Who Is "US" In Scripture?

Three times in scripture the Lord God uses the phrase, "Us" when speaking about himself.  This usage is plural, meaning more than one person.

Genesis 1:26

God says "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

 

Then goes on in verse 27 to use the word "He", not us. This is plural but singular.

 

'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ' - Genesis 1:27.

 

In Genesis 11 we read the story of the Tower of Babel built by the notorious King Nimrod, who wanted to be a god in his own rights. He had led his people away from the God of his forefathers, Adam, Noah, and those who followed the One True God of the Universe and brought in the pagan worship of many gods.  But Yehovah Elohim decided to totally disrupt the plans of Nimrod.

 

Genesis 11:7

'Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

 

The people were no longer able to understand one another and they scatter across the lands just as the Lord God had told them to do when Noah and his family disembarked from the Ark. 

 

Then again in Isaiah God again refers to himself in the plural by asking Isaiah "who will go for us?".

 

Isaiah 6:8

'Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. '

 

Three times in scripture God refers to himself in a plural form.  Many times in scripture he refers to himself in singular.  The plural form is where the God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are working in unison for one reason or another.  They used the plural form in the creation of mankind, using the image of all three combined into one.  They used the plural form when they decided to scatter mankind across the face of the earth with different languages and ethnic traits.  They were in agreement that mankind was a problem when left to their own devices and needed to be split up into differing groups of people.  Too much power in the hands of mankind is not a good thing.  Mankind thinks up too much evil and pushes that evil into the hearts and minds of many others.  They used the plural form when speaking to mankind about the ways of Godliness and who could or would help them speak into the hearts and minds of mankind.  Who better to speak to and about God than a heart and mind that is aligned with Godliness?  When the Godhead uses a person to speak for them he wants all three images of God to be used.  God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.  All three work in unison to speak love, kindness, comfort, wisdom, and all fruits of the Spirit in the person they are directing to others.  Each person of the Godhead, the Trinity of God, is important to the understanding of how God works on the earth and in his people.  All three are as important as the other. All three are God in the triune form and each one can be used in a separate or individual form. 

 

It is amazing that God works in the lives of his people either together or separately, whatever the situation calls for.  He speaks in ways for each of us to understand how and why he is working in plural or singular form.  Sometimes the Father needs to speak to or direct his child from a fatherly perspective.  Sometimes the Son needs to remind his people of the sacrifice that was made to cleanse them from the sinful nature of mankind and to fill those people with love for others.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit needs to come into the hearts of his people to comfort them and guide them, to speak life into the spirit of his child. 

 

There are so many ways Yehovah Elohim works in the lives of his chosen and all we have to do is acknowledge him, plural or singular.  They live in us.  We are made in their image.  He calls to us and we hear his voice.  We are his people.  We are singular and we are plural.

 

I John 3:24 - 'Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.'

 

Psalms 100:3 - 'Know that the Lord , He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.'

I Am Free

Here in the United States of America we value our freedom.  This nation was formed by people who were under the rule of the king of England who would not let the people choose in many areas of their lives.  They were under a huge burden of taxation and were not allowed to worship freely.  The king decided how the common people would live their lives and if they did not follow his commands they were imprisoned or killed.  There was not a choice for the people.  They were slaves to the king.

 

Slavery in one form or another has been the plight of mankind from early on.  Early on even Adam and Eve and their children were slaves to the earth.  After their fall in the garden nothing was easy and they had to produce the food they would eat to live.  In the times of Noah there was great wickedness on earth so we should only assume that the strong used the weak as their slaves.  After the flood the same happened again.  Noah's son, Ham, sinned against his father Noah and his linage was cursed. A grandson of Ham, Nimrod declared himself king and decided to take his cousins (children of Shem and Japheth) as slaves for the city and tower (Babel) he was building in honor of his gods. He had forsaken the One True God. The stories of slavery continue until this day.

 

In our day owning a slave is detestable yet many workers in many industries will tell you they are a slave to their job.  Today people are slaves to their possessions.  They are slaves to their family.  They are slaves to their friends.  They are slaves to their sins.  Slavery is bondage to something or someone.  All who are held in some kind of bondage (slavery) know it yet somehow are unable or unwilling to break the chains.  They live in it for their entire lives and many die in it.

 

But there is hope for all of mankind held in any kind of slavery.  That hope is Jesus Christ who saves us from the trials, tribulations, and sins of this life.  He promises us an eternal life free from sin and slavery. He offers this free gift of forgiveness and salvation for eternity in a new world without sin and slavery.  He came to earth specifically to pay the price for us to be free from this worldly life filled with fear, wickedness, and bondage.  He promised to never leave us and to always be with us if we come to him and accept his saving gift of  forgiveness and to honor his commands to love one another and be gentle in spirit, words and deeds. 

 

We will still have to live in this fallen world even when we have come to the saving grace of Jesus.  We will still feel many time that we are not free from the wickedness of this world and the bondages it places on us as humans.  We still have to find a way to bring food to the table for our family.  We still have to live in a world where people choose other gods and idols.  As long as we are in this human body on this fallen earth we will have to deal with it's sinful ways.  The evil ruler of this earth is still going to try to place the people in bondage and slavery. He is still going to try to place chains of conviction on all of God's chosen people.  He is still going to try to place God's people in some kind of prison to keep them from the freedom that God gives to those who call upon His name.  He is still going to place doubts of our freedom from sin.  He will never give up trying to convince us we are not worthy enough to be free.

 

There are promises on promises throughout the Bible telling us that the Lord God Almighty will set us free from this world and all of the chains that bind us.  All we have to do is believe His word and His promises.

 

Galatians 5:1 (NKJV) - Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

 

John 8:31-32 (NIV) - To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 

John 8:36 (NIV) - So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

What Are Your Dreams?

What Are Your Dreams

Sunday, February 05, 2023

11:41 AM

For 137 days I am been a widow.  Unlike the decades prior to those days I was able to focus on life and tomorrow.  Now I find that I question everything about life and tomorrow.  I understand that I am in a crossroad of life. But I have so many unanswered questions for myself.

What is your passion?

What are your goals?

What are your aspirations?

 

Why don't you have any dreams of your future?

(Is it because you are almost 69 years old and content with your life?)

Have you been living your life for someone else? (spouse, children, family)

Are you resilient?

Are you motivated?

Are you procrastinating?

What are your ambitions?

What is your purpose in life now that Jerry is gone?

What do you love about life?

What do you love to talk about?

What do you read?

What are you good at?

What are problems you can fix?

Do you have a healthy body and mind?

What is your main priority?

Do you have support from others?

 

II Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

 

As the days and months pass by I have yet to find the answers to many of these questions.  Many of them can be answered with one word, "Jesus" because He is my sole focus every day.  I have run to His arms of comfort and security in a world I do not know or understand.  His presence has been my comfort and joy in a sad time of my life.  

 

This crossroad is not like anything I have experienced before in my life.  I have had many difficulties such as an early pregnancy at age 18, a 10 year relationship and marriage that was more that just difficult, it was abusive, multiple sins of lies, alcohol, drugs, lust, theft, gossip, selfishness, and others.  The majority of these were continually done in my younger years but some still pop out even in my old age and even as I have walked as a follower of Jesus Christ.  This crossroad of widowhood has taken me off guard.

 

I have normally been a (mostly) self sufficient woman.  I have normally been an organized woman.  I have normally been a social woman.  I like people.  I like to talk.  I like to go to different places and experience different things.  I like adventure.  I like life!  Not so today.  Crowds bother me.  Trips give me anxiety.  Leaving home is not fun.  Getting dressed is a chore and putting on makeup is a waste.  I'm just not into anything.  But I am refusing to quit.  I get up every day.  I read my Bible everyday at least for a few minutes.  I pray.  I talk with the Lord.  I try to move at least a little.  Like I said, this is a very strange time of my life and I don't like it but I have to go through it. 

 

Romans 8:26

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.