The zeal of the Lord is God’s divine jealousy with which He operates to protect and restore His people: “For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” Isaiah 37:32 (see also 2 Kings 19:31; Zechariah 1:14; 8:2). This zeal is the foundation for God’s demand for exclusive loyalty, as expressed in the Ten Commandments. God prohibits His worshippers from bowing down to any other gods (Exodus 20:3–5; see also Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 5:9). He alone is our God. In His jealous zeal for us, God cannot conceive of His beloved children offering their affection or allegiance to any other: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” Deuteronomy 4:24 (see also Joshua 24:19). The zeal of the Lord seeks a response of faithfulness and obedience from His people. It does not accept disloyalty. When Israel turned from Yahweh to serve foreign gods, the Lord became jealous for His ...
(our spiritual and mental hygiene) This article is part of the "Vitalize" pack Our salvation and our adoption has been prepared in advance (Eph 1:4-6) by His love, but our lives continue to go on in this disordered, ungodly world. The Lord Jesus and his apostles take great care to maintain the hygiene of our lives. They never confuse salvation with sanctification . 2Cor 7:1 Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification in the fear of God. Let's start with the well-known scene: Remember that Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples. During supper,... Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands,... rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel...
David Guzik – enduringword.com ..let's talk about the man after God's own heart, reading from 1 Samuel chapter 13 verses 13 and 14. “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said {to king Saul}. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” NIV King Saul sinned foolishly before the Lord. He failed to keep God's commandment and Saul made excuses instead of getting right with God. It wasn't only that Saul sinned, the sin came from a heart far from God. Therefore God promised to take the kingdom away from Saul and his family. Through the prophet Samuel, God told Saul, 'but now your kingdom shall not continue'. From these words, we might expect Saul to be removed as king right at that m...