The Color of Worship - Black

 

Esther 1:6

…Where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble. (KJV Bible)

…There were curtains (draperies) of fine white and violet linen fastened with cords of fine purple linen to silver rings and marble columns. The couches of gold and silver rested on a mosaic floor of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious colored stones. (Amplified Bible)

    Black is significant as a color background, highlighting all other colored stones and gems laid on it or in it. On this particular black marble were inlaid porphyry (red), mother-of-pearl (white) and turquoise (blue-green) stones, fit for a king’s palace. '

 
    Also in the Amplified Bible it states that there were ‘precious stones’ inlaid in the black marble flooring. These would have been to show off the kings’ wealth, his ability to trade well and his pride in his culture. Looking these precious stones up, we see that in addition to the porphyry, the turquoise and the pearls, we see that King Ahaseurus could have used emeralds, jasper, ruby, topaz, diamonds, beryl, lapis lazuli, sapphire, amethyst, carnelian and onyx.  
    Can you imagine how gorgeous that floor must have been? Most of these gemstones will be used to describe other colors of worship, but Black has its own use: to highlight the shining beauty of the more colorful stones. 
    In other verses of the Bible Black denotes industriousness and humility in the young bride [the church] (Song of Songs 1:5); vitality {Dictionary: the power giving continuance of life, present in all living things] and unwavering faithfulness [Christ] (Song of Songs 5:11).  

    Black also describes punishment and judgment (Micah 3:6; Jude 1:13; Zephaniah 1:15) and the presence of The Lord God (Deuteronomy 4:11; 5:22; Exodus 20:21;).  In Leviticus 13:37 Black is the evidence of cleanness, restored vitality (new life). Here it reinforces the God-anointed priestly roles of knowing when a person is really holy and healthy, not merely appearing to be so. 

    In Zechariah 6:2, 6 the second chariot is pulled by Black horses. They would patrol (verse 7) where they were sent that God's judgments would be fulfilled (Ezekiel 38:15; Jeremiah 4:6). In other passages the Black horse signifies famines and droughts (Revelation 6:5; Lamentations 5:10; Amos 8: 4-6; Ezekiel 4:10-17) and a marked increase in the cost of basic food and water. These are also judgments of God against the people who have rebelled against Him. 

    Since we know that the whole Word of God is to be applied to us, then we know that Black is significant in our worship.  Knowing this, we can also see that Black is the foundation upon which all other colors of worship are displayed. We must strive to avoid God's judgments for sin, rebellion, trespass, iniquity. But the only way we can do so is to believe on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, for our salvation out of judgment. He is our Foundation, the Living Cornerstone upon which all other living stones (the saints) are built [1 Peter 2:5, 6; Romans 4:25]. 

    Come, let us worship and bow down, kneeling before The Lord our God, our Maker.

[Isaiah 45:22, 23; Philippians 2:1-11; Romans 14:11].

*UPDATE: I was wrong about the definition of 'black' in Song of Songs, so had to update that part. And from there I realized I missed some Scripture references about the color black, which were necessary to this study, so I added those, too. 

  

Heart & Soul - - The Unbelieving Heart

 

John 12:40

"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 

Hardened: petrify, render callous, to deaden, to make obtuse

From the Greek word ' póroó' (pronounced po-ro'-o): properly, made of stone; (figuratively) insensible; dull, unperceptive as a rock; calloused (hardened); i.e. unresponsive (dense), completely lacking sensitivity or spiritual perception. 

    This is a strong judgment against the ones who see Christ's miracles all day long and day after day yet still refuse to believe that He is Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy as proclaimed by the prophets. For instance, here He references Isaiah 6:9, 10 "And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

    If you think this does not apply to us today, you are mistaken. God still does miracles today. We are given new days to turn and believe. We are given new opportunities to hear and believe. We are given chance upon chance to know that God is who He says He is and that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son who died on the cross to save us from the punishment of our sins. 

    God makes the sun to rise and shine, the clouds to gather and rain to fall. God makes the moon to shine and calls the tides to ebb and flow. God makes the seeds to germinate, blossom and produce plantlife. God is still creating, His Word is still going forth and His light is still shining.

    To think otherwise is to be a fool. Fools neither see the Truth of God's Word, nor do they understand it. For God has said that He would use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise in this world (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). The wise in this world choose to believe anything but God. Whatever prophecy falls in their ears, they follow. It is why there is such a variety of 'churches' and doctrines. 

    God is still in the business of saving souls according to His wisdom. When the Word is preached, it falls not only in the hearing of the ones who hunger and thirst for it, but on itching ears, who hope to hear something that will justify their pride, their sins. And when they are convicted by the Spirit of God, they turn a deaf ear to Him, ignoring the Word. So God closes their eyes to seeing and hardens their hearts to believing.

    Don't be those people. This is where the Lost In Space robot would be waving his arms and shouting, "Warning! Warning! Warning! Danger to you!" This is where Darth Vader says (to the unbelieving heart), "Turn to the darkside." 

    But the Spirit and the church say, "Come. Come, you who are thirsty. Come drink the water of life." (Revelation 22:17). 

    Sinners who repent of their wicked ways and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior are transformed by the Spirit of God into God's church, God's saints. As difficult as many find that hard to believe, it is only by faith that such a thing is possible. Even the Old Testament believers had to have faith in God; to believe not only that God Is, but that GOD IS WHO HE SAYS THAT HE IS (I AM THAT I AM [Exodus 3:14]). 

    The Spirit continues to transform and mold the believer's heart into the state of perfection to which God has called us to be. It is not a state we will reach in its entirety until we see Jesus face to face. We are moved from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) by the Spirit of God until that perfect day arrives.

    Come, now is the time to give your hearts to Christ. Today is your day of salvation if you have not already believed. And if you have believed that Christ is your Lord and Savior, now is the time to humble ourselves, fall on our faces and fully commit to following His Word faithfully. Now is the time before time runs out. 

ALL WHO ARE THIRSTY by Kutless

RESTORE ME by Kutless

Judgment Begins Here

 1 Peter 4:17 "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?" 

 Luke 12:47 "That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows." 

James 4:17 "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." 

Stop gossiping about sin being judged in other churches and start praying about it,  about your own church, your own self. Seek forgiveness for our own sins against God. The time is coming and even now is here when we must prepare for the coming storm of fire and judgment against those who have heard the Word and done nothing with it: not believed it, not accepted Christ as Lord, not acted upon the hearing of the Word. Even in our churches. 

We, the believers, are responsible for what we believe. We are responsible for first living the gospel, then sharing the gospel with everyone we are led to. We are responsible for being faithful witnesses, ambassadors for Christ. 

We, the believers, are accountable for the words we speak. These words must be spoken in the love of Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit leading us, guiding us. These words must be used to encourage and lift up those around us, even in rebuke, love must be present. Even in discipline, words of love must accompany the actions taken. 

We are accountable for the words we don't speak. There are times we must remain silent, even as our Lord and Savior remained silent before Pilate. He didn't bite his tongue, nor did He fight any urges to speak in His defense: He merely remained silent before him who was judging Him. 

We, the believers, will be judged by God for our lack and our sloth. Our lack of compassion for they who are lost in sin and dying without Christ when we could have spoken up but chose not to. Our sloth, our unwillingness to serve in the fields to which we have been sent to work, will be judged by God. 

We who believe had better fall to our knees and repent now before we are called to judgment and held accountable for our actions/inactions and words/silence. Even me.