Jehovah Looks at the Heart

Jehovah chose David because of his heart: But the LORD said to Samuel,"Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7; NKJV)

The people chose Saul because of his outward appearance: "And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people" (1 Samuel 9:2; NKJV).

What does Jehovah see when He looks at you?

Jason Cicero

To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice

"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22; NKJV).

Question: Why is obedience better than sacrifice?

Answer: Because there would be no need for a sacrifice if we would just obey.

Jason Cicero

The Context of "A Man After His Own Heart"

Saul was a king "whom you (Israel) have chosen for yourselves" (1 Samuel 8:18; NKJV).

David, in contrast, was "a man after His (Jehovah) own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14; NKJV).

Question: What was the difference between Israel's choice and Jehovah's choice?

Answer: But the LORD said to Samuel,"Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Give Us A King

In 1 Samuel 8 the people of God ask for a king because they long to be "like all the nations" (8:5; NKJV).

1. They already had a king: "...when the LORD your God was your king" (1 Samuel 12:12; NKJV)

2. He never wanted them to be "like all the nations" (see Exodus - Deuteronomy)

Jason Cicero

He Restrained Them Not

Unfortunately, these words sum up the life of Eli: "For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not" (1 Samuel 3:13; KJV).

Eli lived two lives: public and private. There are two important qualities needed for effective parental discipline: firm resolve and corrective action.

Eli responded to situations rather than solving them. Don't be like Eli with your kids. Solve problems with firm resolve and corrective action. "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Hannah's Response to Her Life

Hannah prayed about it.

1. Hannah prayed to Jehovah (1 Samuel 1:10, 12)

2. Hannah prayed to the LORD in her heart (1 Samuel 1:12)

3. Hannah poured out her heart before Jehovah(1 Samuel 1:15)

4. Hannah spoke to GOD about her life (1 Samuel 1:16)

5. Hannah petitioned the LORD of Hosts in prayer (1 Samuel 1:17)

Follow the example of Hannah. Consider your life. Pray to Jehovah of Hosts and be specific: "...but will give Your maidservant a male child" (1 Samuel 1:11; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17; NKJV)

In Those Days

"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; NKJV).

Micah and the Danites serve to illustrate the truth of Judges 17:6 (see Judges 17-18).

These men deviated "from God's directed pattern" (F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible, p. 375). May it never be true of us. Conform to His patterns and do right.

Jason Cicero

A Father's Prayer

Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said, "O my LORD, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born" (Judges 13:8; NKJV).

žPray this prayer and trust Jehovah to do something wonderful while you and your wife look on.

Jason Cicero

The Kinsman-Redeemer

The concept of the kinsman-redeemer or goel (“close relative”) is an important portrayal of the work of Christ.

The goel (redeemer) must:

1. Be related by blood to those he redeems (DEUT 25:5, 7-10; JOHN 1:14; ROM 1:3; PHIL 2:5-8; HEB 2:14-15).

2. Be able to pay the price of redemption (2:1; 1 PETER 1:18-19).

3. Be willing to redeem (3:11; MATT 20:28; JOHN 10:15, 18; HEB 10:7).

4. Be free Himself (Christ was free from the curse of sin).

Read Ruth and rejoice in Jesus, our kinsman-redeemer!

Jason Cicero

The Wrath of Jehovah

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven..." (Romans 1:18; NKJV).

When Jehovah exercies His wrath, He abandons persistent, willful sinners to the consequences of their sins.

"Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress" (Judges 10:13-14; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Jehovah Shall Rule Over You

But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you" (Judges 8:23; NKJV).

The Israelites never quite got it into their hearts that they had a king. Jehovah is an eternal King. He always ruled over them and everyone else. "The LORD is King forever and ever" (Psalm 10:16; NKJV).

They had a King that they couldn't see. So do we. "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:17; NASB).

Jason Cicero

Valor

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" (Judges 6:12; NKJV)

"Valor" has to do with strength, might, efficiency.

Jehovah knew that Gideon had it in him to do His work before Gideon did. Our strength, might and efficiency is of and through Him. As long as He is with us, we too can be men and women of "valor" (see 2 Corinthians 3:5 and Philippians 4:13).

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17; NKJV)

Apostasy

"So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel." (Judges 2:7-10; NKJV)

Apostasy - a falling away, a withdrawal, a defection. Not found in the English Versions of the Bible, but used twice in the New Testament, in the Greek original (see Acts 21:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:2 - jhc), to express abandonment of the faith (from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

GOD'S people are always one generation away from apostasy.

Jason Cicero

Joseph's Bones

Joseph anticipated the fulfillment of the land promise to Abraham.

And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:24-26; NKJV)

Moses anticipated the fulfillment of the land promise to Abraham.

And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying,"God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you." (Exodus 13:19; NKJV)

Joshua 24:32 communicates that the land promise was fulfilled.

"The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph." (Joshua 24:32; NKJV)

All of this came about because of GOD'S grace and their faith.

"By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones." (Hebrews 11:22; NKJV)

Jason Cicero

As For Me and My House

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15; NKJV)

Joshua "wholly followed the LORD" from Egypt to the promised land (Numbers 32:12). After all they had seen with their own eyes from Egypt to the promised land, the Israelites continued to cling to their idols. Joshua challenges them to choose Jehovah once and for all.

The rest of the story is one of heartbreak for Jehovah. His people will continue to be plagued by idolatry until they return to the promised land from the Babylonian captivity. Joshua was correct when he said, "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God" (Joshua 24:19; NKJV). No matter what others do, you and your family serve the LORD and the LORD only.

Jason Cicero

Joshua 21:43-45

"So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." (Joshua 21:43-45; NKJV)

1. Jehovah promised to give Abram a land (GEN 12)

2. Jehovah covenanted to give Abram a land with specific boundaries (GEN 15).

3. Jehovah gave the specific land to the descendants of Abraham (JOSH 21).

4. Jehovah keeps His promises.

5. Jehovah keeps His covenants.

Jason Cicero

Wholly

Joshua 14:6-15 records a conversation between Joshua and Caleb that took place 45 years after we are first introduced to Caleb in Numbers 13. Think of what these 2 men had been through together. From Egypt to Mt. Sinai to Kadesh to Canaan, back to Kadesh only to then wander in the wilderness for 40 years, then finally to the promised land.

Joshua and Caleb were able to enjoy this touching moment because they "wholly followed the LORD" (Numbers 32:12; NKJV). They were full up when it came to following Jehovah. They held nothing back from Him.

Answer the call of Jesus: "Follow me..." (Matthew 4:19; NKJV). "Wholly" follow Him, holding nothing back. Allow Him to lead you to "a better, that is, a heavenly country" (Hebrews 11:16; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

The Sun Stands Still

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel. (Joshua 10:12-14; NKJV)

The day just wouldn't end. The enemies of Jehovah fled for the cover of darkness, but they would find none because He caused the sun to shine longer on that day. "Jehovah is a man of war: Jehovah is His name" (Exodus 15:3; ASV).

The Lesson of the Day: Don't go to war with Jehovah.

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17; NKJV)

The Commander of the Army of Jehovah

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua,"Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13-15; NKJV)

Some believe that the "Commander of the army of Jehovah" is The Word of John 1:1-18. Notice that He accepts Joshua's worship. When people attempted to worship angels they were forbidden. Perhaps Joshua saw The Word in the form of Jehovah's soldier.

Jason Cicero

A Prophet Like Moses

"But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:10-12; NKJV).

Deuteronomy ends by honoring the prophet Moses. It also ends by anticipating the coming of a prophet like Moses. Jehovah will call many prophets after Moses, but there is only one who fulfills the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15-18.

"Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities" (Acts 3:24-26; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Be Strong and of Good Courage

In Deuteronomy 31 Moses calls the nation of Israel and Joshua to himself for the purpose of encouraging them to "Be strong and of good courage" (v. 6-7).

"Be Strong" - to strengthen, to prevail, to harden, to be strong, to become strong, to be courageous, to be firm, grow firm, to be resolute, to be sore (Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon).

"Of Good Courage" - to be strong, to be alert, to be courageous, to be brave, to be stout, to be bold, to be solid, to be hard (Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon).

The source of their strength and courage is to be found in Jehovah God and their understanding that He is with them and will not leave them nor forsake them.

Here the encouragement of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant: Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6; NKJV)

Jason Cicero

Then All the People Shall Say, "Amen!"

"Amen" is generally used as an adverb of assent or confirmation-fiat, "so let it be." (fromInternational Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Old Covenant: "And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen!'" (Deuteronomy 27:15-26; NKJV)

New Covenant: "Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say 'Amen' at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?" (1 Corinthians 16:14; NKJV)

Jason Cicero

If, Then

Two of the most important words in the Laws of Moses are "if" and "then."

"If you walk in My statues and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will..." (Leviticus 26:3-4; NKJV).

"If" is a conditional clause. "If" the people would cultivate a lifestyle of obedience to the statues and commandments of Jehovah, "then" He would bless them. "If" they failed to obey, "then" Jehovah would set His "face against" them (Leviticus 26:14, 17; NKJV).

Consider these words of Jesus: "If you love me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Deuteronomy 25:4 and 1 Corinthians 9

"You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." (Deuteronomy 25:4; NKJV)

Consider the Holy Spirit's use of Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Corinthians 9. See how GOD Himself teaches us how to rightly understand His word from His use of Scripture. Read, meditate, understand and apply His word to your life...

9 For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about?

10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.

11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?

12 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.

13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar?

14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17; NKJV)

Jesus and Leprosy

As you read the laws of Moses concerning leprosy (Leviticus 13:1 - 14:57; Deuteronomy 24:8-9), consider Jesus.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." (Matthew 8:1-4; NKJV).

1. None of us is beyond His touch.

2. None of us is beyond His cleansing.

3. None of us is beyond His willingness to forgive.

Jason Cicero

Misapplying Deuteronomy 24

"Probably the worst mistake being made in this reasoning is using Moses in Deut. 24 to explain Jesus in Mt. 19 instead of using Jesus to explain Moses. There are many Old Testament passages that the Jews badly misinterpreted and are admittedly very difficult until explained in the New Testament. There is no doubt that Jesus and the Jews were discussing what was "lawful" and thus what was taught in the Old Testament. But let us not conclude that they were only discussing Deut. 24. Gen. 2:24 is part of the "law" as well and this is the part that Jesus made His appeal to." (Berry Kercheville)

Here is an excellent article on Deuteronomy 24:1-4 by Berry Kercheville.

http://focusmagazine.org/Articles/misapplyingdeut24.htm

Jason Cicero

Levirate Marriage

A form of marriage prescribed by the Law of Moses in which a man was required to marry the widow of a brother who died with no male heir. The term levirate means "husband's brother." The purpose of the law was to provide an heir for the dead brother, thereby preserving his name and estate. The law also was designed to provide for the welfare of the widows (Deut 25:5-10).

The story of Ruth and Boaz, recorded in the Book of Ruth, is a good example of the levirate form of marriage. Reference to levirate marriage was also made by the Sadducees, who tested Jesus with a question about the resurrection (Matt 22:23-33).

(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)