Divine Cosmetics

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Ps 42:11 and Ps 43:5

As if for emphasis God repeats this verse verbatim- not once but twice.  I have never heard teaching on this but I believe that the concept of the "health of my countenance" is important to God- especially in the face of adversity such as David was struggling with in these Psalms.  His "countenance" was pretty sick.

Literally health of my countenance in Hebrew means "salvation of my face".  The word for "health" is "Yeshua"!

I believe God cares about our mental health and holds us accountable for what we "exalt" in our minds and offers "health" to order and prioritize the myriad of inputs that life throws at us.  This goes along  with a mental health article that I read recently which I quote in part:

"Then there's what scientists call "salience."

Someone without schizophrenia can hear a car alarm go off in the distance and barely register it. The brain instantly knows that the car alarm isn't salient. You can ignore it.

But for some people with schizophrenia, says Vinogradov, it's as if the filter is broken.

"They are walking down the street trying to have a conversation and their brain is being flooded with the sound of the door slamming, the airplane going overhead."

The brain of someone with schizophrenia tries to process all that information as though it has meaning, says Vinogradov. And maybe, though this is just a theory, this onslaught of extra stuff, extra data — that is what gives rise to hallucinations.

"It tries to make sense of it so that the person can go about with their life," says Vinogradov. "And there's some evidence to suggest that that's what gives rise to delusional ideas, to paranoia, to hallucinatory activity."

I suggest that in league with the God of the health of my countenance we can walk in faith and confidence and Godly, eternal perspective.  Only with this health Helper, or salience filter if you like, are we capable of forgiving, putting things behind us and moving on in true faith rest and contentment.

Heave Ho

The other day I did a word study on "exalt" and discovered that the Hebrew word behind exalt is only translated exalt 26 out of 194 occurrences.  Most of the time it is translated "heave" as in the heave offerings.  I had always wondered about the heave offerings and now find that they were lifted up in exaltation to the Lord.  To exalt is to "lift up".

Age of Innocence

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

This dialogue with Jonah  over the destiny of the Ninevites implies a lot about God's mercy and accountability.  Evidently children that cannot tell their right hand from their left hand do not deserve judgment.  A good case for them being in heaven and the concept of the age of accountability.  Notice that God put the cattle in the same category!

The fact that He was willing to destroy the entire city if the adults did not repent speaks to the fact that His love and mercy did not outweigh the need for justice and judgment.

The prophet Jonah did not want to see mercy extended to these enemies of the Jews.  Ironic because the Jews via the Abrahamic covenant were supposed to be a conduit for blessing to all peoples of the earth.  A role that we as children of faith have been given and should take seriously.

Mene Mene Teckel Upharsin

And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
		This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
		TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
		PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. Did you ever wonder what Jesus wrote on the ground before the woman caught in adultery and her accusers in John 8? The last time that same finger wrote anything in recorded history was in Daniel 5.  The message would be entirely appropriate only this time a translation would not be necessary because every Jewish child would know the dramatic story from Daniel.  It was a message to the Jewish leaders that brought the woman and applied to them as well to the temple worship they were about to lose because, though they could recognize the woman's sin, they would not recognize God in person and His grace and salvation to all.

Chastening

A little word study on “chasten” made me realize that in English we only pick up on the punitive aspects of the word chasten.  The same Greek word’s use in the NT expands the concept greatly and we need to keep that in mind in our own relationship with God and with our children.

Act 7:22

And Moses was learned G3811 in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

Act 22:3

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught G3811 according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

1Ti 1:20

Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn G3811 not to blaspheme.

2Ti 2:25

In meekness instructing G3811 those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Tit 2:12

Teaching G3811 us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Heb 12:6

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, G3811 and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Heb 12:7

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth G3811 not?

Heb 12:10

For they verily for a few days chastened G3811 us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

Rev 3:19

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: G3811 be zealous therefore, and repent.

No Monday Blues for God

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." Heb 4:9

The clear teaching of the Sabbath in Hebrews chapters three and four is that the faith rest awaiting God's children is not another legalistic day to debate over but an eternal state of rest where we leave our "works" and enjoy His finished "works ordained for us to walk in" Eph 2:10

We erroneously think of a Sabbath as a break in the work schedule because we have to go back to work on Monday.  Not so for God.  When he finished the creation work his Sabbath state of being was final and permanent.  Spiritually, that is where we need to arrive.

Ye shall not surely die???

This is a strange sounding couple of verses but they expose the human dilemma.

Gen 2:17  "…for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Gen 3:5  "…Ye shall not surely die."

After taking the fruit they must have thought, "God was wrong, we did not die."  

One of the first steps back to God is finding the reality and all pervasiveness of our deadness.

The beauty of redemption is that when we come back to God through Christ we have a quality of life superior to Adam's original state.