“But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts. For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong” (Zech. 8:11-13). 

A study of the remnant or the faithful within the nation is a great necessity to see how God works among the saved.  The concept of the remnant is found even in the New Testament.  Paul wrote, “Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:” (Rom. 9:27).  Again, “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (Rom. 11:5).  These faithful had a proper understanding of spiritual things and thus were blessed by the Lord.  Consider three specifics that the remnant understood.

1.  Heavenly-minded is the Correct Perspective.  Whenever the nation turned away from God, the remnant within the nation kept their heavenly-minded perspective.  Isaiah wrote, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth” (Isa. 10:20).  The remnant do not place their dependency upon the strength of man, but upon the Lord.  Heavenly resources, not human and self-made strength, are the staple of true living.  Examples of this kind of thinking are found in the lives of people like the prophets of the Lord, Mordecai, Esther, Zerubbabel and the like. 

2.  Humbleness is the Attitude for Honor.  Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility” (Prov. 15:33).  Again, “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit” (Prov. 29:23).  The remnant were often objects of contempt and persecution, even among their own people.  Nevertheless, it is the remnant who ultimately survived to bring about God’s great purpose.  One must always remember that “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

3.  Holy Living is the Proper Course.  It is written, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” (Heb. 12:14).  Paul wrote to the Roman brethren, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Rom. 6:22).  Peter wrote, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14-16).  The remnant relied heavily upon the Holy One of Israel (cf. Isa. 10:20).  Those with the attitude of “I am holier than thou” (Isa. 65:5) would not stand in the end.  The Lord declares of the man that is blessed by God, “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isa. 66:2).  He lives to approve what is acceptable to the Lord (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).                  

Jimmy Clark

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple” (Ps. 27:4). 

David knew where true beauty was found.  While some seek fleshly beauty (cf. Gen. 6:2) and others value beauty in material things (cf. Eze. 7:19-20), true spiritual beauty is the ideal.  Consider three particulars that should be seen in their beauty.

1.  Heavenly Messengers.  Isaiah wrote, “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean” (Isa. 52:1).  Such a statement is set against the following statement.  “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isa. 52:7).  The Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul cites this passage as referring to the sending of preachers to proclaim the gospel of Christ (cf. Rom. 10:15).  The beauty of these messengers is in their good tidings of peace.  Truly is it a beautiful thing to know the gospel of peace (cf. Eph. 6:15) that brings a real peace with God (cf. Rom. 5:1).

2.  Humble Salvation.  The beauty of salvation is the blessing upon the humble, meek and lowly.  It is written, “For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation” (Ps. 149:4).  Hosea closes his writing with the promise of God, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon” (Hosea 14:4-6).  And again, it is stated, “In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people” (Isa. 28:5).  Zechariah wrote, “And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids” (Zech. 9:16-17).

3.  Holy Worship.  True spiritual worship in keeping with God’s will is beautiful to embrace.  God purposed that the priesthood of Aaron and his sons wear beautiful garments (cf. Ex. 28:2, 40).  The place for worship was glorified and beautified (cf. Chron. 3:6; Ps. 96:6; Isa. 60:13; 64:11; Ezra 7:27).  Even the object of worship, God Himself, is identified as beautiful (cf. Job 40:10; Ps. 50:1-2; 90:17).  It is no wonder that there are so many passages describing the beauty of holy worship.  “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (1 Chron. 16:29).  It is stated of king Jehoshaphat, “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever” (2 Chron. 20:21).  David had written, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Ps. 29:2).  See also Psalm 96:9.  Surely God’s people above all people see the beauty of true worship.        

Jimmy Clark

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). 

The Holy Spirit through Paul is here indicating what God has provided for the soldier of Christ to stand against the devil.  When one looks at the equipment, there are various things that show the importance of the word of God in battling Satan.  It is no wonder that since faith comes through the word of God (cf. Rom. 10:17) that there would be “the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph. 6:16).  Especially of note is the offensive weapon of the Christian, where it is stated, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17).  Consider three aspects of significance when studying Satan and the word of God.

1.  His Attack on the Word of God.  The first indication of Satan’s conflict with the word of God is seen in the garden of Eden.  Moses wrote, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Gen. 3:1).  Notice here that Satan attacked what God said to man.  The actual word of God is recorded by Moses.  “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17).  The woman knew what God said, as it is written, “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Gen. 3:2-3).  The serpent proceeds to deny the accuracy of the word of God.  Here begins a pattern of attack upon the truth of the word of God of which all must be aware.

2.  His Aim to Take Away the Word of God.  Jesus points out the meaning of the way side soil with the words, “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12).  One may appear to interpret Satan’s approach of taking the word out of the heart as against the will of the hearer, but such is not the case.  A Biblical illustration of Luke 8:12 is seen in Acts 13.  A certain Sergius Paulus wanted to hear the word of God (cf. Acts 13:7) and it is stated, “But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith” (Acts 13:8).  Paul accurately states, “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10).  Here is Satan again working to strive to meet his aim.3.  His Abuse of the Word of God.  When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he quoted Psalm 91:11-12 (cf. Matt. 4:6).  Jesus countered by saying, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matt. 4:7).  Jesus believed Psalm 91 but not the interpretation Satan was putting on it.  Satan was abusing the word to fit his purpose.  Jesus knew the Bible (cf. Deut. 6:16) and used the sword of the Spirit.  Twisting passages is one of Satan’s greatest tools (cf. 2 Peter 3:16-17).

Jimmy Clark

“So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water” (Ex. 15:22). 

Previous to the event of the crossing of the Red sea, God through Moses had lead the Israelites out of Egypt.  The leadership of Moses would be critical in the coming years as the wilderness times would demand his focused attention.  There are several points to consider of this wilderness experience, but three will be explored here as vital aspects of great leadership.

1.  Forbearance.  The history of the nation in the wilderness as they approached Moses with their problems can be summed up in a word: “murmurings” (Ex. 16:7).  The low grumbling of the people among themselves came to the ears of Moses on several occasions (cf. Ex. 15:24; 16:2; 17:3; Num. 14:27; 17:5).  Forbearing with such is a necessary quality of great leadership.  While some (and at times not a few) will not be satisfied with the conditions of the times, leadership leans on God for direction and strength.  The Holy Spirit through Paul cites this spirit of discontent as a quality not to be among Christians (cf. 1 Cor. 10:10).  Whether the leadership be in the home, the church, civil government or any such entity, forbearance must be the focus in difficult times.  Paul wrote of the Christian’s conduct under the subject of unity, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Eph. 4:2-3).

2.  Forgiveness.  When the nation committed a great sin (cf. Ex. 32:21, 30) in the worship of idolatry, Moses appealed to God to be merciful in remembering the covenant made to the fathers (cf. Ex. 32:11-13).  After coming down from the mountain and confronting the people, it is recorded, “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin --; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book, which thou hast written” (Ex. 32:30-32).  Here is a strong appeal for forgiveness by the leader who had done no wrong in this case.  Leadership truly seeks to do everything in its power to bring forgiveness for the wrongs of others.  No greater service is there than for a people to be brought to a right condition before God.

3.  Fidelity.  While most of the nation turned to unbelief and died in the wilderness (cf. Heb. 3:19), Moses was steadfast with God.  It is written of him, “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after” (Heb. 3:5).  While Bible students know that Moses was not sinless (cf. Num. 20:1-13), his fidelity as a leader was not faulty.  He stood with God and never had the slightest waver of doubt toward God.  He is listed among those whose faith is to be respected (cf. Heb. 11:24-28).  This is stressed explicitly of those who lead.  “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation” (Heb. 13:7).  “Wilderness” leadership will never be easy.  However, it will always be valuable and profitable.                                                                                                                                      Jimmy Clark