Rajesh

How to Have Sufficient Food and Drink

March 25, 2020

We are living in a time in world history when multitudes are concerned about having sufficient food and drink for them and their families. Two key passages provide vital revelation about how God has promised to certain people that He will provide the food and drink that they need.

Food and Drink Promised in Matthew 6:31-33

Matthew 6:31-33 is a premier passage in the Bible about what people are to do so that they will have the food and drink that they need to survive:

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

With these words, Jesus taught that people who seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness will have what they are to eat and to drink added to them.

Food and Drink Promised in Isaiah 33:13-16

Compare the teaching of Matthew 6:31-33 with what Isaiah 33:13-16 says:

Isaiah 33:13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; 16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

This passage ends with a promise that bread and water will be provided to certain people, just as Matthew 6:31-33 does! Because God promises to provide the same things at the end of both passages, we know that what He teaches as the requirements for obtaining those promises in both passages are directly related.

Application

From the comparison presented above, we learn that seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness includes doing all the things that Isaiah 33:15 specifies: walking righteously, speaking uprightly, despising gaining by oppressions, rejecting bribes, stopping our ears from hearing about blood, and shutting our eyes from seeing evil. To have sufficient food and drink, we must be careful to do all these things in our seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness.

In Exposition, Interpretation, Theology

Of Whom by Name is God Their God in the Psalms?

March 14, 2020

Tonight, I used BibleWorks to find out what persons or people are identified by their name as having God as their God. The results are quite interesting.

The phrase “God of” followed by a name of a person or a people occurs 21 times in the Psalms. God identifies with only three names in such phrases.

God of Abraham

Ps. 47:9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

God of Israel

Ps. 41:13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

Ps. 59:5 Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

Ps. 68:8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Ps. 68:35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

Ps. 69:6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

Ps. 72:18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

Ps. 106:48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.

God of Jacob

Ps. 20:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.> The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

Ps. 46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Ps. 46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Ps. 75:9 But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

Ps. 76:6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.

Ps. 81:1 <To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.> Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

Ps. 81:4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

Ps. 84:8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

Ps. 94:7 Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

Ps. 114:7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

Ps. 132:2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;

Ps. 132:5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

Ps. 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

Discussion

Psalms speaks of God as the God of only three named persons or people: Abraham, Israel, and Jacob. Only one verse speaks of God as the God of Abraham.

Seven verses speak of God as the God of Israel. In thirteen verses, the Psalms present God as the God of Jacob. Twenty verses thus point us to think of Jacob who later became Israel and of God as His God!

It is striking that of all the important people mentioned in the OT, the Spirit inspired the writers of the Psalms to speak of God as the God of Israel or Jacob more than he did for any other named person or people! When we consider what the life of Jacob was like, especially with his faults and failings that the Scripture reveals, it speaks volumes about God’s grace that He speaks of Himself in the Psalms as the God of Israel or the God of Jacob more than He does of any other person!

Praise God!

In Theology

Why No One Should Be an Atheist

March 9, 2020

Atheists deny the existence of God. No one should be an atheist, however, because it is impossible for anyone to know objectively that there is no God.

Here is why. Suppose that an atheist looked for God in every place in his town, state, or country and claimed not to find any evidence for God. Would the atheist have proved that there is no God? Not at all, because when the atheist is looking in one place for God, God could have been in another place, and when the atheist looked in that place, God could have moved to another place.

Extending this line of reasoning, the only person who could know objectively that there is no God is someone who could be in all the places of the universe at the same time. Unless someone can be everywhere at once, he cannot know that there is no God, and he cannot prove that there is no God.

Of course, there are no such people who can be everywhere in the universe at the same time to know that there is no God and to prove that there is no God.

Furthermore, no atheist can know objectively that there is no God because he is incapable not only of being everywhere at the same time but also of processing at the same time all the information about the existence of God concerning every place in the universe.

Even all the atheists in all the world working together cannot prove that God does not exist because they cannot be everywhere in the universe at the same time and they cannot know everything about every place in the universe at the same time.

Atheism, therefore, is not based on fact or science. It is not sound thinking. Atheism is based on faith in the nonexistence of God because the atheist cannot know that there is no God, and he cannot prove that there is no God. He can only choose to believe that there is no God.

Intellectually honest people who consider themselves to be sound thinkers should reject atheism because what atheists assert is something that they do not know objectively that it is true, and they cannot prove objectively that it is true. No one should be an atheist!

In Apologetics, Evangelism

Why the Main Point/Big Idea of a Passage is Not All That Matters

March 5, 2020

Probably every believer who has been a believer for any length of time has encountered teaching about the main point or big idea of the following passage:

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Most have been taught that this passage is “about” the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His apostles. Probably no one has ever thought or said that the main point or big idea of this passage is to teach us about the Holy Spirit.

A careful examination of nearly every sound work on systematic theology or NT theology would likely reveal, however, that this is an important passage for one’s formulating a proper understanding of what the Scripture teaches us about pneumatology. Any person who does not treat what this passage reveals about the Spirit in formulating their theology of the Spirit is a person who does not profit fully from revelation that God has intended him to profit from theologically.

As this brief but clear example shows, it is a faulty approach to hermeneutics and exegesis to insist that the main point/big idea of a passage is all that matters. Truth that God has revealed about a subject in a passage that does not have that subject as its main point or big idea is nonetheless truth that God wants us to profit from fully.

In Interpretation, Theology

What Does Luke 4:5-6 Teach Us about World Affairs?

February 29, 2020

In one of his attempts to tempt Christ to sin, the devil made a remarkable declaration concerning his authority over all the kingdoms of the world:

Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

Making this statement, the devil proclaimed that he had authority over all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He also made known that authority was delivered to him at some prior point and that he could give it to whomever he willed to give it.

When, why, and how was power over all the kingdoms of the world and their glory delivered over to the devil?

How should this truth illumine our understanding of world affairs?

In Interpretation, Theology

Top Ten Bible Chapters by Number of Verses

February 20, 2020

Most believers know that Psalm 119 has more verses than any other chapter in the Bible. Many also know that Psalm 117 has the fewest.

The following tables show the top 10 chapters in the Bible by number of verses, both the chapters with the most verses and the chapters with the fewest. For chapters that have the same number of verses, the chapter with more words is ranked higher in the following table.

	Most Verses Per Chapter
	Chapter	Verses	Words	Words/Verse
1	Ps 119	176	2445	13.89
2	Num 7	89	1939	21.79
3	1 Chr 6	81	1341	16.56
4	Lk 1	80	1583	19.79
5	Matt 26	75	1625	21.67
6	Neh 7	73	1176	16.11
7	Mk 14	72	1595	22.15
8	Ps 78	72	1228	17.06
9	Jn 6	71	1506	21.21
10	Lk 22	71	1396	19.66

In the following table, many chapters have the same number of verses. These chapters are ranked with the chapters having the fewest words being ranked higher than those with more words.

	Fewest Verses Per Chapter
	Chapter	Verses	Words	Words/Verse
1	Ps 117	2	33	16.50
2	Ps 134	3	48	16.00
3	Ps 131	3	66	22.00
4	Ps 133	3	75	25.00
5	Est 10	3	93	31.00
6	Ps 123	4	98	24.50
7	Ps 100	5	90	18.00
8	Ps 93	5	92	18.40
9	Ps 15	5	103	20.60
10	Ps 125	5	112	22.40

In Bible reading

How Do We Explain What Moses and Aaron Said to Pharaoh?

February 15, 2020

Exodus 5:1 reveals what Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh when they first met with him:

Exodus 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

When, however, we examine all the preceding statements in Exodus 3-4 about what God told them to say to Pharaoh, we do not find anything about His telling them to tell Pharaoh about their celebrating a feast to the Lord in the wilderness:

Exodus 3:18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

How, then, do we explain what Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh about celebrating a feast to Him in the wilderness?

In Interpretation

Selected Lessons from a Perfect Love Song

February 8, 2020

Any song that God has inspired to be in Scripture is a perfect song. Scripture reveals that God has provided us with a song that is a perfect love song!

“A Song of Loves”

The Spirit inspired Psalm 45 to begin with an explicit statement that it is a love song:

Psalm 45:1 <To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.> My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

From this divine love song, we learn many striking lessons that God intends us to profit from greatly. This post will only treat a few selected truths from the song. The post is by no mean an exhaustive treatment of the valuable lessons that this song provides.

The Subject of This Perfect Love Song

From the beginning of the song, we learn that the subject of this perfect love song is a king (Ps. 45:1). New Testament use of Psalm 45:6-7 teaches us that the ultimate Subject of this perfect love song is God’s own anointed King, the divine Messiah:

Psalm 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Fearful Activity Revealed in This Perfect Love Song

Second, the Spirit teaches us that this divine King is a mighty Warrior (Ps. 45:3-4) who will engage in fearful activity:

Psalm 45:5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

Strikingly, this perfect love song speaks explicitly of the King’s destroying His enemies in battle! We thus learn that far from being inappropriate content in a love song, fearful activity by the divine King as the Messianic Judge who judges evil people is fitting content to include in such a song!

The Glorious Character of the Subject of This Perfect Love Song

Third, this perfect love song highlights two key aspects of the glorious character of its Subject (Ps. 45:7). The first key aspect of the glorious character of the King is that He loves righteousness. The Spirit thus teaches us that extolling someone who loves what is right and loves doing right is fitting content for a perfect love song.

The second key aspect of the glorious character of the King is that He hates wickedness. Saying this, the Spirit teaches us that extolling someone who hates what is wicked and hates evildoing is also fitting content for a perfect love song.

Application

Psalm 45 is a perfect love song because God inspired it to be in Scripture. The lessons treated above teach us that speaking about the Messianic Judge as the divine King who renders divine judgment on wicked people is fitting content for a perfect love song!

Moreover, extolling the glorious character of the One who loves righteousness and hates wickedness is fitting content for a perfect love song!

We must sing songs of love that include this glorious content.

In Exposition, Music, Theology

Sing to God the King!

January 25, 2020

At least six passages in Scripture highlight singing to God because He is the King.

Psalm 22

Psalm 22:21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

Psalm 22:22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Psalm 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

Psalm 22:24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

Psalm 22:25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

Psalm 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

Psalm 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.

Psalm 47

Psalm 47:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.> O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

Psalm 47:2 For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

Psalm 47:3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

Psalm 47:4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

Psalm 47:5 God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

Psalm 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Psalm 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

Psalm 47:8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

Psalm 68

Psalm 68:24 They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

Psalm 68:25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

Psalm 68:26 Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

Psalm 95

Psalm 95:1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psalm 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 98

Psalm 98:1 <A Psalm.> O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

Psalm 98:2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

Psalm 98:3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Psalm 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Psalm 98:5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

Psalm 98:6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

Revelation 15

Revelation 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Application

Only by meditating much on these passages will we as Christians fully have the right mindset about singing in worship of our God who is the great King!

In Music, Theology

Beware Misspeaking about God!

January 18, 2020

Misspeaking about God is a very serious matter. In a shocking way, the book of Job instructs us to beware of doing so.

Misspeaking about God without intending to do so

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar were good friends of Job who cared enough to come to visit him in his affliction. They were true believers in God. They desired to minister truth about God to Job that they thought would help him deal with his grave troubles.

To that end, these three friends discoursed at great length with Job about his situation. They seem to have had the best of intentions in what they said in their conversations with Job.

Shockingly, however, after they had finished talking to Job, God sternly reproved them for misspeaking about Him:

Job 42:7 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. 8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.

God said that they had not spoken of Him what was right. He warned them that they had kindled His wrath because of what they had misspoken about Him!

God commanded them to offer burnt offerings because of their sinful speech about Him. Moreover, He ordered them to seek intercessory prayer from Job in order to deal properly with their sins.

We learn from God’s dealing with these men that they had misspoken about Him without intending to do so.

Application

Believers must exercise great care in what they say about God when counseling others so that they do not become guilty of misspeaking about God. Having good intentions is not enough—we must speak only what is right about God!

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Interpretation, Theology

Archives For rajesh

Food and Drink Promised in Matthew 6:31-33

Food and Drink Promised in Isaiah 33:13-16

Application

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God of Abraham

God of Israel

God of Jacob

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“A Song of Loves”

The Subject of This Perfect Love Song

Fearful Activity Revealed in This Perfect Love Song

The Glorious Character of the Subject of This Perfect Love Song

Application

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Psalm 22

Psalm 47

Psalm 68

Psalm 95

Psalm 98

Revelation 15

Application

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Misspeaking about God without intending to do so

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