Much of God's creation is marked by the number three. This makes sense since God Himself is a trinity. There are three kinds of vegetation: grass, herbs and trees (Genesis 1:11). There are three kinds of lights in the sky: the sun, the moon and the stars (Genesis 1:16). There are three kinds of animals: fish, fowl and land animals. There are three kinds of land animals: cattle, creeping things and beasts (Genesis 1:24). Man has three parts: spirit, soul, and body (1Thessalonians 5:23). There are three basic colors and three states of matter (solid, liquid and gas). If you think about it, you can find other examples.
Of the 17 times the word firmament is used in the Bible, over half (or 9) of the times are found in Genesis One. Firmament means an expanse or expansion of space and it refers to the expansion of space between the earth and God's heavenly abode. It is bound by the waters above and the waters below (Genesis 1:6-8). This explains why there are "waters that be above the heavens" (Psalm 148:4). Of the three heavens indicated in 2Corinthians 12:2, the firmament includes the first two heavens while the third heaven refers to God's dwelling place. The first heaven is the "open firmament of heaven" where the birds fly (Genesis 1:20). The second heaven is "firmament of the heaven" where the planets and stars reside (Genesis 1:14-15). As known to anyone who has considered the heavens as the work of God's finger (Psalm 8:3), the firmament exalts God. As the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."
The Lord is clearly interested in beauty. Some form of the word is used 76 times in the Bible. We are told that God "hath made every thing beautiful in his time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He so highly exalts the proper concept of beauty that He often associates it with holiness (Psalm 29:2; 96:9; 110:3). Unfortunately, men tend to pervert beauty as they do all that they touch. God reminds us that outward "beauty is vain" (Proverbs 31:30) and human "beauty is a fading flower' (Isaiah 28:1). Men corrupt beauty and make the "beauty of a man" a focus for idolatry (Isaiah 44:13). Eventually, man's perverseness causes his "beauty to be abhorred" (Ezekiel 16:25). The very concept of what is beautiful is no longer recognizable.
Alfred Edersheim wrote a major life of Christ called "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah." Edersheim's Jewish heritage gave him interesting insights into many of the beliefs and ways of life during the time of Christ. In his book (Vol.11, p.12), he wrote of the Jewish traditions concerning the defilement of hands and the accusation that Jesus did not keep these traditions (as recorded in Mark 7:1-9).
I received the following excellent comments on the earlier blog called Using Biblical Terminology. I often can see points in the different sides of arguments and wanted to give everyone a chance to see another side of this. My thanks to the one who gave this response (I will leave you anonymous): "Brother I greatly enjoy David Cloud's material, but on this issue of asking Jesus into our hearts I think he is making a mountain out of a mole hill. Consider the following verses: Galatians 4:6 - God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts. Ephesians 3:17 - That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. While these verses are not exactly a sinner's prayer, the idea of Jesus in our hearts is in there sufficiently and so I don't understand why Bro Cloud 'blasts' asking Jesus into your heart so adamantly."
The following is a quote from p42 of Winsome Christianity by Henry Durbanville:
