24 Powerful Bible Promises – Free Scripture Card – W –

Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He’ll strengthen thine heart.

Action required

Many of the promises in the bible require some action for them to be fulfilled. At all times it is a good idea to wait on the Lord and be of good courage because the promise is that our heart will be strengthened in doing so.

The above Scripture quote was taken from Psalm 27 and the author of this Psalm is King David. King David experienced many problems throughout his life; some self-imposed and other problems not of his own doing.  Just like most of his.

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path …

Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies …

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord.

King David had servants and armies to help him out, yet he said that he would have fainted if it wasn’t for his faith in the Lord, and it was the Lord he called upon when he was in a tight spot.

God hears prayer

I absolutely love this particular verse because I used to think that I have to sort all my troubles myself. Eventually life took me to such tight spots where I realised that I cannot sort everything out myself.

The other day I told one of my nearest and dearest that if the problem seems too big or too hard, Our Father in Heaven loves to hear about it.

“Relax,” I said, “God hears all prayer and I cannot think of one request that has not been answered for me.”

And this is the confidence that we have in him,
that, if we ask any thing according to his will,

he heareth us:

My loved one shot back at me with, “God has given you a brain to think for yourself, aren’t we supposed to be using this brain to sort out our own problems?”

Good comeback and I totally agree. Whenever there is any kind of problem, I do whatever I can to sort this myself or with the help of others. Sometimes, however, mere human effort does not seem to cut it. Those are the times that I am super grateful that My Creator has blessed me with a brain that is able to discern which problems to sort out myself and which problems to hand over to Him who knows and sees all. Meanwhile I just pray my little heart out.

24 Powerful Promises

I love all the promises, the words are so powerful. And the reality for me in my life is that all God’s promises are being fulfilled always. Whenever I call upon the Lord I get an answer. That’s why I am so keen to share because, before I started reading God’s Word and relying on His promises my success rate was very much a hit and miss affair. I explained in an earlier post why positive thinking does not work for me.

I’ll share some of my favourite Bible promises. You can let me know what your favourite promises are in the comments below.

Some favourite biblical promises

The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Exodus 14:14

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:
I will guide thee with mine eye.
Psalms 32:8

The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him,
and delivereth them.
Psalms 34:7

The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth,
and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Psalms 34:17

Delight thyself also in the LORD:
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psalms 37:4

Call upon me in the day of trouble:
I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Psalms 50:15

The mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
upon them that fear him,
and his righteousness unto children’s children;
Psalms 103:17

They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed;
for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee; yea,
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:10

When thou passest through the waters,
I will be with thee; and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire,
thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Isaiah 43:2

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;
and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 54:17

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil,
to give you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11

 I will restore health unto thee,
and I will heal thee of thy wounds,
saith the LORD…
Jeremiah 30:17

Call unto me, and I will answer thee,
and shew thee great and mighty things,
which thou knowest not.
Jeremiah 33:3

Because he hath set his love upon me,
therefore will I deliver him:
I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him, and honour him.
Psalms 91:14-15

Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

Is any sick among you?
let him call for the elders of the church;
and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick,
and the Lord shall raise him up;
and if he hath committed sins,
they shall be forgiven him.
James 5:14-15

A new heart also will I give you,
and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,
and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in my statutes,
and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:26-27

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.
Joshua 1:9

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:13-16

If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment;
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,
but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation 3:5

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20

 

 

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ABOUT THE CONTENT – All content on this website is copyrighted and you can read more about this here. Please also read the disclaimer about my authority and qualifications.

ABOUT THIS BLOG – We’re researching the truth of living forever according to GOD’s Holy Word; Sola Scripture. Popular opinion tells us that everyone who ‘believes’ and has ‘faith’ will go to heaven. Is this true? I decided to ask the prophets about the truth of it all.

ABOUT SCRIPTURE CARDS – If you want to send free Scripture Cards to your friends click here and you you want to buy hard copies of Scripture Cards you can click here. To download a free copy of my Story of Survival click here.

Knock and it shall be opened unto you.

Content in this post
1. Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
2. Trust in the LORD and His Son.
3. Promises, promises.
4. Promises made in Psalms.
5. Promises made by prophet Isaiah.
6. Promises made by prophet Jeremiah.
7. Promise made by prophet Amos.
8. Jesus reiterated what the prophets said.
9. Promises made by Jesus.
10. So what else did Jesus say?
11. Sixteen part Formula.
12. The full promise made by Jesus as partially quoted on the Scripture Card.

Fulfilled promises.

A little while ago I told you how we prayed for a place we could afford and where pets are allowed. I mentioned also how New Age positive thinking doesn’t work for me because it lacks the faith component. In contrast I like the promises made in the Bible and by the Son of God because of the proven track record.

There have been so many fulfilled promises in my life that I’ve pretty much lost track of a lot of them but I certainly remember all the big ones including the ‘upgrade in residential comforts,’ because I enjoy these comforts every single day.

There were a lot of factors that came into play for this promise to be fulfilled, such as right time, place, residence, fine friends giving appropriate references, receptive and kind landlord and so on.

And don’t forget faith. Lotsa prayer and lotsa faith. Whilst we were on the Sunny Coast we couldn’t find a suitable place for love or money and I remember telling the girls not to fret. I distinctly remember saying that these kind of things have a way of turning around quickly and I said, “Before you know it, the tide may turn and people will offer us somewhere to stay for free or something like that.”

Soon after a family member as well as a very kind ‘health professional’ friend offered us accommodation. When we arrived in our new town there were offers for rentals ‘free for the first month’ and so on. We had faith, we committed all to Our Father and we trusted that everything would work out well and, Praise The LORD, things worked out really well for us.

Trust in THE LORD and His SON.

When Jesus gave his famous sermon on the mount he told his listeners that if we knock, it shall be opened unto us. But this wasn’t all he had to say about this wonderful promise. There was plenty more. And I wonder if other prophets said a similar thing. After all Jesus, as a Jewish prophet, taught from the old Scriptures. Let’s have a look to see who else told us about this promise.

Promises, promises.

Promises made in Psalms

The following verses are, apart from one, all credited to King David. King David mucked up plenty times but he was confident, that as long as he repented and continued to commit to and trust in the LORD, GOD would hear him. no matter what his situation or his failures, David would always eventually turn to the LORD for repentance and forgiveness and strength to keep on going despite his failures and inadeqacies.

Asaph, with his verses from Psalms, contrasted the trust and commitment shown by King David with the nonchalance and entitlement of the (wicked) pretenders and hypocrites.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

Trust in the Lord, and do good …
Delight thyself also in the Lord:
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord;
trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble:
thou wilt prepare their heart,
thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

Call upon me in the day of trouble:
I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
But unto the wicked God saith,
What hast thou to do to declare my statutes,
or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him,
to all that call upon him in truth.
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him:
he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

As a King, David was rich with many servants and resources, yet his trust and strength was always in God and not in his wealth nor in men.

Promises made by prophet Isaiah

Prophet Isaiah taught that we should always seek God who will abundantly forgive anyone who is genuinely remorseful.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,
call ye upon him while he is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Till I read the Ten Commandments I didn’t even realise what I had to be remorseful for. This had much to do with the circles I used to move in and the fact that western societies celebrate covetousness. Around the concepts of stealing and lying there were many blurred lines in my life. And what about honouring your parents, sure I was nice to them, but ‘honouring’ them? What? Honour God and Go(o)d alone. Huh? I used to mix all religions and thought this was a smart thing to do. Swearing … why not? Doesn’t everyone? And hating is akin to killing? Oops.

When I started to read the bible and I came across the word wicked I initially thought this meant murderers and the like. It wasn’t till later that I realised that the pretenders and hypocrites were referred to as ‘the wicked’ as opposed to those who make a genuine effort to do the right thing according to the guidelines set by our Holy Father.
Reading the Commandments made me realise that it is a good thing to follow my gut instinct over and above society’s norms and guidelines and peer pressure. So, yes I have plenty to be remorseful about. The Commandments are literally a godsend to me because they are transparent, easy to follow and set a universal standard for human morality and decency.
I just love them!

Promises made by prophet Jeremiah

Prophet Jeremiah prophesises that when people look for God, they will find Him; with mighty promises attached for doing so.

You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee,
and show thee great and mighty things,
which thou knowest not.

Promise made by prophet Amos

Prophet Amos says that seeking God assures life.

For thus said the LORD to the house of Israel,
Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

Prophet Amos makes the connection of seeking THE LORD with eternal life.

Jesus reiterated what the Prophets said

As we can see above from the quotes by the prophets, what Jesus said was nothing new and He merely reiterated what the prophets had been saying all along. The above scriptural references made by the prophets of old was likely the kind of text that Jesus quoted from. I am only quoting a few references here; there are plenty more quotes in GOD’S Holy Word about seeking Him and how to go about it to get  marvellous results. After reading all these promises I can see a pattern emerge and some kind of formula appear.

Promises made by Jesus

It is good to keep in mind that the promises are made to followers of Yehovah and His Son. And we should also remember that any of us at any time can choose to be part of God’s posse. Faithful believers who make a genuine effort to do all the right things can expect good results when they apply the teachings from the Holy Word and live by the rules which are set by the Creator of our universe.

Applying ‘positive thinking’ without the ‘faith component’ does not work for me. It may work for others. But for me, life is more about the intimate relationship I have with my Creator and His Son than it is about ‘wanting this and/or wanting that.’ Anything that flows from the relationship I have is an extra, a bonus and very much welcomed and graciously accepted. But these extra’s and bonuses are certainly not what motivates me.

I like how Keith Johnson puts it; “When we have vision, God will make provision.”

So what else did Jesus say?

Jesus said, if you remain true to me, I’ll be true to you.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Again I say unto you,
That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive.

The  Formula

The ‘Knock and it shall be opened unto you’ promise is well known and no secret at all. But few people realise that  there are many components to this promise that need to be heeded if we want a positive result. Some people think that it is possible to get something for nothing but as we just read, if we want a positive response when relying on this promise we need to make sure that we do our part to the best of our ability.

What is our part? The above verses tell us to trust, commit, call, seek and ask humbly. We’re told to do good and call upon Him in truth with all our heart. If necessary return to Him, if possible be in agreement with your nearest and dearest.  Keep His words and commandments and ask according to His will. We’re told to pray and to believe. There is a minimum of sixteen steps to this formula.

1. Trust.
2. Commit.
3. Call.
4. Seek.
5. Ask.
6. Be humble.
7. Do good.
8. Call in truth.
9. With all our heart.
10. If necessary, return to Him.
11. Be in agreement with nearest and dearest.
12. Keep His Words.
13. Keep His Commandments.
14. Ask according to His will.
15. Pray.
16. Believe.

As you can see, there are many components to the knock-and-you-shall-find promise. If you have been knocking for a while with limited results maybe check if all the boxes are ticked before you start banging that door down.

And this is the confidence that we have in him,
that, if we ask any thing according to his will,
he heareth us: 

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him,
because we keep his commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

The full promise

The full promise as given by Jesus reads like this,

“Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you.
“For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened.

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MIMI’s WEBSITE – www.mimiemmanuel.com

ABOUT THE CONTENT – All content on this website is copyrighted and you can read more about this here. Please also read the disclaimer about my authority and qualifications.

ABOUT THIS BLOG – We’re researching the truth of living forever according to GOD’s Holy Word; Sola Scripture. Popular opinion tells us that everyone who ‘believes’ and has ‘faith’ will go to heaven. Is this true? I decided to ask the prophets about the truth of it all.

ABOUT SCRIPTURE CARDS – If you want to send free Scripture Cards to your friends click here and you you want to buy hard copies of Scripture Cards you can click here.

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The LORD Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23 – The LORD is my shepherd

King David is believed to be the author of psalm 23 which is titled; The Lord is my shepherd. King David of course was a shepherd himself when he was a youngster and famously slew a lion and a bear defending his flock.

Jesus called himself the good shepherd and explained to his disciples that good shepherds defend their sheep with their life.

My daughters gifted me the words, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever’ engraved for a special occasion. That makes these words from psalm 23 extra special to me.

One day we may get around to ironing out some minor hick-ups in the song. Meanwhile, this is another occasion in the bible where we are assured that we can live for ever. That’s pretty sweet.

May all my readers dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The LORD is my  shepherd

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall

follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

for ever.

all rights reserved copyright myemmanuel 2014

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

These are the first words of Psalm 22; “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” We can be sure that King David, who is credited as the Psalmist, felt rather desolate when he wrote those words. At varying times my life has taken me to dark and desolate places and I find great comfort in the promises made in Psalm 22. King David’s words reassure me that, even when all seems lost, God hears us. And as long as we rely on and trust in our Maker there will be a good end.

The fifth time the phrase live for ever is mentioned.

What we’re looking for in Psalm 22 is, where the phrase ‘live for ever’ is mentioned, and the context. It is mentioned by King David in Psalm 22 verse 26 as follows,

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

or in a different translation as follows,

Let the oppressed eat and be filled! Let those who seek his help praise the LORD! May you live forever!

‘May you live for ever’ is a sincere wish, if not prophesy from King David to the oppressed. He states that they shall eat and be satisfied, with those who seek the LORD praising him and living for ever. This is the fifth time that the phrase live for ever has been mentioned in the bible.

To find out what context these words were used in, we’ll have a look at the whole of Psalm 22.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The first sentence in Psalm 22 is as follows: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” These are the exact same words uttered by Jesus when he was crucified,

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Jesus did not expect His Father to ‘save’ him from that moment of suffering because Jesus knew what was expected of him. It appears that at the time of this outcry he felt disconnected from GOD. Jesus knew however what was about to happen because he had said shortly before his crucifiction, that all things that are written by the prophets concerning Him, should be accomplished,

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

Much of what is described in Psalm 22 took place at Jesus crucifixion.

Psalm 22

A cry of anguish and a song of praise.

To understand the context of why the phrase ‘live for ever’ was mentioned I will quote the whole of Psalm 22 below,

For the Chief Musician; set to Aijeleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David, Psalm 22

1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;
and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

The above is Psalm 22 as written by King David.

Many similarities between Psalm 22 and the events at Jesus crucifixion.

Many of the sentiments expressed in Psalm 22 are echoed with Jesus crucifixion. For instance; Jesus couldn’t feel GOD’s presence in his darkest hour. Jesus asked for the cup to pass from him, yet either way had utmost confidence in His Father’s decisions, He cried in the night. He was despised and mocked, in trouble with none to help. Jesus was surrounded by strong people who were after his life, dry … into the dust of death … he was pierced. He was looked and stared upon, his garments parted among them, with lots cast upon his vesture. Jesus was merciful on another afflicted soul who was crucified with him. Jesus shall live for ever and all the ends of the world are remembering and turning unto the Lord. A seed shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

There are a lot of similarities between Psalm 22 and Jesus crucifixion. There seem to be some translation errors in Psalm 22 as mentioned by various sources. Just the same, even when we take these proposed errors into consideration, there remain many similarities between the events described in Psalm 22, which was written around one thousand years before Jesus crucifixion, and the events which took place at the crucifixion.

In what context is the phrase ‘live for ever’ mentioned?

Confidence in GOD

Psalm 22 was written by King David who was known in times of trouble to pour his heart out to GOD. When he wrote Psalm 22 King David must have been in a dark place indeed, yet he continues to trust in GOD and knows with a surety that The LORD will deliver him. Yes, it is true that King David says, “My God why have you forsaken me?” But it is equally true that shortly after this exclamation King David praises God and expresses his confidence in the saving power of The LORD.

And yes, Jesus also exclaimed, “My God why have you forsaken me?” But prior to that heartfelt anguish, Jesus invited a repentant criminal into heaven with him. This shows that Jesus has confidence in his Father’s saving power and promises and teaches us followers and believers the significance of genuine repentance and fear of GOD.

Jesus was recognised as the Son of God straight after his exclamation,

And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out,
and gave up the ghost, he said,
Truly this man was the Son of God.

King David states that the LORD always listens to the oppressed and always delivers them, and even though King David is suffering whilst he writes this Psalm he is praising the LORD in advance for his deliverance and for his kindness towards the oppressed. Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm where King David prophesies about the times where all nations shall worship The LORD.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.

For good measure King David mentions that,

 … none can keep alive his own soul.

There’s a lot of comfort in that for me. I’ve been close to death a number of times and every time I’ve prayed to and relied on The LORD to keep me alive. As did the people around me. And every time The LORD answered our prayers and kept me alive. Praise The LORD! If I thought that it were up to me or the people around me to keep myself alive, I would fret endlessly about it and worry about doing the wrong thing. Knowing that  GOD is in charge makes me sleep well at night and gives my mind peace during the day.

The context of the phrase ‘live for ever.’

Even though the Psalmist is suffering to the point of death, and the outlook appears hopeless, just the same the Psalmist has faith and is confident that the LORD will save those who trust in Him and ensure that those who rely on Him in earnest will live for ever.

The relevance of the prophesy.

Jesus crucifixion, which took place around a thousand years after Psalm 22 was written, plays out at least part of the scenario as described in Psalm 22.

The finale is where GOD raises His Son Jesus from the grave to indeed live for ever as had been prophesied with already many of the world now remembering and turning unto the Lord: and many of the nations now worshiping before the LORD.

What do Psalm 22 and Jesus resurrection story have in common?

Both Psalm 22 and Jesus crucifixion and resurrection tell us that all those who trust in The LORD will be saved and may live for ever.

 

 

all rights reserved copyright myemmanuel 2014

 

 

A greeting fit for royalty

The greeting ‘live for ever’ throughout history.

The words ‘live for ever’ have been used throughout history as royal greetings.

King David

The third time the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned in scripture is just before King David’s death. King David lived from c. 1040–970 BC. His reign over Judah was c. 1010–1002 BC, and his reign over the United Kingdom c. 1002–970 BC. When King David makes good on his promise to hand over the reign of his kingdom to his son Solomon; Bathsheba, his wife and the mother of Solomon, responds as follows,

Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.

King Artaxerxes

The fourth time that the phrase ‘live for ever’ is mentioned in the bible is in the second half of the fifth century BC, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, the King of Persia.  Nehemiah is the cup-bearer to the King in Susa, the Persian capital and learns that the wall of Jerusalem is destroyed. Nehemia asks the king for leave to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. The king doesn’t only grant permission but gives aid to Nehemia so that he can go and rebuild the walls.  

Nehemia said unto the king, Let the king live for ever …

The book of Daniel

It appears that the book of Daniel was written about events which took place in the sixth century B.C. with the final composition of the book made during the second century BC. In the book of Daniel we find in chapter 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 the words ‘live for ever’ mentioned as follows,

King Nebuchadnezzar

The seventh time that the words ‘live for ever are used in the bible, is in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah. This is when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.  In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams which troubled him and

Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

The eighth time the words ‘live for ever’ are used is when Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold and commanded all people to fall down and worship the golden image.

After God spectacularly saved three of his devout followers, who refused to bow down to the golden image, from a fiery furnace, king Nebuchadnezzar made a decree.
And he said,  Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

During this whole process certain Chaldeans had accused the Jews and said to king Nebuchadnezzar,

O, king, live for ever.

King Nebuchadnezzar did not acknowledge that all his riches were blessings from God. As a result of his arrogance he lost his kingdom and found himself for seven years living with the beast of the field as had been prophesied to him by Daniel who was also called Belteshazzar.

At the end of his seven year exile Nebuchadnezzar’s reason returned unto him and he acknowledged our Creator as the most High, the King of heaven who lives for ever and said,  ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.’

The ninth time the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned in the bible is when Nebuchadnezzar praised God,

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation …

King Belshazzar

The tenth time the words ‘live for ever’ are used is when Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords. The king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank out of golden and silver containers that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the house of God, which was the temple in Jerusalem.
As they drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone; fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. And the king became extremely troubled.

Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed …

King Darius

The eleventh time the words ‘live for ever’ are used is during the reign of king Darius when those in power set up a trap which had Daniel thrown into the lion den.

Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

The twelfth time that the words ‘live for ever’ are used is when king Darius came to check in the morning to see if Daniel survived the lion’s den and found a cheery Daniel who greeted him,

Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

Daniel added that God hath sent him an angel to shut the lions mouth because Daniel was innocent before God as well as before the king. The king was so impressed that Daniel survived the lion’s den that he said, ‘I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.’

The greeting ‘live for ever’ is commonly used to address royals.

From the above greetings we see that the greeting, ‘live for ever’ was commonly used to address royals. As mentioned above are the third, fourth, seventh, eight, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth time that the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned in scripture.

Batsheba addressed her husband King David with the greeting ‘live for ever.’ After this the prophet Nehemia addresses king Artaxerxes, the King of Persia in the same way. After this the Chaldeans to king Nebuchadnezzar in Syriack followed by King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledging our Creator as the most High, the King of heaven who lives for ever. Followed by the queen greeting Belshazzar the king with ‘live for ever’ and presidents and princes assembled together to king Darius, wishing him to live for ever. As well as Daniel himself greeting king Darius in this way.

Are our royals still greeted like this today?

Queen Elizabeth

At the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster, on the second day of June, 1953 after homage and alliance was pledged to the queen,

the drums beat, and the trumpets sounded, and all the people shouted, crying out:

God save Queen ELIZABETH.
Long live Queen ELIZABETH.
May the Queen live for ever.

From the above we can tell that the greeting ‘live for ever’ has been used throughout history to honour kings and queens as is in line with the promise made in scripture that those who obey God may live for ever.

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The greeting of ‘live for ever’

Where does the greeting of ‘live for ever” come from?

The phrase, ‘King, live for ever’ is mentioned repeatedly in the bible starting around 3000 years ago when for instance Batsheba addressed king David. After this occasion the greeting of ‘live for ever’ is mentioned at least another five or six times when the king in Syriack is addressed and king Darius and king Nebuchadnezzar by different people at varying times and occasions.

A Royal Greeting

‘Let the king live for ever’ and ‘O king live for ever’ is how kings were commonly greeted in those days. This is in line with the promise from God for those who obey his Word. It is fair to say then that people who live for ever are part of a royal household.

May all my readers live for ever!

Mimi

 

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