Exorcisms In The Old Testament

What part of the Bible comes to mind when you think about exorcisms? Probably one of the several accounts of Jesus encountering a demon possessed man. These are wonderful examples that show us the physical and spiritual tole demon possession has on people, how afraid demons are of Jesus, and how obedient they are to God. So if these New Testament examples are so great, why do we care about what’s in the Old Testament? Because the Old Testament tells us why it happens, and because an entire ideology of how demons operate today has been created that is dangerous and false. Spiritual warfare is very real, demonic possession is happening today, and exorcisms occur all the time.

What Should Get Your Attention

“Now if I drive out demons in the name of Satan, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” – Luke 11:19-20

Jesus performs an exorcism on a man, and the Pharisees think he’s doing it using the power of Satan. Jesus sets them straight but said something that should make you think of where else this is happening. He challenged them by asking “by whom do your followers drive them out?” This is acknowledging that there were other exorcisms being performed before Jesus. I have always believed that the New Testament gives us nothing truly new, but fulfills the Old Testament. This means that the things Jesus did were not unique, as we know people were raised from the dead, healed, and experienced other miracles in the Old Testament. This means that exorcisms happened in the Old Testament too. But in order to recognize exorcisms from before Jesus’ time, we need to know what they are, and we need to look at strong examples of demonic activity in the Old Testament.

What is an Exorcism

The commonly understood definition of an exorcism is when someone is a slave to the power of a demon, and that power is removed and the person is freed. But we’re going to go deeper than this, because the Bible describes many more things as demonic than simply being violently possessed. Consider these wide sweeping callouts of demonic activity:

Worldly Wisdom

This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. – James 3:15

Idolatry (worship of self, family, wealth, or other gods)

What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. – Corinthians 10:20

Sin

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to Satan. – Ephesians 2:1-2

If any demonic power over someone is removed, they are no longer a slave to it. And we can be slaves to worldly wisdom, idolatry, and simply all of sin. To have these influences removed is to cast out these demonic influences. When we serve these things, we are serving demons. An exorcism isn’t just removing a violent demon from someone, but the demonic powers of sin. God’s spirit does not dwell in someone who is under this control.

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. – Romans 6:20

An exorcism is the opposite of this passage from Romans. It is freedom from the control of demonic power, freedom from sin.

The Old Testament

Understanding that an exorcism is the removal of demonically sinful influence on someone, freeing them from the power of Satan, we’re led to see what the Old Testament has to say. There are three unique individuals who encounter a spectrum of demonic power, and we learn how much power Satan has over us through these examples, why they happen in the first place, and what the solution is. The first is an example of demonic influence that doesn’t end in a remedy, that is, there’s no exorcism:

Ahab

Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.
And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.
‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.
‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’ So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.” – 1 Kings 19-23

This powerful prophecy shows us demonic power, its source, and its purpose all in one. The difficult truth we must acknowledge from this and further verses is that God controls “the deceiver” and all the demons. He gives them power and allows them to tempt and to possess. They have no autonomy, but fear God and obey him. Why else were they always so afraid of Jesus, and did everything he told them to do? If you think that God controlling who demons tempt and possess is unfair, you’re not the first person to think this:

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. – Romans 9:14-18

The demonic influence on Ahab’s false prophets was because they and the king wouldn’t listen to God. And when we reject God, he can choose to turn us over to what we rely on:

When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain. – Isaiah 57:13

The demonic influence on Ahab’s prophets was a result of God’s decision to give Ahab over to the things he worshipped. And when Ahab worshipped other gods, he was worshipping demons. So God gave him over to the demons, who deceived him and his false prophets, leading him to die in battle.

Nebuchadnezzar

The second example is very much like Ahab, but there is a good ending.

All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.”
Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. – Daniel 4:28-34

It was prophesied by Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar would be cast out from his throne and act like an animal if he continued rejecting God. Only until he finally acknowledged God and received salvation was he cured of this insanity. Nebuchadnezzar’s rejection of God was in itself a demonic worship of his own gods and his own power. He was a slave to sin and Satan. God hands him over to his Babylonian gods and to his own royal power to show him how powerless he is and that God is the only true God.

I find it interesting that Nebuchadnezzar’s name means “O god Nabu, preserve/defend my firstborn son.” And Nabu is the Babylonian god of wisdom and rational thought. But we know from Romans that when Nebuchadnezzar worshipped Nabu, he was worshipping demons. So when God hands him over to who Nabu truly is, he isn’t given the gift of wisdom or rational thought, but is turned insane and acts like an animal. This reveals the real influence on his life, and shows once again that God can choose to give demons power over people who reject him.

Only when Nebuchadnezzar’s time of insanity was over with did he finally give up his Babylonian gods, and accepted the one true God. God gave him mercy and the demonic influence on his life was exorcised.

Saul

The last example is Saul. This is a middle ground between Ahab and Nebuchadnezzar. Saul receives mercy from God and experiences exorcisms, but in the end we know that he ultimately rejects God and dies. Demons are given power over Saul frequently throughout his life, which is due to his constant stubbornness with God. But this example also shows us that if someone has demonic influence removed, that doesn’t mean they’re invincible for the rest of their life.

Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.”
So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.”
One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.” – 1 Samuel 16:14-18

Understand what is being said here if you’re still not sure about where demonic influence comes from:

Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him

God sent a demon to cause Saul pain. God was tired of the wickedness of the king of Israel, and this demonic influence caused Saul to get introduced to David, replacement later on. But again, how is it fair that God would do this to Saul? Did he even have a chance? Lots of chances. Saul had choices to make in life, and he constantly chose himself. We see here that the spirit of God left Saul, and something wicked took its place. This only happens, the spirit of God leaving us, when we’re a slave to sin, free from righteousness:

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. – Romans 6:20

The exorcism in this event occurs only when David plays music for Saul, and God removes the demonic power.

Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. – 1 Samuel 16:23

Understand that this example of exorcism is very different from Nabuchadnezzar. Saul doesn’t receive salvation as a result of the removal of this demonic influence, but instead continues serving himself and never turning to God. So God uses it to raise up David. There is one last example of demonic activity with Saul that never mentions an exorcism:

The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. – 1 Samuel 18:10-11

Don’t be distracted by the word “prophesying” because we know an evil spirit cannot produce righteous prophecy. In fact, the original Hebrew for this word is Hithpael, which is only used to describe madmen and false prophecy, such as in the following verse from Elijah’s encounter with idolaters:

Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. – 1 Kings 18:29

In Elijah’s example, these people were worshipping other gods, which are actually demons. Likewise, Saul’s demonic possession was because God gave him over to his idolatry of himself. But the very interesting thing is that it’s never mentioned when this evil spirit leaves Saul. In fact, David’s playing of the Lyre doesn’t even work this time, because God chose another plan. The presence of this particular demon is influencing Saul to try to kill David. After this event, he continues on to try and get David to marry his daughter so that the Philistines would try to kill him. And he gives him armies to command so that he’ll die in battle. In fact, he never stops trying to kill him for the rest of his life:

When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days. – 1 Samuel 18:28-29

It would seem this final demonic influence would never leave Saul until his death. Saul is given many chances in life to stop his own demonic activity of idolatry and rejection of God, but in the end he never does and he dies. Saul experiences an exorcism only during specific times when David plays music for him. But he never relents from his rejection of God, and so God brings up David as his replacement.

What Can We Do?

The Old Testament is full of demonic activity, and we’ve only glossed over a handful of the big ones. But the three examples of Ahab, Nebuchadnezzar, and Saul show us something very important to understand:

God controls all demonic activity
Salvation is not a byproduct of an exorcism
Demonic influence is a sign of unrepented sin

So what can we do about this? Is it all hopeless? Certainly not! The Old Testament shows us flawed people just like you and me, and what happens if we continue to reject God, or if we proclaim that He is our King! Nebuchadnezzar returned to God, and so God removed the evil power from his life. Saul was given many chances and many exorcisms, but his stubbornness destroyed him. And Ahab was given neither exorcism nor mercy, because God was so fed up with his life of wickedness. Will we receive mercy? Will God give us another chance? We will, because Jesus died so that we may receive mercy and have the ability to call on his name to remove the sin and demonic influence in our life. If there is sin in your life, there is demonic power at work and you need to take a step towards God, because it is dangerous and sin will destroy you.

So what do you do if you’ve had demonic power removed from your life, and you don’t want it to come back like it did with Saul?

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. – Mark 5:18-20

What do you do if there’s demonic power currently in your life, like Ahab?

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:14-20

And what do you do if you’re like Nabuchadnezzar after his insanity, free from the power of sin?

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. – Matthew 10:5

A Final Word

Demonic influence is a product of sin, so we have all experienced this at some point in our lives. But the solution is repentance. You are able to ask God to remove this influence from your life if you have faith and repent. There is no need to feel unqualified to fight against Satan like this, because Jesus will do it for you, you just have to start asking. So do not fear demons, who only have power when you throw out God from your life; but fear God, who has the power to give mercy and to save us from our sin.

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” – Luke 10:17-20

Who Pays For Dinner In The Bible?

You’re on your first date with someone and the waiter asks that question going on in everyone’s head: all together, or separate?

You make eye contact with the other person at the table and the awkwardness begins to rise.

Why does this happen and why is this a problem? It’s because you weren’t prepared for it, and the underlying issue is a vast rabbit-hole of social problems and perspective. “Who pays for the first date?” is a heated issue, and for Christians and only Christians, there is a righteous answer. I’m not talking about restaurants and money, but what these dinner experiences have an affect on: our relationships and an imitation of Christ. We’re going to look at the most powerful, clear examples of who “pays for dinner,” in the Bible. Through this, we’ll understand why the question the waiter always asks is important for Christians, and only Christians, to answer.

Jacob’s First Date

Jacob said, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.” He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.” He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.” But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” – Genesis 29:4-8

Jacob is traveling the lands and comes across some shepherds. He calls them his brothers, so you can feel the compliments and lack of ill-will, and the fact that he’s probably also a shepherd. They chat, and Jacob questions how they’re taking care of their sheep. He called them his brothers, he’s not trying to shame them or anything. Jacob is concerned, as anyone who is good at their profession should be about their product:

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds. – Proverbs 27:23

The sheep need water and to go to the pasture, they shouldn’t be lying around in the sun. But the shepherds give some excuse and won’t do it until all the sheep are finally gathered together, and who knows how long that could take. But who can blame them? To water the sheep involves removing a big stone:

The stone on the well’s mouth was large. – Genesis 29:2

But this will all change when someone important enters the scene:

While Jacob was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. – Genesis 29:9

Pay close attention to what Jacob does:

Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. – Genesis 29:10

If you don’t see what’s going on here, Jacob shows his strength by removing the huge stone by himself, and singlehandedly waters all the sheep. He didn’t have any money, just time and strength to offer Rachel, who didn’t need to help roll the stone away or water her sheep that day. It must have worked because they later got married.

Jacob paid for dinner with his time and energy.

Isaac’s Online Dating

Abraham is keen on finding a wife for Isaac, his son. But he’s very old at this point:

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. – Genesis 24:1

So he sends his servant out to find someone:

The servant said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” – Genesis 24:12-14

He asks for a simple sign to know who the right person is, and then someone interesting arrives:

Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. – Genesis 24:15

Rebekah fulfills the sign, for when the servant says to her “Please let down your jar that I may drink,” she replies “Drink, and I will water your camels.” He knows she’s the one for Isaac, so he presents her with something peculiar:

When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels. – Genesis 24:22

These gifts are in lieu of Isaac’s time and strength, and in fact, his knowledge of this whole event, which are things only Jacob could give earlier. Isaac’s inheritance is used to lavish Rebekah with gifts through Abraham’s servant, because whoever God might bring to the servant would be worth it. And Isaac wasn’t buying Rebekah, as some might see it, simply because she always had a choice:

So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. – Genesis 24:58

We know it worked as a great introduction, even though Rebekah hadn’t met Isaac yet, because they later got married.

Isaac paid for dinner with a portion of his inheritance.

Boaz Starts with Friendship

Ruth, a widower, is forced to collect what food she can from whoever’s field she happens upon in a foreign land. She’s a Moabite, but her mother-in-law is related to a man named Boaz in Bethlehem. Ruth goes to his field and asks if she can have some food, and he makes an even better deal:

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” – Ruth 2:8-12

Boaz lavishes Ruth with gifts fitting the circumstances of that time by offering her protection and the best of what he has. We know Israel was exceptionally wicked then, for God saw fit to send judges at this time:

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land. – Ruth 1:1

There were surely other farmers out there, but Boaz knew Ruth would not be safe. But we’re talking about romantics in this blog, right? Romantics cover the entire spectrum, and while Boaz shows no interest in marriage, he befriends her because he knows her story and he cares. And great relationships can start with a simple friendship. While they’re just friends, Ruth’s romantic interest in Boaz is definitely perked due to how much he cares about her and lavishes her with gifts. While Boaz might not have been intending this at first, it all worked and they later got married.

Boaz paid for dinner with his reputation, the fruits of his farm, and his friendship.

God’s Date with Us

The whole point of going through each of these romantic stories is to show a bigger picture of what’s going on. The lives of these men and women in the Old Testament share pieces of who God is, and help us see his love for us through real examples. We know this is a connection because scripture consistently uses the language of God being our spiritual husband:

For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. – Isaiah 54:5

“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Master.’ – Hosea 2:16

Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. – Jeremiah 31:32

Therefore if you want to know who should pay for dinner, look at what gifts God, our spiritual husband, is paying for:

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. – 1 John 3:1

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – James 1:17

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. – Ephesians 3:18-19

God lavishes his love on us so that we can be called his children. When Jacob, Isaac, and Boaz paid for dinner, they were imitating God’s lavish love for us. This love doesn’t have to be romantic, in the example of Boaz, but it can lead to something greater than friendship.

If you’re a Christian woman, don’t look at the dinner tab, look for signs that the man you’re with is capable of lavish love. This can come in many forms, like paying for dinner on the first date. He doesn’t have to roll a stone away to feed your sheep. But if he’s the right man for you, he will go beyond what the lazy shepherds of today are offering. If you want a man who seeks to imitate Christ, he’ll do this, because God does it for you today.

If you’re a Christian man, pray to God that he’ll reveal who the right woman is for you, like Isaac’s servant, because if you make the decision on your own, you’re wasting the time Jacob gave Rachel, and you’re wasting the gold that Isaac gave Rebekah. Do you really think God can’t bring the right person to you if you ask? Pay for dinner. It’s what Jaboc, Isaac, and Boaz did, and it’s what God is doing for you right now.

One More Thing

The last part to note about this message is the fact that this relationship advice is for Christians, not the whole world. There’s so much controversy surrounding men paying for dinner today. But in the Bible, it’s simply not about that. It’s about something so far beyond money and food, that if you’re not a Christian it most likely doesn’t make sense! That’s why there’s controversy. So remember a particular part of the verse I included about God’s lavish love for us, this same love we should imitate:

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. – 1 John 3:1

Christian relationships do NOT make sense if you don’t know Jesus, who is the ultimate example of a man seeking his bride. His lavish love for us, the church, brought him to not pay for dinner, but pay for our sins with his life so that we could live:

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Are There Good And Bad Perspectives?

Live for now. Follow your truth. Your story is your legacy. Falling in love with yourself isn’t vanity, it’s sanity.

All these sayings have one dangerous thing in common: perspective. Perspective is how you see everything in life, including yourself, and more importantly, God. Perspective is one of many things that make us human, but the good thing is that our perspective can change. However, because it can change, that means there can be problematic perspectives, and wholly good perspectives. Today we’re looking at how God sees everything, and how it contrasts with man. Because we’re called to imitate Christ, we should understand God’s perspective, and change ours to be more like his.

What Does Man See

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. – Proverbs 14:12

When we’re born we have a small world to think about. Food, family, and crying are usually all babies and little kids are thinking about. Their perspective on what’s going on outside of their life is non-existent. There’s no concept of the family’s financial situation, what the country’s problems might be, or anything outside of their life. This ignorance isn’t inherently wrong, but we see that as we grow we learn more about what’s going on in the grand scheme of life. This makes us wiser and better equipped to navigate our complex world.

Now stop for a moment. That whole opinion above is an example of mankind’s perspective. It includes things important to children and adults, things that make us wiser in the eyes of the world. These are things that seem right to a man, but the verse above tells us that its end is the way to death.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness.” 1 Corinthians 3:19

And if you still think God wants us to value this type of wisdom highly in our lives, there is an even harsher truth about things the world teaches us. Focusing on gathering worldly wisdom is the result of pride and inward focus. It is demonic:

This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. – James 3:15

There’s no way around this. If you focus on gathering this type of wisdom, it will kill you. But why are we looking at wisdom so much if the point of this post is to talk about perspective? Because they go hand in hand.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. – Proverbs 9:10

To fear God is to understand where he is in the grand scheme of things, and where we are. As learning about the world changes our worldly perspective, learning about God changes our Godly perspective. And since seeking to gather worldly wisdom is demonic, seeking to gather Godly wisdom must give us the good perspective. This perspective is what changes lives. This perspective opens eyes and shows us how meaningless worldly pursuits are. This is God’s perspective, which we’ll look at next.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. – Colossians 2:8

What Does God See

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. – ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭6:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God is huge. Isaiah’s vision shows the very smallest part of his robe fills the entirety of the largest structure of Israel. God shows us through this passage that he is so far beyond everything, the world is his footstool.

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. – Psalm 147:5

God knows everything, and sees things we cannot.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. – Jeremiah 1:5

God stands outside of our life, and inside it. He is outside of time, and acts inside of it. He sees everything. God has the perfect perspective because he knows what matters and what doesn’t. He understands what’s truly valuable in the end, and knows about everything that’s worthless.

Because we know that the pursuit of worldly knowledge, which changes our worldly perspective, is demonic and worthless to God, how do we seek the good perspective? How can we possibly understand everything God understands, and see life through his eyes? There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is this:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9

In this life, we’ll never have the perfect perspective of God. We’ll never fully see life through his eyes, and understand everything the way he does. So what can we do, if his perspective is so good to have, yet so seemingly unattainable? Here’s the good news:

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. – 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

Breaking this down we see some important things to do in order to start seeing things the way God wants. To be a Christian is to grow spiritually throughout your life, and these are ways that this growth can continue through better and better perspectives:

We’re all going to die and be judged by God – “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ.” This reminds us that there is something waiting at the end, and that our very soul is at stake. Our life on earth, the health of our bodies, and the state of our riches give us worldly, demonic wisdom if we pursue them. “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12
Remember what your life is all about – “So we make it our goal to please him.” To do everything for God is to acknowledge that he is your king, it is to acknowledge your place in life beneath him. God is above everything and made everything, and we owe him everything for saving us from spiritual death. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
Actively seek righteousness, don’t just talk about it – “prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” God will give you what you ask for if you desire him and righteousness, and when you seek this then you begin to stop seeking worldly wisdom and worldly perspectives. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
Have faith – “For we live by faith, not by sight.” Belief in Jesus is the beginning of a radically changed perspective, and we begin to see things the way God desires when we see his son for who he is: through his death, the savior of the world for our sins. “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:8-9

God gives us the steps to grow our perspectives towards him, the danger is when we begin worrying about our lives, our family, our jobs, our children, our politics, our enemies, our future, or anything else that is not about God. What you should be worried about is the wrath of God, and this is good! Because to fear God is the beginning of a more godly perspective, drawing our eyes away from the world and its demonic wisdom, and towards the one who sits above the world and wants to save us. Perspective is everything, and there is a call to something beyond this life. Looking at life from our eyes is small and never gets everything that matters into the picture, just like a baby’s. But if we acknowledge God’s power and promise, our eyes suddenly begin to grow and see things we’ve never seen before. Only then will our perspective change for the better.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! – Psalm 8

Did Jesus Discover That He Was God?

In many allegories, movies, or hypotheses about Jesus’ younger years, a very particular idea tends to sneak in. It’s the idea that Jesus, while a young boy, learned that he was God through some journey, revelation, maturity, or whatever. These ideas may even go so far as to say that he learned he was God at the time he began his ministry, and therefore for the majority of his life he was not aware of his divinity. Now, while this idea may seem harmless, it’s an attempt to fill in the gaps of Jesus’ life. Indeed, there isn’t an exact account of Jesus’ entire life in scripture, but it turns out that the Bible fills in the gaps for us. We’re going to answer the question of whether or not Jesus knew he was God as a child, and what he was up to before his ministry.

What did Jesus think as a child?

The Bible only gives an exact account about a couple events in Jesus’ young life, and that’s of course what we’re interested in. One of the most powerful stories about Jesus’ true nature and what he thought about this is shown in this short account. Every year Jesus and his parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival, and when the festival was over his parents left for home. But they mistakenly left Jesus behind and didn’t notice for a whole day, and went back looking for him.

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. – Luke 2:46

This is a sign that Jesus is God before we even get into what he thinks. Consider the symbolism and how it foreshadows his entire purpose. Before Jesus was crucified as an adult, he celebrated the Passover with his disciples in Jerusalem. After this, he died the next day, and for three days he was dead before his resurrection. Likewise, as a little boy, Jesus celebrates the Passover in Jerusalem with his parents. For a day he’s left behind, though they thought he was still with them, and after this realization Joseph and Mary looked for him for three days before he returns to them and goes home.

Now let’s look at what Jesus thought about this whole event, as a mere child who, according to popular culture, shouldn’t even think he’s God yet:

When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” Jesus asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. – Luke 2:48-50

Jesus, as a child, says something no ordinary child could possibly understand or say with such authority. He acknowledges that God is his father, and God’s house is where he had to be. Joseph and Mary’s response is the same as the disciples later on in Jesus’ life:

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. – Luke 18:31-34

Jesus told his disciples where the son of man had to be, just like when he was a boy. And no one understood what he was talking about. Even as a little boy, Jesus knew that he was the son of God, and knew his purpose. He had to be in his Father’s house, and he had to die for us.

What was Jesus doing all those years?

The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. – Luke 2:40

Jesus was growing in wisdom throughout his life. He didn’t receive everything immediately at birth, but grew as we grow, so that he can empathize with our weaknesses:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet he did not sin. – Hebrews 4:15

In the same way he learned wisdom, he learned obedience in life:

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. – Hebrews 5:7-9

This is not to say that he was ever disobedient or imperfect, but began life without having experienced the suffering that brings obedience and wisdom. And we know he experienced great suffering to cause this obedience and wisdom:

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. – Isaiah 53:2-3

While Jesus was growing up, there was nothing desirable about him. While he was gaining wisdom and learning obedience, he became familiar with pain. And when the time came for him to triumphantly enter Jerusalem as a King, people still thought he was just a prophet, that unattractive son of a carpenter who would be despised and rejected by mankind. They still didn’t understand what was really going on:

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” – Matthew 21:10-11

What did Jesus think before he became man?

Ok, so what if Jesus knew he was God as a child. So what if we know what he was doing during those years between his birth and his ministry. What about before he was born? Did he even exist anywhere before he was born? Did Jesus become God only when he was born?

And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. – John 17:5

Jesus existed before the world began, and when he was born on earth the big difference was that he had to give up the same glory he had in the presence of God. If he kept this glory, who could survive seeing him?

Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. – Philippians 2:6-7

Jesus did not empty himself of his divine nature, but the glory that he had in his Father’s house before the world began. He always knew he was fully God, even when he was a child, and he experienced through his humanity the same growth we go through today. Jesus has always been fully God and fully man. Jesus was alive before the world began, Jesus was alive in the Old Testament, and Jesus is alive today.

I know that my Savior lives, and at the end he will stand on this earth. My flesh may be destroyed, yet from this body I will see God. – Job 19:25-26

Communion in the Old Testament

What comes to mind when you think about communion? Probably what you eat and drink, and the verses from the Lord’s supper where Jesus talks about what communion is all about. These are all great things, but I want to add more value to them by drawing on acts of communion found in the Old Testament as well. Nothing in the New Testament shows us anything new. This means that all traditions, festivals, and laws found in the New Testament all come from the Old Testament. Now, if communion didn’t start in the New Testament, shouldn’t we look at examples of where it came from, in order to better understand where it is now? Yes, so let’s begin by breaking down what communion is, and applying this definition to an example in the Old Testament.

What is communion? We’re going to follow Jesus’ very simple explanation of what it is. Every example we’ll look at will follow this easy pattern:

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” – Luke 22:19-20

From what Jesus said and did, we can see that communion is:

Being present with a mediator
Remembering that we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God
Remembering a covenant with God

Here is a simple explanation of where this is coming from:

#1 is because the disciples are in the presence of Jesus, the final mediator between God and man. We’ll look into how they and people in the Old Testament fulfilled this after Jesus was gone, which helps us understand communion’s importance today.

#2 is because bread is a symbol used by God to represent the bread of life, that is, what’s really keeping us alive. To elaborate:

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. – Deuteronomy 8:3

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.” – John 6:32-35

#3 is because the wine represents Jesus’ new covenant made in his blood.

We will be using this pattern with each of the examples we’ll cover. This will show us communion in action in the Old Testament, and lead the way to better understanding how we have communion as well.

Melchizedek

The Bible makes it easy to connect the dots in many circumstances. In my last post I was able to connect John the Baptist to Elijah because he is literally compared to him by Jesus. Well, this time since we’re looking at communion, we get a big hint to begin with. Who is Jesus compared to that’s from the Old Testament?

For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 7:17

Melchizedek simply isn’t talked about much at all, only a couple times in the Old Testament! But he’s there for a reason, and he’s compared to Jesus for an even bigger reason. So if Melchizedek isn’t talked about much, let’s look at the simple time he shows up:

After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. – Genesis 14:17-20

Now, this post is not about who the mysterious Melchizedek is exactly, but how he practiced communion with Abram. From this short passage in Genesis, we can walk through the three points that define communion.

Being present with a mediator

Melchizedek is described as a “priest of God Most High.” And we know that priests are tasked with being mediators between God and man:

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. – Hebrews 5:1

Communion in the Old Testament always involves a high priest, because Jesus had not yet come to be our high priest, therefore we had to rely on fully human mediators. Today when we practice communion, we know that Jesus is the last priest, because he lives forever and is with us always:

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. – Hebrews 6:19-20

Therefore we are in the presence of a mediator when we practice communion. Likewise, Abram was in the presence of Melchizedek, a mediator, in the Old Testament. This is necessary because we cannot “commune” with God on our own, we need a mediator, for Jesus says:

“No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

Remembering that we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God

Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abram, and doesn’t remark about Abram’s greatness or his strength, but God’s. He also mentions the fact that God saved him from his enemies:

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

In response, Abram gives away a tenth of his belongings to the priest. This is a significant sign about Abram’s faithfulness to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives. – Deuteronomy 14:23

Jesus describes bread in the same way earlier during communion:

“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Today, we eat bread during communion to remember Jesus, the bread of life, and that there is nothing else that keeps us alive but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Abram responded to this by giving away a tenth of what he had, to physically put God first in his life and live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Eating bread is not communion, but putting God first is. The bread is a symbol of this to help us remember.

“Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” – John 6:57:58

Remembering a covenant with God

Because we’ve previously established that bread isn’t communion, that means wine isn’t either. The wine is a symbol of what is lastly necessary for communion: remembering a covenant with God. Earlier, Jesus explains this:

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Jesus is having communion, using wine to symbolize that his blood is the new covenant. Melchizedek gives Abram wine, but wine isn’t communion. He’s making sure Abram remembers a covenant. Which covenant? Surely Abram didn’t know about the new covenant? Jesus was the one who invented it, right? No. Jesus fulfilled the new covenant which was promised in the Old Testament. Consider the covenant God makes with Abram:

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your seed forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” – Genesis 13:14-17

After this covenant, Abram is victorious against the enemies who captured Lot, which is when Melchizedek shows up. God gave Abram victory that day because of the covenant he made with him. Isn’t this the old covenant? No. The old covenant is the one established with Moses, the one that required something from us to receive the blessings of God:

“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband,’ declares the Lord.” – Jeremiah 31:31-32

The new covenant is a gift from God, requiring nothing in return. This gift is Jesus:

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. – Hebrews 8:6

How did Abram know about this? How could his communion fulfill the requirement of remembering a covenant, if the new covenant didn’t even exist yet? Because it did exist, and Abram knew full well who God was talking about when he made his promises to him:

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. – Galatians 3:16

In communion when we drink, we must remember the new covenant in Jesus’ blood which is poured out for us, just like Abram.

Takeaway

Communion is not a symbol, it is a very real and spiritual act. The bread and the wine are symbols to help us remember Jesus, the bread of life and the new covenant. To see how Abram had communion helps us understand what was really going on during the last supper, so that we don’t get hung up on the food and drink. They don’t do anything, it’s what they represent that matters. And why does what they represent matter?

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. – 1 Corinthians 11:27

We were bought with a price, and to commune with God is something very real and serious. So the next time you practice communion, remember who your mediator is: Jesus. Remember that you live because of God, who has given you the bread of life: Jesus. And remember the covenant of blood that was poured out for you, the blood of Jesus.

“Do this in remembrance of me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:24

Baptism in the Old Testament

Baptism is undoubtedly a controversial topic within various denominations in Christianity. But when we ask ourselves when baptism started, I’m 100% sure it’s always John the Baptist that comes to mind. Today we’re putting a stop to this, because the New Testament neither invented anything new, nor abolished anything old, but fulfilled every law and prophecy that came out of the Old Testament. While the word baptism isn’t in the Old Testament, its latin definition, “immersion,” very much occurs all over the place. And if it’s there, it’s important. We’re going to look at baptism in the Old Testament, and why this is important to understand.

Elijah

Our first hint comes from the New Testament, which links very particular people together. When it compares someone in the New Testament to someone in the Old, it deserves a closer look. Because John the Baptist is who we always turn to when we think about the origin of baptism, let’s look at who, in the Old Testament, Jesus compares him to:

“For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.” – Matthew 11:13-14

So let’s look at Elijah’s involvement with water. If John is the Elijah who was to come, then Elijah must have been doing something related to immersion. Turns out, he was:

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood. Now do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. – 1 Kings 18:30-34

Elijah’s immersion of the sacrifice to God has far more meaning than meets the eye. You may be thinking that this isn’t related because Elijah isn’t immersing a person. However, immersion, or baptism, is a symbol of something wholly spiritual. John uses baptism with water to symbolize spiritual baptism.

“And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also–not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.” – 1 Peter 3:21

Therefore, Elijah’s immersion of the sacrifice is a symbol of the spiritual baptism of Israel, cleansing them of their idolatry. But the difference here is that the Old Testament is giving us a glimpse of what spiritual baptism actually looks like, something the New Testament only mentions.

Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” – 1 Kings 18:38-39

Why is this exactly what spiritual baptism looks like? Look at this parallel:

1 Kings

Elijah uses immersion with water on the sacrifice, then God uses fire that consumes everything

Matthew

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” – Matthew 3:11-12

So not only does the Old Testament have symbolic baptism, but spiritual baptism. And unlike the New Testament, we actually get to see what spiritual baptism looks like: a consuming, dangerous, hot, and transformative fire. This fire isn’t out of control, however, as Malachi describes:

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness. – Malachi 3:3

It is a very calculated fire, and affects exactly what it means to. And this fire always brings transformation and righteousness, just like how the Israelites responded after God consumed Elijah’s sacrifice:

When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” 1 Kings 18:39

Noah

Now for the part you were waiting for: the baptism of people! Elijah’s side of the story contains incredible symbolism and imagery, but with a sacrifice. What about the symbolic baptism of people? Was this practiced? Yes.

After being made alive, Jesus went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. – 1 Peter 3:19-21

What Peter is saying here is that Noah had faith in God, therefore he was saved spiritually, and the flood was a symbol of this salvation.

Elisha

Do you think the flood doesn’t count as real immersion? Let’s look at an example closer to the kind of things John the Baptist practiced:

Elisha sent a messenger to say to Naaman, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. – 2 Kings 5:10-14

Notice that it was not the immersion of water that cleansed Naaman, but his faith that God would heal him from leprosy after merely washing a few times in not even the best river. The same fire that consumed Elijah’s sacrifice consumed Naaman’s old sinful life. The fact that God healed his body pales in comparison to the fact that he received spiritual baptism that day, and would never be the same again:

Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.” – 2 Kings 5:15

The immersion in the Jordan and the healing of Naaman’s leprosy was a symbol of his spiritual baptism, the baptism with fire and the Holy Spirit.

The Law

So what’s the deal with baptism then, if it’s just a symbol? Why are we commanded to be baptized?

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. – Matthew 28:19

Because Jesus follows the law of God perfectly, and if he wants us to be more like him, then he wants us to follow the law too. What law am I talking about that relates to baptism, if Jesus didn’t make new laws? Since when is there an Old Testament law saying that we need to be baptized? Understand first that humanity’s accessibility to God changed after Jesus sacrificed himself for us. We no longer need a high priest to purify himself and follow regulations in order to be in the presence of God, because Jesus is doing that for us. God is uniquely present with us today, which is something the Jews simply couldn’t experience except through a very special circumstance: The day of atonement.

A couple people died in the presence of God because they weren’t clean. And I don’t mean physically clean, but spiritually:

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.” – Leviticus 16:1-2

And what did God have the Jews do so that they could be in his presence? Be baptized! Immersed! Cleansed with water! Symbolically made clean, which would reflect their spiritual baptism and allow themselves to be in the presence of a very holy God:

“This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. – Leviticus 16:3-4

How do we know that this is baptism? Because Jesus did the exact same thing as Aaron:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. – Matthew 3:13-15

Before eventually offering himself as the sacrifice, according to the law he needed to be washed clean. Jesus describes that this was proper to fulfill all righteousness. Aaron and all subsequent high priests had to be baptized with fire before offering sacrifices to God, because an unrighteous person would literally die in his holy presence. God had them symbolically washed clean with water so that they could understand the spiritual transformation required.

So let’s bring this back to you and me. What does this law that Jesus was following have to do with us? If God is uniquely present amongst us today, Jesus wants us to be spiritually baptized with fire so that we are clean before God, and we can then have access to the Holy Spirit.

So should you be baptized with water? Remember that it’s a symbol. Mechanically it’s as effective as Elijah’s water on his sacrifice, it just made everything wet. What’s important is what’s going on spiritually. We can use symbols to help understand what’s really going on, or to outwardly show an example of God’s transformation and cleansing of ourselves. But what you really need to do is be baptized with God’s fire. His fire consumes and transforms, it is a refiner’s fire that takes away our past selves and remakes us into something righteous.

As this post ends, consider this final point before the last piece of scripture: Judas was most likely baptized with water because he was a disciple of Jesus, but what good did it do him? But the thief on the cross was most likely not baptized with water ever in his life, yet he was baptized with God’s fire right then and there before he died with Jesus.

“‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.” – Ezekiel 16:9-14

The Verse that Changed My Life

When I was younger I thought I could fix things. I thought there was a way that I could get people to stop doing wrong, a way that I could stop all the pain. If only us Christians could figure it out! If only we could do something about all the evil in the world. These thoughts bled into other areas of life, because thinking that I’m responsible for stopping people from sinning also meant that I was responsible for the good and bad experiences in my own life. As a result, I had a lot of stress and issues with control. What I’m going to talk about today is the verse that I came across that stopped this way of thinking, and helped me to let go. It’s my favorite verse in the Bible, and summarizes the Christian response to both sin and righteousness.

“Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” – Revelation 22:11

This is my favorite verse. It’s simple and is part of the prophecy about both the future of the world and its current state. God mostly speaks to me through scripture, and this made it very clear that there are things going on that I needed to let go of. This made it clear that I needed to both let people be righteous and let people sin, because in the end we all have our own choices to make. Is there more to this message? Surely it might seem like there’s a lot more going on here. Well, the Bible doesn’t just say one thing once, it says the same thing in many places and different ways in order to finally get it in our head. So let’s look at where this topic comes up in other places, so that it’s all laid out.

Gabriel’s Perspective

We know that Gabriel told Daniel about what’s in Revelation and offers more on the same topic. Let’s look at Revelation again, including one more verse so that the parallel is clear:

Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” – Revelation 22:10-11

Then, Gabriel has this to say in Daniel:

He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.” – Daniel 12:9-10

This is an acknowledgement that sin will continue. There’s nothing we can do about that. Our purpose, which is spreading the message, doesn’t include stopping people from sinning. The wicked will continue to be wicked. There will be people who don’t listen to God, and there will be people who do. We can’t control who does what.

Ezekiel’s Perspective

Ezekiel offers another parallel to Gabriel and Revelation. However, his perspective, like Revelation, comes in the form of a command about what we should do in response to this topic:

“But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.” – Ezekiel 3:27

Let the wicked be wicked. Let the good be good. Let people listen, and let people ignore. It’s a simple and clear message. Likewise, Jesus said:

“Whoever has ears, let them hear.” – Matthew 11:15

Let people hear the message and make a choice. But know that they will decide to reject God, or follow him. It’s not up to you, and you don’t know when they’ll make that choice in life.

Timothy’s Perspective

The whole point of me discovering this verse, during a point in my life when I wanted to control everything, was for God to start showing me how to let go. But it’s not just about letting go of what other people do, but letting go of what happens to myself. I said at the beginning of this post that I felt like I was responsible for the good and bad that happened to myself, but this verse in Revelation opened me up to seeing that that’s not the case. Gabriel and Ezekiel have elaborations on the topic of responding to other people, but Timothy talks about the response to yourself.

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.” – 2 Timothy 3:12-14

Revelation says to let the wicked be wicked, and the righteous be righteous. Timothy applies this to ourselves and says that wicked things will happen to us, and to continue to be righteous. Because persecution will happen to us, letting sinners continue to sin means that we also need to let persecution happen. We can’t stop it or control it, God says it will happen. But also continue to be holy. Continue to be righteous. Peter quotes Leviticus 11:44 when he says in regards to continuing to do what is right:

Because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:16

Let the righteous be righteous, and let the wicked be wicked. Do what is good because God is good. Let persecution happen because it is a sign of us being a Christian. We all make choices, some listen, some don’t. Let go of trying to control the world, let go of trying to control the good and the bad in your life, because we’re just not meant to change it. Only Jesus could change the world. And only Jesus can change you.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. – Isaiah 43:19

Who Does God Hate?

If “God hates sin but loves the sinner,” then why did he always punish sinners and not the sin? Because that very common statement just isn’t supported by scripture whatsoever. There are countless little sayings like this that exist with the sole purpose of cushioning tough messages that really have simple, encouraging explanations. So today we’re tackling this one, “God hates sin but loves the sinner,” and why it can be confusing to believe both it and scripture that contradicts it entirely. So enough of sayings that people come up with, let’s look at what God has to say.

“I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated.” – Malachi 1:2-3

So immediately in the verse above, we see that God is capable of hating someone. But why? Isn’t God all-loving? Isn’t this contrary to his nature? Does this make you uncomfortable at all? Well it should, because that means the wheels are starting to turn. So let’s look at what God’s hatred is exactly, and what that means for us.

Covenant Hatred

The first point is to make the clear distinction between love and hate in the eyes of God. God’s love is a covenant, not an emotion. Therefore, God’s hatred, the opposite of his covenant love, must not be an emotion either, but a choice:

The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. – Psalm 145:20

But doesn’t God love everyone? How is it possible for him to decide to hate someone, and therefore destroy them?

Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! – Ezekiel 18:31-32

Esau and his people did not repent and live. Take five minutes to read the book of Obadiah, and don’t be scared, it’s only one chapter. It describes the wickedness of Esau’s people, and you’ll see that God’s hatred is fully justified. Not the emotion of hatred, but the covenant of hatred: that conscious choice of Esau to sin and live against God. And God’s side of the agreement is to destroy Esau.

For the violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. – Obadiah 1:10

This covenant of hatred is made even more clear in Genesis, where the agreement that whoever sins will be destroyed is first made known to God’s creation:

“But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” – Genesis 2:17

God’s Love Comes First

If God hated Esau and destroyed him because of his sin, what about you and me? We’ve done the same, we’ve sinned, we’ve rebelled against God just like Esau. Does that mean God hates us too?

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Because God loves everyone so much, Jesus took on all of his Father’s hatred. Before he died on the cross he quotes King David, exclaiming God’s rejection and hatred of him:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? – Psalm 22:1

As said in Ezekiel, God does not delight in destroying sinners. He loves us all far too much for that. This was the purpose of Jesus: to save us from the result of our sin, which is God’s hatred and our destruction.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. – John 3:17-18

How Do We Respond?

If we are called to imitate God, and if he has hatred for people, shouldn’t we have hatred as well? Not so fast! We’ve been describing hatred as a contract, an agreement to someone to be destroyed for rebelling against God. But Jesus took on that hatred so that we wouldn’t be condemned. So what are we supposed to do?

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. – Proverbs 8:13

That’s fine, that’s hating what the person is doing, right?

Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. – Psalm 139:21-22

Oh dear! Now what? Are we really supposed to hate people who hate God? Even though Jesus literally says the following?

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” – Matthew 5:44

Remember, this hatred is not the emotion that brings about vengeance, grudges, or murder, for the Old Testament makes it clear:

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. – Leviticus 19:18

This hatred is a moral repugnance of what’s going on inside someone who hates God. This Psalmist is exemplifying the very beginning of Psalms itself:

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. – Psalm 1:1

The enemies of God are certainly not our friends! The Psalmist in chapter 139 is calling them out clearly, because we should not forget what’s going on, and how we are not to walk in the steps of the enemies of God. Jesus wants us to love them, but remember that they are not our brothers and sisters. Because if they were, then we are absolutely not to have any of this hatred for them, just like how God doesn’t hate his own people:

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. – 1 John 2:9

Is There Hope For God’s Enemies?

Is there hope? Yes. One day you will die, and if you die an enemy of God, you will not have eternal life. But while you are living, God will still work in your life to draw you back, but that has to be your decision. Still not sure? Reread Obadiah again, and pay attention to the signs that come to the enemies of God:

God will humble you

See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. – Obadiah 1:2

You will lose what you love

But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! – Obadiah 1:6

Your friends will turn their backs on you

All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it. – Obadiah 1:7

Nothing will make sense anymore

“In that day,” declares the Lord, “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?” – Obadiah 1:8

And if you still won’t turn back to God…

Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau. – Obadiah 1:18

So turn to God now, profess that he is Lord and believe that Jesus died for your sins, and you will be saved! God’s hatred is powerful, and is a result of rebelling against the free gift that Jesus offers us. God wants to give us salvation from a life of sin, and forgiveness for going against him. He doesn’t want to have a covenant of hatred with us, but a covenant of love. But he won’t wait forever, so now is the time!

I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. – 1 John 2:12

One Last Passage

See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled; that no one be immoral or irreligious like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. – Hebrews 12:15-17

How God Responds to Pain

Pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion are words we use to describe different degrees of emotion we can experience when being around pain in others. They’re all very different emotions, and God has them too, but in a far more interesting way.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. – Psalm 103:13

This infographic was created for a blog post explaining these four emotions, and how each one escalates the amount of engagement. While we experience them at different times, God is able to exhibit all of these at all times. He simultaneously acknowledges, cares about, has experienced, and works to ease our suffering. Let’s jump right in and see this is action.

Moses

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” – Exodus 3:7-8

God has seen their pain, heard their pain, and is fully aware. This is pity, but the unique nature of God is increasingly showing us that he doesn’t experience only pity, but simultaneously escalates his engagement with our suffering, as it says here when describing God’s pity:

For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. – Psalm 72:12-14

It’s not enough that he has pity: by his nature he must care, he must have experienced what we feel, and he must do something about it. Continuing from the passage in Exodus, we see that “I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians.” God immediately is going to do something about Israel’s suffering, which is compassion, his final engagement level. But wait, didn’t we skip something? We saw how God shows pity, which by his nature described in Psalm must be followed by sympathy and compassion, for “precious is their blood in his sight,” and “from oppression and violence he redeems their life,” respectively. So what about empathy? The one in between sympathy and compassion? Does God feel all of our pain? Did God feel Israel’s same suffering at any point, allowing him to have empathy? When did God ever experience, as Exodus describes Israel’s plight, oppression and suffering?

He was oppressed and afflicted – Isaiah 53:7

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering – Isaiah 53:4

This happened to Jesus, who is God. Even though to us Jesus suffered after Israel’s enslavement, to God and Isaiah, it was already done for the one who lives outside of time:

“For thus said the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy,” – Isaiah 57:15

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” – 2 Peter 3:8

God, at all points in time, had pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion on Israel. He heard their cries, was concerned for them, had experienced full well what they were going through, and had a plan to help bring them out. This is God’s perfect response to people’s pain. And if God does something, you can be sure he’ll do it again. Let’s look at another Old Testament passage next.

Elijah

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die.
“I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”
So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. – 1 Kings 19:1-8

When Elijah prays, it wasn’t enough that God heard him and took his time answering the prayer. An Angel was already there. God heard Elijah with his pity, cared about his problem with his sympathy, has experienced being on the run with his empathy, and fed the prophet with his compassion. But how has God experienced people trying to kill him? How can God empathize with Elijah?

And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. – Mark 11:18

This is right after Jesus comes to the temple and overturns tables, saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” The priests want him dead, just like how Jezebel wanted Elijah dead for the same reason of driving out blasphemy. So God has certainly gone through what Elijah was experiencing.

Why Does This Matter

So what if God shows pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion all simultaneously and perfectly in response to our pain? So what? Well, we are called so many times to be like Jesus that the more we understand his nature, the more we can be more like him.

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. – 1 John 2:6

But how can we exhibit the emotions we’ve gone over like God? How can we simultaneously have perfect balance of pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion? We can’t without listening, we can’t without caring, we can’t without suffering, and we can’t while we give into omission. Sin stops this from happening, but God gives us guidance on where to begin, and that’s where this post will end:

Pity

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. – James 1:19

Sympathy

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. – Romans 12:15

Empathy

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. – Hebrews 13:3

Compassion

Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without complaining. – 1 Peter 4:8-9

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. – Proverbs 14:31

The Impartiality of God

Today we turn to how God doesn’t treat his people different from others. This message is simple, but will illustrate how God loves everyone and has his eyes on all nations, wanting everyone to be saved. We’ll use the Jews in the old testament as an example of this, among other powerful scripture. This small topic is important to understand because we know that God punished Israel on many occasions, and also punished other sinful nations. But God also blessed Israel and delivered them from great difficulties. Because God is impartial, that means he also saves nations other than Israel, and delivers them from their difficulties as well. With this, we can better understand God’s love for everyone, and more about what Jesus really meant with this verse:

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. – Matthew 5:45

The Jews weren’t the only ones

To think that God only cared about the Jews in the old testament is a common belief today, but it simply isn’t true.

“Are not you Israelites the same to me as the Cushites?” declares the Lord. “Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?” – Amos 9:7

This is the end all, be all to the fact that God was working in the lives of everyone, not just Israel. Cush, Philistia, and other nations were often the enemies of Israel and full of evil, why would God care about delivering them from their own enemies? Because God isn’t just the God of Israel, but the God of SAVING. He loves to save, no matter who it is. But there’s more in case it’s still not clear.

Anyone can make a covenant with God

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. – Hebrews 11:31

Rahab was not a Jew and was a prostitute! But still because she had faith God didn’t care who she was. He would have waited for anyone in Jericho, because his eyes weren’t just on Joshua. But what about those who didn’t make deals with Israel?

God is at work in all nations

A time is coming when the Lord Almighty will receive offerings from this land divided by rivers, this strong and powerful nation, this tall and smooth-skinned people, who are feared all over the world. They will come to Mount Zion, where the Lord Almighty is worshiped. – Isaiah 18:7

This verse is concerning Ethiopia, a nation not connected to Israel through deals or lineage. God didn’t just look at the Jews, he saw everyone. And we see this prophecy about Ethiopia coming to worship God fulfilled in the new testament:

And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. – Acts 8:27-28

Israel was God’s chosen people, but that didn’t mean they were the only ones he cared about. What were they chosen for, anyway? They were chosen to be the nation that the messiah would be born from:

The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land.” – Jeremiah 23:5

Israel was NOT chosen to be the only ones given deliverance from their enemies, or the only ones allowed salvation.

God really doesn’t care who you are, he has his eyes on you and has plans for you. No matter who you are, there will be times of deliverance and times of pain. God saved the Philistines from their enemies, Israel from their captors, Ethiopia from defeat, and he wants to save you too. His promise is not an easy life, but salvation. And his promise has always been for everyone, because not only can God deliver any nation, whether they’re righteous or unrighteous, but Christians are all the same to him as well:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:28

Finally, let’s return to the original verse we looked at, and expand on it. With this understanding of God’s love for everyone and not just Israel, we know that deliverance is for all nations, and in the old testament God was looking closely at everything going on.

“He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – Matthew 5:45-48

God is not like the tax collectors, he loves even those who don’t love him. He greeted those who weren’t Jews, unlike the pagans. God sees everyone and is ready to save because he is impartial and perfect.