty of countenance are unwrinkled by years, while His vigorous vitality and virtuous energy are unwearied by ceaseless activity. Ages are absolutely unable to age this ageless One who abides unchanged.”

The United Bible Society’s handbook for translators explains that Hebrews 13:8 could be confusing if not translated correctly. It says, “To communicate this information clearly may require considerable expansion; for example, “Jesus Christ never changes. He has not changed in the past, he does not change now, and he will never change in the future.” We live in a world where the only thing you can truly count on is change! We along with the world around us is always changing. Kent Hughes says it well in his commentary on Hebrews. He writes, “Forests rise and stand for a millennium—and fade into deserts. Rivers cut canyons and disappear. Newtonian physics, with its straight lines and right angles, is replaced by Einstein’s elegant curves of relativity. The only thing that is sure is change! We humans appear for a little while to laugh and weep and work and play, and then we are gone. This is a melancholy thought at best. Our souls long for something solid.”

In the 60’s, i used to be a fan of the Rock and Roll band called “The Doors.” Jim Morrison was their lead singer who died of an overdose of some drug at a very early age. But i remember one of their songs, “Riders on the Storm.” Since becoming a Christian I’ve preferred the poetry of William Cowper who wrote “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; he plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.” In Acts Jesus ascended into heaven in the clouds and and the angel told his disciples that he would return in the same fashion. I expect that Jesus is the one and only true “rider on the storm.” Daniel 7:13-14 even uses the phrase to speak of the coming of the Messiah’s reign on earth and says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” The point of the “Ancient of Days” is that although everything around us will change. Entropy is the second law of thermodynamics. Everything is deteriorating! But not Jesus! The author of Hebrews knew his Psalms well. When he began his letter he quoted from Psalm 102:27. It’ says, “but you are the same, and your years have no end.” He expanded on the Psalmists idea when he wrote Hebrews 1:12, “like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” Want stability? The only thing in this world or the next that will not change is Jesus, “The Ancient of Days.” We need to look to him, “The author of our faith” who will one day come riding back on the clouds.

Tags: ,
Permalink
sewa motor jogja
© Chuck Larsen 2019. Powered by WordPress.