Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 13, 2012

The Blood Payment for Sin, Part 1 by David Bower

 Life is in the Blood

One of the interesting things about the Bible’s revelation is the emphasis on blood; there appears to be much more involved with blood than would first appear.

In Hebrews 9:22 we read: “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” In Leviticus 17:11-12 we read: “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.”

These verses along with many others establish a special significance for blood and place an emphasis on it. One can understand the confusion that many felt when our Lord told the people in John 6: 53-56, “Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”

Our Lord knew that many were following Him because He had fed them, not because they sought the spiritual truths He was revealing to them; these “difficult sayings” were made to separate the carnal from the spiritual in the crowd. Jesus knew He had offended them because He seemed to be suggesting something which the Jews had been taught was completely wrong. In John 6:63 the Lord pointed out the spiritual nature of what He was telling them: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

The Centrality of Sacrifice

Throughout the Bible the vital nature of the sacrifice of life for payment for sin is emphasized. As David pointed out after his great sin against God in 2 Samuel 12:13a, “Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Again in Psalms 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”

What we are seeing here is the true nature of any sin; it is a sin against God. While many others were impacted by David’s sins surrounding Bathsheba, the one most offended was God; David clearly recognized this fact as he made his confessions before God.

We too as we sin, and sadly that is a certainty, sin first and foremost against God; although our sins may involve others we are primarily sinning against God. David realized this and turned his attention to God and not man as he confessed his sin.

From God’s perspective sin is exceedingly serious, so serious that casual payment is not possible or acceptable, so serious that the only payment for sin is that which only God can provide, and that is life, the life of one of His creations; “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Next week, in conclusion, we will consider God’s serious solution to man’s serious problem.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 6, 2012

Heavenly Rewards Redux Conclusion, by David Bower

Peace and Joy on Earth

Previously the joyous nature of the Judgment Seat of Christ was described. It was emphasized that the Bema has nothing to do with salvation but relates to works done in our mortal bodies whether they were done in the power of the Holy Spirit or the power of the flesh.

We know from Galatians 5:22 that love, joy and peace are part of the fruit of the Spirit and God’s gracious gift to His children who walk a Spirit led life. We also know that in heaven we will enjoy a perfect, sin-free unity with God at every possible level so the fruit of the Spirit should characterize our lives all of the time. 

I retired from a 36 year career in homebuilding in 2004 and have really enjoyed my retirement. One of the things I appreciate most is our morning coffee as I watch the traffic report; I commuted through Houston traffic for many years and I’m really and truly happy to simply watch it on TV.

My retirement has generally been a quiet time allowing me to choose what I want to do and when I want to do it. Very few seek me out or ask my advice on anything and that’s quite all right with me.

The point of all this is the fact that I have learned to be content and I do not feel left out or unimportant. I have complete peace with my situation as a nonentity and have absolutely no feelings of envy for others who may have positions of prominence or influence.

The situation of everyone I know is very similar to mine; the people I know all seem generally happy and at peace with their lives. I doubt that any of us are on a first name basis with any world leaders or captains of industry and that suits me just fine and I suspect it suits them just fine as well.

That probably characterizes most, if not all of us even though we still have that annoying old sin nature; we’re pretty much at peace with life. I don’t mean to say our lives are totally free of problems; during out earthly stay that is impossible. We deal with the problems as best we can and then move on.

Peace and Joy in Heaven

If we can generally be at peace now, infected by our old sin nature, then I strongly suspect we’ll be at peace in heaven when our sin nature is gone regardless of the job our Lord gives to us. I believe we will have perfect peace and joy in the role to which we will be assigned.

None of us can even imagine what the Lord has planned for our eternity; I’m confident we’ll be busy and have work to do. Whether it’s watching over some animals, tending a garden, or ruling a planet only the Lord knows. Whatever it is I believe we will be delighted with our assignment and have total joy and peace as we perform the tasks assigned to us by our Lord regardless of how lofty or how humble they may be.

In the meantime may the Lord grant you grace and peace. “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.”

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 30, 2012

Heavenly Rewards Redux, by David Bower

 The Judgment Seat of Christ

Getting to heaven is a strict pass – fail event with those who pass all getting a perfect score. There is no grading on the curve; there is no getting into heaven by the skin of your teeth. If you go to heaven it is because you have, by faith, accepted Christ as your personal Savior; God has imputed to you the perfect righteousness of Christ, you’re as good as it gets; when the Father looks at you He sees the perfection of His Son.

The Judgment Seat of Christ has nothing to do with gaining or losing salvation; it has everything to do with works done while we are in our mortal bodies before death or the Rapture. The only question is whether these works were done under the power of the Holy Spirit to honor God or done in our own power to honor self.

In November of 2011 I published a blog on heavenly rewards; the motivation for this blog was a desire on my part to describe the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Bema, as more a time of rejoicing and celebration than a time of fear, sadness and mourning on the part of many while a few enjoy their rewards for a job done in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In that blog I compared the Bema to the judges stand at a sporting event where competitors are awarded their prizes based on their performance in the arena. In the third paragraph I emphasized the fact that believers will have their resurrection bodies and will have been once and for all delivered from that pestilent scourge known as our old sin nature.

All in the Family

 Another key factor is the relationship we’ll all enjoy as brothers and sisters in Christ; we will all be one body of believers who share a sin-free love for our Lord Jesus Christ and each other. There will be a unity of conviction that will be a perfect reflection of the will of our Lord.

It is hard for me to imagine sadness and regret in that scenario as each of us will completely embrace and endorse the will of God. All determinations made by the Lord will echo with us as entirely right and appropriate; rebellious, sinful attitudes and thoughts will no longer be a problem for any of us.

I am convinced that there will be absolutely no touch or shadow of jealousy or envy among any of the brethren. You’ve seen the hilarity on the field and in the stands when the home team wins; the joy and rejoicing on the occasion of the Bema will far exceed anything you will ever see on earth.

Next week, in conclusion, we’ll consider the balance between personal peace on earth and personal peace in heaven.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 26, 2012

Lost on the Tooth of Time, Conclusion by David Bower

We Continue the Climb

Having left my wife, older son, and daughter in what we thought to be a safe and scenic place, my younger son and I continued our climb up the Tooth of Time.

As we got closer to the top we had to frequently stop and catch our breath; the Tooth of Time is around 9,000 feet above sea level and you probably know at that elevation the air is getting kind of thin and it becomes much more difficult to breath, especially if you’re used to lower altitudes.

We finally made it to the top and found the view to be all we had hoped it would be; breathless might be a good word to describe how we were feeling around that time. After a few minutes at the top we decided we had better head back down and join the rest of the family for our return to the parking lot and our car.

Keith and David Cropped 01

Our younger son and me on top.

The Deceptive Nature of Mountain Top Experiences

It was at this point that our ignorance of mountain ways betrayed us completely; we did not realize the significance of how this mountain was made. At the bottom the Tooth of Time is divided into vertical ridges and valleys that are easily seen.

Once on the rounded rocky top it can be rather tricky determining which of the valleys you had climbed; a few feet one way or the other can lead one down a different valley.  My younger son and I started walking back down, thinking we were following the path we had used to get to the top.

As we descended we kept a lookout for the other members of our family and when we got to the level where we thought we should find them we started calling out for them. Well, we got no answer to our calls and didn’t catch sight of them at all.

We discussed it and decided they must have gotten tired of waiting and decided to go on down to the car, so we kept going down until we got to the car and discovered to our  dismay that they were not there.

Where Did They Go?

At that point I didn’t have a clue where they were; both my son and I were exhausted from the climb but I knew someone would have to climb back up to where we had left them.

We went to the Park Ranger’s office and I explained what had happened and a young Ranger agreed to retrace our steps and see if he could find them. A good while later we saw him returning with my wife and our two other children.

I found out later they had indeed started back down toward our car when they heard a stranger’s voice calling out my wife’s name pronouncing it correctly. She knew he must have talked with me to pronounce it correctly and shortly after they met the Ranger who guided them down to the office.

They had been in the next valley over and all of our calling couldn’t reach over the ridge to where they had been waiting in the next vertical valley. Needless to say I was delighted that we were all together again.

All of this had taken the better part of the day and it was nearing supper time so we invited the Ranger to join us and treated him to a steak dinner. That, however, is not the end of the story.

Our older son realized that it would not be possible for him to live with his younger brother if he didn’t climb to the top of the mountain before we left. The die was cast; it was my job to climb to the top with our older son the next day. Although our younger son wanted to go up again, our older son insisted that he stay behind; realizing the sibling rivalry going on here we honored the older son’s request.

Fortunately that climb went very smoothly and we made our way up and down without incident. It is interesting how quickly one’s lungs can adjust to the altitude; we didn’t  need to stop to get our breath as we made our way to the top.

Our Older Son Makes it Too! 01

Our older son makes it too.

The following day we packed up and headed home having completed a memorable week in the mountains of New Mexico, most especially on the Tooth of Time.

The Three Children and the Tooth of Time 01

Our Three Children with the Tooth of Time in the Background

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 23, 2012

Lost on the Tooth of Time, Part 1 by David Bower

Our Tooth of Time Adventure Begins

When I was younger I served as an adult leader in the Boy Scouts of America.  During a training experience at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico we inadvertently created a family legend that is firmly engraved into our minds as long as we live.

It was while we were there we had our great adventure on the Tooth of Time.  The Tooth of Time is a  bare rock mountain top in New Mexico 9,000 feet above sea level that was an important milestone and guide on the famous Santa Fe Trail. Its distinctive appearance could be spotted from many miles away assuring wagon masters they were only seven days away from Santa Fe.

The Philmont Scout Ranch, which is located near the Tooth of Time, is used as a center for training of both adults and children. That year our entire family went to Philmont so I could have a week’s training and they could play.

During this training period my wife and children enjoyed a variety of activities involved with hiking and crafts; it really was a lot of fun. At the end of my classes we still had two days left to enjoy the ranch so we decided to hike up the Tooth of Time.

Being flatlanders from Houston we were all painfully naive concerning mountains. There was a parking lot and a Rangers Center at the foot of the mountain where a trail started.

We’re Off to Climb a Mountain!

We drove over on our first free day and as we got out of the car and looked up the mountain the 2,500 feet climb really didn’t look so high so we thought it would be simple to hike up and down in one day, after all we were getting an early start.

Things started off nicely, we were all excited by the beauty and drama of the mountain and the weather was simply perfect. There was a trail we could follow so we started out full of confidence and looking forward to seeing the top; we were sure the view would be spectacular.

For the life of me I don’t know how it happened but somehow we lost the trail to the top; that didn’t seem like a big problem as we could see our car in the parking lot below and we could see the top of the mountain overhead so we continued our climb.

About half way up my wife, daughter, and older son decided they were too tired to continue and would wait for me and our younger son to continue to the top. Our younger son was excited and wanted to get to the top; probably even more so as his big brother wasn’t going to make it to the top and he would. What a badge of honor awaited him at the top!

We located a pleasant place for them to wait with a good view of the surrounding countryside and even a view of our car in the parking lot below then my younger son and I continued our climb.

It wasn’t until we got to the top that we got into trouble; I’ll cover that in Part 2.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 16, 2012

The Real Matrix Revealed, by David Bower

Fiction Versus Fact

As a fan of science fiction I have assembled a rather extensive collection of books and movies. Many of these I have watched or read multiple times with renewed enthusiasm; I suppose that’s what makes a fan.

One of the problems that comes with extensive exposure to any area of fiction is the relative shortage of truly original ideas. After awhile the fan begins to see the same general storylines repeated with variations which may be ever so slight. The movie series  “The Matrix” introduced an original storyline which I had not read or seen before.  This alone was intriguing to me as a sci-fi fan.

For those of you not familiar with “The Matrix” I’ll try to summarize the major premise behind the story. The story takes place around 1,000 years into the future; mankind has engaged in a battle with the machines and lost.

The world-wide battle for supremacy happened to include the creation of a cloud cover which permanently blocked the sun’s ray from actually penetrating to the surface of the earth. As a result there is a serious problem with the generation of power.

An Illusion of Reality

As a solution the machines started harvesting humans and tying them into an electrical grid as a power source. To keep the humans quiet the machines created a huge computer program called the matrix which, when plugged into the minds of the human generators, created an impression the humans were living on earth in the year 1999 and enjoying life in all of its variations.

They lived their virtual lives in a computer simulation of normal human life in 1999 whereas their physical bodies were encased in a womblike container which sustained their bodily functions and withdrew into the grid the electricity and heat needed by the machines.

The movie series involves a group of free humans who are not part of the matrix and their efforts to break mankind free of the matrix and the machines.

Recently I watched the entire series again and it occurred to me there were rather interesting parallels between the fictional matrix and our actual matrix. What do I mean by “our actual matrix” you may ask?

How Does This Apply to Us?

In an earlier blog called What is Reality I pointed out the unreal aspects of our world and the life we live on this world. The dictionary definition of reality I referenced gave this definition: “the quality or state of being real: something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily.”

Based on that definition I concluded it fair to say that the only true reality is the Trinity; I wrote: “Ultimate reality then is the Trinity; everything else is both derivative and dependent!” After watching this movie series again some additional thoughts came to my mind.

The world we live in and the bodies we inhabit are creations of God; all we are and all we can see continues to exist by the exercise of God’s will and as an expression of His mighty power.

When we are born we begin to live our lives in two realms, the spiritual and the physical; in the spiritual realm we become eternal creations, God has created us in His own image and we will always exist. In the physical realm we are born into a created world which, by definition is not real and has been infected by a virus called sin.

A New and Improved Matrix

This physical world is our matrix and while it appears to be real and permanent is in fact a temporary construct that exists as a manifestation of the power of its creator, the Holy Trinity.

Just as the humans in the movie matrix did not realize their true situation without outside help, even so we humans living in our real matrix can only be made aware of our situation with outside help which tells us of the temporary nature of our matrix and the dangers of the sin virus that has infected it.

Fortunately this help has been made available by the author and creator of our matrix through the written and living word, the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ. Although at present we cannot move between these two realities at will, as they did in the movie version, we can by faith accept the truth of our situation, follow the directions provided in the Bible and secure our place in the coming eternal reality in perfect union with our Creator.

Our matrix, the so called reality which we now see and in which we live will, at some point in the future, be deleted and will totally cease to exist.

Our outside help, the Bible, tells us a completely new heavens and earth will then be created which will never be deleted; it is in this new matrix that we will live with our Creator forever.

I mentioned, near the beginning of this blog, my favorable impressions regarding “The Matrix” movie series because of its originality in sci-fi literature; now, having thought through all of this, I realize it was not so original after all but was in fact based on a real life story, our story.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 9, 2012

Finding Peace in 2012 Part 2, by David Bower

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Last week we considered the elusive nature of world peace and the desirability of personal, inner peace and concluded with the Bible’s answer for us in making sure the focus of our lives is more on the unseen rather than what is seen.

Does this actually characterize your life? Do you find yourself more consistently focused on heavenly things, those things which cannot be seen? There will obviously be times when circumstances demand our attention and require we concentrate on the demands of business or family. When those demanding times are past, what is the default focus of your mind at rest? Does your mind automatically return to what is seen or to what is unseen?

A favorite hymn of mine is “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus;” in the chorus the words are, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Over the years I have proven to myself again and again that I cannot focus on two things at once; if I am busy rejoicing in Jesus I can’t worry about the things of the world, I simply can’t do it!

Paul spells it out for us in Colossians 3:15-16 where he writes: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

A Peaceful Commute in Rush Hour Traffic

Although I am now retired, I can vividly recall my 36 year career as a residential home builder and will testify that I experienced times of stress and tension; residential construction is not, by its nature, a stress-free environment. I can recall driving into work in the mornings already fighting the expected battles of the day in my mind and experiencing the tension associated with those battles.

As I mentally stepped back and realized what I was doing I would start singing hymns and would suddenly find myself at peace. I’m sure I looked rather strange to any passing motorists that might notice me but it made all the difference in how I felt and my condition when I arrived at work. My mind was focusing on my gratitude to God and not the imagined battles of the day, most of which never actually happened anyway.

It is extremely unlikely that the world will enjoy peace in 2012; you, however, can enjoy the most refreshing peace available to any human being as you rest in the Lord and exult in His peace.

You have been called to peace, inner peace, the kind the world can’t give; it is yours as a gift from your maker and free for the asking. It is interesting to note that most of the New Testament epistles include an early reference to grace and peace; grace always precedes peace in the epistles as it must in our lives.

God’s grace is always followed by God’s peace; claim this promise God has made to you.

May Your New Year be Filled with Inner Peace and Happiness!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 2, 2012

Finding Peace in 2012 Part 1, by David Bower

Was Hegel Right?

As we start 2012 it seems as if the world around us is in ever increasing turmoil and strife; regardless of where one looks there seem to be endless stories of anger, discord, and misery. In addition to the usual problems there is now the thought that the world will end in 2012. It occurs to some of us to long for simpler times when the world was a more peaceful and contented place but is this longing based on fact or fancy?

I’m reminded of Hegel’s observation on experience and history: “What experience and history teach is this–that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.” This has been paraphrased and simplified by commentators to read: “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.”

The more history I read the more I’m convinced that our experience today may not differ all that much from the experiences of earlier generations. Certainly the details have changed but the underlying principles seem to have changed very little or none at all.

A Better World for Our Children and Grandchildren?

As I look at my grandchildren I wonder what kind of world they will have in which to live out their lives? I feel a sadness that we, as their elders, couldn’t have done better and left them a happier, more peaceful world.

When I think back to how the world was when I was their age I realize that the world was not a happier, more peaceful place at that time either. I grew up during the Great Depression which was followed by the Second World War and as a young man served in the military during the Korean War.

Actually one can roll the calendar back endlessly and never find that ideal time of world-wide happiness and peace; this is a dream, a worthy dream but only a dream. True, there may have been isolated moments of happiness and peace but these were surely of a transitory nature.

Peace Within

Although circumstantial peace and happiness would be nice, inner peace and happiness would be even nicer; fortunately it is this superior form of peace and happiness that is offered to God’s children. It is freely available to all of God’s children who decide to live life in accordance with God’s instructions.

If peace is so elusive in our troubled world, where then must one look in hopes of finding some sort of peace? The answer to that very important question comes, as you probably suspected, from the Bible.

We live our lives in a sin cursed world that is filled with rebellion against God; without God’s help there is no hope of finding peace. With God’s help, however, peace is available for the asking.

A Search for Inner Peace

The peace we seek most is an inner peace, a calmness of the spirit that soothes and steadies us. Peaceful surroundings can promote this kind of peace but is no guarantee that this inner peace will appear; I’m sure we have all experienced peaceful conditions in which we have felt very agitated on the inside. This is certainly not the condition that we desire; it is the inner peace that soothes and comforts us for which we yearn, not just a peaceful environment.

What then is the real answer to lasting inner peace? I believe we will find that answer as we examine the gifts God wants to give to His children. We might start by addressing the normal focus for our lives; in II Corinthians 4:8 Paul writes: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

In Part 2 we will examine more about God’s plan for peace in the lives of His children.

 Happy New Year!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 19, 2011

The Original “Star” Trek, by David Bower

 By way of preface this blog, my last for 2011, addresses a subject in which I’ve had an interest for many years; I hope your curiosity is aroused and you also find it interesting. DB

Who Were the Magi?

One of the traditional parts of the Christmas story has always been the account of the wise men as related only in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2, verses 1 – 12. The Greek word used in these verses is magi which is from a Persian word for men who are expert in the study of the stars and also the word from which we get our English word magic.

This Persian word is equivalent to the Hebrew word chakamim used in the book of Daniel to describe wise men who were one of three different types: astrologers, Chaldeans, or soothsayers.

We learn that Daniel, who was later made chief of the chakamim, was responsible for their deliverance when God enabled him to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. God’s continued blessings enabled Daniel to become a wealthy and influential leader in the Babylonian Empire who lived a long successful life aiding not only the Babylonian leadership but also the Medo/Persian leadership after Babylon fell.

Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

One of Daniel’s most amazing prophecies concerns the prophecy of the seventy weeks; it is in this prophecy the timing of the Lord’s First Advent is revealed. God revealed to Daniel there would be 70 weeks, or 490 prophetic years, divided into a span of 69 “weeks” which is a prophetic reference to 483 prophetic years and a period of 1 week or 7 years, which would come later.

The 483 years would come to an end when Messiah would be cut off; the prophecy was fulfilled on the 10th of Nisan, March 30, 33 AD on the occasion of the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. This date is based on the research done by Dr. Harold Hoehner in his book: “Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ,” published by The Zondervan Corporation, 1977, ISBN 0-310-26211-9.

Although the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem is usually portrayed as a triumphal entry, we learn in Luke 19:41 the Lord wept over the city as He beheld it. The Greek work used here is eklausen which is the word for a loud, wracking, sob; this was not just a few tears running down our Lord’s cheeks but a loud sobbing that shook His whole body.

Israel is Set Aside for a Season

It was on this occasion Israel was being set aside for a long period of time during which a people would be called out as the Church, the bride of Christ, the body of Christ. The Church was a mystery hidden from the Old Testament prophets; this mysterious age of grace would continue until the time the church was removed by the Rapture. At some point after the Rapture the last seven years promised to Israel would commence as a time of severe judgment on the world but that is a different subject.

There arises now a question of timing; how did the wise men know there was something very special about this star and how does Daniel and his prophecy of the seventy weeks fit into this picture? We can speculate the star/shining appeared to the wise men at the time of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe it possible, at some point, the star/shining started moving toward the West and would the next night start its Westward movement all over again until the wise men realized the star/shining was inviting them to follow.

An Impressive Caravan

The Bible does not address the subject of the background of the wise men nor does it even tell us how many there were. Because of the three types of gifts it has often been assumed there were three but this is nowhere confirmed by the Bible; the Bible does not even address them as kings, but only as wise men.

There are some who believe the wise men, however many there were, rode on horseback rather than camel and more who believe they were accompanied by a large enough group of men to provide complete protection, serve the traveling needs of the group and properly impress any observer; the Bible is completely silent on these details. 

It is at this point I acknowledge I’m speculating when I suggest a possible source for the expensive gifts they gave and their understanding of the timing of this particular star; this particular line of speculation is held by others as well.

Daniel’s Legacy

God so blessed Daniel that he was to be placed by Darius, the Mede, over the entire kingdom much to the distress of the presidents and princes of the land. The result of this distress resulted in Daniel’s lion’s den experience as described in Daniel 6. The reason I mention this was to show the great prominence Daniel had in the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.

What I believe happened is Daniel, after God’s revelation of the seventy weeks prophecy, established a group of sympathetic chakamim that would preserve a legacy for the coming Messiah. It would be a simple matter for them to determine the 483 years and to calculate the likely date of the birth of Him who was to be cut off at the end of that period.

I think it possible that Daniel entrusted to them the financial resources that would make the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh available at the time of the Messiah’s birth. I believe they were given a time frame during which to expect a special birth which would be signaled in a special way.

What Kind of Star Did They See?

Since one of their areas of expertise was the study of the stars, the appearance of a new star would certainly attract their attention. That brings up the nature of the star that led them to Bethlehem; it’s my speculative opinion that this was not a regular star, but was in fact the Shekinah Glory of God, the glory the shepherds experienced in Luke 2:9.

Although God was certainly at liberty to create a star and move it around as He willed, I’m more inclined to believe that this star-like manifestation was God’s Shekinah Glory. The Greek word used here is astera which can also refer to a luminous, shining body.

In summary what I’m suggesting is Daniel, inspired by the seventy weeks prophecy, established a special group of wise men to hold a legacy in trust and await the arrival of the Messiah. An approximate time frame was provided as to when those entrusted with the legacy could expect the birth of the Messiah. The starting point for the 483 prophetic year countdown came on March 5, 444 BC when Artaxerxes issued the decree noted in Nehemiah 2:1-8 and prophesied 95 years earlier in 539 BC by Daniel in Daniel 9:25.

When the supernatural star-like shining appeared to them in the sky, they correctly interpreted it as the long awaited sign and eventually followed the star/shining to Bethlehem where they were able to worship the Messiah and give Him the gifts that had been entrusted to their predecessors so many centuries before.

It is interesting to note for a time they must have lost sight of the shining; they went to Jerusalem and asked directions from Herod who, after consulting with the chief priests and scribes, sent the wise men to Bethlehem where Herod had been told the Messiah would be born.

In Matthew 2:9 we read the star/shining was now visible again and “went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” In verse 10 we read: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” I think this joy was based on their temporarily having lost sight of the star/shining which resulted in their effectively announcing the birth of the Messiah to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.

Although this is speculation, it is based on fact and is, in my opinion; more plausible than saying these wise men just happened to see the star and just happened to have a small fortune available to give to Him, and just happened to stop by Herod’s palace and ask for directions to the one “born King of the Jews,” as Herod was not a legitimate king of the Jews.  

The gifts enabled Joseph and Mary to escape to Egypt and avoid the murderous rampage of King Herod when he ordered the death of all male children in Bethlehem two years and younger. Matthew 2:13-18

Our family has always been thankful for Daniel’s ministry even to the point of naming our second son after him; so giving him additional credit for planning ahead is appropriate and fitting especially when credit is so well deserved.

As mentioned earlier, this will be my last blog planned for 2011; by God’s grace, and should He tarry, I plan on publishing my first 2012 blog on Monday, January 2nd.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 9, 2011

Love’s Life Lessons, Part 2 by David Bower

The Challenges of Being a Flawed Human Being

In Part 1 I mentioned the nature of love as described in I Corinthians 13: 4-7 and its application to self-love. The distinction between self-approval and self-love is a vital point which must be kept in mind.

It is unlikely that we will approve of everything we have done in our lives but in spite of our failures we are usually willing to endure and try to work past our mistakes; it is this quality of sufferance that we should apply to others as well.

Over the years I’ve noticed that many, if not most of us, have wondered how the Lord could love someone so unlovely and unworthy as we see ourselves from time to time. We must recognize the treachery of our feelings and refuse to be influenced by them; it is vital to operate on the basis of what we know from God’s word and not on our feelings.

God knows us infinitely better than we know ourselves and tells us He loves us anyway and will love us for all eternity. In Romans 8:35-39 the Apostle Paul tells us of the certainty of God’s love for us in very strong, clear terms. Our place in His love is sustained by His faithfulness to us, not our faithfulness to Him, praise God!

Love Itself Can Help us Understand

Although we may know we should operate on the basis of what the Bible tells us, our feelings are hard to ignore; is there some way we can better understand God’s love for us from our experience? I believe God has given us a way to better understand and feel His love for us.

Although it is impossible for any believer to generate a positive emotional response toward everyone, it is possible to maintain a charitable, benevolent attitude toward almost everyone; this, I believe, is the message of I Corinthians 13.

Love is part of the fruit of the Spirit and is ours, supernaturally, when the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives and enables us to love with the love of chapter 13; in the power of the Holy Spirit we can maintain a benevolent, charitable attitude toward others.

A Case in Point

At this point I stopped writing and started thinking about an example I could use to illustrate my thoughts; I stood up to stretch and looked out of the door to my office and saw our black and white cat lying on the floor and realized she was the perfect illustration of what I wanted to say.

This cat, our Abby, had come unexpectedly into our lives; the last of our three cats had died over seven years before and we had decided not to get any more cats because of our age. That had worked until one fateful morning when I took our car over to the dealership for an oil change.

As the work was being done on the car I decided to walk around and look at cars on the lot; in the process I noticed a very small black and white clump under one car. As I looked closer I realized this was a small kitten all curled up so I walked over and knelt down a few feet away from the car.

I spoke to the small clump and a tiny kitten head stuck up and looked back at me; she was the cutest little thing I had seen in a long time and I spoke to her encouraging her to come out from under the car.

Ninja Cat Comes into Our lives

 

Ninja Cat

Not only did she come out, she came out on her hind legs with her front paws in the air like a ninja cat and wanted to play. About that time a used car salesman walked out the door and asked me if I wanted a cat; this one, he said, had been hanging around the used car lot for about two weeks and they had fed her scraps now and then.

Considering the decision we had made about no more cats, I realized I had to talk to my wife and see how she felt about bringing another cat into our family. I called her and told her I’ve got a problem and then hastened to reassure her it was not involving me or the car, but a tiny kitten.

I told her about the kitten and it didn’t take long to decide the Lord wanted us to care for this tiny, skinny little life He had so unexpectedly brought into our lives. After a bit of effort we finally caught that elusive kitten and got her in a box provided by the dealership. 

She was fearful and hungry when I got her home and it was several days before she would finally come out from behind the dryer; that is all history and she is now Abby, a delightful, loved member of our family.

Abby at peace with her new surroundings

When I see her living her little life around the house I’m moved with feelings of loving concern for her well being. I realize that if I, with my flawed human nature, can love this little cat, then God, in His perfection, can love me too.

This is one small example how greater harmony can be developed between our knowledge and our feelings, as I love others, I feel God’s love for me! What a blessing!

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