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Date: Tue, 10 Oct 1995 08:39:50 +0100
Reply-To: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
From: Teus Benschop
Subject: The Scriptures opened, 52
To: Multiple recipients of list CHR-EXP
Contents
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1. Exodus 33:15 - Go not without God's presence
2. Psalm 15 - The righteous shall abide in God's house
3. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 - God's comfort in tribulation
1. Exodus 33:15 - Go not without God's presence
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Reading Exodus 33:12 - 34:26
Text Exodus 33:15
And he said unto him,
If thy presence go not [with me],
carry us not up hence.
These are the words of Moses. He says unto God: "If Thy presence go
not [with me], carry us not up hence". Lord, without Thy presence I
dare not go forward. Without Thee, we are not safe. Without God's
presence, we have but ourselves, being unable to keep the right way.
Why does Moses ask for God's presence, to go with them in their
midst? He asks so, because some verses back, God had said that He
would no longer go up in their midst. They had so grievously sinned,
that God no longer could bear it. "I will not go up in the midst of
thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the
way." (Exodus 33:3) Moses is here pleading for the people, that God
might go with them. The people had again sinned, and again Moses
speaks for their advantage before God. "If Thy presence go not with
us, carry us not up hence".
And again, in the next chapter, we read the same. "And he said,
If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray
thee, go among us; for it [is] a stiffnecked people; and pardon our
iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance." (Exodus
34:9) Again Moses prays for forgiveness, confessing the sins of the
people, for they are stiffnecked. Moses, being an intermediary between
God and the people, is an example of Christ, Who does the same work.
Moses was always praying for the people before God. Christ does the
same. Moses brought God's words to the people, and Jesus Christ does
it also.
What will become of us, when God's presence does not go with us?
What will happen to us? We are not safe without His protection. While
we go through the desert of this life, too much dangers threaten us.
We will undoubtedly perish without God's presence going with us. LORD,
do not forsake us. Go with us. Though we are sinning daily, forgive
us. Do not to us according to what we have deserved. Show Thine mercy
to us. Let us find grace in Thy sight, O Lord. Go with us, and be
among us. Pardon our iniquity and our sins.
Many seek happiness in this fading world, but we know that there
is no real happiness without God's presence. When God shines upon us
with the light of His Spirit, we are filled with His joy. "Many say,
Who will shew us good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance
upon us." (Psalms 4:6) There is no better thing than God going up in
our midst. Let the light of His countenance shine upon us, and we will
walk in His truth. But when we turn away from Him, a sure destruction
awaits us.
2. Psalm 15 - The righteous shall abide in God's house
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A Psalm of David
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
An important question: Lord, who shall abide in Thine house? Who
shall dwell in Thy holy hill, that is, in Thine city? God, will
everybody abide with Thou, or only the righteous? Who shall abide
with God?
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly,
and worketh righteousness,
and speaketh the truth in his heart.
LORD, who is the man that shall dwell in Thine house? It is he
that walks uprightly, does righteousness, and speaks truth in his
heart. This man will dwell with Thou. His feet do the good works,
for he walks uprightly. His hands do good, for he works
righteousness. His mouth and heart do good, for he speaks truth
in his heart. Is this all, the godly will do? No, there is more.
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that backbiteth not with his tongue,
nor doeth evil to his neighbour,
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
He will abide in God's tabernacle, who does not use gossip. He
does no evil with his tongue to his neighbour, neither with his
hands. He forsakes all evil words, which would hurt his
neighbour. Any reproach against him, he will not take up.
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He, in whose eyes a vile person is contemned;
but he honoureth them that fear the LORD.
He that sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth not.
He that putteth not out his money to usury,
nor taketh reward against the innocent.
The man who shall abide in God's tent is he, who thinks the same
as God does. A vile person is contemned in God's sight. So also
in the eyes of the righteous man, that vile person is contemned.
He does the same as God does. God honours them that fear the
LORD. So also the righteous man and woman will honour such a one.
The man who will abide in God's house, has he ever sworn to his
own disadvantage, he will not change. He will not take back his
words, but will keep his oath. He does not put out his money to
abuse the poor, to put it out to usury. Whenever there is a poor
one, asking for his help, he will help him, and give him as much
as he needs. He also takes no reward against the innocent. For, a
reward would blind his eyes, and then he would condemn the
innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
He that does all these good things, and refrains from all these
evils, he will not be moved until eternity. The doing of these
good things, and the forsaking of these evils, are the signs
whereby we may recognise the righteous believers. Doing these
things is not the ground of our firmness, but the signs whereby
we know that God keeps us. "And I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand". (John 10:28)
3. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 - God's comfort in tribulation
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2 Corinthians 1:3,4
Blessed be God,
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies,
and the God of all comfort;
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble,
by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
The apostle begins his letter with God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Blessed be God, the Father of Jesus Christ, and also the
Father of all mercies. Whenever there is any mercy, it is coming from
Him. He is the God of all comfort. Whenever we have need of comfort,
being afflicted by this life, let us flee to Him alone. Let we not go
to the comforts of this world, for they are but for a short time, and
partial. Let we go to God, the Father of all mercies and of all
comfort. The comfort wherewith he comforts us, is enduring and
eternal. Some seek comfort in food and drink, or in their family
circle, or in their husband or wife. But these comforts are temporal.
When we are comforted thereby without God, it is better that these
things are taken away from us. Let we expect no comfort but that which
is from God, the Father of our Lord Christ, and the Father of all
grace.
Why must the servants of God suffer much? Because then there is
occasion for God to comfort them. Then the servants experience God's
comfort. God's grace is then for them no longer mere words, but it has
become experience. When speaking of God's comfort, and when they have
experienced it, they know about what they speak. When preaching to the
congregation, they know where they talk about. For it is their
experience. Why must then the servants of God suffer much? Because
then they are able to comfort others, and to help others in their
tribulations. They must suffer much in order to be a good minister.
The more they suffer, the more they will be comforted by God, and the
better ministers they are for the people. The more they suffer, the
better it is. All this within the bounds determined by God, of course.
Their suffering and tribulations are not limited by their own will,
but by God's wisdom. This is what Paul said: "Blessed be God, Who
comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God." The more a servant is suffering, and the more
comfort he receives of God, the better is he for his flock. May God
then prevent his servants from looseness, lest they become useless for
their people. May God always comfort the people, who in their
following of Christ, suffer much. Christ said: "In the world ye shall
have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
(John 16:33) Blessed is then God, the Father of all comfort, Who
brings up His children through much tribulations and comfort, to make
them fit to their tasks in this fading world.
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Teus Benschop -- t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
Listowner of chr-exp@nic.surfnet.nl
"A Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel"
Institute Practical Bible-education
Web: https://christian.net/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/ipbe-home.html
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