–Proverbs 10:2 (NIV)
————————————-
          “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'”
      –Matthew 26:17-28 (NKJV)    “In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood.  This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”
            –1 Corinthians 11:25-26 (NKJV)

     I was helping my granddaughter work on a presentation she was to give and in doing so I decided I wanted to read the book she was studying.  To my shame, as I read the first chapter I became convicted; that chapter was about the blood of Christ.  I am convinced that we do little real thinking or contemplation on the Blood.  It is something of real value, but we spend little time, except perhaps during communion, to regard its purpose and value.  Blood is a gruesome sight, some can’t handle the sight of it, but it is the Blood that cleanses and disposes of our sins.  “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” (Robert Lowry).
     To look at this awesome topic–the Blood, I am going to borrow from Watchman Nee’s book, “The Normal Christian Life.”  The first thought that I am taking regarding the Blood is that it is primarily for God.  “The Blood is for atonement and has to do first with our standing before God.” (Nee)  God does not overlook our sin, but they are forgiven because He sees the Blood.  Think of the Tabernacle:  the sin offering was made publicly in the courtyard.  However, on the Day of Atonement, the blood of that offering was taken by the high priest into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled on the mercy seat (Leviticus 16).  Now, who is our high priest? (see Hebrews)  In the Old Testament, he was a type of Christ who offered His blood for our redemption.  Even earlier in Exodus, at the first Passover, God declares, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13)
     Let me use the words of Watchman Nee to show the value of the Blood.  “It is God’s holiness, God’s righteousness, which demands that a sinless life should be given for man.  There is life in the Blood, and that Blood has to be poured out for me, for my sins.  God is the One who requires it to be so….  The Blood of Christ wholly satisfies God…  If God is satisfied with the Blood, then the Blood must be acceptable.  Our valuation of it is only according to His valuation–neither more nor less.”  God accepted the precious blood of Jesus to be our propitiation for our sins.
     The second value of the Blood is manward.  We are able to enter the Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19), which cleanses our conscience.  Our conscience is now clean, and we are now the “temple”, and “Whether you have a good day or a bad day, whether you have consciously sinned or not, your basis of approach is always the same–the Blood of Christ.” (Nee)  Paul writes, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13, NKJV)
     Finally, we see that the Blood is Satanward.  Satan is the accuser and the Blood puts God on man’s side.  “The Blood removes the barrier [between God and man] and restores man to God and God to man.  Man is in favor now and because God is on his side he can face Satan without fear.” (Nee)  I think of the words of the song by Andrae Crouch:
               “It soothes my doubts and calms my fears
               And it dries all my tears,
               The blood that gives me strength
               From day to day
               It will never lose its power.”
Satan has no appeal against the Blood.  The writer of Hebrews declares, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (9:14, NKJV)  It is therefore vital we trust in the Blood.  When Satan comes at you in whatever form, we know that he can do nothing for God has accepted the sacrifice, our redemption by the blood of Christ.  Peter writes, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition for your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19, NKJV)  Take hold and understand the value of the Blood–“Would you be free from the burden of sin?  There’s power in the blood…”. (L.E. Jones)
     Try this for a week or two for your devotions.  Read and contemplate each day on a hymn about the blood.  See if it doesn’t change your view, humble you, enrich your soul and give insight to your mind.

                    –Philippians 2:13  (Phillips)
———————————-
PROVERBS 19:21  
     “Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.” –NASB
     “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”  –ESV
     “You can make plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”  –NLT
     “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.”  –KJV

We live in a time of confusion!  There is WOKEism, Cultural Progressivism, CRT, relative truth, and on and on.  There is confusion within the ideas of man himself–confusion over gender, rights, territories, politics, ideologies, and on and on.  In each of our lives, if we are not careful we can get confused and make ourselves miserable.  Sarah Sherstad made the statement, “The busyness of life can numb or blind us to God’s will.”  Sad, but true.  We get so caught up in our agenda (man’s) and we forget to look to the Lord and focus on His will.
     Man sure has made a mess of things.  When man attempts to go his own way, do what is right in his own eyes, there can be nothing but chaos, confusion, mayhem, and evil.  Man has ideas and will try to explain things and offer solutions, some of which might work for a time, but God gives man the right advice.  If common sense, which there is little of these days, is based upon the principles of God’s Word it will work, but if man has a solution it is like putting a bandaid on a tumor.  Only God can truly put sense into life.
     Let me tell you that no one person, no political party, no ideology, no psychology has the solution.  Someone wrote, “A man’s devices change in proportion as his feelings and desires vary; and these are changeable in proportion as he lacks perfection in his moral nature.”  Times change–purposes change.  Man will attempt to make change and these changes come with two plans:  one is without the counsel of God, the other is against the counsel of God.  God’s plans cannot be thwarted and He uses all of life’s circumstances towards the accomplishment of His purposes.  He works according to the counsel of His own will (Ephesians 1:11) and within the framework that His purpose is unchangeable (Hebrews 6:17)  “God’s design is fixed and paramount” (J. Foster) and no demagogue, no dictator, no political party or figure will change it.
     Think of what it would be like if God allowed the world to operate without His restraint?  Talk about chaos and confusion. It would be impossible to live any kind of normal life (and by the way–that day is coming in the near future when restraint is withdrawn–woe when that day comes).  Bob Beasley said, “Only the restraint of God, foiling the devices of people, and working out His own purposes, keeps us from plunging into the abyss.”  Fortunately for us as believers we do have a God who is there; One who guides and directs our lives.  One who has a plan and a purpose not only for this world, but for each one of us.  We rest in Him and in the security of His promises.  “God’s counsels are wise and holy, steady and uniform” (Matthew Henry).  We would do well to pay attention to them.
     Psalm 2 speaks of those who take counsel against the Lord.  They want to do things their way and will go to the extreme to mock His Word.  The result of this is laughter.  Yes, God laughs at those who think they have a better plan.  “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.  Then He will speak to them in anger and terrify them in His fury…” (2:4-5, NASB)  As Matthew Henry wrote, “All God’s purposes…are right and good, and shall be accomplished in due time.”  Hold on to His Word, do not doubt, do not get caught up in the hub-bub of the world and their newfangled ideas.  Listen, and get this into your mind and heart.  “There is no panic in Heaven!  God has no problems, only plans.” (Corrie ten Boom)

                    –Deuteronomy 16:19(NKJV)
—————————–
          “For three transgressions…and for four, I will not turn away its punishment.”  (Amos 1:11,13; 2:1)

     The dire prophecy now turns to Edom, the descendant of Esau.  Though distant relatives there was no love lost between the people.  Edom was east of Jordan and south of the Dead Sea.  They were a people known for their cruelty. (For more information regarding Edom read Obadiah).  From the time of Jacob and Esau there had been trouble.  Edom refused Moses passage through the land (Numbers 20:14-21), they were hostile and fought against Israel.  Esau may have forgiven Jacob but it is evident that Edom did not accept that forgiveness and continually expressed their wrath against Israel.  Lloyd Ogilvie states, “The problem with the rough-hewn, fierce, combative Edomites was not that they had other gods, but that they had no god at all.  Without God and any moral accountability, they ‘cast off all pity.'”  God didn’t mean anything to them as Esau’s birthright meant little to him.
     Amos condemns the Edomites for hating their brother, “because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked” (1:11, NIV).  Instead of helping their brother, “they acted like beasts instead of humans.” (Warren Wiersbe)  Known for their dehumanizing cruelty they also committed fratricide; the RSV translates it this way, “his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever” (1:11).  Anger and hatred and bitterness toward his brother–the result, fire would destroy the two major cities:  Teman and Bozrah.  “It was to become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse.” (Albert Garner)
     Then Amos turns his gaze to other distant relatives, the Ammonites and Moabites, the descendants of Lot through his incestuous union with his daughters.  They were ruthless people who were avowed enemies of the Jews (Wiersbe).  Ammon, under the justification that the land belonged to them, would raid the lands of Gilead committing atrocities.  They “ripped open the bellies of pregnant women slaughtering both mother and unborn child and thus eliminating part of the next generation. (Craigie)  Their deeds were vile and Peter Craigie writes, “They employed their violence against the defenceless and the unborn.  And for all the macho bragging with which they must have celebrated their violent deeds, those Ammonites have survived in history as the exemplars of cowardice.  Upon those without defence, they raised their bloodthirsty swords.”  Amos declares their future would be destroyed for God will judge their atrocities.  Their god, Moleck, will be unable to save them.
     The prophet now speaks to Moab.  A people of implacable hatred toward Israel.  We read in Numbers that the king of Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel.  They practiced human sacrifice and desecrated that which had been sacred.  The crime of Moab would be what we would call sacrilege.  There is “total lack of any respect for the lives, feelings and faith of others” (Craigie).
     Edom is no more, Ammon is no more, and Moab became the home of nomadic tribes, the nation gone.  Even though these people were not part of the covenant of Moses, they were responsible to God for their actions as are all people.  “God sees what the nations do, and He judges them accordingly” (Wiersbe).  Do not be under the illusion that God is not watching or that He is not involved.  It is God who controls the rise and fall of nations.  Paul tells us, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27, NKJV)
     The eye of the Lord is upon all.  Nothing escapes His notice.  The Chaldeans and Romans both brought destruction to these people who lost their identities as a separate group.  Notice also that these nations were judged by fire.  God’s justice is patient, but without repentance there comes a day of reckoning.  “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29, NKJV)