Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Month: August 2013

Computer Christianity

By

On August 16, 2013

In Christian, HackFormers, Reuben, Tech Talk Christianity

As I was teaching our beloved 7 year old son, Reuben, to write a computer program, he was figuring out that by using the shortcuts such as Command+C to copy and Command+V to paste, he could hasten his development time. He then started asking me about other shortcuts and I told him the importance of Command+S to save his work and Command+X to cut a piece a code and when he made a mistake, he could use Command+Z to undo his mistake.

Suddenly, he experienced an epiphany and gleefully expressed with a twinkle in his eye, “Dada, dada, Command+S is what Jesus does – he saves, while Command+X is what the devil does – he cuts.” and I said “Yes, that is so true.” and then we digressed into thinking as to what Command+C (to copy) and Command+V (to paste) and Command+Z (to undo) could mean and Reuben said, “Jesus is the Copy of God – fully God and each time the devil tries to cut us down, he uses Command+Z to undo the work of the devil and uses Command+V to paste back what the devil tries to take away from us.”

Out of the mouth of babes, God perfects praise (Matthew 21:16).
All of these are Biblically sound and supported.
Command+X: The thief’s (devil’s) purpose is to steal and kill (cut) and destroy. (John 10:10, NLT)
Command+S: For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10, NLT)
Command+C: Jesus Christ is the visible image (copy) of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15, NLT)
Command+Z: He that doeth sin, is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. In this thing the Son of God (Jesus) appeared, that he undo the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8, WYC)
Command+V: Restore (paste) to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you. (Psalm 51:12, NLT)

Points to ponder:
Are your under the bondage of the devil who seeks to cut you down and take away the joy of your salvation? Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has come to seek you and me and save all those who are lost. He is the copy of the invisible God and he came to undo the works of the devil and restore to us the relationship that man once had with God, before he sinned.

Nahum 1:15 – Perform thy vows

By

On August 15, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

The promises that the people of Judah had vowed to the Lord, the Lord is asking them to perform through his prophet Nahum, for the Lord was going to completely uproot the Assyrian’s who likely hindered the worshipping practices of the people of Judah. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the word “vow” as a solemn promise, one by which a person is bound to an act, service or condition. It is synonymous to the words: pledge, oath and promise.

When we vow to the Lord, we must not be slack in keeping/performing it, for God does not have any pleasures in fools (Ecclesiastes 5:4). We find in Jephthah, the classic example of a man who hastily vowed to the Lord and that cost him his very own daughter (Judges 11:34).
Jesus said, let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’ for anything else that proceeds from your mouth is of the evil one (Matthew 5:37).

Points to ponder:
Don’t swear or make vows that you cannot be sure of fulfilling, but if you do or have done, “Perform thy vows” says the Lord, for there will be no one to hinder you. So when we vow to the Lord, let us be bound to the act of loving him with all our being, and to the service of reconciling man with God on the condition that we are God’s ambassadors. Let this be our pledge, our oath and our promise and let us perform it.

Nahum 1:15 (KJV)
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Ecclesiastes 5:4 (KJV)
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Matthew 5:37 (KJV)
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Nahum 1:15 – Keep thy solemn feasts

By

On August 14, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

When a pagan and vile nation that boasts in its own strength, blasphemes against God and afflicts you, the commanded practices of worshipping God gets hindered and this was the case with Judah as the Assyrians were oppressing them. In this midst of this affliction, the prophet Nahum counsels the people of Judah to keep their solemn feasts, which may seem absurd at first glance, since feasts are usually associated with rejoicing and victory, and not oppression and/or affliction. So why would God ask the people to do such a thing through his prophet? To understand this, we need to first know what the solemn feast is and why it was commanded? Deuteronomy 16:13-17 gives us the answer.

Deuteronomy 16:13-17 speaks of the feast of tabernacles that should be observed for seven days, and during this time, the people are commanded to rejoice. They are to keep this solemn feast in a place which the Lord shall choose, because the Lord God shall bless them in all their increase and works. Herein lies the answer – the solemn feasts are to be kept in a place which the Lord God shall choose, meaning that while the Assyrians and their vile king Sennacherib, thought that the land of Judah was their place to conquer, this land was chosen by God, for only in the land which the Lord God chooses, were the people commanded to keep their solemn feasts. Additionally, God would bless them in spite of their affliction which gives all the reason to rejoice and hence the prophet Nahum brings not just the message of comfort to God’s people, but a message of choosing – of God’s choosing.

Points to ponder:
We did not choose God first, but God chose us first and loved us (1 John 4:19). Many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). We are a chosen generation (1 Peter 2:9). A tabernacle is a place of sanctuary or temple and we are the temple (tabernacle) of the Holy Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 6:16). When we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God comes into our life to in dwell in us, God’s tabernacle, and that gives us all the reason to rejoice and keep the solemn feast, in spite of any affliction we may be facing or shall face. People of God, rejoice and keep your solemn feast for God has chosen you.

Nahum 1:15 (KJV)
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Deuteronomy 16:13-17 (KJV)
13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

Nahum 1:15 – Stepping into battle

By

On August 13, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

The title “Stepping into battle” may seems a little odd when referring to the first part of the fifteenth verse of the first chapter of Nahum, which reads “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah.” This verse speaks of the feet that brings good tidings and peace, then where is the question of battle and warfare? Before we delve into that, let us first recognize that this verse succeeds God’s assurance of comfort to the people of Judah from the Assyrians, for God promises to afflict them no more (Nahum 1:12). God’s comfort is possible only when the Comforter is present and the Holy Spirit of God is referred to as the Comforter by Jesus himself who will testify of Jesus (John 15:26) . True peace and good tidings comes only when Jesus comes into a person’s life. So this verse in essence is a messianic prophecy of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as not just as God’s messenger of peace but as God’s message of peace and the God of peace (Philippians 4:9). Prophet Isaiah refers to the same analogy to describe to coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 40:9). When Jesus was born, the angelic host (army) sang, peace on earth and good will (tidings) to all men (Luke 2:14).

Ever wonder why an army, that to, an army of angels, sing about peace. To publish peace in a world that is sinful and under the bondage of the evil vile one (2 Corinthians 4:4) is not just a struggle but a battle and it would take an army of warriors. This is why the armor of God, which ought to be donned for victory in spiritual warfare, lists as one of its elements, the shoes of peace that comes from the Good News (gospel of Jesus Christ) (Ephesians 6:15 – NLT).

Points to ponder:
When we take the gospel of peace to people who have not yet believed in Jesus, we can take comfort, that we are being, God’s feet that brings good tidings and publishes peace (Nahum 1:15).
When we put on the shoes of peace to proclaim the gospel of peace to a world that is lost without Jesus, we are in essence stepping into battle, but we can take comfort in the fact, that by doing so, we are following Jesus’ footsteps. Jesus said, “Do not think I have come to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34) meaning that when we take the gospel of peace to the lost, it will pierce their inner core as a sword would penetrate the soul and spirit, joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12) as we engage with spiritual warfare.

Nahum 1:15 (KJV)
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Isaiah 40:9 (KJV)
9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Luke 2:14 (KJV)
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Nahum 1:1-4 – Comfort and 3-strike Condemnation

By

On August 12, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

The prophecy of the Lord, that prophet Nahum brought, against Nineveh speaks of a wicked counsellor who was vile, whose yoke and bonds on the people of Judah, the Lord will break (Nahum 1:11-14). To the people of Judah, God sends a message of comfort that though the Assyrians were many, they shall be cut down and while he had allowed them to reprimand his people, he will afflict them no more (Nahum 1:12). The identity of this vile and wicked counsellor is not mentioned by name in the book of Nahum, but cross referencing other parts of the Scripture, unveils that the reference to the wicked counsellor and vile one is to Sennacherib, the king of Assyria who sent his aide Rabshakeh to rail and blaspheme God. The wicked counsel (2 Kings 18:20) that Sennacherib sent by word of Rabshakeh was that the people of God (Judah) should not heed to the voice of their king Hezekiah anymore for Hezekiah believed that God would deliver them. He also blasphemed God by asking the people to not trust in God to live, but instead surrender to him so that they may live (2 Kings 18:29-32). Hezekiah prayed to the Lord against such blasphemy and God’s prophet Isaiah assures Hezekiah that God will not forsake his people, but will fight for them and that Sennacherib will fall by the sword in his own land (2 Kings 19:7).

On one hand, God’s prophecy of comfort is promised to his people, but on the other hand, a personal prophecy of three strike condemnation is given against Sennacherib, the wicked and vile one, who reproached and blasphemed God.
First Strike – God says that there shall be no more of any new seed (children) of Sennacherib, meaning his name (lineage) shall continue no more (no longer be sown) (Nahum 1:14).
Second Strike – God says that the house of the vile one’s gods (deities) shall be cut (Nahum 1:14).
Third Strike – God says that he himself will make the grave of the vile one, meaning that God will orchestrate the events that will lead to the death of the vile one (Nahum 1:14). Interestingly vile is an anagram of evil.

Points to ponder:
The 3-strike condemnation is assured to the vile one. The destiny of the vile one would cease. The deities of the vile one would be cut. The death of the vile one would be caused.
But the promise of God’s comfort is given to those who are his people. Are you God’s?

Nahum 1:11-14 (KJV)
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor.
12 Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.

Nahum 1:9&10 – When God strikes, it is strikeout

By

On August 9, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

Nahum 1:9 suggests the state of how God’s enemies will be dealt with. The Assyrians were a wicked people who boasted in their military strength and oppressed the people of God (the people of Judah) and it is in this situation that prophet Nahum brings the message of hope, the God will fight for his people. The people who hate God and oppress God’s people may plan and imagine things against the Lord, but this only makes him laugh (Psalms 2:1-4). God will make an utter end of his enemies and when he strikes, it is strikeout, for affliction shall not rise a second time (Nahum 1:9). Nineveh (Assyrian capital) is no where to be found today, making it impossible for it to rise again, which is a testament to God’s faithfulness in the fulfillment of his prophecies. Though the enemies are like a thorny curse (Genesis 3:17-18), their mental state shall be a state of instability like a drunkard (Nahum 1:10) and they shall be devoured by the fire (Nahum 3:15) of God’s wrath as stubble fully dry (Nahum 1:10).

Points to ponder:
When you are persecuted for belonging to God and ridiculed for bearing the Name of Jesus Christ, take solace in the fact, that it is God who will fight your battles. God does not need us to defend him against those who bully us for his name sake. He finds these bullies (just like the Assyrian king and army was) to be jokers who make him laugh. All we ought to be is be still and know that he is God for he will be exalted among the heathen and the whole earth (Psalm 46:10). He can fight for himself and will fight for us, his people, and when God strikes, it is strikeout – affliction shall not rise a second time.

Nahum 1:9-10 (KJV)
9 What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

Psalm 2:1-4 (KJV)
1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Psalm 46:10 (KJV)
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Nahum 1:7 – The Good Lord is a strong hold and he knows

By

On August 7, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

Nahum 1:7 reads, “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

Many times, in Psalm 136, we are counseled to give thanks to the LORD for he is good (Psalm 136:1-26). Jesus said, that he is the good Shepherd and he knows his sheep (John 10:14). Sheep trust their Shepherd to keep them safe, secure and satisfied for the good Shepherd leads his sheep by still (peaceful) waters and green (productive) pastures. Sheep that wander away are lost but the good Shepherd comes seeking for the lost (Luke 15:4-7). Many a times, like sheep, we wander away from the presence of God and get lost, but because the Lord is good, and he knows who are his (2 Timothy 2:19), he instructs sinners (us) in his ways (Psalm 25:8). Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness (2 Timothy 2:19).

God is a strong hold – he is a strong foundation and his solid foundation stands firm (2 Timothy 2:19). He holds on strongly to those who trust in him amidst the tempestuous storms of troubles, that buffet against their lives. Because God is the stronghold in the times of troubles, the Lord is the Salvation to the righteous (Psalm 37:39), who trust in him and who believe in his name. When the shepherd boy David faced the giant Goliath, he went forth holding on to the name of the Lord (1 Samuel 17:45) and God held on to him as he faced the giant, giving him victory, which in human minds seemed implausible and impossible.

Points to ponder:
Jesus is the good Shepherd coming in search of you and me. Only in him, can we be safe, secure and satisfied. We who confess his name, must turn away from wickedness and hold on strongly to him. He will never leave us nor forsake us and he will hold on to us strongly, and is therefore our Salvation, no matter how gigantic our troubles may be.
O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), bless is the man who trusteth in God, for God knows them that trust in him. Does God know you?

Nahum 1:7 (KJV)
7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

2 Timothy 2:19 (KJV)
19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.“

Psalm 34:8 (KJV)
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Nahum 1:6 – Who can stand (before God)?

By

On August 6, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

Nahum 1:6 has two questions, which are Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? and it describes how God’s fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

Malachi 3:2 asks the same questions in the context of who can stand before God when he appears, and it goes on to tell us that he is a refiner’s fire. The indignation of the Lord is on sin and not the sinner and all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and unless the sanctifying Holy Spirit is poured into us as a purifying (refining) fire, we cannot stand before the Holy God.

God’s fury is poured out like fire, implying that it is a consuming fire which will devour all those who are wicked. The Assyrians were a wicked and proud nation and God was not willing to be stand still when Judah (God’s people) was oppressed, for he is a jealous God (Hebrew 12:29; Deuteronomy 9:3; Deuteronomy 4:24). Prophet Nahum brings the word of the Lord that Nineveh (Assyria’s capital) will burn as fire devours the bars (of the gates) (Nahum 3:13) just as God’s fury was poured out, as fire, upon the two wicked cities, Sodom and Gommorah, that were wicked and evil (Genesis 19:24). The rocks are thrown down by God is also transliterated as the rocks rent asunder which is what happened when God passed by the mountain on which his prophet servant Elijah was asked to stand (1 Kings 19:11). At the presence of the Lord, mountains are rent asunder and his word is like a hammer that breaks forth the rocks (Jeremiah 23:29).

Points to ponder:
As God passes by our mountainous issues and problems of life, they simply are broken and rent asunder. When his word comes to us like a hammer, anything that is hard against us is broken down as rocks hit by a hammer. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of God, who purifies and refines us. Who can stand before God’s indignation? Who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? No one unless they have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit refining fire of God and made upright by believing in Jesus Christ. Can you stand before God?

Nahum 1:6 (KJV)
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

Nahum 1:5 – The fiery God

By

On August 5, 2013

In Christian, Nahum, Through the Bible

The latter part of Nahum 1:5 reads “and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.” The direct reference to the earth burning at the presence of the Lord is the reference to mount Sinai which was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly (Exodus 19:18).

Additionally, we can see in other parts of the scripture, that where God is, there is fire. God was present in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2). God was present in the pillar of fire (Exodus 14:19; Numbers 9:14-15), giving light in the darkness (Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16), and guiding his people by going in front of them (Numbers 9:17-23, Deuteronomy 9:3). The Bible teaches us that the Lord is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). He is a consuming fire in the context of his passionate jealousy that burns against those who follow after false and other gods (Deuteronomy 4:24). The LORD’s fire fell and consumed the acceptable sacrifice of his servant Elijah on mount Carmel, to show to all, that the LORD God was the living God (1 Kings 18:38). And when all the people saw this, they fell on their faces and proclaimed that the LORD God is God (1 Kings 18:39). Ezekiel in his vision see the fire infolding himself before God’s voice is heard (Ezekiel 1:4). The Son of God was seen in the midst of the fire when Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace (Daniel3:25). John the Baptist said that Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11) and on the day of the Pentacost, before the Holy Spirit came in to dwell in the disciples, there was seen on the disciples cloven tongues like as of fire (Acts 2:3-4). The two men on the road to Emmaus felt the presence of God as a sensation of “burning hearts” within themselves (Luke 24:32).

The earth burned (Exodus 19:18) and the Bible teaches us that it will burn again in the day of the Lord when he comes like a thief (2 Peter 3:10) to steal those who believe in him from the clutches of the evil one and this world where he has dominion (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Points to ponder:
Where God is, there is fire. When we believe in Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit of God to indwell in us, he sanctifies us by purifying us by the blood of Jesus. As fire consumes the dross from the silver, refining it, God the Holy Spirit burns up any unrighteousness (Psalm 66:10; Proverbs 17:3) as He is the the agent of our sanctification. The Lord is a passionate and purifying fire. Before the world burns and all its elements are laid bare (2 Peter 3:10), let us believe in Jesus, the fiery God, so that we can have the fiery presence of the Holy Spirit in our life to purify and perfect us. The earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein and we shall be burned as well, unless we have the burning Holy Spirit within our heart for God is a fiery God! Do you have the fire of God in you?

Nahum 1:5 (KJV)
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

2 Peter 3:10 (KJV)
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Matthew 3:11 (KJV)
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Page 2 of 2

Previous

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén