The Lord God, the Son of God, the Master Teacher
“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.” (Prov. 20:5).
“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints.
Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.” (Prov. 2:1-9)
Some ideas, some questions come to mind and pester us until we resolve them. God “has…set eternity in the hearts of men.”(Ecc. 3:11 NIV). We have the propensity to desire knowledge of the unrevealed, and an insatiable curiosity overcomes us as we live surrounded by an amazing creation.
Science seeks to comprehend this world. I seek to understand the Creator of this world. He, it seems, puts us in a certain situation as a means of teaching us about God and His character which we will find the greatest joy in imitating. He surrounded the first human with animals all of which had mates. This in order for Adam to realize that he needed a wife. Does this tell us anything about God and His Holy Spirit? What conclusions should we make from this? If Adam was to be made especially in the Godhead’s image, to reveal the Godhead, living in a menagerie of plants, rocks, metals, animals and gases, as our Creators do in Their universe, why did the Lord God wait for a time to give Adam a soul mate, one almost his equal? And why did He then wait even longer to give the first couple a son?
What does this scenario tell us about the Godhead? Was there a time when the Godhead was alone without Their kingdom of angelic hosts and worlds without number, until the Lord spake and it stood fast, as Eve was made from Adam’s rib? Was there a time when the Son was not—that is, not in the hearts of His unfallen kingdom as a Prince of peace and wonderful Counselor? Yes, the Son, all powerful and infinitely gracious, was not born as a son in their hearts until they saw the infinite depths to which He would go to protect and save the one worthless tiny world of Adam’s.
The Lord God, the great Master Teacher, designed the lesson so that Adam arrived at the truth through his own experience.
Abraham learned faith the same way. Instilling in Abraham the love for a son, the Lord brought him through many experiences that intensified his yearning and also tested his fidelity to his God. Would Abraham forsake faith as soon as being given his long sought-for son? Would he worship his beloved son when he would finally come? Or hold God as his supreme object of homage?
It took many years and many experiences good and bad, progress toward holiness and also failures. But finally Abraham was prepared to be the perfect model father—a type of God the Father. Thus, as the age of 100—a number figuratively representing eternity—the son of his dreams was begotten, “thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest.” (Gen. 22:2).
Did Abraham recognize the grander lesson of the Godhead in all this? And did he see the bigger lesson of the love of God, as his love was fortified as the moments passed which he and Isaac shared together, day moving into day, year melting into year; especially when the Lord commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only beloved son. It was through the cross Abraham had to take up, the heavy loss of his precious lad who was the sunshine of his heart, that Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.” (Jn. 8:56).
Isaac was crucified with Christ, nevertheless he lived. And Abraham was crucified that day, too. Thus, the Holy Spirit was able to show him the great propitiation of Christ. He saw Michael, the precious Son of the Ancient of days, sacrificed at His Father’s own hand. “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief.” “Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin.” (Is. 53:10).
The deepest knowledge about God came through first hand experience.
Moses learned of God’s love for a world lost in sin. Israel had apostatized at the base of Sinai; and the Lord gave Moses the opportunity to sit back and watch the Lord God destroy that wicked nation below, still enslaved in sin. And then Moses would be honored to be the patriarch of a new nation.
But instead Moses offered up his own right standing with God and his eternal life, in order to buy time for the incorrigible, blasphemous Israelite rabble. What God wanted to teach Moses came out of Moses’ own mouth because of the sanctifying work of God leading up to that point, and by the crisis itself. Michael, Moses’ elder brother, must have cherished the time He spent with Moses on the mount, as He dealt with that unselfish, humble soul.
The Lord put David to the test with a lion, a bear, and then finally with Goliath. David glorified God by submitting to the preparation through communion with heaven, and also through submitting to the trial runs of the lion and the bear. Then when the big event arrived with Goliath, David was ready and he sprung right into action.
The Lord also taught many others by the same routine of learning through living.
What does all this say of the rest of us? That daily the Lord watches over our training, giving each of us many lessons outside of our study on the written lesson Book. The Bible is our text book to give us the foundation of our training. Without it we could not be able to correctly interpret the practical lessons that God gives us through His creation and His providences. It would all be total confusion without His written word. But if we will take up the yoke Christ has deigned to assign us, and learn in His school, we will not fail of the wisdom God has promised to give us all. And there shall be showers of blessings.
We’ll be following in the footsteps of Jesus, our elder brother, who in an infinite way submitted to His Father’s plan of training for Him, and who learned the eternal depth of His Fathers’ love for His innumerable children in heaven and earth. This in a way only the act of sacrifice could show Him, and reveal to the entire creation that He made.
“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints.
Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.” (Prov. 2:1-9)
Some ideas, some questions come to mind and pester us until we resolve them. God “has…set eternity in the hearts of men.”(Ecc. 3:11 NIV). We have the propensity to desire knowledge of the unrevealed, and an insatiable curiosity overcomes us as we live surrounded by an amazing creation.
Science seeks to comprehend this world. I seek to understand the Creator of this world. He, it seems, puts us in a certain situation as a means of teaching us about God and His character which we will find the greatest joy in imitating. He surrounded the first human with animals all of which had mates. This in order for Adam to realize that he needed a wife. Does this tell us anything about God and His Holy Spirit? What conclusions should we make from this? If Adam was to be made especially in the Godhead’s image, to reveal the Godhead, living in a menagerie of plants, rocks, metals, animals and gases, as our Creators do in Their universe, why did the Lord God wait for a time to give Adam a soul mate, one almost his equal? And why did He then wait even longer to give the first couple a son?
What does this scenario tell us about the Godhead? Was there a time when the Godhead was alone without Their kingdom of angelic hosts and worlds without number, until the Lord spake and it stood fast, as Eve was made from Adam’s rib? Was there a time when the Son was not—that is, not in the hearts of His unfallen kingdom as a Prince of peace and wonderful Counselor? Yes, the Son, all powerful and infinitely gracious, was not born as a son in their hearts until they saw the infinite depths to which He would go to protect and save the one worthless tiny world of Adam’s.
The Lord God, the great Master Teacher, designed the lesson so that Adam arrived at the truth through his own experience.
Abraham learned faith the same way. Instilling in Abraham the love for a son, the Lord brought him through many experiences that intensified his yearning and also tested his fidelity to his God. Would Abraham forsake faith as soon as being given his long sought-for son? Would he worship his beloved son when he would finally come? Or hold God as his supreme object of homage?
It took many years and many experiences good and bad, progress toward holiness and also failures. But finally Abraham was prepared to be the perfect model father—a type of God the Father. Thus, as the age of 100—a number figuratively representing eternity—the son of his dreams was begotten, “thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest.” (Gen. 22:2).
Did Abraham recognize the grander lesson of the Godhead in all this? And did he see the bigger lesson of the love of God, as his love was fortified as the moments passed which he and Isaac shared together, day moving into day, year melting into year; especially when the Lord commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only beloved son. It was through the cross Abraham had to take up, the heavy loss of his precious lad who was the sunshine of his heart, that Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.” (Jn. 8:56).
Isaac was crucified with Christ, nevertheless he lived. And Abraham was crucified that day, too. Thus, the Holy Spirit was able to show him the great propitiation of Christ. He saw Michael, the precious Son of the Ancient of days, sacrificed at His Father’s own hand. “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief.” “Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin.” (Is. 53:10).
The deepest knowledge about God came through first hand experience.
Moses learned of God’s love for a world lost in sin. Israel had apostatized at the base of Sinai; and the Lord gave Moses the opportunity to sit back and watch the Lord God destroy that wicked nation below, still enslaved in sin. And then Moses would be honored to be the patriarch of a new nation.
But instead Moses offered up his own right standing with God and his eternal life, in order to buy time for the incorrigible, blasphemous Israelite rabble. What God wanted to teach Moses came out of Moses’ own mouth because of the sanctifying work of God leading up to that point, and by the crisis itself. Michael, Moses’ elder brother, must have cherished the time He spent with Moses on the mount, as He dealt with that unselfish, humble soul.
The Lord put David to the test with a lion, a bear, and then finally with Goliath. David glorified God by submitting to the preparation through communion with heaven, and also through submitting to the trial runs of the lion and the bear. Then when the big event arrived with Goliath, David was ready and he sprung right into action.
The Lord also taught many others by the same routine of learning through living.
What does all this say of the rest of us? That daily the Lord watches over our training, giving each of us many lessons outside of our study on the written lesson Book. The Bible is our text book to give us the foundation of our training. Without it we could not be able to correctly interpret the practical lessons that God gives us through His creation and His providences. It would all be total confusion without His written word. But if we will take up the yoke Christ has deigned to assign us, and learn in His school, we will not fail of the wisdom God has promised to give us all. And there shall be showers of blessings.
We’ll be following in the footsteps of Jesus, our elder brother, who in an infinite way submitted to His Father’s plan of training for Him, and who learned the eternal depth of His Fathers’ love for His innumerable children in heaven and earth. This in a way only the act of sacrifice could show Him, and reveal to the entire creation that He made.
posted by David | 4:34 PM
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