(another picture taken by nathanbhughes)

matthew 7:7-11, "ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be open to you... which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? if you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"

The Lord is our Defender, our Strong Tower, our Refuge

I have been studying Joshua most of this school year with the help of a Precept upon Precepts study guide. It has been really good and refreshing.

Recently a friend, a student here in Madrid, shared about some hard things going on with her and her church where she feels wronged. It is a complicated situation. Anyway, it made me think of some situations I've been in where I desperately want to defend myself, but where it seems like the best thing is allow the Lord to be my defender.

This morning as I spent time with the Lord the passages that I looked up, as cross-references to Joshua 16-17, spoke to this same idea:

"When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. An dwhen you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.'" - Deuteronomy 20:1-4

"Cuando salgas a la guerra contra tus enemigos, si vieres caballos y carros, y un pueblo más grande que tú, no tengas temor de ellos, porque Jehová tu Dios está contigo, el cual te sacó de tierra de Egipto. Y cuando os acerquéis para combatir, se pondrá en pie el sacerdote y hablará al pueblo, y les dirá: Oye, Israel, vosotros os juntáis hoy en batalla contra vuestros enemigos; no desmaye vuestro corazón, no temáis, ni os azoréis, ni tampoco os desalentéis delante de ellos; porque Jehová nuestro Dios va con vosotros, para pelear por vosotros contra vuestros enemigos, para salvaros." - Deuteronomio 20:1-4

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call." - Psalm 20:7-9

"Estos confían en carros, y aquéllos en caballos; mas nosotros del nombre de Jehová nuestro Dios tendremos memoria. Ellos flaquean y caen, mas nosotros nos levantamos, y estamos en pie. Salva, Jehová; que el Rey nos oiga en el día que lo invoquemos." - Salmo 20:7-9

"A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears will endure. A wicked man puts on a bold face, but the upright gives thought to his ways. No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord." - Proverbs 21:28-31

"El testigo mentiroso perecerá; mas el hombre que oye, permanecerá en su dicho. El hombre impío endurece su rostro; mas el recto ordena sus caminos. No hay sabiduría ni inteligencia, ni consejo contra Jehová. El caballo se alista para el día de la batalla, mas Jehová es el que da la victoria." - Proverbios 21:28-31

"Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes." - Psalm 60:11-12

"Danos socorro contra el enemigo; porque vana es la ayuda de los hombres. En Dios haremos proezas, y él hollará a nuestros enemigos." - Salmo 60:11-12

"He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God..." - Psalm 78:5-11

"El estableció testimonio en Jacob, y puso ley en Israel, la cual mandó a nuestros padres que la notificasen a sus hijos; para que lo sepa la generación venidera, y los hijos que nacerán; y los que se levantarán lo cuentan a sus hijos, a fin de que pongan en Dios su confianza, y no se olviden de las obras de Dios; que guarden sus mandamientos. Y no sean como sus padres, generación contumaz y rebelde; generación que no dispuso su corazón, ni fue fiel para con Dios su espíritu..." - Salmo 78:5-11

"Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered." - Psalm 105:5

"Acordaos de las maravillas que él ha hecho, de sus prodigios y de los juicios de su boca." - Salmo 105:5

Two disclaimers:

(1) These passages talk an awful lot about battle and war. I am by no means condoning "holy wars." What happens in my heart when I realize that the Lord is my defender and avenger, the one who fights my battle, is that I no longer take that role as my own. I become much more compassionate because the Lord's wrath is much more just and much more intense than my own. Some how I let go instead of trying to go to war. If you read the book I referenced it really puts it all into perspective and actually takes on more the tone of Philippians 2:1-11 (see below).

(2) I also don't mean to say that all the conflict and little "battles" that we have makes it between us and our "enemies." Ephesians 6:10-12 puts this into perspective, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places..."

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Interesting enough, the reason the study had me look up these passages is that in Joshua 17:14-18, the sons of Joseph see their opposition and are dismayed. The argue with Joshua and tell him that he must give them some other land because the people who have occupied their land are too big and too powerful. After reading the previous chapters of Joshua, there is a huge contrast between these people and Caleb, who by this time is old, but who trusts the Lord to deliver the land to him.

Also, as a side note, a GREAT book that I recommended to her is "The Tale of Three Kings" by Gene Edwards. It talks of David and his relationship with Saul and his son Absalom, and particularly how he trusted in the Lord to fight his battles instead of taking things into his own hands and killing these kings.

One more little note, I put the Spanish above because somehow I like how these verses read better in the Spanish than in the English.

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:1-11

El Poder de Dios

Here's some thoughts for the day (again thanks to some friendly Ágape e-mails)...

We need God. We need his power. We need Jesus for eternal life. We need the Holy Spirit for our internal (and external) life.

NECESITAMOS EL PODER DE DIOS (Necesitamos a Jesucristo para nuestra vida eterna, y el espíritu Santo de Dios para nuestra vida interna.)

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." - John 14:16,17


"Y yo rogaré al Padre, y os dará otro Consolador, para que esté con vosotros para siempre: el Espíritu de verdad". - Juan 14:16,17

"...but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" - Romans 8:13-14


"Mas si por el Espíritu hacéis morir las obras de la carne, viviréis. Porque todos los que son guiados por el Espíritu de Dios, éstos son hijos de Dios. Pues no habéis recibido el espíritu de esclavitud para estar otra vez en temor, sino que habéis recibido el espíritu de adopción, por el cual clamamos: !!Abba, Padre!" - Romanos 8:13-14

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ, always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere." - 2 Corinthians 2:14

"Mas a Dios gracias, el cual nos lleva siempre en triunfo en Cristo Jesús, y por medio de nosotros manifiesta en todo lugar el olor de su conocimiento." - 2ª Corintios 2:14

Delight

The Lord's been reminding me quite a bit about the fact that he DELIGHTS in me and that he loves me immensely. This morning I decided to look up "delight" in the concordance and these are some of my findings (sorry it's a little long):

Genesis 3:6
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[1] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.[1]Or to give insight

Deuteronomy 30:9
The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,

1 Samuel 15:22
And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

2 Samuel 22:20
He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

2 Chronicles 9:8
Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”

Nehemiah 9:25
And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.

Esther 6:6, 7, 9, 11
So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?”

And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor,

And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’”

So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

Psalm 1:2
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 5:4
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.

Psalm 18:19
He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:11
But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Psalm 40:8
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

Psalm 44:3
for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.

Psalm 51:6, 16
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart... For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

Psalm 119:35, 47, 77, 92, 174
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it... for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love... Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight... If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction... I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight.

Psalm 147:10
His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

Proverbs 3:12
...for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 5:19
...a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.

Ecclesiastes 12:10
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

Song of Solomon 2:3
[She] As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Song of Solomon 7:6
How beautiful and pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights!

Isaiah 1:11 (Show me Isaiah 1)
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

Isaiah 11:3
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

Isaiah 42:1
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Isaiah 55:2
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Isaiah 62:4
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.

Isaiah 65:12
I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.”

Jeremiah 9:24
...but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.

Micah 7:18
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.

Malachi 3:1, 12
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

Romans 7:22
For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being
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A few observations (from the verses above but also from the exhaustive list): the word "delight" is used in friendship (such as that between David and Jonathan), between lovers, about one with whom the Lord is pleased, about God's joy, His love, one being happy. Interestingly the word "delight" in the ESV is hardly used at all in the New Testament. I didn't have time to look it up in the Hebrew & Greek, but I'm sure that would provide more insight.

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary, the word we translate into delight is the same root word from which we get "hedonism."

Here is what they say (in Vine's):

Pleasure - NOUN - hepes, 2656 - "pleasure; delight; desire; request; affair; thing"

With respect to "pleasure" or "delight" the example they give is 1 Sam 15:22 - "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?" Based on some of the verses in my little search, it can be applied to food, love between a man and woman (such as in Song of Songs),...

Hepes can mean not simply what one takes pleasure in or what gives someone delight but one's wish or desire: "Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow." "To do one's desire" is to grant a request (1 Kings 5:8). "Stones of desire" are precious stones (Is 54:12).

VERB - "to take pleasure in, take care of, desire, delight in, have delight in."

ADJ - "delighting in, having pleasure in" - Psalm 35:27 - "Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant."