Jesus'
words, known as "the Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7), need to be
taken as a whole. We're not to pick out the bits that we like, and
ignore the bits that we don't like so much. We're not to come, looking
for "comfort" (Matthew 5:4), if we're not also seeking for
"righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). We're not to look for peace, if we're not
preparing ourselves for persecution (Matthew 5:9-10). We're not to read
one verse, and say, "This is great", and then skim over the next verse,
as if it wasn't even there.
“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46). This joyful thanksgiving is only a foretaste of the greater joy and thanksgiving of heaven: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). In the city of God, “the glory of God” will be shining with everlasting brightness (Revelation 21:23). The Church of God will be “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The beautiful picture of the godly wife in Proverbs 31 gives us an outline of what God is seeking to do in His people. It is summarized in Proverbs 31:30: “A woman who fears the Lord is to be
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