The Song Of The Redeemed

The Song Of The Redeemed

I like it when something in a passage gets explained and it opens up. I’m sure I knew some of this before (though this old brain gets forgetful), but it struck me more today.

Rahab, when used as a symbol through the Old Testament, refers to Egypt. Now read this:

Isaiah 51:9-10 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

God defeated Egypt and made it so His people - the redeemed - could pass over the Red Sea to go to the Promised Land/Jerusalem (well, what would one day be called Jerusalem/Mount Zion). Now read the next verse which most of us probably know as a song. Literally, it refers to the nation of Israel; spiritually it applies to all God's people being delivered from their old master (sin and Satan) and going to the heavenly Zion.

Isaiah 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

September 18, 2022
Jerry Bouey

I Am Poor And Needy

I Am Poor And Needy

Do you feel poor and needy this morning?

Psalms 41:1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

Psalms 40:17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

The interesting thing about these two verses (that are right next to each other in the Bible) is that the Lord God considers Himself blessed when He thinks about us!

Also, your Heavenly Father IS thinking about you. There’s no reason to stay discouraged or worry when He is right there to talk with and give all your burdens and cares.

Psalms 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

Song of Songs 2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Our Heavenly Father is saying, I was thinking about you and would be delighted if you would fellowship with Me now.

Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Do you feel the same way about your Saviour? Are you delighting yourself in His Word, longing to hear from Him?

Song of Songs 8:13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

November 27, 2021
Jerry Bouey

For A Season

For A Season

1 Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.

The Bible teaches that we will have manifold (many kinds of) trials. That we are to rejoice in them. That there is a need for us to go through them, that the Lord has a purpose for every trial He allows in our lives.

There is also a bright ray of hope shining through that verse, which at first, in the darkest moments, we may overlook. It is just five simple words:

Though – though it may not seem joyful when we are going through them. Our hearts may be heavy and weighed down.

Now – right here, right now, you are going through a trial, but the trial isn’t all there is on the horizon. All is not bleak or gloomy, though it may seem like it now.

And finally, for a season – There is an appointed time for every trial, there is a season of struggle that we go through, but like the seasons of the year, they will end in time, and a new period will begin in our lives. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, God says “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

Let the Lord fulfill His will in your lives, cling to Him through the trials, let Him teach you what He wants you to learn from this season, and cling to the Biblical hope that “…we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

The Lord Jesus Christ knows what He is doing! Just trust Him, and if the road is rough, let Him be your refuge and let Him carry you safely in His everlasting arms. (See Deuteronomy 33:27)

Written February 24th, 2002

Jerry Bouey

What A Wonderful Picture

What A Wonderful Picture

One thing I enjoy when reading passages from Exodus to Numbers is to meditate on the symbolism of the tabernacle. I don’t always dig in, but the symbolic meanings often come to mind. Like gold represents Christ’s deity and the shittim wood represents His humanity. In Numbers today it spoke of covering the Tabernacle furnishings with badgers’ skins and blue cloth when taking it down to transport it. Badgers’ skins represent Christ’s humanity - no beauty that we should desire Him - and the blue cloth represents that He came from Heaven, and all that He did as He walked on this earth was His Father’s will. When the Lord Jesus walked among us, His humanity was evident to all - yet everything He did was touched with Heaven.

Then I read Hebrews 2 in my daily readings and there it speaks about Jesus coming from Heaven and taking on the nature of man so that He could die for our sins and defeat the devil. Added benefit of Him becoming like us is that He can identify with all the struggles and temptations we go through.

Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

The word “succour” literally means in Greek to “run to the cry.” When we are tried and are struggling, we just need to cry out to our Saviour for help, and He will come running to our cry.

Interestingly enough, my third reading today was from Song of Solomon 2.

Song of Songs 2:8-9 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.

Song of Songs 2:17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

“Bether” means “division.” When we keep our eyes on Him, Jesus comes leaping over the things that cause divisions between us. Oh, what a wonderful Saviour!!

July 10, 2019 Jerry Bouey

Thy Gentleness Hath Made Me Great

Thy Gentleness Hath Made Me Great

Was just reading some poetry by king David, and came across one of my favourite verses again. Focus on the last part of this verse:

Psalms 18:35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

In the world’s eyes, we may not be much or accomplish much, but in God’s eyes, we are great - because of Him. Who we are in Christ never changes from day to day, so we can always be confident as we walk with our Saviour and serve Him.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Did you know the word for “workmanship” is the Greek word poiema, where we get our word “poem” from. True believers are God’s poem - and He will continue His work in us until He takes us home to glory. Like the Potter with the clay, even though our vessels were marred and scarred by sin, He keeps molding and transforming our lives until He gets the finished product He desires.

Psalms 68:13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

The picture is of a broken or cracked piece of pottery that was remade into something glorious.

Psalms 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

There are various passages that remind us that the Lord Jesus Christ will complete or perfect (ie. finish) the work that He is doing in our lives and even within us.

Psalms 68:28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

Often we think of some future day, perhaps when He finally takes us home - but here is a promise and a prayer that He would strengthen that work in our lives now. What a wonderful Saviour!

May 30, 2021
Jerry Bouey

No One Can Pluck You Out Of God's Hand!

No One Can Pluck You Out Of God's Hand!

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.

The Greek word used twice for "to pluck" in John 10:28-29 is Strong's # 726. Same word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (shall be caught up):

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Strong’s # 726 according to The Complete Word Study Bible means:

A verb meaning to seize upon, spoil, snatch away.
2) Spoken of what is snatched suddenly away (Matthew 13:19; Jude 23); in the sense of to rob, plunder (John 10:28-29).

No one - no man, woman, or child - can pluck you out of Christ's hand, nor His Father's hand (stated twice to doubly emphasize it).** You're part of mankind too. Implication being you couldn't pluck yourself out of our God's hand even if you wanted to - you put yourself, your soul, your eternal wellbeing into the Saviour's hand, and there is no thought or idea anywhere that our Lord would willingly relinquish or give up for any reason what He is holding.

2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Romans 8:35, 38-39  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

** Stated twice/doubly for emphasis is a Biblical principle:

Genesis 41:32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

May 10, 2021
Jerry Bouey

In The Day When I Cried

In The Day When I Cried

Sometimes we think it is presumption to ask the Lord to answer a prayer today. Though if a prayer does seem more urgent, we may have asked the Lord to perfect (complete) that which concerneth us (from Psalm 138:8). If we have a need or a trouble, we may pray for it, expecting God to answer it in His own timing. But what happens if the need seems more urgent, if the trouble we are facing seems more dire, perhaps even time-sensitive? Is it presumptuous to pray, asking that the Lord answer our prayer today?

For example, what if someone's life hung in the balance, or a need or a bill needed to be taken care of today, but it solely depended upon God providing for that need?

First, some factors to consider, then some verses to look up on this theme:

1) Are we humble, trusting in the Lord?

Are we giving our need to the Lord and leaving it with Him in accordance with His will?

Sometimes we think a need has to be taken care of by a certain time, but God may delay (in our minds), but in the end still work out all things in His perfect timing. Can we leave all our cares and troubles and needs in His hands?

Of course, we need to make sure that to the best of our understanding of the Word of God and the wisdom that He provides that we are praying according to His will.

2) Then if we are sincerely seeking His will and humbly asking Him for our need, if the need still seems urgent and time-sensitive, consider the following verses:

Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

Psalms 18:18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

Psalms 20:1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

Psalms 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Psalms 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

Psalms 102:2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

Lamentations 3:57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

Just some thoughts on my Bible reading this morning and meditating on Psalm 102:2 and related passages.

September 16, 2022
Jerry Bouey