by Shannon Tillman | Jan 15, 2024 | Bible Study
My idea of a workout is sitting on the beach. I would rather perspire lounging by a beautiful body of water than sweating during aerobics or weight training. I want to be healthy without any effort on my part. Yet, we all know that this is not how it works (sadly).
The same is true in our spiritual lives. It is the difficulties, sovereignly orchestrated by God for our benefit, that foster spiritual growth. The nation of Israel experienced this truth in the wilderness on their journey toward the Promised Land. They were on their way to the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams. However, a hostile king blocked them:
But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done. The LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.” (Deuteronomy 2:30-31)
A closed “road” may signal a spiritual fight to gain new territory. We want the Lord to make the path easy but He allows the fight. In fact, God divinely orchestrated the fight to benefit the Israelites. They wanted to pass “safely through” but God wanted them to take the enemy’s ground by His power.
The word Sihon in Hebrew means “warrior”. The word “Heshbon” in Hebrew means “stronghold”. The enemy we fight is a warrior who resides in a stronghold. This is not an easy fight! We must pull down the strongholds that the enemy has set up. We are called to fight instead of allowing the enemy to settle in our territory.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)
We must not back down. A stronghold is any lie that is against the truth of God. Unless we dislodge the enemy with truth, he will stay settled in our lives. We must go into combat against the lies to dislodge the enemy. This is war!
The enemy told Israel “you can’t pass through.” But God told the Israelites “this is your land, go get it.” The enemy was telling a lie as if he was already victorious and the land was his. God was showing Israel that He alone is in charge.
Often our difficult circumstances will manifest the lies we believe about ourselves, others, our situations, and even God. These lies come up and are set up to block our victory. The Lord sovereignly allows this so we can experience even greater victory and freedom in our lives.
by Shannon Tillman | Jan 8, 2024 | Bible Study
I always carry food around with me. I hate being hungry. Also, I do not want to subject others to my attitude when I want to eat but food is not available. I keep snacks in my bag for the safety of everyone. I plan for my need.
God has a plan for our needs as well. He is not surprised when problems arise. His provision for the needs is in place before we even become aware of the needs. His ways to solve the situations involve creative and surprising outcomes. All we must do is to acknowledge the need and ask for God for His supply. Unfortunately, many of us do not respond by asking, instead we resort to complaining.
The nation of Israel was known for her complaints, especially when living in the wilderness. They had been miraculously rescued from Egypt, yet in a short amount of time they complained about the conditions in the desert. Forgetting their rescue, their hearts turned bitter and they murmured amongst themselves. Their need was legitimate. The community had no food. However, their complaints grew to obscure their view of the Lord, forgetting what God had done for them in the past and His promise to care for them in the future. Eventually the murmuring led them to grumble against leadership and to desire to return to the land of their captivity.
In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:2-3)
They believed the lie that “God rescued us to kill us”. They did not understand the heart of God. In their twisted misconceptions, they grumbled and complained instead of asking the Lord for help, as if He did not want to be there for them. God already had a plan. The Lord had “snacks on hand” to give to them. God was waiting for them to ask so He could send His miracle.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. (Exodus 16:4)
God’s plan for food in the wilderness was to rain down manna, bread from heaven. The Lord was not blindsided by the need or trying to quickly form a plan at the last minute. He already knew what He wanted to do. However, the Lord waited for His people to ask. Sadly, they never did cry out to the Lord for help. Instead of asking, they complained, grumbled, and murmured.
If they had asked and then received, faith would have been built. They would trust God with the next set of overwhelming circumstances. They would learn His heart towards them which would encourage them to persevere. By complaining, however, they created a pattern of being alienated from God through their grumbling. This separated them from their source of Help. God was merciful. He still took care of them. Unfortunately, a complaining pattern emerged. This often led to dire consequences. Often, we treat complaining as not a big deal, but that is not how God views it.
And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. (1 Corinthians 10:10)
Yikes! Grumbling involves the death penalty! Why is this such a big deal? Complaining proves a lack of confidence of who God is and what He can do. To complain is saying “God is not God, He cannot handle my situation.” Complaining is blasphemy. When we grumble, we are showcasing our lack of faith.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Complaining is the opposite of faith, thus it does not please God. When we choose faith, we please the Lord. God is who He says He is. God can do what He says He can do. God has a plan. We can trust Him. We must seek Him through asking, not by complaining. When we do, miraculous answers will come our way. By asking and then receiving from God, we build faith for the next set of circumstances. And we can know that God will meet our need because He is God so we can trust Him to ask for His provision.
Faith is built through asking, trusting, and then receiving. God is faithful. He will take care of you. Remember what He has done in the past and bring the need to Him in the present and watch the miraculous answer in the future!
by Shannon Tillman | Dec 25, 2023 | Bible Study
Names are so important. Parents take time to choose a name for their baby because they understand the value of a name. Names are a gift. As I read Scripture, I like to look up the meaning of names to see if there are interesting lessons to glean from this insight.
Two names are mentioned in Luke 2, the only place in the Bible where we learn about two old and righteous believers. Both Simeon and Anna had proved a lifetime of faithfulness to their Lord. In their advanced years, they finally receive the gift they had waited on for decades.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praise God… (Luke 2: 25-28a)
As a baby, Jesus was brought to the temple. When Simeon saw the child, he immediately knew that this baby was the Messiah. Simeon’s name means “harken” which is our word for “listen”. At this moment, Simeon gives a prophetic word for all to hear that still speaks to us today. If we “harken” to the message we will hear that Jesus is the Savior of the world.
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God saying,
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:28b-32)
Simeon not only spoke a message proclaiming who Jesus is to the world, he also gave a message to Mary about the future ministry of Jesus. The Messiah would create an uproar in Israel and the events would be devastating for Mary as well. Simeon warned her of the pain to come.
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:33-35)
I wonder if Mary thought about these words as she stood at the foot of the cross. She “harkened” to the message of Simeon and three decades later she saw the fulfillment of his prophetic word.
Another prophet came upon the scene at the very moment Simeon was finishing his message to Mary.
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:25-38)
This old, precious woman of God walked up and immediately gave thanks to God. She then began her own evangelism crusade telling others about that precious baby. The child would grow up and bring the long-awaited redemption. Anna’s name means “grace”. Grace is the unmerited favor of God to His people. She is letting them know that the unmerited favor of God has been shown in a baby. God gave us Jesus, the picture of grace, showing how He wants to be in relationship with us, to grant us divine favor, to bless us in a relationship with the Lord through Jesus. Not only that, Jesus will the one who will bring the future redemption of Jerusalem. However, the redemption of Jerusalem would be at a later date. We are still waiting for that promise today. Jesus came and saved us from our sins in His first coming, as Simeon prophesied. However, Jesus will return again and redeem the earth and rule and reign over us! Jerusalem will be at peace as Jesus sits on the throne as King! That is what Anna proclaims to the people.
The two people who testified about Jesus first and second coming in the temple that day were Simeon and Anna. Simeon spoke the prophetic word about the Messiah and then Anna walked up to them testifying to the redemption to come. Once again, their names have significant meaning. Simeon means “harken/listen” and Anna means “grace”. Combining their names, we discover this: If we will listen to the truth declared about Jesus, we will receive grace! That grace is for now and forevermore! Just as Simeon and Anna proclaimed the glorious news, we should celebrate what Jesus did for us to save us and rejoice for the future of how He will return to earth again! We have heard the truth, we have received grace, and now we are to share the glorious message that Jesus came and will return! Halleluiah!
by Shannon Tillman | Dec 18, 2023 | Bible Study
I love how the bible weaves together the central message of Jesus. A book written over 1500 years by different authors with various styles still all point to the Messiah, to Jesus. It is absolutely amazing!
Recently, I read this verse in the book of Joshua:
The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah. (Joshua 19:9)
When I saw this verse, my mind went immediately to the second chapter of Luke. These verses are separated over a thousand years, yet come together in a surprising way. In the book of Luke, a man named Simeon is mentioned.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God… (Luke 2:25-28a)
Jesus was from the tribe of Judah (as recorded in Matthew chapter 1 as well as Luke chapter 3). Therefore, this man named Simeon also received his inheritance from the tribe of Judah this day in the temple! The tribe of Judah had more than enough land to share. In the same way, Jesus is never depleted as He gives to us. The tribe of Simeon received physical land on earth. The man Simeon received a spiritual inheritance of heaven. The land from Judah served the Simeonites for generations. The gift of life from Jesus lasts for eternity!
We must be like Simeon and follow the Spirit’s leading to come to the Messiah. We will receive a heavenly inheritance that will never fade away! This can only lead us to marvel at the gift of salvation for us, just as Simeon did as he held Jesus in his arms.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)
Praise be to Jesus, the Messiah from the tribe of Judah who gives generously the gift of salvation to all nations! The tribe of Simeon dwelled with the tribe of Judah. We can dwell with Jesus for all of eternity. Glory be to His Name!
by Shannon Tillman | Dec 11, 2023 | Bible Study
There is a stark contrast between the birth of John and the birth of Jesus. People came to celebrate with Zechariah and Elizabeth, friends were all around.
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. (Luke 1:57-58)
However, Mary and Joseph were alone.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. (Luke 2:6-7)
How lonely that must have been, no friends or family to celebrate. I cannot even imagine the trepidation in a young mother’s heart, and she had to face this new journey all by herself, no mother or aunts to guide and encourage her. How defeating it would be for Joseph to put his son in a feeding trough. It was painful and discouraging time when it should have been one of rejoicing.
God knew they needed encouragement, especially Mary. He knew the rumors, rejection, shame she had experienced. Even Joseph had questioned her integrity.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. (Matthew 1:18-19)
An angelic visitation through a dream stopped Joseph from sending Mary away. Others would have assumed the worst of Mary and believed she had a tainted reputation. Yet, God defended His precious Mary to Joseph. They obeyed the Lord. However, their obedience did not lead to family parties and celebrations. Instead, their obedience led them to a city, filled with strangers, with no place to stay, and having to place a newborn in a manger.
God knew these faithful, obedient yet lonely followers needed some encouragement.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
Don’t glance over these verses. See them afresh from the viewpoint of a lonely couple, brand-new parents, who needed an encouraging word. They are alone. Their newborn son is asleep in a feeding trough. Suddenly, they hear a voice of a loud, boisterous crowd. A group of shepherds burst onto the scene. They are so excited; Mary and Joseph can hardly catch the story between all of them talking. Finally, one shepherd recounts the glorious events. Mary and Joseph realize that angels from heaven were sent to give the birth announcement of their son! Imagine their hearts filling with joy as they realize that God saw them exactly where they were! The Lord knew they needed encouragement so He sent the shepherds with the good news. Mary and Joseph were not forgotten.
How healing these words would have been for Mary who had already suffered in her hometown. Mary had probably heard terrible reports spread about her concerning the circumstances around her pregnancy. Here in Bethlehem, God allows good news to circulate.
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2:17-18)
God sees our lonely, distressed hearts. The Lord will not leave us. He will send forth a word to comfort and encourage us. God sees you and me, right where we are. He knows what we are going through. Even in the most unlikely ways, the Lord will find a way to send forth a message of hope for us to hold onto, just like Mary did.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)
Treasure the encouraging moments in the heart. They are a source of strength for difficult times in the future. For now, know that God sees us and will encourage us.
God is with us even if others have abandoned us completely. His heart is full of love. The proof of His love was lying in a manger, Emmanuel, God with us. He left the glories of heaven to be close to each one us. Take to heart His encouragement today.
by Shannon Tillman | Nov 27, 2023 | Bible Study
We see angels discussed often in the Bible. An angel guards the way to the Garden of Eden. An angel blocked the path of Balaam’s donkey. An angel came to Elijah and fed him. An angel closed the mouth of the lions for Daniel. An angel came to Zechariah to let him know that he and Elizabeth would have a baby in their advanced years. An angel came to Mary to announce that she would give birth to Jesus. An angel came to Cornelius and told him his prayers had been answered and to send for Peter. An angel freed Peter from prison. An angel struck Herod down and he died. An angel strengthened Paul when on a storm-tossed sea. And there are many other angel accounts in Scriptures.
Angels have done the bidding of the Lord throughout history. Usually, we see one angel on these different assignments. Notable exceptions are when the angels went up and down the ladder at Bethel before Jacob. Also, a group of angels showed up to praise God after one angel delivered the message about the birth of Jesus.
However, there was a time when two angels were placed on assignment. We see the account of these two angels in the book of Genesis. These two angels were sent to Sodom and Gomorrah, the evil cities the Lord had determined to destroy. Yet, when I read this passage, I wondered why God sent two angels. One would have definitely been enough for the job. Why were two angels placed on this assignment? I believe the answer to this question reveals the heart of a loving and merciful God.
The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” (Genesis 19:1-2)
Lot was Abraham’s nephew. Abraham had asked the Lord to spare these cities if ten righteous people were found. Sadly, there were not ten. God, in His mercy, still chose to rescue Lot and his family. The two angels, who had form of men, came into Sodom and were welcomed into Lot’s house. That night, the angels warn Lot of what is to come.
The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12b-13)
Lot had a wife and two daughters. His girls were betrothed to two men in the city. Lot tried to convince them to leave, but they thought Lot was foolish. Lot knew the cities would be destroyed; he believed the message of the angels. The next morning, the time had come for Sodom and Gomorrah to be annihilated.
With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished. (Genesis 19:15)
The angels exhort Lot to leave immediately with his family. However, Lot does not move quickly.
When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. (Genesis 19:16)
Here is the reason I believe God sent two angels to Sodom and Gomorrah. Only one angel was needed to destroy the cities, however, two angels were needed to grasp the hands of four people who were hesitating to leave the area. One angel took the hands of two people, the other angel grasped the hands of the remaining two. Together, the two angels pulled four people out of the cities marked for destruction. How merciful is our God!
Whatever difficult situation you or your family may be facing, the Lord already has a plan to send exactly what you need to “yank” the ones in need out of the situation. He is not short on resources or supplies. He does not need extra help. He has already determined what is needed to have a successful rescue plan. He will take us by the hand and save us from the situation even if we do not readily or speedily cooperate. He is so good to us!
