Himself Took Our Infirmities

This all started when the following verses "came alive" while studying God's word:: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.; (Matthew 8:17)
At the same time, the same day in fact, the following passage was revealed:: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.; (Romans 5:8-11)
Also, at the time, I was reading a book that discussed this subject.

It fitted in a pattern.

Suddenly this "mystery" started making spiritual sense, and it's hoped that you will also be blessed by the knowledge, in a small way yet, of how much God really loves us. One day, when our Creator reveals all mysteries, we won't be able to leave Him alone, we'll just worship Him continually.

From the Romans passage above we see that there are basically three steps described.
Because God loves us:
At this stage only, do all the promises of God concerning healing, protection and everlasting life with Him become available.
While we were yet sinners

Jesus said:: He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.; (Matthew 12:30); Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.; (Matthew 13:36-43)
God's word says:: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?; (Romans 6:16)

Yes, there are enemies of God.

These enemies in the spirit realm cannot fight God face to face - they tried once and lost, but continue to do so indirectly, by using those whom God physically created in His image; you and I.
Satan and his angels were banished onto a world that we know as earth, and just as God is looking for some of us to learn of Him and become righteous, so Satan is looking for some to become evil and follow him. Because Satan is the god of this world, he can offer mankind worldly gifts to lust after.
God wants us to lust after spiritual gifts, those not seen by worldly eyes, but offered for our use to give God the glory that He deserves.
God is our heavenly Father - He created us to love us and because He loves us and wants us to love Him, He placed the knowledge of Himself and His laws in each one of our souls before we were born.: For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.; (Romans 2:14-16)

Father God is Holy and He wants us to be holy - in fact we won't get into the new Jerusalem in His presence unless we attempt to live holy lives while here.

Our heavenly Father also gave us the freedom to choose to be holy or to be unholy. He doesn't want obedience as in a machine, but reverence from a willing heart.

Reverence includes submission, obedience, and worship.

Submission means placing God's will above our own:: Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.; (Psalms 37:5)

Obedience is not merely the following of the law, but doing it joyfully and happily, even in the face of opposition.: Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;; (Hebrews 5:7-9)

Worship. All too few of us worship and thank our loving Creator on a daily basis; for the air that we breathe, for the beautiful world that He has made, for the clouds that promise to refresh the earth, for the joyfulness that He has placed in us, for His presence within us in the form of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us.

The opposite of what God wants is rebellion, disobedience to worldly and spiritual laws and rejection of His love.
Satan rebelled against God, he wanted to be as God and replace Him if possible. A war resulted and because spiritual beings cannot die Satan was cast from God's presence in heaven onto earth; perhaps to see if Satan would want to repent and submit. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, so Satan was the first sinner.
It would seem that Satan, who is a beautiful being, was already on the earth when Adam and Eve were created.
Instead of reconsidering his position with God, Satan was (and is) determined to see if he could defeat God and become as Him. This is borne out by him offering Jesus of Nazareth the kingdom of earth if He would bow down and worship him as described in the first ten verses of Matthew chapter four.
So Satan, the first sinner, was (and is) unrepentant and knew, when he saw Adam and Eve, who were God's creation, that if he could get one of them to sin it would be one less for God because God would reject that person, and also therefore one on Satan's side.

Okay, so who was the first earthling to sin in the Bible?
She was beguiled by Satan. There is a difference in meaning between beguile and deceive. Chambers Dictionary describes the word beguile as follows: To charm. . . . to spend time pleasantly. . . to trick into some course of action.
Have you ever been tricked into some course of action which you later regretted? What about your first smoke or first beer?

Satan had possibly been tempting both Adam and Eve for some while and suddenly - bingo - he had found weakness in Eve. She could be beguiled. He caused Eve to sin.
Because Adam was made in God's image and then Eve as a companion for Adam - even though Eve was the first to sin - mankind's catastrophe is known as Adam's sin. Adam bears the responsibility in God's eyes even though he was not the one deceived.: For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.; (1 Timothy 2:13-14)
Once Adam and Eve had been cast out of the garden of Eden because of willing sin, they received a sin nature and were no longer protected by God.

Our Sin Nature

What is sin anyway?
It is wrongdoing in the sight of God, not so.
As we have already seen in Romans chapter two, God placed the knowledge of good and evil in us before birth, so that we would recognise sin.
Much more important however is the witness that God is holy, righteous and filled with lovingkindness (mercy).
Have you ever realised for what reason our heavenly Father gave us this conscience and then the Law?

To protect us - - - for our future and eternal good!

So, because Father God cannot condone sin and because He made us to love us, He gave us a righteous and legal ladder out of the hole that Eve dug for us.

Our heavenly Father did this because He loves us!²
His only begotten Son, who is as God, was tortured, and died in our places as man's representative, taking our infirmities, sicknesses and sins with Him onto the cross and rising from the dead as a new Creature because He loves us!²

However, we have to love Him in return to be accepted into His presence.
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This sin nature is present in all of us and will continue to influence us while we remain on this earth while in these present bodies, reborn or not.
There are two kinds of sin that we are subject to; inadvertent sin and willing sin.
Inadvertent sin is very difficult to control in Satan's kingdom. For example, if we were riding along on the freeway minding our own business, keeping to the speed limit and some speedster came in from the wrong side and cut us off, causing us to brake and swerve the car dangerously, we would be inclined to say a few unkind words to his or her disappearing back. The crisis came out of the blue and our sin nature took over in an instant. We couldn't help ourselves not so? Well, yes we can, practice makes perfect you know, and if we endeavour to curb this sin nature we can overcome it to a greater or lesser degree.
The person whose car cut us off - he was in willing sin. He knew that he was sinning. "So what, who is going to catch me?" Mmm.

I have a business associate who was shown the truth of the Living God, who experienced a personal spiritual manifestation, a miracle, and for a short while changed his ways, but is now back to his old sinful life. He's rejected the offer of a passport to heaven. He has no eternal hope.: Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:; (Ephesians 2:11-12)

Also, because of the lack of forward planning, our municipal council has decreed that a crisis situation of water restrictions has come into force. The terms of the restriction of the use of water for garden use has repeatedly been noted in our security village newsletter, but our three closest neighbours all willingly disobey this law. Some do it openly, some crouch under the bushes to hide from view. They all know that it's wrong. So what?
Before the "law" of the water restrictions came into force, they were not made aware that they were wasting a precious commodity. Now they were, but "their" gardens might suffer and not be so luxurious, so their lusts were more important than obeying authority.

Let's have a look at the "Ten Commandments", the Law, again:: And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's. These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!; (Deuteronomy 5:1-29)

The do's and don'ts described above deal with deliberate actions on the part of man. To disobey is to commit willing sin.

In dealing with sin in general, the apostle Paul has this to say:
Dealing with willing sin:: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.; (Romans 6:6-23); Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.; (Romans 7:1-7)

Dealing with man's sin nature:: And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?; (Romans 7:10-24)

Who shall deliver you from the body of this death as the result of sin?
We see that we cannot do it ourselves, but need the Spirit of God:: I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.; (Romans 7:25-8:9)

What does this mean?
It means that as the Law was (and is) found impossible to keep because of our sin nature, we now have the Holy Spirit living in us to prompt us into righteousness at all times once we have submitted our wills to God. These are the works that the Bible explains to us. We have to strive to be obedient to His promptings because we love Him.
: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.; (Ephesians 2:4-10); This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.; (Titus 3:8)

Sanctified

Chambers Dictionary describes the word as: to make, declare, regard as, or show to be, sacred or holy; to set apart for sacred use; to free from sin or evil.
: For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.; (1 Corinthians 7:14); From this we deduce that certain persons are counted holy by God because of the Covenant relationship between God and the Christian. This relationship is also described in the old Covenant.
Also, people who recognise God and Jesus Christ by going to "church" but are not reborn of the Holy Spirit are sanctified and they shall experience certain supernatural happenings such as the working of God's providence in their lives and will recognise and acknowledge providence and miracles in the lives of believers.
The following words of Jesus are part of another teaching, but shows God's lovingkindness:: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.; (Matthew 18:20)

For example as we can see from the following passages of Scripture, Simon Peter wasn't at that time converted:: But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.; (Matthew 16:23); And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.; (Luke 22:31-32)
However, like Saul of Tarsus, he was chosen by God:: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.; (John 17:9)
But even at this early stage Simon was used by God:: When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.; (Matthew 16:13-17)

He was sanctified.

This was the man who denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed; and only received the Holy Spirit after Jesus had completed His earthly ministry:: And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:; (John 20:22)

This was the man called Peter (to me a totally different person to Andrew's brother Simon, chief of the twelve disciples) who defied the same Pharisees, priests and rulers in the temple because of the power of God the Holy Spirit in him:: And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.; (Acts 5:18-32)

The people who are sanctified, possibly by going to church on Sundays, are like electrical wiring in a house; everything is there including the light bulb at the end of the wire, but they haven't bothered to find the knowledge of how to switch it on.

By the way, those three neighbours who water their gardens illegally - they all go to church, they consider themselves Christians.

Yet there is still hope for them because of God's great love, mercy and grace. He has not turned His back on them.

Reborn of the Spirit
: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.; (John 3:3)

Some readers may consider that the words reconciled, justified and atonement mean that they are forgiven their sin and are therefore saved from the wrath to come.
However, if the Romans 5 passage is carefully studied again, looking at the word tenses, we notice that "being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved. . . ." This happens twice in the passage.
Further, here are some verses on either side of the above named passage as confirmation:: But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.; (Romans 4:24-25); Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.; (Romans 5:18-21)

By God's grace and our righteousness may we be saved from the wrath to come:: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?; (Romans 6:12-16)

The subject of being reborn of the Spirit, of God's grace and His substitutionary sacrificial system is explained elsewhere on this web site³.

*A Psalm of David.*: Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.; (Psalms 143:1-12)
: Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.; (Matthew 27:50-54)

My Master died for love of me.
His sacrifice of blood atoned for my sins in the eyes of a holy and loving God.

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¹*A Psalm of David.*: 1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.; 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:; 3 for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.; 4 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.; 5 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.; 6 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.; 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.; 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.; (Psalms 138:1-8)

We notice three important sayings in this Psalm:
1. God has magnified His word above all His great name. (To make the path to His Presence known.)
2. The kings of the earth shall praise God when they hear the words of His mouth (When they learn of His lovingkindness.).
3. Then they will sing praises in the ways of the LORD. (When they are converted.)

When we study the Bible we are using our eyes to understand God's words. When studying and reading aloud we are using two of our faculties; sight and sound, making it easier to understand what God is telling us.

Likewise, when revealing to others God's great love, it will be more effective if both word and voice is used, not so? (See Romans 10:17.)


²See God Really Loves Us.
³ www.hosanna.org.za