Shirley H Wife, mother, veteran in the spiritual war we all face!

These are the verses that I have found in the Old Testament about "change"...

Samson' s riddle, Judges 14:12, "Then Samson said to them, 'Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing."

Job 14:14, "If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait, 
Till my change comes."

Job 14:20, "You prevail forever against him, and he passes on;
You change His countenance and send him away." 

These two previous verses occur in the context of Job's despondent prayer.

In Job 17:12, "They change night into day; 
The Light is near they say in the face of Darkness." Here Job was praying for relief.

In Job 23, Job proclaims God's righteousness. He says in verse 13, "But He is unique, and who can make Him change?"

The character of those who may dwell with the Lord, a Psalm of David - Psalm 15:4, "In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change."

David is contemplating in Psalm 55:19, "God will hear and afflict them, even He who abides from of old. Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God."

Speaking of God's eternal love, Psalm 102:26, "They will perish, but you will endure; yes, they will grow old like a garment; like a cloak you will change them, and they will be changed."

Proverbs 24:21, "My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those given to change"

Jeremiah 2:36, "Why do you gad about so much to change your way?"

Jeremiah 13:23, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard it's spots?"

Daniel's interrupted vision chapter 7:25, " He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law..."

Hosea chapter 4:7, God's charges against Israel, says, " The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame."

Zechariah 3:4, "And he answered and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, 'Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment.'"

(In Genesis 3:21, God made coats of skins and clothed Adam and Eve. This is a snapshot of the divinely provided garment that changed the first sinners into righteousness, and made them fit for God's presence.)

Malachi 3:6, "For I am the Lord, I do not change."

May we be changed and righteous to stand before God in Christ!

August 12 2020 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

Change is not a monster to be dreaded. Renewing our minds and laying off the old self involve change—a change that will make us more like Christ! Change has good aspects, but it inevitably means loss. To lose bad things is a joy. To lose good things is painful. Our hearts may bleed, but let the waves of change crash you against the Rock of Ages. 

Jesus changed to take on human form (Phil. 2:6-8). Take your change, your loss, for your Lord Jesus. Ask Him to fill the void left behind. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses... Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16). Scripturememoryfellowship devotional

Isaiah 43:19 says, “Behold, I will do a new thing; now IT SHALL SPRING FORTH; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

The phrase, "IT SHALL SPRING FORTH," one word in Hebrew, is used in Judges 16:22 of Samson's hair. This was something new; his foes thought they were done with Samson—that he was the same weakling after they had cut off his hair, his symbol of strength, but they forgot that the normal CHANGE that occurs is that hair grows back.

It is also used in Isaiah 55:10 HEB: הָאָ֔רֶץ וְהוֹלִידָ֖הּ וְהִצְמִיחָ֑הּ וְנָ֤תַן זֶ֙רַע֙NAS: “And making it bear and SPROUT, And furnishing …

KJV: and maketh it bring forth and BUD, that it may give

INT: the earth bear and SPROUT and furnishing seed

Both of these changes are supernatural, the growth of edible plants and the transformation that the Word of God brings to the individual.

"What big, righteous change in you (or a family member or friend) do you long to see? Let the truth in Isaiah 43:19 make you confident in God’s power. Ask Him for this change."--scripturememory.com

August 14 2020 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Grant Abbott Child of Father, Follower of Son, Student of Spirit

Did God change the way he related to human beings in the Old Testament? Did people change - did good people become evil and evil people become good?

As I survey the Old Testament, i believe God did change the way he related to human beings. In the beginning, after the fall, we read very little about God's intervention in human life. God had his prophets in Adam, Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, etc when people first began calling on the name of the Lord. However, evil and wickedness continued to grow, so God decided to wipe out the human race and begin again with Noah and his family. But God did say he would never again send a flood to destroy the earth.

Then God chose Abraham to set aside a people for himself, the nation of Israel. They were to be his witness and bring his blessings to the whole world. He rescued them from slavery in Egypt and brought them to his promised land in Israel. Through Moses, God gave them his law so they would know how to live a God-pleasing life. However, the Jewish people did not remain faithful to God, they engaged in idolatry and the other wicked practices of their neighbouring nations. God disciplined them again and again with enemies oppressing them. Finally he expelled them from his land for 70 years. 

God did promise that he would send them a Messiah, who would save them from their sins, deliver them from their enemies, and be their eternal king. God also revealed that his plan of salvation would be for all people and all nations. 

Did the people change? Did good people become evil? Did wicked people become righteous? There are lots of interesting character studies to look at. People who were called by God, and empowered by his Holy Spirit, generally remained faithful to God throughout their life - like Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and others.

The kings of Israel and Judah were a mixed bag. Those who started out evil did not change and become good, with one or two exceptions. Those who started out righteous, generally remained so, however, some who became puffed up with pride, fell into wickedness. David is a great example of a king who, though he stumbled, remained faithful to God. Solomon however, started out good but fell away from his faith in God. We see this vividly portrayed in scripture. Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:22-61) shows us a righteous God-fearing man. But this same man also wrote the book of Ecclesiastes near the end of his life, in which he concluded, "Everything in life is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Solomon had lost his way when he coveted gold, horses, women and wisdom. He lost his pure and sincere devotion to God.

In the Old Testament, people chosen by God were righteous and good, because the power of the Holy Spirit enabled them. If they remained faithful then they remained good. For everyone else, their sinful nature was the power that controlled their lives and the bad news was that evil and wickedness were everywhere.

God changed again with the coming of Jesus Christ. His birth, life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection defeated sin, death and all evil. Now everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ has the power of the Holy Spirit, to enable them to live a good and righteous life, that is pleasing to God. This is such good news.

August 16 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report