Moments of Meditation

Prophecy: False witnesses step forward; they ask me strange questions for which I have no answers. (Psalm 35:11 Voice) Fulfillment: There were plenty of people willing to get up and accuse Jesus falsely, distorting what Jesus had said or done. (Mark 14:56 Voice) Thought: David may not have had the answers to the questions asked by his enemies, but Jesus would choose not to address the false accusations at all. There was nothing to say against the false witness. Many times we make the mistake of saying too much. Distorting the truth for our own thoughts. Take a lesson from Jesus and learn to keep quiet. Quiet and listening for the truth. Amen.

Prophecy: And in the face of such oppression and suffering--silence. Not a word of protest, not a finger raised to stop it. Like a sheep to a shearing, like a lamb to be slaughtered, he went--oh so quietly, oh so willingly. (Isaiah 53:7 Voice) Fulfillment: Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear all this evidence that is brought against you?"; but He still refused to answer one word, to the Governor's great astonishment. (Matthew 27:13-14 NEB) Thought: Amazingly Jesus said nothing in His defense; just maybe He did so because He was taking our place of punishment. So in saying nothing, He said everything! Amen.

Prophecy: They make a game out of dividing my clothes among themselves; they cast lots for the clothes on my back. (Psalm 22:18 Voice) Fulfillment: [One soldier said to the others:] "Don't tear it. Let's cast lots, and the winner will take the whole thing." (John 19:24 Voice) Thought: In David's time, as well as in Jesus', nakedness indicated poverty and servitude. God's greatest king of Israel and His only Son both needed to experience the worst of humanity before they could unite Israel and save humanity, respectively. Amen.

Prophecy: Everyone who sees me laughs at me; they whisper to one another I'm a loser; they sneer and mock me, saying, "He relies on the Eternal; let the Eternal rescue him." (Psalm 22:7-8 Voice) Fulfillment: The people stood looking on, and their rulers jeered at him: "He saved others: now let him save himself, if this is God's Messiah, his Chosen." The soldiers joined in the mockery and came forward offering Him their sour wine. "If you are the King of the Jews," they said, "save yourself." (Luke 23:35-37 NEB) Thought: Reliance on God is no laughing matter. David would find that God would crush his taunting enemies in battle. Jesus overlooked the rude remarks and chose to save His enemies from the same death they were about to inflict upon Him. Amen.

Prophecy: I am weary of howling; my throat is scratched dry. (Psalm 69:3 Voice) Fulfillment: Jesus knew now that His work had been accomplished, and the Hebrew Scriptures were fulfilled. He said, "It is finished." (John 19:28 Voice) Thought: The howling from the pain became excruciating. On the cross, Jesus howled and howled as the judgment upon sin was carried out upon Him. Jesus' thirst points towards our own thirst for righteousness. His is the righteousness we seek. The righteousness offered for the sins of the world. Amen.

Prophecy: Even more, they gave me poison for my food and offered me only sour vinegar to drink. (Psalm 69:21) Fulfillment: A jar of sour wine had been left there, so they took a hyssop branch with a sponge soaked in the vinegar and put it to His mouth. (John 19:29) Thought: The thirst got to Jesus. He asked for a drink. At this point, any drink would do. As long as it was liquid, that's all that mattered. Something to quench the dreadful dryness in His mouth. Even the sour wine would be welcomed. A momentary bit of comfort to bring about eternal comfort for those who follow Him. Amen.

Prophecy: A throng of evil ones has surrounded me like a pack of wild dogs; They pierced my hands and ripped a hole in my feet. (Psalm 22:16 Voice) Fulfillment: [Jesus said:] "Reach out and touch Me. See the punctures in My hands; reach out your hand, and put it to My side; leave behind your faithlessness, and believe." (John 20:27) Thought: The holy wounds of Jesus' crucifixion remain even after He rose from the dead. Many of the statues we have of Jesus show those glorified scars. These will be the only "imperfections" allowed in Heaven. The only wounds that will never be allowed to heal. Not as a sobering reminder of the price of our admission to Heaven. A glorious reminder of all God was willing to do to bring us into Heaven. Amen.

Prophecy: Those who hate me without reason are more than the hairs of my head; they outnumber my hairs, those who accuse me falsely. How can I give back what I have not stolen? (Psalm 69:4 NEB) Fulfillment: [Jesus said:] "If I had not worked among them and accomplished what no other man has done, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father. However, this text in their Law had to come true: 'They hated Me without reason.'" (John 15:24-25 NEB) Thought: During Jesus' lifetime, those who were supposed to know better hated Him because He fought against their system of beliefs. During the last day of His earthly life, His enemies far outnumbered His friends. He was dishonored without reason. Have you dishonored Him without reason? Turn back and repent. Amen.

Isaiah 41:4 Who has performed these deeds and accomplished this purpose? Who calls each generation into being from the first on down? It is I, the Eternal One your God. I am the first. And to the very last, I am the One. Revelation 1:11, 17-18 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the very beginning and the very end. … This is not the time for fear; I am the First and the Last, and I am the living One. I entered the realm of the dead; but see, I am alive now. Thought: Jesus and the Father are inseparable from one another. Both are eternal. Both were there at the very beginning. Both will be there at the very end. They have “performed these deeds and accomplished this purpose.” Amen.

Zechariah 9:9 Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout jubilantly, O daughter of Jerusalem! Look—your King is coming; He is righteous and able to save. He comes seated humbly on a donkey, on a colt, a foal of a donkey. John 12:12-13 The next day a great multitude that had come to the Feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! The King of Israel! Thought: Palm Sunday was the beginning of the greatest week in human history. Jesus entered Jerusalem as the true King of Israel. The King of Israel that would die by the end of the week. But the King of Israel who would rise from the dead as the new week began. Palm Sunday was Day One. Easter is Day Eight. And Day Eight is the day that everything changes. Amen.

Psalm 41:9 Even my best friend, my confidant, who has eaten my bread will stab me in the back. John 13:26 Jesus said, “I will dip a piece of bread in My cup and give it to the one who will betray Me.” He dipped one piece in the cup and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After this occurred, Satan entered into Judas. Thought: “Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar.” Those were Caesar's last words in Shakespeare's play. Caesar was absolutely surprised by the betrayal. Jesus knew it was coming. He had given David the prophecy a millennium beforehand. And Jesus didn't make it not happen. Jesus wanted it to happen because the chief priests and scribes had already determined not to arrest Jesus during the Feast. But Jesus was to die as the true Passover Lamb. Amen.

Zechariah 13:7 Sword, begin to stir; be ready to strike My shepherd, to strike the man at My side. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will scatter. I'll turn My hand against the little ones. Mark 14:50 When they saw the armed crowd take Jesus into custody, the disciples fled. Thought: God struck Jesus the Shepherd and the disciple sheep were scattered. Everyone fled from Gethsemane because they were afraid of being arrested with Jesus. Even loud-mouthed Simon Peter, who had boasted that he would even die with Jesus rather than forsake Him, ran scared from the soldiers. But Jesus had to be left alone, forsaken by all, in order to pay for our sins alone. Amen.

Zechariah 11:12 If you think it is right, give me what I have earned. If you don't, then keep it for yourselves. They took thirty pieces of silver, the price set as my wages, the price of a slave. Matthew 26:14-15 At that, one of the Twelve, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. “What will you give me to turn Him over to you?” They offered him thirty pieces of silver. Thought: “Every man has his price.” That was the tagline given to Ted DiBiase's “Million Dollar Man” gimmick in the World Wrestling Federation. And how true that statement is. The love of money can cause us to betray even our best friend. The exiles paid Zechariah the same amount to dissolve their covenant with God as the Jewish leaders paid Judas to abandon his loyalties to Jesus. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evils. What's your price? Not thirty pieces of silver, but the holy, precious, innocent suffering and death of Jesus of Nazareth. Perfect God and perfect Man given for you. Amen.

Zechariah 11:13 “Give My deserved portion of your fee to the potter,” the LORD said. And I did as He told me. I took the thirty shekels of silver—the noble price of my valuable service—and gave them to the potter in the Eternal One's temple. Matthew 27:4-7 Judas said, “I can't keep this money! I've sinned! I've betrayed an innocent man! His blood will be on my hands.” The chief priests and elders replied, “We're through with you, friend. The state of your soul is really none of our affair.” Judas threw down the money in the Temple, went off, and hanged himself. The chief priests looked at the silver coins and picked them up. “You know, according to the Law, we can't put blood money in the Temple treasury.” After some deliberation, they took the money and bought a plot of land called Potter's Field. Thought: Judas had a problem with the thirty pieces of silver that were burning a hole in his pocket and in his soul. When he offers to return the money seeking forgiveness, the chief priests and elders want nothing to do with him. Judas, in unforgiven remorse, goes out and hangs himself because he cannot find forgiveness. Had he only waited three more days! He could have been forgiven just like Peter. But Judas cannot wait. He feels that he must take matters into his own hand. Don't be like Judas. Don't take things into your own hands. Leave them in Jesus' nail-pierced hands. Amen.

Isaiah 50:5-6 The LORD, the Eternal, has helped me to listen, and I do as He says. I have not been rebellious or run away from God's work. But it's been hard. I offered My back to those who whipped me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not turn away from humiliation and spitting. Matthew 27:26-30 So Pilate released Barabbas, and he had Jesus flogged and handed over to be crucified. … They spat on Him and whipped Him on the head with His scepter of reeds. Thought: Jesus allowed Himself to be scourged. He followed His own teaching, “When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek” (Matthew 5:39 CEV). He allowed Himself to be humiliated before the Roman soldiers to take away your humiliation before God. Through Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection, you may enter the pearly gates of Heaven with your head held high because Jesus has invited you into His midst. Amen.

Isaiah 52:14 Just as people used to be shocked by you, even so his appearance was disfigured; His form—once glorious—was marred until it hardly seemed human. Mark 15:16-19 The rest of the soldiers in the detachment gathered there, hundreds of them. … For a long while they beat Him on the head with the reed. Thought: Many soldiers beat Jesus on the head and face with what equates to a police officer's nightstick. Such a beating would have inflicted many wounds and would have caused Jesus to be almost unrecognizable and horribly disfigured. Jesus took on your soul's disfigurement onto Himself in a very physical way. God made Him who knew no sin to become sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was beaten until He was basically unrecognizable as Himself because He had become your sin. With your sin now crucified in Him, you may rejoice that your Redeemer lives. Amen.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Luke 1:32-33 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Luke 1:26-31 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Luke 2:4-7 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. Matthew 2:13-15 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Luke 4:18-21 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

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. Matthew 17:5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; Matthew 11:4-6 And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

Isaiah 40:11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. John 10:2-4 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17)

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. (Deuteronomy 25:4)

The worker deserves his wages. (1 Timothy 5:18)

Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. (1 Timothy 5:20)

I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. (1 Timothy 5:21)

Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. (1 Timothy 5:23)

The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. (1 Timothy 5:24-25)

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. (1 Timothy 5:1-2)

Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. (1 Timothy 5:3-5)

The widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. (1 Timothy 5:6)

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and become worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8)

As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. (1 Timothy 5:11-12)

Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. (1 Timothy 5:13)

If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need. (1 Timothy 5:16)

This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God. (1 Timothy 4:9-10)

We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. (1 Timothy 4:12)

Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)

Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. (1 Timothy 4:13)

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourselves and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16)

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (1 Timothy 4:1)

Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. (1 Timothy 4:2)

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy 4:3)

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received in thanksgiving. (1 Timothy 4:4)

Because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:5)

If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. (1 Timothy 4:6)

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. (1 Timothy 4:7)