–Larry McMurtry  (Lonesome Dove)

       “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

                         –Psalm 118:8 (NKJV)
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I started reading the Letter to the Hebrews to begin the year.  Now, I don’t consider myself a biblical scholar by any means, but I think that when a word is repeated several times we should look at it.  The term “better” is mentioned nineteen times in the New Testament, thirteen of those times in Hebrews.  I want to take a look at these verses and let you ponder them this Wednesday morning.

      1:4, “Having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”  Think of this–the Creator of the angels, came to earth as a man, and became lower than the angers, and now has gone back to His rightful position in glory.
     6:9, “But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.”  I remember when as a kid I would do something not so pleasing, Dad would give me “that look” that said I thought better of you.  The writer here has that same look however not in an accusing manner, but knowing that we are capable of better things.
     7:7, “Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.”  How are you at blessing others?  
     7:19, “For the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”  Wow!  We now have a better hope to live this life–Jesus Christ.  We also have that better hope that awaits us in eternity.
     7:22, “By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.”  For sure!  The Law made us realize that we needed a Savior.  Jesus is that new covenant.
     8:6, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”  
     9:23, “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”  Christ is the better sacrifice–the final sacrifice for sin.  However, we should also be a living sacrifice and better because of the Holy Spirit within us.
     10:34, “For you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.”  
     11:16, “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”  There awaits for us a home far better than anything here on earth.
     11:35, “Women received their dead raised to life again.  Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.”  Hold on, hold on, no matter what, hold on for there is a better resurrection, a life eternal with God.
     11:40, “God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”  In Christ, life is much better.
     12:24, “To Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”  The sacrifice of Jesus, is much better; it is final, than any blood offering.

I hope to take more time studying this as I get to that portion of Scripture.  I’m taking it slowly, trying to digest what the writer is saying and how it applies to me.  However, with the word “better,” and what is on the surface of these verses I can begin to understand Paul’s view.  
               “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.”  (Philippians 1:23, NKJV)

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Mojave Crossing)

       “Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!  Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing.”

                    –Psalm 100:1-2 (NKJV)
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Here’s something that’ll tickle you going into 2023–“Life’s a mess and then you die.”  That’s from Psalm 88, but Psalm 89 has a totally different perspective.  The nation may be falling apart, stupidity may reign, but God is good and is faithful and bigger than our problems.  Look this morning at the first seven verses, oh, and it’s all right if you sing the chorus while you read.

       1 — I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.
       2 — For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”
       3 — I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David:
       4 — “Your seed I will establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations.”    Selah
       5 — And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.
       6 — For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD?  Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?
       7 — God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him.   (NKJV)

       How wonderful it is to know that we can always count upon the mercies and faithfulness of God.  He keeps His word at all times.  “God always stands committed to do what He says He will do.  He never forgets His word, never forfeits His promises, never violates His covenant.  Never does He pledge something and then fail to bring it to pass.”  (Steve Lawson)
       If you read the complete Psalm you will see the emphasis on the term “forever.”  God’s is faithful–forever.  God’s mercies last–forever.  F.B. Meyer states, “Mercy is a structure never done, layer on layer, story on story, tier on tier.  God’s faithfulness is sure as the heavens.”  God loves lasts–forever.  Because of the Lord’s mercy and faithfulness “we can live with solid confidence.” (Lawson)
       It is right that we should sing of God’s faithfulness.  I like what George O. Wood says, “Faith shines best when you declare God’s truth even though it contradicts how you feel.  God’s love stands firm forever, and His faithfulness is established in heaven itself.”  That’s one reason why God is greatly feared.  His faithfulness surrounds Him, what He said He would do, He will do.  He did it before and He’ll do it again.  His faithfulness to us is sound and sure.  Wood goes on to say, “The presence of faithfulness means God can be utterly relied upon.  The laws of mathematics, physics, genetics, gravity, and space all owe their existence to the predictability and dependability of God.  Indeed, faithfulness does surround Him.”  He is not going to take a vacation; He neither slumbers or sleeps.
       Throughout the new year make this a song from your heart.  “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing, I will sing…”. Joy rather than despair, victory instead of defeat, peace instead of gloom.  God is faithful!

               “Be still, my soul!  thy God doth undertake
               To guide the future as he has the past.
               Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
               All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
               Be still, my soul!  the waves and winds still know
               His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.”
                         –Katharina von Schlegel

                    –Exodus 20:18 (NLT)
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The New Year — oh, the hopes that are before each of us.  That’s good, but we must also live in the reality of life.  Life and the devil have a way of trying to crush hope.  No matter what happens we must keep our eyes on that heavenly light–the Holy Spirit.  Through the darkest nights, through the skies of gray days, through troubles and woes He is always there to lighten our way.
       I had one of those “midnight hymns.”  A song that I haven’t heard in ages.  My Aunt had an album by Red Foley (most of you won’t remember him) and he was singing this song.  The tune is nice, but the words came to me this first week of 2023.  It was written by Doyle Lawson.  I’ll give you the chorus first.

                          “There’s a light guiding me I can see heaven’s glory,
                          And it holds me steadfast to His way and His love.
                          It’s guiding me through temptation and evil,
                         There’s a light guiding me to that Heaven above.”

       The song starts where we must all start, with repentance.  Now, there is the repentance of salvation, but it is something that we need to practice every day.  We need to repent of the sins we committed, we need to repent of the sins we committed out of ignorance.  In other words, it should become a practice.  None of us are above repenting before the Lord.  Jesus died for all of us, for all of our sins.  Repent and let the Light guide us through each day, through each situation of life.

            “I’ve talked with the Lord many nights at my bedside,
            I’ve asked His forgiveness as I knelt to Him,
            And if I could repay I’d be only too willing
            For He died on the cross just to save us from sin.”

            To that distant shore many friends have gone ‘fore me,
            They are singing the victory of God’s love I know
            Through the valley of death I’ll be guided by Jesus,
            He will carry me over though I’m weak and low.”

       As I get older I see the value of obituaries; it’s to see who’s yet living.  As I age, more and more of the folks that I knew have succumbed to the grave.  Of course, that is to be expected.  I often wonder why people say, “Rest in Peace,” when, if they don’t know Jesus they will never rest in peace.  However, on the other hand, Christians can walk through that valley of death with confidence.  Their Lord is beside them and He’ll bear them across that great divide between life, death, and glory.  Old Charles Greenaway used to say that “we might not look like much when we cross into glory, but we’re going to make it.”

            “When that great day comes and I see heaven’s glory,
            I’ll hope that my soul will be free from all care;
            He’ll open the gates and bid me to enter,
            When the roll’s called up yonder I pray to be there.”

       When we all get to heaven, we’ll see those we looked for in the obituaries.  We’ll holler “Here” when the Master calls the roll in heaven.  Cares will all be gone, tears no more to shed.  We’re no longer heaven-bound, but we are there–home at last, never more to roam.  Now, in this new year, He will hold us steadfast, guiding us with His holy Light through this dark world.  Keep your eyes upon the Light of Jesus; follow the leading of the Holy Spirit throughout 2023.

                         –Zephaniah 1:16(NLT)
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I don’t want to leave Samson out in the wilderness waiting for his chance to fight the Philistines.  Remember, he was to judge Israel for twenty years; he was to begin to start the judgment against the enemy of God’s people.  We have found Israel to be in a sorry state.  They have freely given themselves over to the Philistines.  They have forgotten their identity and their promises before God.  They are complacent, especially the tribe of Dan.
       We don’t know all of the judgments that Samson was responsible for, only those that are told in the Bible.  He has just destroyed the livelihood of the Philistines by using the jackals/foxes to destroy the fields with fire.  (That is a feat in itself, 300 jackals tied together, then setting their tails afire.  It must have been quite a sight).  However, his fellow-men considered him a troublemaker.  He was wrecking the status quo and Samson found that even though he was to judge the people, he had no followers.
       Gary Inrig said that Samson was a “Man with passion for freedom in the middle of a society committed to compromise.”  Compromisers have no time for the committed; they would rather see Samson dead than change or join him to fight the Philistines.  These complacent people led by Judah conspire to turn Samson over to the Philistines.  Judah, wimpy Judah for it took 3000 men to betray their leader, tie his hands behind his back and give him to the Philistines.  Peace was more important than liberty.  “Sin dispirits men, nay, it infatuates them, and hides from their eyes the things that belong to their peace.” (Matthew Henry)
       Samson made them promise that they wouldn’t kill them.  The Spirit of the Lord was leading him.  The Philistines were rejoicing in the capture of Samson, they railed against him, mocked him.  “…Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.  He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reaching out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.” (Judges 15:14-15, NKJV)
       Samson was a freedom-fighter.  He saw what was happening to his tribe of Dan and to Israel.  Wiersbe writes, “A nation is in a sad state indeed when the citizens cooperate with the enemy and hand over their own God-appointed leader.”  I wonder what the men of Judah thought when they saw Samson break the cords.  I wonder if they were amazed when he began to fight the Philistines.  Here was their chance.  Join him, destroy the enemy, but they didn’t and Samson fought alone.