The Lord of Hosts

Posted on May 25, 2026 by russellmckinney

Series: “The Names of God” (post #1)

The Bible’s Old Testament provides a long list of names for God. Unfortunately, most of us can’t read the Old Testament in its original Hebrew, and so we miss out on these names. For example, if someone asks us, “Where in the Old Testament is God called a shepherd?” we’ll be quick to quote Psalm 23:1, where David writes, “The Lord is my shepherd….” But what we don’t realize is that the Hebrew words Jehovah Roi are behind those translated English words “The Lord is my shepherd.” That makes Jehovah Roi a name for God. He is “The Lord My Shepherd.”

In his pamphlet Knowing God By Name, David Jeremiah lists no less than 85 Old Testament names for God, each name being listed with its corresponding passage. He categorizes these 85 names under four major headings:

  • Heading #1 is “The Primary Names of God.” There are three of these: Elohim, Jehovah, and Adonai.
  • Heading #2 is “The Compound Names of the Lord God.” A few of these are Jehovah El Elohim, Jehovah El Elyon, and Jehovah El Emeth.
  • Heading #3 is “The Compound Names of God.” Some of these are El Bethel, El Elyon, and El Mauzi.
  • Heading #4 is “The Compound Names of Jehovah.” A few of these are Jehovah Goelekh, Jehovah Magen, and Jehovah Makkeh.

Along the same lines, Tony Evans, in his book The Power of God’s Names, lists over 80 of the Old Testament’s names for God. Like David Jeremiah, he breaks the list down into those same four categories, the only exception being that he labels the first heading “The Foundational Names of God” rather than the “The Primary Names of God.” For the purposes of his book, Evans then pulls out 14 of the Old Testament names and devotes a chapter to each one.

What I’d like to do for the next handful of blog posts is take the Evans approach and cite a few of God’s name for special emphasis. For this first post in the series I’ll go with the name Jehovah Sabaoth. That names means “The Lord of Hosts.” This name is used for God over 250 times in the Old Testament. The first usage is found in 1 Samuel 1:3, which says of Elkanah, who would soon father the prophet Samuel:

This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh… (N.K.J.V.)

Even though the Hebrew noun for “host” — saba —  has a varied list of meanings, it most frequently refers to either some type of military service or some type of army. Similarly, when the word is used as a verb it means “to muster an army” or “to wage war.” In light of all this, the name “The Lord of Hosts” speaks of God as being a mighty General. He is the Commander in Chief of the unbeatable army of heaven’s angels. The name is similar to another Old Testament name, Jehovah Elohim Tsebaoth, which means “The Lord God of Hosts.” That name is used in Psalm 59:5, where David (who was a great leader of armies himself) writes:

You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors… (N.K.J.V.)

The takeaway from all this for you, Christian, is that God is the leader of a mighty army that can come to your aid if your situation requires it. This is why you would do well to learn to call Him by His name Jehovah Sabatoh in prayer. If you can’t remember the Hebrew, or if you worry that you aren’t pronouncing it correctly, just go with the English “The Lord of Hosts.” That will work just fine.

What we are talking about here is you evoking God’s military name when you sense that a group of demons from Satan’s demonic army is coming against you in the spiritual realm. You are no match for such an opposing force, and God knows it. Therefore, He is willing to dispatch some of His angelic army to help you overcome your battles with spiritual warfare. What you must learn to do, though, is talk to Him in the most effective manner to accomplish that specific purpose. And what we’ve learned from today’s post is that those prayers evoke the name Jehovah Sabatoh (The Lord of Hosts).

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Demons, Fear, God's Love, God's Omnipotence, God's Omnipresence, God's Name, God's Provision, God's Sovereignty, Persecution, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Satan, Series: "The Names of God", Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, The Devil, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dying Chickens

Posted on May 22, 2026 by russellmckinney

A farmer had 600 chickens. Half of them died and the other half started acting sickly. He called the local agricultural agent, told him the situation, and asked, “What should I do?” The agent said, “You need to give the remaining 300 some penicillin.”

Not wanting to lose any more chickens, the farmer dutifully carried out his assignment. A few days later, though, another half of the chickens were dead. He called the agent again and said, “The penicillin didn’t work. Now I’m down to 150 chickens. What do you suggest?” The agent answered, “Give them some castor oil twice a day. That ought to help.”

So, the farmer did as he was told. Despite his efforts, though, another 100 of his chickens died a couple of days later. He called the agent again and said, “Now I’m down to 50 chickens. Please, you’ve got to help me.” The agent said, “You mean the castor oil didn’t work? Boy, that’s strange. Okay, give each chicken an aspirin twice a day. I feel confident that will do the trick.”

One more time the farmer did as he was told, but again his efforts proved futile and the last 50 of his chickens died. He called the agent again and said, “I just want you to know that all of my chickens are dead now.” The agent said, “Really? That’s a shame. I had a lot more remedies to try.”

Many times, we operate like that agricultural agent. Our marriages aren’t working? “Let’s try this.” Our relationships with our kids are broken? “Let’s give this a shot.” Our financial situations are a mess? “Maybe this will work.” Our churches are disasters? “The latest book says we should do this.”

We seem to never run out of plots, plans, schemes, and quick fixes. Our human logic is boundless, and our human reasoning knows no end. If one thing doesn’t work, we just try another. Then another. Then another. And there’s always a new book, a new video, a new movement, or a new fad that confidently claims to have the answer. But no matter what we try, our decline continues.

When will we realize that God is the one who has the answers we need? He is the one who can correctly diagnose the problem and tell us what to do about it. He is the great fixer. But isn’t it sad that we will act upon everybody’s advice except His? It reminds me of the married couple who were discussing a certain problem they were having. The wife said, “I think we need to pray about this.” Flabbergasted, the husband replied, “Pray? Has it come to that?”

For one thing, God instructs us through His written word, the Bible. For another, He instructs us through circumstances — closed doors, open doors, problems, and opportunities. Best of all, if we are born again Christians, He instructs us through His Spirit who dwells inside us. The fact is, though, that God can’t help us if we either don’t ask for His help or don’t carry out His instructions. You see, the breakdown occurs on our end, not His. And until we get our end in proper working order, our chickens will keep dying.

Posted in Adversity, Bible Study, Change, Children, Church, Counsel, Decisions, Disobedience, Dying To Self, Family, God's Guidance, God's Omniscience, God's Provision, God's Will, God's Word, Marriage, Money, Needs, Obedience, Parenting, Prayer, Problems, Rebellion, Scripture, The Bible, The Holy Spirit, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

You Never Know

Posted on May 20, 2026 by russellmckinney

With each passing year the name “Billy Graham” becomes less recognizable to the younger folks. This seems strange to those of us who grew up watching Graham’s crusades on television, reading his Decision magazine, buying his books, hearing all about the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and thinking of him as “America’s pastor.” To paraphrase a line from Exodus 1:8 and put a modern spin on it, a generation is arising that does not know Graham.

Any generation that does not know Billy Graham doesn’t know Cliff Barrows, either. He was Graham’s right-hand man for close to fifty years, serving as Graham’s song leader for his crusades and as the host of Graham’s weekly Hour of Decision radio program. The two traveled the world together and became as close as brothers. Barrows died in 2016 at the age of 93. Graham died in 2018 at the age of 99.

The story of how Barrows began working with Graham is a classic example of God’s providence. In 1945, Barrows and his fiancée, Billie, scraped together enough money for a simple wedding, two train tickets, and a honeymoon in a resort hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. When they arrived at the hotel, however, they learned that it had been shut down. So there they were, newlyweds, stranded in a strange town, with no room and little money.

They didn’t even have a destination in mind when they thumbed a ride and happened to be picked up by a sympathetic local. He drove them to a grocery store that was owned by a woman he knew. She had a vacant room directly above her store. That’s where Cliff and Billie spent the night, in a room above a grocery store in a strange town.

The next day Cliff pulled out his trombone and began playing Christian songs. Not only was the store owner impressed with his musical talent, she took a liking to the young couple and arranged for them to spend the rest of their honeymoon at a friend’s house. Several days later that friend invited the couple to attend a Youth for Christ rally in Asheville. The featured speaker at the rally was a twenty-six-year-old evangelist named Billy Graham.

After arriving at the rally, Barrows learned that the song leader/piano player was sick and Graham was looking for a volunteer to fill in that night. Barrows’ name was submitted to Graham, and Barrows was awarded the job when Graham grabbed both of his hands and said, “No time to be choosy!” That’s how the two men first met, and that meeting began a lifetime ministry partnership that became the stuff of evangelistic legend.

Was it chance that brought those two men together? Fate? Destiny? Blind luck? Nope. It was a sovereign God who knows how to turn unplanned meetings into divine encounters. That’s why we shouldn’t question Him or get mad at Him when our plans get upset and things don’t go like we expect them to go. We never fully know what He is up to in our lives, and His plans can be infinitely greater than anything we would ever dare plan for ourselves. As the Bible says in Ephesians 3:20-21:

 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Adversity, Business, Complaining, Disappointment, Doubt, Faith, Friendship, God's Omnipotence, God's Timing, God's Foreknowledge, God's Guidance, God's Omniscience, God's Provision, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Needs, Problems, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Being in a Relationship With a Jealous God

Posted on May 18, 2026 by russellmckinney

A.B. Simpson, the great Canadian preacher, used to tell the story of a father and a daughter. One day the father was sitting in his library reading one of his many books. At his feet was his little girl. She wore a cheap bead necklace around her neck as she played quietly.

Suddenly the father looked down at her and said, “Darling, do you love me?” The child answered, “Yes, Daddy, I love you more than anything else in the world.” Upon hearing that, the father said, “Then I want you to throw your necklace into the fire.”

Now the little girl was confused. “Daddy, do you really mean it?” she asked. “Yes,” said the father, “I really mean it. If you love me enough, you will want to please me at any cost.” The little girl didn’t respond immediately, but after a few agonizing seconds of inward turmoil she finally did stand up, walk over to the fireplace, take off her necklace, and throw it into the fire. Then she ran to her father, hugged him, and with tears in her eyes said, “Daddy, I don’t understand why you wanted me to do that, but I do love you.”

A few weeks later the father and child found themselves in that same library setting once again. This time, however, the father pulled a jewel case from his pocket, opened it, and brought out a beautiful necklace of real pearls. He reached it down to his daughter and said, “Darling, I want you to put these on your neck and wear them for me.” The child’s eyes filled with tears again as she gave her father another hug and said, “Daddy, I think I understand now.”

In Exodus 34:14, God illustrates how jealous He is by saying that His very name is Jealous. This shows us just how seriously He takes His relationship with His people. He doesn’t want anything or anyone to come between us and Him. Like a jealous spouse, God wants us all to Himself.

A.B. Simpson’s story reminds me of the Biblical story of God asking Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-19). The request was a test for Abraham, a test that would prove how much he loved God. Isaac, as you might recall, was the miracle baby, the promised son that Abraham and his wife Sarah had waited 25 years to hold. Now God was commanding Abraham to travel to the land of Moriah and offer the now grown Isaac as a burnt offering. The whole thing seemed crazy to Abraham, but he nevertheless obeyed.

If you know the story, you know that God stopped Abraham just as Abraham was about to inflict the fatal blow with a knife. The test was over and Abraham had made an A+. The Angel of the Lord (an Old Testament preincarnate appearance of Jesus) then pronounced a great promise of blessing upon Abraham and his seed. Likening the story to A.B. Simpson’s, that was God handing Abraham an expensive pearl necklace.

Christian, the takeaway for each of us isn’t hard to understand. We must constantly stay on guard against allowing anything or anyone to come between us and God. Remember that God’s name is Jealous. That means that He is going to deal with whatever or whoever interferes with our relationship to Him. I don’t know what your “necklace” or your “Isaac” is, but you’d better make sure that it doesn’t become bigger than God in your life. And if God ever does ask you to give up something for Him, just know that He will reward you handsomely on the back end, not just in this life but in the one to come (Mark 10:28-30).

Posted in Commitment, Desires, Discipleship, Faithfulness, God's Name, God's Will, Idolatry, Jealousy, Love, Obedience, Priorities, Rebellion, Reward, Service, Sports, Submission, Trusting In God, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Getting Right About Being Wrong

Posted on May 15, 2026 by russellmckinney

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13, N.K.J.V.)

A businessman stopped at a restaurant and ordered a cup of coffee. The waitress didn’t even try to disguise her annoyance at such a small order that would no doubt be followed by a small tip. When she did return with the cup of coffee her body language let the businessman know that she didn’t appreciate him or his order. But as she walked away, the businessman dared to press the situation even further. He said, “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like some cream, some sugar, a spoon, a napkin, and a saucer for the cup.” Now the waitress was really perturbed. She said, “Well, aren’t you the demanding one?” To that the businessman replied, “Hey, look at it from my point of view. All I ordered was a cup of coffee and you made five mistakes with that!”

It cuts against our human nature to admit when we are wrong. Since being wrong walks hand in hand with being inadequate or inferior, for us to admit wrongdoing is tantamount to admitting that we require improvement. It is us saying to the world, “I didn’t measure up in this particular situation.”

Christian, could it be that you are right now in the wrong about something? Maybe you are committing a wrong act. Maybe you are thinking a wrong thought. Maybe you are harboring a wrong opinion. Maybe you are working on a wrong project. Maybe you are holding a wrong attitude. Maybe you are judging someone wrongly. Maybe you are chasing a wrong dream.

Each of us would do well to submit to a self-assessment and ask God to show us any way in which we are in the wrong. We shouldn’t invent something if nothing is there, but we definitely shouldn’t ignore something that God points out to us. If He does point out something, our proper response is to utter those two awful words, “I’m wrong” and ask Him to help us get in the right. And it goes without saying that if our wrong crosses over the line and actually becomes sin, we should confess the sin, repent of it immediately, and find our forgiveness in Jesus.

The Bible is filled with characters who did wrong things. It lets us see people “warts and all.” It is also, however, a book that sings the praises of admittance, confession, and repentance. According to an old saying, the first thing you must do to get out of a hole is stop digging. Well, in regards to you getting right about being wrong, for you to stop digging you must admit your wrongdoing.

You see, you’re never going to make any progress with the Lord as long as your mouth is full of excuses for why you are doing wrong. That’s not what He wants to hear from you. What He wants to hear from you is, “Lord, I realize now that I’ve been wrong; please help me get right.” Yes, everything really does start with you admitting that you’re wrong, but if you won’t even do that, all that’s left to say to you is, “Keep digging.”

Posted in Addiction, Attitude, Backsliding, Change, Character, Confession, Conscience, Conviction, Disobedience, Forgiveness, God's Love, God's Mercy, Grace, Guilt, Lying, Making Restitution, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Repentance, Restoration, Sin | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Posted on May 13, 2026 by russellmckinney

A farmer had lived on the same farm all his life. He’d been born and raised there and had received the farm as an inheritance when his parents had died. It was a good farm, but the farmer had begun to think that maybe he’d like to stretch his wings a bit and try living somewhere new. This prompted him to contact a real estate agent and request that the agent come out to the farm and meet with him.

The agent came and said, “So, you’re thinking about selling your farm?” The farmer answered, “Yep, I used to love living here, but lately I’ve started wondering what I’m missing out on somewhere else.” The agent said, “I understand. Let’s go into the kitchen and sit down at the table. You can tell me all about the place and I’ll write up a description to run as an advertisement.”

As the two men sat there at the kitchen table, the farmer began his description. “This farm has 100 acres,” he said. “The soil will grow just about anything — corn, potatoes, beans, or whatever else I think I can sell. The barn is in good shape. It’s got a fresh coat of paint from last year and the roof was replaced about three years ago. There’s a John Deere tractor sitting in there that goes with the place. I bought that tractor nine or ten years ago but it still runs like new. There’s some livestock that go with the sale, too. I’ve got about twenty head of cattle, three good horses, and a milk cow.”

The farmer continued. “This farm house is about 2,200 square feet. Upstairs, it’s got three bedrooms and a bathroom, and there’s another bedroom and bathroom downstairs. I had to buy a new cooking stove about five years ago and a new refrigerator about a year ago. The furnace doesn’t give me any problems at all. The roof is solid, and I’ve got a well out back that holds up during the worst droughts. Oh, and about water, did I mention that there is a creek that runs along the southern boundary of the farm? That creek is full of trout. I take a day off every now and then, catch myself a mess of fish, and have a big ole’ fish fry.”

As the farmer relayed all this information, the real estate agent wrote furiously. Finally, the agent said, “Okay, here’s a rough draft of what I’ll run” and then read what he had written. As the farmer sat there listening the agent could tell by the man’s facial expression that the advertisement was having an effect. The agent thought, “I’m going to make a nice commission on this place.” But once he finished, he learned just what effect the advertisement was having. The farmer said, “Hold everything! I’ve changed my mind about selling. I’ve been dreaming about a place like this all my life!”

The Bible is filled with stories in which God’s people move to new locations. Sometimes those moves are the consequences of sin. Under this category, we can file the stories of Adam and Eve being forced to leave Eden and the people of Judah being deported to Babylon.

Other times, however, the moves are simply the result of God’s will being done. Under this category, we can file the stories of Abraham moving from Ur to Canaan and Philip moving his ministry from Samaria to Gaza. Both of those moves were accomplished because God commanded them.

And then there are the moves that are nothing less than examples of God providing deliverance for His people. Think about Israel’s great exodus out of Egypt, for example. Also, there is Ruth being delivered from a life of obscurity in Moab to one of prominence as Boaz’s wife in Bethlehem

My point is that God’s will must be discerned regarding each potential move. It isn’t always His will to stay, but it isn’t always His will to move. Sometimes He says, “Go,” and other times He says, “Stay.” That’s why I’m typically hesitant about advising anyone in such matters. I have a hard enough time figuring out when I’m supposed to stay and when I’m supposed to go!

What I can tell you is that Proverbs 3:5-6 has always been a help to me anytime I’ve stood at the crossroad of decision. And so, I’ll offer these verses as the close to this post. I trust that they will be as much of a blessing to you as they have been to me in decisions past:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding: In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Change, Choices, Contentment, Decisions, Desires, Discernment, God's Guidance, God's Will, Obedience, Personal, Temptation, Trusting In God, Work | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Mechanic

Posted on May 11, 2026 by russellmckinney

As an old story goes in the early 1900s a husband and his wife purchased one of those newfangled Model T Fords. They took it out for a drive one day, but something happened to the engine and the car came to a dead halt. The husband opened up the hood and started tinkering with anything he could find under there, but nothing he did made the car fire again. After a while he became convinced that he had thrown away his money on something that would end up being nothing more than a fad. So, he closed the hood and started figuring how he and his wife were going to get home.

Along about then a brand new Model T came chugging down the road. The car pulled over and the driver climbed out. He was a distinguished looking elderly gentleman wearing a high collar. He asked the husband, “What’s the matter, friend?” The husband answered, “The dang thing’s broke. I knew I shouldn’t have bought it.” The elderly gentlemen said, “Will you let me see what I can do?” The disgruntled husband replied, “Go ahead, but it won’t do you any good.”

The elderly gentlemen promptly pulled a screwdriver and a pair of pliers from somewhere, lifted up the hood, and tinkered with the engine for just a moment or two. Then he said to the husband, “Now pull up on the crank once.” Reluctantly the husband did as he was instructed, and the little engine immediately roared to life.

As the elderly gentleman started making his way back to his car, the husband yelled, “Hey, wait a minute. Thank you so much. Who are you?” The elderly gentleman just started his car and began to pull away. As he rolled by, though, he waved at the couple, gave a big smile, and said, “My name is Henry Ford. I made your car.”

I don’t know if this story is historically true, but even if it isn’t it surely could be. And just as Henry Ford could have fixed any Model T that he happened to find broken down on the side of the road, Jesus Christ can fix any broken-down human life that lies in disrepair on the side of life’s highway. He is, after all, the one who creates each person. Don’t believe it? Then consider the following passages (all from the N.K.J.V.):

Then God (God is God the Father, Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit) said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27, explanation mine)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth…(Acts 17:26)

for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.” (Acts 17:28)

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (1 Corinthians 8:5-6)

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:8-9)

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16-17)

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (1 Corinthians 8:6)

“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For you created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. (Revelation 22:13)

In regards to that last reference, Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. In English, Jesus would say, “I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” This means that not only is He the A and the Z, He is also all the other letters in between those two and all the words that can be made from all those letters. Therefore, He is a Savior who can definitely help you get your life running smoothly again if you will allow Him to work on you. After all, who knows you better than the One who made you?

Posted in Change, Creation, Dying To Self, God's Omnipotence, God's Omnipresence, God's Guidance, God's Omniscience, God's Provision, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Individuality, Needs, Problems, Reconciliation, Salvation, Submission, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Baptizing Your Job Into Service to Christ

Posted on May 8, 2026 by russellmckinney

There once was a young man named Arsene who lived in Paris, France. Arsene worked as a grocer, but he absolutely hated his job because he felt like he was meant for bigger things. In his mind, circumstances created by a cruel world had robbed him of his true destiny and had conspired to keep him in his lowly place.

Finally, there came a time when Arsene could no longer stand his situation and committed suicide by hanging. He left a note in which he railed against his lot in life and asked his parents to place a simple tombstone over his grave. The inscription on the tombstone was to read: “Born to be a man; died a grocer.”

The hard, cold fact of life is that the majority of us are born to be “grocers” of some sort. We aren’t rich. We aren’t powerful. We do what we have to do, not what we want to do. Factory workers. Cashiers. Truck drivers. Cooks. Maids. Desk clerks. Waitresses. On and on the list goes. None of these jobs will make you a millionaire or land you on a list of the world’s most influential people.

Isn’t it interesting, though, that Jesus chose the life of a lowly person for His worldly existence? He was born in a stable — maybe it was a cave, a barn, or some other such place — rather than in a palace. His first crib was an animal’s feeding trough. He was raised as the earthly son of a carpenter.

He never owned a home. He didn’t have a closet full of clothes. He didn’t demand an audience with the Emperor of Rome or the Jewish High Priest. He depended upon the hospitality of others. He ate with anyone who would eat with Him and sought out society’s undesirables: rough fisherman, despised tax collectors, scarlet women, lepers, and demon-possessed people.

You tell me, if Jesus had lived in Paris during the days when Arsene lived there, would He have looked upon that grocer as being beneath Him? You know that answer. The chances are more likely that He would have gone into the place of business where Arsene worked and made a point of speaking to him. Remember, this is the same Savior who said:

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20, N.I.V.)

Does this quote mean that Jesus loves poor people more than He does rich people? No. And it doesn’t mean that every poor person has an automatic pass into Heaven, either. What it does mean is that Jesus doesn’t use the same standards as the world in dealing with people. He doesn’t dismiss the lowly out of hand. He doesn’t see them as a means to an end. To Him, they are every bit as important as the richest people on earth.

It’s a shame that Arsene either didn’t know this about Jesus or didn’t place enough value upon it. It’s a shame the young fellow didn’t understand that there is no greater version of being a “man” than serving Jesus and letting Him use you, regardless of your station in life, to serve others. In Jesus’ way of thinking, true greatness comes through serving. To Him, greatness isn’t ruling the world; it’s washing the feet of others (John 13:1-13).

Christian, let me encourage you today to take whatever role you are playing in life right now and “baptize” it into service to Jesus. You see, it’s not just the pastor, the evangelist, or the missionary who can be classified as being in full-time service to Jesus. The fact is that every Christian should see himself or herself as being in such service. Does Jesus need a servant in the pulpit? Yes, but He also needs one in the factory. Does He need one on the mission fields? Yes, but He also needs one in the grocery store. This is what Arsene, tragically, never realized. May the same not be said of you.

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A Weekly Reminder

Posted on May 6, 2026 by russellmckinney

The April 16, 1990, edition of People magazine featured the story of a young man who was in the midst of paying off an interesting sentence for drunk driving. Eight years earlier his drinking and driving had resulted in the death of an eighteen-year-old girl. He had been found guilty of drunk driving and given a sentence of three years probation and one month of community service.

“He got off light,” you say? Well, there was one other stipulation to his sentence. As part of the civil suit the girl’s parents brought against him, the young man had been ordered to send a check (made out to the deceased victim) for $1 every Friday for eighteen years.

$1 every Friday adds up to $52 per year, and $52 for eighteen years adds up to $936. While that wasn’t much money when compared to a young girl’s life, the amount wasn’t the issue anyway. The weekly checks were simply the parents’ way of keeping the young man reminded that he had killed their child. As they said, “We do want him to remember. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want him to accept it — and get on with his life.”

While I can sympathize with those parents’ loss, their quote sounds illogical to me. I mean, it’s pretty hard to accept something and get on with your life when you are vividly reminded of it once a week for eighteen years. It would have made more sense if they had stopped at, “We do want him to remember.”

The article pointed out that there had been weeks when the young man had failed to send the check. His reasoning was, “It hurts too much.” That tells us all we need to know about how effective the punishment was. If those parents wanted the young man to remember his sin, that mission got accomplished.

This whole story makes me very thankful that when God forgives, He forgets. Do you need some scripture on that? Okay, here you go. In Isaiah 43:25, God says:

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my Own sake; And I will not remember your sins. (N.K.J.V.)

Here’s another one. In Psalm 103:12, David, writing under the inspiration of God, writes:

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (N.K.J.V.)

Best of all, this promise gets applied to New Testament Christians by way of Hebrews 8:12, which references Jeremiah 31:34 where God says:

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. (N.K.J.V.)

That phrase “as far as the east is from the west” in the Psalm 103:12 reference is David’s poetic way of describing the infinity into which God casts the forgiven sinner’s transgressions. If a traveler starts out traveling east and continues going that way, he will always be traveling east. There is no point where he will cross some line and begin traveling west. In the same way, when God forgives sins, He sends them into a metaphorical oblivion and remembers them no more.

Because of all this, the question that each of us needs to ask is, “Have my sins been forgiven and forgotten in this way?” And the answer is: They have if you have authentically believed in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Jesus was God the Son in human flesh, and His death on the cross was Him playing the role of the sacrificial lamb whose shed blood has the power to cleanse sins and thoroughly remove them not only from the sinner’s eternal record but also from God’s own memory.

This means that once you know Jesus as Savior, He will never remind you of your sins. Unfortunately, the devil will do that. You can bank on that. As Revelation 12:10 describes him, he is the accuser of the brethren. For that matter, you can even remind yourself. Many Christians needlessly make a habit of dwelling on their past sins. But Jesus won’t remind you. The forgiveness He provides is not conditional or probationary, and this should make us want to serve Him all the more.

Posted in Assurance of Salvation, Christ's Death, Comfort, Confession, Conscience, Eternal Security, Forgiveness, God's Mercy, Grace, Guilt, Making Restitution, Peace, Salvation, Satan, Seeking Forgiveness, Sin, Spiritual Warfare, The Devil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Choosing the East Side of the Jordan

Posted on May 4, 2026 by russellmckinney

Numbers chapter 32 provides us with a fascinating twist in the history of Moses and the Israelites. The twist involves the tribes of Reuben and Gad as well as half the tribe of Manasseh, and it holds multiple metaphorical lessons for us in regards to the spiritual life. That’s why every Christian should understand the story.

As the story opens, Moses and the Israelites are in the final stages of their forty years of wandering in the wilderness regions surrounding the land of Canaan. Those forty years had been God’s judgment upon the people for being too unbelieving and cowardly to cross over the Jordan river, go to war with the inhabitants of Canaan, and take the land forty years earlier (Numbers chapters 13 and 14). But now a new generation of Israelites was preparing to right the wrong of that previous generation.

God had already decreed that Moses himself would not be the one to lead the nation in its conquest of Canaan. A certain sin that Moses had recently committed at Kadesh had cost him that opportunity (Numbers 20:1-13). Joshua (Moses’ right-hand man, successor, and military General) would be the one to lead Israel in the conquering of Canaan. In the run-up to that full-scale invasion, certain territories on the eastern side of the Jordan river had already been conquered (Numbers chapters 21 through 31).

That set the stage for the events of Numbers chapter 32. As part of those recent victories, the Israelites had conquered the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead. Basically, this was all the territory between the Arnon river and the Yarmuk river (Joshua 12:1-6). What made those lands particularly appealing was the fact that they were perfect for raising livestock. This appeal hadn’t gone unnoticed by the Israelite tribes of Reuben and Gad, both of which owned large herds of livestock, most of which were the spoils of a recent plundering of the Midianites (Numbers chapter 31). The appeal of the lands caused the leaders of the two tribes to think, “No matter what the other side of the Jordan river holds for us, it can’t be better than what we have right here.”

So, the leaders of the two tribes went to Moses and asked if he would give them the lands as their inheritance and allow them to settle there (32:1-5). They even said, “Do not take us over the Jordan (v.5, N.K.J.V.) But Moses’ response, not unpredictably, was one of fury. He accused the two tribes of being cowards who wanted to remain in safety while their fellow tribes went to war in Canaan (32:6-7). He also told them they were acting like their ancestors had acted forty years earlier in refusing to take Canaan (32:8-14) and called them “a brood of sinful men” (32:14).

It was at this point that the leaders of the two tribes explained to Moses that they had no intention of not taking part in the fighting to settle Canaan. Was their response a “plan B” explanation they devised on the spot when they realized how appalled Moses was at their request? Perhaps. At any rate, their proposed plan began with them first preparing their requested lands by building pens for their livestock and cities for their women and children (32:16-17). Once those projects were completed, the fighting men from the two tribes would then take their place in Israel’s army, cross over the Jordan with the rest of Israel, and continue the warfare until Canaan was completely conquered (32:18). They would even take point by going “before” the children of Israel (32:17). Only when the land was conquered would they return to their families and herds by crossing back over the Jordan river (32:19).

After hearing this explanation Moses agreed to the request, but he warned them that they had better live up to their part of the deal (32:20-24). If they didn’t God would judge them harshly. Since Moses already knew that he wouldn’t be around to ensure that everything got handled correctly, he called in Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the heads of all the tribes and explained the agreement to them (32:28-32). At some point, half the tribe of Manasseh got in on the deal as well because they also had livestock and liked the looks of the lands (32:39-42). A full listing of the lands and the cities that ultimately either got built, rebuilt, or conquered on the “safe” side of the Jordan river is provided in Numbers 32:33-42.

In the end, the fighting men from Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh did make good on their agreement with Moses, and they did return to their lands and settle there. Joshua 13:15-33 tells us that the tribe of Reuben settled in the southern portion of the lands, the tribe of Gad settled in the northern portions, and half the tribe of Manasseh settled furthest north in Bashan. (According to Joshua 13:1-7, the other half of the tribe of Manasseh settled in its allotted portion of Canaan.) 

All this brings us to the question: “When all the dust was settled from the centuries that would follow, was the decision of the two and a half tribes to settle on the east side of the Jordan river a good one?” The answer to that is, no. Consider the results of the decision:

  1. By agreeing to join their fellow Israelites in the war to conquer Canaan, the men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were forced to remain away from their wives and children for the length of the war. That turned out to be a period of seven long years.
  2. By settling on the eastern side of the Jordan river, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh forfeited the natural protection of the Jordan river and left themselves susceptible to attacks from the east.
  3. In 732 B.C., the Assyrians invaded Israel from the east. And who were the first tribes they defeated and carried off as prisoners of war? Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (1 Chronicles 5:1-26).

So, what spiritual lessons can we Christians learn from this story? Well, here are a few, and I offer them as the close to this post. Consider each one carefully and take heed that you don’t fall victim to it:

  1. We must resist the temptation to place prosperity and easy living above obeying God’s plan for our lives. As James Mays writes in The Layman’s Bible Commentary, “The promise of prosperity loomed larger than the promise of a destiny as the People of the Land.”
  2. We must resist the temptation to succumb to the fleshly temptation of what looks good in our eyes. Just as those members of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh gazed lustfully and longingly upon those lands of Jazer and Gilead, Lot had once cast the same look upon the plain of Jordan, that plain where the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were located (Genesis 13:10-11). The results of Lot’s look, of course, proved similarly disastrous (Genesis 13:12-13; 14:1-17; 19:1-38).
  3. We must resist the temptation to settle for anything less than God’s fullest and best for us. As Merrill Unger writes in his Unger’s Commentary on the Old Testament, “How easy it is for God’s people to get so near to what is God’s purpose for them and yet be diverted from it by what is expedient from a worldly standpoint.”
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