King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024
Chapters: 1 Samuel 31, Psalms 121, 123-125, 128-130
Message: The Eyes of The Lord
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today I got extremely dizzy, it had gotten so bad that I could no longer type as it would make me nauseous, I am still fighting that right now. On top of that my mother was showing signs of having another stroke while husband has been suffering all week. My husband literally made me lay down while the paramedics took my mom to the hospital. So, I am laying there in tears wondering when we are going to get a break from all this affliction that we are facing. Then this passage showed up.
[1 Peter 3:12-17 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.]
Since God created man, the righteous, meaning those who are saved, have suffered under the evil doings of the unrighteous. Some have lived on to tell their stories of miraculous recoveries while others were brought home to God as He saw fit that their place was better with Him. God, has even gotten me through some incredible suffering before and I know He is still able, but I often ask Him why He is so good to me when I fail Him so much. That is when He points out to me that He has a purpose for me as He does all His children and while some have already fulfilled their purpose and had to come home to Him because it was best for them. Believe it or not, God, always has our best interest in mind and while at times bad things do happen to good people we are assured that they serve as an eternal purpose.
[Ephesians 3:8-13 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.]
Song of degrees, known as pilgrim songs sung by the people as they went up to Jerusalem to attend the three great festivals, [Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:]
David often used the word degrees to describe his prayers. The word degrees is described as elevation, that is, the act (literally a journey to a higher place, figuratively a thought arising), or condition (literally a step or grade mark, figuratively a superiority of station) of things that come up. In other words, they are what elevate or lift both us and God up, even when we do not always see God. David reminds himself, as we who are saved should be doing the same, that our help comes from God, that He is our salvation forever more.
[Psalms 121:1-8 A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.]
[The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil:] While we might face all sorts of evil, those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour are preserved from it, meaning their souls belong to Jesus and cannot be touched, [Luke 21:16-19 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 19 In your patience possess ye your souls.]
Saul, had everything going for him, he was humble God fearing, and chosen by God Himself to be the first king of Israel. Two years later he became proud, arrogant, and although he still wanted God’s blessings and protection he wanted them on his terms. God, had given him several opportunities to repent, but refused and that was when He had anointed David as king. Saul, spent the rest of his life chasing after David to keep that from happening. As we come to the end of the reading or 1 Samuel we learn that the Philistines attack on Israel was brutal and fatal, not only did Saul’s three sons die he did as well. Since David was not there to lead them, sadly, many lost their lives. Saul, was struck by an arrow, and did not die right away, he actually wanted his armor bearer to finish the job, but he was too afraid to do that and therefore Saul killed himself.
[1 Samuel 31:1-4 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. 3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. 4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.]
[Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith;] At this point, all Saul had to do was ask God to forgive him of his sin and he would have been saved. God, gives us until our very last breath on earth to accept Christ as our Saviour, but there is no escaping hell without Him, [John 14:6-7 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.]
Saul, was so worried about the Philistines abusing his body while he was wounded that he killed himself, but that did not stop them. They did not even know that Saul or his sons were among the ones they killed until the next day when they started stripping the dead bodies of what was on them.
[1 Samuel 31:7-10 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. 9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. 10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.]
[and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.] I would not wish that kind of treatment on my worst enemy, and something like this reminds me that there are some truly wicked and demented people out there. Nevertheless, God, will even save the cruelest of people if they would only come to Him through His Son.
[Psalms 125:1-5 A Song of degrees. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. 2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever. 3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. 4 Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. 5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.]
[As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways,] This is actually not someone who backslides and has no relationship with God at all, this is someone who actually lives in sin, using their salvation to justify for their sin. We must not forget that we can always turn things around. Whether we have gotten tangled in a web, dangled there on a cliff, or got caught up in something that we never thought was possible, God’s mercy endures, and He is always there to pull us back up. We just need to talk to Him, no matter how hard it may be.
[Psalms 123:1-4 A Song of degrees. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us. 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.]
[for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.] [Contempt; The act of despising; the act of viewing or considering and treating as mean, vile and worthless; disdain; hatred of what is mean or deemed vile.] Until we are saved we are in contempt with God because we are sinners and God despises sin. However, He does have mercy in fact an abundance of mercy on those who come to Him through Christ, [Romans 11:29-32 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.]
There is absolutely no way that we can have a relationship with Him without much communication through prayers, songs, and in the reading of His Word. The more steps we take with Jesus, the more we become like Him, and discover that, it is only by His mercy that we can even get through this life. He is on our side.
[Psalms 124:1-8 A Song of degrees of David. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; 2 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: 3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: 4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: 5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.]
[Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers:] Who is it that snare that we have escaped from? Satan himself. Thanks to Jesus, we whom have accepted Him as our Saviour have escaped eternal death and hell, He is always our help, and all we need to do to get it is call His name, [Romans 10:11-13 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.]
While our works are what show Christ in us, salvation has never been about works, not even before Christ came to earth as man, and gave His life for us. The sons of Jacob (Israel) were God’s chosen as far as His showing the world that there is only one living God. He used them to be an example of what it is like to be under the wings of the only living God, and that includes His judgment upon them, and the endless amount of mercy He has upon them. Israel itself is not just a country, or the sons of Jacob, it is a nation of people who will one day get to enjoy eternity in Zion, which is God’s country.
[Psalms 128:1-6 A Song of degrees. Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. 2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. 3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. 4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. 5 The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. 6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.]
[For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands:] Solomon, said this, [Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.] Blessed is every one that fears the Lord, whether they be high or low, rich or poor in the world. Those who fear him and walk in his ways shall be well fed as their labor is never in vain, [1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.]
You know, we are not perfect by a long shot, we mess up and fail Him in some way every day, but His eyes and ears are always open to His faithful because they do know that their hope is Christ. Our relationship with God is not one that should can be rushed, it is one that grows with each step that we take. And there is absolutely no way that we can have a relationship with Him without much communication through prayers, songs, and in the reading of His Word, especially through the afflictions we face.
[Psalms 129:1-5 A Song of degrees. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say: 2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows. 4 The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked. 5 Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.]
[yet they have not prevailed against me.] Jesus, has cut and separated the cords that Satan held us by and we need to keep it that way, [Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.]
How amazing is it that all we have to do is call on Jesus and He will help us in our time in need? Whether we grieve, cry, suffer, mourn, or remorse, we can call on Jesus, and He will help us. Praise God! The more steps we take with Jesus, the more we become like Him, and discover that, it is only by His mercy that we can even get through this life.
[Psalms 130:1-8 A Song of degrees. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. 3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. 6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. 7 Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. 8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.]
[If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities,] It is by His mercies that we are not consumed for are iniquities are many. None of us are without sin, which is why we cannot save ourselves. This is why we grow with Christ in steps, if we hang off the cliff of the mountain, we may dangle there for a while, but He is our keeper and keeps us from falling. Our only hope in this life we are given comes through Jesus Christ who gives our souls eternal life through His death, burial, and resurrection, [1 Corinthians 15:19-20 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.]
[And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.] If God named every one of our iniquities we would be shocked and quite ashamed of ourselves because we would not be able to stand before Him and live, Israel, meaning His people, both Jew and Gentile, [Romans 2:9-11 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Psalms 130:3-5 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for giving Your life that I might live through You. You suffered through all the pain, humiliation, mocking, and the scourging. You hung there on the cross while You had every ability come down, but You remained there so that I would not have to be there. You gave me life the second I believed in You, but You also gave me so much more than a way to heaven, You gave me eternal life, and that means You will always be with me. Lord, Lead me and guide me, keep me in Your Word that I may keep learning and growing, and conforming into someone resembling You. I get it now, I understand how important it is to tell everyone about You, so, let me be a faithful witness, full of compassion and have a continual passion for seeing all saved as You do. I ask You for Your mercies and grace, and forgiveness where I have failed You, Lord. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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