Word for Life in Love— Scripture Meditations By Stephen Brown
Deuteronomy 10:1 (ESV Strong's)
“At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood.
The words of stone of stumbling will be rewritten on the flesh of each heart.
Anticipates the second covenant that will bring the word of God in the form of Jesus, on whose shoulders will rest the mercy seat of the Lord. The ark of the Son will bring us on the mountain of God.
Deuteronomy 8:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
1 “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
Israel was freed from the slavery of Egypt to enter the promised land. They could receive the promise by obeying the word of God.
We have been freed from the slavery of the world to receive the promised life of Christ. We will receive the inheritance of His promise by obeying the word of Christ, who is the word of God.
Our time of testing in the wilderness of the world is now. If we walk with Him and follow His lead, we will find the land of the living and eat from the tree of life.
1 Corinthians 14:1-3 (ESV Strong's)
1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
To speak under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is to prophesy. Everyone speaks in a tongue which is their own. Some can speak to God in a tongue no one understands. When God speaks to us, He does so in a tongue we can understand. Talking to God is good, but listening and understanding God is the better thing.
We all are prophets when we speak the word.
1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (ESV Strong's)
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
We are the children of perfection. We are perfect in Christ, but will not be perfected until we see Him face to face. We are a work of creation until we until we leave this old flesh behind.
Faith and hope are no longer necessary when we enter fully into the perfection of His love.
Psalms 40:3 (ESV Strong's)
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
This is the song of life sung by those reborn in the life of God. The lyrics harmonize in the joy, praise, and gratitude of those who place their trust in the Lord.
Many will have their eyes opened by His light and to His majesty and the power of His name.
There was only one place to sit in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and it was the Mercy Seat. It was for the Lord to meet with in this most Holy place once the veil was torn at the sacrifice of Christ.
Today the Holy of Holies is in the heart of man, and it is there the Lord can meet and abide with us.
The tent of meeting has become the body of Christ.
Deuteronomy 6:2-3 (ESV Strong's)
2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
The Lord promised Israel long days in a land filled with milk and honey. The New Covenant would be based on the Son of promise. Many sons of promise would follow. One is a kingdom on earth and the other is the kingdom of heaven.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESV Strong's)
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Here we find three names which can signify the Triune God of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father God has sent His Spirit and Son as the Word of creation. That Word finds expression in the body of Christ. First in the flesh of His Son Jesus, then in the flesh of those who believe and follow Him to become sons of God.
This is the ongoing work of God.
Matthew 18:20 (ESV Strong's)
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
For this is the body of Christ.
Psalms 39:4 (ESV Strong's)
“O Lord, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
So that I may look to my beginning
To life that has no end
And with you is everlasting
Deuteronomy 1:39 (ESV Strong's)
And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
Children who have no knowledge of good and evil are not accountable to the Lord for sin because they don’t and can’t know any better.
Adam and Eve were in the presence of the Lord until their eyes were opened after eating the forbidden fruit. They then saw they were naked. They became self conscious. This happens with every child of man.
We can’t choose between the two unless we have knowledge of both. Man has to choose to be made in the image of Christ. We do this by believing and following Him.
The maturation process begins with self and ends when we get beyond self and find God. That is our inheritance if we persevere and overcome the world. The blessings of heaven await.
John 14:12-14 (ESV Strong's)
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Jesus has raised the flesh of man into the presence of the Lord. He has taken our flesh for Himself. God clothed Adam and Eve in animal skins when they were expelled from the garden. He then followed them out of the garden to bring man back into fellowship with Him. He clothed Himself in our flesh where we are to bring us back to the garden of His presence.
When we receive the Holy Spirit, the garden manifests within our flesh because He abides in us. God reveals Himself in the two witnesses of the Son and Holy Spirit. We enter the fellowship of the Lord when we enter the body of Christ united and sealed with the Holy Spirit.
His name entails His power, authority, and the character of His being. It is this name we inherit. Because of His coming and going, we can go to Him, our Creator and become one with Him.
Deuteronomy 1:39 (ESV Strong's)
And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
Children who have no knowledge of good and evil are not accountable to the Lord for sin because they don’t and can’t know any better.
Adam and Eve were in the presence of the Lord until their eyes were opened after eating the forbidden fruit. They then saw they were naked. They became self conscious. This happens with every child of man.
The maturation process begins with self and ends when we get beyond self and find God. That is our inheritance if we persevere and overcome the world. The blessings of heaven await.
Matthew 3:11-12 (ESV Strong's)
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The waters of our baptism in Christ are the living waters of the Holy Spirit. He will lead us to the source of life which is the throne of God.
The Passover for the body of Christ is when we are washed in the blood of Jesus by our faith in him. Death is no longer our fate. The flesh will wither, but we will have everlasting life, for we have passed over death into the life of Christ.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV Strong's)
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
Paul is speaking of people in a church fellowship who have the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Like a vase used to store water that is dry as a bone. The living waters of the Holy Spirit never filled the container in the first place, or it leaked out faster than it was replenished.
Avoid this personally and avoid such people. Drink from the fountain of life to live.
Psalms 38:4 (ESV Strong's)
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
Matthew 11:29-30 (ESV Strong's)
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Without Christ, we are yoked to the darkness of mankind. The weight of that darkness is a struggle for a soul created to bear the light of God. Jesus is the light of the world.
To be other
To be reborn into another creature
A new creation
The separation between light and darkness
Takes place within
Where darkness meets the light
The fruit of the Spirit
Begins to grow
As we work in our garden
Our hands and hearts
Guided by His leading
If we would but follow
Revelation 3:12 (ESV Strong's)
The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
He shall never go out of it because there is no boundaries in the temple of the Lord. God is everywhere and we are with Him.
Numbers 14:24 (ESV Strong's)
But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
It’s possible that following fully is another way of saying he who overcomes the world. The one who follows Jesus and perseveres to the end will join Him on His throne as the Bride of Christ.
This could be the difference in attending the wedding feast and being the bride. Many are called but few are chosen.
1 Corinthians 8:5-6 (ESV Strong's)
5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Through the spoken word, creation is formed. Through that word, man is reborn into a new creation. It is through Him all things exist. It is through His word that we are able to pass through that veil of existence into the life of Christ.
The mind feeds the spirit and the spirit feeds the mind. We walk straight and upright when the balance between the two grow together. We are less likely to stumble and fall. Jesus was transformed on that mountaintop long ago, but our transformation takes place here in the valley and day by day.
Genesis 2:24-25 (ESV Strong's)
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were no longer one flesh and unashamed. They lost their relationship with God and each other, trading the perfection of life for something less.
We have been given the grace to return to the presence of the Lord and to walk with Him unashamed.
Numbers 28:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’
The people of Israel had “appointed” times to meet with the Lord and specified offerings to be done.
The body of Christ abides in Christ and He brings our daily bread.
