Milk or Meat
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 24 – 28 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – John 1 – 2; Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:1 – 4
Read the “0804 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little: … 13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.” (Isaiah 28:9-10, 13)
“2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able.”(1 Corinthians 3:2)
“12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.” (Hebrews 5:12-13)
Here in Isaiah 28, the illustration of milk is used to describe someone who is immature in his spiritual understanding. Isaiah explains that spiritual growth can only come to those who have been “weaned from the milk.” Notice also the references in 1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 5 above. Both passages affirm that spiritual growth must take place if we are to be able to discern the deeper spiritual truths. The bottom line is that just as a child needs to move past milk and baby food if he is going to mature physically, the new believer must also continue developing his spiritual tastes and diet so that he will be able to comprehend and put into practice the more spiritually demanding passages and principles from the Bible. As our spiritual diet grows, so also will our discernment and usefulness for the Lord’s work. Spiritual growth is dependent upon our understanding of Bible doctrine.
Now it important for us to remember that milk is very important for those who are new believers in Christ. Just as it is silly to feed a baby a steak, it is also unwise to expect a new believer to grasp biblical principles that are difficult even for those of us who have been saved and growing for decades. Spiritual babes need milk. They need to know the basics. A good discipleship program would be very helpful at this stage of their spiritual growth.
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” (1 Peter 2:2)
Newborn believers must be taught the basic, foundational principles of Christianity; but if spiritual growth and maturity are going to come, there will need to be a moving past those foundational truths to a more “meaty” doctrinal diet.
“1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit.” (Hebrews 6:1-3)
“18 But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
A House Divided
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 19 – 23 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 23 – 24; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read the “0803 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Isaiah 19:2)
“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25)
As we read through this portion of the Book of Isaiah, we see that God is pronouncing judgment on all of the nations that have been enemies to God and His people, Israel. In chapter 19, we see that God is dealing specifically with the Egyptians. The Egyptians had been an enemy to the people of God throughout much of their history. Perhaps, they were not as bad as some; yet, still God states here that some judgment is coming.
My thought for this morning surrounds verse 2 of chapter 19. Part of the judgment that was going to come to Egypt was a battle from within its own borders; a fight among its own inhabitants; a civil war. Our nation faced this same type of conflict 150 years ago. It was perhaps the ugliest battle America would ever face: neighbor against neighbor; brother against brother. We found that it was impossible for the nation to move forward until its inner struggle was settled.
I have noticed that we oftentimes face a similar type of judgment in our families and in our churches: a division on the inside; a battle, not with an invading army, but with an injured brother. When a church moves away from fighting the external battle against the world and the devil, it then begins to fight amongst itself. It seems that by nature we are fighters, and to some degree we ought to be. We ought to fight against the sin and the darkness of this world, we ought to hate the devil, and we ought to be striving together in order to bring the gospel to the people around us. Oftentimes we forget who the real enemy is and we take up arms against each other. Satan is very wise and understands that if he can get us to destroy each other, he won’t have to destroy us himself.
We see that this problem is also prevalent inside the home. Parents are not always in one accord, but are often at odds with one another. They fight about finances, about child-rearing, and about a lot of other things. All of this division is rooted in pride, with each individual insisting on getting his and her own way. Shame on us.
The cure for this problem is simply to recognize the battle is not within, but without. When we get busy fighting for the Lord, we will not have time nor desire to fight each other.
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Do You Need an “I” Exam?
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 14 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 21 – 22; Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
Read the “0802 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I willascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” – (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Five times in this passage, we see Lucifer (Satan) using the phrase “I will”. Did you ever notice how much we use the word “I”. We, like Satan, are full of ourselves. Satan fell because of his pride, and most of us have the same problem. We would never admit it, but we are really the “god” of our own lives. We worship ourselves, and though we won’t admit it, we are really not much different than Satan when it comes to pride. It is natural to exalt ourselves, and it is very diffficult to be humble; but humility is required for us to surrender to Christ. In order to be saved, we need to humble ourselves, and in order to live the spirit-filled life, we must continually abase ourselves and lift up Christ. Easier said than done.
Lately, we have been bombarded with news of great men who have fallen into sin. It both grieves me, and scares me because I know that it could be me. I am sure, however, that pride is a root factor in all of these moral failures that we are hearing about. I think if we were to be able to examine each individual case carefully in retrospect, we would be able to recognize a pattern of pride. A Biblical example of someone falling due to pride is what happened to King Saul. He was at one time “little in his own eyes”, but God elevated him in the eyes of men. He enjoyed the praise and respect of men, and began to believe all of the nice things that people were saying about him, and all of the attention that he was getting. Somewhere along the line, he probably started to think that he somehow deserved the credit that he was getting. He gradually began to steal a little of the glory that rightly belonged only to God. He then started to operate independently of God, doing his own thing instead of obeying what God commanded. He also became threatened and insecure when anybody else received any praise. Eventually, he fell.
David fell also. He became too important to fight with the rest of his army, so he stayed home. He saw a woman that belonged to another man, but because he was the king, he felt that he was entitled to take her. He then tried to cover up his sin with the murder of her husband, and he was sure that he would get away with it. After all, he was a big and powerful man. Who would dare question King David? He though that he could do whatever he wanted. He wasn’t under any authority, not even God. What a shame.
Unfortunately, we see this all too often in the ministry, as well. As God begins to allow us to see some success in our ministries, we must remember that it is He that worked through us. We have no right to think that we are deserving of praise. To God be all the glory. Watch out for pride. Stay “little” in your own eyes, and don’t allow people to exalt you. Deflect all praise to the Lord for He alone is worthy.
“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” – (Psalm 34:3)
“For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” – (Luke 14:11)
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” – (Proverbs 16:18)
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
The Saturday Morning Post – Jesus Is Coming Soon
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 9 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 19 – 20; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Read the “0801 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Good morning. A black gospel blues singer, named Blind Willie Johnson, wrote a song called Jesus Is Coming Soon…
[Chorus: Blind Willie Johnson & Willie B. Harris]
Well, we done told you, God’s done warned you
Jesus coming soon
We done told you, God’s done warned you
Jesus coming soon
In the year of 19 and 18, God sent a mighty disease
It killed many a-thousand, on land and on the seas
Great disease was mighty and the people were sick everywhere
It was an epidemic, it floated through the air
Soldiers died on the battlefield, died in the camps too
Well, the captain said to the lieutenant, “I don’t know what to do.”
Well, God is warning the nation, He’s a’warning them every way
To turn away from the evil and seek the Lord and pray
Well, the nobles said to the people, “You better close your public schools.”
“Until the events of death has ended, you better close your churches too.”
Read the Book of Zechariah, Bible plainly say
Thousands of people, they did die, on account of their wicked ways
We done told you, our God’s done warned you
Jesus coming soon
We done told you, our God’s done warned you
Jesus coming soon
This song was about the Influenza Pandemic 0f 1918. It was estimated that 500 million people were infected with the flu virus world wide. There is also an estimated 50 million deaths of which 675,000 died in the United States. Compared to only 20 million, world wide, who died in World War One.
Today. in 2026 we are faced with another pandemic: Covid 19 is still floating through the air. Seventeen point three million cases world wide of which 10.2 million recovered, and 674,000 died. And more have died since 2020. Is this enough to say Jesus is coming soon? Yet the Supreme Court was going against the Constitutional rights of the churches to assemble. They’ve removed the 10 Commandments from all government buildings. They made it legal to kill babies. The World is embracing God-less Socialism. Jesus is coming soon. After the rapture; after the 7 year tribulation period; during the Millennial Kingdom and after, He will put all things in order, creating a new perfect world.
Jesus is coming soon.
Are you ready?
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
Who Turned Out the Light?
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 9 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 19 – 20; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “0801 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)
The verse of Scripture referenced above deals with the birth of Christ. When Christ was born on the earth, he poked a huge hole in the darkness of a world that had been without light for a long time. Christ is light, and light equals righteousness and holiness, and it is also synonymous with spiritual understanding. The Bible says of God:
“Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:” (Psalm 104:2)
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Light is not something that God has or something that God can produce; it is what He is. Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of this light on the Mount of Transfiguration. John saw it again when he was on the Isle of Patmos and given the Revelation. Paul saw this light on the road to Damascus when the Lord gloriously saved him. All of these examples were actual physical manifestations of the light of God. However, when He came, He revealed to the world more than just physical light: he delivered to the world a spiritual brightness that many had seen and received; and many more continue to receive to this day.
My thought for the day is: if Christ came and delivered this light to us 2000 years ago, and many millions have received this light from Him via the Holy Spirit; then why is this world still very dark. Jesus told us to shine the light to the dark world around us:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
You would think with all of the millions of lights out there that should be shining, the world would be pretty bright; yet it continues to dwell in darkness. Why? Because God’s people are not allowing the light of Christ to radiate and reflect through them to the world around them. They are covering their candles with a bushel instead of elevating it on a candlestick. Three thoughts regarding the failure of the Christian to shine the light of Christ:
1 We fail to shine the light when we fail to separate from the darkness. Instead of increasing our light, we often participate in things that are very dark: things that are inconsistent with light. Light repels darkness; they cannot dwell together. So in order for the Christian to dwell in darkness, He has to douse His light. He has to quench the Spirit of God that dwells within Him.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)
By the way, unfortunately, the verse above oftentimes applies to the Christian as well as to the world.
2 We fail to shine the light when we fail to saturate ourselves in the light of the Word of God.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130)
3 We fail to shine the light when we shield the light from reaching those around us. This has more to do with fear than anything else. We have the light, and we desire to shine it; but we are so intimidated by the world around us that we conceal it. It is time that we decide to take a stand, and decide once and for all whose side we are on. We belong to God. We owe this world nothing but the light of Christ. Get out of the way, and let His light shine through you.
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” (Philippians 2:15)
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
What Could Have Been Done More?
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 5 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 17 – 18; Psalms 146 – 150; Proverbs 31)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read the “0731 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? … For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.” (Isaiah 5:4, 7)
Our church has a lot of property, most of which is undeveloped. Many years ago now, a couple from our church asked if they could use a small patch of that land to plant a community garden. At first I was a little hesitant, but I agreed to let these folks plant their little garden as long as it didn’t cost the church too much money, and as long as it didn’t require any extra work from me. I had to admit, I was fascinated watching the whole process, from the cultivation of the ground to the actual planting. In the years we had that garden, we actually reaped quite a bit of vegetables. Personally, I was a big fan of the little cherry tomatoes and so was my grandson, Jaxon. Whenever he was at the church, we always walked back to the garden to eat a few. One day, I was out in the garden with one of the men and he noticed a rather large green caterpillar on one of the tomato plants, very similar to the one pictured above. After careful inspection, he discovered another one on another plant. If left unchecked these pests would have completely consumed all of the plant and our little garden would have been ruined.
In our text today, we read about God’s vineyard, the Nation of Israel. God found his vineyard in ruins, and He asked the question: “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” That is a good question. What more could God have done? He gave them everything that they needed to thrive as a nation, and for a while, they did just that; but eventually sin, like those nasty caterpillars, crept in and destroyed the vineyard.
Though this passage is written for and about Israel, I believe that there are some great principles here that we can apply today. I believe applications can be made to our individual Christian lives and also to our families, and even to the local churches. Each one of these areas are a type of vineyard that belongs to the Lord. What can we do with all that God has given us in order to thrive and produce the fruit that God wants to produce through us?
1 We must use good seed. God has given us the Word of God. Why would we want to use the corruptible seed of man’s philosophies. Years ago, I made the decision that my life was going to be established with and directed by the Bible.
2 We must weed. Weeds and pests will overtake the gardens of our lives if we allow them to. In our Christian walk, many distraction can creep in, along with sinful things and false doctrines that will steal all of our energy and redirect our focus so that we cannot produce healthy fruit.
3 We must feed. Good nutrients and plenty of water will cause a garden to thrive. As Christians, we must feed daily on the Word of God, and in our churches, we must make sure that we are providing plenyt of opportunities for church members to come and dine on a healthy diet of Bible doctrine.
If God’s vineyard fails today, it will not be His fault. He has given us all that we need to thrive and produce abundant, healthy fruit.
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Come Now, and Let Us Reason Together
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 15 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 30)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read the “0730 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 1:18-20)
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” (1 John 2:12)
The hymn writer James Nicholson wrote:
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
It is such a blessing to know that your sins are forgiven. The passage in Isaiah was written to the southern kingdom of Judah sometime during the life of the prophet who prophesied during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1), from approximately 740 BC to 680 BC. Isaiah was warning Judah about the consequences that would surely come to them, as it did to the northern kingdom, if they did not repent and turn back to God. He promises them if they “be willing and obedient” God will forgive them and prosper them once again as a nation.
Though these verses were written to the people of Judah corporately, we often apply them individually to believers today. God forgives us if we repent of our sin and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Forgiveness is only possible through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The wrath that we deserved was poured out upon Him. However, God goes beyond just forgiving us: He forgets our sins as well. To forgive is one thing, but to forget is another level entirely. The phrase “blotteth out” (Isaiah 43:25) has the idea that the record of our sin has been completely expunged (removed).
Now let’s try to apply this wonderful attribute of God to our own relationships. We are supposed to be like God, aren’t we? If we are saved, we are being conformed to the image of Christ and we have God on the inside of us transforming us to be like Him. If all that be true, then we should be able to forget like God forgets. We say that we forgive someone who has wronged us, but we often replay mentally (or re-tell verbally) the act that was committed against us. In other words, the act has not been blotted out completely in our minds. We store the thing that was forgiven in a special compartment where we can retrieve it again in case we need it. We often pull it back out when a new violation is committed. We are keeping score in our minds. God does not do this. He removes the record altogether. Real forgiveness will lead us to blot out the act altogether; not that their will be no consciousness of the act; but it will not be allowed to be dredged back up again for some future judgment against the offender.
I have one more thought. God not only forgives sin and erases the record, but He also refuses to record any future violations. It is like getting a completely free pass from the penalty of your sins. Don’t believe me?
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” – (Romans 4:5-8)
Oh that we could be more like Him: forgiving, forgetting, and even determining that we will not hold against someone any future acts committed against us. We like to be the receiver of such treatment, but we struggle to treat others in this manner.
God, help us to be more like you. Help us to love people like you do. Help us to truly accept the forgiveness that you offer us, and then help us to return the favor to someone else.
Perhaps as you are reading this, God has put someone in your mind that you are harboring unforgiveness toward. Why not determine to take that person out of your heart’s prison by giving them the forgiveness that God has given you. It is reasonable for us who are forgiven to treat others as God has treated us.
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – (Ephesians 4:32)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Without Spot
Today’s Passage – Song of Solomon 5 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 13 – 14; Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 29)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1
Read the “0729 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!” – (Song of Solomon 7:6)
“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2)
“That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27)
The Song of Solomon is a beautiful song written through the pen of Solomon. On the surface it would seem that this song represents a dialogue between Solomon and his wife; but considering he had 1000 wives and concubines, we would certainly be left wondering which wife this song refers to. This song then must go much deeper than any earthly relationship. I believe that the intimate relationship so beautifully detailed here is the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church. Keeping that in mind, consider the little phrase in chapter 4 where the bridegroom says of the bride, there is no spot in thee. This is an amazing statement, because in reality there certainly are many flaws in any person; but the amazing thing is that this Man sees no flaw at all in His bride.
When I think about the unconditional love that Christ has for His Church (the Bride), and me in particular, I am blown away. How can he possibly love me? When I think about how spotted and flawed I am, I recognize my complete and total unworthiness. The only thing that I deserve is judgment: yet He loves me; and more than that: He does not see any flaw in me at all. Mind boggling! I guess that is what Romans 3:22 meant when it said that believers receive the righteousness of God. He sees me as completely righteous; flawless. Amazing!
God has given me two practical thoughts while I contemplated this passage:
1 Do I appreciate Him – I know I am totally undeserving, yet He treats as if I am. This should cause me to live my life in surrender to whatever He wants from me. This should completely humble me. The Bible tells us that the love of Christ constrains us. I have often thought that was speaking about our love for Him, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it is His love for us that constrains us.
2 Do I appreciate others – If I am undeserving, yet accepted unconditionally; why then do I have such a hard time unconditionally accepting others, especially those that are a part of His bride as I am? Why do I see everyone else’s flaws. Should not I try to see others as Christ sees me?
Posted in Thoughts from Song of Solomon by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
A Wonderful Story of Love
Today’s Passage – Song of Solomon 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 28)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10
Read the “0728 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” – (Song of Songs 2:4)
I must confess that I would rather write about a subject this morning that I have a better understanding of. The Song of Solomon is a wonderful account of love and marriage, but I really do not comprehend all that is contained in this beautiful story. I know that there is a literal, earthly story here about the love between a husband and a wife. It is clear from the passage that Solomon is the husband; but trying to figure out the identity of the wife with certainty is rather difficult as we know that Solomon had 700 of them (and 300 additional concubines). It is thought by some that this beautiful woman is Abishag, the woman who ministered to Solomon’s father in the last days of his life. We know that she was a Shulamite woman (6:13). At any rate, she is obviously Solomon’s first wife, before he had sinned by marrying so many other women.
The broader implication of this book is that Solomon is a type or picture of the Lord Jesus Christ; and his bride is a picture of the Church. It was a strange thought for me when I first learned that I was part of the Bride of Christ. I guess the man in me rebels against the feminine identity; but as I have grown through the years I have learned to accept and even somewhat understand the meaning of it all. I do love my Lord Jesus. I want to grow and learn to love Him more, but in order to do so I must learn to love myself a lot less.
As I said in the beginning of this thought, I don’t understand all that this love story has to tell us; but I love the story nonetheless from both an earthly perspective, and from the spiritual picture that it represents.
Posted in Thoughts from Song of Solomon by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Sharpen Your Ax
Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 9 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 9 – 10; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17
Read the “0727 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” – (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
I have been enjoying this devotional reading of the Book of Ecclesiastes as there are so many nuggets of truth. I actually had a hard time deciding what to post this this morning. I had considered doing something on Ecclesiastes 9:11, or 10:1. A couple of years back, I wrote “The Bottom Line”, from chapter 12. The verse above, however, is one of the most helpful truths in the Bible for me. You see, I am not the sharpest ax in the shed, and I need to be sharpened constantly in order to do what God has called me to do.
Solomon says that if a man does not “whet the edge”, he will have to add a little strength in order to be able to accomplish the goal. Whetting (or sharpening) the edge allowed the blade to penetrate deeper into the wood with less strength. It helps accomplish the goal without as much effort. Solomon is using this illustration to teach us about life. At the end of the verse he says that wisdom is profitable to direct. Acquiring wisdom is like sharpening the axe or whetting the edge. It will help you do the job with less difficulty.
God has given us a lot of things to do in life. In order to accomplish the things that the Lord has for us, we will need to acquire some wisdom. Wisdom makes us more proficient and helps us to accomplish the tasks at hand. God says that He will give us the wisdom that we need if we simply ask for it in faith.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” – (James 1:5)
We can get God’s wisdom from the Word of God, through prayer, and from the counsel of those who are wise.
I do not think that God is minimizing or belittling the value of hard work, either. There are a lot of things that I find myself doing where I am perhaps not as wise as someone else. In these situations I will have to work a little harder than that person but I can still accomplish the goal. However, if I am going to be the best that I can be at all that God has given me to do, I will need to ask for wisdom. I need His wisdom to be a good husband and father. I need wisdom in order to pastor the people of God at the church. I need wisdom for every task that I perform, and so do you. Work hard, but if you want to get the most out of each swing, you will want to sharpen your axe.
Posted in Thoughts from Ecclesiastes by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.