Route 66: 20 Against All Adversity

*Note to my readers: It seemed like an easy task, Sixty-six posts in 52 weeks! But alas, I have only posted 19 in 10 months. Now I am looking at just under two months to post 47 more. Please feel free to nag me with email.

Nehemiah had received bad news from "back home" in Jerusalem. The city was in bad shape. Even though he had a good job with the government, he saw a need to get personally involved in making things right. But first, he prayed to God.

This was a good idea, of course, even if you are not in a position to seek aid from earthly powers. Nehemiah knew that if he tried to do things in his own strength, his relationship with the king was no guarantee. After prayer, though, the next opportunity to meet the boss landed a "promotion" from advisor to governor!

However, once back home in the then Persian province of Judah, Nehemiah faced opposition even among his own people. Certain rich folk, party bosses as it were, had a "good thing" going. But God was on Nehemiah's side and the wall got built. After that, his duties were done and he turned the project over to Ezra, the priest.

With a wall, the new temple was safe. Proper worship was now resumed. In time it would degenerate into a man-made religion that only God could correct by stepping into history in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus would follow the example of God's man of the hour, Governor Nehemiah; for He would bring the challenge before the throne of God. Any earthly obstacle does not stand a chance.

Route 66-17 Theater of Trouble

Before returning to the depressing path of Israel's history, I thought I'd step into the theater and catch a drama God shared with his people some time ago. It is a true story, but told in a way that maximizes the drama.

Set in the days of the patriarchs, maybe even as far back as Abraham, the reader is shown the behind the scenes planning of the tragic tale of trouble coming upon a good man by the name of Job. He had it so good, that his life seemed charmed. But, with God's permission, an adversary orchestrates a reign of terror on this one family. But the patriarch Job made it through two rounds of devastation.

And so, the darkness in the theater just seems to get darker. The audience scratches its collective head, wondering why they came. Why live the good life if nothing good comes of it?  But we sit there awaiting the intermission. As Job sits on the ground in misery, his wife will have nothing of it. Where is the man to turn now?

As Act II begins, we find three friends willing to sit quietly and mourn with our hero. But then they begin to speak.  We know that what they say makes sense, but that it doesn't apply to Job. Job complains that they don't know what they are talking about. We want to shout at the friends, but we respect the venue. Finally, a young man enters from the wings with a lot of good advice to the well meaning friends. It seems that perhaps even Job is confused.

The concluding act finds Job "face to face" with God Himself! The interrogation begins and Job begins to "get it".  Mankind has messed up everything in touches. The system works in spite of them as God works behind the scenes. Though in the "image of God", mankind cannot hope to become a family of gods. Instead, we grow strong against the odds, made stronger because we know that God has our best interests in mind.

As I walk back into the sunlit street of history, I have new insight into what is going on. The story of the rise and fall of the twin kingdoms now has meaning. I can walk those streets, kicking a can down the road.  God knows what is at the end of that road.

Route 66:16 That Empty Feeling

Solomon had a long life, and he was from a good family. On top of that, he was the richest and most powerful person in the country. But when he stopped to think about it, none of that mattered.

After a good start, he started to do things like a politician. The easiest way to remain at peace with neighbors was to work closely with them. And in those days alliances could be best achieved by joining the family. More wives meant political stability.

But Solomon found that happiness does not come with power, but with submission to God. Life is too short to spend it without God. In the end, life is to be lived to the fullest by thinking about What God would have us do.

It is surprising how much better things go when joy replaces worry.

Route 66-12 A Twice Told Tale

The story never grows old, especially when the crown has faithful historians. We return from the choir loft to the theater, to sea the story of the great king once again unfold in 1 Chronicles. We know the history is faithfully rendered, for hundreds of names are given as testimony to its truth.

When finally we return to David, we see a warrior whose only flaw seems to be pride. He puts the fate of his people in God's hands, losing a tithe for his arrogance. The chroniclers see the work of Satan as God's servant where the prophets saw only God.

David spends a fortune to get the materials to build the temple. Appointing the worship leaders, he turns the plans over to Solomon with his blessing.

Rt. 66-3 The Perfect Gift

Did you ever sit in on a planning meeting? Moses listened closely as the LORD told him exactly how He was to be worshipped. For the most part, there were no surprises.  Abraham has understood burnt offering, as had his sons after him.

In Egypt the people had forgotten much of their heritage, so God instructed Moses personally on everything from doves to divorce. Sacrifice inside the tent would affect how someone would behave between the festivals and Sabbaths.

What are we to make of all the arcane laws and regulations? What do we care of burnt bread and the smell of carcasses being roasted on an open fire?

On the other hand there are practical ways to show that you are taking God seriously. These are more related to the 10 commandments. What good are worship sevices when you live like the world?

Who would have thought that the Creator of all things might just know how it all works? Step back and try to see things from the outside. Yes, God's ways are far better than anything we can imagine.

Route 66: Mile 0.

To begin any journey, one must have a goal in sight. In this journey, our guide is the Chief Engineer, so to speak, the Creator not just the road, but the land and lands over which it passes.

We learn from the apostles of Jesus, commissioned to get the Word out, that the goal is remarkable, even out of this world. We're not talking about just going to be with the Lord, but of Him coming to be with us!!

The early chapters of Genesis, being so full of the majesty and power of God, are largely disregarded by mankind today. Relegated to "myth" chapters 1 through 11 lay down the heritage into which the man Abram stepped some four thousand years ago. This period was not "prehistory" to him. Since Moses preserved the records under God's guidance, I see no reason not to study these chapters with that same guidance. In fact, Jesus's half brother James tells us:

1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all menliberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

And so, my bags are packed, and my travel guide is open, let's see what is at our first stop.

Truth - Part 5

0571 tma ‘emeth eh’- meth

Firmness, faithfulness, truth.

Contracted from

0539 Nma ‘aman aw-man’

To support, to confirm, to be faithful

To be established, to make firm

To stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in.

An unnamed psalmist presents a prayer for revival among the “sons of Korah,” song leaders in the tabernacle or temple of God. The people of God had strayed from the path which the Law laid down for them, but the psalmist trusts in God's promises, knowing that if they do what God has commanded God will certainly bless them. In the latter part of psalm 85 he writes:

8 ¶ I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

God's people are called “saints,” or a people set apart to holiness. Though called to follow the true God, they were in need of deliverance. Mercy (chesed) is found up alongside truth once again. God is faithful, and his Word is the strong foundation upon which His promises lay. As a consequence, that which the Law requires and reconciliation with God are mated as well. When God's people ground themselves in God's Word, they will find that God has been there all along, waiting to bless those who will turn back to Him.

In Psalm 86, David prays to God for deliverance as was his daily practice. Realizing that as a mortal human being that he was only able to come to God because God allow him to do so, he prays that others might also be allowed around the throne:

8 ¶ Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

The way of God is the truth, and all other paths lead to false gods. However, as earthly leader of God's chosen people, David prays that Gentiles will look upon what Yahweh has done for Israel and come to a true relationship with God. God can be depended upon to be faithful to His promises even to those who are not “Jewish.” David recognizes God has saved him, and prays that God's attributes will be displayed to all who see his work in His people.

Ethan the Ezrahite writes what is considered to be a Messianic psalm, describing the ideal son of David. Throughout the psalm he extols the person and work of Yahweh as being the foundation of all hope. Selected verses of Psalm 89:

1 ¶ Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?

13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

Though this psalm is reach in content and application, these verses should suffice to show the connection of the truth to God's work among mankind – and especially among the people He calls his own. The word translated “faithfulness” is a form of the word “amen” (the verb form from which “emeth” [truth] is derived). The word “mercies” is the word “chesed” which we have seen refers to God' faithfulness to his covenant. This psalm clearly illustrates that connection.

In Psalm 91, the psalmist presents God as the protector of His people in a very personal way. Using the picture of a mother bird who protects her young from the disaster of traps set by hunters, the famous “fortress” metaphor is utilized superbly:

1 ¶ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

When we trust Yahweh, we need fear no danger, for our God will protect us. This protection is as sure as is His existence!

Truth - a word study

It looks like this is the best place to put this study.  I hope the link from Facebook is more friendly than what I was getting with my first attempts with Google Drive.

0571 tma  ‘emeth eh’-meth

Firmness, faithfulness, truth.

Contracted from

0539  Nma  ‘aman  aw-man’

To support, to confirm, to be faithful

To be established, to make firm

To stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in.

"Emeth" is the noun form of the verb "Amen." The verb "Amen" holds the idea of being established and firm, and thus trustworthy. It is primarily translated "believe."  First, the use of "Emeth" will be explored. What is said to be "true" or "the truth" in the Old Testament?

The first appearance of the word is found in Genesis 24 where Abraham's servant Eliezer used the word in praise to Yahweh for his mercy and truth. The word "mercy" is "chesed" - Yahweh's covenant faithfulness. He goes on to use the word (translated "right" in KJV) to describe the path he took to find Rebekah. He expresses a hope that Bethuel will be faithful and true (again chesed and emeth!) to his expectations.

Eliezer ("God is my helper") had faith in God, but he was wary of putting that faith in a man. However, he laid the responsibility on Rebekah's family as to whether to follow what he knew was God's will. He had put God to the test, received the requested sign, but would not go further until without the testimony of the lawful family blessings. Both God and his foundational principles are true. They will not contradict one another.

Isaac's grandson Joseph would put his half-brothers to the test, requiring one Benjamin, his full brother, to be brought to him. He was requiring of them "proof" of their story. He knew the truth, but he wanted to know if his brothers could be trusted. They passed the test (Genesis 42:16).  Their father Jacob (Israel) would rely again on the covenant faithfulness (deal faithfully [chesed] and truly [emeth]) of his children. Again, he believed in the foundational truth of family.

When it came time to appoint men to be leaders in the new nation of Israel, Moses asked for "men of truth" who hated covetousness (Ex. 18:21) .  This meant that only men of integrity -- faithful and honest -- were to be chosen for the first representative government established by God (separate and before the priesthood). Decisions made by unfaithful men will lead to disaster. Likewise, decisions made without regard to solid foundational truths will fail.

So what is Truth? Well, Yahweh declares Himself to be that firm foundation upon which His people can depend.

Exodus 34:

6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 

7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

In other words, Yahweh is "compassionate, gracious, patient, great, loyal [chesed, mercy] and dependable [emeth, truth]." Based on this, He promises that he will display His faithfulness to his covenant [His "mercy"] through the forgiveness of depravity, rebellion, and general inability of the multitudes of people that he chooses. However, the consequences of our own sinful actions will be seen for a long time.

So, what does it mean that God is Truth? The list in verse 6 gives 
God's own testimony to His essential character (His "name," v. 5):

(1) Yahweh El - the One Who is Powerful (Able)

In this, Yahweh essentially declares Himself to be the Only God that exists. There are other "gods" (powerful entities), but they are worthless in terms of acting on their own. Yahweh is the only sovereign. Therefore, He is totally dependable and worthy of complete trust.

(2) Merciful, or Compassionate

God cares about his creation, and especially about his chosen people. Though so powerful as to both create and control everything, God loves the cosmos that has fallen away from its original goodness (Genesis 2). This is related by the apostle John in the NT as "God is Love," and "God so loved the world."

(3) Gracious 

Early on God shows his favor to a fallen world in calling Noah to be the first savior (Genesis 6:9). This favor is not based on merit, though the character of those favored is often a factor (in hindsight?).

(4) Longsuffering; that is, slow to anger, or patient

Mankind is, by nature, hard to get along with. That is to say, we are basically rebellious. The main problem is that we don't trust God at His Word. We want to do things our way. And so, we twist things to meet our own way of thinking (iniquity, perversion) while at the same time claiming to do what God wants us to do (sin, trying but not getting it right).  Consequently, we deserve God's wrath -- which will come in His own time. Meanwhile, He gives us time to repent.

(5) Great in Goodness and Truth.

Here again, as with the first mention of Truth, God's covenant faithfulness (chesed, goodness) is linked with truth. Elieazer knew this truth in Abraham's day. We can assume that Abraham did as well, for he had faithfully followed God without question. Though answerable to no man, the Creator can swear by Himself as to the certainty of his Word. We can know without a doubt that He will work all things together to bring about what is good (Rom. 8:28).

In short, we can depend on God to be faithful to His promises because His very nature is that of the unmovable, and unchangeable  foundation upon which all of creation exists.

When it comes to mankind, though, truth is not so easy. It takes at least two - with three being better - independent witnesses to establish something to be true. Our basic nature is to rebel, so our word may not be trusted if we perceive that we might reveal our own sin. This standard is first declared to be needed in cases of reported idolatry -- trusting other "gods" which cannot save nor even help one to be good. (Deut. 17:1-6)

The other use of "emeth" in the Law is in the case of proof of unfaithfulness in the case of sexual purity. With no witnesses, a man might suspect his new wife of having lying about her purity. In essence  this was a questioning of the woman's faithfulness to her family as a virgin daughter. As in Genesis 24, the family structure is foundational. To be unfaithful to that structure is to fly in the face of God's faithfulness to His promises. In this case (Deut. 22), if the woman is proved a liar, then her unfaithfulness is worthy of death. God takes the truth seriously.

And so, in the Law we see that the Truth is foundational to the nature of God Himself. In addition, the institutions of the family and human government are based on their being God's means to a peaceful life with God and with each other. Truth is seen in that which is unshakable, or in that which should be so. God's Word -- especially His promises and commandments -- are absolutely unshakable. The institutions that He has set up -- family and human government -- are only as sound as the people that abide in them. But, by their very nature these are "true."

In God's Law -- the Ten Commandments -- we find the Truth succinctly laid out: 

(1) Yahweh is the only God, and as such the only savior of mankind. In this, we see that we can trust only Him.

(2) All other 'gods' are worthless, being imaginations of our minds and thus not worth our trust.

(3) When establishing our own trustworthiness, we must always speak what is true about God. We cannot take His name (character) as something that is worthless! 

(4) Since God is the Creator, we must trust Him to provide for us even when we are doing nothing to provide for ourselves. He set aside a day in seven that we can sit back and trust Him completely!

(5) The "bridge" between our relationship to God and to mankind is our parents (and by extension other human authority). The fifth commandment establishes that our acceptance of this foundation is essential to our well being.

(6) Consequently, all human life is sacred. Murder, the taking of innocent human life, shows that we do not trust God's authority over life. God gives life, and it is only He who can take it (by means that He deems right).

(7) Family fidelity begins with sexual purity. Sexual relationships outside of commitment to family (producing children) breaks a trust in God's foundational institution.

(8) Theft displays a distrust in God to provide and breaks the trust required for peaceful existence before God and man.

(9) Lying (false testimony) is the antithesis of the truth. It is disrespectful of God and all other authorities.

(10) Covetousness is a basic dissatisfaction with what God has provided. In desiring what others have, we display a lack of trust in God. This is why leaders are to be "men of truth" who hate covetousness are to be chosen (or appointed) as leaders in human government. Their faith should not be in themselves but in God and his institutions - family and Law.

So, the "Undeniable Truths" to bear in mind:

(1) God exists, upholds all things, and cares about what happens.

(2) God established the family as the foundational institution to fulfill his covenant with mankind (to save us from ourselves)

(3) God raises up human government to keep us safe and uphold his laws.

Corollaries to these truths:

(1) God has spoken.

(2) Mankind is by nature rebellious, and does not trust God.

(3) Trusting in ourselves leads to bad things.

(4) Trusting in God's Word (both Written and Incarnate) leads to good things.

Therefore, trust God!

In the next post, I will trace "Truth" in the chosen leaders of God's people from Joshua through the kings and prophets set in place among them. 

A young servant of God

Young Timothy Scott Seiter has ventured out to understand life through studying the Bible! This is daunting task for one so young. Timothy S. Seiter was born just 10 days before my son, Timothy S. Martin. He has produced a website called "Understand Life" that includes the whole Bible in hypertext with the opportunity for the registered reader to offer interpretations along the way.



My best wishes go out to Scott in his efforts. Here is his logo. Click on it or the link above to begin exploring the Bible with him.