Revelation 22:14

How blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and go through the gates into the city!
- Revelation 22:14

How blessed are those who wash their toes… Wash their toes? Yes, that’s what I saw this morning when I read this. You can attribute it to my having gotten up far too early for my own good. I had a good laugh, but that little trick of the eye got me to thinking. It’s one thing to misread something, but what about purposely changing the meaning of Scripture to suit your own ends? Probably not a good idea, but it happens all the time.

We humans like to be right about things, and will sometimes go to great lengths to prove our point – even taking Scripture out of context and forcing it to mean something that isn’t even remotely close to its original meaning. While this might make us feel good at the moment (I won!!), the damage that it can do is far greater than that. Once the Word of God becomes something that can be molded to our will we are in trouble. There could be no end to the twisting and mishandling of the Word to suit our own needs.

Instead, we need to allow God to shape us according to His will. We need to look at His Word and let it speak for itself whether we like what it says or not – whether it lines up with our theology or not. Now, back to the blessed who wash their robes!

The book of Revelation is a fantastic prophecy of times that are yet to come. The book gives a structured timeline to the prophecies in the Old Testament that deal with the end of our age, as well as with the Millennial Kingdom. The book also gives us a glimpse into the age that will follow the Millennium – the Eternal Order. This verse is one of those glimpses.

The washing of the robes refers to those who have made themselves clean by the blood of the Lamb of God – Y’shua, Jesus the Messiah. Because they will have done this they will be able to enter into the city, the New Jerusalem, which will be established on the new earth that is to be created at the close of the Millennial reign. Once in the city they will be able to eat from the Tree of Life! This precious privilege was taken from mankind when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden so very long ago. But here we see that through the Last Adam – Y’shua the Messiah – that privilege will be ours once again. Oh, what a wonderful time that will be! I’m so thankful that God not only gives us what we need for today, but that He allows us to peek into the future so that our hope can be that much fuller.

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The Man Job

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head.
Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

- Job 1:20-22


Job. This was one man who hit some hard times. He was a contemporary of Abraham, and he obviously had a very strong faith in God. In the above verse, the “At this,” is referring to the fact that he had just been told that all of his children had been killed. This after all of his livestock had been destroyed and plundered and his servants killed. No matter how many times I read these words of Job, I remain in awe.

There was no pity party, and if anyone had a right to throw one, Job would have been the man. Instead Job tore his robe and shaved his head – signs of mourning, then he fell to the ground and worshipped God. He worshipped God! From his words we see that Job had an excellent understanding of who is in charge (God), who isn’t (man), and who’s prerogative it is to give and take. And in all of this sorrow Job did not sin by accusing God of wrongdoing.

Here are some other amazing words of the man Job:

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

- Job 19:25-27

Job spoke these words after being visited by a few of his “friends.” As the old saying goes, with friends like these who needs enemies? Job, even in his wrestling with God, knew that he had not sinned, yet his friends were trying to convince him that he must have done something wrong in order for God to punish him so. They were a bit off base. Even today there are countless numbers of Christians who are wounded by just this type of Christian “friend,” but that’s a topic for another time.

What I find so interesting in these words of Job’s is that in them we find Job’s belief in a Redeemer, that this Redeemer will physically come and stand on the earth, and Job’s belief that after Job dies he will be resurrected so that he will see his Redeemer with his own eyes! This is magnificent! No wonder his heart was yearning within him.

It is that same yarning that we should have each and every day – the yearning to see our Redeemer, Y’shua the Messiah, face to face. One day – very soon, I think – our Redeemer will once again stand on the earth and set up His Kingdom in Jerusalem, and we will see Him face to face. Oh, how my heart yearns within me!

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Psalm 42:8

By day the Lord commands his grace,

and at night his song is with me

as a prayer to the God of my life.

- Psalm 42:8

The Lord's grace in the day, and His song in the night. Oh, that our lives would truly be completely engulfed by the Lord! Sometimes it's easy to forget that the Lord really is with us day and night, every day, year in and year out. We can get so wrapped up in the minutia of our lives that God becomes an afterthought. Let our prayer be that the One who saved us from eternal punishment would also be the One who we live for each day. Take some time today to build your relationship with the Lord today, so that His song would be your prayer to the God of your life.

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Psalm 42:1-2

Just as a deer longs for running streams,

God, I long for you.

I am thirsty for God, for the living God!

When can I come and appear before God?

- Psalm 42:1-2

Have you ever been really, really thirsty? There's nothing like finally getting a nice cold drink of water to slake your thirst. But what can be done about our spiritual thirst; that thirst that can only come from the living God?

Today is the first day of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. During the eight days of the feast at the time of the Temple in Jerusalem, there was a daily drawing of water from the pool of Siloam. That water was then taken into the Temple. On the eight day of the feast, known as the Hoshana Rabbah or the "great hosanna," there was also a drawing of the water, but with a greater importance attached to it. The water was then taken to the Temple for a brilliant ceremony that is still commemerated in modern Judaism.

It was on this day, Hoshana Rabbah, that Y'shua said, "If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking! Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!"

Here we see God's answer to our spiritual thirst - Y'shua. If we place our trust in him, and continue to go to him and allow him to teach us his ways by studying his Word, we will have something better than anything available from the world - living water!

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Psalm 19

Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure

and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?

Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then will I be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

When I recently read this beautiful psalm I noticed something very interesting about it. In this one psalm we are taken from the grandeur of the heavens to the secret place of our hearts.

"The heavens declare the glory of God." What a way to begin! And who could argue otherwise? The sheer magnitude of the heavens is mind-boggling, yet even in its enormity we now know that it is a finite space. And within that space we are now able to see more and more of God's handiwork. When I first saw a photo from the Hubble telescope of the center of the Whirlpool galaxy I was amazed to see a cross very clearly visible in the galactic dust. The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God!

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul." We are then taken from the majesty of the heavens to the wonder of the perfect Law of God - His Word - which does indeed revive the soul. There is no other way for a person to come into line with the will of God, for how can we know His will apart from His Word? In this process of learning about God and fostering our relationship with Him, He will indeed revive our souls. It is also during this time of communing with God in His Word that we come to treasure His Word and do find it more precious than gold and sweeter than honey.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." From the sweeping majesty of the heavens, to the perfect Word of God, we are then taken to the only place left - ourselves. In looking at the wonders of heaven, in seeing God in His perfection in His Word, how can we feel anything but "less than?" But God does not want us to feel small and inferior, helpless and alone. Through the most amazing gift, given in the most amazing moment in the history of the universe, God has made it possible for us to be His own children. Through the perfect sacrifice of Christ made on the Cross in Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago, God is now able to come to us by His Holy Spirit, to revive our souls, to make wise the simple, to bring joy to our hearts, to teach us about Himself, and to help us make the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts pleasing in His sight. Oh, what a wonderful God we serve!

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Proverbs 21:30

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan

that can succeed against
the LORD.

- Proverbs 21:30

The news broadcasts of late have had me shaking my head in amazement. It seems that no matter where you turn there is anger and hatred. Leaders of nations make their plans to wipe out western civilization. No wonder those who don't know the Lord fill their lives with "stuff." They chase after worldly pleasures to try to chase away the hopelessness and despair that settles in. Unfortunately all of these things only leave you needing more to make you feel better.

The good news is that the Lord is always there, waiting for us to turn to him. We can be certain that even the best laid plans of men will never be able to derail the will of God. With that certainty in our hearts we can truly have the Lord's peace in our hearts, in our lives, and in our homes. Remember, when the world seems to be turning upside-down, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, our strongtower in times of trouble.

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Isaiah 48:17

This is what the LORD says—

your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

"I am the LORD your God,

who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go.

- Isaiah 48:17

Oh, I can't tell you how comforting and encouraging these words are to me. Over and over again I find this same statement from the Lord - I will teach you; I will direct you. How precious are these words of the Creator of the Universe when you realize that He is speaking them to you? The Lord wants to be your God. He wants to be your Redeemer. He wants to show you great and marvelous things. Will you let Him?

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