-------------------------<BrethrenVoice>------------------------- [which seeks to be guided solely by the NT Biblical pattern, facilitates free flow of Christian info. To God be the glory!] [eMail Moderator: brethrenvoice-owner@...] [<GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY> archives/read online: http://associate.com/digests/brethrenvoice/ezmlm.cgi] <GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY> <1 December 2002> Contents: ---------- 1) <Exhortation> "What is your life?" - Connie Giordano 2) <Bible-Study> "What is the answer?" (Pt-23)-Charles Wigg 3) <Prophecy> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-94)- A.W.Pink 1) <EXHORTATION> "WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?" Connie Giordano "Death is the most powerful and effective preacher the children of this world have. Though they avoid all churches and despise all preachers of God's Word, yet one preacher - death - they are compelled to hear. His church is the earth, his pulpit the deathbed, the casket, the hearse, the grave, and the cemetery. With a heart-rending voice He cries out, 'O man, it is appointed unto you to die; you have no continuing city in this world, this earth is not your home, this life does not finish your course; in an hour unknown to you, you will have to leave this world with all its treasures. Oh, repent, repent!' " - ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS James 4:14 - In his epistle, the Apostle James asked a question that man has been asking for thousands of years - "...For what is your life?" James 4:14 - He immediately answers this same question by saying "...It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." He compares life to a swiftly fleeting mist - a "vapour" which does not just remain for a time, but for a "little time." Then it is gone completely, leaving no remnant or outline. In Job 7:1, Job pleaded - "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth?" Job 7:7 - He then cried out to God - "O remember that my life is wind..." It is as a vapour or a breath. Being compared to the "wind," it can be noisy and blustery at times, but it is also vain and empty and soon gone. As with life, there are moments that are quiet, but then there are others that are boisterous and full of great excitement and movement, leaving a great impact on all that is around us. Nonetheless, eventually the wind dies down and is no more. So it is with life. In Job 14:1, Job speaks again of the brevity of a man's life - "Man that is born of a woman is of few days..." His life is short. There is no getting around it. Ethan the Ezrahite makes a similar statement as he pleads with God for a quick answer to his earnest prayer in Psalm 89:47 - "Remember how short my time is..." The Scriptures abound with such depictions of the frailty and precarious nature of life. They describe the shortness and uncertainty of life using various comparative statements. Let's examine some of them more closely and see how they describe this life on earth that lies before us - #1 Swifter Than A Weaver's Shuttle Job 7:6 - "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle..." Life is oftentimes compared to a web that is woven by a weaver. With an instrument called the shuttle, he inserts the filling into the woof of the material. With a rhythmic pattern matching the continuous succession of moments, hours, days, weeks, months, and years of a life, the weaver throws the shuttle from one side of the web to the other until it is exhausted of all thread, and the web becomes a finished product. #2 Swifter Than A Post Job 9:25 - "Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away..." In this particular verse, life is compared to a light-footed messenger - courier, runner, and racer - who carried messages in ancient times. These carriers would oftentimes travel by camels, horses, or by foot. Because they were employed by the royalty, they were known to travel with great speed and rapidity, carrying important commands from one place to another. Life is pictured as running by us with the speed of a fleet messenger. #3 As The Swift Ships Job 9:26 - "They are passed away as the swift ships..." In this verse, life is compared to swiftly moving ships - possibly the light vessels made of papyrus, which glided rapidly down the Nile. Or generally speaking, it could refer to any ship that is under full sail and carried along very quickly down the waters to its destination. #4 As The Eagle That Hasteth To The Prey Job 9:26 - "...as the eagle that hasteth to the prey. Here life is compared to an eagle going after its prey. The eagle is an emblem of rapidity. In fact, there are very few things that are more rapid in motion than an eagle descending upon its victim. #5 As A Shadow Job 14:2 - "...he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not." Ecclesiastes 6:12- "...all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow?" Psalm 109:23 - "I am gone like the shadow when it declineth..." Psalm 102:11 - "My days are like a shadow that declineth..." A shadow has no substance to it. Nor is it permanent. It moves gently and silently. After a "little time," it is gone. This is the nature of human life on this earth. It is likened to a declining "shadow." #6 As A Handbreadth Psalm 39:5 - "Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before Thee..." There are many measurements such as the foot(length of the foot) or the cubit(the length of the arm to the elbow), which could have been used in this comparison to life. However, in order to emphasize the shortness and brevity of life, the Holy Spirit inspired David to compare his life to the smallest form of measurement therein - the handbreadth. The handbreadth is the distance from one finger to the fifth finger when the hand is expanded. It means the "spread hand." It always was used as a depiction of something very short or brief. In this case, it describes the life of every man. In the light of the Eternal God, we can see how it would be said to be as "nothing." #7 As A Sleep Psalm 90:5 - "Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep..." A man's life is compared to a sleep - it passes away so quickly without notice or observation and seems to never accomplish enough. #8 Like Grass Psalm 90:5 - "...in the morning they are like grass which groweth up." In the morning, the grass looks so green and flourishing. However, in the short course of the day and before evening, it is cut down by the mower. So it is with life. #9 As A Shepherd's Tent Isaiah 38:12 - "Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent..." The shepherd's tent is placed in a certain area. But then comes a time when it is broken up and transferred to another place. So it is with all mankind. They live in this world for a designated period of time, and then are called to depart from this world and set up their tent so to speak in an eternal place called Heaven or Hell. #10 Like Smoke Psalm 102:3 - "For my days are consumed like smoke..." Smoke vanishes away very easily and quickly. So does the life of every man. Now that we have seen that our lives are very, very short in passing, what should we do? Should we give up and not even try to accomplish any goals or dreams? Should we just resign ourselves to a wasted life and wait for the inevitable moment of death and departing from this life? As always, the Scriptures give us the answer. In Psalm 90:12 Moses prayed a very powerful prayer that we would be wise to pray and do likewise - "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." We need to constantly remind ourselves that our lives are very short-lived and are soon to end. We must live under a consistent awareness of the uncertainty and frailty of life. We do not know the day or the hour when we will step into eternity where there will be no more life as we now know it. Consequently, we need to live each day with eternity in direct view. In other words, live now for eternity. God's continual supply of wisdom will enable us to do so. We will see as God sees - the whole picture of life - rather than one small portion of each day at a time. We will be more aware of the end from the beginning rather than only living in the now. How important is it that we "apply our hearts unto wisdom" - God's Wisdom? The various writers in the Bible considered it crucial that we seek God for wisdom concerning our latter end. Moses earnestly prayed for the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 32:29 - "O that they were wise...that they would consider their latter end!" David pleaded with the LORD in Psalm 39:4 - "LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am." Proverbs 2:2 - In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon continually exhorted us to seek for wisdom - "...incline thine ear unto wisdom..."; Proverbs 2:6 - "For the LORD giveth wisdom..."; Proverbs 3:13 - "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom..."; Proverbs 4:5 - "Get wisdom..."; Proverbs 4:7 - "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom..."; Proverbs 16:16 - "How much better is it to get wisdom than gold..." Life is short. There is no doubt about it. May God by His Great wisdom enable us to deeply consider the frailty, uncertainty, and brevity of our own lives and to know our latter end insomuch that we unfailingly live with eternity in view. We will never be the same again. We can count on that. Our lives will be changed. We will strive to make every passing moment count for eternity! Now, that is life! --- © 2002 Connie Giordano _______________________________________________________________________ 2) <BIBLE-STUDY> "THE WEALTHY SHUNEMITE" (PART-23) Charles E. Wigg .... Next in 2 Kings chapter 4, we read of the wealthy woman of Shunem. Here we have an example of how God rewards the love and hospitality shown to His own, especially to His servants. Matt. 25:31-40, reveals that the Lord Jesus regards anything done in love to His brethren, as done unto Him. In Heb. 13:1 we are warned not to forgetful to entertain strangers, because in doing so, some have entertained angels, though they have not been aware of it. Each time Elisha passed that way, he went into this lady’s house for a meal. It seems that she did not know who Elisha was, but she discerned, (probably by his conversation), that he was a holy man of God. So she consulted her husband about the advisability of preparing a special chamber where he could turn into, and enjoy both rest and privacy. It was agreed, and duly built. It was not a large or luxurious room, but large enough for the needs of the prophet. In that small room she placed a bed, a table, a stool, and a lampstand, just such things as the prophet would need, to enable him to rest, to meditate or to study. It is rather sad when the servants of God demand luxury, and special treatment, as they move from place to place in their service. I recall one such servant who had been involved in a car accident. He was showing me a photo book, which recorded the different stages of his recovery to health. I noticed particularly that in many of the photos he was wearing different tee shirts, and each one of these was advertising some of the world’s most luxurious and expensive hotels. It seemed obvious that he would not be content to stay in a small room in a believer’s house. This to me was very sad. As Elisha enjoyed this provision for his needs, he thought of seeking some reward for the kindness thus shown to him and his servant. So the woman was called and asked what she would wish to be done for her. Doubtless she was surprised that such a thought should come into the prophet’s mind, as she had done these things out of love and generosity, she never had any thought of reward. She declined the offered privileges that were suggested by the prophet. He was thus in a quandary as to what to do. Gehazi had the answer, as he had noticed that she had no son, and that her husband was old. We may think it to be strange that Elisha did not notice this, but it seems that he had never married, and had never had a child of his own, whereas Gehazi was married and had children of his own, he understood the joys of parenthood, of having his own child in his arms, but the woman had never experienced such joy. So she was called, and she stood in the doorway. Elisha then announced the news, which she thought was impossible, and too good to be true. (She even accused him of lying to her). However her unbelief did not hinder God in fulfilling the promise, and what seemed impossible took place in the due time. This reward for her kindness did nit come from the prophet, but from God. What joy it must have brought to her heart, as day after day she held that precious child in her arms. She had longed in vain for this experience all the years of her married life, and had given up all hope of ever having a child of her own. But now the miracle had happened, and only because of a little kindness that she had shown to God’s servant. It reminds me of the doxology in Eph. 3:20-21, where we are told of a God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think. [To be concluded] --- [Reproduced with permission] _____________________________________________________________________ 3) <PROPHECY> "THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-94) THE SITUATION OF THE JEWS DURING THIS PERIOD PART 1/2 Arthur W. Pink .... As we have seen in earlier chapters, the declarations of Holy Writ make it very clear that Israel will yet be restored to God's favor and be rehabilitated in Palestine. But before that glad time arrives, the Jews have to pass through a season of sore trouble and affliction, during which God severely chastises them for their sins and punishes them for the rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah. Fearful indeed have been the past experiences of "the nation of the weary feet" but a darker path than ever yet lies before them. Their cruel bondage in Egypt, their captivity in Babylon, and their grievous handling by Titus, were but faint foreshadowings of what they shall yet be called upon to undergo. In Jer. 30:4-7 we read--"And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord; We have herd a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the Time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." This Time of Jacob's Troubles was described in part when, in answer to His disciples' question concerning the end of the age, our Lord said, "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end (of the Tribulation period which terminates the Age), the same shall be saved" (Matt. 24:9-13). [To be concluded] ---------------------------<BrethrenVoice>--------------------------- Subscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-subscribe@...> Unsubscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-unsubscribe@...> FAQs/Faith Statement, eMail: <brethrenvoice-faq@...> <BrethrenVoice> Home: www.brethrenvoice.com <eFellowship> Home: http://groups.msn.com/BrethrenChristiansForum/ "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith." 2 Cor 13:5 "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Jn 8:32 _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus