Color of Worship-Sardine/Sardinius/Sardius

In Revelation 4:3 John writes:  "And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."

The sardine/sardinius/sardius stone is often translated 'carnelian', but this first photo is sardius. 
While this one is orange in color, the stone can also be red. 
But carnelian

is  a lighter color, more flesh-toned, not as orange, not as red. 

Exodus 28:17 tells us that this is the first stone in the breastplate of the high priest. First stone, first son, first tribe: Reuben. (V21)
And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. 

We cannot see God and live because He is holy (Exodus 33:17-23, v20). Therefore, when men of old, prophets and disciples, would see God on His throne or passing by, He is many times described according to the gemstones with which they were familiar. 

So, the bold brightness of God is seen in these red/orange/beige colors, like jasper: 

What will we see, when we see God? Only God knows. Only God reveals Himself when He wants to. 

Moses got to be in God's presence for so long that when He came back down off the mountain, the reflection of God's presence was upon him. The people of Israel could not even look at him and he had to hide his face. That is one powerful light! 

Exodus 24:17 "And the sight of the glory of The LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel."

Exodus 34:29-35, (V29)"And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of Testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him."

You may want to read Ezekiel 10, but I will only quote Ezekiel 10:1 "Then I looked, and behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne."

It is the glory of God, the glory of The LORD, that shines brighter than any sun or star ever seen by men. And we worship Him in "the beauty of holiness", His holiness, His glory, His light. 

2 Chronicles 20:20-21 "And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in The LORD your God, so shall you be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto The LORD, and that should praise the beauty of  His holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise The LORD; for His mercy endureth for ever." 

1 Chronicles 16:29 "Give unto The LORD the glory due His Name: Bring an offering, and come before Him: Worship The LORD in the beauty of holiness."

Psalm 29:2 "Give unto The LORD the glory due unto His Name; Worship The LORD in the beauty of holiness."

Psalm 96:9 "O worship The LORD in the beauty of holiness: Fear before Him, all the earth." 

Come, Now Is The Time To Worship

Only A Holy God

King of Kings

1. King of Glory: Psalm 24:7-10
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; 
And be lifted up, ye everlasting doors; And The King of glory shall come in. 
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. 
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And The King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is The King of glory. Selah."

A song/psalm of victory as The King of glory enters His city, the city of Jerusalem/Zion. It is His sanctuary, His rest. We raise our voices to welcome our King of Glory with praise and adoration; not just for His overcoming victories but for Who He Is.

2. King of Nations: Psalm 47:8-9 (Psalm 96:10 & Jeremiah 10:7)
"God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness. 
The princes of the people are gathered together, Even the people of the God of Abraham: For the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted."

There have been many kings through the ages, set up to rule little kingdoms upon this Earth, but there is only King who rules over all and that King is God. 

3. King of Salvation: Psalm 74:12
"For God is my King of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth."

There is but one hope of salvation and that is God's hope: His Word wrapped in flesh and given the name JESUS. 

4. King of the Jews: Matthew 2:2 and John 19:19
"Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him."
"And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Recognized as being the King of the Jews before He arrived and upon His birth, sought as such. But the little note placed on the cross upon which He was crucified stated the reason for His being crucified. Such notes were often placed on crucifixes when a criminal was being tortured and killed on them. His crime? My crime. My sin. Your crime. Your sin. 
For the sins of the world from the beginning of time until the last sin. But what was His crime really? Love. Forgiveness. Healing. 
He was accused of being THE KING OF THE JEWS, when there could be no king but Caesar. From a worshipful title of adoration to a mock title of accusation. 

5. King of Israel: John 1:49 & Mark 15:32
"Nathanael answered and said unto Him, 'Rabbi, Thou art The Son of God; Thou art The King of Israel."
"Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe..."

Nathanael recognized Jesus for Who He Is from the beginning of Christ's ministry; not in and of himself, but through the whisper of The Holy Spirit, for it is The Holy Spirit who reveals the Truth of Jesus Christ to the hungry soul. 
Used with reverence by Nathanael, but irreverently by the thieves who hung on the cross with Him (though one of them later repented and was immediately forgiven). 

6. and 7.  King of Peace & King of Righteousness: Hebrews 7:2
"To  whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;"

Jesus Christ being our Melchizedek, we recognize Him as our King of Righteousness, for He Is Righteousness, indeed. And as our King of Peace, for His peace is not like the world gives, but peace that passes understanding (John 14:27; John 16:33; Ephesians 2:14; Romans 5:1; Philippians 4:7).

Abraham gave a tenth of all he had to Melchizedek. Are we giving our King of Peace, our King of Righteousness, even a tenth of all we have?

8. King of Kings: Revelation 19:16 (Daniel 2:47; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14)
"And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

As my study Bible notes, these verses recognize the Supreme Sovereignty of The Lamb of God. And, as Supreme Ruler, His commands and will must be obeyed. Not as a tyrant would demand obedience, but The Word of God as a loving Bridegroom; The Almighty God as a loving Father. We obey and do God's will with loving hearts and a desire to please Him. Our heart is secure in His heart. 

At least mine is. My heart is secure in His heart. Is yours?

God Breathed

 theópneustos

A word so rare in The Holy Bible that it is only used once; that once is in 2 Timothy 3:16

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

Inspiration of God. God breathed on the writer of each book of The Holy Bible, that The Scriptures would reveal God and God's purpose, God's will and God's way to anyone who came seeking God in it, with a sincere desire to seek out God. 

Those seeking to discredit God will not find what they are looking for, though their eyes see contradictions, their hearts understand nothing in The Holy Bible. 

 Theópneustos: Theó (God) + pneustos (breath) = Godbreath, or quite plainly, God breathed. 

God still breathes. The breath of God is God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit goes where God sends Him and does what God tells Him to do. What is The Holy Spirit's primary responsibility? To reveal God to they who are truly seeking God with their whole hearts. 

2 Peter 1:21b "...but holy men of God spake as they were moved by The Holy Ghost."

Color of Worship-Orange-Yellow

JACINTH

1 Chronicles 12:8, 14

And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains...These were the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.

Deuteronomy 33:20

And of Gad he (Moses) said,

Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: He dwelleth as a lion,

And teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

Depending on which author you read, the precious stone used to symbolize the tribe of Gad is either Sardonyx/Sardine or Jasper. But if the stones were set in the ephod in order of birth, that would make Gad's stone a Ligure. Ligure has been translated as being Amber, Opal, Jacinth and Onyx. 

AMBER

ONYX

Still, while type of stone may seem to be obscure, color variations stay the same. Ligure, Gad's stone, is a bold orange-yellow, which is what we were seeking. 

His name means "A troop overcomes", troop here means 'good fortune' (Genesis 30:11). But the way it is phrased "a troop overcomes" also means 'an overcoming army, a victorious army'. 

In 1 Chronicles 12:14 we read that the least one of the sons of Gad had the ability to overcome one hundred enemy soldiers, while the greatest, or strongest, had the ability to take down 1,000 enemy fighters. A troop overcomes, indeed.

1 Chronicles 12:8 says that these men of Gad separated themselves unto David. What does that mean? They defected, switched sides, to enjoin themselves to David, who was on the run from King Saul. These were "men of might and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler (lance or spear), whose faces were like the faces of lions (fierce), and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains." 

Matthew Henry's Commentary shows us that these men of Gad who joined themselves to David believed that God was with him and came to support him in battle, not like the others who had previously joined him: men who wanted or needed to hide out with David. These men of Gad were strong, efficient warriors and they left their lands to help David fight his battles. I would imagine that just their decision alone encouraged David and strengthened him emotionally, as well. 

And so we come full circle to this Color of Worship: Orange (-Yellow). A bold color that SHOUTS! to the enemy that their Conqueror has arrived. A troop overcomes, indeed. We raise our Banner high, our Banner being JEHOVAH-NISSI THE LORD MY BANNER. We are overcomers when our faith and trust is fully resting on what God can do and not on ourselves. For we know that our only part in any battle is to have faith, and not very much faith either. 

 

Mustard Seed

 

Matthew 17:20 "Faith as small as a mustard seed". The smallest seed in the garden is the one that produces an abundance. The littlest amount of faith in God can move mountains, put enemies to flight, uproot trees, tear down walls and overcome temptations. 

Ephesians 6:10-12 "Finally, my brethren (brothers and sisters in Christ), be strong in The LORD, and in the power of His might. 

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

A little bit of faith is being 'strong in The LORD and in the power of His might.

•  JEHOVAH-CHATSAHI THE LORD MY STRENGTH. (Psalm 27:1)
• JEHOVAH-GANAN THE LORD OUR DEFENSE and
• JEHOVAH-MAGEN THE LORD MY SHIELD (Psalm 89:18 for both)
• JEHOVAH-NAHEH THE LORD WHO SMITES (Ezekiel 7:9)
• JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH THE LORD IS PRESENT                   (Hebrews 13:5)
•  THE LORD IS MY HELPER  (Hebrews 13:6)
• JEHOVAH-'IZOA HAKABOTH THE LORD STRONG AND MIGHTY IN BATTLE (Psalm 24:8)

We are overcomers in every battle because The LORD fights our battles for us, when we let Him. The men of Gad knew that The LORD GOD was with David, so they left Saul's side of the battle and joined forces with David. We have got to stop fighting against God and join forces with Him! We must overcome the temptations that rise against us by THE WORD OF GOD spoken forth from our faith. Speaking Bible verses without backing them up with faith, is useless. Even the devil knows Scripture but it does him no good because he refuses to accept that GOD IS GOD. 

We overcome with THE WORD OF GOD and with The Power of The Holy Spirit of GOD. Both must be evident in our lives that we might truly be the people of God. Our might is pitiful; His might is powerful. Our strength is weak; His strength is magnified. 

Let us walk in victory every step of this journey we are walking with our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! Let us walk by faith and not by sight. Let us walk in our integrity, in His light, in His WORD. 

Color of Worship-Silver

 REDEMPTION, SANCTIFICATION, DELIVERANCE

Exodus 30:11-15

"11) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (12) When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. (13) This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. (14) Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. (15)The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."

This half-shekel was silver and this silver was to be paid as an atonement for their souls. (The Tabernacle) 

It was blood money. While some animals were designated to be used as sacrifices for various cleansings, the silver tax on each male person that was delivered out of Egypt was once and for all. They were each able to pay it, as they had left Egypt with as much wealth as the Egyptians could give them to carry out. They were more eager to see the Israelites leave Egypt than the Israelites were eager to go. Who would want to risk more dire plagues upon themselves than this last one which took the firstborn male of every family that had not blood-washed their doorposts?

The first time this silver tax was paid, the half-shekels were melted down and formed into silver sockets, or bars, and used as the foundation for the tabernacle which was a shadow of Jesus Christ and the church. I say "and the church" because each person who comes to Christ, must first come through the blood of Christ on an INDIVIDUAL, PERSONAL responsibility. 

Atonement for sin could only be given through a blood sacrifice and that sacrifice had to be paid for with Silver. And it was. Even in the New Testament. Who does not remember what Judas was paid? Thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15 'they covenanted with him'), in other words for 30 shekels. 

If the silver could not be paid, that person was put to death. If we do not accept God's payment of atoning power for our sins on an individual basis, we must pay the death penalty ourselves. Romans 3:10 "There is none righteous, no, not one."

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." 1 John 5:12 "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 

For it is in Jesus Christ that we are redeemed by the divine blood which was shed for our sins. It is in Jesus Christ that we are made complete, whole, one. It is in Jesus Christ that we are for ever delivered from the bondages of sin. 

Redeemed. Complete. Delivered. 

Called to Holiness

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to His purpose."

This verse in Romans is often misquoted and misused. Not every one qualifies to have all things work together for them. The first thing we see is that loving God is primary. Not the way we love our family or love our friends or even the way we love our spouse. An all encompassing, whole-hearted love that causes us to want to please God, to seek out that which makes Him happy; a love that blesses God.

The second required is that we are to be called according to His purpose. What is His purpose? That all peoples every where be saved: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

That we be sanctified, set apart from how the world around us behaves, but set apart for His will and His use: 1 Timothy 6:11 "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." 

But we try many times and fail to live a godly life in an ungodly world. Through the sneakiness of the devil we give into temptation and backslide into sin(s). We let him get a foothold in the door of our thoughts. We allow unrighteous thinking to settle into our hearts, thereby committing unrighteous activities. The farther we backslide, the more we think we are still alright. But we are not. 

We need the holiness of God actively moving within our minds and our hearts:we need God's Holy Spirit, and we need Him poured out onto us and in us. It is The Holy Spirit of God that draws us to Him, that calls us to a life of obedience and personal discipline. It is The Holy Spirit of God that sanctifies us and makes us holy.

1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." In other words, step up, put on our spiritual armor as outlined in Ephesians 6:10-20; put on Christ as stated in Romans 13:14; but do all in love, 1 Corinthians 13. 

God says to each one of us, " Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16. Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Make a deliberate stand for Christ in our lives. Take careful thought and make decisions that will strengthen our resolve to live lives that are pleasing unto God. Do not just be Christ-like on the outside, but let Christ live in our hearts, our minds, our spirits. Ask for The Holy Spirit to come upon us, to fill us to overflowing that we might glorify God by our actions, our thoughts and our love: His love.