Love Truth Blog

“Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man” (1 Chron. 21:13). 1 I have been meditating upon the census of David mentioned in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21, which incurred divine wrath upon the nation of Israel. Satan was instrumental in delivering the temptation (1 Chron. 21:1), but God was superintending the course of events to address a fault in the king (2 Sam. 24:14). David yielded to his own sinful inclinations, and reached out to grab at the Devil’s sinful enticement. Satan’s goal was to destroy David, but God’s desire was to sanctify David, and lead the king towards a true evaluation of things. When David orders the census, we already know something is off, particularly with the response of Joab, the commander-in-chief of Israel’s army, “May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why...

Go into any Christian church building and while you might find an altar in the front of the sanctuary, it is relatively an unused piece of furniture. If one is in the place of worshipping believers, it is a reminder of a past age when God’s people worshiped with priests and sacrifices in a tabernacle, and subsequently a temple. Why the change? The Old Testament is very exacting in its prescriptions. Scan through the Book of Leviticus and you’ll find detailed instructions for five different kinds of sacrificial offerings (Lev. 1:1-7:38), codes for maintain a holy priesthood (Lev. 8:1-10:20), codes for ceremonial purification (Lev. 11:1-16:34), and codes for maintaining ceremonial purity (Lev. 17:1-25:55). Worshippers who kept their covenant with Yahweh were blessed whereas the unfaithful were cursed (Lev. 26:1-46); yet, there were ways sinners could be redeemed (Lev. 27:1-34). Similar ordinances can also be found in Exodus 20-40 and the Book of Deuteronomy. Yahweh eventually...

I listened to some Sixpence recently, and one of their seasonal tracks played—Angels We Have Heard on High—and the refrain Gloria in excelsis Deo keeps resounding in my head. But what is this “glory” that one can give or possess? We can say that in one sense glory is action world, conveying the idea of praise. Hence, Gloria in excelsis Deo means “glory to God in the highest.” We can glorify God. Glory is also a quality that characterizes a person, place, or thing, which can be visible or invisible, and it sets the possessor apart as worthy of receiving adoration, honor, and praise. Scriptures especially highlight the glory of the Lord or the glory that God possesses. The most frequently used Hebrew word in the Old Testament translated “glory” is kavod, which conveys the idea of weight or worthiness. One can speak of the kavod of men and women with respect to their wealth, or reputation. But, there is also the glory of Yahweh, which is what He reveals to people about Himself ...