What must I do to be saved?

    Thomas Watson wrote: “Prayer delights God’s ear, it melts His heart, it opens His hand: God cannot deny a praying soul.”

    The word “pray” or “praying” are used 43 times in the gospel accounts. And that’s just one word among many synonyms for the act of praying in the NT. No one has understood the power of prayer or relied on the power of prayer more than Jesus Christ did. That’s why we are going to look at a dozen of the prayers of Jesus in 2023… We begin at His baptism….

THE SETTING:

    I believe this is the first reference to Jesus’ prayer life. In some prayers, His words are recorded. His words are not recorded in this prayer. We can only make an educated guess as to what Jesus prayed for as He was coming out of the waters of baptism.

    It likely centered around the strength that God the Father provides. He likely prayed for guidance. He probably prayed to be the Messiah and the Messenger that the Father needed Him to be – to be faithful to the task that He was about to begin. Since He is led into the wilderness to be tempted right after He was baptized, He probably asked for strength to stay faithful to God throughout the temptations.

LET’S PRAY ABOUT OUR SPIRITS:

    We need to pray for our spirits, that we will be so solid in the truth of God’s word, that we can identify any and all lies from the deceiver, cast those thoughts aside, and focus intently on the Word of God and it alone.

    In other words, we need to pray for our spiritual walk. Whether you are male or female, you want to be a strong man or a strong woman for God. Pray about it.

    Pray for patience. Pray for love. Pray for peace. Pray for all the fruit of the Spirit. Pray that you will understand what God wants us to do in each situation and then follow through with action, keeping God’s revealed will foremost in your mind.

    We need to keep our hearts focused on pleasing God first and foremost – As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:9, we need to “have as our ambition to be pleasing to God.” When we do that, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:7).

    When we meditate on God’s word and then pray for help, we are inviting God to exercise His power in our lives. Prayer will help us be better able to hear God’s voice through His word and to respond to His instructions.

    Paul gives us a principle, in the context of giving, in 2 Corinthians 9:6, that also applies to prayer. Listen to his words: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” If we sow prayer sparingly, we are going to reap sparingly. But if we sow prayer bountifully, then we will reap bountifully.

    We don’t have to concern ourselves either about how God is going to answer our prayers. That’s His responsibility! We just have to pray. Let God do the answering when and how He knows is best. 

Paul Holland

The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (16^th) has brought attention to the whole “emeritus” position seldom held in the Catholic church.  The dictionary defines the word “Emeritus” as, “retired but retaining an honorary title corresponding to that held immediately before retirement.”

From a strictly scriptural standpoint (an often neglected but important view) there is no mention of a position or title of a “Pope” in the New Testament Church, therefore there could be no “Emeritus Pope.” “God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers” (1 Co. 12:28a). But no Popes.

Nor could any Pope be the head of the church, for Christ is “the head of the body, the church,” so that “He “will have first place in everything” (Co. 1:18). And, “To Him be glory in the church,” we are told “to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:21). Since Christ has not “retired,” He alone remains the head of the Church. “in heaven and on earth” (Mt. 28:18). Nor do we read of any “emeritus” apostles or prophets.  Let us remain true to the teachings of the scriptures concerning the church, and not the invented traditions of men.

-Dennis Doughty

    When I was in kindergarten, living in Montgomery, AL, I caught a frog. I played with it in my Little Peoples airplane. I kept it in a shoebox. I was going to take it to Bible class and show my Bible class teacher – but it used the bathroom in my shoebox and I was disgusted with it and let it go.

    Frogs are not my favorite animal. When we are at the zoo, I happily pass by the displays of frogs – even if they are the poison dart frog variety. I could not imagine having frogs all over my house. I had a friend – my 4-H advisor in junior high school – who was in college at the University of Georgia and his roommate had a snake. One morning he woke up with the snake curled on the pillow beside his head. I’m not a fan of that…

Ribbit! Croak! Peep! – 8:2-4:

    God warned Pharaoh: Exod. 8:2–4. Pharaoh refused, although his response is not recorded.

    Moses used the same word that God used on the fifth day of creation: “Let the water teem with living creatures” (Gen. 1:20). This is exactly what happened in Egypt. Frogs are not particularly dangerous, but they can be a nuisance. Some of the frogs ended up in the “ovens and kneading troughs” (Exod. 8:3). This plague hit Pharaoh as well. Even the Pharaoh himself was not immune to the frogs!

The Frog-Goddess

    The Egyptian goddess Heqet was pictured with a frog’s head. She supposedly controlled  the frog population by protecting crocodiles. She also assisted women in childbirth. This suggests that there may be a connection between the second plague and Pharaoh’s sin against the Hebrew midwives: 1:15-16, 22.

    It is still dangerous to give birth: miscarriages, birth defects, even post-birth health issues. No wonder people worshipped gods of fertility (like Heqet or Baal). But Jesus is the Only True God who has the power of life and death in His hands (Rev. 1:18). 

Standing in the Need of Prayer

    Pharaoh realized the power behind the frogs was Jehovah God, the God of Israel. He ordered Moses and Aaron to return to the palace so he could ask for prayer: 8:8. This will not be the last time Pharaoh asks Moses to pray for him: 8:28; 9:28; 10:17.

    Remember the first time Pharaoh encountered Moses, he said “Who is the Lord …?… I do not know the Lord” (Exod. 5:2). Now, he is asking for the Lord’s blessings!

    However, rather than asking God to take away his sins, he asked God to take away the frogs. Pharaoh wanted relief from the punishment for his sin without being willing to repent of the sin itself!

The Power of Prayer

    What was weird in this situation was Pharaoh’s request to put the fulfillment off until the next day: Exod. 8:9–11! What was Pharaoh thinking? From Moses’ perspective, it simply gave him an opportunity to show Pharaoh that Jehovah God was in control (8:12-14). 

A Little Breathing Room

    Moses prayed, God answered, and then Pharaoh broke his promise (8:15). Pharaoh wanted an immediate relief from his troubles, but he did not want to “walk” with Jehovah God. He changed his mind, changed his behavior, and further solidified his destination!

    Prayer, alone, does not have the power to remove sin. Prayer does not put us into contact with the blood of Christ. Baptism is when sins are washed away. But Christians need to live by prayer.

Paul Holland

There are two classes of men: those who act only when circumstances force them to do something, and those who gladly volunteer to act regardless of circumstances. One says: “What do I have to do?”  The other says: “What may I do?” One is always looking for a way out of his duties. The other is always looking for opportunities to do good.

We are not left to wonder which attitude pleases God. We are taught to look for opportunities to do good (Gal.6:l0). Jesus favored the son who did his father’s will rather than the one who merely “talked” obedience (Mt.2l:28-32).

A man deserves no praise for engaging in only the barest minimum of service to God. What would you think of a father who measures the time he is to spend with his children down to the last second, and then, when their time is up, forbids them to “bother” him? Or what about a husband who refuses to give his wife one penny more than is absolutely necessary for living? Does such a man deserve commendation? Yet this attitude correctly describes many in their relationship to the Lord — they are satisfied with doing only what they have to do, AND NOT ONE THING MORE!

Jesus taught, “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Mt. 5: 41). If Jesus commanded ‘go the second mile’ as the proper response to an unjust Roman law, how much more does He expect it from us who have His perfect law?  When was the last time you went the second mile?

– by Rick Duggin

I doubt that they made New Year’s Resolutions in Biblical times. If they did here are a few that I think the great apostle Peter may have had on his list;

1. Stop trying to walk on water (Mt. 14:28).
2. Quit keeping count of how many times I forgive others (Mt. 18:21).
3. Keep Satan’s influence out of my life. (Mt. 16:23).
4. Be braver in confessing Christ among others (Mt. 26:75).
5. Stop sleeping on the job (Mk. 14:37, Lu.9:32).
6. Cease overestimating my own faith (Mk. 14:31).
7. Start thinking before I speak (Mk. 9:5).
8. Treat everyone equal, without being prejudice (Ga. 2:11).
9. Study the writings of Paul more (2 Pe. 3:16,17).
10. Keep running toward the tomb (Jn. 20:3,4).

If the apostle Peter could find so many ways to improve his life as a disciple of Christ, I am sure you and I can as well. So, skip the resolutions about diet and exercise, and start listing the ways you can improve your life as a Christian.

-Dennis Doughty

Deception by Nuance
Satan is a Deceiver

    Why is it so important to discern Satan’s nuances? Because God is truth. Jesus is truth. And we can’t honor Them if we do not honor truth and, in fact, if we do not hate lies, specifically in Christ’s name! 

    “From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.” – Psalm 119:104. 

    “I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.” – Psalm 119:128.

    “I hate and despise falsehood, But I love Your law.” – Psalm 119:163. 

    “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.” – Proverbs 12:22; how much more of an abomination is it, do you think, when people lie in Christ’s name?

    One who lies is an abomination. If we “justify” the wicked, we are also an abomination in the eyes of God: “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 17:15). 

    In our hearts, do we have the same respect for the truth of God? Do we truly hate every false way?

SATAN IS A DECEIVER:

    This is not a biblical matter but it illustrates how someone can deceive through nuance. We are all familiar with our first amendment:

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

    On January 6, 1941 early in the days of World War II, President FDR gave his state of the union address in which he proposed four fundament freedoms that people all around the world should enjoy: “freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.”

    Did you notice a change in nuance? President Roosevelt did not mention freedom of “religion;” he mentioned “freedom of worship.” There is a very big difference. I do not know if he intended to unleash such deception on the American people, but I surely believe modern politicians do. “Freedom of religion” is broader than “freedom of worship,” isn’t it? In fact, just to make things clear, our Founding Fathers wrote: “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” 

    The Secular Left in our country are fine with us worshipping any way we want; they just don’t want our religious beliefs to impact or influence our behavior in the public square. For example, Jewell is an editor. If someone approached her to edit a book they had written that promoted homosexuality, should she be required by law to edit that book? Does she have the right to exercise her religion or does she simply have the right to worship as she desires?

    That question is at the core of lawsuit before the SCOTUS right now in which the justices will decide if a web designer in Colorado has the right not to design a website for same-sex couples. 

    I’m not talking in this devotional about homosexuality – or about religious freedom for that matter. I’m talking about Satan deceiving people through nuance and changing “freedom of religion” to “freedom of worship” is such an example. 

    When Satan deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, didn’t he say some truth? When he told her, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Wasn’t there some truth in that? Yes, but it is nuanced.

    In Jeremiah 28, in the middle of the siege by the Babylonians, a prophet by the name of Hananiah spoke in the name of Jehvoah God: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ‘…I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon” (28:2-3). Everything Hananiah said in that statement is true. Well, almost. You see, Hananiah was able to deceive many Jews into believing that what he said was from Jehovah God. That part was not true. Because one part that was not true I have left out. You see, Hananiah actually said, “Within two years…” That changed everything.

Paul Holland

Ephesians 4:32 begins with “and be ye kind one to another.” The inspired Paul added to that in I Corinthians 13:4, “Love…is kind.” Paul listed “kindness” as one of the qualities a new Christian is to “put on.”

Glen Campbell had a real catchy song several years ago that suggested, “try a little kindness, then you’ll overlook the blindness, of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets.”

Our world need kindness. Kindness is the product of our love for others. Love and kindness make the world a better place to live. As Christians, we are in the world to change the world by our wholesome influence. We live with kindness radiating from our words and actions. We teach the gospel, which is God’s expression of His loving kindness to mankind.

Hatred walks our streets, is seen in e-mails and other sources of communications, bubbles out in our political arenas, and produces wars. Many follow a god of bitterness and vengeance. The world needs the loving kindness of God to be personified in Christians today.

In our day to do dealings we need kindness. People will do things that will disturb us. We can either jump on them with spurs on or reply with kindness. Which one will have the greater influence for Christ? We are here to win them to Christ, not to condemn them to the devil. Our words and actions must be seasoned with the wisdom of kindness.

Every day in the news we hear of people who are unkind to their follow man. But every day there are those who go out of their way to show love and kindness to someone who is not in a position to help himself. Christians should be the ones who are more prone to be kind; and in my experience, they are!

If your life has not been marked by kindness, try it – you’ll like it!

Joe Dale Wilson

There is a reason the mountains in which I live are called the “Rocky Mountains.” Rocks are everywhere. They protrude from the ground; they are buried in the ground. They are massive and beautiful in formation. They are solid and secure. Because of the great benefits rocks provide, it is no wonder that God is said to be our “everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4). That is not the only place the Bible speaks of God being our rock. The Bible is filled with passages which compare God to a rock to teach us great lessons.

Messages from the Rocks 

One can immediately see comparisons between rocks and God. He is solid. He is beautiful. He is everywhere. There are also other phrases connected to the word “rock” which convey great spiritual messages. One of the most graphic usages of the picture of the “Rock” is David’s song of praise for the victory God gave him. “He said, ‘The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence’” (2 Samuel 22:2-3). Often when mountain climbers are in the mountains electrical storms occur. They find refuge in the rocks. In times of battles, rocks form a refuge for protection from the enemy. God as a rock is a stronghold to protect us when we are weak or under attack.

Christ, the Rock

In I Corinthians 10:1-11, Paul teaches Christians to be faithful and not sin as the children of Israel did in the wilderness on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. During those years of wandering, God gave them water to drink from a rock (Exodus 17; Numbers 20). Paul gives a great insight into the water they received. He said, “all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ” (v. 4). Christ still give us the water of life (John 4:13-14).

The Church Built on the Rock

When Jesus asked Peter, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus made a play on the word “rock.” Peter’s name (petros) means “rock,” but it is a small rock. The word “rock” (petras) that Jesus used is feminine in form and means a huge, massive bedrock. Jesus was going to build His church on the fact that He was the anointed one of God which is a massive rock. Rocks are used as foundations for buildings and so it is appropriate that Christ is the foundation of the church (I Corinthians 3:11). This was foretold by Isaiah. “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed” (28:16).

Everyone is urged to build on the rock of Christ. Jesus expressed this message in these words. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). The promise that comes to the one who builds on this rock is: “And the rains fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (7:25).

What a promise! Whatever the storms of life that come upon the one who has built on the rock, cannot cause him to fall.

The Rock Can Be Rejected

When it came time for Moses to die, God told him what His people would do in the future. They were going to worship other gods and forsake the everlasting rock, who is God. Moses was told to write a song and teach it to the people so that when they departed, they might sing that song and be reminded of what they had done. It is called “The Song of Moses.” In this song, is the first time in the Bible that God is spoken of as “rock.” Near the beginning of the song it says, “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Later in the song, Moses foretold what would happen. “But Jeshurun (the nation of Israel) grew fat and kicked – You are grown fat, thick, and sleek – Then he forsook God who made him and scorned the Rock of this salvation” (32:15). The problem was that when Israel grew rich, they forsook God. That is true so often. When an individual gets wealthy or gets comfortable as he or she lives, they forget that it was God who blessed them. They think they no longer need God.

Moses goes on to explain the source of their problem. “You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth” (v. 18). We get so busy with life that we may not intend to leave God, but we just neglect Him. We don’t make ourselves take the time to honor our Rock.

Moses gives a third problem. The Israelites, as well as we, make other “things” our rock. It might be our wealth or our business or our family or our physical pleasures. Moses explained, “Indeed their rock is not like our Rock” (v. 31). But, when they or we make other “things” our rock, God’s judgment of condemnation comes upon us. Moses helped them see this by asking, “How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight unless their Rock had sold them and the LORD had given them up?” (v. 30). When individuals or nations neglect the Rock or find another “rock” to guide them, the true Rock gives up on them and let’s others conquer them.

The New Testament portrays the same message when Jesus is spoken of as “A stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence” (I Peter 2:8). People stumble over Christ when they do not want to obey His commands. They are offended by what He desires of them.

Our Plea

As we think about God, our everlasting Rock, and as we think about Christ the Rock upon which we build, and Christ, the rock foundation of the church, we ought to have the same plea that the psalmist expressed. “Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come; You have given command-ments to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress” (71:3). God is a rock in which we should live; not just a rock to which we seek when we are in trouble. We need to continually come to the Rock. The other psalm says, “From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (61:2). Have your burdens made you faint? Don’t fall, but let the Lord lead you to the rock that is higher than the rock of trouble you face!

Wayne Burger

    The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 15:5 that God is a God of “perseverance.” Since God is “love” (1 John 4:8), then “Love perseveres.” That’s what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:7: “love endures all things.” This verb “to endure” is used 17 times in the NT and it connotes the idea of carrying a load, bearing up under a burden that is difficult to bear. In Romans 12:12, Paul encourages Christians to “persevere in tribulation.” So “love perseveres in tribulation. 

    Jesus “endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2) so the Hebrew writer challenges Christians to “endure” so that we will not grow weary and lose heart (12:3). 

GOD – THE GOD OF PERSEVERANCE:

    Let us illustrate the nature of God from the book of Exodus…

    God persevered with Moses in his excuses: 

    Moses said: “They will not believe me” (4:1) so God showed him three miraculous signs.

    Then Moses said, “I have never been eloquent” (4:10) so God reminded Moses that God is the creator.

    Then Moses said, “Send someone else” (4:13) so God gave him Aaron to help him.

    When Moses finally appeared before Pharaoh, Pharaoh turned him down and made the slavery on Israel even harder, so the people turned against Moses (5:20-21) and Moses “turned against” God (5:22-23). Moses said, “God, you haven’t fulfilled your promise!”

    But God perseveres because God loves.

    In chapter 6, God told Moses, “Leading Israel out of Egypt is going to be hard. But I will be with you.”

    That’s when God started hitting Egypt with the ten plagues and in several of those plagues, God made a distinction between Egypt and Israel in order to strengthen Israel’s faith.

    Yet, after the tenth plague, as Israel was standing at the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army behind them, Israel complained: 14:10-12. Moses told Israel to be silent – to be patient – and wait for God to work. Which He did.

    Israel came across the Red Sea on dry land – ended up at Marah with no potable water. So they grumbled against Moses (15:24). But God persevered with them and made the water drinkable. Then God led them to an oasis with a dozen springs of water. 

    Israel then grumbled against God in the wilderness of Sin because they did not have any meat to eat (16:3). God persevered and gave them meat. Eight times the word “grumbling” is used in chapter 16 but God persevered. He also gave them manna.

    In chapter 17, Israel grumbled against Moses again because they were at Rephidim and did not have any water to drink. But God persevered and gave them water.

    God led Israel to Mount Sinai and gave Israel the Ten Commandments and several other laws and Israel agreed to be faithful to God twice in 24:3, 7 but then – and this is the major example of Israel’s sin in Exodus – in chapter 32, they built a golden calf and worshipped it. They violated the very covenant they had agreed to keep. God told Moses that He could just start over and wipe out the family of Abraham and start with a “family of Moses.” But Moses persisted and asked God to persist with Israel. Which God did.

    Why? Because God is a God of perseverance. God gave them the covenant a second time and when they repented of their sins and built the tabernacle as God had commanded. He sent His glory into that tabernacle so they would know that God’s presence was with them as they prepared to leave Mount Sinai and move toward the Promised Land (40:34-38). God is a God of perseverance. Why? Because God is a God of love. 

    Think about what Paul had to endure. Enemies plotted to kill him in: Damascus, Ephesus, Corinth, and Jerusalem. They drove him out of Antioch and Berea and tried to stone him in Iconium. They did stone him in Lystra, leaving him for dead. In Philippi, they beat him with rods and put him into stocks. They tried to mob him in Thessalonica.

    Paul was shipwrecked, hungry, bitten by a  venomous snake, and imprisoned for years without a fair trial. Finally, he was beheaded for preaching about the love of Jesus. And he gained his final victory!

    Listen to Paul’s words: “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” (2 Tim. 2:10). In that same letter, he wrote: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7-8). 

HOW CAN YOU PERSIST:

    Even if you have big dreams, focus on the small things. Your goals should be reachable and measurable.

    Know the reason behind your goals and remind yourself why you do what you do.

    You may need to rest, but don’t quit. 

    If you run into a barrier, consider the solutions. You don’t have to beat your head against a brick wall if you can go around the wall!

    Don’t be afraid to start over. 

    Love endures and perseveres. Ask God to help you persist in doing what is right. It’s what you desire from others, right?

Paul Holland

    Exodus 15 records a song which Moses teaches and sings with Israel after the salvation through the Red Sea. Chapter 14 records the historical narrative while chapter 15 is a poem based on that history. Because it is poetry, we should not understand its imagery to be literal. It is a poetic description of what happened. Let’s keep that in mind whenever we study biblical poetry. 

I WILL SING TO THE LORD – 15:1-6:

    Moses, inspired by the Holy Spirit, compiled and sang this song, along with Israel, to glorify Jehovah God. Notice that Moses is not praised in the song at all. He is not the one to praise. Jehovah God is. Verse 1 states that God “lifted up” the horse and its rider – these would refer to the chariots (14:26-29) of Pharaoh and God cast them into the sea. Remember, this is poetry, not historical prose. 

YOU OVERTHROW THOSE WHO RISE UP AGAINST YOU – 15:7-11:

    Having defeated the whole pantheon of Egyptian gods, Moses reflects on the unique (“holy”) nature of Jehovah God in verse 11: “Who is like you among the gods, Jehovah?” The implication is that no god is like Jehovah God. Moses is not stating that these gods exist. He is simply emphasizing that there is no god that compares to the True and Living God. He is holy. He is fearful. He is to be praised. He performs wonders. He extended His right hand and caused the earth to swallow them (ver. 12). Remember, this is poetry; it is not describing the events in a literal way.

GOD’S LOVINGKINDNESS – 15:12-16b:

    God led Israel through His “loving loyalty” (ver. 13), the people whom He had redeemed (see 6:6). God did what it took; He paid the price to buy (obtain) His firstborn son out of the hands of the Egyptians. It was by His strength that He led them to the “pasture of His holiness.” Moses will picture God under several different images in this poem; here He pictures God as a shepherd leading His people as sheep (see Genesis 48:15; 49:24). This pasture is a spiritual pasture, not a literal pasture. It is the pasture “of His holiness.” 

THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD’S INHERITANCE – 15:16c-18:

    God brought His people, His firstborn, and He “planted” them (as He had planted the garden of Eden; Gen. 2:8) in the “mountain of His inheritance,” a place for Israel to dwell (ver. 17). There was a “sanctuary,” a holy place, which Jehovah’s hands had established. God’s sanctuary might be Mount Sinai, the land of Canaan, the tabernacle, or the future temple on Mount Zion. Of course, eventually God’s “sanctuary” is found in Jesus Christ (John 1:14; Col. 2:9). 

    After Moses had sang this song with Israel, celebrating the power of Jehovah God, then Israel sang and danced. When you and I experience and are reminded of the power of God, we too should respond with singing in praise of our omnipotent God and His omnipotent Son, Jesus Christ. 

    And, we should remember that that power works in us to accomplish what God wishes to accomplish in us and through us (Eph. 3:20). 

Paul Holland