April 10, 2011
Scripture:
Scriptures:
Ministry:
Turn back to the verse that we read earlier: I Peter 1: 19. It is talking about being redeemed, “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” I’d like to connect that with I John 1:7, “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” I have two thoughts when I read this: the cost of that blood, and the efficacy of it. How great was the cost of that blood: it was His own life stream. God’s Son became flesh to go to Calvary to die for us. Then, the efficacy of it: that blood has cleansed us from our sin. It has made us fit for glory!
Hymn 330 - A message came form Heaven
Prayer
1 Samuel 21
We are going to continue in 1 Samuel. Last time, we looked at the 1 Samuel 20, at the end of which David had to run away from Saul.
David ran away to Nob, where he met Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech asked him why he was alone. David didn’t tell the truth: he told Ahimelech that Saul had sent him on a mission. He asked Ahimelech if he had any food, for he was hungry. Because things weren’t very right in Israel at this time, Ahimelech gave him the shewbread, which was supposed to be only for the priests.
At Nob, there was a man named Doeg. David had to be careful of who saw him, because he was running away from Saul. If someone saw him, they might tell Saul where he was. We’ll see this man Doeg again in a few chapters.
After taking the shewbread, David asked Ahimelech if he had any weapons. Goliath’s sword was there, so Ahimelech gave that to David.
So David was given two items; let’s look at what they are pictures of:
In the next chapter, we’ll see where David goes next: the cave of Adullam.
The Lord’s genealogy in the last chapter showed that He was man, but still God. The fact that He had to be filled with the Holy Spirit shows us that He felt what we feel.
Our Lord had come from the glories of Heaven, and here was led by the Holy Spirit into a wilderness of this earth. Mark 1:12-13 tells us that He was with the wild beasts. This wasn’t like the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve had everything that could be desired; instead, Jesus had nothing. Even though they were in paradise, Adam and Eve still lusted after the forbidden fruit and gave in to temptation. Jesus, on the other hand, didn’t lust after bread - even though He had been fasting for forty days - and obeyed God, not Satan.
In Romans it tells us about the First Adam and the Last Adam. The First was the head of the human race, while the Last was the head of the heavenly race. The first man was also the first sinner, while the second man was the first to enter into the new creation. (He wasn’t the last, though, because we who are saved will enter someday as well.) The first man severed the relationship with God, while the second man reestablished it.
Adam and Eve were put into a perfect garden; with everything that they could want, and only one rule. But Satan came, and it wasn’t long before that one rule was broken. Jesus went through forty days of temptation (we just get the Grand Finale, if you will) without food and without sinning.
During the six days of creation, all was made to perfection; everything created was good and showed God’s beauty and understanding. But as soon as He was done, it seems, the serpent came and ruined it all. In the midst of all this beauty, there was a war going on. Why? Because Satan wanted to be like God, and had been cast out of Heaven. He was the most marvelous being ever created and was given immense power, yet he wanted more.
The way that this played out was interesting. It started in heaven, because (as Colossians 3 tells us) the Creation was both visible and invisible. It appears that there was a invisible hierarchy of angels, starting with the archangel. There was the visible creation; and then God created man who was part of both creations. Man has a spirit (invisible) and a body (visible), and is therefore linked to both creations. All that God made was perfect; but Lucifer was a free agent, with a free will, and he chose to rebel against God. Some of the angels followed him in his rebellion; so we have both good angels and bad angels. The war was on.
It was then brought into the visible creation. Satan looked at God’s special creation and wanted it. He tempted Adam, who was also a free agent and had a free will, with the forbidden fruit. God required obedience from Adam; but Adam disobeyed, took the forbidden fruit, and thereby declared allegiance to Satan. Therefore, because he was the head of the human race, the whole race fell.
God had told Adam that, “In the day that thou eatest [of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil] thou shalt surely die.” Now His creature was dead to Him, and in enmity against Him. However, this did serve God’s purpose in revealing Himself. In a perfect creation we can see God’s wisdom and beauty, but we must go to the cross to see His love. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)
There was a sin problem, however, so God sent another man (His Son) to bring back righteousness and judgement. Satan wanted this man, too. It would be a big victory for him if he won, and a big loss for him if he didn’t. We see the confrontation here in our chapter, but the temptation is much more intense this time. There were forty days of temptations before we have the three basic ones here: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We’re tempted every day. To combat temptation, God has given us His armor and the sword of his word. For each temptation presented here, there was Scripture given to drive it away.
Man is in the center of God’s thoughts. The creation will some day be folded up, but man will go on. The Lord suffered as a man so that He could succour us (Hebrews 2:18). The suffering that He went through in this temptation was so strong that, afterwards, angels came and ministered to Him.
Hymn 380 - Dare to be a Daniel
Prayer