INTRINSIC BEAUTY

“He appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21)

In today’s verse, a key phrase occurs that is easy to miss. Some Bible translations miss it altogether. Literally, the Hebrew reads that Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king, appointed “ones praising the beauty of holiness.”

What does this phrase mean? “Holiness” translates the typical Hebrew word used for “holy,” and it carries the concept of being set apart. For example, God made the seventh day of creation holy by setting it apart from the other six (Genesis 2:3). When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He set apart a plot of ground as “holy” (Exodus 3:5). Firstborn children of the nation of Israel were holy in that they were set apart (Exodus 13:2).

The Hebrew word for “beauty” in this verse carries the idea of intrinsic beauty and worth, not passing or shallow beauty. Thus, the “beauty of holiness” refers to the intrinsic attractiveness of “set-apart-ness.”

Intuitively, we recognize that “set-apart-ness” is beautiful. Consider a rare and expensive diamond. Its rarity sets it apart from the rest of the diamonds. What do we do with such a special diamond? We relish in its beauty by giving it its own display case. We might even put it aside in a special room reserved for this one diamond.

However, our example stops there. Some might dispute the beauty of the diamond as a matter of preference.

In contrast, the beauty of holiness is not subjective or limited to cultural context. Why? Because Scripture calls holiness intrinsically beautiful. Furthermore, Jehoshaphat commanded people to praise the beauty of holiness. Something this praiseworthy must be overwhelmingly and stunningly beautiful!















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

SALVATION IN JESUS CHRIST

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

The great theme of “salvation” (Greek soteria, Hebrew yeshua) is prominent in both Old and New Testaments. It basically means “deliverance” and can be used for local and specific “deliverances” from perils, as well as for the eternal deliverance of one’s soul. In the latter sense, it is used for deliverance from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin in daily life, and from the very presence of sin in the future life.

Salvation, of course, is found only through the Lord Jesus Christ, whose very coming into the world was to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The name Jesus means “salvation.” In fact, His name really was Yeshua, the word which often is translated “salvation” in the Old Testament. Devout Simeon, after waiting for many years, took the infant Jesus in his arms, exclaiming by the Spirit, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation” (Luke 2:30).

The theme of salvation is “so great” (Hebrews 2:3), it embraces many major doctrines of Scripture. As a very sketchy summary, one may note that it includes the doctrines of atonement (Leviticus 17:11); of substitution (Isaiah 53:5); of imputation (Romans 4:6-8); propitiation (1 John 2:2); redemption (1 Peter 1:18); remission (Acts 10:43); justification (Romans 3:28); adoption (Ephesians 1:5); reconciliation (Romans 5:10-11); regeneration (Titus 3:5); sanctification (Hebrews 10:9-10); and glorification (Romans 8:30). When a person is saved, the blessings implied in every one of these great doctrines of salvation become his, whether Jew or Gentile, whether found in Old Testament prophecy or New Testament fulfillment. No wonder Paul was not ashamed of this great gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, and neither should we be!















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:21)

One factor that separates us from the animals is our ability to formulate distinct words and string them together with syntax to communicate complex concepts. The barks and grunts and whistles of animals may convey meaning of sorts but certainly not abstract thought. Only the image of God in man (Genesis 1:27) can communicate directly with other humans and with the Creator of all. The highest use of this ability is to praise and worship Him.

As we worship Him through our singing and praise, our spirits seemingly soar the heavens and enter into sweet fellowship with Him. Here, we can tell Him our burdens and requests and know that He hears us. Praising Him is our blessed privilege and source of blessing.

One day we will gather with heavenly beings and the redeemed of all the ages, praising Him for His great works of creation and redemption. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”; and “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 4:11; 5:9).















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

LIVING SACRIFICE

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)

This Scripture speaks of total consecration to God. A willing believer must come to the point where he or she totally commits everything to the Savior, trusting that He will transform it into that which is pleasing and useful to Him. The precious Christian hymn “Take My Life and Let It Be” echoes the same thought.

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

A grateful Christian so values the things of God that he will consecrate everything to Him.  A consecrated life involves not only one’s possessions, but one’s entire life. Our choices and thoughts should always be made with Him and His priorities in mind. “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

We have been redeemed from lives of sin and eternal worthlessness. Our Rescuer, the Lord Jesus Christ, deserves our undying praise. There is no better use of our time and abilities. “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

SURELY THIS IS LOVE

“And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)

What does “propitiation” mean?

The Greek word is hilasmos and occurs just two other times. These are as follows:

“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25). “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

“Propitiation” is certainly the most accurate word to convey the meaning of the original. The dictionary gives “expiation” and “conciliation” as definitions, but that probably doesn’t help much.

The action of the Lord Jesus in submitting His body to be a substitutionary sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins and to endure God’s wrath against all the sins of the world, thereby enabling us to be reconciled to Him, with Christ’s perfect righteousness credited to our account, is seen in these three verses to be a basic theme of this great truth of Christ’s propitiatory work on the cross. And surely, as John says: “Herein is love,” that God would so love us that He would offer up His Son, and Christ would so love us that He would die for us. Surely, this is love!















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

PLEASE BE RECONCILED TO GOD

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10)

It is interesting to note that as important as is the doctrine of the atonement in Christian theology, the word itself occurs only once in the King James New Testament. It is in the very next verse after our text. “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (v. 11).

The Greek word is translated “reconciliation” in 2 Corinthians 5:18: “All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” Thus, the doctrine of atonement is the doctrine of reconciliation. Men are separated from our holy God both by their sin nature and also by their actual guilt of committed sin. But through the substitutionary death of Christ for our sins, “we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” That is, God has already reconciled sinners to Himself by the sacrificial death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The problem is that sinners are not actually reconciled to God until they personally accept this free gift of God’s love to them.

But we who “have now received the atonement [that is, reconciliation] . . . joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:11). A part of that joy should be in the fact that God has now “given unto us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Thus, it has become our great privilege to tell others that they can be completely forgiven and eternally saved. “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler

UNDER THREAT

“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor the arrow that flieth by day.” (Psalm 91:4-5)

Today we remember the unprovoked attack on America by Muslim terrorists. Despite attempts to make the country more secure, the threat remains scarcely abated. What should the Christian’s response be? In our text above, we see we have no cause for fear. The physical danger may be real, but our Lord promises protection in tender words likened to a mother bird’s care for her young. Our ultimate deliverance is guaranteed by His sure promises. Trust in His power and truth sustains us as surely as would a shield and buckler.

Our hope cannot ultimately rest in mere military might. God does not promise temporal safety to all, for there have been millions who have succumbed to undeserved violence. Our last hope is of a different order, firmly grounded in “the LORD, which is my refuge” (v. 9). He responds to our trust and worship with the promise “with long [better translated as ‘eternal’] life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation” (v. 16). Much more interested in our response to troubles than in our deliverance, He desires us to believe and serve Him, all the while trusting Him, even in perilous times.

A New Testament application of this principle can be found in 1 Peter 3:14: “If ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” The remedy? “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself our example and inspiration. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3). Fixing our eyes upon Him, we have no cause for fear.















Sing Praise To The Lord

Mark Chandler