Out of the north comes golden splendor…
Filed in NHL | Comments (0)Morning Journal,
What can I say? Brrrrrrrr, it is cold outside. My jaunt with the General was short lived this morning.? A hot? cup of coffee hit the spot. Hmmmm mmm good.
Well, let’s jump off into Job. Everything has quietened down. Job has nothing else to say.? His three ‘friends’, or better yet, accusers, have nothing else to say. Here is where a young man named Elihu begins his discourse.
What Elihu shares covers? chapter 32 through chapter 37. He speaks? wondrous truths. I would recommend that my readers take time just to read through this portion of Job. There are a great many things to learn. But for the benefit of my morning devotion I’ll simply make a couple of observations.?
This is how the book of Job introduces Elihu’s defense of God:
“But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.” (32:2,3)
It would take too much to present all the treasures that Elihu has to share about God. All? I want to do now is? come to the concluding remarks that Elihu makes. It is here that we see a wondrous statement concerning God and His Messiah. And it is after these statements are made that the Lord Himself comes on the scene. Listen:
“Out of the north comes golden splendor; around God is awesome majesty. The Almighty–we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness. Therefore men fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart.” (37:22-24)
When Elihu says ‘Out of the north comes golden splendor,’ what we find is a hidden key to the Messiah. Why out of the north? David calls attention to the heavenly city of God — “Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great King. God, in her palaces, has made Himself known as a stronghold.” (Psalm 48:2,4)
This could not speak of? the earthly Jerusalem. Jerusalem was never considered to be in the far north. David had to have the true city of God in mind.
We also catch a glimpse of this where God accosts Satan — “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.” (Isaiah 14:13)
But what does Elihu mean when he speaks of God’s ‘golden splendor’? I think this is a? direct reference to Jesus. Listen carefully to Hebrews 1:3:
“And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His [the Father's] glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power…”
There is so much more to explore in Elihu’s final speaking. Let’s simply say that this last statement serves as an introduction to the Lord Himself. The very next thing we read is, “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?’ (38:1,2)
Ok, let’s leave the rest of Job for another day. It is enough to say that Jesus Chirst is the ‘golden splendor’ of God Almighty. It is in Jesus alone that we come to know God for who He really is.
Been getting? cards from? family and freinds. They are all so heart warming. Even received one from Juane and Charlene. Every one of those Fletcher boys keeps a tab on me. This is because we were always? more like brothers than cousins.
It is interesting how the Martins were raised. All of grandpa’s and grandma’s children with the exception of one son in Virginia, lived up the same ‘lane’.? Granny Dumplins use to make her rounds to each home pretty much on a daily basis. Anyway, we cousins became very close over the years. You don’t find a lot of families like that. Folk are so scattered nowadays that some grandchildren don’t know other grandchildren. Times have changed.
Betty and I? really wish to be? loving grandparents for? our grandchildren. Betty does a much better job than I do. She is a grandmother par-excellance.? Once I get back on track with my health I intend to? spend? more? quality time with my grand younguns. That is where my fishing boat will come into play.? 
10:15 a.m. - UPS outside.? Alright.? Received? another book on the Aramaic Bible. (The Targums are Aramaic free-handed translations of the Old Testament Scriptures.)? The Targums are such interesting reading. They were written? just before and after Christ. What they do is reveal the heart of Judaism during that time. When you read a Targum, you hear some things that are shared in the New Testament. ?
10:25 a.m. - Sent flowers to my beautiful daughter at her office. This little girl has always been the apple of my eye.? In fact I need to ‘retell’ the story of how Shana came about.
One morning during my devotion? a very interesting thing happened. I’m meditating in Psalm 37. The moment I read verse 4, things get even quieter. David said, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
I sit there for a moment just meditating. Here is what goes on my my heart. I said, “Lord, did you mean that?” What I heard in my quietness was, “Try Me and see.”
This could not have been my imagination. It was too moving. The heart-interchange continues. I said, “Lord I thank you for my sons.? I want? a daughter.” The next words I hear in my heart are, “She’s yours.”
Keep in mind that Betty was already expecting.
When I shared with church members? what the Lord said? about a daughter, some folk just laughed.? They didn’t laugh as a mockery. Guess it was because they? had never heard such a thing. So now the pressure is on. Did Brother Martin really hear from the Lord?
Of course I had heard. But there was still some pressure there.
I stood at the window. The nurse walked towards me with a baby in her arms and? mouthed, ‘Its a girl.” The tears? streamed down my face. It was that answered? prayer that set the tone for a? deeper faith walk for Betty and me.
Now for all my children –? I love each of them? deeply and equally. That was never an issue. Of course they jest with one another today as to who is the favorite.
My boys Nathan and Andre are the strength of my life. I am so proud of them. They have each made their mark. And we have a son David, who is already with the Lord.
The great lesson in? life that I’ve learned through my children is that they are just as human as I am. All of us, including Betty and myself, have had our stuggles, our failures,? and our victories. Yet? throughout life? I have seen one constant in my children. They love the Lord.? We are a family that belongs to the? Lord.? He forever remains in our hearts.?
11:50 a.m. It remains cold outside. CJ and I removed water off the cover of the boat. My hands nearly froze.
As for my secret rendezvous place on the hill behind Christian Challenge, all I can do is look at it from my office window. Believe I’ll do all my rendezvousing from inside today.
Betty and Shana are having lunch today. Those two are such buddies. It thrills my heart to see a mother-daughter team like my two true loves. When I hear them talk,? I? listen in amazement at the? foreign language that girls use. We guys are so different. It is true that we are headliners; I came. I saw. I conquered.
Not so with the girls. They relish? every detail, leaving nothing out. Yep, the lady folk have always been mysterious creatures to me. What delightful mysteries they are. How boring life would be without them.
12:00 - Our grandfather clock is sending out a message.? And I am? desiring some hot soup. Believe that is what I will do. Who says we men can’t cook. Course Betty doesn’t care for my cooking. Says she never knows what I’m putting together. I don’t know either. That is no reason not to taste it and see.?
Its early afternoon. Believe I’ll close out for the day. Got to catch up? on other projects. By the way, tomorrow is my 4th chemo treatment. It will be my? half way mark for the down hill journey. After this treatment they will do a PET scan to see my present results. It will be well.
Sending bunches of love,
Buddy
?
?
