Judges 5:23,24 "Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent." In the song of Deborah and Barak, we find both a curse and a blessing: “Curse ye Meroz… because they came not to the help of the LORD”   (v.23), and “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be”   (v.24). Here, the Spirit of God draws a sharp contrast between indifference and devotion. One town is remembered for its cowardly refusal to stand with the LORD’s cause, while one woman, seemingly insignificant in the eyes of men, is forever honored for her courage and zeal. These two voices set before us the clear and unavoidable reality that God divides all men into two groups. There are no shades of gray, no safe middle ground. You are either blessed by God in Christ or cursed under the condemnation of sin. The curse fell on Meroz not because they openly fought against Israel, but because they stood indifferent. They would not come to the help of the LORD against the mighty. Indifference is never neutral. To stand aloof from Christ and His people is to stand opposed to Him. The LORD Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30) . He shows us in Matthew 25 that the cursed are those who had no regard for His brethren, who gave no food, no drink, no clothing, no shelter. They sought a false refuge in their own indifference, but in the end, the curse of God swallowed them up. But then, in stark contrast, we hear the blessing upon Jael. She was no one of reputation, no one of renown. She was, in the world’s eyes, insignificant. Yet God purposed her place, and at the appointed time, He brought Sisera to her tent. Though her very name meant “wild goat,” reminding us of what we are by nature—unruly, unclean, unfit—God set her apart for His glory. In this, she is a picture of God's sovereign grace in Christ. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, drunkards—all these are under the curse. And then he says, “Such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” That is the blessing. It is not earned, not deserved, not achieved, but freely given. Blessing means being set apart by God’s sovereign choice. As Paul wrote to Titus, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). It is God Who sanctifies, God Who justifies, God Who redeems. Jael reminds us that it is not the greatness of the instrument but the purpose of God that brings blessing. Her life and her place were ordained. She was in her tent, not in the battle, because God had placed her there. And when Sisera came, God delivered him into her hand. So it is with Christ’s people. Every detail of our life, every relationship, every circumstance, is ordered by His sovereign providence. Nothing is random, nothing is wasted. "" And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). But how is it that sinners are made blessed, when by nature we are Jaels—wild, guilty, condemned? The answer is the cross. Christ, the blessed One, became a curse for us. As Paul declares in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” He bore the curse that was ours, that we might be clothed in the blessing that is His. On that tree, the wrath that was due to His people was poured out on Him. In His death, He finished the work. In His resurrection, He obtained the blessing forever. And the end is sure. Judges 5 closes with these words: “So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might” (v. 31). The enemies of Christ will perish under the curse, but His people, loved and chosen, washed and justified, will shine in the light of His glory. Outside of Christ, there is only the curse, whether in indifference like Meroz or in open rebellion. But in Christ there is Blessing without end, Blessing that sets apart the unworthy, Blessing that ordains every step, Blessing that flows from the cross where the curse was borne. To be in Christ is to be blessed above all, not in ourselves, but in Him Who loved us and gave Himself for us. Let us therefore rest in His finished work, rejoice in His sovereign grace, and look forward to the day when we shall shine forth as the sun in His eternal kingdom.

Judges 14:14 "And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle." When you think about a riddle, it's a statement, or it could be some sort of question or phrase that has a double-veiled meaning. This is why many read the Scriptures without any understanding because you can read the words that are here and imagine their meaning, but what natural men don't know is that in these words there is a spiritual understanding, and that all of Scripture has to do with the glory of Christ. When Samson told the riddle, it wasn’t to seek any glory for himself. But when you stop and consider what he was saying through this riddle—the destruction of the lion and the honey that came forth from it—it all pictures the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in defeating Satan and every enemy that stands between His people and Himself. It shows His glory in saving them. We know Samson didn’t go about boasting of this, just as Christ didn’t go about raising His voice in the street, though He was God in the flesh. When He came to this earth, He came to do a work—and there was a lion He met head-on: Satan himself. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. Stop and think about what that work was. Satan had caused Adam, even in his best state, to fall. The first Adam fell at the attack of this lion. But now Christ, the last Adam, would confront this lion and defeat him, thereby securing victory for His people. Yet not everyone perceived Christ’s mission in this way. They saw only a physical man performing miracles. Thinking naturally—as men do—they expected that if this was truly the Messiah, He would overthrow the Roman government and establish an earthly kingdom. That’s what everyone was looking for. But Christ continually showed them that the kingdom does not come with observation. We see here Samson as a type of our LORD Jesus Christ. Here's one little riddle that confounds the wisdom of the wise. And so it was with our Lord. What is the sense here then of this particular riddle that he told? Samson taking of this lion, It says in verse 5, that it was a young lion, so in its full strength. Think about the temptations that our LORD faced when He came to this earth. There wasn't any holding back on the part of Satan to attack Him from the time of His birth, all the way to His death. Numerous instances where Satan, like a roaring lion, sought to defeat Him and destroy Him, and yet he couldn't. In verse 6, these words that we're familiar with, with regard to our Lord, but true of Samson, it says, "And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and He rent him as He would have rent a kid..." So there's a parallel too with our Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God was upon Him, His Father. That's what it means to be the Anointed One. Honey is a type and picture of the sweetness of God’s grace. Not only did Samson enter into the enjoyment—if you will—of what he had accomplished in defeating the lion, but he also shared it with his loved ones; he came to his father and mother and gave them of it. There is a sweetness that flows from the death of the enemy—from the defeat of Satan. But this sweetness is for the people for whom Christ paid the debt, even as we see Samson here partaking of it himself. When you stop and think about honey and its properties, it’s not something man makes. It is something God, by His sovereign design, brings forth through bees. And what do bees do? They sting. Yet these bees, swarming about the carcass, could not keep Samson from obtaining the honey—the result of the lion’s death. So it is with Christ. Nothing could prevent Him from accomplishing redemption for His people. In 1 Corinthians 15:54–57 , a chapter rich with the truth of Christ’s resurrection, we read: “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ.” Think of honey in this light—life-giving and sweet. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? All the bees that once swarmed—representing the sting of death, sin, and the curse of the law—could not stop Him. Christ entered into death and rose victorious. O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ. I think of the story of the little boy who was out playing in the yard and got stung by a wasp. He came crying to his mother, and she gently removed the stinger and cleaned the wound. Then she told him to go back outside and play. But he said, " No, because the wasp can still get me." She replied, "No, the stinger was the only thing he had—and that’s been taken away. You can go out now and play in calm and peace." Think about that in light of the LORD. He has taken away the sting of death. The sting of death is sin (1 Corinthians 15:56). And yet, how often we are still affected by our sin and the memory of it. We may ask, “How could God be merciful and gracious? How could He be just, and still justify the ungodly?” The answer is Christ. Christ paid the debt. It is finished. What we are called to do now is, like Samson and his parents, enjoy the fruit of what that death—the death of the enemy—has accomplished. The stinger has been removed. Death is defeated. All that remains is the sweetness of God’s grace to be tasted by those for whom Christ died.

Judges 16:4 "And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah." Here, we have a chapter concerning Samson and Delilah. When we read here about Samson, this is the accusation that many bring against him—that if he had not been in that place at that time, he would not have suffered the consequences that he did for his attraction to Delilah. We know, as we read this, that this is what led to him being blinded, his eyes put out, and then ultimately his death. How could Samson be called in Scripture a man of faith (Hebrews 11:32) ? He is a type of the LORD Jesus, and yet how could it be, being such a sinner? There are two things to say by way of introduction, and should the LORD teach us by His Spirit, He will bless it to our understanding. The first is simply that sin is sin and can never be excused. When it is said in Judges 16:1, " Then Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her." This "going in unto her" is how the Scriptures recorded that Samson, at this particular time in his life, did what he did. Sin is sin and can never be excused, and throughout Scripture, we find no justification for Samson's sin from the Spirit. None that are the LORD's make any justification for their sins. David, when he went in unto Bathsheba and the LORD exposed his sin, said in his prayer unto the LORD, " Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight" (Psalm 51:4). The LORD brought him to see that this was a sin before Him. The Scriptures say that some people's sins are obvious, they are outward, others hidden, but that all sins, unforgiven by God, lead to certain judgment. Samson's sin, as grievous as it was, did not lead however to his eternal condemnation. There is no way that Samson could have been called a man of faith, as declared in Hebrews 11, and yet be appointed by God to eternal condemnation. And when it is said here, for example, that his hair was cut, he did not know that the Spirit of the LORD had departed from him, but that was only by way of chastening. He did not lose his salvation. It must be that God was forbearing with him, in his sin, because He had purposed that when Christ would come into the world and lay down His life, it would be to pay his sin debt, just like all the LORD'S people in the Old Testament, as well as all His elect since the cross, at one place, and one time, in Christ's sacrifice (Hebrews 9:15). He was every bit the LORD's even here in this situation, as any one of the LORD's elected children. Here is the point that we all need to consider: Who among us is any different when it comes to being a sinner? "For by grace are ye saved" (Ephesians 2:8). Samson is an example of the grace of God. There is no case too hard for the LORD And even in Samson's case, the LORD restored him. The LORD worked even through his falls to bring glory and honor to His name and, ultimately, to bring down the enemy. We do not find anywhere in the Scriptures where sin is excused, and yet, God, in His sovereign purpose, uses even sin for His glory. God is the master of it. He directs all things to His honor and glory. The second point to underscore is that not only is sin, sin and can never be excused, but grace is grace and can never be measured (Romans 5:19-21). There will never be one sin that causes God to cast away one of His own. No matter how grievous that sin appears to men and how much they condemn them, just like they brought that adulterous woman, the LORD said, "Where are those thine accusers?... Go and sin no more" (John 8:11). He spoke peace to that woman, despite all the accusations of those who brought her. They, in their legalistic self-righteousness, brought her to the LORD Jesus for judgment, but God purposed that they bring her to Christ, and He was thereby drawing her to Himself to manifest His grace in her and forgive her. They meant it for evil, but God purposed it for good (Genesis 50:20) . Samson, in what men call this fatal attraction, actually prefigured what our LORD Jesus Christ Himself would endure as the Righteous Judge identifying with sinners. You say, "How so?" Here in verses 1 through 4, even as there was this attraction of Samson for Delilah and his entering in unto her, so our LORD Jesus Christ came in the flesh and identified with what kinds of sinners? You take your dictionary, your Strong's Concordance, and look up the word "harlot". Look up the word "adulterer". For such, the LORD Jesus Christ came into this world. Now, that does not mean that He ever became sinful, but the reality is that the type we see here in Samson is one of the LORD Jesus Christ and the types of sinners He came to save. This is where the fatal attraction comes in, which ultimately led Him to the cross. It was not for any sin of His own that He died on the cross, but the Scriptures say He was numbered with transgressors (Isaiah 53:12). People are aghast. Oh! Samson saw the harlot and went in unto her. It is the same sort of reaction the Pharisees had: "How is it that He eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?" (Mark 2:16). Even as Samson's enemies sought to ensnare him and bring him to condemnation through the sinners with whom he identified, how many times did they approach the disciples, condemn the LORD, and seek to ensnare Him? The enemies of Christ sought to weaken Him. How many times did they seek His death? But it was not going to happen before His time. And that is what we read here in Judges. He took the gates of the city on his shoulders and ran up to the top of the mountain. Such was the work of the Spirit. They sought to render him powerless but could not. Stop and consider who the sinners are for whom the LORD Jesus Christ interceded before His Father. In Psalm 2:8 , the Father said to the Son, "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance..." The word "heathen" means the nations. The Father told the Son that He would give to Him as an inheritance sinners from every tribe, nation, and tongue. Christ gets everyone He asks of the Father. He did not ask for every sinner in the world, but for those that the Father chose from eternity and gave to Him to save (John 17:9) . Therefore, the LORD Jesus would not ask for one more than what the Father purposed that He should have. But He will have every single sinner that He has asked of His Father because they are one in purpose and will. But for whom does He ask? There was not one righteous among them. That is why He said, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). The word, "Delilah" means "feeble one". Here we see that although Samson was living in this fallen world, there was one such upon whom he set his love. That word "love" means "to desire, to breathe after." There would have been no relationship between Delilah and Samson had he not sought her, loved her, and drawn her to himself, even in all of her weakness. And there we see a comparison with ourselves. He loved. This was not just a lustful, physical love. But the word there is even used of God's love for His own. In Deuteronomy 4:37 , the same word is used. It says, "And because He loved thy fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in His sight with His mighty power out of Egypt." That is unconditional love. When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, there was nothing that they were doing right. They were enslaved. They were in bondage. And yet it pleased God to bring them out. All of that was typical of what God would do centuries later when He would bring His Son to identify with such sinners and bring them out with a mighty hand. When the Lord is pleased to truly teach us of this love, our mouths are stopped. We will be flat on our faces before the Lord, asking, "Why me, LORD? How can it be that Thou, my God, should love me so?" It is not anything in us, but it is in Him. Just as Samson loved this woman, Delilah, in her weakness, there is a picture of how Christ has loved His own. "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). And again, the fatal attraction, even unto death. How much did Samson love Delilah? Even unto his death. Consider how many other women were in the land. Yet, he only set his love upon Delilah. Consider further how many other sinners there are in this world, but Christ set His love upon the Delilahs of this world. And it is for them that He came and paid their sin debt.

Judges 8:27 "And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house." Judges 8:27 presents a pivotal moment in the life of Gideon, demonstrating the consequences of his actions after leading Israel to victory over the Midianites. In this verse, Gideon with good intentions creates an ephod—a sacred garment meant for priestly use—out of the gold collected from the spoils of battle. However, while initially a symbol of victory, this ephod became a snare, drawing Israel into idolatry as people began to worship it. The passage highlights the danger of turning the blessings of God's grace into objects of worship, a reminder of how easily human depraved hearts can fall into idolatry, even after experiencing Divine deliverance. The ephod was part of the priestly garment, and it covered the front of the priest, the breast, both in the front and in the back. It was worn over the shoulders and kept together by a tie or girdle; it was a breastplate. Exodus 28:4  says,  "And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office." Now, we begin to see where the subtle departure is taking place. Gideon wasn’t one of these priests. It wasn’t his responsibility to make an ephod. He established the ephod in his city, but "all Israel went thither a whoring after it," and it may be that even after Gideon was gone, it became more manifest. We see that it became  "a snare unto Gideon and to his house."  This indicates that even Gideon himself saw what he had done as an evil thing. It serves as a warning to all of us that idolatry is never far from us, whether it is elevating a man, as they sought to do with Gideon, or elevating an object or a thing. In Idolatry, the word "idol" comes from the word "idea," and man has an idea of a god according to his imagination. He takes that idea and represents it, putting it in a form that embodies that god. Many forms of deities are physically represented in our races and cultures; such is idolatry. But there is more than just that. Like any sin, idolatry comes from within. It is out of the heart that corruption flows (Jeremiah 17:9). What is in the heart shapes our view of the world and affects our desires toward the things of the world. It’s important to recognize that there is a spiritual idolatry, which the Scriptures refer to as will-worship (Colossians 2:23). The number one idol of man is himself. The word "idol" begins with the word "I." When you consider that, you see that this is fundamentally what drives everything a man thinks. If God doesn't keep His hand on us, this depraved heart, without any sort of restraint, will lead us back into idolatry. In 1 John 5:21, we read, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." If this weren’t a reality, a truth, a danger, that we all must face, even as God's children, it wouldn’t be commanded of even the children of God. We would simply say, "Well, it’s out there in the world." No, if we are the Lord's chosen, redeemed ones, called by the Spirit, we know that we continue to struggle with our number one idol: ourselves. Idolatry is a snare. A snare is something that catches you unawares. With reason we sing the hymn: "Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by." We are brought to see that if the Lord were to ever leave us to ourselves, we would be caught in the snare of our idolatry and will-worship. But it is the Great Shepherd who keeps His sheep, even those who have wandered from the fold. He knows His sheep. He is going to have everyone He ever purchased, and He will bring them safely back to the fold, as He has promised (John 10:27-29). We know in our hearts, as sinful and idolatrous as we are by nature, that the Lord must keep us and give us rest. He said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28) . Only the LORD Jesus can give that quietness and rest as the Representative of His people. There is no rest under the guidance and direction of men. All of us have, at one time or another, sat under pastors who ruled with a heavy hand, were very legalistic, and demanded much, lording over us. There is no rest in that kind of leadership or preaching. The Lord is King, and He directs His church. He is the Great Shepherd, and we need Him as much as anybody. Although we may be blessed to sit under the clear sound of the Gospel, yet, left to ourselves, we would quickly go our own way did the LORD not keep us. In Galatians 1:6 we have Paul's concern for those for whom He had preached Christ and His finished work, but were beginning to look away to "another gospel." " I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel ." Nevertheless, our confidence is that those who are the LORD's chosen and redeemed ones, so complete was Christ’s work, in earning and establishing Righteousness and laying down His life to pay their complete sin debt, that He is their rest from every other work or way. He keeps each one from going away into idolatry. That’s where true rest is. That’s where true quietness is. It is in Christ and His finished work accomplished to the satisfaction of God the Father.

Matthew 12:9-14 "And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him." Christ came to save sinners, and no ceremony of men could keep Him from delivering those He came to save! He is the LORD of the Sabbath, the Lawgiver Who came into the world to fulfill the law, proving Himself to be the One Who gives rest to sinners that the Father gave Him to redeem. The Sabbath served as a type and picture of the Rest that He would give, for He is the Sabbath, and in Him alone is Mercy. Here in Matthew 12 we behold the controversy continuing as Christ goes from the field into their synagogue. The synagogue, the assembly where they met to hear the law read, became the very place where Christ took the fight. Those who prided themselves on being experts in the Scriptures confronted Him, not to hear, but that they might accuse Him. They had a very high regard for their traditions, but that kept them from seeing the LORD Jesus Christ. They confronted Him when the disciples were hungry, and they confronted Him again when a man with a withered hand stood before them. They saw this man only as bait, a trap set to accuse the LORD Jesus, but Christ looked on him through eyes of compassion, for he was one of Christ’s sheep. “And behold, there was a man which had his hand withered” (v.10). They saw him as condemned, but he was one for whom Christ had come to lay down His life. The LORD exposed their hypocrisy. They would pull a sheep out of a pit on the sabbath, yet they thought nothing of a man in need. “How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days” (v.12). Christ showed mercy while they clung to ceremonies. They would violate their own laws to accuse Him, proving that works religion is filled with enmity and the spirit of antichrist. The man with the withered hand was utterly helpless, lifeless, perhaps even paralyzed. No one could help him, not even himself. But Christ, unaffected by men’s opposition, proved Himself to have authority over sinners, even over days. He simply said, “Stretch forth thine hand” (v.13). The command was impossible, yet with the command came the ability. The man stretched it forth, “and it was restored whole, like as the other” (v.13). So it is when the Gospel says, "Believe". We cannot, unless Christ gives both the command and the power. If we believe, it is because we were given the power and authority by Christ to believe. It is not within us; it is in Him (John 1:12-13). “But the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him” (v.14). In Luke it is written that “they were filled with madness” (Luke 6:11). They raged because He violated not the sabbath, but their view of the sabbath. He is LORD of the Sabbath. Which was the greater violation: healing a man or plotting to murder the Prince of Life? Their hatred knew no bounds. Such is the religious world still, enraged at a Sovereign LORD Jesus Christ Who saves whom He will, how He will, and where He will. " But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). Yet man cannot stop Christ from doing what He came to do. “Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all” (Matthew 12:15). He charged them not to make Him known, showing He did not come to try to save everybody, but came for such as these needy sinners to whom He would be merciful. And thus was fulfilled the Word spoken by Isaiah: “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased… A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench… And in his name shall the Gentiles trust” (Matthew 12:18–21; Isaiah 42:1–4). Rest for needy sinners—that is why He came.

Joshua 6:16  " And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city." The scene of Jericho is not a story of human conquest but a revelation of Divine salvation. The LORD Himself had already given the city into Joshua’s hand before a single wall had fallen. This was not man’s work but God’s. Salvation is typified here in The LORD Jesus Christ, our greater Joshua, Who stands as the Captain of our salvation, and the victory is His. The ark of the covenant went before the people. That ark represents the sacrifice of our LORD Jesus Christ. Wherever the ark went, the people followed. So the believer follows Christ crucified, trusting in His blood and righteousness alone for his salvation. There is no salvation apart from the ark, representing Christ, the Mercy Seat. The preaching of the cross, like the blowing of the ram’s horns, goes before the ark continually, declaring that salvation is the LORD’s. The priests blew the trumpets. Those horns were made from the sacrificial ram, speaking of the death of Christ. It is through the proclamation of His death that the walls of man’s proud heart come down. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) . The continual sound of the trumpet is the constant preaching of Christ and Him crucified. Paul said, “I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). That is the message that brings victory. Every other message is vain noise, but the sound of the Gospel brings the shout of faith. When Joshua commanded the people, “Shout, for the Lord hath given you the city,” it was not a shout of uncertainty but a shout of triumph in what God had already done. So the believer rejoices, not in what he can accomplish, but in what Christ has finished. The walls of Jericho represent the stronghold of sin and unbelief. No human power can bring them down. Marching around them day after day shows that human effort cannot accomplish salvation. The walls fall only at God’s appointed time, through His appointed way. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord.” The shout of faith is the echo of grace. It declares, “ The Lord hath given us the city.” The seventh day, the Sabbath, was the day of victory. That day of rest points us to Christ, Who is our Sabbath (Hebrews 4:9-10). When He cried, “It is finished,” the walls of sin fell flat. His people entered into rest. The LORD Jesus is our Joshua, leading His redeemed into the inheritance prepared for them. Rahab’s deliverance that day was not chance; it was sovereign grace. She was saved through the shed blood of the sacrificial lambs, looking forward to the LORD Jesus' death, but pictured in type in the scarlet cord, the token of redemption through His blood. Rahab believed the message sent by God, which was evidence of God's work of grace already in her. Her separation from the accursed city was the LORD’s work in her. The city was devoted to destruction, yet within it God had a chosen vessel of mercy. So in every age, when judgment falls, there is salvation for those under the scarlet sign of the blood. Joshua said, “The city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD.” God’s way of salvation leaves no room for compromise. Everything that does not glorify Christ must be destroyed. 2 Corinthians 6:17, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate.” Salvation brings separation, because grace makes all things new. The shout at Jericho was a shout of faith, a shout of victory, a shout of rest in Christ. It proclaimed that the LORD had done it all. The same shout rises from every redeemed heart—Christ has conquered. The LORD hath given us the city. The LORD hath given us salvation.

Joshua 1:5 "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Joshua, standing at the edge of Canaan, faced an immense task. Moses, the servant of the LORD, was gone; the wilderness wandering was over; the Jordan lay ahead; and the land of promise, filled with strong cities and seasoned armies, awaited conquest. In the face of the daunting work of leading the children of Israel into an enemy-infested land, God speaks to Joshua: “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee… I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” This is more than mere encouragement that God is giving him. It is God's sovereign pledge to strengthen and uphold Joshua in everything he was given to do, to ensure the victory of the people over whom God established him as the leader and preserver of the people. The same God Who upheld Moses would uphold Joshua, for Joshua had been appointed by God Himself to lead His people into the land sworn to their fathers. In this, Joshua is a type, or foreshadowing, of the LORD Jesus Christ. As Joshua succeeded Moses, so Christ succeeds the law, (John 1:17) . " Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). Moses represented the law of God and was a guardian of the people while they were journeying through the wilderness, but could not bring the people into the promised land, just as the law cannot declare any sinner just before God. It took Christ coming and fulfilling the law on behalf of the people and leading them into the promised land. The law can only expose sin but cannot bring a sinner into God’s rest. Only Joshua—whose very name means “The LORD is salvation”—could take the people across. In the New Testament, that name appears in Greek as Iēsous , or Jesus. It is no coincidence that the One Who brings God’s elect into the true and heavenly rest bears the same Name. The promise to Joshua— “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” —finds its fullest realization in Christ’s Person and work as the Mediator of His people. God the Father appointed Him from eternity as the Captain of salvation, to bring many sons unto glory (Hebrews 2:10). As Joshua’s charge was certain because it rested on the faithfulness of God, even so Christ’s mission was unshakable. After all, He came not to do His own will, but the will of Him Who sent Him—and that will was that of all the Father had given Him, He should lose none, but raise them at the last day (John 6:39). Joshua’s enemies were many—giants in the land, fortified cities, entrenched kingdoms. Yet God’s Word stood: no man would be able to stand before him. In the greater Joshua, the LORD Jesus, this is perfectly fulfilled. All the enemies of God’s people—sin, death, hell, and Satan himself—could not stand before Him. He went into the conflict alone, bearing the wrath due to His people, and emerged victorious, crying, “It is finished.” The inheritance was secured. Joshua led Israel every step of the way into Canaan, as the forerunner, distributing the inheritance by God’s command, so Christ leads His people into all the blessings of the covenant of grace of which He is the Mediator (Hebrews 8:6) . Even now, He brings them into spiritual rest by faith, and at last, He will bring them bodily into that eternal land where there is no more curse. His abiding presence is the believer’s assurance as it was with Christ: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). These are the words of Him Who cannot fail and cannot forsake. " He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law,” (Isaiah 42:4). Joshua 1:5 is not only an age-old encouragement—it is a Gospel promise. The God Who appointed Joshua to lead Israel into Canaan has appointed His Son to lead His elect into everlasting glory. And as surely as Joshua’s enemies fell before him, so nothing will separate Christ’s people from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our LORD (Romans 8:31-39).

Joshua 2:18 "Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee." Here we see a vivid token of God's sovereign saving grace in the scarlet cord hanging from Rahab’s window—a simple thread, yet rich with Gospel meaning. This scarlet line, appointed as the sign of deliverance amid judgment, prefigures the precious blood of the LORD Jesus Christ, shed for His elect. Just as Rahab and all within her house were saved because of that cord, so every sinner sheltered beneath the blood of Christ is free from wrath. Here is not the merit of Rahab, but the mercy of God, Who ordained her rescue according to His eternal purpose. The scarlet cord points us to the finished work of Christ, Who by His obedience and sacrifice obtained eternal redemption for those given to Him by the Father. What is the nature of the scarlet cord? The word translated thread  was not merely symbolic, but strong enough to let the men of Israel down through the window. In Joshua 2:15 , it is referred to as a cord : "Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall." This would have been a line twisted with various scarlet threads. What is the significance of the cord? It served as the means of escape for the two spies, but more than that—it represented deliverance and salvation for Rahab and her household. What, then do we learn from this? 1. It was a singular (exclusive) cord. Rahab is a striking instance of the salvation of sinners by the grace of God alone. She was a sinner by birth, by practice, and notoriously so—as are all whom the LORD saves. Yet she stands as a testimony to God’s distinguishing, free, and efficacious grace. Just as the scarlet cord was appointed for her and her family alone—and no one else in Jericho—so too the purpose of God and His redeeming work are for a chosen number of sinners whom He has determined to save. Even as there was but one  cord, so there is but One  Way of salvation in Christ: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). 2. It was an emblematic cord. The color scarlet  signifies the blood of the LORD Jesus Christ, which He shed for sinners, and by which even the worst of sinners are justified. The scarlet cord was an emblem of that precious blood. Redemption, justification, sanctification—all the blessings of grace—are through it. Scarlet was the color used in the tabernacle’s fabric, representing the shed blood of Christ, necessary for the remission of sins. The Word of God declares: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18). 3. It was a covenantal cord. All the promises of God are fulfilled in Christ: "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Corinthians 1:20). So the cord was for Rahab and her family a token of God’s faithfulness to preserve them alive. She pleaded for this covenantal assurance: "Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:" (Joshua 2:12). That scarlet line pointed to God’s unchanging promise to save those who flee for refuge to Christ: "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18). They shall never perish. He is faithful to save all for whom Christ has shed His blood. God’s Word is His bond.

Joshua 24:14 "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD." People, by nature, tend to prefer choices. They want the freedom to make their own decisions. Imagine walking into a restaurant, sitting down, and looking at the menu—only for the cook to come out and say, “This is what you’re going to eat if you’re sitting here.” Most people would resist that; they want the ability to choose. But here’s the key: that desire changes when, through the course of life, by God's providence and direction, a person becomes destitute. How often have we heard or said, “Beggars can’t be choosers”? This is one of the great struggles of life. Pride, arrogance, and presumption raise their ugly head in matters concerning the LORD. We begin to imagine, somehow, that His blessings are due to something in us or worse, that we are entitled to them. Even the doctrine of grace can be twisted by the flesh into a sense of entitlement concerning what the LORD should or should not do. Were it not for the LORD keeping us, our flesh would go that very direction. It is very clear—this is not a choice, but a command. Yet there are some preachers, along with their followers, who would have you believe that the matter of salvation is left to your own decision, not only in obtaining it, but in maintaining it. That kind of thinking may be acceptable when choosing from a menu, purchasing a car, picking its color, or deciding what kind of house to buy. But even in such things, we know that "a man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). How much more, then, must we understand that when it comes to salvation, it is not up to man. The Gospel, when faithfully and rightly preached, is not a suggestion or an offer—it is declared as a command. In the passage before us, we see not one, but four commands—clear, authoritative Gospel commands 1. “Now therefore fear the LORD.”   This phrase carries different meanings depending on the context, but it certainly includes the following: To fear  or be afraid  can mean “to be terrified—to tremble at the thought of approaching or serving God in any way other than He has commanded.” As it is written, “There is no fear of God before their eyes”  ( Romans 3:18 ). It can also mean to " stand in awe ." For any in whom the Spirit has not revealed the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, the fear of God ought rightly to be the fear of judgment and eternal condemnation—for that is what awaits all whom the LORD has not redeemed. There remains that dreadful expectation of God’s eternal judgment, of which the Scriptures speak: “ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”   ( Hebrews 10:31 ). And yet, natural-minded sinners have no such fear: “There is no fear of God before their eyes”  ( Romans 3:18 ). Sinners, left to their understanding, cannot see. God has judicially blinded them: “The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not”  ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 ). Many falsely assume that it is Satan who is the "god" of this world, but God has no rivals. God has judicially blinded multitudes that men may know that salvation is of the LORD! But when the LORD speaks to one of His enlightened, illuminated, regenerated children and commands, “Now therefore fear the Lord,”   it is not a call to cower in terror, but to stand in reverent awe—with Christ, in holy reverence. As Hebrews 12:26  declares, “Whose voice then shook the earth.”   This refers to that display of holiness on Mount Sinai, when the law was given. Yet the passage continues: “But now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” This speaks to the incarnation of the LORD Jesus when heaven and earth were shaken in His coming, doing, dying and rising again to ascend on High. Truly earth shaking! Heaven came down, and God was manifest in the flesh. 2. The second command we see here is, “Serve Him in sincerity and in truth.” It’s always instructive to study words in their context, and the word “serve” here carries the meaning of to work or labor . At first glance, this may seem like a contradiction, since salvation is entirely by grace. And yet, here we are commanded to serve  Him—in the sense of laboring or working. However, we know from Scripture that there is such a thing as a labor of love , and that certainly applies here. In its historical context, this language reflects the service of the Levitical priests, who ministered before the LORD day and night in the tabernacle. Their service was not mere activity, but worship—carefully prescribed, God-ordained worship. That connection to worship gives the phrase, “serve Him in sincerity and in truth,”  its full meaning. It could rightly be understood as “worship Him in sincerity and in truth.”  It means to come to God in the way He has appointed —just as Abel did when he brought the blood sacrifice, in contrast to Cain, who sought to come another way and was therefore rejected. Therefore, the command is not merely, “Do something for the LORD,” as people often say: “That such and such a person labored for the LORD.” The question is: How did they labor?  Was it through the appointed sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ alone? Was that the foundation and content of their service? If not, then even their religious labor will be condemned. As the LORD Himself declares, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”  ( Matthew 7:23 ). 3. The third command is: “And put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt.” Simply put, the phrase “put away”  means "to turn aside; to depart from; to remove; to completely leave alone; to reject."   This is strong language—and rightly so. There is no room for neutrality, no allowance for compromise. One cannot cling to Christ and idols at the same time. If a person is not grounded and settled in the truth of Christ and Him crucified , then they are not of Him. You cannot be truly turned to God, looking to Christ alone, while also casting glances elsewhere. Scripture warns, “Remember Lot’s wife”  ( Luke 17:32 ). She outwardly ran with Lot, escaping Sodom, but her heart was still there. When she turned back, disobeying the word of the LORD, she was destroyed— a pillar of salt , a lasting testimony that profession is not salvation. True conversion is a turning to  God from  idols. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come”   ( 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 ). How has the LORD delivered His people? It is uniquely by the shedding of His blood unto death at the cross. It was there that salvation, redemption, justification, and sanctification were fully accomplished: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the LORD”   ( 1 Corinthians 1:30–31 ). This command, then, is to renounce every false way. There is no middle ground. No compromise. It is Christ—and Christ alone. 4. The fourth command is, “Serve ye the Lord.” This means serve Him, and Him alone.  It is not presented as an option. Throughout the Scriptures, we are repeatedly commanded to have no other gods before Him: “Thou shalt have none other gods before me”  ( Deuteronomy 5:7 ). Left to ourselves, we would fall flat on our faces in idolatry. When Joshua exhorted the people, “Serve ye the LORD,”  he spoke with clarity and boldness. He essentially said, “If you're going to serve other gods, then do so with all your might—but know this: as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD .” That unwavering devotion, that singularity of heart and mind, reflects the very fruit of God’s sovereign grace at work in the soul. “For thou shalt worship no other god”  ( Exodus 34:14 ). There is no other God. All others are mere inventions of man’s fallen imagination. That is the essence of idolatry—man forming a god in his own image, then bowing down to it. But God commanded in the verse just before: “Ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves”   ( Exodus 34:13 ). In other words, have nothing to do with anything that is not Christ and Christ alone. Why such strong language? Because “the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”   ( Exodus 34:14 ). He is jealous for His glory—and that glory He has placed nowhere else but in His Son. Therefore, we too are to be jealous for His honor, for the glory of the One who alone is worthy—our LORD Jesus Christ There is one  salvation—and God, in His eternal purpose and sovereign decree, has resolved that this salvation be for His chosen people: those whom He has purposed to save from before the foundation of the world. He appointed His Son, the LORD Jesus Christ, to be  that salvation for them. And I trust we can say, by His grace, that He is that salvation for us, if He has indeed been gracious to our own hearts. But make no mistake— by no other, in no other way, by no other means  can anyone be saved. As Peter declared, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”  ( Acts 4:12 ). Whether men agree with God or not, it doesn't change the reality of how God has purposed to save His people and has saved them. It's not man’s opinion or preference that determines truth. It is what God has said in His Word. These are Gospel commands—not suggestions. It is as the Lord has purposed it and as He has given it. His Word is final, and His salvation is sure.

Joshua 1:9 "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." In the book of Joshua, we witness the moment when God commissions Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. The weight of this task must have been daunting. Moses, the great Leader who had guided Israel through the wilderness for forty years, had just passed away, and now the charge fell to Joshua. God’s command to Joshua is clear: " Be strong and of a good courage." This call to courage and strength is not just about Joshua’s personal qualities; it is a reflection of God's ongoing faithfulness to His people in providing for them a Faithful Representative, even as He has done in establishing the LORD Jesus as the Representative Head of His elected people. As we reflect on this verse, it is essential to see Joshua not only as a historical figure but as a type of Christ—a foreshadowing of the One Who would come to fulfill God’s promises in a far greater way (Hebrews 4:8). Moses, representing the Law, could not bring the people into the Promised Land, just as the Law cannot save (Romans 8:3-14). It requires absolute perfection, which not even Moses could fulfill for himself, much less for the people of Israel. Therefore, the necessity of another, like Joshua, whose Greek name is "Jesus" (Jehovah saves). Joshua as a Type of Christ Called by God to Lead and Deliver Just as God called Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land, God sent His Son, the LORD Jesus, to lead His people into their Spiritual Inheritance—Eternal Life with the Father. Joshua's leadership is a glimpse of Christ’s ultimate role as the Savior, Who would deliver His people, not from physical enemies, but from sin and death. In the same way that Joshua led Israel into a land of rest, the LORD Jesus has, by representation, led His people (elected by the Father) into Eternal rRest (Matthew 11:28). Commanded to Be Strong and Courageous Joshua's call to be strong and courageous echoes the LORD Jesus's perfect courage to earn and establish the righteousness necessary to satisfy God's Law and Justice as the Representative of those the Father gave Him. Notice that here, the instruction is given to Joshua to do the work on behalf of the people, and not to the people, even as the LORD Jesus was to obey on behalf of the people given to Him. When God told Joshua not to be afraid, it was because God Himself would be with him. The LORD Jesus, too, embodies perfect courage, knowing the road ahead would be filled with rejection, betrayal, and suffering. Yet, He faithfully walked toward the cross, knowing that God’s presence would sustain Him. " He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law" (Isaiah 42:4). The LORD Jesus had a perfect nature and, therefore, was never prone to fear, in contrast to Joshua, who was but an imperfect type. Yet, as a man, the LORD Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). What He endured as the sin-Bearer would have caused any mere man to tremble and buckle under the weight of sin. What our LORD Jesus endured is recorded in His experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, where in His hour of temptation, He sweat as it were great drops of blood (Luke 22:44) . Yet, He was sustained and strengthened through His trial, all the way to the cross, thereby fulfilling the work of salvation for His people, culminating in His death on the cross in satisfaction of His Father's Law and Justice. God's Presence as the Source of Courage The key to Joshua’s courage was the promise that "the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Similarly, even as the LORD Jesus was assured of the Presence of His Father and Spirit throughout His life on this earth and was never abandoned, so the LORD Jesus assures those He redeemed that He would be with them always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Even as the strength of the LORD Jesus, as God in the flesh, was sustained by the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Him (Colossians 2:9), so the LORD's people are strengthened by Him and His presence with them and in them by His Spirit. " That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through His Spirit" (Ephesians 3:16). Our courage is not found in our strength but in the abiding Presence of God with us, even as the LORD Jesus enjoyed the Presence of the Spirit of God without measure to fulfill all righteousness for His people (John 3:34). As Joshua trusted in God’s Presence to lead Israel into battle as God's appointed deliverer, so the LORD Jesus Christ trusted in the Presence of the Spirit to lead many sons into glory, as the Captain of their salvation (Hebrews 2:10) . A Picture of the Victory in Christ Joshua’s victory over the nations in the Promised Land points to the greater victory that Christ would win over the powers of the Law, sin, death, and Satan. Just as Joshua conquered the enemies in the land, Christ, through His death and resurrection, has defeated the greatest enemies that stood against those sinners whom the Father chose and gave Him to save. Because of Christ's successful work as the Savior of His people, as believers, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us (Romans 8:37) . As with Joshua, so with the LORD Jesus Christ, Who came and conquered every spiritual enemy of His people. Zachariah the High Priest, and John the Baptist's father declared: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; The oath which He sware to our father Abraham, That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life" (Luke 1:68-75).

Deuteronomy 10:17 "For the LORD your God is God of gods, and LORD of lords..." What makes the LORD our God, the 'God of gods' and 'LORD of lords'? Our God is set apart unto Himself by His intrinsic Holiness. Holiness is within Him, the hub of His being. He is without beginning and without end, therefore He has always been and always will be. He is Sovereign in all things, determining all that occurs. He is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent. God is Omnipotent, which means that He is all Powerful, "Great is our LORD, and of great power," (Psalm 147:5). "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God." (Psalm 62:11) All power belongs to God, if we blink an eye or set off a nuclear explosion, the power is from Him alone and for His purposes alone. God is Omniscient, He knows all, His knowledge has no boundaries, "Great is our LORD...His understanding is infinite." (Psalm 147:5) He has ordained everything that has ever happened, and everything that ever will happen, that's how He knows all things. God is Omnipresent, which means His Presence is everywhere at once, as David declares, "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy Presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there." (Psalm 139:7-8) God is Perfect; perfect in power, perfect in presence, perfect in knowledge. His holy Perfection is the hub for all His attributes; Love, Righteousness, Justice, Truth, Mercy, and Grace. The love of mere men is fickle and self-serving, even in the best of circumstances, the opposite of the Holy Love of the True God as seen in His Son, our LORD Jesus Christ, by His Spirit. "Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, God hath shined." (Psalm 50:2) Christ Jesus is the Perfection of Beauty, the Beauty of Holiness incarnate, worship Him! "...Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness." (1 Chronicles 16:29)

1 Thessalonians 5:19-23 "Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Consider what it is to be wholly sanctified to the LORD. When we speak of being sanctified, we are ultimately speaking of being set apart unto Him, preserved by Him, and brought to behold in Him the fullness of God’s Salvation. These statements before us in 1 Thessalonians are simple yet profound, pressing upon us the reality that sanctification is not found in ourselves, nor in any contribution of our own hands, but in Christ Who is our Life, our Righteousness, and our Peace. May the LORD help us to weigh these things prayerfully as we look to the One Who alone makes His people holy in the sanctifying death of the LORD Jesus on their behalf, (John 17:19). How many times do we use words without really thinking about what they mean? We talk about being sanctified, but what does it mean? Along with the great Gospel teaching of redemption and justification, we must add sanctification as one sadly misunderstood by many who profess to be Christians today. The misunderstanding begins when men try to tell you that men still have their part somewhere in it. They say, "Yes, redemption is a work of God, that Christ did it, but ..." And that little word " but " taints everything. They speak of redemption, saying that Christ died, but then you must make it effectual by believing . They speak of justification, yes, God justifies, but it’s when you believe that He’ll justify you . And they say the same thing with sanctification— that’s our part . They split it up: here’s God’s part, here’s man’s part. However, if any part of salvation depends upon us, then there’s no hope. That is how we must see this matter of being sanctified before God. If we read the Scriptures for what they say, notions of contributing anything to this work are laid to rest. Even in verse 23 , sanctification is wholly ascribed to God Himself. It says plainly, "the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." Even when Scripture commands, be sanctified , it uses a passive verb—something acted upon you, not something you perform. Be sanctified. Someone is acting upon you. First, then, what does it mean to be sanctified unto the LORD? It means to be set apart unto God for His holy and just purposes. When something is set apart for a particular purpose, you are sanctifying it. Psalm 4:3 says, “But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself.” Those who are godly are so because the LORD has set them apart. No one can claim any godliness in themselves. It is because God has set them apart for Himself. Second, we see that sanctification is the work of the Triune God. "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly." Is that the Father, the Son, or the Spirit? Yes. God, three Persons in one Godhead, one with Himself in this matter of sanctifying His people. The Father sanctifies in electing them from eternity. Jude writes, “to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called” ( Jude 1:1) . To deny election is to deny the work of God. Christ sanctifies His people in His death. Hebrews declares, “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one” (Hebrews 2:11) . When Christ died, those set apart in Him were sanctified in His Offering. Isaiah said He would see His seed and be satisfied. The Spirit sanctifies in calling. Romans 15:16 says, “that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.” The Spirit sets apart those for whom Christ died and manifests them in time. So it is that the apostle Paul puts the whole work of salvation into the sovereign work of God alone. The command not to “quench the Spirit” is immediately placed within the assurance that sanctification is the Spirit’s own effectual operation in the elect. Election stands first: God chose a people in Christ before the foundation of the world, setting His love upon them without regard to any foreseen merit. Redemption follows. The LORD Jesus Christ, by His once-for-all offering, purchased those same elect, obtaining not merely the possibility but the certainty of their salvation. And in time, the Spirit effectually calls, indwells, and sanctifies them—not partly by their contribution, but wholly by His Power. Therefore, Paul prays, “The very God of peace sanctify you wholly,”   placing the entire scope of salvation—election past, redemption accomplished, calling and sanctification present—as God’s work from beginning to end. Man adds nothing; Christ supplies all; the Spirit applies all; and the Father preserves all unto the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. Finally, there is then an inseparable connection between being sanctified by the LORD Jesus Christ and being set apart by the Spirit of God. You cannot disconnect those for whom Christ died and those who are called. How do we know Christ has died for us? The Spirit of God sets us apart unto Him. That is the only way we know. " The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God," (Romans 8:16).