, Meditation Reader, The phrase "ignorance is bliss" was originally coined by the English poet Thomas Gray in 1742, reflecting the idea that when we are children, blissfully ignorant of adult concerns, we are truly happy. But ignorance isn't bliss; it's blindness, and ignorance sustained is loss. When Jesus tells us that he is the light of the world, as he does twice in John's Gospel, he is promising two things at once. An end to ignorance and the beginning of wisdom, and also an end to fear....
10 days ago • 2 min read
, Meditation Reader, Jehovah Ori, the Lord, my light, is the last of the names in this series. As we noted at the start of this season, the names themselves are a promise from God not simply a name. Each of the names finds its fulfillment in Jesus. So as we've gone through this season, we featured an Old Testament passage declaring the name and the promise, followed by a New Testament passage showing the fulfillment in Jesus. One thing that has consistently stood out is that these names are...
11 days ago • 2 min read
, Meditation Reader, The strength of the Lord is a gift to all who trust in Him. In God, strength comes when needed and does not come alone; it is typically accompanied by other protections. His strength is an ever-present power and protection against the world and its designs. Today's passage might initially seem counterintuitive, as Jesus is offering rest, not strength, but look again and you'll see that he isn't offering to remove our burden but to share it. So we share in his strength and...
12 days ago • 2 min read
, Meditation Reader, Psalm 28 begins with David crying out to God for help and ends with praising Him for hearing and answering his prayer. Jehovah Chezeq appears twice in the Psalm. First in verse 7 and then in verse 8. In both cases, He gives both strength and protection. They're a combination. One buttresses the other. As David makes clear, that strength comes to those who trust in Him. Trust is the source of strength and isn't fleeting but permanent. Today's text is Psalm 28: 7-9. I have...
13 days ago • 2 min read
, Meditation Reader, Today's passage is built on the contrast between an earthly redemption, which can be bought with silver or gold, and a spiritual redemption, which can only be bought with the blood of Christ. Jesus is our Goel, not a distant relative, but one who pays for our redemption with his own flesh. He doesn't send money; he spends himself and restores us to sonship, to being his own possession. The idea of redemption and the redeemer is quite shocking because the redemption price...
14 days ago • 2 min read
, Meditation Reader, This is our final week exploring the compound names of God. Beginning today with Jehovah Goel, and finishing with Jehovah Chezeq and Jehovah Ori. Jehovah Goel translates as "The LORD my Redeemer" or "The LORD my Kinsman-Redeemer". It is a name of God representing Him as the one who buys back, rescues, and restores His people from bondage, debt, or death. In ancient times, the Goel was always a close relative. Our God is not a distant Savior, but someone who is personally...
15 days ago • 2 min read
, Meditation Reader, Today's passage picks up directly from Leviticus 20. Showing that the law can define holiness, but it cannot produce it. ...and if the law cannot end our separation from God, only one thing can. Jesus is the embodiment of holiness, and it is his body, sacrificed on the cross, that ends the separation and makes us holy. We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Today's text is Hebrews 10:1-10 Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All 10...
17 days ago • 2 min read
, Meditation Reader, Qadosh means "holy", "set apart", "other". The name (and the promise) Jehovah Qadosh means the Lord who sanctifies, the Lord who makes holy. The name carries two meanings simultaneously: God is utterly set apart from his creation, and yet he is the one who draws his people into that same holiness. The Lord's holiness, the law, and the problem of sin are the principal themes of Leviticus, calling Israel to be a holy nation. While the law defines holiness, it cannot produce...
18 days ago • 2 min read
, Meditation Reader, In yesterday's passage, Abram refused the King of Sodom's offer, swearing by Jehovah El Elyon, the Lord God Most High, that he would take nothing. His allegiance and his provision came from one source alone. Philippians 2 is Paul's answer to the question of who that Most High God is. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The name above every name. Jesus is Jehovah Elyon....
19 days ago • 2 min read