In Exodus 19:3, God says to Moses, [4] Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
[5] Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
[5] Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
“When you exalt yourself like an eagle, who is exalted that way?” asks Jordan. “You see, the Edomites in Obadiah are using the very terminology in their mind that describes how God protected, then blessed and used the nation Israel.
“Isaiah 40:30 says, [30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
[31] But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
[31] But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
“These folks look at themselves as being on a mission from God, strengthened by divine protection and enablement. You see, there’s a religious component to their thinking. Obadiah 1:4 says, ‘Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.’
“Who set himself among the stars? Lucifer did. They see themselves as being the leader of a divine campaign under the protection of God, being empowered by Him and being on a mission for God. That was ‘the pride of thine heart’ that deceived them. It’s this thinking process whereby they’ve been deceived into thinking their God dwells with them and endorses their tactics of attacking Israel."
*****
A great Bible valentine message can be found in Song of Solomon 2:16: "My Beloved is mine, and I am His."
In a commentary on this verse, Bible expositor Cora MacIlravey (circa 1916) writes, "Although the bride has not seen the bridegroom, he has spoken to her in love and assurance, in gentle warning and encouragement. She is assured of her union with Him, which is eternal and indissoluble. Her heart is filled with rest because He is hers; she is apprehending that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate her from the One who died for her, and from His love.
"In deep settled peace, she rests in the assurance that, though she is unworthy and many times unfaithful, He abideth faithful for He cannot deny Himself. As she recalls all He has done for her, she comforts and strengthens herself in Him and His undying love. She rejoices that, whether together or separated, whether seen or unseen, her Beloved is hers and she is His. Literally: 'My Beloved is for me and I am for Him.'
"There is such joy and sense of holy possession in the thought that our Beloved is ours . . . His beauty and attributes are for us that we may put them on. . . He is all we need for He is our precious Storehouse, and in Him are hidden all God's riches in glory. He is our refuge and strong tower.
"The bride rejoices not only that her Beloved is hers, but that she is His. She is His because He created her, because He has redeemed her, because He has loved her with an everlasting love . . . She is His to protect and defend . . . She is His that He may fight her battles; she is His to correct and chasten, to mold and shape; she is His that He may perfect that which concerneth her and make her more than a conqueror. She is His to feed and nourish; and He alone can bring her home to Glory, and seat her upon His throne as His spotless spouse. She is for Him alone.
"Let us lay our wills down at His feet, that His will may closely encompass us. Let us yield that he may purify and fashion us into His own glorious image. Only as we abandon ourselves to Him without reserve, can we enter into the relation that is here described; and go on to all that is set forth in the rest of this revelation. Every power and every faculty--all, all must be His and for Him alone; for Him to use as He pleases.
"The half-hearted Christian never knows the joy of the abandonment that is ours when we say: 'I am for my Beloved.' Our only sorrow is that there is so little to pour out at His feet. Our only regret is that all we can bring is so contemptible compared to that which He is to us, and which is expressed in the clause, 'My Beloved is mine.'
"Beloved reader, have we realized truly that we are 'for Him'? . . . To our amazement and joy, He has bespoken us for Himself; and we have given ourselves to be His through time and Eternity, to be His and His alone.
"Time is rapidly fading away, the things of the earth and of the natural are sinking out of sight and becoming as shadows. There is a glory falling upon our union with our Lord, which is shining more brightly as the days go by. It seems that there are only a few more mileposts to pass, only a little more of the earthy to be taken off, only a little more time in which to perfect our relation to Him and our separation from all else, and then we shall rise to meet Him in the clouds; and thus be forever with the Lord."
(new article tomorrow)
*****
A great Bible valentine message can be found in Song of Solomon 2:16: "My Beloved is mine, and I am His."
In a commentary on this verse, Bible expositor Cora MacIlravey (circa 1916) writes, "Although the bride has not seen the bridegroom, he has spoken to her in love and assurance, in gentle warning and encouragement. She is assured of her union with Him, which is eternal and indissoluble. Her heart is filled with rest because He is hers; she is apprehending that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate her from the One who died for her, and from His love.
"In deep settled peace, she rests in the assurance that, though she is unworthy and many times unfaithful, He abideth faithful for He cannot deny Himself. As she recalls all He has done for her, she comforts and strengthens herself in Him and His undying love. She rejoices that, whether together or separated, whether seen or unseen, her Beloved is hers and she is His. Literally: 'My Beloved is for me and I am for Him.'
"There is such joy and sense of holy possession in the thought that our Beloved is ours . . . His beauty and attributes are for us that we may put them on. . . He is all we need for He is our precious Storehouse, and in Him are hidden all God's riches in glory. He is our refuge and strong tower.
"The bride rejoices not only that her Beloved is hers, but that she is His. She is His because He created her, because He has redeemed her, because He has loved her with an everlasting love . . . She is His to protect and defend . . . She is His that He may fight her battles; she is His to correct and chasten, to mold and shape; she is His that He may perfect that which concerneth her and make her more than a conqueror. She is His to feed and nourish; and He alone can bring her home to Glory, and seat her upon His throne as His spotless spouse. She is for Him alone.
"Let us lay our wills down at His feet, that His will may closely encompass us. Let us yield that he may purify and fashion us into His own glorious image. Only as we abandon ourselves to Him without reserve, can we enter into the relation that is here described; and go on to all that is set forth in the rest of this revelation. Every power and every faculty--all, all must be His and for Him alone; for Him to use as He pleases.
"The half-hearted Christian never knows the joy of the abandonment that is ours when we say: 'I am for my Beloved.' Our only sorrow is that there is so little to pour out at His feet. Our only regret is that all we can bring is so contemptible compared to that which He is to us, and which is expressed in the clause, 'My Beloved is mine.'
"Beloved reader, have we realized truly that we are 'for Him'? . . . To our amazement and joy, He has bespoken us for Himself; and we have given ourselves to be His through time and Eternity, to be His and His alone.
"Time is rapidly fading away, the things of the earth and of the natural are sinking out of sight and becoming as shadows. There is a glory falling upon our union with our Lord, which is shining more brightly as the days go by. It seems that there are only a few more mileposts to pass, only a little more of the earthy to be taken off, only a little more time in which to perfect our relation to Him and our separation from all else, and then we shall rise to meet Him in the clouds; and thus be forever with the Lord."
(new article tomorrow)
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