WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

“Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea" (Isa. 48:18 NKJV).

Israel not only suffered severely, but they also suffered needlessly. Heeding God’s commands, would have spare them from all the troubles they experienced as a nation. This verse is the lament of their life; it tells what could have been. This verse speaks of three things: precepts, peace, and purity. Its message is - if you want God’s blessing of peace and purity, heed His precepts (commandments).

Precepts - “Oh that you heeded My commandments!” The blessings of God begin with the precepts of God. But folks today do not like God’s commandments. They show their dislike by either arguing that the commandments do not apply, or they argue about the meaning of the commandments. But no matter how clever their arguments, it does not change the obligation of the commandments, nor does it change the blessing which the commandments will bring. Do not play the fool and ignore God’s commands.

Peace - “Then your peace would have been like a river.” There are troubled folks everywhere since peace is an elusive thing to both individuals and to nations. People are popping pills in record numbers to try to still their troubled soul and find peace. However, the reason they do not have peace is because they have ignored the precepts of God. Try as you may, you cannot have true peace until obey God’s commands.

Purity - “Your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” The waves here speak of beauty and freedom. Righteousness gives beauty and freedom. If we disobey God’s commands, we lose beauty and freedom. Israel lost its beauty and the people lost their freedom by ignoring God’s command. Sin is not freedom. It is bondage. And nothing so destroys beauty as sin. Sin brings waves, too. But its waves “cast up mire and dirt” (Isa. 57:20).

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God’s promises are life preservers that keep the soul from sinking in the sea of trouble!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Dismay

In Luke 21:25 we read, “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves” (NASB).

Dismay is the Greek word sunochē (συνοχή = soon-okh-ay'). It is made up of two words: “sun” which means together, and “echo” which means to hold. Sunochē describes a state of mental distress which includes acute anxiety. It is the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles, a lowering of one’s spirits so they become downhearted. Literally, the word means a holding together. Figuratively, sunochē refers to one who is held or gripped by a severe emotional stress.

In classical Greek sunochē is used to mean maintenance or control. It is also used to denote a narrow place in the road, to denote straights or narrows, continuity or coherence, or to denote a conflict in battle. In the Septuagint, sunochē carries the idea of distress. In the New Testament sunochē is only used metaphorically to refer to one who is held or gripped by a severe emotional stress or anguish. It describes situations of anxiety and stress created by pressing circumstances which can be found either inside or outside the person or persons who are subjected to these feelings.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be bound willingly to obedience (Isa. 50:5)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 26:39

Did You Know…

In the Bible, it states that Jesus knows all men (John 2:24-25; 16:30; 21:17)

Bible Quiz

Why was king Nebuchadnezzar angry with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Whom did God ask, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” Job (Job 38:4).

Everyday Expressions Alluded to in the Bible

“Whichever way the wind blows”

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8 NKJV).

“Whichever way the wind blows” - The expression “whichever way the wind blows” carries the idea of being easily swayed. In context, the Lord Jesus is explaining the new birth to Nicodemus. Just as people cannot see where the wind comes from or where it is going but can hear its sound, so too people cannot understand how they are born of the Spirit but nevertheless experience its reality in their lives. This is also a reminder for us not to tie the experience of being born of the Spirit to a particular evangelistic formulae. We need to recognize that Spirit may work in different ways with different people, though always connected with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Did You Know – Christian History

Charles Albert Tindley was born July 7, 1851 in Maryland. He was an American Methodist minister and gospel music composer.

Tindley was born to a slave father and free mother, thus he was considered to be free. Nevertheless, he was sent to work with other slaves. Never able to go to school, Tindley taught himself to read and took Bible classes at night. He himself Greek and Hebrew through correspondence courses and would go on to earn his doctorate degree. After the American Civil War, Tindley married and moved north to Philadelphia.

To support his wife and himself, Tindley worked as a brick carrier at the Bainbridge Street Methodist Episcopal Church. In the course of time, twenty five years later, Tindley became pastor of the same Bainbridge church at which he had worked as a common laborer. It had 130 members when he took over. The mixed race congregation grew to about 10,000 under Tindley. The congregation had to build a bigger meeting place.

God proved that Charles’ faith was not misplaced, giving him success as a minister. His booming voice and talent for songs made him an outstanding music leader. He is often credited as the “Father of Gospel Music.” Tindley wrote some of the most original and beloved songs in our hymnbooks. Songs such as Nothing Between My Soul and the Savior, We’ll Understand it By and By. I’ll Overcome Someday, Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave It There, Stand by Me, and What Are They Doing in Heaven? More than half of the songs which appeared in the popular 1909 Soul Echoes: a collection of songs for religious meetings were by Tindley.

Tindley worked with politicians and business leaders in Philadelphia to assist his members in finding jobs. He also encouraged members to start their own businesses and purchase homes. The church formed the East Calvary Building and Loan Association to offer mortgages. Tindley also solicited donations for the church’s ministry of feeding the needy.

Tindley died July 6, 1933 in Philadelphia. Tindley is the subject of a children’s picture book by poet Carole Boston Weatherford and artist Bryan Collier.

A Little Humor

Fred and Rick were in a pub. Fred says to his mate, “My mother-in-law is an angel.” Rick replies, “You’re lucky. Mine is still alive.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Only a Life lived for God is a life worth living!”