R.H. blog

I n Ecclesiastes chapter two, and, indeed, all throughout this book, the Preacher is searching for happiness and the meaning of life. His conclusion, that “all is vanity,” seems morbid, and has, unfortunately, repelled many Christian from a proper study of Ecclesiastes. As it turns out, a proper study of Ecclesiastes reveals the Preacher’s ultimate conclusion, which is considerably brighter. Observe some key phrases in Eccl. 2, as the Preacher “tests his heart with pleasure” and seeks to “gratify his flesh”—one predominant phrase is “I made myself…” and various forms thereof. The result of these “tests” is summarized in verses 10-11: “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit un

“T o Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy endures forever; and brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy endures forever; with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who divided the Red Sea in two, for His mercy endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for His mercy endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who struck down great kings, for His mercy endures forever; and slew famous kings, for His mercy endures forever—Sihon king of the Amorites, for His mercy endures forever; and Og king of Bashan, for His mercy endures forever—and gave their land as a heritage, for His mercy endures forever; a heritage to Israel His servant, for His mercy endures forever. Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever; and rescued us from our ene

“T o Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy endures forever; and brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy endures forever; with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who divided the Red Sea in two, for His mercy endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for His mercy endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who struck down great kings, for His mercy endures forever; and slew famous kings, for His mercy endures forever—Sihon king of the Amorites, for His mercy endures forever; and Og king of Bashan, for His mercy endures forever—and gave their land as a heritage, for His mercy endures forever; a heritage to Israel His servant, for His mercy endures forever. Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever; and rescued us from our e

P salm 101, “a psalm of David,” appears to be David’s vow to judge and guide Israel as king: but, upon closer examination, it is not difficult to see the relevance it bears upon the modern-day Christian. “I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart,” Ps. 101:2 (NKJV). In this verse, and indeed all throughout Psalm 101, David displays a great deal of confidence in his own moral perfection—but how can this be? David, of all people, knew that no human being is perfect, that we are all riddled with flaws and sins; therefore, what business has he to speak of moral perfection? To answer this question, we must go back over Psalm 101 and highlight a few key phrases. For example, observe in verse two what appears to be something of a non sequitur: “Oh, when will You come to me?” the psalmist cries out amid his moral resolutions. But that phrase directly provides the answer to our puzzlement. David recognizes, as ever

“F or the redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever—that he should continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit,”—Ps. 49:8-9, NKJV “A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish,”—Ps. 49:20, NKJV In Psalm 49, the psalmist reminds man of their mortality and the fact that, though they may amass great wealth and become prosperous on earth, they will eventually die and their prosperity will be left to others. The psalmist encourages us to consider our eternity and to remember that, though we may live our lives in honor and prosperity, neither our morality nor our wealth will save us from “the Pit.” “For the redemption of their souls is costly”—too costly for us to purchase. “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me,”—Ps. 49:15. Only God is able to redeem our souls, through Christ crucified. Men may attempt to redeem their own souls, through their own morality or by other ungodly means, o

“T he LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me, and I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.”—Psalm 18:20-24, NKJV In the above verses, the psalmist seems to be boasting of his own righteousness, and “the cleanness of his hands,” saying, essentially, that God delivered him because of his purity. But before we denounce this as pride, let’s take a look at Psalm 16:2, where David says: “O my soul, you have said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.’” This verse provides an extremely direct answer to the puzzlement over Ps. 18:20-24. If we combine all these verses, we are able to

“O h, that the Almighty would answer me, that my Prosecutor had written a book! Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and bind it on me like a crown; I would declare to Him the number of my steps; like a prince I would approach Him.”—Job 31:35-37, NKJV Again, Job illustrates the importance of Christ and the gospel in our lives, as he yearns for an intermediary between him and God. Prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God appeared to man in a harsher light. Rigorous laws were written, severe judgement was erected, and in general there was a sense of fear associated with God. This may seem strange to us, who are used to viewing God as our Heavenly Father and Jesus, His Son, as a gentle Friend. But before Christ came and gave us the gospel, God was more or less a mystery. The pervading theme of Job seems to be the frustration and misery of feeling cut off from God: time and time again, Job yearns to speak with God, to demand a trial before being condemned. The trut

I n Job chapter thirteen, Job places His trust in God in spite of his belief that God is afflicting him for no apparent reason: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him,” (Job 13:15, NKJV). But in verse 20-21, sets parameters for this trust, saying: “Only two things do not do to me, then I will not hide myself from You: withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not the dread of You make me afraid.” If we look at this from Job’s perspective, the great faith with which he was endowed becomes strikingly evident. Job believes that God is severely afflicting him without cause. He has expressed, in previous chapters, his terror of God and his utter confusion regarding his predicament. He believes God is the inflictor of his misery—but clings to Him as his only hope. Many modern Christians, when facing various trials, will become (unjustly) angry at God for allowing their suffering. Job essentially believed that God was not just allowing his suffering, but that He was causing it—for no

I n Nehemiah chapter thirteen, the temple of God is ill-used by wicked and negligent Israelites, and falls into disarray during the absence of Nehemiah. Among other things, the priest prepares a room in the temple for the wicked Tobiah, and the Levites are denied their portions. When Nehemiah returned, he wasted no time in setting things right: driving Tobiah out, cleansing the rooms, and returning to the Levites their portions and duties. What is the lesson that can be gleaned from this? Jesus Christ refers to Christians themselves as “the temple of God,” so this chapter can be directly applied to us. The Holy Spirit is our “Nehemiah”—getting us back on track and putting us back together when we fall back into our old nature. When we succumb to sin—which we all too often do—we are just like the Israelites, giving away the rooms of God’s temple to wickedness and neglecting the righteous duties assigned to us. But the Holy Spirit always rushes back at us with the guilt-inflicting

         I WAS INSPIRED TO WRITE AN article on the subject of love from a Biblical viewpoint some months ago, but waited until now for two reasons: one, because I was not, at the time, ready, and two, because the month of Valentine’s Day seemed appropriate for such a subject. At any rate, much thought and preparation has gone into this, and it is my ardent prayer that it will prove enlightening and beneficial to some, if not all, my readers. I have no doubt that it will, if indeed it is all from the Lord, for we know that His Word “does not return void.” Love is a wildly misunderstood concept. To the world, it is often synonymous with passion, desire, or sentiment. It is commonly accepted to be merely an emotion springing from the heart—the heart, which is “wicked and deceitful above all things,” according to Scripture. It is sad to think how the world takes a great and admirable thing like love, and entrusts it to the keeping of the most untrustworthy part of the human being

“N ow sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.” --2 Chronicles 29:5 (NKJV) “My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense.” --2 Chronicles 29:11 (NKJV) The Lord commands His servants to sanctify themselves, that He may build His house in them. He has purchased us with His blood, and expects us to “carry out the rubbish” from within us, that He may make us holy. “Do not be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him….” Do not shut up your doors or put out your lamps (2 Chron. 29:7), but be diligent in sanctifying yourselves (2 Chron. 29:34). God has prepared you for this, therefore follow Him and rejoice (2 Chron. 29:36).   I n 2 Chron. 32:31, God withdraws from Hezekiah, “in order to test him, that He might know all t