Introduction To God's Magnificent Sevens

Introduction To God’s Magnificent Sevens

One thing that has intrigued me the last few years in my Bible studying especially is all the sevens that I and others have found in the Bible. Of course, we all know the mainstream ones people talk about, such as Jesus’ seven I Ams in the Gospel of John; Jesus’ seven sayings from the cross; the seven churches, seals, trumpets and vials in the book of Revelation. Even though the word seven and sevens occur 54 times in Revelation, there are countless more, such as a word or phrase occurring seven times in that book (or a multiple of seven, which has the same symbolic meaning), seven people or groups in view, a passage having seven things happening in it, a sevenfold list given, seven names or types of statements, a sevenfold approach to the whole book. We can also find all of these and so many more in the Bible as a whole.

Sevens (or a multiple of that number) means completion or perfection in the Bible. Often it is used to show a complete range of things - such as 14 kings shown between each part of Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew one or 14 judges from Othniel to Samuel, seven good kings in the Southern Kingdom, 77 generations of man from the creation of Adam until the coming of Jesus Christ in Like 3:23-38.

But there are many more kinds of sevens, some using that number, others just occurring that many times. It is God’s stamp upon His Book, showing it is a supernatural Book written by the Holy Spirit Himself. No man could ever write a book and include that many references to sevens (and all the other numbers that are used, each with their associated meanings) and still have their writings makes sense and flow so beautifully together.

God rewards diligent studying and research, and I believe He intended His people to find many of the things He has hidden in His Word.* I’m sure His children will be learning things from the Bible for all eternity. The depth of this Book is so immense.

*I am not referring to hidden meanings or messages found by rearranging verse references or esoteric meanings when someone allegorizes the Bible, but simply things already in the Word of God and revealed to those who walk with the Lord and take the time to dig in and compare spiritual things with spiritual things.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

See also Proverbs 2:1-7 and 1 Corinthians 2:9-16.

Let me give you a teaser of what you will find in this blog. This is by no means a complete list.

There are so many kinds of sevens: from the actual number or a multiple of it;

A word or phrase used only seven times in the whole Bible, in one book, or in one chapter - such as take no thought;

Seven people that have something unique about them - such as seven people that were named by God before they were born;

A sevenfold promise or covenant of God - such as the Abrahamic covenant seen in Genesis 12:2-3;

A sevenfold statement - such as Ruth's declaration of faith in Ruth 1:16-17;

Seven commands or exhortations in a section - such as the commands, when thou doest alms, when thou prayest, when ye fast used in Matthew 6:2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 16, 17;

Seven of a type of Psalm - such as the seven penitential Psalms or seven Psalms that begin with the word Blessed;

A sevenfold list of objects, people, character traits - such as the seven aspects of Paul's heritage he gave up so that he may know Christ, in Philippians 3:5-6;

A sevenfold progression of events - such as Peter’s seven downward steps to his denial of Christ;

A list of seven ideas or phrases that give a picture of a person - such as the seven different terms used in Psalm 37 to refer to the righteous;

The many times seven is associated with forgiveness of our sins - seventy times seven stated by Jesus and the seventy weeks of Daniel (and the sevenfold reason for them) in Daniel 9:24-27...

Well, you get the drift!

If sevens intrigue you, please check out my newest blog where I started posted so many of the various sevens that I am finding - plus, I list all the verses and passages for all the ones I do post, so you can verify them yourself.

Please check out this blog and bookmark it if this type of thing interests you. You can click on the tags that list the themes or Bible books referred to, so you can find similar sevens to the ones that most interest you. And don't forget to leave a comment on your favourite ones or pass them on to others.

God's Magnificent Sevens

Thank you for taking the time to read this and check out my newest blog.

To God be the glory,
Jerry Bouey

Give Your Burdens To The Lord

Give Your Burdens To The Lord

Give your burdens, your cares, your struggles to the Lord and let Him hold you up. Remember, you are always on His heart and being carried on His shoulders.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

The word casting means “to throw upon.”

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

You don’t have to carry that weight, that burden. Throw it upon the Lord. If you can’t even do that, roll it upon Jesus, drop it at His feet. Whatever, however, just give it to Him.

Exodus 28:9-12 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

Exodus 28:21, 29-30 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… And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

The stones on the breastplate have the names of God’s people written on them. The high priest of Israel, literally carried the names of the tribes of Israel on his shoulders and over his heart. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest. You are always on His heart and carried forever on His shoulders, engraven eternally on His hands. He cannot forget about you. That means His mercy and compassion are always there, available - His grace and strength is there for the asking.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Isaiah 49:15-16 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

He also saved you - knowing ahead of time every struggle you would give into, every victory you would win. He knows everything about you - and He still loves you. He still offers His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness to you. He didn’t die for the one who had it all together - but for those who see their need for Him.

This statement is repeated in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Repetition shows how important something is, restating it for emphasis.

Matthew 9:12-13 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Luke 5:31-32 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Even the lost world knew Jesus was a friend of sinners. If all you got going for yourself is that you are like Paul and feel yourself to be the chief of sinners - what does Jesus say to that?

Matthew 11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

This is what Spurgeon often says in his preaching: how do I know the promise is for me? Are you the person the promise describes? Then it is for you.

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Are you hungry or thirsty?

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Are you weak?

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Are you heavy laden with sin - overwhelmed, burdened, struggling under the weight of it?

Remember the definition for casting in 1 Peter 5:7. Then cast your cares upon Jesus. Follow these instructions.

Psalms 145:14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

It doesn’t say He holds up those who never fall. It says He upholdeth (ongoing) all those that fall.

Strong’s definition for upholdeth here means: “to prop (literally or figuratively); reflexively, to lean upon or take hold of (in a favorable or unfavorable sense): — bear up, establish, (up-)hold, lay, lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay (self), sustain.”

Keep leaning on the Lord.

September 7th, 2025
Jerry Bouey

Here is a poem that builds upon this theme:

Upheld By The Lord

Lifted up and carried, forever safe within God’s arms;

Sheltered and protected, secure from all that might alarm.

Borne upon Jesus’ shoulders, precious sheep within the fold;

Held closely to His bosom, which God’s mighty arms enfold.

Upheld by the loving Shepherd, He will help and He will save;

Your name is there upon His lips, on His hands you are engraved.

Fear not, child of God - Jesus will never fail you, nor forsake;

He’s pledged to watch over you - His promises He will never break.

The Lord is with you, He will strengthen you, draw you with cords of love;

Reaching down from Heaven, filled with countless blessings from above;

Clasping tightly to your hand, your Saviour will never let you go;

He will give you the grace to stand, regardless of any foe.

Mounting high above the world, held aloft by eagle’s wings,

Underneath are everlasting arms, in His presence your soul sings;

Embraced within this shelter, there’s renewed strength for those who wait;

Reaching down with compassion, His gentleness has made you great.

In this world we have troubles, our fears often get in the way,

But when those burdens arise, take them to the Lord and pray;

Cast your cares upon your Father - see your worries flee and depart,

When you remember that you’re carried, held so closely to God’s heart.

August 26th, 2026

Jerry Bouey

Comfort And Strength From Isaiah

Comfort And Strength From Isaiah

My Bible study group and I were studying our way through the book of Isaiah this year, and over and over again we were impressed by its many comforting passages and promises While this is not a complete list, here are some of our favourite and most encouraging passages from that Old Testament book. Sit back and enjoy reading through all these verses, then praise the Lord Jesus Christ for the comfort and strength He gives us through His Word. I trust you will be blessed!

Maybe pick up a pen or highlighter and mark some of your favourite passages today.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 2:2-3 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Isaiah 4:5-6 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

Isaiah 8:6 …the waters of Shiloah that go softly, 

Isaiah 8:10-14 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 11:1-5 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Isaiah 11:9-10 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Isaiah 12:2-6 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Isaiah 16:5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

Isaiah 24:14-15 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

Isaiah 25:4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 

Isaiah 25:6-9 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Isaiah 26:1-4 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Isaiah 26:12 LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

Isaiah 27:1-3 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.

Isaiah 28:5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

Isaiah 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing:

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Isaiah 29:18-19 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 30:7 …therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.

Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:…

Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

Isaiah 32:1-2 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Isaiah 32:17-18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

Isaiah 33:2 O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Isaiah 33:6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

Isaiah 33:17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

Isaiah 38:14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

Isaiah 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

Isaiah 40:1-2 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah 40:9-11 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:28-31 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isaiah 41:13-14 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:17-18 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

Isaiah 43:1-7 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isaiah 44:22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Isaiah 45:3-4 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

Isaiah 48:17-18 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

Isaiah 49:15-16 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 50:4-5 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

Isaiah 50:7-9 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.

Isaiah 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

Isaiah 52:7-10 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Isaiah 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

Isaiah 54:10-14 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Isaiah 55:6-13 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 57:1-2 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

Isaiah 57:19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

Isaiah 58:8-9 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am…

Isaiah 59:19-21 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

Isaiah 60:19-20 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Isaiah 61:10-11 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Isaiah 62:3-7 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Isaiah 62:11-12 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Isaiah 63:7-9 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

Isaiah 63:16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Isaiah 65:17-25 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

Should Bible Believing Christians Use The Esoteric Term Shekinah To Refer To God’s Glory?

Should Bible Believing Christians Use The Esoteric Term Shekinah To Refer To God’s Glory?

Introduction

I am certain most of us have heard the term Shekinah or Shekinah glory our whole Christian walk. Many people use this term because they heard others use this term, and never think about its origins. Is it a Biblical concept? It has to be a Christian term because so many Christians use it, right? If you prefer to be politically-correct and not rock the boat, this article is not for you. If you desire to know what the Bible teaches, regardless of whether any other Christian around you stands for a particular doctrine or viewpoint, then please keep reading.

In 2021, I came across a few preachers that were using this term in a way that seemed unusual (even contrary to how most people I know have used it in the past – including referring to the Holy Spirit as female, Sophia – like we see in The Shack and other emergent church circles), so I decided to look up ALL references to glory in the Old and New Testament. During that time, I was dismayed to learn that the term Shekinah is never used anywhere in the Bible - in Hebrew or in Greek. In fact, the main New Testament word for glory is doxa, where we get the term doxology from, songs of praise glorifying the Lord, and  the main Old Testament word for glory is kabowd. Think of 1 Samuel 4, when Eli’s sons are killed. Just before his daughter-in-law died she named her grandson, Ichabod:

1 Samuel 4:21-22 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

Though there are a couple of other words the Bible uses a few times each, none of them is Shekinah.

I started to search out the Bible programs and commentaries I had to see where this term came from and why they were saying it refers to God’s glory in the Bible. One program I used is called Swordsearcher, and it allows me to do a full library search through all the books I have downloaded in the program. Again, further shock and disgust as the truth was revealed.

Shekinah comes straight from the Kabballah and Jewish mysticism. It is not a term or concept found anywhere in the Bible. It is a term that esoteric people like Alice Bailey and other theosophists added to Christianity. You can find this explanation of its origins and its meaning explained in old Christian dictionaries and encyclopedias from 100-150 years ago.

Basically, the mystic Jews and rabbis did not accept Jesus as Messiah because they did not believe God could become a man. God was too holy and man was too sinful - so God created a manifestation of His presence (of Himself) that He kept with His people - yet like the Eons of gnosticism, this manifestation was NOT God. It is a female gnostic essence, a representation of Him. Basically, like a stand in rather than God’s actual presence. So they are stating that the pillar of cloud and fire and the glory cloud above the mercy seat only represented God, and not actually Him.

I know most born again Bible-believing Christians do not use the term the way Jewish mysticism does, BUT just because many nowadays do not use that word in that sense doesn’t change its origin. And it’s actually a danger sign when God’s people add pagan terms, practices, and symbols to their beliefs. We seew this in the Old Testament when the Israelites came out of Egypt (Exodus 32 – the golden calf; Amos 5:26; Acts 7:43), when they ruled the Promised Land (1 Kings 12:26-33); after the Assyrian captivity, when the Samaritans mixed paganism and Judaism together (2 (Kings 17); and also in the church age when Constantine mingled paganism and Christianity together in his realm to make “Christianity” the official state religion (what he did in 312 on set in motion the development of the Roman Catholic Church).

Again, just because Christians unknowingly copied the use of Shekinah and repeated it for all those years doesn’t make a pagan gnostic concept Biblical.

Look it up in the International Standard Bible Dictionary, Alfred Edersheim, some of those older Christian dictionaries and you will see. I looked up Shekinah/Shechinah in the modules I had in Swordsearcher. Eye opening. It is like the name Jehovah. They didn’t want to say God’s name so they just said “the Name” or put the consonants instead, not His full name.**

**This explains why the Critical Text and some other Old Testament manuscripts refer to the Tetragrammaton as the name of God – YHVH (or write God as G-D). To them, God’s name is too holy to speak or write, though God Himself stated that JEHOVAH was His covenant name to all generations. See Exodus 3:14-15, where different forms of this name are referred to: I Am, Jehovah, or LORD in English). Because they reject this covenant name and have removed the vowels in the corrupted texts (YET the Hebrew Masoretic Text never had the vowels removed!), later translators and editors needed to find the vowels that were “missing” and so literally invented THEIR OWN NAME for God, Yahweh, which was made by mixing the vowels of the Hebrew name Adonai (Old Testament word for Lord, master) with the Tetragrammaton (YHVH). Because of corruption and the origins of this name, I will not call God by Yahweh either!

They didn’t want to talk about God Himself, so they made references to His Presence (capital P - I'm sure you've seen quotes from authors that have done this in the past), didn’t want to speak about God and His actual manifestations to them, so they talked about His Glory (in a way that made it something in itself). Interesting that some modern versions like the New King James Bible refer to ” the Presence” as well.

Definitions:

International Standard Bible Dictionary (ISBD) for dwell: “Another word often rendered "dwell" is שָׁ כן , shakhan or שָׁכֵן , shakhen ("to settle down"), from which is derived the rabbinic word שְׁכִינָה , shekhinah (literally, "that which dwells"), the light on the mercy-seat which symbolized the Divine presence (Ex 25:8, etc.). In order to avoid appearing to localize the Divine Being, wherever God is said to "dwell" in a place, the Targum renders that He "causes His Shekinah to dwell" there.”

ISBD on Shekinah, “she-ki'-na (שְׁכִינָה , shekhinah, "that which dwells," from the verb שָׁכֵן , shakhen, or שָׁ כן , shakhan, "to dwell," "reside"): This word is not found in the Bible, but there are allusions to it in Isa 60:2; Mt 17:5; Lu 2:9; Ro 9:4. It is first found in the Targums.”

James Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible says this about the word Shekinah: “The word is not found in OT, but occurs often in other Jewish literature, always of God. The OT, particularly in certain of its writings, uses 'anthropomorphisms' freely, e.g. it speaks of God dwelling in a place or being seen. Later thought objected to this, as materializing the Divine nature; hence in the Targums (Aramaic paraphrases of the OT used, though not in their present form, by the 1st cent. a.d.) various devices were adopted to prevent popular misunderstandings. Periphrases were used for the Divine name, 'the Word' (Memra), 'Spirit,' or' 'Wisdom' being substituted. One of the most important of these was the 'Shekinah.' 'God dwells' usually became 'the Shekinah rests'; 'the temple of God' became 'the house of the S.' (note the Tabernacle was the mishkân, from the same root)… Now the presence of God (especially in Priestly Narrative and related writings) was often manifested by a fiery appearance, or a light in a cloud. It was so in nature (Ps 18:10), on Sinai (Ex 24:16), in the wilderness and in the Tabernacle (Ex 16:7; 29:43; 40:34; Nu 14:10), in the Temple (1Ki 8:11); cf. Eze 1:28 etc. This glory was not God, but an effluence from Him, or from His Shekinah. For the S. was not 'the glory,' as is usually imagined, but the source and centre of it. It is a stage nearer to God Himself, and, though often used in connexion with the physical manifestation, represents an invisible and universal presence.”

Periphrasis - another term to avoid talking about something. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says periphrase means “Gr. about, and to speak. Circumlocution; a circuit of words; the use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a figure of rhetoric employed to avoid a common and trite manner of expression.” Basically, to speak about something without actually using the words normally used to express that idea or thing.

Smith’s Bible Dictionary says this: “The use of the terms is first found in the Targums, where it forms a frequent periphrasis for God, considered ITS* dwelling among the children of Israel.” (Jerry’s note: The Jewish Talmud is the Rabbinical commentary on the OT Scriptures, and the Targums are their commentaries on their commentaries – not joking – both written by unbelieving and apostate Jews.)

*Either they are calling God an It here or they have elevated His glory to a status more important than God Himself.

Conclusions

The use of this word is to keep away from the idea of God appearing physically or taking on a physical appearance - hence they can reject the Incarnation/deity of the Messiah this way. Also, to avoid ascribing any human passions to God. The Bible itself uses terms that show God identifies with our emotions, but is not sinful in His use of them - like Jesus Himself when on earth.

Part of their explanation of this is: no man has seen God (ie. the Father) at any time, so therefore in passages where the OT says they did see God, instead of believing it was some pre-incarnate appearance of the Messiah, they believe it was His Shekinah glory - “an external, visible symbol which, because it stood for God, is called by his name.” So it is not glory surrounding God, it is a separate manifestation they prefer to God.

Some discernment ministries like David Cloud and Spencer Smith do point these things out - AND I FOUND THIS OUT MYSELF THROUGH THE OLD RESOURCES IN THE SWORDSEARCHER PROGRAM BEFORE EVER READING THEIR RESEARCH ON IT. I have chosen never to use this phrase any more. I will use the Bible terms for glory instead, like kabowd (OT) and doxa (NT).

What gets me the most is that these dictionaries, etc. from way back in the 19th or early 20th century acknowledged that it was not a Christian concept - some even state where it does come from - but it didn't matter to them. It was accepted by them. They are not even trying to hide its origins. They just embraced it and made it “Christian” instead. It's like reading The Fundamentals by R.A Torrey and other fundamentalist preachers, and in the book they try to fit in with Bible criticism and accept evolution. Don't want to be rejected by the scholars. And then we wonder why modern Christendom is where it is at now.

Again, I realize and acknowledge most using this term use it in the exact sense that they were taught it meant years ago. But it is not Biblical, it does not come from God or His Word, and actually mixes pagan concepts in with Christianity - even if many are not aware of it. I don't hate on the occasional writer or preacher who uses the term ignorantly - but I hate those who deliberately brought in this deception and confusion.

Using Shekinah is not like using a non-Biblical word to describe an actual Biblical doctrine, like Trinity, rapture, incarnation, etc. - but is actually using a word that means different (ie. pagan) things, when there are perfectly good Bible words that do mean glory. Strange that people adopt something like this and then pass it on as truth.

Funny, when I posted this on Messenger in 2021 to some Christians from my old church, one of the old preacher boys said he knew that, but defended it. Why use a word with pagan and kabbalistic meanings when we can use the words God gave (either the English word, or the Greek and Hebrew words that actually came from the Bible)? Sad.

I am never going to use this word/idea - I don't need to use some term that was created by infidel Jews to make them comfortable in their rejection of the true God, and give them reasons to reject the Messiah and to put on an unbelieving twist to Bible passages.

Exhortation

You can verify this information easily if you have any Bible study programs or some older Bible dictionaries. I am not sure if any new ones would even cover the source of the word Shekinah/Shechinah.

One of the articles compared the Shekinah glory to the Holy Spirit, as part of the Rabbinical idea of the Trinity (ie. the Deity, the Word, the Shekinah) - which some agree with and others don't agree with. The Targum (ie. their rabbinical commentary on their traditions) seem such a hodgepodge of everchanging apostasy and nonsense.

From what I read, it really seems like it is a term to describe a Jewish version of gnosticism. God can't be physical or connect directly to us, so let's coin a term that applies to something in the gap, a middle form that emanates from God but is not actually Him. I don't want some representation of Him or some substitute - I want the real God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - the one the Bible teaches me about, who created me, who provided for my salvation, and who walks with me today.

Why adopt a pagan concept (for the sake of this conversation) only vaguely connected to the Bible (and then attempted to be put into both the OT and NT passages or accounts of events), created by unbelieving rabbinic Jews to teach unbiblical things about God and to give them fodder for denying the physical incarnation/manifestation of the Messiah? We have several Bible words we can use if we want to use Hebrew or Greek words to describe God's glory - then we avoid any pagan or apostate associations with the term.

It is like when people use communion to refer to the Lord's Supper. Coming out of a Catholic background and seeing all the religious meaning associated with this word, I would rather stick with the Bible's terminology (ie. Lord's Supper or breaking of bread) and avoid all that confusion. Yes, communion means fellowship. The NT says we have communion with other believers in the bread and the blood of Christ, but does not call the Lord's Supper communion.

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

The term Shekinah/Shechinah was a term created by the unbelieving Jewish rabbis in their commentaries on the OT and their commentaries on their commentaries. Yes, they try to say this is the Presence, etc. that is in all those OT passages (but then some of these unbelieving Jewish - nonChristian - rabbis try to insert it into the NT); however, what the targum says about the Shekinah/Shechinah is as unbiblical and apostate as you can get - AND THEY DO DEFINE WHAT THEY MEAN IN THEIR COMMENTARIES, so I am not just guessing or assuming things here. So even if they can somehow associate it with things or events in the Bible, what they are teaching about God, His presence, the Messiah, and His glory (by using this term) is as far from true Bible doctrine as you can get. The people who created the word and applied it to the passages in the Bible never meant what Christians think it should mean.

It is so nice to get what I believe was my God-guided research affirmed. This is what I posted to a few friends in late fall 2021:

Someone passed on the link to Spencer Smith’s Third Adam 3 X video. It took me awhile to get into it, but I started watching some of his shorter videos and doing research on the speaker. He is KJVonly, IFB. His videos expose the corruption in modern Christendom. This video is interesting, because he exposes how modern Christendom is getting caught up in the divine feminism, and it is influencing so many today. AND, at 3:35 (the 3 hours, 35 minute mark of the video) he gets into how Shekinah (aka the supposed feminine form of God, the Holy Spirit - the view that comes from gnosticism/the Kaballah) fits into this.

Third Adam 3X on Youtube

I have heard people say this in the past or read in some books. This is from William Newell on Revelation 1. Fits in with the pagan/unbelieving term Shekinah, or thinking God has both male and female attributes or characteristics.

“After writing this note, I found to my horror, but I confess not to my surprise, the following: ‘In order to corroborate the doctrine (of sex in deity) just mentioned, certain Theosophists have invented a new derivation for the Hebrew Shaddai, which in our versions is correctly rendered 'Almighty.' They suppose it to be connected with a word shad, which signifies a woman's breast.** But such a derivation is impossible, and, so far as we are aware, has never been proposed by an unbiased scholar. More than one Christian scholar has taken up this Theosophical derivation of Shaddai, and explained the word as meaning first 'full-breasted,' and then 'bountiful.' The irreverent use of one of the grandest titles of the Most High should have checked them.’ (Pember: THE CHURCH AND THE MYSTERIES. Page 413.) The Babylonian doctrine of ‘the motherhood of God,’ source of all abominations, is what is subtly brought in here. The true derivation of Shaddai is Hebrew, yDv from root ddv to be strong, mighty: in adjective form used only of God (Gesenius). To miss this meaning of The Almighty is to endanger the consent of our hearts to His righteous judgments.”

** My comments: After I texted this quote to a friend, he pointed out that the statue of Diana (of the Ephesians) is covered with breasts and is often referred to as the many breasted god. The beliefs and portrayal of Diana is one of the sources for the divine feminism coming into the church, so it is no surprise that somewhere along the way, false believers would want to add this to our view of the true God.

 Nowadays, many people are not even hiding the fact that they embrace this concept of a female aspect to God (Sophia, or referring to the Holy Spirit as female, etc.). It was probably a very slow and gradual process to get here.

Some may ask why does this matter? Truth matters. I would rather reject the error and cling to the truth and be blessed by my Lord than to be willingly or unknowingly clinging to some error just to fit in with the religious crowd or "Christians" who just do not know their Bibles.

This matters because it actually came close to home recently. A little over a week before writing the notes on this, I was speaking with my brother about something - including Mark Lowry referring to the Holy Spirit as "She" and agreeing with some pagan on a video that the Holy Spirit is also referred to as Sophia!! - and my brother brought up some conversations with his girlfriend about God having male and female attributes, and that she knows some people that refer to the Holy Spirit as a female (like The Shack does). All I could think of at that time was the definition of El Shaddai I had heard many times through the years. Didn't want to go there as that would have truly confused the issue! So I focussed on: Yes, God created mankind, male and female and our emotions, etc. - BUT He has always revealed Himself (all three members of the Godhead) as male to us, never as female - even if He has what some may refer to as feminine attributes (compassion, mercy, etc.). But seeing now where some of this confusion came from and what type of people tried to redefine the Bible and add it to Biblical Christianity, I am glad to have this error exposed. This fit in with my previous research, and it is eye-opening, for sure.

Original notes put together in 2021, but edited and written up on August 25th, 2026

Jerry Bouey

Introduction To Romans

Introduction To Romans

Have you ever studied the books of Romans and Galatians? They teach that God's way of salvation is the same in both the Old and New Testaments. I know there is some confusion in many people's mind regarding this concept, but a bit of careful studying will clear this up. Salvation is of grace (God's unmerited favour) through faith (not by our own good works), though there are some passages that seem to teach otherwise; however, if you put them all together, the contrast is made plain.

Basically, God gave the Law and stated that these were His perfect requirements that were needed to earn salvation through our own righteousness (ie. if we were trying to earn our way to Heaven, we must fulfill the Law 100%, or else we've "missed the mark") - and then He goes on to show that no one in the history of the world has ever done this or will ever be able to do this - no one but Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God. The requirements of the Law could only be fulfilled through faith in the Gospel of Christ (by receiving the only Saviour and His gift of salvation), and His perfect righteousness must be credited to our account. If we are to be saved, we must have the faith of Abraham: Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (See Romans 4:2-3 and Genesis 15:6)

This explains passages such as:

Deuteronomy 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Ezekiel 20:11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

Leviticus 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Romans 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

James 2:10-11 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

Also, keeping the Law perfectly from this point on (if that were possible), doesn't cover the many times we've already broken it. James 2:10 is pretty clear.

In Matthew 19:16-22, the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him what good thing (works) shall I do that I may have eternal life? He wanted to earn salvation. Christ said basically, "Okay, if you want to earn eternal life keep all the commandments." The ruler said which ones? Christ then quotes five of the Ten Commandments and the second of the two greatest commandments (Exodus 20; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:36-40, which summarize the Ten Commandments.) These ones (the last six) deal with our relationship to man, the first four deal with our relationship to God. The ones Jesus did not quote were already broken by the young man: he did not love the Lord his God with all his heart, etc, because he was covetous, and the New Testament equates covetousness with idolatry (see Colossians 3:5), placing something above God as greater worth in your life. "Worship" come from "worth-ship", what worth (value) do we give our possessions, what worth do we give God? In Matthew 19:20-22, the young man asked what was missing, and Jesus said, "Go, and sell all your possessions and come follow me." The ruler was sorrowful because his money was too important to him. Note: Jesus isn't telling all believers (or seekers) to sell their possessions, He was just showing this man where he personally already fell short ("missed the mark"); He was proving to this zealous man that even he had not kept all the commandments like he thought he did. He might have kept them outwardly, but in his spirit (his inward man) he did not. This passage does not teach a works-based salvation, it illustrates the exact opposite.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; The word for sinned here (and most places in the NT) is the Greek word meaning "to miss the mark". Like this rich young ruler, we have all "missed the mark" of God's perfect righteousness; we have all fallen short of the glory of God, all fallen short of the hope of Heaven. Our only hope of salvation is through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and receiving His free (ie. something we could never earn or pay for) gift of eternal life. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

To clarify that salvation is solely of faith, I will now list several verses that clearly teach this, so you don't need to take my word or some other religious person's word for it, but what God Himself said.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Habakkuk 2:4 (in the Old Testament) and Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; and Hebrews 10:38 (in the New Testament) all say: The just shall live by faith.

(Notice the contrast between these verses and Ezekiel 20:11, which I pointed out earlier. It's either eternal life by perfect obedience to the Law or eternal life solely by faith.)

In Galatians 3:10-13, the Bible says that we are cursed because we can not keep the whole Law, but thank the Lord that He became cursed for us while He hung on the cross, He bore our curse. He never broke the Law, or sinned against God the Father in any way, yet He died a cursed death, became sin for us on the cross (bore all our sins), took our punishment, so that we need never bear it if we accept Him by faith as our Saviour. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; John 1:29; 1 John 2:1-2; and other passages teach that He died for us. Galatians 3:16-26, show that the law was our schoolmaster (guide, if you will), to show us our need for a Saviour, to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified (declared not guilty) by faith in Christ (the Messiah).

Romans chapters 1-5 teach these same truths in more depth. I ask you to please read these chapters prayerfully, and then read chapter 10. Paul quotes or refers to many passages out of the Old Testament to prove and to build on his points. I will list them in the following studies so you have them as a reference as you read Romans. I will also give several New Testament references that might help clarify some of his statements. I would suggest reading Romans 1-5 first, and then re-read it, looking up the references and prayerfully meditating on them. Give the Holy Spirit opportunity to teach you.

The purpose of these studies is to give you a clearer understanding of God's way of salvation, and to give you some food for thought out of the book of Romans. Each study in this series is not intended to stand alone but is built on the ones before it. My prayer is that by working through these studies you will have a more thorough grasp on the early chapters of the book of Romans, and will, as a result, be able to teach these truths clearly to others you come in contact with.

Hebrews 5:12-6:1a For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;

Written April 2001
Jerry Bouey

Note: I had originally intended to do a series on the first few chapters of Romans. These notes were from so long ago that I do not remember any more how much I had preached through. I do not have any further notes on this series.

From Bitter To Sweet

From Bitter To Sweet

Exodus 15:22-25 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

Marah means “bitter.” (This name has the same meaning as Miriam and Mary, which we will come back to in a few moments.)

Ruth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

The waters were bitter until the tree was put into it, then those same waters were made sweet. The interesting thing here is this event occurred only three days after Passover. There is a type or picture here many have not considered before.

In the New Testament, the cross of Calvary is referred to as "a tree" or "the tree" in various passages:

Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

Acts 10:39-40 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;

Acts 13:28-30 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead:

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 

Before we come to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him as our Saviour, the burden of our sins is bitter indeed. The only thing that can turn what is bitter to sweet is the cross of Calvary - the cross that the Saviour died upon. Maybe it would be clearer for me to state it this way: the effects of the cross turn our bitter waters into sweet waters. If Jesus had only died for our sins, there would be no sweet living waters flowing forth.

John 19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

In the Gospel of John, the Apostle shows us that there were three Marys gathered around the cross, watching Jesus die. Bitter emotions and a bitter reality - their Friend, their Teacher, and their Saviour was now dead. This was prophesied close to 33 years before by Simeon when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple after the days of purification for Mary were fulfilled.

Luke 2:34-35 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

Watching your firstborn Son die upon the cross - THAT would have been bitter indeed.

If the Biblical account had ended there, mankind would have been in bitter straits, would have been left without hope - but it didn't!

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Jesus paid the full price necessary on the cross - shedding His blood, becoming sin for us and experiencing the full weight of God's wrath upon sin (see 2 Corinthians 5:21), dying as our Substitute - then He was laid in the tomb for three full days...

Mark 15:47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

Three days of bitterness, uncertainty; three days where they wandered in their own wilderness of grief and sorrow...

...and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter...

...the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet...

Three days later, we find at least two of the three Marys going to the tomb with the spices they had prepared.

Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

Matthew 28:1-8 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Watching the crucifixion would have truly been a bitter experience - but seeing the empty tomb and knowing that our salvation is finished, the effects of the cross bring great joy indeed.

It is the cross that makes our life sweet - whether seeing Jesus by faith on Calvary, having the burden of our sins being forgiven - or when we take up our cross daily, die to ourselves and accept God’s will. In both instances, life is no longer bitter, but sweet.

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Romans 12:1 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.

“It is finished!”

November 30th, 2025

Jerry Bouey

For two wonderful poems touching on this theme, please read:

The Rose Of Sharon

The Fulness Of Jesus