“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

The emphasis in this next passage is on the “oneness” of body, spirit, hope of our calling, Lord, faith, and baptism. This is under one God and Father who is overall and through all and in all. The ChatGPT image shows a group supporting a baptism, but that baptism is a conundrum in this passage, as we will see.

These verses seemed so simple when I first read them again to prepare for writing. I’ll admit it tonight - we had a long day of driving compounded by a mechanical concern for our RV vehicle (this has just been resolved, fairly easily I might add), so I jumped into this expecting a simple evaluation and a short devotional. That’s what happens when you are distracted by the cares and concerns of this world and take your mind off of the Lord! He brings you back to a position of attention!

Let’s do a sampling of commentary to help out on this.

Here is what Charles Spurgeon says, as quoted in Precept Austin:

“If there were two lords, you might be divided into two parties; if there were two faiths, you might split up into two sections; if there were two baptisms, you might be right in having two denominations; if there were two fathers, there might be two families; if there were two indwelling spirits, there would be, and there must be, two sorts of people; but, in the true Church of Jesus Christ, there is “one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

That seems pretty succinct! We need to know that in the true Church of Jesus Christ, there is one God and Father of all.

Ray Stedman says this about the one Spirit, as noted in Precept Austin:

That brings us to the next element, one Spirit. Here is the great, eternal, invisible Person who is the power behind the Christian church. The strength of the church never comes from its numbers. This is the mistaken concept that many Christians have today. They think we only influence society and bear impact upon the world as we can gather together enough Christians and thus swing enough votes to sway our legislatures. That is not where the power of the church lies, and it never has.

The prophet Zechariah was once confronted with a great mountain which God said would become a plain. When Zechariah began to look around to see how this could happen, where the power would come from, what instruments would be provided to level that mountain and make it into a plain, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts," (Zechariah 4:6b RSV). It is the Spirit that is the true power of the church, and there is only one Spirit. He is the same everywhere no matter where the church exists -- in every place and in every age. That is why the truth remains unchangeable, the passing of time does not change it. That is why the church is not dependent on many or few, or on the wisdom of its membership. It depends on one thing, the one Spirit. (The Cry for Unity - Ephesians 4-1-6)

So important to remember that the Spirit is the true power of the church! he is the same everywhere.

Albert Barnes describes the hope of our calling, quoted in Precept Austin:

Christians have the same hope, and they should therefore be one. They are looking forward to the same heaven; they hope for the same happiness beyond the grave. It is not as on earth among the people of the world, where there is a variety of hopes--where one hopes for pleasure, and another for honour, and another for gain; but there is the prospect of the same inexhaustible joy. This hope is fitted to promote union. There is no rivalry--for there is enough for all. Hope on earth does not always produce union and harmony. Two men hope to obtain the same office; two students hope to obtain the same honour in college; two rivals hope to obtain the same hand in marriage--and the consequence is jealousy, contention, and strife. The reason is, that but one can obtain the object. Not so with the crown of life--with the rewards of heaven. All may obtain that crown; all may share those rewards. How can Christians contend in an angry manner with each other, when the hope of dwelling in the same heaven swells their bosoms and animates their hearts? (Albert Barnes. Barnes NT Commentary)

The crown of life and the rewards of heaven remove any contention between believers; it is the same source of joy for of all of us!

The attributes of one body, one spirit, one faith and one Lord are fairly easy to understand. Where commentary bogs down is in the statement that Paul makes about having “one baptism”. Is this the act of baptism by water or is it baptism by the Spirit? Or both? Here are two commentaries from Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Ray Stedman, as quoted in Precept Austin:

Lloyd-Jones - We must not say that baptism in any shape or form is vital and essential to salvation, and that a man cannot be saved unless he is baptized. This, for the good and sufficient reason that there have undoubtedly been excellent Christians among the Quakers, the early Quakers in particular, and members of the Salvation Army today, and others. Take the case of the thief dying on the cross by the side of our Lord. Surely no-one doubts his salvation, his conversion, his regeneration; yet he was not baptized. There have been others who have come to see the truth on their death-beds and have never been baptized. Baptism is not essential to salvation; so the Apostle cannot have been emphasizing the rite in and of itself...Baptism and the Communion of the Lord’s Supper should be observed; they are the two, and the only two, sacraments which we recognize, because they are the only two which are taught in the Scriptures. But it is more important that we should realize that these are simply outward representations of an inner and unseen spiritual grace. The meaning is the vital element. I am prepared to argue, therefore, that the only conceivable meaning which this term can carry must be in the realm of this spiritual representation which is signified by the outward rite of baptism, whatever form or manner or mode you may choose to employ. It is not the mode of baptism that matters, it is the thing signified that matters. This is so because this interpretation alone is consistent with the principle of unity about which the Apostle is writing, and is concerned to emphasize.... The act of baptism does not achieve anything in and of itself; but it does represent and signify something, and it is this which brings out the element of unity... This is a picture of that which is true of all who are in Christ. Baptism therefore represents and signifies our being put into the realm and into the sphere and into the influence of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Lloyd-Jones, D. M. Exposition of Ephesians in 8 Vol. Baker Book) (Bolding added by Precept Austin)

Ray Stedman writes that regarding one baptism “there is much apparent disunity. The Baptists say, “Ah, this is water baptism, baptism by immersion only.” (The latest sign to appear in Baptist churches now says, “Put a tither in your tank!”) The Presbyterians say, “No, you’re all wet, sprinkling is the only way.” There are other groups that say babies ought to be baptized, while others say, “No, it is only for adults.” There seems to be such disunity on this question of baptism. But the amazing thing is, despite this difference over the symbol (and, after all, water baptism, in whatever form, is recognizably and demonstrably a symbol for something else), there is one baptism everywhere agreed upon by the church. It is the baptism of the Spirit, the real baptism of which water baptism is always a symbol. That baptism is linked here to Jesus Christ because it is baptism into his body. As we read in First Corinthians 12, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” {1 Cor 12:13}, the body of Christ. Or, as Romans 6 puts it, we were “baptized into his death,” {Ro 6:3}. We have been made one with him, united with him in all the value of his death and his resurrection. Now that is the one baptism of the church and it is everywhere confessed. (Ephesians 4:1-6: Cry For Unity).

I think these two scholars both agree that the real baptism is the baptism of the Spirit, which puts us in the realm and influence of Jesus. The outward symbolism of the rituals we perform are valid, but the inward transformation makes us one with Him.

Finally, in this passage, God the Father is over (above) all, through all, and in (you) all. I liked this table from Precept Austin that explains this:

Sometimes the esoteric nature of Scripture is especially challenging, when one is tired and struggling to understand it, so I ask readers to forgive me for the superficial content today. But we can know that what we believe is part of being ONE in the Lord!

My next devotional examines Ephesians 4:7-8 - Grace was given.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord - Thank You for your guiding hand today when we had some concerns driving and for helping us to have an easy solution. Thank You for always being there for us as we ponder Your immutable ways! Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/30/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 4:4-6. Within that commentary were links to sermons by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Ray Stedman; please refer to those links for further information.

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Enduring Word commentary was not used for this devotional.

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Throughout history, people have tried to “find themselves.” They are trying to find meaning in their lives, a reason for their existence. For those of us who are believers, we find our identity with Jesus Christ.

These verses in the Epistle to the Galatians were Paul’s way of correcting what was being taught in their church at that time. Most of these church members were Jews who were now following Jesus… but they were still thinking like Jews. Traditionally, their standing before God was dependent by the level of their obedience to the law.

To be “children of God,” Jews of the time had to observe the law to the extremes, much in the manner that the Pharisees and Scribes followed the law. Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of these pious followers of the law in Matthew 23, and He was quite unhappy with them! Paul’s deep understanding of Jesus is coming through in today’s verses, and he’s saying that all can be considered children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

In his Enduring Word commentary on these verses, David Guzik explains (note that he uses the term “sons of God” while the NIV translation of the Bible uses “children of God”):

i. The standing is impressive. To be among the sons of God means that we have a special relationship with God as a loving and caring Father. It is a place of closeness, a place of affection, a place of special care and attention.

ii. The method is impressive. To become a son of God through faith in Christ Jesus means much more than believing that He exists or did certain things. It is to put our trust in Him, both for now and eternity.

Guzik also explains the second verse (starting with “for all of you…”) quite beautifully:

b. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ: Here, using the picture of baptism, Paul illustrates what it means to have faith in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t say we were baptized into water, but baptized into Christ. Just as in water baptism a person is immersed in water, so when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, we are immersed in Jesus.

i. Many Christians seem content with just “dipping a bit” into Jesus. God wants us to be fully immersed in Jesus; not sprinkled, not just a part of us dipped. When a person is immersed in water, you don’t even see the person much anymore — you mostly see the water. When we live as baptized into Christ, you don’t see so much of “me” anymore; you mostly see Jesus.

ii. It should be stressed that this is the baptism that really saves us: our immersion into Jesus. If a person isn’t baptized into Christ, he could be dunked a thousand times into water and it would make no eternal difference. If a person has been baptized into Christ, then he should follow through and do what Jesus told him to do: receive baptism as a demonstration of his commitment to Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20).

c. Have put on Christ: Another way of expressing our immersion in Jesus is to say that we have put on Christ. In the original language, the phrase has the idea of putting on a suit of clothes. So we “clothe ourselves” with Jesus as our identity.

i. How we dress has a real impact on how we think and act. How we dress has a real impact on how we appear to others. We also need to know how to dress appropriately for each occasion. Paul says to us, “Your appropriate clothing for each day is to put on Christ. People should see that you belong to Him by looking at your life. You should live with the awareness that you are adorned with Jesus.”

ii. Some people might wonder if this is only play-acting, if it is really an illusion, like a child playing “dress-up.” The answer is simple. It is only an illusion if there is no spiritual reality behind it. In this verse, Paul really speaks of the spiritual reality — those who were baptized into Christ really have put on Christ. Now they are called to live each day consistent with the spiritual reality.

⬆️ THIS is what I pray more Christians begin to understand. You can’t just say “I put my faith in the Lord Jesus,” get baptized, and then go on living as if nothing has changed from your previous life! Guzik’s comment that “People should see that you belong to Him by looking at your life. You should live with the awareness that you are adorned with Jesus” is the key here.

Clothed in grace, we are no longer defined by who we were—but by who we are in Christ.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Father in Heaven, thank You for the gift of faith that allows me to be called Your child. I pray that all who are Your children through faith in Christ are able to break down the barriers which cause such discord between Christian churches and demonstrate true unity. Thank You for affording me the rights and privileges of being an heir in Your family. Assist me to live out my identity as Your child daily by reflecting Your love and grace to those I meet each day. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author and reproduced here in their original format. © 1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Paul spent the first three chapters of Ephesians telling us what God has done for us. The last three chapters of the book are focused on how we, as believers, can put this into practice and demonstrate our virtues as Christians. Paul, as a grateful prisoner of the Lord (he doesn’t care about his physical imprisonment), implores us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling for which we have been called. The ChatGPT image at the top shows early believers practicing this unity of the Spirit.

Let’s do a word study from the Blue Letter Bible lexicon:

Implore comes from the Greek verb παρακαλέω or parakaléō (Strong’s G3870), with the following Biblical usages:

1. to call to one’s side, call for, summon

2. to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.

   1. to admonish, exhort

   2. to beg, entreat, beseech

      1. to strive to appease by entreaty

   3. to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to comfort

      1. to receive consolation, be comforted

   4. to encourage, strengthen

   5. exhorting and comforting and encouraging

   6. to instruct, teach

Paul is begging, beseeching, encouraging, comforting, and instructing the saints at Ephesus to walk in a worthy manner. This worthy manner includes humility, gentleness, patience, showing tolerance for one another out of love, and being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

When I see how many people who claim to be believers treat other people in comments on social media, I realize that this walk (with all of the attributes suggested by Paul and coming from the Holy Spirit) is extremely difficult when you have the relative anonymity of the internet. I, too, struggle with seeing other opinions sometimes and not reacting, especially viewing comments that cheer on another assassination attempt on the President (or immediately say that it was staged for his advantage, contrary to all evidence). I struggle to not react when I see others laugh at and mock Christians. The best practice is to be diligent in your soul and move past the latest outrages and turn that “doomscrolling” into a prayer of gratitude for what is right in your life, thanks to the Lord. The internet is a powerful tool, but the enemy uses it to its great advantage.

What Paul is doing beginning in Chapter 4 is introducing the doctrine of sanctification. This commentary by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, found on Precept Austin explains this quite well:

"The first section [of Ephesians] consisting of the first three chapters, has been entirely doctrinal. The Apostle has been unfolding and displaying in his own marvelous manner the great essential doctrines of the Christian faith, everything that is central and vital to an understanding of the way of salvation. There is no greater display of the doctrines of the Christian faith than that found in the first three chapters of this Epistle.

But having done that, the Apostle now moves on to the practical application of his doctrine; he goes on to show how it is related to daily life and living. So we are really at a most important point in this Epistle, a point that marks a very real division....The Apostle Paul, when he used the word ‘therefore’, makes the connection between faith and practice quite clear. He has laid down the doctrine; it has now got to be applied....Here, then, in chapter 4, the Apostle proceeds to make a great appeal to the Ephesian believers to put into operation the things he has been teaching them. He reminds them of the things that inevitably follow as a natural consequence from an understanding of the great doctrines of the Christian faith....There is always the danger—and it affects some people more than others—of forgetting that Christianity is, after all, a way of life and a way of living. [My emphasis].

Of course there are certain people who emphasize that alone, and who know nothing about doctrine and are not interested in doctrine. Such people regard Christianity as a system of morality or of ethics. But I am dealing, rather, with people who are evangelically minded, and whose danger is to stop at doctrine only....If we really do know these things, then more is expected of us. From the man who has, much is expected; to whom much has been given, much is also expected. So if we really have been grasping the great doctrines of the first three chapters of this Epistle let us remember this word therefore. We are not to call a halt; we are to go on to the practical life and living, to the ordinary day-to-day application of basic Christian doctrine.

It is a glorious experience to be on top of that mountain; but we must go down to the valleys, to all the problems of daily life and living. Around us is this godless world which cannot know about Christ unless you and I tell them about Christ, either by preaching or by mixing with them in our work and employment and the ordinary avocations in life. We must show what we know, and what we have, and above all show Him in whom we have believed....Doctrine must always come first; and we must never reverse this order. It is, I repeat, the invariable practice in the New Testament itself to speak of doctrine before the application of doctrine. We must not act until we are clear about our doctrine. This is, beyond all question, the most vital principle of all in connection with the New Testament doctrine of sanctification. So we are entitled to say that this word therefore introduces us to the doctrine of sanctification.

The first three chapters of our Epistle with all their astonishing teaching have not considered the doctrine of sanctification as such...The doctrine of the sealing of the Spirit, and the experience of it, is not sanctification. To know the love of Christ is not sanctification. To be filled with all the fulness of God is not sanctification. What then is the relationship between these things? It is that those are things that promote sanctification, that encourage sanctification, and give us motives for sanctification; but they are not sanctification itself....It (Sanctification) is the outworking, the outliving, by the power that God gives us and that is already in us, of the doctrine we have believed and the experiences we have enjoyed from His gracious hands (Precept Austin Editorial remark: cp Jesus' prayer for us in Jn 17:17 which shows us the "modus operandi", the role of Truth, the Word, in growing us in Christ-likeness! Are you daily in the Word of Truth? If not, you are short cutting your sanctification process. It's that simple! In the Word-Grow. Not in the Word-No Growth!). ((Ephesians 4:1-16Mp3's - click to listen to the sermon "Worthy of our Calling") [Note from me - that link doesn’t work].

A few takeaways:

1. The “therefore” that Paul uses at the beginning of this passage indicates a transition from doctrine to practical application through the Holy Spirit.

2. Believers often get caught up in a trap of concentrating on doctrine only OR on application only. We need both!

3. Sanctification is the outworking and the outliving by the power that God gives us. Others cannot help but know us by the fruit of the Spirit.

Enduring Word has had excellent commentary for Ephesians so far, IMHO:

a. Therefore: Paul spent three chapters spelling out in glorious detail all that God did for us, freely by His grace. Now he brings a call to live rightly, but only after explaining what God did for us.

b. Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called: When we really understand how much God did for us, we will naturally want to serve and obey Him out of gratitude.

• i. Understanding who we are is the foundation of this worthy walk. “Luther counsels men to answer all temptations of Satan with this only, Christianus sum, I am a Christian.” (Trapp)

• ii. The idea is clear. We don’t walk worthy so that God will love us, but because He does love us. It is motivated out of gratitude, not out of a desire to earn merit.

• iii. “Every believer is God’s first-born; and so higher than the kings of the earth, Psalm 89:27. He must therefore carry himself accordingly, and not stain his high blood.” (Trapp)

…

a. With all lowliness and gentleness: A worthy walk before God will be marked by lowliness and gentleness, not a pushy desire to defend our own rights and advance our own agenda.

• i. Before Christianity, the word lowliness always had a bad association to it. In the minds of many it still does; but it is a glorious Christian virtue (Philippians 2:1-10). It means that we can be happy and content when we are not in control or steering things our way.

• b. Longsuffering, bearing with one another: We need this so that the inevitable wrongs that occur between people in God’s family will not work against God’s purpose of bringing all things together in Jesus – illustrated through His current work in the church.

• i. Chrysostom defined longsuffering as the spirit that has the power to take revenge, but never does. It is characteristic of a forgiving, generous heart.

c. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: This humble, forgiving attitude towards each other naturally fulfills this gift of the unity of the Spirit.

• i. We must endeavor to keep this unity – we do not create it. God never commands us to create unity among believers. He has created it by His Spirit; our duty is to recognize it and keep it.

• ii. This is a spiritual unity, not necessarily a structural or denominational unity. It is evident in the quick fellowship possible among Christians of different races, nationalities, languages, and economic classes.

• iii. We can understand this unity of the Spirit by understanding what it is not. In a sermon on this text, Charles Spurgeon pointed out some of the things that the text does not say.

  • · It does not say, “To endeavor to maintain the unity of evil, the unity of superstition, or the unity of spiritual tyranny.”

  • · It does not say, “Endeavoring to keep up your ecclesiastical arrangements for centralization.”

  • · It does not say, “Endeavoring to keep the uniformity of the Spirit.”

• iv. Structural unity can even work against true unity of the Spirit. We can perhaps see a purpose God has in preventing a structural unity of the church right now, to keep misdirected efforts of the church (such as ambitions for political power) from fulfillment. “It is not a desirable thing that all Churches should melt into one another and become one; for the complete fusion of all Churches into one ecclesiastical corporation would inevitably produce another form of Popery, since history teaches us that large ecclesiastical bodies grow more or less corrupt as a matter of course. Huge spiritual corporations are, as a whole, the strongholds of tyranny and the refuges of abuse; and it is only a matter of time when they shall break to pieces.” (Spurgeon)

• v. “For the church fellowship in which the Gentile and Jewish believers were united was no mere enrollment on a register of membership; it involved their union with Christ by faith and therefore their union with each other as fellow-members of his body.” (Bruce)

• vi. We are confident that this unity is found in Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of God. “We want unity in the truth of God through the Spirit of God. This let us seek after; let us live near to Christ, for this is the best way of promoting unity. Divisions in Churches never begin with those full of love to the Savior.” (Spurgeon)

WOW! That Spurgeon sermon content is so good. This is unity of the Spirit, not uniformity. I have shared a spaghetti chart several times in my devotionals that shows all of the branches of Christian denominations that came out of that single early church. Unity of the Spirit does not mean structural unity of all churches. Any organization that grows large enough is ripe for inappropriate ambitions, abuse, corruption, and tyranny. The union of believers is found in Christ, not with a person or preacher or pope. We don’t create this unity, but we must recognize it and keep it.

My next devotional examines Ephesians 4:4-6 - One body and one Spirit.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord: Please guide me into walking in a manner worthy of my calling, by being eternally grateful for what You have given me! Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

“G3870 - parakaleō - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB95).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 28 Apr, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3870/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/>.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/28/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 4:1-3.

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within that commentary are the following references:

Bruce, Frederick Fyvie The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1984)

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon The New Park Street Pulpit, Volumes 1-6 and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)

Trapp, John A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Volume Five (Eureka, California: Tanski Publications, 1997)

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭32‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Studying the Bible is the gateway to learning something new each day. When I saw today’s random pick was from Deuteronomy, I have to confess that my first thought was “Oh, one of those long books of the Torah that go on endlessly…” Once I started exploring some of the many references, devotionals, and sermons written about the book, the task seemed easier as I realized that it documents a period of history that is important to our joint Judeo-Christian heritage — the foundation upon which much of our legal and governmental structures have been built.

This chart from Precept Austin (sourced from the Ryrie Study Bible) provides a helpful timeline of the Book of Deuteronomy:

Moses is the key human character in the book, and Deuteronomy begins with the command from God to enter the Promised Land. Various laws like the establishment of the Cities of Refuge, the dietary laws, and a reiteration of the Ten Commandments are pronounced by Moses, and he reminds the people of their history since leaving Egypt. Moses also reminds the Chosen People of their obligation to pass along their heritage to new generations through the continued celebration of festivals (Passover, the Festival of Tabernacles, the Festival of Unleavened Breads, the Festival of Weeks), and the system of judges to ensure justice is established.

In the chapter just before this (Chapter 31), Joshua is chosen to lead Israel as the successor of Moses, and Moses writes down in a book the law as it has been handed down by God. That book is placed in the Ark of the Covenant along with the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Deuteronomy 32:1-43 consists of the words of a song recited by Moses “in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:30) as depicted in today’s ChatGPT-generated image.

This condensed summary of Deuteronomy should provide context to this single verse we’re studying today. Moses is praising and thanking God for His deliverance of Israel, and for His continued patience and love for the nation despite their constant disobedience and ingratitude. In today’s verse, Moses describes God as “the Rock”, and this term is used in biblical literature to describe power, stability, and dependability.

In the Old Testament, the metaphor of God as “the Rock” describes His unchanging nature as well as His capacity as the protector and foundation of His people. In our short human lifetimes, mountains made of rock seem immutable and eternal like God, while our own lives are drifting sands made up of our weaknesses and idolatries.

Christ is referred to as our spiritual Rock in the New Testament. For example, in 1 Corinthians 10:2-4, Paul provides a historical lesson to the descendants of the people of Israel who have become followers of Christ:

“They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”

‭‭Moses also states that “his works are perfect.” In other words, He flawlessly executes His will in His creation. Everything God does is complete, and it is error-free. Remember Genesis 1:31 at the end of Creation? “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” All of God’s actions align with His character and His purposes.

God’s “ways are just.” He rules His creation fairly, and with righteousness. Even when we cannot fathom His decisions and actions, they are always evenhanded. Throughout the Psalms and the books of the Prophets, God is seen as a righteous judge — for example, Psalm 9:8 declares: “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.” We also know that Christ will judge the living and the dead in the future, as described in Acts 17:31 —

“For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.””

‭‭Moses ends this verse by describing God as “A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” God always remains true to His word, even when humans are unfaithful! Being morally perfect, He is always just, and we can be assured that He will never deceive us or be unfair. As believers, we are comforted by trust in His promises and His unfailing love. Romans 3:21-24 offers the righteousness of God to all who believe in Jesus Christ, showing that His faithfulness and love continue to this day:

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Today’s prayer comes from Knowing Jesus:

Dear Lord, thank You that You are my Rock of Salvation, my firm Anchor, and gracious Provider, faithful and just in all Your ways, righteous and true in all You do. Teach me more about Your beautiful character, and help me to grow in grace, love You more, and live by faith and not by sight. This I ask in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

BibleHub was accessed on April 27, 2026 for commentary on Deuteronomy 32:4

Precept Austin was accessed on April 27, 2026 for commentary on Deuteronomy 32:4

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Paul ends his second prayer in Ephesians 3 with a doxology praising Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. ChatGPT created this intriguing image at the top based on these two verses showing a panorama of power and glory in the church from an early gathering of a few believers to a future of many churches and people dedicated to the Lord, according to the power that works within us.

Enduring Word nails it on their commentary on this short, but powerful passage:

• i. This doxology does not only belong to the prayer that precedes it, but also to every glorious privilege and blessing spoken of in the first three chapters. Who is able to bring such things to pass? Only God can do this because He can do far beyond our ability to think or ask.

• ii. Paul says that God is able to do above all that we ask or think. The we included Paul and the other apostles and they certainly knew that Jesus could do great things.

  • · You can ask for every good thing you have ever experienced – God can do above that.

  • · You can think of or imagine things beyond your experience – God can do above that.

  • · You can imagine good things that are beyond your ability to name – God can do above that.

• iii. Spurgeon on the phrase exceedingly abundantly: “He has constructed here in the Greek an expression which is altogether his own. No language was powerful enough for the apostle, – I mean for the Holy Ghost speaking through the apostle, – for very often Paul has to coin words and phrases to shadow forth his meaning, and here is one, ‘He is able to do exceeding abundantly,’ so abundantly that it exceeds measure and description.” (Spurgeon)

• iv. “Therefore he is able to do all things, and able to do superabundantly above the greatest abundance.” (Clarke)

b. According to the power that works in us: God is able to do this in our life now, not beginning with heaven. This power… works in us now.

• i. The things Paul prayed for in the previous verses (spiritual strength, the indwelling Jesus, experiential knowledge of God’s love, and the fullness of God) belong to us as children of God. However, they must be received by believing prayer and can be furthered in the lives of others by our prayers for them.

c. To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus: The only fitting response to this great God is to give Him glory – especially in the church, the company of His redeemed, and that He receive that glory throughout all ages, world without end [KJV] – Amen!

• i. When the church understands and walks in God’s eternal purpose, God will be glorified and the church will fulfill its important duty of simply glorifying God.

• ii. “But the apostle felt that he must not say, ‘Unto him be glory in my soul.’ He wished that, but his one soul afforded far too little space, and so he cried ‘unto him, be glory in the church.’ He calls upon all the people of God to praise the divine name.” (Spurgeon)

You can’t even imagine what good things God can give you, because He gives superabundantly (exceedingly abundantly, as Paul puts it) and is above even your deepest imaginings. This doesn’t mean we pray for material blessings but for His abundance in creating a church that gives Him the glory.

Precept Austin has an excerpt of a great sermon on these two verses by Steven Cole. It includes four ways to apply these two verses to your life:

Here are four ways to apply these wonderful verses:

First, don’t be guilty of not having because you haven’t asked. God says (Ps. 81:10), “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” So, open wide! Ask!

Second, don’t be guilty of not having because you doubt God’s ability or His willingness to give. Nothing is impossible with God! As the loving Father, He will give good gifts to His children who ask (Matt. 7:11).

We can’t always understand His purposes, but we never should doubt His ability or His goodness towards us.

Third, don’t be guilty of praying small prayers. Pray “big” prayers! It is impossible to ask God for too much, assuming that it is in line with His will and for His glory. Phillips Brooks said, “Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings.”

Fourth, pray for yourself and for this church that for His glory, God would do through us that which is humanly inexplicable. Don’t try to scrounge up 200 denarii to barely meet the needs of the hungry multitude.

• Pray for the Lord to multiply our few loaves and fishes, so that He would get all the glory.

• Pray for the powerful conversion of many sinners.

• Pray for repentance and holiness for His saints.

• Pray that He will be glorified in His church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations forever and ever. Amen!

WOW! Those sound like great ways to pray. Pray for wings instead of crutches, pray for a multiplication of His mercy and grace, giving Him the glory.

My next devotional examines Ephesians 4:1-3 - Walk in a manner worthy of your calling.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord: I plan to pray big prayers as much as possible for things that are in line with Your will and plan. I know that You give us so much abundance that we cannot measure it. Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/25/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 3:20-21. This commentary included an excerpt from a Steven Cole sermon; a link to that sermon was not provided in Precept Austin but it can be found here: Lesson 24: God is Able. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2008, All Rights Reserved. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within that commentary are the following references:

Clarke, Adam The New Testament with A Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1831)

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon The New Park Street Pulpit, Volumes 1-6 and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.”

‭‭Amos‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As much as I love studying the Gospel, the epistles, the Psalms, and the Proverbs, it’s always a joy to have God point me at a verse from a lesser-known prophet. Amos is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament, and he prophesied during a very short and well-defined period of time: 760 - 755 BC.

Before being called by God to be a prophet, Amos was a shepherd and a farmer of sycamore figs, proving that God finds worth and talent in unexpected places and people! He lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, but his preaching targeted the northern kingdom of Israel, specifically Samaria and Bethel.

Amos’s writings contain some common themes:

• Prayers and sacrifices do not make up for bad deeds

• Behaving in a just manner is more important than ritual

• He never once referred to any of the other deities worshipped in the region, choosing to write and preach only about Yahweh

• The covenant between God and His people is a moral contract. Should Israel fail to meet God’s moral requirements, He will dissolve that contract

• In order to live a fulfilling life, one must show unwavering dependence on God

God has given Amos a solution to do away with the sin of Israel, and it’s fairly straightforward. They must “seek good, not evil.” Even today, the goal of all of God’s people should be to pursue righteousness and reject wickedness. The Israelites were guilty of social injustice and idolatry — sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it?

The Bible contains many entreaties to “seek good.” Back in Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Moses pointed out the two paths available to the people — life and prosperity, or death and destruction. By actively pursuing righteousness intentionally and diligently, God’s chosen people would achieve fulfilled and prosperous lives. Fast-forward to the New Testament and we are reminded to defeat evil with good — think of Romans 12:21, which says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

What is the outcome if the people “seek good, not evil?” The people will live. This might seem like odd wording, since the people Amos preached to were alive. What he’s doing is warning Israel of God’s judgement as a response to their sinful ways, and advising the nation that repentance could keep them from that disaster. The life promised by God isn’t just survival; it’s flourishing with God’s blessing. For Christians, this promise of life is the promise of eternal life through Christ, the exemplar of goodness and life.

Let’s look at the last sentence of this verse from the back forward… By using the words “just as you say he is” as a qualifier to the statement “Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,” Amos is pointing out that the Israelites professed to be God’s people, yet they were living in a way totally contrary to His character. Simply stated, Amos is calling Israel out as hypocrites who followed empty rituals and didn’t follow through with what God really wanted — justice and righteousness.

In the New Testament, Jesus similarly criticized the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, particularly in Matthew 23:23, where He says:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

‭‭If Israel truly repented and pursued good, Amos said “Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you.” God had promised to be present with His people as far back as Exodus 33:14, when He promised Moses “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

‭‭Being in the presence of God is central to our belief. As Christians, we are blessed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through our belief and faith. The evidence of a true relationship with God is a life lived in seeking good and abhorring evil.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me to “seek good and not evil,” so that I may live in Your presence. Teach me to love what is good and to maintain justice in my life and community. Guide me to pursue goodness in every aspect of my life, and give me the strength to turn away from thoughts and actions that lead to harm. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

Wikipedia: Amos (prophet)

BibleHub was accessed on April 24, 2026 for commentary on Amos 5:14

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭19‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Paul now begins his second prayer in Ephesians. This passage is very rich in content, with a lot to unpack. As a comparison of the two prayers, here’s a table from Precept Austin comparing the content of the prayer in Ephesians 1 with this prayer:

“Fulness” is not misspelled, by the way, but is an alternate spelling that has spiritual context. Here is an AI search request result on this term:

Fulness refers to a state of being filled or complete, often used in a spiritual or emotional context. In Christianity, it can denote the completeness of God’s presence or the fullness of grace in Christ. wisdomlib.org, Bible Study Tools

Paul bows his knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. What does this mean? The commentary from Enduring Word is somewhat helpful:

c. To the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: Paul directed his prayer to the Father, who is presented as the “planner” among the members of the Trinity. In the Bible, prayer is usually directed to the Father, through the Son, by the empowering and direction of the Holy Spirit.

d. From whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named: In remembering that all God’s family is called after His name, Paul showed that his mind was rather taken with this idea of the essential unity of the Body of Christ. God is Father of both Jew and Gentile.

• i. Charles Spurgeon preached a touching sermon on this verse titled, Saints in Heaven and Earth One Family. In it he developed the idea that we are one with our brothers and sisters in heaven, and how this enriches our hope of heaven.

• ii. Some commentators think Paul refers to heavenly families in the sense of families of angels. “May not the holy Angels be bound up in spiritual families, though they marry not nor are given in marriage?” (Alford)

The Spurgeon sermon referenced in this commentary can be found at this link. It is a indeed a beautiful sermon and this is how the sermon ends:

If we do belong to the family let it[s] show [in] our relationship by loving all the members of it. I should not like a brother to be gone to heaven and to reflect that I was unkind to him; I should not like to think that I might have smoothed his pathway, and I did not; or I might have cheered him, and refused. Dear brethren, we shall live together in heaven for ever, let us love each other now with a pure heart fervently. Help your poor brethren, cheer your desponding sisters; let no man look only on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Brother, be brotherly; sister, be a true sister. Let us not love in word only, but in deed and in truth, for we shall soon be at home together in our Father’s house on high.

That’s a profound idea - we might shun or scorn or ignore another believer in this life because we find them to “be a pain” or difficult to understand or please, but guess what? We will share eternity with them so we should love them in deed and in truth.

Paul prays that we would be strengthened in power through His Spirit to the inner man (or woman), so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. This enables us to comprehend with all the saints the length, breadth, height and depth of the love of Christ, which still surpasses knowledge.

Enduring Word has excellent commentary; this is, by the way, the best commentary I read that describes this surpassing love of Christ:

a. To be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man: Paul asked that they would be strengthened with might, and that the strength would be according to the riches of His glory (a most generous measure). He also prayed that the strength would come through the Holy Spirit and that it would be put into their inner man.

• i. There is an inner man just as real as our physical body. We all understand the importance of strength in our physical body, but many are exceedingly weak in the inner man.

• ii. According to the riches of His glory: “It would be a disgrace to a king or a nobleman to give no more than a tradesman or a peasant. God acts up to the dignity of his infinite perfections; he gives according to the riches of his glory.” (Clarke)

b. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith: Paul asked that Jesus would live in these believers, even as Jesus promised in John 14:23: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

• i. Two ancient Greek words convey the idea “to live in.” One has the idea of living in a place as a stranger, and the other has the idea of settling down in a place to make it your permanent home. Dwell uses the ancient Greek word for a permanent home. Jesus wants to settle down in your heart, not just visit as a stranger.

• ii. The glory of the indwelling Jesus is something for us to know, and to know by faith. It is there for us, but must be taken hold of through faith. “You have your Bible, and you have your knees; use them.” (Carr John Glynn, godfather to H. C. G. Moule)

• iii. We need spiritual strength to let Christ dwell within us because there is something in us that resists the influence of the indwelling Jesus. That something can be conquered as the Spirit of God gives us the victory of faith.

…

e. What is the width and length and depth and height: This means that the love of Jesus has dimensions and that it can be measured.

• i. “Alas, to a great many religious people the love of Jesus is not a solid substantial thing at all – it is a beautiful fiction, a sentimental belief, a formal theory, but to Paul it was a real, substantial, measurable fact; he had considered it this way, and that way, and the other way, and it was evidently real to him, whatever it might be to others.” (Spurgeon)

• ii. The love of Jesus has width. You can see how wide a river is by noticing how much it covers over. God’s river of love is so wide that it covers over my sin, and it covers over every circumstance of my life, so that all things work together for good. When I doubt His forgiveness or His providence, I am narrowing the mighty river of God’s love. His love is as wide as the world: For God so loved the world (John 3:16).

• iii. “Some of them seem to be so taken up with the height and length that they deny the breadth, and you would think from hearing them preach that Christ came into the world to save half-a-dozen, and that they were five of them… Out on their narrowness! There will be more in heaven than we expect to see there by a long way; and there will be some there with whom we had very little comfortable fellowship on earth who had fellowship with Christ, and who are therefore taken to dwell with him for ever.” (Spurgeon)

• iv. The love of Jesus has length. When considering the length of God’s love, ask yourself, “When did the love of God start towards me? How long will it continue?” These truths measure the length of God’s love. Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

• v. The love of Jesus has depth. Philippians 2:7-8 tell us how deep the love of Jesus goes: but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. You can’t go lower than the death of the cross, and that is how deep the love of Jesus is for us.

• vi. The love of Jesus has height. To see the height of God’s love, ask yourself, “How high does it lift me?” It lifts me to heavenly places where I am seated with Christ. He has raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).

• vii. Can we really comprehend the width and length and depth and height of God’s love? To come to any understanding of the dimensions of God’s love, we must come to the cross. The cross pointed in four ways, essentially in every direction, because…

  • · God’s love is wide enough to include every person.

  • · God’s love is long enough to last through all eternity.

  • · God’s love is deep enough to reach the worst sinner.

  • · God’s love is high enough to take us to heaven.

f. To know the love of Christ: Paul wrote of something we can know. This isn’t speculation, guesswork, emotions, or feelings. This is something to know.

• i. “One of these philosophers kindly says that religion is a matter of belief; not of knowledge. This is clean in opposition to all the teaching of Scripture.” (Spurgeon)

A few key takeaways:

1. The inner man (or woman) is as real as our physical body. We may be strong physically but weak in our inner and essential self.

2. Christ dwells in our hearts and wants this to be a permanent home, not a temporary dwelling.

3. The width, depth, height and length of Christ’s love overwhelms us. As Spurgeon noted, there will be many more people in heaven than we surmise including some that may surprise us (and our presence may surprise others).

4. The cross is pointed in four directions showing the magnitude of Christ’s love. I really like this analogy that Guzik uses to show us something that we know - His love is a matter of knowledge, not belief!

The four dimensions of Christ’s love are embedded in the foundation of our inner strength that comes from Him and stretch across the dimension of time as well to eternity.

One more story about this strength that comes from the Lord; this one was found in Precept Austin (the links go to commentary on Proverbs 18:10):

In 1934, when Adolf Hitler summoned German church leaders to his Berlin office to berate them for insufficiently supporting his programs, he was surprised when Pastor Martin Niemoller stood up to him. That evening his Gestapo raided Niemoller’s rectory, and a few days later a bomb exploded in his church. He was later arrested and placed in solitary confinement. Dr. Niemoller’s trial began on February 7, 1938. That morning, a green-uniformed guard escorted the minister from his prison cell and through a series of underground passages toward the courtroom. Niemoller was overcome with terror and loneliness. What would become of him? Of his family? His church? The guard’s face was impassive, but as they exited a tunnel to ascend a final flight of stairs, Niemoller heard a whisper. At first he didn’t know where it came from, for the voice was soft as a sigh. Then he realized that the officer was breathing into his ear the words of Proverbs 18:10 (commentary): “The name of the Lord is a strong tower The righteous run to it and are safe.” Niemoller’s fear fell away, and the power of that verse sustained him through his trial and his years in Nazi concentration camps.

My next devotional examines Ephesians 3:20-21 - A doxology.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord - I know that Your love surpasses any fears and is embedded in the foundation of our inner selves. Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/24/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 3:14-19. This commentary included a link to this Charles Spurgeon sermon: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/saints-in-heaven-and-earth-one-family/#flipbook/

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within that commentary are the following references:

Alford, Henry The New Testament for English Readers, Volume II, Part I (London: Rivingtons, 1869)

Clarke, Adam The New Testament with A Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1831)

Moule, Handley C. G. Ephesian Studies (London: Pickering and Inglis, ?)

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon The New Park Street Pulpit, Volumes 1-6 and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

At a first glance, the phrase “Arise, Lord!” could seem to be a request for God to wake up and pay attention to us. But in the Psalms, this phrase is seen frequently as a plea for God to arise and take immediate action against injustice. In the ancient Near East, deities (including our Yahweh) were thought of as warriors who would rise to defend their people. This call is repeated in other scriptures:

“Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. (Psalms‬ ‭9‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.” (Psalms‬ ‭132‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.” Psalms‬ ‭7‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.” Psalms‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.” Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.” Psalms‬ ‭68‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This repetition throughout scripture reinforces belief in God’s sovereignty and how He changes circumstances for the better for His people.

Next, the psalmist (thought to be King David for this psalm) pleads for God to lift up His hand, symbolizing His omnipotence and authority. God’s hand — especially His right hand — is associated with His unmatchable strength and actions:

“Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy.” Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!””Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For His people, in the time that the Psalms were first being written and up until the present day, this imagery provides reassurance that God will protect and deliver His people.

This short psalm ends with a plea for God to “not forget the helpless,” those who are oppressed and vulnerable. The psalmist is appealing to God for the His justice and compassion He has for the helpless. God commanded His people in Isaiah 1:17 to:

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In other words, to be more like Him! Jesus was the embodiment of God’s care for the needy as He ministered to the poor and oppressed. This psalm cries out to God to acknowledge the tribulations of the oppressed and to take action against those who perpetrate injustice.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Lord, I come to You today seeing Your presence and intervention in this world filled with trials, tribulations, and troubles. I pray that You will arise in this time of need, extending Your mighty hand of support and mercy. You know the plight of those who are helpless and feel their pain, so I ask with the assurance of my faith in You that You bless those who seek You and do not forget them in their time of distress. I humbly ask this in the name of Your Son and my Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

BibleHub was accessed on April 23, 2026 for commentary on Psalms 10:12

“This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Paul explains that all of the mystery and revelation he just described in the previous verses were done in accordance with the eternal purpose which God carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. Through Jesus we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

Let’s do a word study in the Blue Letter Bible lexicon:

Access comes from the Greek noun προσαγωγή or prosagōgḗ (Strong’s G4318), with the following Biblical usages:

1. the act of bringing to, a moving to

2. access, approach

   1. to God, i.e. that relationship with God whereby we are acceptable to him and have assurance that he is favourably disposed towards us

This is an extraordinary confidence, that we can be acceptable to God and have assurance that He is favorably disposed towards us! This is through Christ Jesus.

Precept Austin has a wonderful example of this confidence, quoting from Ray Stedman:

"There is a beautiful picture in the book of Esther that illustrates this: Remember Esther, that lovely Jewish maiden, a captive in the land of Persia? The king, seeking a bride, found her and made her his queen. After Esther ascended to the throne as queen, a plot was hatched against the Jews. The king, unwittingly, signed a decree that meant death for all Jews in the land of Persia. Esther's godly uncle, Mordecai, said it would be necessary for her to go to the king and tell him what he had unwittingly done. Esther knew that was a dangerous thing, because it was the law of the Medes and Persians that no one could come before the king without first being summoned by him. It meant death for anyone to dare come before the king in that manner. There were no exceptions -- even for a queen -- for this was the law of the Medes and the Persians and could not be changed. Unless the king extended his golden scepter to that person, he must die. Yet Esther knew that she had to dare to take her life in her hands and go before the king. The story tells us that she fasted for three days and three nights before she went. I am sure that was to prepare her heart and her courage. It doesn't say what else she did during that time, when she was getting ready to come before the king. With a wife, four daughters, and a mother-in-law in my home, I've observed women getting themselves ready for some years now. I'm sure that what Esther was doing was fixing her hair. It probably took three days and three nights to get ready! Then we are told that she dressed herself in robes of beauty and glory. When she was all ready, she stepped into the audience hall of the king, appearing all alone before him. The king was so smitten with her beauty that his heart went out to her. He stretched forth his scepter and accepted her. She had access to the king. Dressed in robes of beauty and glory that do not belong to us -- for they are the garments of Jesus -- we have access to the King, to receive from him all that we need to handle any threat that has come into our lives. We have continual acceptance before him." (excerpt from Rejoicing in Hope)

The “scepter has been stretched forth” and we are accepted, just like Queen Esther was before her king! I did have to chuckle a little bit about the “getting ready” aspect of Esther’s appearance; I’m notoriously casual about things like hair and makeup and dress, so I probably would have gone in to the King in an improper state of readiness. But, we have confident access to the Creator of the Universe through wearing the garments of beauty and glory that come from Jesus!

Paul is concerned that the saints at Ephesus would lose heart hearing about his tribulations. He wants them to know that those are for their glory. Enduring Word has this commentary on verse 13:

a. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart: Though under arrest for the sake of the gospel, Paul asked his readers to not lose heart. Paul didn’t want them to be discouraged for his sake, because Paul was still being used in the service of God’s eternal plan.

b. My tribulations for you: Paul wrote the Letter to the Ephesians from prison, and it is useful to remember why Paul was in prison. He lived his whole life with the passion to bring salvation to his own people, the Jews (Romans 9:1-3). On a strategic visit to Jerusalem he had the opportunity to preach to a vast crowd on or near the temple mount (Acts 21:39-22:22), but the opportunity ended in disaster because the Jewish crowd could not stand the idea of the good news of the Messiah being extended to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21-22). The ensuing riot put Paul in a legal dilemma, from which he used his right as a Roman citizen and appealed to Caesar. Now Paul was imprisoned in Rome, waiting for his trial before Caesar – and there because he knew God wanted Gentiles to share in the good news of the Messiah, and he wasn’t afraid to preach that truth.

c. Which is your glory: Paul was being used, and probably in a greater way than he ever imagined. This Roman imprisonment produced the letters of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. They all certainly have a place in God’s eternal plan.

• i. In the same manner, each of us has a place in the service of God’s eternal plan. Knowing this and working towards it is a great guard against losing heart in the midst of tribulation.

Paul’s unfortunate turn of events in speaking the truth led to the very fortuitous opportunity to put together some of the most beautiful epistles in the New Testament, including Ephesians.

My next devotional examines Ephesians 3:14-19 - Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord: I am so grateful that I can have confident access to You through the garments of beauty and glory that Jesus has provided! Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

“G4318 - prosagōgē - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB95).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 22 Apr, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4318/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/>.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/22/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 3:11-13.

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com.

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Although Barb examined the Epistle to the Philippians a while back, we both find that we learn something new with each study of scripture, so it’s advantageous for each of us to walk the path the other has already traveled. The author of these verses is the apostle Paul, and he is writing to the church in Philippi (northern Greece), probably from captivity in Rome.

The first five words — “I want to know Christ” — seem a bit odd from a man who encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and who came from that experience a greatly changed person. From being a knowledgeable Pharisee who actively persecuted and sought the death of those who professed belief in Jesus as the Messiah, Paul transformed into the foremost advocate for Christ and the person who has explained the Good News to countless generations of Christians. So why did Paul say he wanted “to know Christ?”

Paul already had a deep faith in Jesus; now he wishes that he could acquire a deeper knowledge of Christ. He is already justified by faith and separated from the penalty of sin, and Paul is going through the process of progressive or experiential sanctification, becoming more mature in Christ and daily moving further away from the power of sin. That is, like us he is becoming more like Christ with each passing day as he understands more through study of the Word of God and increasing in righteousness with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The rest of the verse is about achieving glorification, the separation from the presence of sin and a permanent, ultimate holiness in the presence of God. Paul is the prototype of future Christians, who have a deep desire to attain “to the resurrection of the dead.”

Like all early Christians, Paul had shared in Christ’s sufferings through intense and often physically damaging persecution. He saw his suffering for Christ as a privilege, a way of identifying with what Jesus went through on the day of His crucifixion. Paul, more than most humans, participated “in his sufferings” through beatings, stonings, and repeated imprisonment and abuse.

Paul aspires to become “like him in his death.” The Greek word used here for “becoming like him” is συμμορφίζω (symmorphizō), meaning “to receive the same form as.” Paul is setting an example for all future Christians, to deny oneself and to sacrifice for others — dying, as it were, to self and to sin. Think of the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23 as our calling:

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

‭‭That’s the cost of discipleship. Paul’s desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection demonstrates his spiritual transformation through faith in Christ. I found Paul’s use of the word “somehow” in reference to “attaining to the resurrection from the dead” to be indicative of his humility. He — like all Christians — strives to live his life in a worthy manner, but realizes that how he will eventually attain resurrection is all in God’s hands. Paul knows that everything is dependent on God’s grace, not on human effort.

The last part of Philippians 3:11 refers to the ultimate goal, the central focus of Christian hope: the resurrection. In our case, it’s a future event where we will be raised from the dead in the same manner as Christ.

I’ll wrap up today’s devotional with a wonderful quote from Joni Eareckson Tada found on Precept Austin. It sums up Philippians 3:10-11 quite well:

Paul writes, “All I care for is to know Christ.” Yes, we agree with the apostle. We’d like to know Jesus better, to be on good terms with him. “All I care for is…to experience the power of his resurrection.” Absolutely! Who wouldn’t want the Lord’s power in his or her life? “All I care for is…to share in his sufferings.” Uh, sure. I guess tough times in moderate doses isn’t all that bad; we all need a good soul-scrubbing now and then. “All I care for is…growing conformity with his death.” Wait a minute; not so fast. Like, martyrdom? Chronic pain? Rejection and abuse? I really don’t care to know Christ that badly, we silently admit to ourselves.

Most of us would love to experience the sort of closeness the apostle Paul enjoyed with Jesus. We would love to have his faith and strength of character. We yearn to live that nobly, speak that boldly, fight our vices that manfully. And who wouldn’t want to have prayers answered as Paul did? But to know Christ is always a personal invitation to suffer with Christ. No one enters the Lord’s intimate fellowship without first entering his fellowship of suffering. Paul knew this, but it did not deter him. The sweetness of communion with Christ far, far outweighs the sufferings.

Don’t be deterred from your desire to know Christ. In your quest, the Lord promises he will never give you trials that, without his enabling, you cannot handle. He wants you to have a deep knowledge of himself, and he knows just how much—and no more—it takes to press you to his side.

I want to know you, Christ. I realize that will mean hardships and headaches, but knowing you—really knowing you—is worth it.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Father in Heaven, like your servant Paul, I long to know You more deeply — not just in book knowledge, but in a very personal and transformative way. Help me to live with courage and hope, experiencing the power of Your resurrection in my life. Give me the strength to go through trials in my life, understanding that they shape my character and bring me closer to You. May I be conformed to Your likeness, and remain dedicated in my faith. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

BibleHub was accessed on April 21, 2026 for commentary on Philippians 3:10-11

Got Questions was accessed for information on “What is sanctification?”

Precept Austin was accessed on April 21, 2026 for commentary on Philippians 3:10-11

Tada, Joni Eareckson - More Precious Than Silver: 366 Daily Devotional Readings

“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Paul describes himself as the very least of all saints, yet he was given grace from our Lord to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ. That is a fascinating word, unfathomable, so let’s do a word study from the Blue Letter Bible lexicon:

Unfathomable comes from the Greek adjective ἀνεξιχνίαστος or anexichníastos (Strong’s G421), with the following Biblical usage:

1. that cannot be searched out, that cannot be comprehended

This word is also translated as “unsearchable”. We cannot fully comprehend the scope of the cosmos nor the depths of the ocean or even the deep thoughts that another person might be having. The riches of Christ are even beyond these physical boundaries. This explanation from Gotquestions.org is quite good:

The Greek word translated “unsearchable” describes something that cannot be fully comprehended or explored. In other words, there is no limit to the riches of Christ; they are past finding out. Try as we might, we can never plumb the depths of Christ’s worth. Paul delineates some of these riches in Ephesians 1:7–14: redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, the knowledge of the mystery of His will, the message of truth, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, and the guarantee of our inheritance. These are spiritual riches with eternal benefits, and we cannot fully comprehend them.

Jesus taught two short parables that emphasize the value of eternal life and the kingdom of God: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44–46). Like a hidden treasure or a pearl of great price, admission to the kingdom is of incalculable worth—and it is Jesus Christ who grants the admission. The unsearchable riches of Christ are on display in every believer’s heart.

The unsearchable riches of Christ cannot be fully traced out. “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9), so the riches of Christ include all that God is. The unsearchable riches of Christ are the Glory of God, the Truth of God, the Wisdom of God, the Life of God, and the Love of God. In Christ, God “has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). In Christ are hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). In Christ, God “has given us everything we need for a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3).

In Ephesians 3:8 Paul refers to himself as “less than the least of all the Lord’s people.” This humble statement is then contrasted with “the boundless riches of Christ.” Paul describes himself as the lowest of believers while lifting Jesus up as the greatest of all. Every believer, in like humility, acknowledges the all-surpassing goodness and grace of God: “The LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Psalm 84:11).

Christ’s riches that He makes available to us are not material but spiritual. The unsearchable riches of Christ provide salvation to everyone who believes (John 3:16; Romans 1:16). We may be the worst of sinners, yet Jesus can forgive us and transform our lives (Romans 12:1–2). It is the gift that truly keeps on giving, as we are changed, by God’s Spirit, into “loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled” people (Galatians 5:22–23, CEV).

Precept Austin also has a useful list of the unfathomable riches of Christ:

The unsearchable riches of Christ!

There is everything in Christ to encourage the greatest sinners to believe on Him, to rest and lean upon Him for all happiness and blessedness. Christ is …

• the greatest good,

• the choicest good,

• the chief good,

• the most suitable good,

• the most necessary good;

• a pure good,

• a real good,

• a total good,

• an eternal good,

• a soul-satisfying good!

• Sinners, are you poor? Christ has gold to enrich you.

• Are you naked? Christ has royal robes, and white clothing to clothe you.

• Are you blind? Christ has eye-salve to enlighten you.

• Are you hungry? Christ will be manna to feed you.

• Are you thirsty? He will be a well of living water to refresh you.

• Are you wounded? He has a balm under his wings to heal you.

• Are you sick? He is a physician to cure you.

• Are you prisoners? He has laid down a ransom for you.

Treasures on Earth do not satisfy; only these spiritual goods are eternal.

Paul is administrating and bringing to light the mystery, which was for ages hidden in the God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This is a lot to absorb and try to understand; people rushing to get through these verses in an attempt to read “the Bible in One Year” probably miss the complexity of what is being said. Enduring Word has a decent commentary:

a. That now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known: God is a being of infinite wisdom and glory, and He wants His creatures to know His great and manifold wisdom. One purpose in His great plan of the ages is to reveal this wisdom.

• i. Understanding the character of God, we can say that this is not for a selfish or self-glorying motive, in the way we think of the proud man showing his brains and accomplishments to everyone. God does this for the glory of His creatures, because the glory of the creature is directly connected to the glory of the Creator.

• ii. This wisdom is manifold. The ancient Greek word polupoikilos has the ideas of intricacy, complexity, and great beauty. “That hath abundance of curious variety in it, such as is seen in the best pictures or textures.” (Trapp)

• iii. It also must be made known. Dean Alford points out that the words might be made known are emphatic, strongly contrasting the idea of hidden in Ephesians 3:9.

b. Might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers: This explains how God will reveal His wisdom, and to whom He reveals it. He will reveal it by His work in the church, and He will reveal it to angelic beings (principalities and powers).

• i. Of course, God also wants to reveal this wisdom to the church. Yet in the big picture, God doesn’t use the angels to reveal His wisdom to the saints, but He does use the saints to reveal His wisdom to the angelic beings, both faithful and fallen angels. This reminds us that we are called for something far greater than our own individual salvation and sanctification. We are called to be the means by which God teaches the universe a lesson, and a beautiful lesson.

• ii. We are surrounded by invisible spiritual beings, and they intently look upon us. Here, Paul draws back the invisible curtain that hides these beings just as Elisha prayed at Dothan, LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see (2 Kings 6:17). These angelic beings see us perfectly and know us far better than we know them.

• iii. “What then have they to learn from us? Ah, they have to learn something which makes them watch us with wonder and with awe. They see in us indeed all our weakness, and all our sin. But they see a nature which, wrecked by itself, was yet made in the image of their God and ours. And they see this God at work upon that wreck to produce results not only wonderful in themselves but doubly wonderful because of the conditions.” (Moule)

• iv. “In his immortality, never touched by one drop of our cold river, it is instructive to him beyond all our thought to see his God triumphing over pain and death in some sufferer in the fire of martyrdom, or in the torture of cancer, or in the shipwreck, or just in the silent awe of any form of our departure from the body… They see these fallen and mortal beings, this Community of the lost and saved, not only bearing and doing for God here on earth, but spiritually present with Him in the Holy of Holies above.” (Moule)

• v. Sometimes Christians get the crazy idea that God saved them and works in their life because they are somehow such great people. The angels see right through this. We might believe that it is because of us; the angels know better. We may think our lives are small and insignificant; the angels know better. We may doubt our high standing, seating in heavenly places; the angels see this spiritual reality with eyes wide open.

• vi. “It is as if a great drama is being enacted. History is the theatre, the world is the stage, and the church members in every land are the actors. God himself has written the play, and he directs and produces it. Act by act, scene by scene, the story continues to unfold. But who are the audience? They are the cosmic intelligences, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” (Stott)

• vii. “The Angels are instructed in God’s wisdom… by the fact of the great spiritual body, constituted in Christ, which they contemplate, and which is to them the theatre of the glory of God.” (Alford) “The history of the Christian church becomes a graduate school for angels.” (Stott, quoting Mackay)

c. To the principalities and powers in the heavenly places: This means that angelic beings are interested and instructed by the lives of Christians. This is why the conduct of the church is so important: because angelic and demonic beings are looking on, and God’s intent is to teach them through us. Several passages refer to this:

· For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels (1 Corinthians 11:10).

· The things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; things which angels desire to look into (1 Peter 1:12).

· I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality (1 Timothy 5:21).

• i. We should take this responsibility seriously, for angels are given the responsibility to carry souls to heaven at death (Luke 16:22) and are the reapers of the final harvest (Matthew 13:39-43).

• ii. “And, lastly, what think some of you, would angels say of your walk and conversation? Well, I suppose you don’t care much about them, and yet you should. For who but angels will be the reapers at the last, and who but they shall be the convoy to our spirits across the last dark stream? Who but they shall carry our spirit like that of Lazarus into the Father’s bosom? Surely we should not despise them.” (Spurgeon)

• iii. “O be not, ye converts, ignorant of the word of God; be not oblivious of the operations of God in your own souls! The angels desire to look into these things. Do you look into them?” (Spurgeon)

• iv. A popular interpretation today sees the principalities and powers as modern political states and economic structures. The idea is that the church primarily is a witness to them, and should redeem governments and social structures through its witness. But Paul specifically wrote that these principalities and powers are in the heavenly places, not in earthly places.

WOW - there’s a lot to unpack in this commentary. I can’t even pretend to try and understand what is really being said in this passage, but let’s do a few takeaways:

1. The wisdom of God is manifold - intricate, complex and beautiful. It is many things at once.

2. The glory of the creature is directly linked to the glory of the Creator.

3. God reveals His wisdom by His work in the church and He reveals His wisdom to angelic beings (principalities and powers).

4. I love this revelation in the commentary: This reminds us that we are called for something far greater than our own individual salvation and sanctification. We are called to be the means by which God teaches the universe a lesson, and a beautiful lesson.

5. Another good quote, about what the heavenly beings see when they look at us: They see these fallen and mortal beings, this Community of the lost and saved, not only bearing and doing for God here on earth, but spiritually present with Him in the Holy of Holies above.

6. It is if a great drama was being presented on a cosmic stage and the scene continues to unfold.

7. This passage in Ephesians is not about powers and principalities here on Earth, but those in the heavenly places.

These principalities and powers are a mystery that will be better understood when we are beyond this mortal life and its distractions.

I can’t pretend to understand this, but I can pray about it. My next devotional examines Ephesians 3:11-13 - Eternal purpose in Christ our Lord.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord - Paul received remarkable insights in his ministry and I can barely try to understand. Please grant me wisdom and insight in Your name. Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

“G421 - anexichniastos - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB95).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 20 Apr, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g421/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/>.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/19/2026 and 04/20/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 3:8-10.

Gotquestions.org was accessed on 04/19/2026 to answer the question, What are the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8)? © COPYRIGHT 2002-2026 GOT QUESTIONS MINISTRIES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within Enduring Word commentary:

Moule, Handley C. G. Ephesian Studies (London: Pickering and Inglis, ?)

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon The New Park Street Pulpit, Volumes 1-6 and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)

Stott, John R.W. God’s New Society, The Message of Ephesians (Downer’s Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1979)

Trapp, John A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Volume Five (Eureka, California: Tanski Publications, 1997)

Image of the Good Samaritan generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When starting to study a single Bible verse, the best thing to do is to examine the surrounding verses for context. Sometimes this ends up being an entire chapter of a book of the Bible, while in other situations it may be one or two adjacent verses that bring additional meaning and clarity. Today’s verse comes just after Paul’s statement that whoever loves others has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8-9)

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.””

‭‭Paul is describing what Jesus referred to as The Greatest Commandment. In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus is challenged by a Pharisee who asks:

““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””

‭‭What is this love that Jesus is referring to? It is agapē (ἀγάπη), which the Interlinear Concordance in Blue Letter Bible defines as “affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love” — the type of love that Jesus personified.

Precept Austin elaborates on all of the Greek words in this verse:

Love (agape) does (ergazomai) no (ou - absolutely) wrong (kakos) to a neighbor (plesion literally "one who is near"); therefore (oun) love (agape) is the fulfillment (pleroma) of the law - One might subtitle this verse "The negative test of true love", "the defining mark of obedience" (cf Jn 14:15+) or "the neighbor-protecting love." Note Paul does not say love in general but uses the definitive article in Greek so that it literally reads "the love." You are probably asking "So what?" Good question! In Greek, the definite article makes a concept more specific or highlights its uniqueness. Here, Paul is not speaking of just any kind of love, but the love he has been describing in Ro 13:8–9+ — the Christlike, Spirit-empowered (the only way to produce this) agapē. In other words, this love is not vague affection, not mere tolerance, but the concrete, supernatural Spirit-enabled love that fulfills God’s law. It is that selfless, sacrificial, volitional love that seeks the good of others regardless of merit. Another way to say it is that this is a generic use of the Greek article (often called “par excellence” = describes something or someone as the best example of its kind, the most outstanding, or quintessential) the love or love in its truest, fullest, divinely defined sense!

Precept Austin goes further:

Paul ties love to the moral essence of the Mosaic law. He echoes Jesus (Matt. 22:37–40+): all commandments are summed up in love. Again, “the love” (ἡ ἀγάπη) emphasizes that this specific quality of love — selfless, Christlike, Spirit-given love — is what accomplishes the law’s purpose. Love is not optional – It is the essence of true obedience. Without it, even law-keeping can collapse into legalism. Love protects others – It refrains from harming, which is the baseline of moral responsibility. Love fulfills God’s law – What the law sought to regulate externally, love accomplishes internally and naturally through the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:22–23+). To reiterate, love with the definite article (ἡ ἀγάπη) signals that we are talking about the very love of God poured into believers’ hearts (Ro. 5:5+), not worldly affection. In sum, Paul calls believers to “the love” — the God-given, Christ-centered love that is the very essence of the Christian ethic, not merely a feeling but the love that restrains harm and fulfills the divine law. Lord, enable this supernatural love in us for your glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

When this was written in the First Century AD, Jewish converts to Christianity were probably still thinking of how the Mosaic Law (the commandments handed down to Moses by God) interpreted the word “neighbor”. The interpretation at the time defined neighbors as those in the local Jewish community; it was fine to hate those who were not of your faith or anyone from another nation!

Jesus turned this idea on its head. Suddenly, your neighbor was any fellow human. He emphasized this by telling the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). Samaritans were hated by the Jews, yet when the Samaritan came upon the beaten and injured Jewish man, he treated his wounds (as shown in today’s image), took him to an inn and paid for his care. He had no obligation to do so, but in the words of Jesus, the Samaritan was “a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers.”

Paul is advising the Roman audience of his epistle that their neighbor is anyone they may encounter who is in need. Loving one’s neighbor simply means that our Spirit-led compassion compels us to try to meet their needs in the best way that we can.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Today’s prayer comes from Knowing Jesus:

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the source of life and the fountain-spring of love. Help me to carry out Your will for my life, and may I love as Christ loves. I pray that I would do no wrong, in thought, word, or deed, to my family, friends, or neighbours. And help me to show the love of Christ to all with whom I come in contact today. This I ask in Jesus’ precious name and for His greater glory. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

Precept Austin was accessed on April 18, 2026 for commentary on Romans 13:10

“Romans 13 (NIV) - Love does no harm to.” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 19 Apr, 2026.

“By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

In the AI image that Steve requested, a representative or elder at the church at Ephesus is reading the letter from Paul to a congregation with both Gentiles and Jews in attendance (he is certainly a husky individual!). He is likely telling them about the mystery of Christ. This mystery, specifically, is that Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

Paul received insight into this mystery in his encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus. Ananias, the believer Paul was to meet in Damascus, also received a revelation from God that Paul was a chosen instrument by which the Gospel would be preached to Gentiles and Kings and Jews. The other apostles and prophets in the Spirit also had the mystery revealed to them. Let’s look back at how Peter describes the revelation that was made to him from Acts 11:

“Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭18‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Even though Peter has this revelation and the other believers are convinced by his story, the Judaizers still tried to have Gentiles accommodate some of the Jewish requirements to be accepted.

Let’s look at the commentary from Enduring Word on this passage:

d. You have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you: The word dispensation speaks of the “implemented strategy” of God’s plan in the church. “Here as in Ephesians 1:10, however, it is to be interpreted rather as the implementation of a strategy.” (Wood)

• i. “By the dispensation of the grace of God we may understand, either the apostolic office and gifts granted to St. Paul, for the purpose of preaching the Gospel among the Gentiles… or the knowledge which God gave him of that gracious and Divine plan which he had formed for the conversion of the Gentiles.” (Clarke)

e. How that by revelation: Paul wanted them to know, “I’m not making this up. This isn’t my invention. God gave me the revelation and I am only His messenger of this truth.” It cost Paul a lot to hold on to this mystery, so he probably would not have made it up himself.

• i. It is indeed amazing that God would take a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee, and a persecutor of the church to be the main minister of the mystery, the mystery of the work of the gospel in bringing Jew and Gentile together into one new body.

f. He made known to me the mystery: The principle Paul will describe is a mystery, yet it is known. However, it would never be known if God did not make it known.

• i. “In English a ‘mystery’ is something dark, obscure, secret, puzzling. What is ‘mysterious’ is inexplicable, even incomprehensible. The Greek word mysterion is different, however. Although still a ‘secret’, it is no longer closely guarded but open… More simply, mysterion is a truth hitherto hidden from human knowledge or understanding but now disclosed by the revelation of God.” (Stott)

g. He made known to me the mystery: Paul did not hesitate to claim that the mystery he will reveal was given to him by revelation. But it was not given to only him by revelation. It was also given specifically to Peter by revelation (Acts 11:1-18), and it is consistent with prophecy in the Old Testament (such as Isaiah 49:6) and the specific words of Jesus (Acts 1:8).

• i. However, it seems that God used Paul to declare specifically how Jews and Gentiles would be joined together in one body of Christ. This was something hinted at through others, but only specifically detailed through Paul’s revelation. Paul trusted that his readers would understand what God revealed to him.

h. Was not made known to the sons of men, as it now has been revealed: The nature of the union of Jews and Gentiles into this new body is the aspect that was not made known. In the Old Testament, the salvation of Gentiles in the Messiah is prophesied, the coming together of Jew and Gentile into the Church is never spoken of.

…

a. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body: This describes the mystery itself – that believing Jews and believing Gentiles are joined together into one body of Christ, into one Church, and no longer separated before God as such.

b. Partakers of His promise in Christ: The truth of this mystery means that Gentiles are now full partakers of His promise. This was a privilege no longer reserved only for the believing Jewish person.

c. Through the gospel: This could only happen through the gospel, where all men have an equal standing in Jesus. This is the same gospel Paul is a servant of, because of the gift of grace given to him by the working of God’s power.

• i. Paul says he is a minister, but that is a title of service, not exaltation. In classical literature of ancient Greece, the minister (diakonos) “is a table waiter who is always at the bidding of his customers.” (Wood)

A few takeaways:

1. Paul is given a revelation by God into the implementation of a planned strategy.

2. Paul wants to reveal this so that the church at Ephesus could understand it. He didn’t make up the plan and didn’t want to keep it a secret.

3. Paul was the “Pharisee’s Pharisee” and a zealous persecutor of Christians but yet he is given this remarkable insight into the truth from God and tasked with fulfilling it.

4. All believing people have equal standing in Jesus through the Gospel. The Great Commission was the last task that Jesus gave His disciples:

“He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

This is an amazing revelation. If Peter had actually listened to Jesus at the time of the ascension, he wouldn’t have needed another prompt (the vision in Acts) to fulfill this great commission, but he did finally listen, especially when he saw how the Holy Spirit fell on the Roman Centurion and his household before they had even been baptized. The conversion of Paul is even more unlikely, but God’s mysterious ways are so wonderful!

Here’s one more story that I thought was quite good, from Precept Austin:

ILLUSTRATION OF WORKING ACCORDING TO HIS POWER - - Before his conversion, John Wesley, who was very religious outwardly, but lacked the inward reality of God’s grace, had a conversation with a poor porter at his college that deeply impressed him. Wesley discovered that the man had only one coat and that he had not had any food that day, but only water. And yet his heart was full of gratitude to God. Wesley said, “You thank God when you have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie upon. What else do you thank him for?” “I thank him,” answered the porter, “that He has given me my life and being, and a heart to love Him, and a desire to serve Him.” (In The Inextinguishable Blaze, by A. Skevington Wood [Eerdmans, 1968], p. 100.) That porter knew the reality of God’s saving grace. Like him, we can be joyfully thankful even in our trials if we remember God’s gift of salvation and the gracious privilege of serving Him.

We should pray that everyone gets to share in that grace and privilege and desire to service Him.

My next devotional examines Ephesians 3:8-10 - Paul is chosen to make God’s manifold wisdom known.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord - Thank You for the revelation of Your mystery through ministers that You chose like Paul. Help me to be a minister that spreads the Good News to those that I meet. Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/18/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 3:4-7.

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within Enduring Word commentary:

Clarke, Adam The New Testament with A Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1831)

Stott, John R.W. God’s New Society, The Message of Ephesians (Downer’s Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1979)

Wood, A. Skevington Ephesians, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1978)

While I usually use a random Bible verse web page for inspiration for these daily devotionals, today I used inspiration from Barb. We were listening to live Cajun music in New Orleans, and enjoying not only the music, but also the joyful reactions to the music.

Like all of God’s creations, music is truly miraculous. Humans use a variety of instruments and their voices to create beautiful (and sometimes not so beautiful) sounds, and we have the God-given blessing of being able to feel a variety of emotions as we listen to music.

Worship music takes that blessing and applies it to praising God in all His glory. David Guzik’s commentary on this verse from Enduring Word is right on the money:

a. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth: Since the great news of God’s marvelous things (verse 1) goes to the ends of the earth (verse 3), it is right for all the earth to praise Yahweh.

i. “The joyful noise of verses 4 and 6 meets us elsewhere as the spontaneous shout that might greet a king or a moment of victory. It is the word translated ‘shout aloud’ in Zechariah 9:9, the prophecy that was fulfilled on Palm Sunday.” (Kidner)

ii. “‘The noise of temple worship was legendary,’ according to Marvin E. Tate. He points to the accounts of Israel’s worship in 2 Chronicles 29:25-30 and Ezra 3:10-13, where in the second passage the sound of the instruments and the shouts of the people are said to have been “heard far away” (Ezra 3:13).” (Boice)

b. Break forth in song, rejoice: The praise is to be enthusiastic, varied, and in song. This is the opposite of the dreary singing of somber songs.

Let me repeat Guzik’s last line here: “The praise is to be enthusiastic, varied, and in song. The is the opposite of the dreary singing of somber songs.”

I have to confess to liking many (not all) contemporary Christian songs. Sure, they might often be what a friend of ours sarcastically refers to as 7-10 songs (7 words repeated 10 times), but I find the lyrics to many of them to be scripturally sound and definitely “enthusiastic.” That doesn’t mean that I don’t like more traditional hymns as well, although some church choirs can definitely turn them into “the dreary singing of somber songs.”

One of the most amazing and spiritually uplifting demonstrations of praise I have ever witnessed was on a Mississippi River steamboat cruise shore excursion at a small church in (I believe) Arkansas. A small church choir performed some loud, happy, and beautiful Gospel music that was a solid demonstration of love for Our Savior!

Our current church does a bluegrass service once a year, bypassing the usual worship followed by a powerful sermon and simply spending the entire service praising the Lord in song accompanied by guitar, banjo, and mandolin.

The point of all this talk about music? It doesn’t matter how we express our joy and reverence to God, just as long as we “burst into jubilant song with music!” At the time the Psalms were written, that worship was done through singing, shouting, and playing a variety of instruments. This psalm isn’t just an invitation to a particular church, either — note that it says “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth”.

God’s authority extends over all of His creation, so worship isn’t just confined to the people of Israel who this Psalm was written for. It’s an invitation for all nations and peoples to praise Him, foreshadowing the command of Jesus to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19)

I love the enthusiasm of this verse! Shout for joy to the Lord… burst into jubilant song”. This isn’t restrained, sad worship, but a joyfully unrestrained acknowledgement of God’s greatness… and that’s what the psalmist is inviting us to do.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

God our Father, may all the earth make a joyful noise to you, bursting out in song and singing praises to your holy name. Fill our hearts with joy and gratitude as we worship you. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author and reproduced here in their original format. © 1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com

Boice, James Montgomery “Psalms: An Expostional Commentary” Volume 2 (Psalms 42-106) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1996)

Kidner, Derek “Psalms 73-150: A Commentary” (Kidner Classic Commentaries) (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1975)

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Ephesians 3 begins with Paul looking back at the first two chapters that delineated the Good News for the Gentiles. According to commentators, Paul is starting a prayer in Chapter 3 in verse 1, then takes a short detour into an explanation of the mystery, which he wrote about before in brief. He describes himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles (not necessarily a prisoner of the Romans). This devotional is going to be quite short, as the heart of Paul’s explanation really starts after verse 3.

Here’s what Enduring Word says about verses 1-3 in this chapter:

a. I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles: During his Roman imprisonment Paul was under house arrest. In the day he was free to move around the house with the supervision of soldiers, but every night he was chained to a soldier to make sure he did not escape before his trial before Caesar. Yet he saw himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ. He knew that Jesus was the Lord of his life, not the Roman government, so if he was a prisoner, he was Jesus’ prisoner.

b. For you Gentiles: The entire reason he was under arrest and awaiting trial was because of his missionary efforts on behalf of the Gentiles.

• i. Paul suffered for the very truth he would explain to the Ephesians, and this did not make him back down one bit.

• ii. The last thing Paul wanted was people to feel sorry for him because he was imprisoned. He wanted his readers to realize that it was a benefit for them that he was a prisoner.

c. If indeed you have heard: This suggests Paul knew his particular calling to the Gentile world was well known among Gentile Christians.

So why was Paul under house arrest in Rome? We learned about this lengthy saga in my study of the book of Acts. Needless to say, Paul’s embrace of Gentiles in the new-found faith in Christ was a big part of this journey, which was supposed to end pleading before Caesar in Rome.

Ray Stedman has some wise words about Paul’s imprisonment as noted in Precept Austin:

Ray Stedman writes that Paul was apparently "in Rome, a prisoner of Caesar, awaiting trial before Nero. But never once does he say that he is a prisoner of Caesar; it is always "a prisoner of Christ Jesus." The reason is obvious when you read his letters. He saw that Caesar was not the one who had the final say about him; Jesus did. The duration of his confinement was not determined by Caesar, but by the Lord Jesus. As Paul came to understand the One whom he served, he knew that Jesus is in control of history. He saw him as John did in the book of Revelation -- as sitting on his throne, holding the reins of government in his hands. He is the One who opens, and no man shuts, who shuts, and no man opens, who orders, and his will is carried out. Paul knew, therefore, that anytime the Lord Jesus decided Paul's imprisonment would be of no further value, he would be set free, that when the Lord Jesus spoke, Caesar acted. Therefore, he never saw himself as being the prisoner of Caesar. This is a tremendous lesson to us, who sometimes become worried and anxious about what the political powers-that-be are doing in the world today. Would that we had the faith of this mighty apostle who understood so clearly that Caesar was not in control; Jesus is. (Ephesians 3:1-6: Great Mystery).

We should all take this advice and realize who is really in control of our lives. Worrying about the next political leader is a fool’s folly. Yes, politics have their place, but we should focus on His will. We are prisoners of our Lord, yet are set free in Him!

My next devotional examines Philippians 3:4-7 - The mystery made known to Paul.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord - The more I learn about scripture, the more I realize that endless hand-wringing about current political issues is a distraction from obedience to Your will. Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/15/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 3:1-3.

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com.

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭68‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s psalm is one of David’s, and it is thought that it was written about the time that the ark of the covenant came to Jerusalem (described in 2 Samuel 6). Psalm 68 celebrates this event, and praises God for His faithfulness in giving Israel victory over its enemies. Not only did God vanquish the enemies of Israel, but Jerusalem was now in a secure enough state that the ark could be brought into the city.

To decipher the first phrase — “God sets the lonely in families” — it’s important to remember that in biblical times, the family was the most important social unit. Families provided support, protection, and even identity. God has always wanted for the lonely to have someone to be with. Back near the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 2:18, God created Eve for Adam because He knew “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

There is an emphasis in the Old Testament on caring for widows and orphans, those who would not have a family to support them. While we don’t know if that care extended to adoption of orphans or bringing widows into one’s family. we do know that it was expected of the righteous believer to help the community support those who could not survive on their own.

In a New Testament view of this statement, we know that the church is a family of believers, members of God’s household. When we abide in Jesus Christ, we can never truly be alone!

The next phrase, “he leads out the prisoners with singing,” can also sound a bit odd to modern ears. In the context of this biblical time, those in captivity or bondage were considered “prisoners”. That captivity or bondage could be literal — being captured by another nation and taken into forced servitude in a strange land — or it could be spiritual, being held captive to idolatry or ignorance of Yahweh.

There’s a historical perspective to this phrase to be found in Exodus, when God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land, “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Leviticus 20:24)

Once again, the psalm resonates in our time. Jesus proclaimed “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,” in Luke 4:18. He offers to set believers free spiritually, and promises us eternal life — freedom from the endless captivity of death.

The last part of the psalm is a lesson for those who would rebel against God. The Israelites were no strangers to the “sun-scorched” lands of Egypt and the desert wastes they wandered after escaping from their captivity, so they knew that this imagery was symbolic of hardship and barren land.

Who are “the rebellious?” Those who reject the authority of God over His creation. They are destined to live in a spiritual wasteland. The Israelites would remember what happened to their ancestors, who disobeyed God and were punished by wandering the desert for 40 years (Numbers 14:33-34)

With his typical eloquence, King David set down in song a promise from the Lord for the righteous and a warning to those who would rebel against God.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for seeing the lonely and bringing them community in Your church, and for bringing us out of our struggles with exclamations of joy. Help us to trust in Your goodness and to walk in Your ways, transforming our lives to reflect the peace, artifice, and belonging you provide. Use us, Lord, to welcome others with the same love You have shown us. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

BibleHub was accessed on April 15, 2026 for commentary on Psalms 68:6

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬-‭22‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Paul ends chapter 2 of Ephesians with this exhortation to the Gentiles: They are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God’s household. They are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building, with that cornerstone, is being fitted together into a holy temple in the Lord, and the believers are also being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The AI image at the top shows the two groups, Jewish and Gentile believers, laying the stones for that holy temple, the church of the Lord. This commentary from Enduring Word is quite good:

a. You are no longer strangers and foreigners: Paul refers to Christians of Gentile background. They should not regard themselves as “second-class citizens” in God’s kingdom in any regard. They are not only full citizens, but also full and equal members of God’s household.

b. Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets: Because we are one body and have the same access to God, it also follows that we are all built upon a common foundation. That foundation is the original apostles and prophets, and their enduring revelation, recorded in the New Testament. May no one ever lay any other foundation.

• i. Though Chrysostom, Jerome, Calvin and others saw the prophets mentioned as Old Testament prophets, it is better to see them as New Testament prophets, perhaps New Testament authors who were not strictly members of the core apostolic group.

• ii. “Those who ranked next to the Apostles in the government of the church… They were not in every case distinct from the Apostles: the apostleship probably always including the gift of prophecy: so that all the Apostles themselves might likewise have been prophets.” (Alford)

• iii. In this sense of laying a foundation of supremely authoritative revelation for all God’s people, there are no more apostles or prophets today. The foundation is already set. In a lesser sense there may be apostles and prophets today, but not in the sense Paul means here.

c. Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone: This corner stone “literally means at the tip of the angle. It refers to the capstone or binding stone that holds the whole structure together… often the royal name was inscribed on it. In the East it was considered to be even more important than the foundation.” (Wood)

• i. Salmond on corner stone: “It denotes the stone placed at the extreme corner, so as to bind the other stones in the building together – the most important stone in the structure, the one on which its stability depended.”

• ii. “That structure and cohesion may have for its scaffolding the sacred order of the Church in her visible aspect. But the cement is not of these things; it is wholly divine; it is the Spirit, possessing each saint for God, and binding them all together by articulating them all to their Head.” (Moule)

d. In whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord: As we keep to our common foundation, the whole building of God’s people grows together in a beautiful way, as a holy temple where God dwells in beauty and glory.

• i. This tells us that the Church is a building, perfectly designed by the Great Architect. It is not a haphazard pile of stones, randomly dumped in a field. God arranges the Church for His own glory and purposes.

• ii. This tells us that the Church is a dwelling place, a place where God lives. It is never to be an empty house that is virtually a museum, with no one living inside. The Church is to be both the living place of God and His people.

• iii. This tells us that the Church is a temple, holy and set apart to God. We serve there as priests, offering the spiritual sacrifices of our lips and hearts, our praises to God (Hebrews 13:15).

e. You also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit: When Solomon’s temple was built, the stones were prepared at a place far from the temple building site. It was said that you couldn’t hear the sound of a hammer or axe or other iron tools at the site (1 Kings 6:7). In the same way, God prepares us first, and then He fits us into His building.

• i. “The Father makes choice of this house, the Son purchaseth it, the Holy Ghost taketh possession of it.” (Trapp)

• ii. “And the everlasting FATHER will perfectly reveal Himself, to all the watchers of all the regions of the eternal world, not anyhow but thus – in His glorified Church, in the Race, the Nature, once wrecked and ruined, but rebuilt into this splendour by His grace.” (Moule)

• iii. Adam Clarke explained how God’s work in the Church gave glory to the wisdom, power, and love of God. Seeing all this, we should praise God for His glorious Church.

  • · There is nothing as noble as the Church, seeing that it is the temple of God.

  • · There is nothing so worthy of reverence, seeing God who dwells in it.

  • · There is nothing so ancient, since the patriarchs and prophets worked to build it.

  • · There is nothing so solid, since Jesus Christ is the foundation of it.

  • · There is nothing so high, since it reaches as high as to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

  • · There is nothing so perfect and well proportioned, since the Holy Spirit is the architect.

  • · There is nothing more beautiful, because it is adorned with building stones of every age, every place, every people; from the highest kings to the lowest peasants; with the most brilliant scientists and the simplest believers.

  • · There is nothing more spacious, since it is spread over the whole earth, and takes in all who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

  • · There is nothing so Divine, since it is a living building, animated and inhabited by the Holy Spirit.

I think this is pretty self-explanatory about the church and its various aspects. It is really important to know how vital the church is, yet realize that is not just a building that you might visit. It is a place that is noble, reverent, ancient, solid, high, perfect, beautiful, spacious and divine. It is the dwelling place of God. This should give us pause when we enter a sanctuary and then waste time before the service starts surfing social media (guilty as charged).

The church doesn’t need to have an altar or vestments or a lectern or stained glass windows, although those do sometimes help identify a place as a “church”. It DOES need believers who know they are in the presence of the most High and it should not be an empty dwelling that could be a museum (the sad fate of many churches in Europe). It should be vibrant and packed with people, regardless of how it is configured.

I also liked this commentary from Precept Austin on Christ as the Rock with some key Scripture references:

1) To God Jesus is…

Smitten Stone

Exodus 17:6, 1Cor 10:4, cp John 4:13, John 4:14

(2) To Israel Messiah is…

Stumbling Stone

1Pe 2:8 (note), Ro 9:32 (note)

Ro 9:33 (note); 1Cor 1:23

(3) To the Church the Lord Jesus is…

Cornerstone

1Pe 2:6 (note), Ep 2:20 (note),

1Cor 3:10, 11, 12 (foundation)

(4) To all the Gentile world powers Jesus the King of kings is the…

Stone cut without hands

Da 2:34-note

Stone that grows and fills the earth

Da 2:35, cf Da 2:44, 45-note

(5) To Israel at Second coming Messiah is…

Capstone of the corner

Zech 4:7

(6) To unbelievers the Lord Jesus Christ is the…

Crushing Stone of judgment

Mt 21:44

Some of the key prophecies about Jesus were part of my devotional series on the book of Daniel.

My next devotional examines Ephesians 3:1-3 - Paul as a prisoner in truth.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord - You are the cornerstone of our faith, the stone cut without hands. The church is Yours and You have made it a Holy Temple for all who believe. Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/13/26 to review commentary for Ephesians 2:19-22.

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within Enduring Word commentary:

Alford, Henry The New Testament for English Readers, Volume II, Part I (London: Rivingtons, 1869)

Clarke, Adam The New Testament with A Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1831)

Moule, Handley C. G. Ephesian Studies (London: Pickering and Inglis, ?)

Salmond, S.D.F. The Epistle to the Ephesians, The Expositor’s Greek New Testament, Volume III (London: Hodder and Stoughton, ?)

Trapp, John A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Volume Five (Eureka, California: Tanski Publications, 1997)

Wood, A. Skevington Ephesians, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1978)

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Luke 9 marks a change in the relationship between Jesus and His disciples. Up to this point, Jesus has been performing miracles, giving the disciples proof that He is the son of God and also providing a benchmark for what they can do with enough faith and prayer.

In Luke 9:1, Jesus sends the disciples out to “to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” with the power He has given to them.

On this mission, they are not to take anything with them, but instead rely on the goodness of people that they heal and preach the Gospel to. While they’re on mission, Herod Antipas, who had recently beheaded John the Baptist to please his wife, wants to meet Jesus although he has no real spiritual interest. Herod would eventually meet Jesus on the morning of His crucifixion…

The disciples return from their mission, at which point Jesus preaches to a multitude and we have the feeding of the 5,000, another situation in which Jesus challenges the disciples to perform a major miracle. We find that Peter “gets it” — understands that Jesus is Messiah — and Jesus informs the disciples of what must happen to Him in the near future.

That is when Jesus reveals His true mission, and we get to today’s verse. The disciples have just heard that their teacher is going to be arrested, tried, flogged, and then crucified, which was bad enough news. Now Jesus tells them that to be His disciples, they must be willing to bear the same fate.

What did Jesus mean by “Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily”? David Guzik of Enduring Word explains:

b. Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me: As Jesus spoke these words, everybody knew what Jesus meant. In the Roman world, before a man died on a cross, he had to carry his cross (or at least the horizontal beam of the cross) to the place of execution.

i. When the Romans crucified a criminal, they didn’t just hang them on a cross. They first hung a cross on him.

ii. Carrying a cross always led to death on a cross. No one carried a cross for fun. The first hearers of Jesus didn’t need an explanation of the cross; they knew it was an unrelenting instrument of torture, death, and humiliation. If someone took up his cross, he never came back. It was a one-way journey.

iii. In the real-life crosses of the Roman world, no one took them up (suggesting a voluntary action). Instead, crosses were impressed upon people, quite apart from their willingness. Here Jesus said that those who follow Him must voluntarily take up their cross.

iv. This isn’t to suggest that we can choose our way to die a living death as followers of Jesus; but as the unchosen circumstances come into life, we choose to bear them as a way to daily die for Jesus’ glory.

c. Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily: Jesus made deny himself equal with take up his cross. The two phrases expressed the same idea. The cross wasn’t about self-promotion or self-affirmation. The person carrying a cross knew they couldn’t save themselves, and that self was destined to die.

i. Denying yourself means to live as an others-centered person. Jesus was the only person to do this perfectly, but we are to follow in His steps.

d. Take up his cross daily: Jesus made it clear that He spoke spiritually when He added the word daily. No one could be crucified literally everyday. Daily they could have the same attitude as Jesus had.

i. This is following Jesus at its simplest. He carried a cross, so His followers carry one. He walked to His self-death, so must those who would follow Him.

The disciples, with the exception of John, would all suffer violent and agonizing deaths, although only two — Peter and Andrew — were crucified (Peter was crucified upside-down, while Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross called a saltire. Both felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus). The twelve very literally took up the cross of Jesus through their martyrdom.

For modern Christians, denying oneself means putting aside personal ambition and desires, and devoting one’s life to Christ. Our society puts an emphasis on self-fulfillment and being autonomous, the polar opposite of self-sacrifice, obedience, and humility. That’s why studying the Gospels and not just zipping through them on a “Bible In One Year” plan, is so important. Jesus is the ideal that Christians must strive to emulate, and the only way to do that is to build understanding of His teachings.

Although humanity has devised many horrible ways of torturing and killing, we’re blessed that crucifixion is no longer one of the methods. The cross that we are to take up daily is the commitment to endure hardship and persecution for the sake of Christ. That means putting up with a constant flow of negative messages from the secular world without complaint.

Jesus asked all of His followers to “follow me.” To do that requires us to obey His commands, a few of which are:

• Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near

• Come and follow Me

• Love your neighbor as yourself

• Make disciples of all nations

• Rejoice when you’re persecuted in My name

• Be reconciled to one another

• Keep your word

• Turn the other cheek

• Love your enemies

• Practice forgiveness

Do you follow each of these commands every day? I know I don’t. Following Jesus is a lifetime process that requires us to persevere and be faithful. As sinners, we will never be perfect… but we can be transformed to a closer imitation of Him.

The call of Jesus to follow Him is central to the Gospels. He began by inviting the disciples to follow him, and eventually has thousands (and 2,000 year later, billions) of followers. In the context of the Old Testament, this reflects the narrative of following God in the manner of the patriarchs and the prophets.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord, help me to “deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow You”. Guide me to live a life that reflects Your will and purpose. May I surrender my desires and ambitions to You, trusting in Your plan for my life. Strengthen my faith and help me to walk in Your footsteps each day. AMEN

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author and reproduced here in their original format. © 1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com

BibleHub was accessed on April 13, 2026 for commentary on Luke 9:23

“And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Jesus preached peace to both the Jews and the Gentiles (those were who near and those who were far away). Through Him, we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. The AI image, above, shows the equality of access that both groups have to the Son, under a bright noonday sun (AI was doing way too many golden sunset pictures lately). No one has preferential treatment, but all are under His peace.

I like the commentary from Enduring Word:

a. He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near: As they respond to the same gospel, the same peace that is preached to those afar off (Gentiles) and those near (Jews).

b. Through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father: They enjoy the same access to God, access that comes by one Spirit to the Father. Not only are Jews and Gentiles saved by the same gospel, but they also have the same essential walk with God and access to Him. One group does not have a greater access than the other does.

• i. “Access is probably the best translation of prosagoge, though it could be ‘introduction.’ In oriental courts there was a prosagoges who brought a person into the presence of the king.” (Foulkes)

• ii. When conflict arises among Christian groups of different backgrounds, you can be sure that they forget that they were saved by the same gospel and that they have the same access to God. One or both groups usually feel they have superior access to God.

• iii. “This text is a plain proof of the holy Trinity. Jews and Gentiles are to be presented unto God the FATHER; the SPIRIT of God works in their hearts, and prepares them for this presentation; and JESUS CHRIST himself introduces them.” (Clarke)

I’m not going to share my spaghetti chart of Christian denominations again, but it is so true that many forget that they were saved by the same Gospel and have the same access to God. Lutherans are not superior; Catholics are not superior; 2nd Baptists (reformed) are not superior. Speaking of access, let’s do a word study from the Blue Letter Bible:

Our access comes from the Greek noun προσαγωγή or prosagōgḗ (Strong’s G4318), with the following Biblical usages:

1. the act of bringing to, a moving to

   1. access, approach

2. to God, i.e. that relationship with God whereby we are acceptable to him and have assurance that he is favourably disposed towards us

I also find the observation by Adam Clarke quoted in this Enduring Word commentary to be revealing: This text in Ephesians is proof of the Trinity, in that we are presented to God the Father, the Spirit of God works through our hearts and prepares us for this presentation or access, and Jesus the Son introduces us.

So what IS the peace of God? I like this answer from Gotquestions.org:

If God is peace, then to know God is to bask in His peace. The closer we draw to Him, the more of His peace we can enjoy (James 4:8). God gives us clear instructions about how to draw near to Him. Psalm 24:3–4 says, “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” But Scripture is also clear that we cannot make ourselves clean enough or pure enough to earn the presence of the Lord (Romans 3:10, 23). So how do we draw near enough to experience His peace? Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). We come into the presence of the Lord through His Son (John 14:6). When we allow Jesus’ death and resurrection to purchase our forgiveness from God, we are counted as righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our sins are forgiven because Jesus already paid the price for them. Only then can we have peace with God (Romans 4:5; 5:1; 1 John 4:10).

The initial peace that comes from having our consciences wiped clean grows as we get to know God better (Hebrews 10:22). Second Peter 1:2 says, “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord” (NLT). When we grow in understanding of the depths and riches of God’s love toward us (Ephesians 3:18–19; Romans 8:38–39), our minds and spirits begin to rest in His power and wisdom. We begin to understand that He really will make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). We learn that His purposes will be accomplished (Psalm 33:11; Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 45:9; 46:9–11).

Certain attitudes can destroy the peace of God. When we equate trust with the assumption that God will give us whatever we want, we set ourselves up for disappointment. The Bible is filled with examples of the opposite happening to God’s people (2 Corinthians 12:7–9; Hebrews 11:13; Psalm 10:1). Trust means we have set our hearts to believe God, whatever may happen. When we insist on being in control, we sabotage God’s desire to let us live in peace. When we choose worry rather than faith, we cannot live in peace. Jesus warned us often about fear and worry (Matthew 6:34; Luke 12:29; Philippians 4:6). Worry is the enemy of peace. God invites us to cast our cares upon Him and then let go of them (1 Peter 5:7).

Living in peace can be compared to the petals of a flower unfolding in the morning sunlight. The petals of peace in our lives unfold as we learn more about God. We discover that His character is always faithful. We experience His continual goodness. We read more of His promises (Psalm 100:5; 115:11; Isaiah 26:4). We learn to bask in His overwhelming love for us (Romans 8:38–39). We refuse to allow ever-changing circumstances to determine our level of contentment, relying instead upon the character of God that never changes (James 1:17; Malachi 3:6).

So comforting!

My next devotional examines Ephesians 2:19-22 - Built on the foundation.

Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Lord - When I am anxious or troubled, bring me back to the eternal and glorious peace of Your presence. Amen.

Citations and Credits:

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.

“G4318 - prosagōgē - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB95).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 12 Apr, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4318/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/>.

Precept Austin was accessed on 04/12/26 to review commentary for Ephesians 2:17-18.

Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within Enduring Word commentary:

Clarke, Adam The New Testament with A Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1831)

Foulkes, Francis The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1988)

Gotquestions.org was accessed on 04/12/2026 to ask the question, What is the peace of God, and how can I experience it? © COPYRIGHT 2002-2026 GOT QUESTIONS MINISTRIES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.

“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭44‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We’re back to the Psalms again, and it’s time to see what wisdom is coming our way today. This is one of the Psalms written for (or by) the Sons of Korah, and it is called a maskil (מַשְׂכִּיל), a song or poem of contemplation. Maskil is also defined in Strong’s Concordance as an instructive (didactic) poem.

David Guzik at Enduring Word said this about the context of Psalm 44:

Psalm 44 speaks of the nation of Israel in a season of great defeat, calling out to God for rescue. Some have thought it to be a psalm of the exile period or even afterwards in the days of the Maccabees. Yet there is reason enough to keep this psalm in the days of Israel’s monarchy.

The beginning of Psalm 44 refers to past history for the people of Israel, particularly when God drove the Canaanites out of the Promised Land, allowing His people to move into that land as promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There were many times that the soldiers of God’s chosen fought and defeated their foes with God’s assistance, but there were other situations (Joshua 24:12 is a perfect example) when God did all the work for the Israelites.

The Psalm is being used to teach the nation of Israel that their conquest of the Promised Land was never accomplished simply through superior military strength or advanced weaponry. Throughout the narrative found in the Book of Joshua, God was the deciding factor in victory. Example: the fall of Jericho was brought about not by force (battering rams, grapples thrown over walls, etc…), but by God’s instructions being followed precisely! The lesson here was that it is more wise to rely on God than on human power or cunning.

“Their arm” is symbolic of human strength and bodily effort. Once again, the victories of the Israelites were not the result of their strategies or physical power. True success always comes through divine assistance. The Israelites were usually outnumbered by their foes, who are described as having soldiers with better training and weapons, but thanks to God, they were triumphant.

The maskil refers to the “right hand” of God, and this is indicative of His power and authority. In the culture of the time, the right hand was thought to be associated with skill and strength (sorry, lefties…). One more time in this short psalm, those listening to the psalm are being taught that it was God’s power that made the Promised Land available to the nation of Israel.

There’s also messianic symbolism at work here that points to Jesus Christ. He is seated at the “right hand” of the Father (see Hebrews 1:3), a sign of His divine authority and power.

The next two words — “your arm” — is another example of a common tool found throughout God’s Word: reiteration and repetition to drive home a point. Throughout Scripture we read of God’s arm as a wellspring of salvation and deliverance. The imagery shows how He was and is actively involved in the lives of His people, and He ensures their protection and victory when they do His will.

More imagery comes in the next phrase: “And the light of your face.” In previous devotionals, we’ve talked about how the shining of God’s face upon His people signifies His grace and peace. This can be found in the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26):

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

‭‭A beautiful blessing!

It’s also instructive to remember that the light of the Lord’s face represents guidance and revelation. Think of another familiar psalm, Psalm 119:105, which says:

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

‭‭The psalmist wraps up the verse with a reminder that above all else, God loves His people. His love was the reason for Israel’s victories over the Canaanites. Even today, God extends His grace and mercy to His people despite their sinning ways. Christians are recipients of His love and favor, given to us through Jesus Christ.

Love the Psalms? Click this link to visit our treasury of devotionals from this book of wisdom.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Father in Heaven, I thank You for Your favor and grace. It is not by our skill or strength that we achieve success, but by Your power, grace, mercy, and light. I ask for Your continued guidance and blessings as I trust in You alone. AMEN.

Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.

BibleHub was accessed on April 11, 2026 for commentary on Psalm 44:3

Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author and reproduced here in their original format. © 1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com