Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
The heavenly hymn of Revelation 19:1-3 provides appropriate praise to our Savior God: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, ‘Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore [Babylon], which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her head.’ And again they said, ‘Alleluia.’ And her [Babylon’s] smoke rose up for ever and ever.” “Alleluia” (sometimes spelled “hallelujah”) means “praise the Lord.” It is used extensively in songs and as a personal response to God’s goodness. Rather surprisingly, it is not frequently used in Scripture. By my count, it is employed twenty-four times in the Old Testament and only four times in the New Testament, all in Revelation 19:1-6. The focus of this Biblical praise is the character of God as revealed in His actions – for example, His deliverance (“salvation”). Certainly we can add our praise to that of other believers. I have always found the designation “true” to be especially encouraging. In a world of falsehood and façades, it is refreshing to know the One Who is “the Truth” (John 14:6) and Who is eternally trustworthy. The more we think about Jesus, the more praise will surely resound in our hearts, our heads, and our hymnody.