Today’s reading: Deut 4:1–49, 2 Cor 1:17–24, Ps 32:1–11

Today’s theme: Jesus, Gods Amen!

Today we learn about the importance of God’s word. It should not be treated lightly or changed to fit our own ideas. God confirms His word and actively brings it to pass. God most clearly and ultimately embodies this confirmation of His word and promises in God incarnate as Jesus Christ the God-Man, the Amen. Jesus is God’s agreement, seal of approval and confirmation.

Today is Good Friday the day we commemorate the finished work of Jesus on the cross. By the ultimate Passover blood Jesus shed, we have our guarantee or Amen from God.

Deuteronomy 4:1–49

Do not distort God’s word

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2 (ESV)

As Jesus states in Revelation 22:19  we are not to add to or take away from the word of God. Cults and heretics will always add some additional revelation to the word of God and take away from the divinity of Christ. We have seen this with the gnostic blasphemy of the Noah film (2014) and the Exodus film (2014). We are called to take God at His word, believe, cherish, obey, think about, study and live it.

Loving obedience

Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ Deuteronomy 4:6 (ESV)

This is what distinguishes and defines the church, obedience to the word of God. Jesus said they will know us by our love and our love would be known by our obedience in John 13:34-35 and 14:15. We are seen as wise and understanding only when we walk in obedience and love.

Pass on the truth

“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children— Deuteronomy 4:9 (ESV)

Passing the truth on to our children is a sure way for them to know the truth. Teaching the truth to them will help make it firm in our own hearts and help us to watch over our own souls.

God’s holy jealousy

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24 (ESV)

This is an awesome attribute of God! He is not cold and indifferent or without emotion. Rather, He is full of love, passion and emotion. God burns with holy love for His people and for His own name. He is jealous over His people in a holy way, they are precious to Him and He will not sit idly by while they are stolen away.

Our great passionate God pursues us with holy jealousy. This image of God as a consuming fire should fill us with confidence if we are in Christ, but fear if we are not. See Hebrews 12:28-29

The one true God

To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him. Deuteronomy 4:35 (ESV)

One of the great narratives of the Old Testament is God establishing Himself through His revealed words and act with the people of Israel. His declaration that He is the only God and there is no other god beside Him. This monotheism seems normal to us now but in the bronze age when Israel was coming into the promised land this was a radical new concept. The rest of the world had been deceived into believing in many gods and idols.

This is a great attribute of God to meditate upon. God is one, He is unique and is God alone, He has no equals or superiors. Our God is God!

2 Corinthians 1:17–24

Jesus, Gods Amen!

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)

Jesus has firmly fulfilled the promises made in the Old Testament to Israel. He is God’s great and sure yes for us today too. He calls himself the Amen. The strong yes of God to every promise. All of scripture points to Jesus. He fulfils the promise that the seed of Abraham would be a blessing and the promise to David concerning his kingdom. Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Saviour of the world.

We say amen to God’s fulfilment of His promise. We boldly affirm that yes Jesus is the Messiah. The prophecies and promises have been fulfilled and we joyfully praise God for His great affirmation of His love and faithfulness in His Son Jesus Christ. We affirm that God is true, dependable and the Gospel is the truth. The following is a useful definition of the word Amen.

Amen is a transliteration of the Heb. ’āmēn, derived from ’āman, show oneself firm, dependable, be durable, last; know oneself to be secure, have faith, and so it means certain, true.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 2 Corinthians 1

Today’s reading: Deut 2:1–29, 2 Cor 1:12–16, Ps 31:10–24

Today’s theme: Confidence in the Lord

Today’s theme is that we can make our boast or take great confidence in the Lord because of who He is and all He has done.

Deuteronomy  2:1–29

Begin to take possession

‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. Deuteronomy 2:24 (ESV)

God was quite specific in His instructions to Israel. They were not to fight with the giant defeating people that were essentially family to them. Mount Seir were the people of Esau their brother and Moab and Ammon their cousins.

When it came time for this new generation to fight, they could do so with confidence and faith because God spoke through Moses declaring that He had already given Sihon into their hands. God calls us today, like He called the new generation in the wilderness, to begin to take ground and fight the enemy in battle. We must respond in faith because He has given us the victory already. See 2 Corinthians 10:4.

2 Corinthians 1:12–16

Confidence in the Lord

just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. 2 Corinthians 1:14 (ESV)

When Paul speaks about boasting (verses 12-14) it can seem strange to us as boasting usually has a negative connotation of pride and lifting ourselves up. However, the boasting Paul is talking about is a different kind of boasting. It is closely connected to the word confidence and declares that Paul’s boast was in God and the cross.

This was a contradiction to the Corinthians who were still caught up in pride and had bought into the culture around them. A culture which taught them to belittle others and boast in ability, opportunity and status.

Paul’s life and the Gospel was a stark contradiction to these values as he was meek, humble and weak. These were not virtues esteemed among the Corinthians, they did not respect this about him or his ministry. Therefore Paul wanted them to understand the core of the gospel and the life it produces, one of servanthood and humility. He wanted their value system to be so transformed that they would boast in this weakness (ultimately the cross) with him.

Give, experience more grace

Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 2 Corinthians 1:15 (ESV)

This second experience of grace would come through Paul’s visit, through which he would show them God’s grace. He would remind them of the message of God’s grace and give them the opportunity to show God’s grace by giving to the poor saints in Jerusalem.

Psalm 31:10–24

Our lives are in God’s hands

My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Psalm 31:15 (ESV)

God is sovereign over our lives, He determines how long we live, when we live and the amount of time we are allotted in particular circumstances. With that sort of power we should trust Him, knowing that our future is not in the enemies hands but rather in God’s.

God preserves us

Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Psalm 31:23 (ESV)

We can have confidence in God’s eternal preserving power over us if we love Him in faithfulness, just as Jesus prayed in John 17.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 2 Corinthians 1