Sunday, March 29, 2015

THE ROCK OF SALVATION

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 23-24

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

 

This is En Gedi where David hid from Saul among the rocks and in the caves.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: 1 Samuel 23:14b, 23:26, 24:12

Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand…Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them…”Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.”

Under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, David wrote Psalm 22. We might want to read that Psalm today. Hiding amongst the rocks and in the caves gave David lots of time to pray and compose songs which reflect his experience in God. Notice in today’s reading the similarities to Psalm 22, the Psalm of the Cross. One thousand years before the crucifixion of Jesus, at a time when crucifixion as a method of execution was unknown, David described the event in considerable detail.
David had many hiding places, and he knew that his true stronghold was in God. Psalm 18:2a tells us, “The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer.” Like David, we know that we are not saved because we are clever or strong. We are saved from death itself because God has acted on our behalf. David was protected. Jesus was not protected. David lived, and we live, because Jesus was captured, beaten severely, and killed. Jesus is our Stronghold, our “Rock of escaping” (23:28). Let us run into Him for safety.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, You revealed to David an amazing knowledge of Your suffering and death by crucifixion. I pray that as I wait before You today, You will reveal Yourself to me. May I, by the work of Your Spirit, identify so closely with Your sufferings that I can say with Paul, “I am crucified with Christ,” and “Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

It’s Palm Sunday. This is the beginning of Holy Week. Passover was about to be celebrated. At their last meal together, only three of the four cups of wine which normally accompany the meal were served. Jesus prayed in the garden, “If it be Your will, let this cup pass from Me, nevertheless not My will but Your will be done.” That fourth cup was received by Jesus as He hung on the Cross. In John 19:29 we read, “Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” “Hyssop” was used at the first passover in Egypt to put the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the lintels and door posts. At the very start of Jesus’ public ministry three years earlier, John the Baptist declared that Jesus is “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). I’ll attach a hymn in my P.S. so that all of us can worship “The Lamb.” I just read Revelation 5:9-14.

Yours for a constant confidence that we are in a secure hiding place in Christ, where no enemy can draw us from that ultimate safety,

David

P.S. Norma-Jean found this song by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.  She was deeply touched by the Holy Spirit as she joined them in worship. I was also moved deeply (click here for “Worthy is the Lamb”).

The view from the Garden Tomb area towards what many believe to be Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, where Jesus was crucified. This is the north side of the ancient quarry dug into Mount Moriah, the same mountain where Abraham, about to offer Isaac, was told, “God will provide a sacrifice.”  Stones were taken from here to build the Temple. A Muslim graveyard is on top of the hill.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

9 thoughts on “Sunday, March 29, 2015

  1. Wow I have learnt a lot today . I had know idea about the hyssop . The Lord has tied everything together, there is a meaning to everything . I love Revelation 5: 9-14. WORTHY IS THE LAMB.

  2. As we begin this Holy week may we never get so lost in the smallness of our lives that we forget the truth how easy it is to find Jesus in the vastness of God’s heart. He is right there- Amen.

  3. Thank you for the cross Lord
    Thank you for the price You paid
    Bearing all my sin and shame
    In love You came and gave amazing grace

    Thank you for this love Lord
    Thank you for the nail pierced hands
    Washed me in Your cleansing flow
    Now all I know Your forgiveness and embrace

    Worthy is the Lamb
    Seated on the throne
    Crown You now with many crowns
    You reign victorious

    High and lifted up
    Jesus, Son of God
    The Darling of Heaven crucified
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb

    Thank you for the cross Lord
    Thank you for the price You paid
    Bearing all my sin and shame
    In love You came and gave amazing grace

    Thank you for this love Lord
    Thank you for the nail pierced hands
    Washed me in Your cleansing flow
    Now all I know Your forgiveness and embrace

    Worthy is the Lamb
    Seated on the throne
    Crown You now with many crowns
    You reign victorious

    High and lifted up
    Jesus, Son of God
    The Darling of Heaven crucified
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb

    Worthy is the Lamb
    Seated on the throne
    Crown You now with many crown
    You reign victorious

    High and lifted up
    Jesus, Son of God
    The Darling of Heaven crucified
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb

    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb
    Worthy is the Lamb

    So worthy, so worthy
    So worthy Lord
    So worthy Lord
    We’re praising the Lord
    So worthy Lord
    We’ll worship You
    [Incomprehensible]
    My heart and my soul
    Will sing for joy to [Incomprehensible]
    [Incomprehensible]
    To You, to You oh, Lord

  4. WOW!

    I never made the connection before between the sour wine offered on the hyssop and the fourth cup of the Passover Supper.

    I was told recently that Hosanna can be translated as “Save us please”. I believe that this also makes sense given the Roman domination of the times?

    Shalom,
    Graham.
    2012 Holy Land Yellow Bus.

  5. That is something I did not know…about the fourth cup, and the sour wine and the hyssop with which it was placed to Jesus’ mouth, and its relation to the hyssop used to place the blood over the doors at the Passover.

    Was too was moved singing “Worthy is the LAMB” with the DVD you proved. Thank to you and to Norma-Jean for sharing.

  6. Hello All,
    Funeral services were held today for our dear Carole Pony Meunier. The celebration of her life was extraordinary. She touched some many people. The three songs were Oh Happy Day, Amazing Grace (in French) and I’ll fly away. She loved Footprints (poem) and a tribute video of Footprints was shown. Her son did a beautiful tribute to his mother.

    All I can say is thank you Lord for loaning Carole to us. She left behind a lot of footprints for us.

    Please continue to hold her son Richard and his wife Alyson(whose baby, Carole’s first grandson is due on Easter Sunday) her daughter Roxanne(who says she is an atheist) her husband Ray and her sister Ginette in prayer. Carole was praying for the salvation of all these. Let us all take up the mantle and continue the prayers for salvation on behalf of Carole.

    May God richly bless you all. I can say that you all were a blessing to her.

    • Thank you, Rose. We will be praying for Carole’s family. She will be sorely missed on our blog. Sadly, we never had the chance to meet, though were expecting to….. one day, in heaven. God bless you, Rose, and thank you for taking care such good care of her.

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