GOOD NEWS FOR ISRAEL

“David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them” (Ezek. 37:24 NKJV).

Our verse gives a picture of Israel’s glorious future. It speaks of the restoration of Israel, the ruler for Israel, and the righteousness of Israel.

Restoration of Israel - The Old Testament is filled with promises of the restoration of Israel to great glory. That which assures the restoration of Israel to glory is that they have a friend in God. From a natural perspective, Israel’s future may look bleak and uncertain. However, from a Scriptural perspective no nation has such a glorious future as Israel.

Ruler for Israel – “David My servant shall be king over them.” God had promised David that his throne would endure, and his seed would be on the throne. This means that one of David’s seed (descendant) would fulfil the promise of ruling and reigning. Bible students believe this Seed to be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the King of kings Who will come back to earth to set up His rule over Israel. This time known as the millennium will be Israel’s time of glory. And the key to that glory is the true king of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is of the seed of David.

Righteousness of Israel - “They shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them.” Another aspect of the restoration of Israel has to do with the character of the Israelites. Here the prophecy is that they will be a righteous people. They will obey the commands of God. This is in contrast to what Israel did in the past. The great restoration will not only include a place, peace, and a prince for the people; but it will also include purity of the people.

(Adapted from Analytical Biblical Expositor)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself!”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945)

German Lutheran Pastor and Theologian

Word Study

Elapsed

In Acts 25:13 we read, “Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus!” (NASB).

Elapsed is the Greek word diagínomai (διαγίνομαι =dee-ag-in'-om-ahee). It is made up of two words: “dia” which means through, and “ginomai” which means to become, be. Thus the word means go through, pass time, elapse. Literally it means to be through (i.e., past). In classic Greek diagínomai mean to go through, to pass, to go through life, and to continue through. Diagínomai is not found in the Septuagint. In the New Testament, diagínomai has to do with time elapse. In our verse, days had elapsed (past) between Paul’s trial before the governor Festus and the arrival of King Agrippa.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land” (Lev. 26:6 KJV).

Did You Know…

The phrase “handwriting (or writing) on the wall” has its origination in the Book of Daniel. When King Belshazzar and his guests drank wine from the gold and silver cups taken from the temple of the Jews, a hand appeared and wrote on the wall (Dan. 5:5). The phrase is used as a warning that a negative or otherwise disastrous event will soon occur.

Bible Quiz

What does Solomon tell the slothful/lazy person to look to as an example and be wise?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What did the king of Egypt tell the Hebrew midwives to do with the boy babies? They were to kill all the newborn boy babies (Ex. 1:16).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“JEALOUS”

"For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14 NKJV).

1. Meaning – JEALOUS here means that God is justly protective of both His own honor and the devotion of His people.

2. Insights – The Name of God is tantamount to His character and nature! To underscore His prohibition of idolatry, God gives His Name as “Jealous.” This unique name is reserved solely for God. Note that it is mentioned twice in this verse, emphasizing God’s great love and passion for His people. This attribute of God does not refer to a shallow, childish human emotion, but emphasizes that God will not tolerate a divided heart. When we use the word “jealous,” we use it in the sense of being envious of someone who has something we do not have. However, God is not “jealous” or envious because someone has something He wants or needs. God is “jealous” when someone gives to another something that rightly belongs to Him. God is possessive of the worship and service that belong to Him. We are to honor God with our lives and not simply our lips. To obey is always better than sacrifice.

Did You Know...Christian History

Francis Wayland was born March 11, 1796 in New York City, NY. He was an American Baptist minister, educator and economist.

After graduating from Union College, Wayland at once began his study of medicine. However, after becoming a Christian in 1816 Wayland abandoned medicine to study for the ministry. Lack of funds forced him to withdraw from the Andover Seminary. In 1817 he returned to Union College and remained there as a tutor until 1821, when he became a minister at the First Baptist Church in Boston.

Wayland’s sermons gained him notoriety in the Baptist community, which in turn led to his receipt of an honorary degree from Brown in 1822 and his election to the Corporation in 1825. Wayland returned to Union in 1826 as professor of mathematics and natural philosophy. That December, he was elected Brown’s president. Yet Wayland distrusted seminaries. He believed that seminaries had a tendency to become schools for theological and philological learning, rather than schools to make preachers of the Gospel. He was determined that his school not drift with that tide.

Wayland wrote several widely recognized textbooks on the topics of moral and intellectual philosophy and political economy. He was also an advocate of changes in higher education. In his 1850 Report to the Corporation of Brown University, Wayland proposed changes to the curriculum which would allow students to study what they chose. This led to more flexible entrance and degree requirements, which were later criticized, and to the introduction of electives. After effecting remarkable change in the institution during his tenure, Wayland retired in 1855, and lived blocks from campus.

Wayland founded the free library of Wayland, Massachusetts and won legislation that allowed towns to support public libraries with tax money. After his retirement, he sometimes preached. In his last public sermon, given just days before he died, he urged his listeners to be faithful followers of Jesus. He prayed with them. On his way home, he remarked to the man escorting him that “we do not pray enough; we lack faith in God.”

Wayland was also involved in prison work and had made such a deep impression on the state prisoners that the prison chapel was filled with sobs when the chaplain announced in 1865 that he had died.

A Little Humor

They have Dial-a-Prayer for atheists now. You call up and it rings and rings but nobody answers.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“You can choose your sin, but you can't choose the consequences!”