Dec 16
28
Jacobs Altar – El-elohe-Israel
And he erected there an altar, and called it El–elohe–Israel (Genesis
33: 20).
After more than twenty years Jacob returns to the place he fears the
most. His last memory of this place was his brothers oath to slay him
and each step he takes he knows his brother is thundering towards him
with four hundred men. But God has instructed him to go there and has
also prepared both him and those before him for this journey. Jacob is a
changed man. He does not attempt to arrange things or try to make things
appear as something they are not. He comes toward his brother as he is;
fully exposed, unguarded, and unprotected. He does not come to his
brother in battle formation but with tokens of grace and good will.
At last, he sees his red headed brother and as he moves toward him he
bows himself to the ground seven times. In true humility he comes to
Esau not knowing how things will go. To his surprise Esau leaps off his
horse and runs to his brother and embraces him in tears and kisses. Esau
seeing his brother, and sensing his true affection, tells Jacob to keep
his gifts; that he has plenty. But Jacob urges him to keep them saying
these words to his brother, “I pray thee if now I have found grace in
thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; for therefore, I have
seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou was
pleased with me.” (Genesis33: 10) What a statement of Gods sovereign,
loving rule for Israel. When I saw your face appeased I saw it as the
face of God.
Leaving his brother, Jacob finds a small place to rest and there he
builds an altar. He calls the altar by this name, Elelohe-Israel. The
name is a compound of words and as near as I can translate them have
three declarations.
The Mighty God rules in Israel.
The Mighty God rules for Israel.
The Mighty God rules through Israel
All three are true and all are the experience and confession of true
Israel. What a glorious and loving rule is the rule of Christ that
governs all things in order to give eternal life to those given to him
by his Father before the world began. May God be pleased to inscribe
Elelohe-Israel upon the altar of our hearts that we may worship our
great King.
Darvin Pruitt.
TREASURES FROM TIPTAFT
“Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world
hates you.” 1 John 3:13
You will be much despised and cast out for Christ’s
sake, and nothing will offend more than separating
yourselves as much as possible from carnal people.
It is ‘the life’ which condemns the professing world.
When the world sees you unmoved by the riches
and the pleasures which it so much adores; when
you are led by the Spirit “to count all things but
rubbish for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ”; when you have a single eye to God’s glory,
you must expect then to bear reproaches from
the Hagar race.
Do you have the blood-mark?
The following is from Spurgeon’s sermon,
“THE GREATEST WONDER OF GRACE”
Then the glory of the God of Israel rose up from
between the cherubim, where it had rested, and
moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the Lord
called to the man dressed in linen who was carrying
the writer’s case. He said to him, “Walk through the
streets of Jerusalem and put a MARK on the foreheads
of all those who weep and sigh because of the sins
they see around them.”
Then I heard the Lord say to the other men, “Follow
him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead
is not MARKED. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them
all- old and young, girls and women and little children.
But do not touch anyone with the MARK. Begin your
task right here at the Temple.” So they began by
killing the seventy leaders. Ezekiel 9:3-6
After the executioners had begun at the sanctuary, it is to be observed
that they did not spare any, except those upon whom was the MARK.
Old and young, men and women, priests and people, all were slain who
had not the sacred sign; and so in the last tremendous day all sinners
who have not fled to Christ will perish. There will be only one of two
things – they must either be saved, because they had faith in Christ, or
else the full weight of divine wrath must fall upon them. Either the MARK of
Christ’s pen, or of Christ’s sword, must be upon every one. There will be
no sparing of one man because he was rich, nor of another because he was
learned, nor of a third because he was eloquent, nor of a fourth because he
was held in high esteem. Those who are MARKED with the blood of Christ
are safe! Without that MARK all are lost! This is the one separating sign-
do you wear it? Or will you die in your sins? Bow down at once before the
feet of Jesus, and beseech him to MARK you as his own.
We must all bear the MARK of Jesus Christ. What is that? It is the MARK of
faith in the atoning blood. That sets apart the chosen of the Lord, and that
alone. If you have that MARK then in that last day no sword of justice can
come near you. Did you read that word, “But do not touch anyone with the
MARK.” Come not even near the MARKED ones lest they be afraid.
The grace-MARKED man is safe, even from the near approach of ill.
Christ bled for him, and therefore he cannot, must not, die. Let him alone,
you bearers of the destroying weapons. Just as the angel of death, when he
flew through the land of Egypt, was forbidden to touch a house where the
blood of the lamb was on the lintel and the two side posts, so is it
sure that
avenging justice cannot touch the man who is in Christ Jesus. Who is he
that condemns since Christ has died? Have you, then, the blood MARK?
Yes, or no. Do not refuse to question yourself upon this point. Do not take
it for granted, lest you be deceived. Believe me, your all hangs upon it.
Reader, are you cured of the awful disease of sin?
Are you marked with the blood-red sign of trust in the atoning blood?
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?
If not, the Lord have mercy upon you!
Bearing our Cross
“He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of
me.” – Matthew 10:38
Mere professing Christians loudly and proudly like to speak of ‘bearing
their cross.’ What they mean by that is going through some sort of
trouble or suffering. If that is what it means then the whole world is
bearing some sort of cross. But that is not what is meant by bearing the
cross.
The Lord Jesus Christ was put on a cross because of what He said. He was
crucified by men (according to God’s will and purpose), because of His
claim to Sovereignty, His claim to being the only way, truth and life.
They crucified Him because He claimed to be God. And the Lord said that
everyone who truly believes and confesses Him will also be hated by the
world and if lawful, will kill them. They would put every believer on a
cross for confessing Christ to be Who He is . . . not just a man, but
very God of very God, the Sovereign Lord and Creator, the Judge of all,
the giver and taker of life, the One with the keys of Hell and death,
the One before Whom we stand to be accepted or rejected, the only Way to
God, the only Truth of God (all else a lie) the only Life (he that hath
not the Son hath not life), the only Mediator, High Priest, Tabernacle,
Sin Offering, Messiah, Saviour, Intercessor, Righteousness, Builder of
the church, Foundation, Prophet, Priest, and King, yea . . . all and in
all!! All other gods, jesuses, christs, messiahs, mediators, prophets,
priests, ways, words, religions. . . are a lie!
Just as Christ was crucified “without the camp,” all who confess Him
will have to go “unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.” Those
who truly follow the Lord will be partakers of His sufferings. The man
or woman who follows Him, it will follow them to be “crucified to the
world and the world to (them).”
“For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter” – Rom.8:36
Paul Mahan.
Sufficient Grace
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is
made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in
my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me–2 Cor. 12:9.
When Paul was given a special messenger of Satan to buffet and beat him
down in the flesh he asked the Lord Jesus Christ for immediate relief (2
Cor. 12:8)). Instead of removing the thorn in the flesh, the Lord in His
infinite wisdom instructed and encouraged Paul that His grace was
sufficient or enough to sustain him in the time of trial.
Surely this is true for all of the Lord’s people, although we often
think in our time of despair and doubt that there is no way we can
survive our trouble, heartache, grief and pain. Yet, the answer of the
Lord is always the same, “my grace is sufficient.” His grace is
sufficient to choose us unto salvation (Eph. 1:3-6). His grace is
sufficient to save us by His mighty power (Acts 15:11; 2 Tim. 1:9). His
grace is sufficient to keep us from falling (1 Peter 1:5; Jude 1:24).
Surely, His grace is sufficient to sustain, comfort and bless us in the
time of trial (Isa. 41:10; 43:1-7; John 16:33; Rom. 8:28).
The essence of this is that the Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient, He is
enough, “Christ is all and in all” (Col. 3:11). The Lord’s salvation and
strength is perfect and complete at all times but especially in and for
our time of need and weakness (Psalm 46:1; Phil. 4:19). He instructs us
to come boldly unto His throne of grace. Why? The Lord’s grace is
sufficient. Read this precious promise found in Heb. 4:16, “Let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is our all-sufficient Saviour. He does give us
daily grace and daily strength for each trial. We realize and appreciate
this the most when we know and confess our own weakness, frailties,
inabilities and sinfulness. Paul says, “Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2
Cor. 12:10).
Tom Harding.
NEVER AFFLICTED ALONE
Any child of God suffering affliction can take comfort from the truth
that no child of God suffers affliction alone. “In all their affliction
he was afflicted” (Is. 63:9). When a child of God suffers affliction,
Christ our Savior suffers affliction with us. He personally feels the
affliction of His people because believers are the body of Christ. This
is why the Lord said to Saul “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME?”
(Acts 9:4). Our great High Priest is touched with the feeling of our
infirmity (Heb 4:15) so He not only comforts, but He sympathizes with us
in our affliction and delivers us from it. God said “I have seen the
affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their
groaning, and am come down to deliver them” (Acts 7:34).
This passage is also translated “In all their affliction, there was no
affliction.” Trials never come accidentally. Trials are always sent by
the purpose of God. Trials are also never sent to punish God’s children.
A believer’s sin has already been punished in Christ our Substitute so
trials are always sent for our good and our learning. Any trial that
increases faith in Christ is for our good, no matter how painful the
trial may be at the time. This is what enabled the apostle Paul to say
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor 4:17).
Frank Tate, pastor Hurricane Road Grace Church, Ashland, KY