Job 7:17-18 ESV
What is man, that you make so much of him,
and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning
and test him every moment?
God is looking for His children.
Word for Life in Love— Scripture Meditations By Stephen Brown
Sunday, January 6, 2013
A Form Was Before My Eyes - Job 4:12-19
Job 4:12-19 ESV
“Now a word was brought to me stealthily;
my ear received the whisper of it.
Amid thoughts from visions of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
dread came upon me, and trembling,
which made all my bones shake.
A spirit glided past my face;
the hair of my flesh stood up.
It stood still,
but I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
there was silence, then I heard a voice:
‘Can mortal man be in the right before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
Even in his servants he puts no trust,
and his angels he charges with error;
how much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
whose foundation is in the dust,
who are crushed like the moth.
Satan whispers in Job's ear words that draw and play on the doubts and fears deep in Job's soul. He spins words of deception as he did in the Garden. It is easy sink in the water of faith, just as Peter did while walking to Jesus on the sea.
We all ask the questions of the why and how of our existence. We sometimes encounter experiences and circumstance which rattle belief and faith. We usually find we learn a little more about ourselves and perhaps we might understand God in a different and deeper way. The likelihood of this taking place increases as we grow older and come closer to the shedding of this body.
“Now a word was brought to me stealthily;
my ear received the whisper of it.
Amid thoughts from visions of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
dread came upon me, and trembling,
which made all my bones shake.
A spirit glided past my face;
the hair of my flesh stood up.
It stood still,
but I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
there was silence, then I heard a voice:
‘Can mortal man be in the right before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
Even in his servants he puts no trust,
and his angels he charges with error;
how much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
whose foundation is in the dust,
who are crushed like the moth.
Satan whispers in Job's ear words that draw and play on the doubts and fears deep in Job's soul. He spins words of deception as he did in the Garden. It is easy sink in the water of faith, just as Peter did while walking to Jesus on the sea.
We all ask the questions of the why and how of our existence. We sometimes encounter experiences and circumstance which rattle belief and faith. We usually find we learn a little more about ourselves and perhaps we might understand God in a different and deeper way. The likelihood of this taking place increases as we grow older and come closer to the shedding of this body.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Have You Considered? - Job1:6-8
Job 1:6-8 ESV
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
Perhaps God was trying to get Satan to consider a different path than the one he had chosen. Instead of to and fro, up and down on the earth, he might reflect on a man in right standing before God.
We are not always privy to the mysteries of God. We often do not understand our circumstances or trials and we can lose heart, faith, and resolve so easily. Job has, then loses everything. He doesn't understand why in the end, but he understands better who he is and the God Who created him. He ends with much more than he had.
We are given life that we might be with Him. That life is filled by many and various experiences. In the end it brings us to the same place, before He that judges all things.
Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world— he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
John 6:70-71
Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.
1 Peter 5:8-11
Be sober- minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
Perhaps God was trying to get Satan to consider a different path than the one he had chosen. Instead of to and fro, up and down on the earth, he might reflect on a man in right standing before God.
We are not always privy to the mysteries of God. We often do not understand our circumstances or trials and we can lose heart, faith, and resolve so easily. Job has, then loses everything. He doesn't understand why in the end, but he understands better who he is and the God Who created him. He ends with much more than he had.
We are given life that we might be with Him. That life is filled by many and various experiences. In the end it brings us to the same place, before He that judges all things.
Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world— he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
John 6:70-71
Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.
1 Peter 5:8-11
Be sober- minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Scattered -Genesis 11:1-9
Genesis 11:1-9 NIV
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
As the children of Noah expanded into the nations, they wandered further from God until they began to see themselves as the master of their own fate. This is a common frailty of man, to trust in one's own strength and wisdom. They decided to make a name for themselves rather than call on the name of The Lord.
Their aim was to create their own path to heaven. God has provided a way to heaven and there is only one name that opens that door, His Son Jesus.
The Tower of Babel is well represented in our world today in our pride and arrogance. Many are comfortable with the idea that we have or can find the answer to all our problems. Many find the idea of God to be a primitive notion held by the weak and simple. If they do believe in a God and heaven, the idea that God has provided the single way to approach Him is unacceptable and mean spirited.
Adam didn't listen to God either. Eve handed him the forbidden fruit and he ate it. They were expelled from the Garden just as these people in the plain of Shinar found themselves scattered after all. These things are written so that we might understand.
Zephaniah 3:9
Restoration of Israel’s Remnant
“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
Acts 2:6-8
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked:“Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
Zechariah 5:7-11
Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.
Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.
“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.
He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”
Psalms 49:11-13
Their inner thought is that their houses are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have called their lands after their own names.
But man in his pomp will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.
This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who approve their words.
Selah.
Daniel 4:30-32
The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty? ’ While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. ’
Psalms 92:9
For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord,
For, behold, Your enemies will perish;
All who do iniquity will be scattered.
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
As the children of Noah expanded into the nations, they wandered further from God until they began to see themselves as the master of their own fate. This is a common frailty of man, to trust in one's own strength and wisdom. They decided to make a name for themselves rather than call on the name of The Lord.
Their aim was to create their own path to heaven. God has provided a way to heaven and there is only one name that opens that door, His Son Jesus.
The Tower of Babel is well represented in our world today in our pride and arrogance. Many are comfortable with the idea that we have or can find the answer to all our problems. Many find the idea of God to be a primitive notion held by the weak and simple. If they do believe in a God and heaven, the idea that God has provided the single way to approach Him is unacceptable and mean spirited.
Adam didn't listen to God either. Eve handed him the forbidden fruit and he ate it. They were expelled from the Garden just as these people in the plain of Shinar found themselves scattered after all. These things are written so that we might understand.
Zephaniah 3:9
Restoration of Israel’s Remnant
“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
Acts 2:6-8
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked:“Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
Zechariah 5:7-11
Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.
Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.
“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.
He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”
Psalms 49:11-13
Their inner thought is that their houses are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have called their lands after their own names.
But man in his pomp will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.
This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who approve their words.
Selah.
Daniel 4:30-32
The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty? ’ While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. ’
Psalms 92:9
For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord,
For, behold, Your enemies will perish;
All who do iniquity will be scattered.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Receiving Glory -John 5:41-47
John 5:41-47 ESV
I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you:Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Whom we seek to please tells the story of what we believe. We are formed and transformed by the things we love. This can work for us or against us. Attention is needed.
Just because we know the truth, it does not automatically mean we operate on that truth. Israel had the word of God and witnessed His provision and might, yet they were prone to wander in thought and deed. We are no different. Knowing what is good for us is not always what we choose.
The rules of life have been established. How we choose to play is up to each one. We will be judged by those rules, unless we reach for the grace of Jesus. We must lift our sight from the words of Scripture to the Word of God, His very Son. We must go beyond the limits of our eyes to seeing with the heart. The Spirit speaks to spirit. He is the object, the beginning and end of the story, which brings us into eternity.
John 7:18-19
The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
Romans 2:29
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
John 9:28-30
And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.
Romans 2:17-21
But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?
Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:44-45
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
Acts 26:22-23
To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
1 John 2:15-17
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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life —is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you:Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Whom we seek to please tells the story of what we believe. We are formed and transformed by the things we love. This can work for us or against us. Attention is needed.
Just because we know the truth, it does not automatically mean we operate on that truth. Israel had the word of God and witnessed His provision and might, yet they were prone to wander in thought and deed. We are no different. Knowing what is good for us is not always what we choose.
The rules of life have been established. How we choose to play is up to each one. We will be judged by those rules, unless we reach for the grace of Jesus. We must lift our sight from the words of Scripture to the Word of God, His very Son. We must go beyond the limits of our eyes to seeing with the heart. The Spirit speaks to spirit. He is the object, the beginning and end of the story, which brings us into eternity.
John 7:18-19
The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
Romans 2:29
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
John 9:28-30
And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.
Romans 2:17-21
But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?
Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:44-45
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
Acts 26:22-23
To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
1 John 2:15-17
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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life —is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
You Search -John 5:37-40
John 5:37-40 ESV
And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
The word of God goes beyond the printed word of Scripture, though it is part of the revelation of God, and it is an alive and ongoing revelation through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Christ is that word spoken and still heard, ringing through these very words of Scripture and the lives of those whose hearts have received the words of life. Love is given voice and form in the body of Christ here on earth. Reading the word does not guarantee eternal life, but believing the word does.
Experiencing God is made possible by the one sent from the Father. He came to provide access to the Father in two ways. He first overcame sin and death, removing that insurmountable barrier between man and God. In doing so, He displayed the divine glory in human form that we might come to Him. We then begin to take on the attributes of the divine as we immerse into the body of Christ, united by the Spirit.
1 Timothy 6:13-16
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
1 John 1:1-2
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—
James 1:21
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
The word of God goes beyond the printed word of Scripture, though it is part of the revelation of God, and it is an alive and ongoing revelation through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Christ is that word spoken and still heard, ringing through these very words of Scripture and the lives of those whose hearts have received the words of life. Love is given voice and form in the body of Christ here on earth. Reading the word does not guarantee eternal life, but believing the word does.
Experiencing God is made possible by the one sent from the Father. He came to provide access to the Father in two ways. He first overcame sin and death, removing that insurmountable barrier between man and God. In doing so, He displayed the divine glory in human form that we might come to Him. We then begin to take on the attributes of the divine as we immerse into the body of Christ, united by the Spirit.
1 Timothy 6:13-16
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
1 John 1:1-2
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—
James 1:21
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Bear Witness -John 5:30-35
John 5:30-35 ESV
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
Three witnesses come into view in these verses. Jesus is clear that He speaks the word of God in all He says and He is sent by God to proclaim that word. God sends a witness to prepare the way for His Son. God gives witness to both men. Though they have different roles, they were both prophesied long ago in keeping with God's plan. There is one light of the world. The morning star has risen and we all give witness to His light. It is the light of judgement and truth.
Isaiah 11:3-4
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Romans 15:3-4
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
John 17:4-5
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Luke 3:21-22
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
1 John 5:6-10
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.
2 Peter 1:19-21
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:76-79
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
Three witnesses come into view in these verses. Jesus is clear that He speaks the word of God in all He says and He is sent by God to proclaim that word. God sends a witness to prepare the way for His Son. God gives witness to both men. Though they have different roles, they were both prophesied long ago in keeping with God's plan. There is one light of the world. The morning star has risen and we all give witness to His light. It is the light of judgement and truth.
Isaiah 11:3-4
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Romans 15:3-4
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
John 17:4-5
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Luke 3:21-22
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
1 John 5:6-10
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.
2 Peter 1:19-21
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:76-79
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
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