The Heaton File

The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael—three in all. The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri—five in all. They were heads of their fathers’ houses, and they were listed by their genealogies, twenty-two thousand and thirty-four mighty men of valor. (1 Chronicles 7:6-7)

Men Of Valor Needed

The Davidic dynasty is outlined in the opening chapters of Chronicles, with thousands of men known as men of valor. These were specially trained men who were powerful soldiers and fitted for the warlike enterprise of protecting the nation. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generation, numbering as high as 22,600 soldiers. From the family of Issachar 87,000 were men of valor. In the house of Bela were 22,034 mighty men of valor. Twenty thousand two hundred mighty men of valor were found in the people of Becher. All the sons of Jediael were heads of their fathers’ houses; there were seventeen thousand two hundred mighty men of valor fit to go out for war and battle.

The children of Asher numbered 26,000 mighty men of valor. Jediael counted 17,200 men of war and men of valor. Mighty men of valor were found in the sons of Ulam who were archers, 150 in all. David’s army grew while he was at Ziklag, while still a fugitive from Saul. Mighty men, helpers in the war, armed with bows, joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.

David had some great warriors in his camp who were his mighty men. Jashobeam killed three hundred one at a time with a spear. Eleazor defended a field of barley against the Philistines. Jashobeam and Eleazor were two of the three mighty men that broke through the camp of the Philistines to get some water for David (who refused to drink the water because of the risk they took to get the water).

Abishai, Joab’s brother, killed three hundred with a spear. Benaiah killed two lion-like heroes of Moab and also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. This great warrior killed an Egyptian more than seven feet tall. Benaiah fought the giant with a staff, wrested the spear like a weaver’s beam away from the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear. Many more mighty men were numbered among David, including the husband of Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite, whom David had killed to cover up his adulterous relationship.

Israel had a lot of men of valor, mighty warriors who did incredible things. Their job was to defeat all enemies that came against the people of God. In the physical war against those who opposed Israel, the mighty men of valor changed the course of battles and history. Those wars have ceased, but the war against the forces of evil has not. The church is in desperate need of men who are willing to stand in the gap to be mighty men of valor.

In every army, there are the regular troops trained to fight battles and secure victories. Their work in defeating an enemy is crucial. There is also a need for specially trained soldiers who are the mighty men of valor. In the kingdom of God, the church needs men willing to take up leadership and, with the word of God as the sword of the Spirit, become mighty men of valor in the army of Christ. King Jesus needs men who will go beyond the normal, excel beyond the standard, stand taller in the face of the enemy, and lead the people of God to victory.

Not everyone can be a leader in the church, but everyone can do their best to become men of valor in the church. Unmarried men have an important role to play in fighting the good fight. The church must train and equip young men to learn the skills of valor to defeat sin, defend the truth, and destroy the bastions of sin. Mighty men of valor are needed among the husbands who have taken on the divine responsibility to lead a family. It takes great courage to wear the mantle of being a husband. The church needs men who will stand with courage as mighty men of God. When children come into the home, the work of the man of God increases tenfold (more like a thousand). As the leader of the home to guide the wife and children, it will take the resources of the Divine to instill courage and faith in the heart of each man to be a mighty man of God.

David had his mighty men. Jesus needs His mighty men. The church needs men who will step up and be counted as a mighty man for the Lord. Much work remains. Leadership is needed to shore up the crumbling world the church lives in to fight against the wiles of the devil. Congregations are closing doors because of a lack of leadership. There is a divine call for mighty men to take up the armor of God and, like the prophet Isaiah, declare, “Here am I. Send me.” Are you ready to become a man of valor – a mighty man for the Lord?

My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; if you have found it, there is a prospect, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:13-14)

The Value Of Eating Honey

The world could not survive without bees. In the natural order of nature, bees serve an essential part in pollinating plants, trees, and vegetables. Early man found the benefits of robbing hives and harvesting the thick substance. The Lord called the promised land a place that flowed with milk and honey. Samson famously came upon the carcass of a lion where a swarm of bees had formed a hive of honey. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. He gave some to his father and mother without telling them where he got it. Later, Samson used the lion and bees as a riddle to trick his enemies. Delilah pressured Samson to tell her the meaning of the riddle, which she gave to the enemies of Samson.

King Saul placed a curse on anyone who ate any food until evening, before he could take vengeance on his enemies. This rash oath hindered the army from pursuing the Philistines to destroy them. Saul’s son, Jonathan, had not heard of the oath and ate some of the honey found in a forest. When Saul found out what Jonathan had done, he was going to have his son killed. The people intervened and saved Jonathan, and he did not die.

The Lord told Ezekiel to eat a scroll, and it tasted like honey in his mouth. The apostle John would eat a little book during the Revelation of Christ. It tasted as sweet as honey in his mouth, but after he had eaten it, it made his belly bitter. This depicted that understanding God’s word is sweet, but afterward comes the bitterness of knowing the consequences of sin. John the Baptist’s diet was locusts and wild honey. The imagery of honey is clear in Scripture, as found throughout the Bible.

Honey was an emblem showing the purest and simplest wisdom of the word of God. As the honey refreshes the spirit, so the word of God refreshes the soul. Solomon exhorts the reader to eat honey because it is good to eat and brings great nourishment. So shall the knowledge of God refresh the soul with the knowledge of God’s will. Finding honey brought great excitement. Opening the word of God is the eternal spirit of God filling the soul with the unsearchable riches of Christ. The knowledge of wisdom to the soul is eternal. Hope springs from taking the spiritual honey.

Through the divine will of God, He has given the world the perfect revelation for man to know how to gain eternal life. The study of God’s word should be as desirable as finding honey to soothe the body. Honey refreshes. God’s word refreshes. The value of eating honey is to find the joy of God’s word. Honey will not last, but God’s word will last forever.

And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. (Mark 3:5)

Jesus Got Angry

The synagogue was a favorite venue for Jesus to teach and show His power. On one occasion, a man was in attendance who had a crippled and deformed hand. The day was Sabbath, and Jesus, knowing the hearts of those who were gathered, knew they were watching to see if He would heal the man. He could have waited to heal the man or found him elsewhere, away from the peering eyes of His critics. Jesus asked the man to step forward and challenged the crowd: was it against the Sabbath to do a good deed? He wanted to know if a man was dying and could be saved, if they would be willing to save the man if it were the Sabbath.

God gave Israel the Sabbath when He established the Law of Moses. The Sabbath was a holy day devoted to learning of God’s mercy and accepting His rule in their lives. After the Lord delivered the Hebrews from the slavery of Egypt, He ordained the Sabbath as a memorial for Israel to show gratitude for God’s delivering His people. Strict laws governed the Sabbath. A man was found picking up sticks on the Sabbath and was stoned to death. While God imposed strict laws in keeping the Sabbath, it did not forbid acts of mercy.

The Jewish leaders had so hardened their hearts that they believed the six days of the week were given for men to work and on the Sabbath forbid any work, even if it meant helping or saving a life. Yet, they would loose their ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to water. Jesus is in the synagogue with a child of Abraham who was afflicted with a crippled hand, and the leaders dared Jesus to heal him because it was the Sabbath. Jesus got angry.

The anger of the Lord was righteous indignation against the hypocrisy, hatred, and unmerciful conduct of God’s people. A man with a crippled hand lived a destitute life. Jesus had the power to heal the man, but the Pharisees cared only about whether Jesus would heal a man on the Sabbath. The anger of the Lord was aroused against the hearts of those who used the law to disavow the principles of God’s law. Jesus looked around at the people with anger. It grieved Jesus’ heart to see the hardness of their hearts.

Anger is an emotion of displeasure. There is a sinful anger forbidden by God. Jesus had righteous indignation against the sinful hearts of those who should have known better. When the Lord saw the sinfulness of those who judged Him to heal the man, He showed them His power. Telling the man to stretch out his hand, the hand was restored as whole as the other. To further illustrate the hardness of their hearts, Mark records that the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians how to destroy Jesus. They wanted to kill a man who healed a man with a crippled hand in their presence. What they did not realize was how crippled and deformed their hearts were.

Sinful anger has no place in the life of a Christian, but righteous anger does. Sin must be viewed in its proper context of how God views sin. Often in Israel’s history, the anger of the Lord grew hot toward rebellious Israel. God’s long-suffering waited for the people to repent until there was no more grace. Then God punished his people because of sin. The man Job “eschewed evil” (KJV). In other words, he turned away from it, refused to follow evil, and shunned it. He had a proper view of sin. Anger toward sin is knowing the danger of what sin will do to the heart of man. Be angry and sin not – but be angry about sin.

When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. (Acts 25:18-19)

A Certain Jesus

Paul had spent more than two years in Caesarea after his arrest in Jerusalem. The governor of the region was Felix, who listened to Paul’s defense but took no action. Felix, as was the custom of Roman officials, sought bribes to release Paul. Instead, Paul used every opportunity to preach the gospel to Felix and his adulterous wife, Drusilla, about righteousness, self-control, and the final day of judgment. When Felix retired, Porcius Festus became governor.

A few weeks after the arrival of Festus, King Agrippa and his wife Bernice came to Caesarea to greet the new governor. Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, and Agrippa sought to hear from Paul. In his explanation to the king about the case against Paul, Festus tells the king that the case sprang from accusers in Jerusalem charging Paul with various Jewish laws, but the king found no cause to charge Paul. The Jews wanted Paul returned to Jerusalem, but the governor decided he would stay in Caesarea. When asked if he was willing to go to Jerusalem to face his accusers, Paul demanded the right of a Roman citizen to appeal his case to Rome. Because of his appeal to Augustus, Paul would be sent to Rome.

The case against Paul, as Festus understood the charge, had to do with Paul preaching about a certain Jesus who had been killed but seen alive after His death. Paul had admitted that Jesus had been put to death, but he maintained that he had been raised from the dead. King Agrippa was a Jew by religion. He was curious about the story Paul told of a risen Christ. Paul’s defense was based on a certain Jesus and His story. Everything Paul had endured in his life as an apostle came from his love and dedication to a certain Jesus whom he believed with all his heart had risen from the dead.

Hope must be centered upon a certain Jesus to believe in eternal life. Everything a man must believe is focused on the story and life of Jesus. The character of the saint is a certain man, Jesus. What a man does comes from him following a certain Jesus. God gave His Son so that the world can come to know a certain Jesus. It was a certain Jesus that showed the power of God through the many miracles. The teaching of a certain Jesus changed the world. It was a certain Jesus the Jewish leaders wanted to kill – and did. The man crucified between two thieves was a certain Jesus.

What made the gospel story powerful was that a certain Jesus, buried in a certain tomb by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, was sealed with a certain large stone, with a certain Roman guard standing outside. On a certain day, the first day of the week, a certain Jesus could not be found in His tomb. Later that day, and for the next forty days, a certain Jesus appeared to His disciples. The preaching of the gospel taught that a certain Jesus was the Son of God.

There is no name under heaven given among men that will save one except the name of a certain Jesus. This certain Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. If a man refuses to believe in a certain Jesus, there will be a certain and terrible consequence. Obedience to a certain Jesus will result in a certain hope and promise of eternal life. What does a certain Jesus mean? Everything eternal.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:17-18)

The Name Of The Church

When Jesus asked His disciples what men thought of the man from Nazareth, the answer included John the Baptist, possibly Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. The crowds saw the power of Jesus and were astonished at His teachings, but many were at a loss to clearly identify Jesus as Lord. Jesus asked the twelve who they thought He was. Peter answered that they believed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus commended Peter for his answer, telling the apostle that on the confession Jesus was the Son of God, the Lord would build His church. Nothing would hinder or destroy the church that Jesus promised.

Luke tells the story of the beginning of the church and its spread throughout the world. In his Acts of the Apostles, Luke describes the beginning of the church at Pentecost, where three thousand Jews believed the man crucified fifty days earlier was the Son of God. They asked what they must do to be saved, and Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Luke records that God added to the church those who were saved. Saul of Tarsus began persecuting the church. He later became the great missionary for the Lord as he and others went everywhere preaching the word and establishing churches. Much of the New Testament canon contains the letters Paul wrote to various congregations in cities like Rome, Ephesus, Colosse, and Thessalonica, among others.

There is one characteristic of the early church that is constant. Luke, in describing the early church, never called the church by a single name. Paul wrote to the church of God which is at Corinth. In his letter to Rome, Paul sent greetings from the churches of Christ. To the church at Colosse, he wrote to the “saints and faithful brethren in Christ.” The early church was called by different names. Each of the names described a relationship with the Lord. There was never a marketing ploy to draw people to Christ. Church buildings were not erected with large signs out front in the community. The saints met in homes and large gathering places as followers of Christ.

The world needs to draw men to Christ by promoting ideas that appeal to the world’s curiosity. Many churches today follow names like Epic, Flood, or Free Life. There are the Grace churches, House of Prayer churches, and the Ignited church. Some call themselves the Renewing the Mind church, the Revolution church, Without Walls International, and the Victory church. For many years, all denominations were grouped under a particular Protestant movement, such as Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, or Presbyterian. In modern times, churches have splintered off to individual names to tout a certain philosophy.

Jesus said He would build His church. There is only one church. The Bible teaches there is only one church. All denominations worldwide can trace their lineage to the Roman Catholic Church. For the faithful saints desiring to hold fast to the teachings of the early church, they will find their roots deeply embedded in the history of the Day of Pentecost. Jesus’ church started two thousand years ago. It is His church.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:20-21)

The Failure Of Denominations

In a study of mathematics, the number one is considered a whole number. Whole numbers are closed under addition and multiplication. These numbers are never viewed as fractions, which are numerical expressions representing a part of a whole or a collection, consisting of a numerator and a denominator separated by a fraction bar. In the fraction ½, one is the numerator, and two is the denominator. A denominator is the total number of equal parts the whole is divided into. Anything that is a denominator is a division of a whole and will never be considered as a whole number.

As Jesus walked to Gethsemane with the eleven, He prayed for all believers that would come to Him through the preaching of His word in the gospel. His desire and the plea of the Father was for all believers in Jesus Christ to be one. Jesus and the Father were one. They were not denominations of one another. The unity of spirit, purpose, and design was a divine pattern Jesus wanted for His church. He had promised during His ministry to build His church and never promised to build His churches. His church was a singular plan with a singular head guided by a singular word. The word of God was the only authority for the church Jesus promised to build.

On the day of Pentecost, the apostles preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to an audience of devout Jews. Three thousand souls believed Jesus was the Son of God and were baptized for the remission of sins. Luke records that God added these souls to the church. The historian did not say there were churches. Throughout the book of Acts, Luke writes about the church. He never suggests there are more churches. Saul did not persecute a ‘denomination.’ Christians did not die to defend a ‘denomination.’

Paul wrote letters about the churches of Christ, the church of God at Corinth, the churches of Galatia, and the church of the Thessalonians. John revealed in the Revelation seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These were all individual congregations that made up the one church Jesus promised. None of these churches were called ‘denominations’ because there was no division in the first century. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in every church, which were congregations spread throughout Asia Minor. There is no evidence of any denomination in the first century. History shows the first time a denomination was created was in 1530 when the Lutheran church was established. The Lutheran church is a division of the mother of apostasy, the Roman Catholic Church.

Jesus did not pray for denominations. God never ordained the church to become a denomination. Paul declared to the Ephesian church that there was only one body, and that body was the church. When a man is part of a denomination, he is part of a division that is never found in Scripture. All Protestant churches are less than five hundred years old. Jesus did not authorize any Protestant church or denomination. The only church Jesus built is two thousand years old and has never ceased to exist. Paul warned Timothy of a great apostasy that would come, and that was fulfilled when the Roman Catholic Church was established. All Protestant churches are children of the Roman Catholic Church.

The failure of denominations is that they are not founded on the word of God. Through the centuries, men have created their own churches to satisfy their own doctrines to soothe the conscience of a world increasingly turning away from God. Jesus died for one church. He is the head of one church. The Bible is about one church. Denominations are never found in the Bible.

“Behold, I will command,” says the Lord, “and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.” (Jeremiah 34:22)

Jerusalem Will Be Burned With Fire

One of the oldest cities in history, Jerusalem has had a rich story in the unfolding of God’s plan to redeem humankind. When Abraham returned from rescuing his nephew from the captivity of warring kings, he was met by Melchizedek, king of Salem. This is apparently an ancient name of Jerusalem. It was not until the time of David that the city of Jerusalem fell into the hands of God’s people. David made Jerusalem the capital of a united Israel, serving also as the religious center of Jewish law. Jerusalem was called “the city of David.”

Solomon would secure the history of Jerusalem when he built the temple. The Temple of Solomon would stand for nearly four hundred years. After the death of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel divided into ten northern tribes (Israel) and the two remaining tribes (Judah). The northern tribes would last for two hundred years before being completely destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Judah remained as the faithful of Israel, but their demise came at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, when he began the conquest of Judah in 606 BC.

During the tumultuous days of the divided kingdom, God sent His prophets to warn the people of the coming wrath of God. The prophets Amos and Hosea warned the northern tribes to repent. Isaiah and Micah prophesied during the Assyrian age to the people of Judah. When the Babylonian threat became real, the prophets Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah warned the remaining remnant of God’s wrath upon disobedience. Jeremiah watched his beloved nation crumble in rebellion to the word of God. During the final forty years of the kingdom of Judah, Jeremiah preached a message of Israel’s doom.

While there was a respite from the apostasy of idolatry under the leadership of Josiah, the people of Israel turned their backs on God and filled the land with religious and political moral degradation, culminating in the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah described the wrath of God upon His people in terms that were shocking politically and personally dangerous, as the prophet told the people what God would do to the temple and the city. No one could imagine the great city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. It was impossible anyone could destroy the temple of God. Jeremiah warns the people that the Babylonians will come to Jerusalem, conquer the city, and burn the city and the temple with fire. Jerusalem will become a city without inhabitants.

Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC and burned the city and the temple. God’s word came true. Few people believed Jerusalem would be destroyed. Fewer still could accept that the temple would be burned and destroyed. All the warnings of Jeremiah went unheeded. The people’s rejection did not change the will of God. What God promised would happen came to pass. The people’s unbelief is why so many will be unprepared for the eternal day of judgment. It seems impossible that God would punish anyone. Most reject the idea of eternal punishment with fire. Like the Israelites of old, they believe that God could and would not punish the rebellious. They were wrong.

Jeremiah’s words should sound true today, reminding a rebellious world of the coming destruction of the world. There will come a day when the word of the Lord will destroy the earth, and all men will stand before a gracious God in judgment. That judgment will be fair and righteous. All those who refused to obey the will of the Father will be cast into a lake of fire. Eternal punishment will begin. The word of the Lord is true. Only the few who believed in the word of God will be saved. There is a great day coming. Judgment.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13)

They Died In Faith

Death is real. It is certain. Everyone dies. After 969 years, Methuselah died. The first man, Adam, lived 930 years and died. Cemeteries are filled with the stories of those who were born and died. Young and old die. Rich and poor are buried next to one another. Famous and infamous die. Some foolishly try to extend their lives in the belief that diet, exercise, and modern science can deny the toll of death. They fail. Living a quality life is important, but nothing will stop the sentence of death. Sin established death, and until sin is completely removed, death will be the fate of every man.

The question is not whether a man dies, but how he dies. There is no choice about the sentence of death, but the manner of death is what will determine the measure of life here and the hope of life after death. If a man lives to gain everything in this world, he will die a miserable soul. He can take nothing with him. All he has gained will be left for others. It is a vain and empty life to seek pleasures that will never last. When a man lives for himself without believing in life after death, he only has death in this world and the world to come. What matters is how a man dies.

The righteous have always suffered the abuse and ridicule of a cruel world. Satan has deceived the minds of most people on earth. He has them fully convinced happiness can only be found in this life. For the few saints who seek the glory of God, the struggle against sin becomes a lifelong struggle. Abel was killed by his brother. Enoch lived in a violently cruel and wicked world. Noah and his family were the only righteous in the entire world. Abraham lived in a pagan world. Moses grew up under the shadow of Egyptian gods and the temptation to possess all the glory of being a son of Pharaoh. He turned away from all those things to serve the true and living God.

The scriptures are filled with humble people who did not allow the allurements of the world to tempt them to follow evil. They were given promises from God that He would bless them beyond measure, and they believed Him. God promised to make of Abraham a great nation and that all nations would be blessed because of his son. Abraham saw the promise of a son realized in Isaac but never saw the fulfillment of the eternal blessings in Jesus Christ. Abraham died in faith, not having seen the completion of God’s plan, but saw the hope and promises of God afar off. He was assured of them; he embraced those promises as real, and he knew all that God said was true and life was nothing more than a short journey before eternity.

The only way to die is to die in faith. There is no hope if a man dies outside of faith. Hope must be believing in the promises of God whether all those promises are realized or not. The faithful die in faith, believing that whatever happens in life, and how it happens, works to the glory of God. Death is the affirmation for the Christian that faith in the promises of God is real, whether realized or not. To die in Christ is to live in eternity with God. It brings the sting of death to naught and gains the victory over Hades. Life is in death because God raised Jesus from the dead and He ever lives. Death is real. Faith is hope. Die in faith so that hope can be realized.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand? (Job 26:14)

A Whisper Of His Power

Job was a man of great faith. He was truly a soul who trusted in God in the darkest hour as he struggled to understand the calamity he experienced unknowingly by the hand of Satan. Job did not understand how God could allow his suffering, but the man of God believed in the power of God. His friend Bildad questioned the righteousness of God and the nature of sinful man. Job responded by reminding Bildad of the incredible power of Jehovah God.

The power of God is found in His creation. His power is found in divine wisdom. There is no comparison between the greatest thought of man and the smallest measure of God’s wisdom. A chasm so wide separates the two that only eternity could bring them together. Bildad could not stand against the knowledge of God. Job knew he could not. Facing his turmoil, Job knew God understood all things because He was the Creator. Job appealed to the knowledge that God created the whole universe and placed feeble man with the authority of dominion over all things. At the greatest of man’s zenith, he still cannot measure to what God did in creation. God literally spoke the world into its form, and it remains constant through every generation.

The universe shakes before the presence of its creator. Death, Sheol, and destruction are nothing before God. Job understood God formed the empty expanse of the northern skies for His glory. In a remarkable ancient observation, Job declared the earth was suspended in the empty space on nothing. No man held the earth on his shoulders, nor was it floating in water. Job knew the earth was suspended in emptiness by the power of God. The weather of the earth declared the glory of a Designer, and He was the Lord God Almighty, full of power and might.

Job could see the power of God’s design when the Lord drew a circular horizon upon the face of the waters, at the boundary of light and darkness. Nature declared the majestic power of God with earthquakes, thunder, lightning, and storms. Job could see the power of God in the world about him. The sea is a vast body of water that brings fear to the hearts of many, but for many more, it shows the power of God. In every vesture of glory, God proclaims His wisdom through creation.

Job ran out of steam in describing the power of God. Everything he talked about was but a small whisper to all that God has done. All of nature declares the glory of God, but that is not the sum of His power. Every generation finds greater evidence of the full power of God. Modern machines have plumbed the darkness of space, finding greater treasures of God’s power. There will never come a time when human wisdom can bottle the wisdom of God. Nothing in the arsenal of human technology can unpack all the glory that awaits to be discovered. There are so many more things to learn about God.

What God has given the world is but a whisper of what He holds back. The knowledge is too vast and beyond the wildest imaginations of the human mind. How small a whisper the world hears of the greatness of God. One of the greatest things given to man is the word of God, contained within the pages of the Bible. Like nature, there is no book as powerful as the Bible. There is no message of greater importance than that contained in the Bible. And even the Bible is a small whisper of the word of God. What is given is preserved so that everyone can know that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. Believing Jesus is the Christ, the heart can find the greatest whisper of power in the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus.

Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s. For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed— lest I seem to terrify you by letters. “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” (2 Corinthians 10:7-10)

How They Judged Paul

Superiority is often judged by worldly measures of what men see in a person rather than who they are. King Saul was a choice and handsome man who stood taller than anyone else. It is said there was not a more handsome man among the Israelites. At the beginning of his reign, he saw himself humbly, but he became proud of his reign as king and refused to obey the word of the Lord. The world saw King Saul as a great man, but the Lord saw his heart and rejected him as king. Pride led to the downfall of King Saul.

The church at Corinth was filled with chaos, disharmony, unloving spirits, and rebellious hearts filled with carnality. Paul used strong language to urge the saints in Corinth to repent of their proud hearts. Much of what the apostles addressed in his first letter was dealt with, but Paul faced the wrath of some in Corinth who denied his authority as an apostle. They attacked him personally, showing that he had a contemptible appearance as a man. There were those in the church who were wealthy, handsome, and powerful because of their looks. Men of great physical stature and appearance often are looked upon with greater favor. If a man is small of stature, not as handsome or skilled with words, he is disliked more than others. A man of smooth speech bearing a rugged, handsome look will win hearts just from outward appearance.

Paul has heard the lack of flattery received at the hands of his detractors. They ridicule his appearance as a sickly man. In appearance, Paul does not exude confidence to the audience. He was looked upon as a man of lesser quality, unlike those who bear strong traits of physical excellence. Unlike Apollos, who is a man of eloquent speech and mighty in the Scriptures, Paul was inarticulate, halting, and poor in speech. They did admit his letters were weighty and powerful. No one could doubt the substance of his letters carried great weight.

It is easy to judge others by physical appearance. Many successful people are judged by the persona they give to the world of their style, beauty, and charm. A woman can be accepted only because of her beauty, hiding an immoral heart of debauchery. Men pride themselves in their physical looks, seeking to look as charming and debonair as the popular “GQ” man, or the muscled body of an Atlas. All of this hides an ungodly and proud heart. Glamor on the red carpet seldom suggests a pure heart.

Some in Corinth judged Paul because of what they saw in him, rather than what they heard in him. Preaching for the apostle Paul was the love of the gospel, the power of grace, and the forgiveness of a merciful Father. Paul was unconcerned about how he looked before men, but how he served the one who died for him. The physical things of life never measured his life. The tragedy of Corinth is found in brethren who judged Paul unjustly and destroyed the power of the gospel to effect change in the lives of others; all because of the outward appearance of an apostle of Christ. When God’s people have more concern about how a man looks than what he teaches, apostasy is not far away. Sin crouches at the door. Paul knew the power of God was in the gospel, not in his appearance.