Coverings of the Tabernacle

Glory

The Tabernacle Curtain (resurrection - Exo 26:1-6; Isa 53:11-12)

Grace

The Goats’ Hair (propitiation - Exo 26:7-13; Isa 53:9-10)

The Rams’ Skins Dyed Red (consecration - Exo 26:14; Isa 53:4-7)
The Badgers’ Skin (separation - Exo 26:14; Isa 53:2-3)

He Gave Himself

"Who gave Himself for our sins..." (Gal 1:4)
- It was Purposeful

"...Who loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Gal 2:20)
- It was Personal

"...Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it..." (Eph 5:25)
- It was Passionate

"Who gave Himself a ransom for all..." (1 Tim 2:6)
- It was Payment

"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity..." (Titus 2:14)
- It was Powerful

A Summary Chart of the Messianic Psalms

Meditations on the Saviour

The Birth He Fulfilled - Is. 7.14; Matt 1.23: John 1.14; Gal. 4.4.

The Business He Undertook - Luke 2.49: John 4.34; 6.38;8.29.

The Baptism He Obeyed - Matt. 3.13-17.

The Book He Read - Luke 4.17; Ps. 40.8.

The Behaviour He Practised - Acts 10.38; Mark 7.37.

The Benevolence He Showed - John 11.5; Luke 7.13.

The Banquet He Instituted - Luke 22.19; 1 Cor. 11.23; Matt. 26.26.

The Bread He Brake - Luke 22.19; 1 Cor. 11.24;

The Body He Gave - Heb. 10.5,10; Jn. 10.17; 1 Cor. 11.24.

The Blood He Shed - Luke 22.20;Matt. 26.28;1 Cor.11.26;1 John 1.7.

The Buffetting He Suffered - Matt. 26.67; Mark 14.65;1 Pet. 2.20.

The Bruising He Endured - Isa. 53.7,10; John 19.1-5;Matt. 27.29-30.

The Burden He Bare - John 1.29; 19.17; 1 Peter 2.24;Isa. 53.12.

The Battle He Fought - Heb. 2.14; Job 41.8; Matt. 12.29;

The Blessings He Bestows - Eph. 1.3, Prov. 10.22; Num.6.24.

The Brethren He Loves - Heb. 2.11-13; John 20.17; 21.23;Ps. 22.22.

Nelson McDonald

Sunday Morning Gleanings

...to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. - Eph 1:6
- Made us accepted (no more dismissal)
- In a Person: the Beloved

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. - Eph 2:13
- Made nigh (no more distance)
- By a Price: the Blood

Iniquity in Isaiah 53

...He was bruised for our iniquities... (Isa 53:5)
Christ the bruised One.
We see His grace (in that He allowed Himself to be bruised for our iniquities).

...and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:6)
Christ the burdened One.
We see His greatness (in that He was the only one who could bear that burden).

...for He shall bear their iniquities. (Isa 53:11)
Christ the bearing One.
We see His glory (in that He endured sufferings with such joy and dignity).

My Meditations for Christmas 2012

John 18:37

...to this end was I born...

Christ's Humanity

He presented pure humanity to God.

He brought manhood to heaven.

...for this cause came I into the world...

Christ's Deity

He presented perfect Deity to man.

He brought Godhood to earth.

The Conception in the Womb

...was I born...

* He Who inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15) dwelt in space (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:31) and time (Matthew 2:2).

The Coming into the World

...came I into the world...

* Only Christ could come into the world (contrast with John 16:21 - everyone else was born into it) because He existed before the foundation of the world with the Father (John 16:28).

* The Father sent and Christ came willingly (contrast John 3:17 with John 3:19; 1 John 4:9 with Hebrews 10:5).

* The usage of the phrase "into the world" is mainly found in John's gospel and mainly describes Christ either coming or being sent into the world which is no surprise as John's emphasis is the Son of God who existed from the beginning (John 1:1-3).

The Characteristic of the Witness

...that I should bear witness unto the truth...

* Christ is the truth (John 14:6)

* Christ is full of truth (John 1:14)

* Christ manifests the truth (John 8:40,45 - words; Psalm 33:4 - works)

The Challenge for the Willing

Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

* Are you of the truth?

* Are you hearing His voice (John 10:27; Revelation 3:20 contrast with Song of Solomon 5:2-3)?

Behold...(John 19)

John 19:5 - Behold the man!
cf. Zech 6:12
Loftiness of Christ
The Sinless Man

John 19:14 - Behold your King!
cf. Zech 9:9
Lowliness of Christ
The Sovereign Monarch

John 19:26,27 - Behold thy son! Behold thy mother!
Loveliness of Christ
The Sympathetic Master

Pictures of Christ from the Flock

The Lamb - His Suffering
Revelations 5:6 - a Lamb as it had been slain
Isaiah 53:7 - as a lamb to the slaughter

The Sheep - His Submission 
Isaiah 53:7 - as a sheep before her shearers

The Ram - His Strength
Genesis 22:13 - a ram caught in a thicket by his horns

Descriptions of Grace in Ephesians

The Glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6)
We see the Person of the Beloved.
We enjoy Acceptance.

The Riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7)
We see the Price of His Blood.
We enjoy Forgiveness.

The Exceeding Riches of His grace (Ephesians 2:7)
We see the Pleasantness of His Behavior.
We enjoy Kindness.

Beneath Thy Cross

Am I a stone, and not a sheep,
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath thy cross,
To number drop by drop Thy Blood's slow loss,
And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon--
I, only I.

Yet give not o'er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock. 

Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894) 

Matthew - The King's Person

Matthew 1 - Birth of the King
The Son of David, The Son of Abraham (Matt 1:1)
Greatness: He is God (Matt 1:23)
Grace: He is God with us (Matt 1:23)

Matthew 2 - Bethlehem of Judaea
The Son out of Egypt (Matt 2:15)
Greatness: He is worshipped as one born King (Matt 2:2)
Grace: He subjects Himself to the care of earthly parents (Matt 2:14-15)

Matthew 3 - Baptism of repentance
The Son of the Father (Matt 3:17)
Greatness: He is the Lord for whom John prepared the way (Matt 3:3)
Grace: He subjects Himself to being baptised by John (Matt 3:15) 

Matthew 4 - Beginning of the ministry
The Son of God (Matt 4:3, 6)
Greatness: He is in control of everything He created (Matt 4:24)
Grace: He subjects Himself to being tempted by His creation (Matt 4:1)

Resting

Once my hands were always trying, 
Trying hard to do my best; 
Now my heart is sweetly trusting,
And my soul is all at rest.


Once my brain was always planning,
And my heart, with cares oppressed;
Now I trust the Lord to lead me, 
And my life is all at rest. 

Once my life was full of effort,
Now 'tis full of joy and zest;
Since I took His yoke upon me,
Jesus gives to me His rest. 

A. B. Simpson

Ruth 4:11-17

The Benediction (Ruth 4:11-12)
* vs. 11 - Glory given to a stranger (comp. Eph 2:5)
* vs. 12 - Grace shown to a sinner (comp. Eph 2:6)

The Birth (Ruth 4:13)

The Blessings (Ruth 4:14-15)
* Christ is the Restorer of our life (He saves us - Heb 7:25)
* Christ is the nourisher of our old age (He sustains us - Jude 24)

The Bosom (Ruth 4:16)

The Baby (Ruth 4:17)
* Obed means service or worship. So appropriate that the result of redemption is service and worship.

Ruth Chapter 4

1 Cor 1:30-31

Boaz is a beautiful picture of Christ as our Redeemer.

Our Redeemer is:

Willing

·          Ruth 4:6 - The nearer kinsman said he cannot redeem when in actual fact, he will not because he was afraid it would mar his own inheritance.

·          The Lord Jesus is willing to redeem us (compare with Matt 8:2-3; John 10:18 and contrast with 2 Pet 3:9).

Able

·          Ruth 4:9-10 - We see that Boaz was able to redeem all including Ruth.

·          In Ruth 2:1, Boaz is described as “a mighty man of wealth” or “a man of good standing”. The description would include wealth, virtue and strength (Strong’s).

·          The Lord Jesus is able to redeem us (Eph 2:4 – wealth; 1 Pet 1:19 – virtue; Heb 7:25 & Jude 24 – strength).

Sacrificial

·          When we compare Ruth 4:6 and Ruth 4:10, we see that Boaz was not concerned about his own inheritance nor was he concerned about his reputation for redeeming a Moabitess.

·          The Lord Jesus is sacrificial to redeem us (2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:6-7; Jn 10:11).

Gracious

·          The 5 occurrences of the description “Ruth the Moabitess” in the book is not by accident. In Ruth 4:10 we see that Boaz emphasizes the roots of the woman he is taking to wife. He is gracious towards the one who is condemned (c.f. Deut 23:3).

·          The Lord Jesus is gracious to redeem us (Eph 1:6; 2:5-7; 3:8).

Thoughts for the New Year

A lot happens during the first month (Abib) of the Jewish religious calendar. Three feast out of seven takes place in the first month and from these feasts, we can take a few things to heart as we enter into a brand new year.

The Passover (Exodus 12:1-14; Leviticus 23:4-5)
- A reflection of the past occurs
The Sufficiency of Christ in our lives (Exodus 12:4-6; 1 Corinthians 5:7)
We reflect on the year that has passed and ask ourselves, have we found Christ to be sufficient?

The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15-20; Leviticus 23:6-8)
- A renewal for the future occurs
The Separation of Christ from sin (Leviticus 2:4-5,11)
We renew our walk for the year to come and ask ourselves, have we become more Christ-like?

The Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9-14)
- A returning in the present occurs
The Satisfaction Christ brought the Father (1 Corinthians 15:20)
We return to the Lord what is rightfully His and ask ourselves, have we pleased the Father the way Christ did?

Voices in Matthew 3

Matthew 3:3
The voice of the forerunner.
Speaks of the Lord's importance.
Points to His high position (loftiness).

Matthew 3:17
The voice of the Father.
Speaks of the Lord's innocence.
Points to His humble position (lowliness).

Ways past finding out

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. - John 8:3-6 (emphasis added)

The Lord's actions stands in stark contrast to that of the scribes and Pharisees. When faced with those who were impatient and lifted up with religious pride the Lord was patient and stooped down in loving humility.

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! - Romans 11:33

Oh! I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved's mine!
He brings a poor vile sinner into His house of wine!
I stand upon His merit; I know no other stand,
Not e'en where glory dwelleth, in Immanuel's land.

The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear Bride-groom's face;
I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace -
Not at the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hand:
The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel's land.

Anne Ross Cousin

If I gained the world, but lost the Saviour,
Were my life worth living for a day?
Could my yearning heart find rest and comfort
In the things that soon must pass away?

If I gained the world, but had no Saviour,
Would my gain be worth the life-long strife?
Are all earthly pleasures worth comparing,
For a moment with a Christ-filled life?

Anna Olander