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  Did David, the King of Israel and the Great Psalmist, ever think eschatologically? Psalm 11 seems to indicate that he did. Can you spot his eschatological statement? Psalm 11:1 【For the director of music. Of David.】 In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain. 2 For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. 3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" 4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. 5 The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. 6 On the wicked, he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. 7 For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face . If we personalize this short hymn, it becomes intimate. For when we hide i...

 IN the next 24hrs GOD Will Surprise You Financially. If you believe, type: YES. I saw this silliness in a Facebook feed just moments before my mission contacted me to tell me that my account is in the RED! I laughed out loud!  Those posts are made to help us see how ridiculous we are when we click on them or send an AMEN! I hope that you don't. So many somehow believe that God is a gene type that will spring from the bottle when we press our praying hands emoji together and send us just enough money to prove that he has everything under control.  Job was a just man that proved that Facebook can be wrong now and again. He did all things well and lost everything. He was left muttering and sputtering along with his cheesy friends for most of his epic poem book.  Life happens, and we don't know why God does much of what he does. A friend of ours is in stage four cancer, and everything seems to be going wrong. What is up what that? Another friend's little girl has been s...

We don't use the word Hell , do we? Maybe we should use it more. I believe that that was what Job saw happening in his life in chapter two of his story. He had lost his health, and you know that you don't have anything if you don't have health. So in chapter two, he lost all of his earthly possessions, including his family. And all of this happened because God called Satan's attention to his sound and faithful servant. Wait? What?  As mentioned in my last blog post, just because we are God's children does not mean we will not suffer total disaster in life. I know that you have read Job's tale of whoa and have talked about the friends who came to comfort /accuse him. Job could have avoided this whole episode if God had left him alone in his little corner of the world. The Devil hadn't found that corner in his wanderings.  You may remember that scholars believe that Job walked this terrestrial ball around the time that Abraham did.  He had no Bible nor even di...

Satan seemed to ask God a relevant question in Job 1 when he says, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?" Satan was saying that Job feared God because God was protecting everything. If Job didn't fear God, God would remove that hedge and all would come tumbling down. The word "hedge" used in Job 1:10 is used only once more in the Old Testament than in Hosea 2:6. In both places, it is used to describe a thorny and impenetrable wall.  In Brazil, you will often see what is called a "Cerca Viva" or Living Fence. You do NOT want to come close to that obstacle because it is loaded with inch-long thorns that will penetrate your flesh and then break off. The wound takes weeks to heal and leaves scars that last a lifetime. So, with this picture in mind, go back to Satan's words and let's try to understand more of what he was saying.  When Satan made his accusation of God's protec...

You have to approach an evil man who can have you killed on the spot. You don't know how the story ends. So, do you go?  It is easy to quarterback from the couch. It's easy to say, "of course I would go! God would protect me!" But, tell me, would you go into that situation?  Young Esther was exactly there when the throne room door opened. I imagine that there might have been a few moments of anguish as she waited for the sceptre to rise. And then it did!  Mysterious how God works. In that act, the king was doing God's will even though he didn't know it. That sceptre had to rise. It couldn't NOT rise. Yet Xerxes was unaware of the gravity of his act. It would be recorded in Holy writ. Yet, it was stunning, and it opened the door to dialogue. Yet, the talk would have to wait for another day because the real trap wasn't yet armed.  What frightful situation are you facing? What cards have to drop? What impossible meeting awaits you? First, recognize that y...

The fascinating account that we call "Esther" has intrigue, love and mysterious purpose that highlights God's sovereign control over every aspect. In ten chapters, we meet the ruling King of Persia, his evil courtier Haman, Mordecai, a dignified and stubborn Jew and his niece Hadassa. Each player has an integral part in the tale. That story goes like this.  The King has a magnificent party that goes on for six months! Finally, in his desire to show off his lovely wife, he calls for her to come dressed in her crown. She refuses, usually a crime punishable by death, and is banished from the castle. The flustered King asks his men what he should do, and they decide he should seek a new bride. The process takes months, but finally, Ester is chosen. Her new position will be a critical part of the happy ending of this story.  Enter the villain Haman, who hates Mordecai so much that he eventually plans to kill him. Before that evil deed, however, he hatches an even more cruel ac...

If you haven't questioned God, you are a rare soul. Yet, we are creatures dependent on a good God, and when the goodness runs out, we're tempted to ask why. It is normal and natural. In our ineptitude and weakness, we want to have some answers as to when we'll be out of our current mess.  Habakkuk was similar to us in this regard. He wanted answers to some difficult questions. So, abruptly he begins his narrative with four tough questions.  How long must I call for help, but you don't listen?  Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?  Why do you make me look at injustice?  Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? That is a pretty concise list of good questions that you might be tempted to ask God if you could get his attention! But, of course, you can get his attention. Just talk to him.  God comes back with straightforward answers that would strike fear into the bravest of hearts. The phrase in verse five is terrifying, "I am going to do something in y...