Deuteronomy (Program #25) – The Final Exhortation and Charges, The Blessing of Moses

Deuteronomy, the mysterious little book with a very strange name. Actually it means re-speaking or second speaking as we have seen over the past weeks and this is the an account of Moses re-speaking the law with all of the statues and all the ordinances to a new generation of the children of Israel as they were about to enter into the land of Israel, the good land. But incorporated into this book were page after page of serious warnings of the curses that were befall Israel if they were to not listen to the word of Jehovah.

Near the end of the book, there is a long section, chapter 33, called the song of Moses that accounts in poetic form many incorporated in this book and it concludes this way, a very fitting conclusion to the entire book of Deuteronomy.  “So Israel dwelt securely, The fountain of Jacob in solitude, On a land of grain and new wine; And the heavens over him drop their dew. Happy are you, O Israel; who is like you? A people saved by Jehovah, The shield of your help And He who is the sword of your majesty! So your enemies shall come cringing to you, And you shall tread upon their high places.”

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Micah (Program #2) – Jehovah’s Comfort to Israel

The Prophet Micah in the Old Testament speaks of God’s reprove and chastisement of Israel in a very poetic language.

Chapter 1:3-4 “For Jehovah is about to come forth from His place, And He will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will be melted under Him, And the valleys will be cleft, Like wax before fire, Like water poured down a slope.”

These sobering words caused Micah to weep but as with other prophets Micah also speaks of God’s comforting of His people.  Which ultimately comes at the end of this age in what the prophets of all spoke as the restoration. A coming age when there will be no need of weapons for all the enemies will be gone and Christ will rule, shepherd and protect His people while His people feast and rejoice in loving worship of Him for a thousand years.

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Lamentations (Program #4) – God’s Eternal Being and His Throne

The book of Lamentations has often been praised for its rich poetic expression of the human suffering and anguish that was experienced by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. And from this perspective, it is an astonishing work. But recall that Jeremiah, more than any other Old Testament figure, has seen much and experienced much of God in the principle of God’s New Testament economy. Even in the midst of His lamentation, he offers a very new testament encouragement in 3:22-24, “It is Jehovah’s lovingkindness”, he wrote, “that we are not consumed, For His compassions do not fail; They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Jehovah is my portion, says my soul; Therefore I hope in Him.” It is Jeremiah’s realization and expressions of God’s New Testament economy that should leave the deepest and most profound impression on us in reading his two Old Testament books.

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Isaiah (Program #21) – Christ as the Servant of Jehovah (7)

God’s plan for our redemption require a full and complete sacrifice for our sins and transgressions.  A spotless lamb was the type in the Old Testament until the real Lamb of God would arrive on the scene to take away the sins of the people and satisfy God’s righteous demands forever.  Of course, as Christians we know that Jesus Christ was such a perfect offering on our behalf.  Of all the passages of Scripture that deal with the great reality of the Christian faith, none provide a perfect and poetic narrative the chapter 53 in the Old Testament book of Isaiah.  This prophecy was written some seven hundred years before Christ, yet the description is awesome in its detail of Christ offering Himself for the transgression and iniquities of mankind.  Stay tune for our second program on Isaiah 53 on today’s life study of the Bible.

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Psalms (Program #41) – The Expressions of the Saints Before Jehovah in Different Directions and Final Prayers of David

As we had been carefully considering the book of Psalms for these past 40 programs it has become very clear that the Psalms are difficult to categorize.  Though they are all poetic, and most often lofty in their language. The thoughts and sentiment expressed are widely varied. At times they express the most common of human concepts, at other times they touched the height of God’s divine thought and frequently they revealed Christ in type, in shadow, and in prophecy with striking details and clarity. But at the end what we find are not dramatic revelations or high points but rather the earnest and heart felt prayers of men who bored once striking characteristics and that was their nearness and closeness to God and their deep love and care for the things of God.

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Psalms (Program #35) – The Earth Turning to the Lord Through Zion

For all their beautiful and poetic expressions, the Psalms in great details and richness reveal Christ in many aspects.  At time, He is revealed in prophetic passages but at other times, Christ is directly spoken of by the Psalmists.  Take for example, the passages in Psalms 102, verses 25-27 “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You endure; Indeed all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them, And they will be changed….. ”  Well, apparently these are the words of the Psalmists in His affliction as He pours out His heart and anguish directly to God concerning the devastation of God’s house and God’s city.  But is this passage is quoted in Hebrews concerning Christ, we have to conclude that the Psalmist’s speaking in this Psalms is really his revelation of Christ Himself.  What is this realization opens to us in our life study of this marvelous book?

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Psalms (Program #26) –  Christ as the Center of God’s Move on the Earth

Did you know that the book of Psalms actually contains 150 different Psalms in all?  So many poetic and prophetic utterances.  Of course, as we have seen, some of these Psalms have a very high and profound content expressing the divine thought revealing Christ in brilliant detail.  Others are not so high.  In fact some are very low in the thought that they convey.  Bit by bit as we read and study this book, we can learn to cultivate a taste for the high peaks contain in the Psalms.  Perhaps the highest peak of all in the divine revelation of Christ in the book of Psalms is found in Psalms 68.  This oft quoted Psalm actually begins with a quotation of its own.  David the Psalmist quotes Moses from Numbers chapter 10 “as he sets out with the completed tabernacle to lead the children of Israel away from Sinai and ultimately into the good land of Canaan with the ultimate destination being Zion in the midst of Jerusalem and the cloud of Jehovah was over them by day when they set out from the camp”,  Moses writes in Numbers 10.  “And when the Ark set out, Moses said, Rise up, O Jehovah, and let Your enemies be scattered; And let those who hate You flee before You.”

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James (Program #1) – Introduction and Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (1)

One of last books to be added to the canon of the New Testament was the Epistle of James. Throughout the centuries, believers have had very different attitudes towards this book. Some believers treasure it to the uttermost, granting it a status of being among the very top books in the bible. Others, drawing a comparison between James and Proverbs, may feel that it would better fit in the Old Testament. While some have question whether it belongs in the Bible at all. Why would such a book give rise to these varied opinions? The message of the book is very clear and straightforward. The language is lovely even poetic in places. And the author had great creditability because scholars agreed that this was the James that was the Lord Jesus’ flesh brother and he was also the leading elder in the first church, the Church in Jerusalem.  We believe that the life study we begin today will give us a very solid answer to this intriguing question.

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