A. We have been thinking about David, a man after God’s own heart. So let’s look first at the longings of David’s heart.

What characterized David’s heart, and what did he long for?

• Precepts of God (Ps 119:10-11)
• Purpose of God (Ps 40:8)
• Panting for God (Ps 42:1-2)
• Power & Glory of God (Ps 63:1-2)
• Praise of God (Ps 150)
• Pondering God (Ps 63:6)
• Preeminence of God (Ps 115:1)
• Prayer to God (Ps 5:2-3)
• Promises of God (2 Sam 7:28-29)
• Peace of God (Ps 4:7-8)
• Purity, Holiness of God (Ps 51:10)
• People of God (Ps 28:9)
• Place, House of God (Ps 27:4, 84:2-4,10)
• Preference for God & Restoration to God (Ps 137:6)
• Pain of God felt (2 Sam 18:33)
• Isaiah 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 

• Loving heart: Deut. 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
• God is the greatest lover.
• Patient heart: Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
• Patient, trusting expectation
• God’s way is worth seeking for, and God’s will is worth waiting for. (v11, 14)
• Trusting heart: Prov. 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
• Psalm 62:8  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. 
• God’s word is worth trusting
• He is the most trustworthy
• Willing heart: 2Cor. 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
• Christ was the most submissive to God’s will
• Thankful heart: Col. 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
• Serving heart: Eph. 6:6  Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
• Service should not be dependent on the praise of men
• Christ was the greatest servant
• “Pleased not Himself” (Rom. 15:3)
• He took the reproach of men for the sake of the Father
• “Not My will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42)
• Peaceful heart Php. 4:6-7  …And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
• Our peace is not dependent on our circumstances
• Comforted heart: 2Th. 2:16-17  Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
• Joyful heart: Psa 4:7  Thou hast put gladness in my heart
• Worshipful heart:  Psa 9:1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.  
• Reverential heart: Psalm 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. 
• Directed heart: 2Th. 3:3-5  And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
• Teachable heart: Psalm 51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 
• True heart: Heb. 10:19-22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
• “Blessed are the pure in heart” Matt. 5:8
• “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts” Psalm 139:23
• Beautiful heart of humility: 1Pet. 3:4  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
• Prov. 18:12  Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
• Soft heart: Mar 6:52  For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.  (submitted by reader)
• What is my reaction when the Lord works in my life?
• Mark 3:5 – A hard heart grieves the Lord
• God would not have us to be soft when it comes to the world’s mold (Romans 12:2), but He desires a soft heart that conforms to the mold of likeness to His Son (Romans 8:29).

In considering these things, the writer feels his failure and shortcomings.

Concluding thoughts

Our spiritual life began with God working in our heart. We need to guard our heart from the evil without and have it cleansed from the defilement and deadness within. Our heart is the secret to spiritual blessing and honor before God. It is the determiner of our habits. Where it goes, our lives will follow.

A trusting heart is God’s delight.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. ” (Prov. 3:5-6)

An offered heart is what God deserves.

“My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” (Prov. 23:26)

A heart given to God is a heart God fills and satisfies. God will fill my heart in the measure that I give it to Him.

With a whole heart like David then, let us praise Him (Psalm 9:1), seek Him (Psalm 119:2), serve Him (Psalm 119:34), and pray to Him (Psalm 119:58,145). Let us with a whole heart return unto Him in repentence (Jer. 24:7) and love Him with our whole being (Deut. 6:5) until that day when we see Him face to face.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.  (Psalm 19:14)

“Change my heart, Oh God”

Reward depends upon the heart

The state of our heart is the secret to our usefulness for God, and it will determine the honor God places upon us in the future. “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Cor. 4:5).

After God’s own heart

I am reminded of the man that is, after Christ, perhaps the most honored in the Scriptures. His name is David (found over 1100 times in the KJV). David is in the first verse of the New Testament and six verses from the end of the New Testament.

What is the secret to David’s honor? I would like to suggest that it was his heart.

God said of him, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will” (Acts 13:22).

What a heart David had for God!  David’s heart was like God’s heart, and he loved to spend time with God. He longed to please God, and lived humbly, trustingly, thankfully before Him. One has only to hear his songs to feel the beat of his heart, a heart full of desire and devotion to his God. What a love he showed for communication from his God in Psalm 119! How he appreciated God’s care in Psalm 23! How he longed after God in Psalm 42! We could go on and on.

God’s choice of David for the one who would guide His people as a type of Christ was due to David’s heart. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1Sam. 16:7).

David endured the ridicule of men, but he didn’t let others’ assessment of his heart affect his life for God. His own brother cut him down when David sought to refresh him (1Sam. 17:28). And then the trusting heart of David, one that desired God’s honor, went out to meet the giant, and the giant came down.

David endured the betrayal of men, but even this did not change his dedication to God. Instead, that heart that wept so often was made more true to his God as a result. His own son stole the hearts of those he loved and shepherded as king. His heart was pierced with grief. When Absalom’s heart was pierced through in death, reaping what he sowed, David mourned over him.

You can hardly find a man of God that failed more than David did. But it would be hard to find a man who loved God more than David did.

When someone wins my heart, that means they have won my

• delight – respect & appreciation (Song of Songs 2:2-3)
  • You think of them highly (1 John 3:20)
• devotion – love & affection (Song of Songs 2:4)
  • You think of them fondly (1 John 3:1)
  • You think of them singly (1 John 2:15)
• desire – time & interest (Song of Songs 2:14; Is 26:8)
  • You think of them often (1 John 4:16)
  • You desire to spend time with them (1 John 3:2)
• discipline – will & service, self-sacrifice (Song of Songs 2:16)
  • You think of them humbly (1 John 3:16-18; 1 John 4:10)

So the question I ask myself is, "Has the Lord won my heart, and does He still have it?"

B. What role do others in my life play in relation to bringing revival and restoration?

…What are your thoughts?

A Guarded Heart

Our spiritual health as a Christian is intimately connected with the state of our heart. Thus, the wise man writes, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23 NASB). Keil & Delitzsch say it this way: “Guard it as the most precious of possessions committed to thy trust.” Unfortunately, in the end of his life, Solomon failed in this, and his wives turned away his heart to follow after other gods (1 Kings 11:3-4). How easy it can be for something or someone in our lives to be placed ahead of God in our affections.

• “Guard Your Heart”

A Heart that Left

When the Lord writes to the assembly in Ephesus, He mentions all of the good things they were occupied with. They were an assembly that had been given rich truth (Ephesians) and had been blessed abundantly. They did not have the doctrinal error of Pergamos or the immorality of Thyatira. But it is to Ephesus that the Lord warns of the possibility of the removal of the lampstand of testimony. And why? They had left their first love, their chief-love for Christ– Christ was no longer first in their hearts.

A Heart to Return

If the state of our heart is the reason for our departure, it is what must be affected in order to bring about our return.

What will rekindle my heart to “chief-love” for the Lord? I would like to make a few suggestions.

1. An Attitude of Repentance and Prayer

The message to Ephesus was “Remember! Repent! Renew!” It was a call to remember their former love for Christ. It was a plea for a change of mind and heart. It was a desire to see labors done with the right motive again.

I am reminded of this principle illustrated in Old Testament passages:

• The humble can be restored to intimacy with God: (Isaiah 57:15)  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
• Those who have been taken captive by their failures can be returned to the land of blessing through seeking the LORD in repentence: (Deut. 4:29)  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
• A prayerful return in heart to the house of the LORD brings forgiveness and restoration: (1Kings 8:38-39) What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

2. An Ear for the Scriptures and the Shepherd’s voice

John 15 reminds us of the importance of abiding in Christ. We need to take our strength and sustenance from the living Vine, and have a life connected with His.

The two walking to Emmaus in Luke 24:32 said, “Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?” The risen Lord had opened their understanding to the Holy Scriptures, and had revived their faith. They were reminded of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that was prophesied to follow those sufferings. Just as Jacob’s spirit was revived when he finally took in that Joseph was alive (Gen. 45:27), these two were restored to a heart full of joy in a living, glorified Savior. We as well can have our faith and joy renewed as we think upon the love that brought our Savior from above to die for us, and as we view Him seated in glory. It is a fresh appreciation of the sufferings of Christ that warms our hearts and draws out our affections anew. It is the sight of a living Christ that revives and strengthens our spirits.

3. An Eye fixed on Eternity

As I consider a risen Christ, I am reminded that that same Jesus will come again. When my eye is fixed on heavenly things, when I remember that it is only those things that will last for eternity, it will help bring my heart back to the proper state. In Luke 12:34, the Lord Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If I am building for time, putting all my energy into my house, my car, my job, my toys… then my heart will tend to be drawn away from the Savior. But if my life is devoted to the things of God, to building for eternity, to seeking the blessing of God’s people and living with His coming in view, then I will be laying up treasure in heaven, and my heart will be drawn away from things of this earth to heavenly things.  The toys of time will never satisfy, nor bring lasting joy and benefit to others. Let us “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1 NASB).

In conclusion,

To bring back chief-love for Christ, what I need is not necessarily to listen to messages on revival, though that may be helpful. Centering on our faults and failures will not bring us back to true devotion and commitment. What I need is a heart set on fire by a living Christ. I must have a life connected with His life. A sight for eternity. A fresh look back at the Christ of Calvary, and an earnest look onward and upward to the coming King and my heavenly Bridegroom.

Part I: Life’s beginning: the heart’s role in Rebirth

The Heart and Repentance

Spiritual life begins with the heart. God’s Word must touch my heart before I become serious about my need for salvation. It must reach into my inner being and make me aware of my sinful condition before God and need for forgiveness. On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and preached a message that “pierced to the heart” of the listeners, as they understood that their sins had nailed the Son of God to the tree, and they responded in deep distress, “what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37 NASB). A repentant heart is first necessary before rebirth can take place.

The Heart and Salvation

The Philippian jailer asked the same question, “What must I do to be saved?” in Acts 16. The response Paul and Silas gave to him was “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Paul writes in Romans 10:10 that it is “with the heart one believes and is justified…” (ESV). Faith is believing God, but it is not a simple acceptance of a few facts in the Bible.  Faith must be from the heart. It must come from the being of the person, a connection made with the living God, resulting in a life that is transformed. It is a faith that acknowledges I am a guilty sinner, but Jesus died for me, and I accept Him as my Lord and Savior. A person who believes God to salvation is never the same again. A believing heart is essential for salvation.

The Heart and Transformation

When a person is saved, they are a different person. God places His Holy Spirit within them, and they have a new desire to please God. Hebrews 10:16-17 says, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” A changed heart is the result of salvation.

(to be continued)

Colossians 2:16-17 tells us that truths in the Old Testament are shadows of things to come.

The feasts (or festivals) of the Old Testament are God letting us in on His purposes and plans– sharing with us what He has enjoyed from eternity past (2). So what can we learn at God’s table?

Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 tell us about these festive days for God’s earthly people, Israel. Leviticus 23 begins by telling us about the Sabbath, a day of rest. Figuratively, this rest was broken when sin entered the world, and it will not be fully enjoyed again until the eternal rest after the Millenium. (2)

A note on Jewish time: The Jewish “day” begins in the evening instead of in the morning. Thus, the Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday night and ends with the appearance of the stars on Saturday night. (1)

One-day feasts indicate single, great acts of Jehovah. Those that lasted over a period of time point to the results and blessings because of those acts. (2)

Practical note: God promised the Israelites’ lands would be safe when they went to the feasts. We won’t lose out by obeying God’s command to assemble with His people, but we will surely be worse off if we refuse to do this. (2)

Feasts 1-4 : Foretold events now Past

1) The Passover

Looks forward to: Redemption; Christ our Redeemer
Related passages: Exodus 12; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 5:7

Old Testament significance:

• Time observed: 1st month, 15th day of the month, about 6:00 p.m. (The lamb was killed the end of the 14th day.)
• A lamb gave its life to deliver the firstborn from death
• Result: Redemption from slavery in Egypt
• Stress on remembering (Exod. 13:3)

New Testament significance:

• Time of crucifixion: probably 1st month, 15th day of month
• The Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, gave His life to deliver sinners from eternal death and separation from God
• “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7)
• Result: Redemption from slavery to sin in the world
• Stress on remembering (Luke 22:19)

In Luke 22:14-20 the Lord Jesus shows that the Passover supper was only a shadow that looked forward to the Lord’s supper. He is the true Passover Lamb.

• At the institution of the Law, Moses sprinkled the people with blood to indicate their identification with the covenant (Ex 24:8)
• At the institution of the Lord’s supper, Christ said “drink… this is [e.g. represents] my blood” (Matt 26:27-28).

Suggestion for personal study: The Lamb and Redemption

2) Feast of Unleavened bread

Looks forward to: Righteousness, Communion; Christ our Sanctification
Related passages: 1Corinthians 5:6-8

Old Testament significance:

• Time observed: 1st month, 15th – 21st day
• Time of remembering that they went out of Egypt in haste, feeding on unleavened bread

New Testament significance:

• Time: Shows the results of Christ’s work in the believer’s life after salvation. Note that it is a week long feast rather than just one day.
• Leaven represents evil in the Bible
• Before this O.T. feast (and the Passover supper), there was a thorough search for leaven. We as Christians should be careful to judge ourselves before partaking of the Lord’s supper (1Cor. 11)

Suggestion for personal study: Leaven symbolized in the New Testament

• Matt. 16:12 – false doctrine in Judaism
• Luke 13:21 – false doctrine in Christendom(?)
• 1Cor. 5:6-8 – sin in the assembly

Looks forward to: Resurrection; Christ our Victor, Leader
Related passages: 1 Corinthians 15:23; John 12:24

Old Testament significance:

• Time observed: At the time of the crucifixion, the day after the Sabbath (Sunday, 16th day of 1st month) during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:15; According to tradition, it was held the Sunday after Passover (3)
• The people brought the first of their produce to the Lord in thanksgiving

New Testament significance:

• Time: Christ rose on the Feast of Firstfruits.
• Christ is the Firstborn from among the dead, the token of a future harvest (Colossians 1:18; John 12:24).

Suggestion for personal study: Trace the idea of seed / sowing / reaping with Christ and the gospel message going forth and people being saved

4) Feast of Pentecost (or Weeks)

Looks forward to: Residence of the Holy Spirit in believers; Christ Ascended & Glorified at the right hand of God (Acts 2:33)
Related passages: Acts 2

Old Testament significance:

• Time observed: 3rd month – 50 days after the Passover Sabbath or 7 weeks after Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:16);
• Celebration of wheat harvest
• Also believed to be the day when God gave the law, and thus the beginning of the nation of Israel. (Exodus 19:1, 5-6)
• Exodus 32:28,  3000 were destroyed

New Testament significance:

• Time: On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers in Christ
• This marks the beginning of the church, the body of Christ, the “harvest” of souls that is the “fruit” of Christ’s death and resurrection (1 Cor. 12:13)
• Acts 2:41,  3000 were saved
• Two leavened loaves offered: Jew and Gentile united in Christ – beginning of the church, though sin is still present

Suggestion for personal study: Temples in Scripture

• The “universal” Church: the Body of Christ (Ephesians 5), a holy temple (Ephesians 2), the baptism of the Spirit (one-time event) (Acts 2, 1Cor 12);
• The local church: “miniature” body of Christ (1Cor 12), a temple of the Spirit (1Cor 3);
• The body of the believer: an earthly tent (2Cor 5), a temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 6)

Interval with no feasts : Present period

Time: There was a long period of about 4 months when there were no feasts celebrated. This reminds us of the present time, the Day of Grace (the Church age, when Israel is scattered, Romans 11:25).

Suggestion for personal study: The “Day of Grace”

• Ends with rapture of the church and judgment for mankind
• Picture: Methuselah (has the longest recorded age; note the meaning of his name)

Feasts 5-7 : Events yet future

5) Feast of Trumpets

Looks forward to: Rapture of the church & Regathering of Israel; Christ Returning

Related passages: 1 Thes. 4; Isaiah 27:12-13

Old Testament significance:

• Time observed: 1st day of 7th month / beginning of civil year
• Trumpet: used for call to assemble together or to journey on (Num 10:2)

6) Day of Atonement

Looks forward to: Repentence and Restoration of Israel; Christ Delivering
Related passages: Zech 12:10, 13:1

Old Testament significance:

• Time observed: 10th day of 7th month (mirrors time of the choosing of the Passover lamb)
• Israel’s annual cleansing from sin; Day of judgment, penitence and forgiveness

7) Feast of Tabernacles

Looks forward to: Reign of Christ : Christ Reigning

Related passages:  

• Matt 17:4 – Peter proposed three booths;
• Matt 21:8-9; according to Lev 23:40 & other Jewish writings, it was common to signify joy with palm branches. Christ may have rode over them or they might have hung their garments on booths by the side of the road to make a show (John Gill)
• Zech 14:16 – Millenial keeping of this feast;

Old Testament significance:

• Time observed: 15th day of 7th month (mirrors time of Passover / Unleavened Bread)
• Israel lived in tents / booths to remember God’s faithfulness to them in the wilderness before He brought them into the promised land (Lev. 23:40-43)

Works cited/referenced:
(1) http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/jewish-time/
(2) Feasts of Jehovah by John Ritchie, Kregel Publications
(3) International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover#cite_note-8
(5) http://www.pray4zion.org/ShavoutorPentecost4thFeastoftheLord.html

What is Easter, and why do many celebrate it?

The word Easter itself apparently comes from the name of a month during our April which was named after an Anglo-Saxon goddess. However, pagan practices were replaced by the time of the 8th century with Christian beliefs linked to the resurrection of Christ, which occurred on the first day of the week following the Passover. The word Easter does occur once in the King James version of the Bible, but it should have been translated Passover there instead.

So is it wrong for Christians to call it Easter?

I don’t think so. The word is no longer associated with a goddess, and people don’t think you are praising Ēostre or Austrō if you have an Easter egg hunt, though eggs and bunnies may have been associated with Germanic Austrō customs. Paul takes up this question in 1 Corinthians chapters 8 and 10, in relation to eating food that was offered to idols. Many Christians understood that idols were not gods, and could eat food that had been offered to idols in good conscience. But if in doing so they might stumble another Christian or non-Christian, causing them to think they were honoring a heathen god, then it would be wrong to eat the food. This is the way I understand questions of practices such as coloring Easter eggs or decorating a Christmas tree. They have nothing to do with Christianity (unless you really stretch it), but they are not viewed as pagan practices by most people today in the United States. However, I do appreciate those who choose not to follow practices that could detract from the true significance of the day being remembered. It is good to ask myself, “Why am I doing this?” because all that we do should be to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

So what is the true significance of the first day of the week following the Passover?

Even though the actual term Easter is not a biblical term, the day remembered as Easter is certainly a very important day in the Bible. It is the day of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb…. And he [an angel] said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.” (Mark 16:2, 6 ESV)

Death could not detain the body of the Author of Life (Acts 3:15). By His own power He rose out from the tomb, and appeared, alive, to over five hundred people at one time (1 Cor. 15:6). His disciples didn’t believe it until they actually saw Him. But the truth of the resurrection changed fearful, feeble followers into fearless, powerful witnesses and martyrs for Christ.

He is risen! 

Why would this be so important to believers in Christ?

Paul tells us about the significance of the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. If Christ had not been raised, we would yet be lost in our sins. There would be no salvation to proclaim, no victory over death. Christ’s resurrection proves that He is conqueror over the power of death, and therefore He is able to save us out of death as well.

Again, His resurrection proves that God the Father is satisfied with the price His Son paid for our redemption, because the Father has placed Him at His right hand in glory, the place of greatest honor (Rom. 8:34). What the Father gave Him to do, He finished to perfection. We have a perfect Savior who accomplished a perfect work to God’s complete satisfaction, and all who place their faith in Him find peace with God.

Some information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter, retrieved March 31, 2012

So what is “Good Friday,” and why do people call it “good”?

According to the Oxford dictionary, the word “good” is used to indicate “a day or season observed as holy by the church.” So this day marks an event that is special to Christians. There may be other reasons for the term, but its origin is uncertain.

And what makes it special?

It is the day set aside to remember when the Lord Jesus was crucified.

And why would this day be special? Wasn’t it horrible?

Certainly it was horrible– the Son of God, hanging upon a cross, dying an agonizing death at the hands of His own creation! There is nothing wonderful about that. What is special is not simply a day, nor that a man was crucified, but that through the death of this Savior a means of Redemption was brought to mankind (that’s you and me).

Redemption? What is that?

To answer this question we should really first consider another special day–a day celebrated by the Jewish people. In fact, they were observing this day at the very time the Lord Jesus was being crucified. It is called the Passover. The Passover was a special day to the Jews, because it marked the day when they were delivered from bondage and slavery in Egypt long ago. At that time, God instructed them to kill a lamb and put the blood of that lamb around the door posts of their houses. The lamb died in the place of the firstborn within that house, and shielded him from the judgment God brought because of sin. God passed-over and guarded the houses where there was blood, and didn’t bring judgment upon the inhabitants. In short, the lamb’s blood–its life–was the price that had to be paid because of sin. This is the idea of Redemption: it involves a purchase.

But there is more. God not only saved His people from death, but He also delivered them from the slavery they were experiencing in Egypt. He brought them out of Egypt and into a new land of great blessing and abundance. So Redemption (in this aspect) involves a purchase out of slavery, and a setting free.

Yet there is more. God not only saved them from death, brought them out of Egypt, and brought them into a new land, but He also made them into a nation: Israel. He made them His own people. Redemption made it possible for God to call them His own special people. (See Exodus 6:3-8, 19:4-5)

So Redemption in the Bible (in this aspect) involves a price (or ransom) that is paid to bring deliverance from bondage, resulting in blessing.

So how does the Redemption of Israel relate to Good Friday?

Well, just as Israel needed to be delivered from the bondage of Egypt, mankind needs to be delivered from the bondage of sin. The only way God could righteously deliver us from the penalty that our sins deserved (eternal separation from God), was for another to die in our place. Another person had to purchase our freedom. That person is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only one who could do it–He is perfect. He is divine. But He had to become a man to do it. And He had to go to a place called Calvary to fulfill it. He was God’s Lamb for our Redemption, and when He hung on that cross, He was enduring the anger that a holy God poured out on Him as our substitute– taking the place of the sinner. “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7 ESV). When we accept what God says, that this all was “for me–for my sin!” receiving Christ as Lord and Savior, we become His own–purchased and redeemed by His blood. No longer are we enslaved to sin, but God puts a new heart within, and His Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. He gives us a new song, a new life, a new destiny. The sinful world, typified by Egypt, is now behind us, and heaven’s joys are before us. We are God’s special people, and Christ’s purchased bride. Israel was under a covenant of works, but Christians are freed from the bondage of the law and brought into fellowship with God by grace. How much transpires in that moment of faith!

So now do you understand why that day is special to Christians? But more importantly, is the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus, special to you?

Sometimes when God allows into our path something that is difficult to bear, we ask the question, “Why?” Why do I have to go through this? Why did he have to die so young? Why did it have to happen that way?

The verses above remind us that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and there is “no bottom” to His intelligence. We have an all-powerful, all-knowing God “who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). That will is “good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). God is not the author of evil, nor does He delight in bringing calamity into our lives. He says “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked” and asks them “why will ye die?” (Ezek 33:11), but in contrast, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” – they are precious to Him, and they go to be with Him (Psalm 116:15).

God allows difficulties to come our way for reasons which many times He alone knows. God may bring death to preserve someone from something in the future. King Hezekiah likely would have been better off had he accepted death rather than receiving additional years (2Kings 20:5-6). Difficulties come sometimes for the furtherance of the gospel, or they can be for judgment or chastening, among other reasons. Job didn’t understand why God allowed Satan to bring trials into his life, but we understand that it was for Job’s good, developing his character, and ultimately resulted in blessing. In his trial, Job honored God and proved Satan, the accuser, wrong. Job had a right attitude when he went through his trial. He said, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21 NASB). He came out of that trial as purified gold, more brilliant and blessed than before (Job 23:10).

God isn’t required to tell us why, but sometimes He does. He often has revealed His secrets to those closest to Him (Gen. 18:17, Ex 5:22-6:1, Daniel 2:19, John 15:15). Joseph didn’t find out the reason for his trial until some time later (Genesis 50:20). We can go into the sanctuary with Asaph for either God’s guidance or His enabling grace (Psalm 73:17). We can say respectfully with Samuel, “Speak, LORD, for Thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:9).

I have been considering Romans 11:35 (above) in light of a recent funeral of a young man who had a wife and small child. God is the first Giver, and all we have comes from Him.  We cannot give anything to Him that He has not first given to us. If we have children, they are a gift from Him, given to us as a stewardship to bring up for Him. Ultimately, they still are God’s, and He has the right as Creator and Sustainer to do with them as seems best to Him. The Bible says that Christ “upholds all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3 NASB). Colossians 1:17 NASB states, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Daniel 5:23 tells us that our life-breath and all our ways are held in God’s hand, and thus we have an obligation to bring glory to Him.  Again, Acts 17:25 NASB tells us, “nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.” One day each one of us must return unto God who gave us life (Eccl 12:7), whether sooner or later. So if each moment on earth is graciously given to us from God, and if he constantly maintains and sustains our lives, surely God is not unrighteous to allow that soul to return to his/her Maker. Whether short or long, our life is only a vapor in comparison to eternity (James 4:14). For the lost that perish, God gave them ample opportunity, and they despised it. For the saved, God says that for them, it is “far better” (Phil. 1:23).

When we are under the load of our trials, it is helpful to think upon the sacrifice that God the Father made on our behalf. He sent His Son into a sinful world that He knew would despise and reject Him, and finally nail Him to a cross to die. Yet in doing so He brought infinite glory to His Son, and infinite blessing to His people. Out of darkness, there came light. Out of poverty, there came riches. Out of sorrow, there came joy. Out of curse, there came blessing. Out of suffering, there came victory. Out of death, there came life. And God is able to bring the same out of our circumstances, to His glory and our blessing.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him (Psalm 42:5,11).

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22)

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