Truth is a crucial piece in the believer’s armour, girding the loins and, as such, freeing a man from life's entanglements.
The eyes of the LORD are in every place. His eyes are upon all men’s ways: they are not hid from His face, neither is their iniquity hid from His eyes.
The Lord took great pains in ensuring that the details of creation were just as He desired. He left nothing to itself in hopes that it would turn out, but knowingly cared for the smallest details. David understood this truth but declared that this care extended beyond the initial creation. Not only had God created and cared for the initial creation, but David proclaimed that he was also “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In order to add some context to his statement, David acknowledged that he spoke of the time when he was in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). If this were not enough, several other passages identify the Lord as the One who formed the child within the womb (Isaiah 44:2, 24; Isaiah 49:5; Jeremiah 1:5).
The Devil blinds those who have never experienced saving faith by keeping them from being born again. He also distracts the saved to keep them from successfully serving the Lord. Interestingly, the Devil accomplishes both elements using the same means—encouraging men to continue with their misplaced hopes. Job understood that misplaced hope (Job 31:24-27) was a sin and acknowledged it as such in Job 31:28. Some place their hopes in wealth, others in careers, others in family, others in science, and others in physical well-being, but in the end, all of their hopes will be disappointed. Hope placed in anything other than the Lord Himself, His perfect words, and His work on sinful man’s behalf is sin and will eventually leave one with no hope at all.
The Bible says that “The poor is hated even of his own neighbour” (Proverbs 14:20). In fact, his wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard (Ecclesiastes 9:16). His friends go far from him, and his brethren hate him (Proverbs 19:7). But this should not be the case amongst believers. Instead, believers should defend the poor (Psalm 82:3). They should open their ears to the cries of the poor (Proverbs 21:13) and deliver them in time of trouble (Psalm 41:1). Believers must realize that their treatment of the poor is directly related to their relationship with the Lord (Proverbs 19:17; Proverbs 17:5). Even in the New Testament, Paul was admonished to “remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10).
Gaining wealth (or riches) has allowed some people to increase their levels of comfort far beyond those who are financially disadvantaged. In one parable, the Lord spoke of a rich man whose ground brought forth plentifully (Luke 12:16). The rich man unfortunately came to trust in his abundance and decided to take his ease (Luke 12:19), but that night he died (Luke 12:20). Riches are not for ever (Proverbs 27:24) even if it is not death that robs a man of his riches. The Bible says for the living, riches “certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). Furthermore, we are told that those who trust in riches will fall (Proverbs 11:28). Perhaps this is why Paul told Timothy to instruct the rich to trust in the living God rather than their uncertain riches (1 Timothy 6:17).
The world often accuses faithful believers of being arrogant or simply narrow-minded because of the believer’s unwavering certainty concerning the things he believes. Although there are times when believers reveal an unchristian arrogance, the godly believer is simply certain of his beliefs because he is certain of the authority substantiating those beliefs. According to Titus 2:15, the believer canand should “speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority.” Why? Because the Bible is the word of the God that has all authority and it offers to the believer that level of authority. It is not, therefore, arrogance which causes a godly believer to be unwilling to waver on what he believes, but faith in the written word and words of his God.
During the Lord’s earthly ministry, His most malicious enemies were not common men or even the Roman government. His greatest enemies were the religious leaders charged with maintaining the spiritual purity of the people of God. How could those most religious create discord with the very One who gave them the dictates for the Jewish religion they claimed to defend? The answer is simple. It was envy! According to John 11:48, the religious leadership of Israel determined that they could not allow Jesus to continue teaching, preaching, and ministering to others. These leaders realized that all men would believe on Him causing the Romans to demote them. They would not allow this to happen. How far would they go to keep their place and nation? The Bible reveals that they would even cause the crucifixion of the innocent Son of God.
One of the more difficult things any individual faces in this life involves watching loved ones suffer. Yet, this life is filled with suffering and death. David witnessed just such a tragedy when his child became ill and eventually died. While the child was alive, David implored the Lord for the child’s recovery. No doubt, he was asking God to heal the child and restore health. In addition to praying for the child, David fasted and wept for the life of his newborn. In the end, the Lord decided to take the child. David understood that he could not bring the child back but would one day go to where the child already was. As soon as the child passed, David refocused upon living. He ceased praying for the child and began to comfort his grieving wife.
Food is a necessity for sustaining life. Interestingly, the Bible records several instances where a man’s need for food became a source of great temptation. For instance, Esau was willing to sell his birthright because he considered one meal more valuable than his future inheritance. The Bible also records several instances where the children of Israel allowed their desire for food to incite rebellion against the Lord (Numbers 11:4-6). Another very important example of appetite involves the earliest narratives recorded in Genesis involving an overwhelming appetite. In the garden, Eve partook of the forbidden fruit when she “saw that the tree was good for food” (Genesis 3:6). Due to the many examples of inordinate appetite leading to sin, it comes as no surprise that the Devil first sought to tempt the Lord by commanding stones to be made bread (Luke 4:3) after He had fasted for forty days.
