Rose in the Desert by Rebecca

“Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” ~ Ezra 4:24

The denizens of Judea fought the rebuilding of the temple and of Jerusalem tooth and nail. When their threats failed to prevent the altar from being laid on its base, they tried deception. It just went on and on. When one tactic failed, ...they would try another. “Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (vs. 4-5) Their greatest achievement was writing an accusation to Artaxerxes, claiming that if Jerusalem was rebuilt, the Jews would revolt and the king would suffer major losses of power, territory, and treasure. They cited Jerusalem’s “rebellious” history as proof.

Artaxerxes heeded the letter and made a search into the records. He responded, “...a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it. There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the region beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and custom were paid to them.” (vs. 19-20) He commanded that all construction cease.

And no wonder. Israel’s entire history, from Abraham to the nation today, is a chronicle of miracles that even the most skeptic modern critic cannot wholly deny. The very fact that she exists, that her people exist, that her culture exists, and that she blooms like a rose in the desert, is jaw-dropping of itself. Artaxerxes looked at his records – looked at how many times this nation had gone from nothing to almost everything, looked at the mighty kings she had produced, looked at the impossible odds she had withstood – and he did not want to be the next entry.

Israel was, is, and will continue to be a cup of trembling to the nations. And those who won’t understand the God of Israel can’t understand why. But that impossible people is God’s chosen people, set apart to Him, and His witness, and thus the constant object of Satan’s hatred and assault. There is enormous physical conflict surrounding Israel because there is enormous spiritual conflict surrounding Israel.

Yes, Artaxerxes stopped the construction for a while, because the Lord allowed it. But construction began again exactly when the Lord decided it was time, and Jerusalem was rebuilt. Satan can try all he likes – for now – but he can’t win with God. Even more galling to him, the Lord can take his evil and use it all for good. God is sovereign over the world, over its rulers, over Satan, over the demons, and over all the principalities and powers. He is in control. And His people Israel is one of the greatest proofs of His authority.

The awesome God of Israel is my God, even my Father. The God of Israel is my refuge, my salvation, my fortress, and my hope. Whom shall I fear?

Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

The Value of the Word....

Girls...no words...just this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9dpmp_-TY0&feature=player_embedded


Love Mom who used to sleep with her bible under pillow and still does not like it out of her sight for long.

Psalm 16:2 - And Grace for Grace...

O my soul, you have said to the LORD, You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.”--Psalm 16:2

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,

The Lord does not need me or you or anything we think we can do for Him.  If there is anything good in us, it is from Him.  We have no goodness outside of Him. We can offer Him nothing. Job 22:2-3 says  "Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless? Then again in Job 37:7-8 "If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?  Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man." 1 Corinthians 4:7 says "What do you have but what you have received? And if you have received it, then why do you boast as though you didn't receive it?" If there is any goodness in my life it is because God is at work in my life.  I can't boast in anything because my righteousness is a gift from Him through belief in His Son.

Are you seeing  how we bring absolutely nothing to the table...nothing. Yet look at the things that Psalm 139 tells us about His love, care and concern for us.  He takes our hand.  He leads us and upholds us.  When the darkness falls on us, He makes the night light about us and His thoughts toward us are more in number than the sand. Read John 17 and be overwhelmed with His graciousness and His love. Listen to what David has to say in Psalm 8.

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels,  And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have Even the beasts of the field,The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!"

Psalm 40:17 says But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me."  The Lord not only thinks on us, He died for us when we were His enemies and lives forever to make intercession for us.

Romans 5:8-10  says that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

Are you getting the picture girls..."He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) What unfathomable grace we have in Christ Jesus.  Luke 12:32 says it is His pleasure to give us His kingdom.  Philippians 1:6 says that He who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. What does He ask of us for all His care and concern.  What is His desire?  The answer is in John, Chapter 3. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."  Do as the Psalmist did in Psalm 116. "What shall I render to the LORD  for all His benefits toward me?  I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD."  Cast your care upon Him girls, He truly cares for you.


Love
Mom

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it--1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Preserve me O God....Psalm 16

 Psalm 16:1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.



Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,

Lord willing, I am going to be memorizing and meditating on Psalm 16 over the next few weeks. I have already been so blessed in just examining the first word!

This prayer of David's (Preserve me O God) has much precedent in Scripture...Psalm 31:23 tells us that the Lord preserves the faithful.  Psalm 37:28 says that the Lord does not forsake His saints...that they are preserved forever.  Psalm 97:10 states that the Lord He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.  Psalm 116 says the Lord preserves the simple and then goes on to say I was brought low and the Lord saved me.  Finally Proverbs 2:8 says He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.


I loved reading the definition from the Strongs.  "Preserve" means to  root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.: - beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man).

Wow....This is what David asks the Lord to do for him. This is what David knows the Lord does for Him...This is why David's trust is in the Lord.  It wasn't about who David was or what David had done or dependent upon David at all; it was about who the Lord is.  I want to know and trust with heart knowledge that the Lord of the Universe...the One who spoke the worlds into existence watches over me...hedges me behind and before, guards me, protects me, attends to me, observes me...looks narrowly at me...saves me!  I want His constant regard and concern.  I want Him to oversee all my doings.  I want Him to search my heart so that He can lead me in the way everlasting.  I don't want to miss out on a single one of His blessings here or in eternity.

Stay under the shadow of His wings, girls.  There is no place you can go where He cannot find you.   I am reading Psalm 139 in conjunction with studying this verse and am overwhelmed with His love and kindness toward me.  Truly as it says in Psalm 139 such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain it.  Give up now...surrender yourself to the One who truly cares for you.  Give Him your life and watch Him work!


Love
Mom

Psalm 139

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 ¹ O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
 ² You know my sitting down and my rising up;
         You understand my thought afar off.
 ³ You comprehend my path and my lying down,
         And are acquainted with all my ways.
 ⁴ For there is not a word on my tongue,
         But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
 ⁵ You have hedged me behind and before,
         And laid Your hand upon me.
 ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
         It is high, I cannot attain it.
       
 ⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit?
         Or where can I flee from Your presence?
 ⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
         If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
 ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning,
         And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 ¹⁰ Even there Your hand shall lead me,
         And Your right hand shall hold me.
 ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall^[a] on me,”
         Even the night shall be light about me;
 ¹² Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
         But the night shines as the day;
         The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
       
 ¹³ For You formed my inward parts;
         You covered me in my mother’s womb.
 ¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;^[b]
         Marvelous are Your works,
         And that my soul knows very well.
 ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
         When I was made in secret,
         And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
 ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
         And in Your book they all were written,
         The days fashioned for me,
         When as yet there were none of them.
       
 ¹⁷ How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
         How great is the sum of them!
 ¹⁸ If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
         When I awake, I am still with You.
       
 ¹⁹ Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
         Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
 ²⁰ For they speak against You wickedly;
         Your enemies take Your name in vain.^[c]
 21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
         And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
 ²² I hate them with perfect hatred;
         I count them my enemies.
       
 ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
         Try me, and know my anxieties;
 ²⁴ And see if there is any wicked way in me,
         And lead me in the way everlasting.

Yokes - Jeremiah 27 - 28

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,

 God once again is asking Jeremiah to do something that is definitely going to make him stand out among the people of Judah. I am pretty sure that everyone in the surrounding area and nations are getting to know this "strange man of God."

This time God told him to put a yoke around his neck to convey the message that Judah and the other nations around her needed to submit and surrender to the "yoke" of Babylon.  Jeremiah delivers this same message to the ambassadors from other nations who had come to form an alliance, to King Zedekiah and also to the priests and the people. He told them that the Lord had given all the nations into the hand of his servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and would serve him.  If they refused to submit to the king of Babylon's yoke they would die.  If they accepted the yoke, they would live. The false prophets were giving Israel hope, but Jeremiah told the truth.  

Jeremiah was telling the people to surrender and live.  Surrender and live!  Take His yoke and live...because make no mistake we are all in bondage in many ways.  Be in bondage to the One who can bring blessing from bondage.  Be yoked with the One who does not want us to bear it alone.  Be yoked with the One who gives sufficient grace for every time of need. All other kinds of yokes and bondage bring death.  Life is full of grief, sadness, depression, discouragement, betrayal, illness and death.  It is wearying. Jesus said this In Matthew 11:28-30.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”--Matthew 11:28-30
 
Go to Him, Jesus, and find rest.  Take His offer and find rest.  Take his yoke...walk with Him daily and learn from Him. Behold Him. Put aside your own ways for His. Allow Him to show you how to live...His commandments are not burdensome...they are for our good and His glory.  We can trust Him.  He loved us so much that He gave His life for us.  He gives us life abundantly here and in eternity.

Girls, what is most taxing...most wearying in my life is me, myself and I.  What Pastor Lloyd calls the "trinity of stupidity."  It is what causes the majority of my problems.  God wants to take that burden from us...He wants us to take off the yoke of self and put on His Son, Jesus.  Know that the Lord wants to take from you only those things that cause you unrest and weariness or keep you from drawing close to Him. Remember that when you find yourself in a battle with God.  I love what J.H. Jowett says:

"The fatal mistake for the believer is to seek to bear life's load in a single collar. God never intended a man to carry his burden alone. Christ therefore deals only in yokes! A yoke is a neck harness for two, and the Lord himself pleads to be One of the two. He wants to share the labor of any galling task. The secret of peace and victory in the Christian life is found in putting off the taxing collar of “self” and accepting the Master's relaxing “yoke.” "

Love
Mom

Don't Shoot the Messenger....

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,

I am studying Jeremiah 26, because that is where Pastor Ed will be this Sunday in his verse by verse teaching.  I also followed it through verse by verse.


Jeremiah 26:1-4  In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD, saying,  “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word.  Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.’ And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you  to heed the words of My servants the prophets whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending them (but you have not heeded),  then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.”’”

God tells the people that He will turn from His discipline if they will hear and repent.  This is the same speech to the people talked about in Jeremiah 7.  Jeremiah is speaking at the gates of the Lord's temple to the people, who have come to worship at the Lord's house.  This took place during King Josiah's time...one of Judah's greatest most godly kings.  Josiah called the people back to God.  Now some of the people might have had hearts for the Lord and His ordinances like Josiah, but the majority did not. They did it because the king commanded it and it was outward only. The people  might have been celebrating and sacrificing, but their hearts were far from the Lord.  God wants the inward response of the heart. The outward without the inward heart behind it, is an abomination to Him.  James tells us that even the demons acknowledge God but true belief stems from the heart and will...make no mistake....affect our behavior.

Jeremiah 26:7-11 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.  Now it happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You will surely die!  Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without an inhabitant’?” And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
 
When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the LORD and sat down in the entry of the New Gate of the LORD’s house.  And the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and all the people, saying, “This man deserves to die! For he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”

So as Jon Courson puts it: ""Rather than grab the message of grace and mercy God offered the priests and the prophets and people of Judah chose to grab Jeremiah and tell him he must die.

My daughter, Rebecca, recently wrote a devotional on Acts 6.  The people did a similar thing to Stephen...here is a portion of her devotional: 

" But when they did look steadfastly, they recognized something about Stephen that was not of man. They looked at Stephen and they saw, not a sinful human, but Christ in that sinful human. The truth about Jesus and His saving work was right there before their eyes, in an earthen vessel named Stephen.
So they killed him. The Freedmen couldn't disprove the truth, so they resorted to lies; the council could not bear Stephen's witness, so they created a mob. Acts 7:58, “Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.”
They stopped their ears. They wouldn't hear. They wouldn't see. They refused to understand. They hardened their hearts. Doesn't it make you cry? How many people do you know who stop their ears to the Lord? Who shoot the messenger because they can't bear the truth? Who are so lustful for their own way that they pull down whoever and whatever they must to have it? And what if YOU are that person? 

The truth is right in front of you. It always is. It cannot be rationally or objectively resisted, but it can be denied. The choice is yours. What are you going to do with the truth?"

Jeremiah 26:12-15   Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying: “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all the words that you have heard.  Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; then the LORD will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you. As for me, here I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you.  But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

Even though his life was threatened, Jeremiah was not going to change his message.  He just tells them that if you kill me your judgment will be greater.... I love it!

Jeremiah 26:16 So the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve to die. For he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.”

Even though the priests and the prophets still wanted him dead, the people and the princes decided not to kill him. They spared Jeremiah's life but still did not repent. The people ignored his message and would lose their lives for it.  They had rejected the Lord and His Word.  They had rejected His mercy and His grace.

Jeremiah 26:17-24 Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying:  “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts:

      “ Zion shall be plowed like a field,
      Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins,
      And the mountain of the temple
      Like the bare hills of the forest.”


Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and seek the LORD’s favor? And the LORD relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are doing great evil against ourselves.”

Now there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath Jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah.  And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid and fled, and went to Egypt.Then Jehoiakim the king sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor, and other men who went with him to Egypt. And they brought Urijah from Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

The elders use two prophets who prophesied very similarly to Jeremiah as precedents for the decision not to kill Jeremiah.  The first was, Micah,  who prophesied to Hezekiah and as a result Hezekiah and the people sought the Lord and repented. The Lord then turned from the evil prophesied against them. The other was Urijah who prophesied against the city according to all the words of Jeremiah and whose life was also threatened.  Unlike Jeremiah, however, he ran away and was captured in Egypt.  He was then brought back to Jehoiakim , who put him to death.  Jeremiah stood his ground and put his life in the hands of his God.  His life was spared. 

Quite a lesson for us here in comparing the reactions of Jeremiah and Urijah. Did you remember what Jeremiah said in verse 14.  "As for me, here I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you."  Jeremiah knew that his life was in the hands of the sovereign God.  There was nothing man could do to him outside of God's will.  If they had decided to put him to death, he knew where he was going.  Jeremiah did not equivocate out of fear...he obeyed and spoke exactly what the Lord had put on his heart.  Urijah ran to where he thought he would be safe and was captured and brought back and killed. No one could miss that Jeremiah was willing to die for what he believed.  That spoke volumes, I am sure, to all around him.  Jeremiah's words were not empty, they carried the weight of the Living God of the Universe and reflected what he believed.  His heart was behind what he spoke and his actions followed.

Psalm 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

 Love
Mom

Beloved of the Lord - Sleep in Peace

Psalm 4

 ¹ Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

         You have relieved me in my distress;

         Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

 ² How long, O you sons of men,

         Will you turn my glory to shame?

         How long will you love worthlessness

         And seek falsehood?  Selah

 ³ But know that the LORD has set apart^[a] for Himself him who is godly;

         The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

 ⁴ Be angry, and do not sin.

         Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah

 ⁵ Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

         And put your trust in the LORD.

 ⁶ There are many who say,

         “Who will show us any good?”

         LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

 ⁷ You have put gladness in my heart,

         More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

 ⁸ I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

         For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.--Psalm 4:8

This is the final installment of Psalm 4.  I was so blessed in the meditation and memorization of it.

Lying down in peace and sleeping was quite a feat for someone going through all that David was going through. It is also quite an accomplishment today.  If we are thinking human beings, there is truly much to be concerned about...much to keep us awake at night fretting.  When we know, however, that our peace, safety and sufficiency comes from our sovereign God we can relax.  Psalm 94:19 says "In the multitude of my anxieties within, your comforts delight my soul."  Another one I love is from Psalm 138.  "The Lord will perfect all that concerns me." Or Psalm 57:2 "I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me." 

Reassured, the psalmist's turmoil subsides. He can now lie down in peace and sleep, knowing that it is the LORD who makes him dwell in safety.  I looked up the word safety in the Strong's.  Here is what it gives the idea of: a place of refuge...the fact and the feeling of security and trust...someone who can have assurance and be without care...wow!!  That is quite a change in attitude from the 1st verse.

Memorize this Psalm, girls,  Recite it when you can't sleep or wake up in the early morning hours with your mind racing with concerns.  It has been spoken of as God's tranquilizer. I am so glad I am the Lord's beloved...truly the antidote for anxiety and a lack of peace is the Lord and His Word.  Jehovah...the Becoming One...He Becomes whatever we need...so glad He is mine.

Deuteronomy 33:12 "“The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long;  And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”

Love
Mom

Philippians 4:6-8 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."


Psalm 3:5 I lay down and slept;  I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.

Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Proverbs 3:24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

On Being a Bondservant...

James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.---James 1:1

Dear Girls,

I was preparing for a study I am doing at the nursing home tomorrow and this first verse in James kept going through my head after I had finished.  I started to meditate on what it really means to be a bond servant. What would being a true bond servant of Jesus Christ look like in my life. For James ultimately, it meant  martyrdom.

James introduces himself as the bond servant of God and of Lord Jesus Christ. If I were James, I would have introduced myself as the Lord's brother or the head of the church in Jerusalem but that is not how James thought of himself.  He humbly spoke of himself as a bond servant of Jesus.  It's a title that most of the apostles delighted to take.  They renounced any claim for any rights turning their lives over to God and to the Lordship of Jesus.  They were bereft of ambition in a personal way.  They lived solely to serve the Lord and to please Him. No rights of ownership, no title to anything, everything they had belonged to their Master.  A bond servant's job is only to obey.  The responsibility for the decisions and the results of their actions directed by their Master are not theirs.  Do you see the beauty in that.  How simple your life becomes.  How most decisions you face have already been made.


Taking that word bond servant and making it personal...applying it to me and to my relationship with the Lord, would mean that I do not own anything...not my house...not bank account...not my talents....not anything.  It also means that my children do not belong to me...They are in my care but they are the Lords and they are His to do with what He would do.  As are my grandchildren....they are all ultimately in His hands.  My time is not mine...it is the Lords...my priorities are not mine...they are the Lords.  Are you getting the picture? 

Job said, "Though he slay me yet I will trust in Him" and "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." . My job is to surrender to His Spirit and be a faithful servant.  Read the Word, girls, with this verse always in mind. If God is our Master, we must obey willingly. We must love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  Our time, abilities, money...our very lives are not our own.  We are caretakers, not owners. Remember that as a good servant, a faithful servant our job is to be obedient and leave the results up to Him. Live radically for Him...be blessed here and when your earthly life is ended your Lord will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord."

Love
Mom

Some encouraging verses for servants of the Lord...

Psa 16:10  For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
Psa 16:11  You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
John 12:26  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Joh 17:24  "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Php 1:23  For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better
2Ti 2:12  If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
Heb 12:2  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Rev 7:17  for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

John 20:11-12 The Mercy Seat

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain--John 20:11-12

“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.  Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.  And there I will meet with you,--Exodus 25:17-19,22

Dear Girls,

When I read this I was so blessed. I am reviewing and studying John 20 for the bible study that Mary is doing this Thursday and looking at verses 11 and 12. The word tells us that Peter and John had left the empty tomb and had returned to their homes.  Mary stays by the tomb weeping. Here is what John 20:11-12 says:  "But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet,"  She looks in and sees two angels. Now she didn't recognize that they were angels. Mark Chapter 16 tells that they were in the form of a man, Luke 24:4 also says that there were two men. Angels took on the form of young men. Here were two angels in the form of young men sitting at either end of the slab in the tomb where Jesus had lain. 

Turn to Exodus Chapter 25.  God is giving instructions here on the building of the Ark of the Covenant. God dwelt in the tabernacle and His presence was between the Cherubim and it was there that He would meet Moses. Here is what Exodus 25:17-19 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat." Wow!! Are you seeing the similarities between the two pictures?

Now once a year the high priest would take the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkle it on the Mercy Seat. This was where God met man.  God met man at the Mercy Seat by the faithful shedding of blood. Hebrews 9:22 says "For without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins."

Verse 22 of Exodus 25 begins "and there I will meet with you". In the Old Testament God met man between the Cherubim at the mercy seat. The empty tomb of the resurrected Christ, the lamb slain before the foundation of the world, has become the mercy seat of the New Testament. God meets us on the basis of the resurrected Christ. 

Such precious precious truths concealed in the Old Testament and clearly revealed in the New Testament... I am including Hebrews 9 below.




Love
Mom

Hebrews 9

The Earthly Sanctuary

 ¹ Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. ² For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; ³ and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, ⁴ which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; ⁵ and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Limitations of the Earthly Service

⁶ Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. ⁷ But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; ⁸ the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. ⁹ It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— ¹⁰ concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

The Heavenly Sanctuary

¹¹ But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come,^[a] with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. ¹² Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ¹⁵ And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

The Mediator’s Death Necessary

¹⁶ For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. ¹⁷ For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. ¹⁸ Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. ¹⁹ For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰ saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.”^{[b] 21} Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. ²² And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Greatness of Christ’s Sacrifice

²³ Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; ²⁵ not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— ²⁶ He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. ²⁷ And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Rejoicing in Weakness

Isaiah 40:27-31

Why do you say, O Jacob,
      And speak, O Israel:

      “ My way is hidden from the LORD,
      And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
²⁸ Have you not known?
      Have you not heard?
      The everlasting God, the LORD,
      The Creator of the ends of the earth,
      Neither faints nor is weary.
      His understanding is unsearchable.
       ²⁹ He gives power to the weak,
      And to those who have no might He increases strength.
       ³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
      And the young men shall utterly fall,
       ³¹ But those who wait on the LORD
      Shall renew their strength;
      They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
      They shall run and not be weary,

      They shall walk and not faint.

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
 

Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God"?  Sometimes I feel like saying yeah I know God holds the whole world in His hands and He spoke the universes into existence, but what about me? Is He really interested in me and does He really care.  I mean He has so much to do controlling the universe. Does He really hear me when I call to Him? This is foolish thinking.  We have such powerful evidence of His love and concern right in front of us all the time.   God anticipates our thoughts and look what He says in the next verse.

Have you not known?  Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. God does not live in the confines of time...He does not face the restrictions that we face.  He has unlimited time, unlimited energy and unsearchable understanding.  Why would we go anywhere else? Examine your thoughts and your words... don't limit your understanding of God by comparing Him to what you experience here on earth. Your God is from everlasting to everlasting.   He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings...the One who will reign forever and ever.  He can handle whatever you might throw at Him.  He is sufficient to silence all fears and doubts.  Be still and know that He is God.

"He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,  But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary,  They shall walk and not faint."  These last few verses are some of the most beautiful in Scripture.  What a promise!  We do not have to be strong...Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are burdened and heavy laden and He will give us rest. Our God promises us that He will give us power when we are weak. Galatians 2:20 says that it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. Because believers are in Christ, He infuses them with His power to sustain them. We are strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. Our outward man may be perishing but our inward man is being renewed every day.

Believers who wait on the Lord are blessed and receive strength in their trials.  I need this so much especially as I realize more and more with heart knowledge that I can do nothing without Christ. Girls, weakness is truly the place to be.  In weakness we look up.  In weakness we acknowledge our need for Him.  In weakness we can be strong in His grace! In weakness we are nigh unto Him and can be used mightily.  Look at the cross of Christ as your example!

Second Corinthians 12:9-10 says "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." John MacArthur says the present tense of the verb translated "is sufficient" reveals the constant availability of His grace.  He continually supplies us with the grace to endure. The weaker the human instrument the greater His grace can shine through.  How wonderful is that.  The world views weakness as a disadvantage and something to be avoided at all costs.God views it as an opportunity for us to shine brighter for Him.  Not that we rejoice in pain and suffering but we can rejoice in that the power of Christ can be revealed in us.


Here is how I will end...here is what is absolutely priceless...available for the asking...


"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—  always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."--2nd Cor 4:7-11

John Wesley says: "But we - Not only the apostles, but all true believers. Have this treasure - Of divine light, love, glory. In earthen vessels - In frail, feeble, perishing bodies. He proceeds to show, that afflictions, yea, death itself, are so far from hindering the ministration of the Spirit, that they even further it, sharpen the ministers, and increase the fruit. That the excellence of the power, which works these in us, may undeniably appear to be of God."

Love

Mom

The Light of His Countenance

Psalm 4

 ¹ Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

         You have relieved me in my distress;

         Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

 ² How long, O you sons of men,

         Will you turn my glory to shame?

         How long will you love worthlessness

         And seek falsehood?  Selah

 ³ But know that the LORD has set apart^[a] for Himself him who is godly;

         The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

 ⁴ Be angry, and do not sin.

         Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah

 ⁵ Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

         And put your trust in the LORD.

 ⁶ There are many who say,

         “Who will show us any good?”

         LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

 ⁷ You have put gladness in my heart,

         More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

 ⁸ I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

         For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,

  
There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

Truly our joy comes from Him.  His grace...His unmatchless grace puts joy in our hearts.  I am sure many in David's ranks had begun to complain and get discouraged. "Who will show us any good"  was probably something that was repeated often and had reached David's ears many times.  Girls, how easy is it to complain and be discouraged by our circumstances? Waiting on God can wear on us . His timing is not our timing.  We want our troubles and trials to end.  We want peace and tranquility. We want an end to the grief and the pain. We begin to complain and in complaining about our circumstances and what we do not have or are not getting we are sinning.  We are complaining against God and saying He is not good. David shows such courage here  He surrenders his complaints to the Lord, by faith asks the Lord to lift up the light of His countenance on him and then speaks of the gladness and joy the Lord has placed in his heart. David is living here for the things that matter.  The eternal.  Outward joy and happiness is temporary. It comes and goes with our circumstances. It is a band aid...not a permanent fix.  David is seeking the inward joy that comes from knowing the Lord of the Universe intimately. This kind of joy defeats discouragement and is steady and continuous as we put our trust in Him. The Psalmist can, despite his circumstances, be joyful because the Lord is his God.  He knows the Lord brings Him only those things that will ultimately be for his good. James tells us "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."  David goes to the source of all that is good.  Others may have been looking for the outward trappings of good, but David knows what will provide him with the most joy...the light of His Lord's countenance upon Him which to David and to each of us is an assurance of His love and His power in our lives.   He knows that whatever happens, he has and will always have the unspeakable satisfaction in His Lord and says that it is more than the joy that comes with a plentiful harvest. 

Contrast Psalm 49: 16-20 with Psalm 21:6 and Psalm 44:3

Psalm 49:16-20

Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
         When the glory of his house is increased;
 ¹⁷ For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
         His glory shall not descend after him.
 ¹⁸ Though while he lives he blesses himself
         (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
 ¹⁹ He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
         They shall never see light.
 ²⁰ A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
         Is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 21:6

For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.
.
Psalm 44:3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them.




Girls...I will end with these verses...revel in the joy that knowing Him brings!

Psalm 37:4  Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.
Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
Psalm  63:2  So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
Psalm 63:3  Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
Psalm 63:4  Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Psalm 63:5  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
Psalm 63:6  When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.
Psalm 63:7  Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
Psalm 63:8  My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:9  But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
Psalm 63:10  They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals.
Psalm 63:11  But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
1Pe 1:8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Love
Mom

Stand in Awe

Psalm 4

 ¹ Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

         You have relieved me in my distress;

         Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

 ² How long, O you sons of men,

         Will you turn my glory to shame?

         How long will you love worthlessness

         And seek falsehood?  Selah

 ³ But know that the LORD has set apart^[a] for Himself him who is godly;

         The LORD will hear when I call to Him.

 ⁴ Be angry, and do not sin.

         Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah

 ⁵ Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

         And put your trust in the LORD.

 ⁶ There are many who say,

         “Who will show us any good?”

         LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

 ⁷ You have put gladness in my heart,

         More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

 ⁸ I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

         For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,

Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.  Selah  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. 

This verse ranks up there with some of the most practical in Scripture.  Listen up!

While meditating on this verse I tried to decide to whom David might have been speaking to here. There are really only three choices: himself and his God, his enemies or the brave men who remained loyal to him during Absalom's rebellion.  I personally believe that David was praying before he retired for the night and was speaking to His God.  To whom he is speaking in this case really does not matter. The advice is good for both the believer and the unbeliever and the application for us the same.

Be angry and do not sin. Sinful anger leads to sinful actions. Their is anger that is not sinful, but I am usually not guilty of that one.  Even if I do have a righteous anger against sin it soon goes down the wrong path toward pride and becomes once again unholy anger. SIGH!  The verse in the King James reads like this:  "Stand in awe and sin not." I love that...stand in awe.  Tremble before the One who holds the power of life and death in His hands.  The One who is truly in control. The One who loves you with an everlasting love and upholds you with His righteous right hand.  If you fear the Lord, you need not fear anything else. David's enemies did not fear David, the rightful king of Israel or the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They were following slander and lies and doing what was right in their own eyes.  They would reap the sad consequences of their sin every day.  Sin is described as a pregnancy in Scripture in at least 3 or 4 different places.  When it grows up it destroys the one who conceived it.  It has judgment built right in.  Galatians 6:7 says a sinners sin comes back on their own heads.  Proverbs 26:27 says they dig pits and fall into them themselves.  Nobody escapes the consequence of sin.  David is thinking rightly here. He had plenty of reasons to be angry.  Betrayal and ungodliness surround him.   He knows his anger could get the best of him and he would then act rashly and take matters into his own hands.  Instead of going down that road, David reminds himself to stand in awe of His God.  Girls, this is so helpful.  As we fill our minds with Him all the foolish thoughts fall away and we behold Him and are comforted. We remember that our defense is of Him. We remember it is not about us...it is about Him...His plans, His purposes and our job is to wait on Him and be obedient to whatever part He has called us.


Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still.  The King James says "commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. David encourages himself to meditate on His God and His word and to commune with his own heart.  He is to do this in the privacy of his own bed and to be still....literally "hands off"!!  The word meditate means to say over and over...think of a cow chewing its cud. It chews, swallows, then regurgitates and repeats the process over and over getting every bit of it digested and every nutrient absorbed.  Our hearts are transformed by his word. Meditation on His word is how our minds are renewed and His good and perfect and acceptable will for discerned.  Girls, instead of allowing your minds to race at night thinking on all that has been done to you by others begin to search your own hearts and be still...wait for Him to speak and show you your own sin.  It is so easy for us to see the sins of others and meditate on it...seeing our own, however, is what we need to be doing.  Matthew 7 talks about judging and planking and specking...don't do it!  Look at your own heart and ask the Lord to reveal those things He wants you to see in your own life. Gaze deeply into the mirror of His word and be transformed into His image. Confess your wrong thoughts to the Lord and be still...wait on Him and be ready to hear what is His prescription.. 1 John 1:9-10 say "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

Last part...my favorite..."Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD."  Do the right thing!!  Do not react according to the dictates of your own heart but respond rightly according to His word.  Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.  Put your trust in Him.  Know that He is your defender.  Be still and know that He is God.  Psalm 37: 6 says  "He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday." Before honor the bible says is humility.  Honor Him by trusting Him to do the work.  Do not trust in your own plans or your own wisdom...they are destined to fail.  Taking offense on behalf of ourselves is always wrong. 

I pray that each of us could have a heart like David had and that when faced with accusations, condemnation and slander we could say like He did in Psalm 7 that our defense is of God.  David loved God fervently and because of His love for God He knew that God was able to perfect all things that concerned Him.  Truly, girls, our God does perform all things for us!

Love
Mom


These are some of the most comforting verses in Scripture...meditate on them...

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.--Psalm 94:19
I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.--Psalm 57:2
The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;--Psalm 138:8

I have included below Psalm 37 in its entirety....

Psalm 37

¹ Do not fret because of evildoers,
         Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
 ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
         And wither as the green herb.
     
 ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
         Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
 ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
     
 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
         Trust also in Him,
         And He shall bring it to pass.
 ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
         And your justice as the noonday.
     
 ⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
         Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
         Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
 ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
         Do not fret—it only causes harm.
     
 ⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off;
         But those who wait on the LORD,
         They shall inherit the earth.
 ¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
         Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
         But it shall be no more.
 ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth,
         And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
     
 ¹² The wicked plots against the just,
         And gnashes at him with his teeth.
 ¹³ The Lord laughs at him,
         For He sees that his day is coming.
 ¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the sword
         And have bent their bow,
         To cast down the poor and needy,
         To slay those who are of upright conduct.
 ¹⁵ Their sword shall enter their own heart,
         And their bows shall be broken.
     
 ¹⁶ A little that a righteous man has
         Is better than the riches of many wicked.
 ¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
         But the LORD upholds the righteous.
     
 ¹⁸ The LORD knows the days of the upright,
         And their inheritance shall be forever.
 ¹⁹ They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
         And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
 ²⁰ But the wicked shall perish;
         And the enemies of the LORD,
         Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
         Into smoke they shall vanish away.
     
 ²¹ The wicked borrows and does not repay,
         But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
 ²² For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
         But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
     
 ²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
         And He delights in his way.
 ²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
         For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
     
 ²⁵ I have been young, and now am old;
         Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
         Nor his descendants begging bread.
 ²⁶ He is ever merciful, and lends;
         And his descendants are blessed.
     
 ²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good;
         And dwell forevermore.
 ²⁸ For the LORD loves justice,
         And does not forsake His saints;
         They are preserved forever,
         But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
 ²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land,
         And dwell in it forever.
     
 ³⁰ The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
         And his tongue talks of justice.
 ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart;
         None of his steps shall slide.
     
 ³² The wicked watches the righteous,
         And seeks to slay him.
 ³³ The LORD will not leave him in his hand,
         Nor condemn him when he is judged.
     
 ³⁴ Wait on the LORD,
         And keep His way,
         And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
         When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
 ³⁵ I have seen the wicked in great power,
         And spreading himself like a native green tree.
 ³⁶ Yet he passed away,^[a] and behold, he was no more;
         Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
     
 ³⁷ Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
         For the future of that man is peace.
 ³⁸ But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
         The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
     
 ³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
         He is their strength in the time of trouble.
 ⁴⁰ And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;
         He shall deliver them from the wicked,
         And save them,
         Because they trust in Him.