Scott Brown

12/09/2023

12/08/2023

"This is Love"

In 2 John 6, we read:

“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.”

Love is not simply an emotion; it is a devotion to active obedience.

12/08/2023

"Rebelling Against God Makes You Like a Silly Dove"

In Hosea 7:8-12, we read:

“Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake unturned.
Aliens have devoured his strength,
But he does not know it;
Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him,
Yet he does not know it.…
Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense"

12/08/2023

"Compliance to Wicked Laws"

Hosea 7:3 exposes the norm: kings will make wicked laws, and they are pleased when people obey them.

In Hosea 7:3, we read:

“They make a king glad with their wickedness,
And princes with their lies.”

Matthew Henry writes:

“It pleased them to see the people conform to their wicked laws and examples, in the worship of their idols, and other instances of impiety and immorality, and to hear them flatter and applaud them in their wicked ways. When Herod saw that his wickedness pleased the people he proceeded further in it, much more will the people do so when they see that it pleases the prince (Acts 12).”

12/08/2023

"They Went for Healing Where There Was None"

For help, Israel went to the Gentiles, who were spiritually bankrupt. In Hosea 5:13, we read:

“When Ephraim saw his sickness,
And Judah saw his wound,
Then Ephraim went to Assyria
And sent to King Jareb;
Yet he cannot cure you,
Nor heal you of your wound.”

12/08/2023

"How Did They Get Pagan Children?"

In Hosea 5:7, we read about one of the tragedies of pride:

“They have dealt treacherously with the LORD, For they have begotten pagan children.”

"Pagan children," or as the KJV says, “strange children.” This language indicates that they were raised in the ways of the idolatrous ways of the Gentiles, not according to God.

12/07/2023

"God: The Choreographer of All Nations"

In Daniel 11, God discloses what he will do with multiple nations and kings and peoples. He did this before any of these things happened. God is the ruler of the kings of the Earth.

12/06/2023

"Why Jesus Came"

In 1 John 3:8, we read:

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

12/06/2023

"Warfare in the Spiritual Realm"

In Daniel 10:13, we read:

“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”

12/06/2023

"He Failed to Learn from His Father"

In Daniel 5:22, we read:

“But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven.”

12/02/2023

"Cancel Culture in Babylon"

In Daniel 3:12, we read the king decree that “whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

12/02/2023

"Master of All Nations"

In Daniel 2:19-23, we find Daniel giving thanks for God's absolute control of kings and kingdoms:

'Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said:

'"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king's demand."'

12/02/2023

"Walking in the Light"

Even though we don’t know the future of our lives, we do know the One with whom we walk. In 1 John 1:5-7, we read that He is light:

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

12/02/2023

"Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises"

In 2 Peter 1:3-4, we read:

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

12/02/2023

"Puppets of the Gentiles"

Peter exhorts us to stop following the Gentiles. In 1 Peter 4:2-3, he writes that we “no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles.”

12/02/2023

"Live for the Will of God"

Living for the will of God is the theme of 1 Peter 4. In verses 2 and 3, we read:

"…that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles…"

At the end of the chapter in verse 19, we read:

“Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”

In between these bookends, Peter exhorts to pray, love, practice hospitality, minister in God's strength, and suffer for God's glory.

12/01/2023

"The Clothing and Culture"

In 1 Peter 3:3-4, we read:

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

Matthew Henry explains:

“Here are three sorts of ornaments forbidden: plaiting of hair, which was commonly used in those times by lewd women; wearing of gold, or ornaments made of gold, was practised by Rebecca, and Esther, and other religious women, but afterwards became the attire chiefly of harlots and wicked people; putting on of apparel, which is not absolutely forbidden, but only too much nicety and costliness in it. Learn first: religious people should take care that all their external behaviour be answerable to their profession of Christianity; they must be holy in all manner of conversation. Secondly, the outward adorning of the body is very often sensual and excessive; for instance, when it is immoderate, and above your degree and station in the world, when you are proud of it and puffed up with it, when you dress with design to allure and tempt others, when your apparel is too rich, curious, or superfluous, when your fashions are fantastical, imitating the levity and vanity of the worst people, and when they are immodest and wanton. The attire of a harlot can never become a chaste Christian matron.”

This is similar to the latter part of the twentieth century where a man wearing an earring was telling the world he was a sodomite.

12/01/2023

"No Longer Prey for the Nations"

With Jesus as their Shepherd, the church is delivered from the bo***ge of ungodly culture. In Ezekiel 34:28-31, we read:

"'And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,' says the Lord God. 'You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,' says the Lord God."

12/01/2023

"The Wise, the Beautiful, and the Rich"

The king of Tyre was considered wise, beautiful, and rich in Ezekiel 28. And yet, he used his wisdom and the wealth it brought him for evil (Ezekiel 28:4, 5, 16, 18).

12/01/2023

"Break My Friendship with the World"

We read in Scripture:

'Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."'

11/29/2023

"On Divorce"

Michael Reagan, the son of Ronald Reagan, wrote of his parent’s divorce:

"Divorce is where two adults take everything that matters to a child — the child’s home, family, security, and sense of being loved and protected — and they smash it [to pieces], leave it in ruins on the floor, then walk out and leave the child to clean up the mess.”

11/29/2023

"They Disregarded the Sabbath"

The theme of Ezekiel 20 is God's judgment on Israel who profaned and disregarded the Sabbath.

In Ezekiel 20:11-13, we read:

“And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, "which, if a man does, he shall live by them.' Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, "which, if a man does, he shall live by them'; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.”

In verse 16, we read:

“...because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.”

In verses 19-26, the passage continues:

"I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.... [Israel] rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall live by them; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers' idols. Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD."

11/29/2023

"A Nation that Cultivates Tyrants is Destroyed"

In Ezekiel 19:2-3, we read:

“What is your mother?
A lioness:
She lay down among the lions;
Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.
She brought up one of her cubs,
And he became a young lion;
He learned to catch prey,
And he devoured men.”

Matthew Henry writes:

“She nourished her whelps among young lions, taught the young princes the way of tyrants, which was then used by the arbitrary kings of the east, filled their heads betimes with notions of their absolute despotic power, and possessed them with a belief that they had a right to enslave their subjects, that their liberty and property lay at their mercy: thus she nourished her whelps among young lions.

“Tyranny is the inlet to anarchy; and, when the rod of government is turned into the serpent of oppression, it is just with God to say, "There shall be no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule; but let men be as are the fishes of the sea, where the greater devour the less." Note, This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation. The prophet was bidden (v. 1)”

11/29/2023

"The Sabbath is a Sign for Sanctification"

In Ezekiel 20:12, we read:

“Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”

11/27/2023

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11/15/2023

"Women Moved by Silly Myths"

In Ezekiel 8:14-16, we find women who are moved by silly myths and men whose backs are turned away from God. We read:

“So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD's house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. Then He said to me, 'Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.' So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east."

11/15/2023

"An Image of Jealousy"

What is it in our life that makes God jealous? Ezekiel saw the elders of Judah before an image that invited the Lord to jealousy:

“…the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.”

Matthew Henry comments:

“It was in the highest degree offensive to God and provoked him to jealousy. He resented it as a husband would resent the whoredoms of his wife, and would certainly revenge it; for God is jealous, and the Lord revenges (Nehemiah 1:2).”

11/15/2023

"Silver Thrown into the Streets"

Ezekiel writes about when money becomes worthless:

“They will throw their silver into the streets,
And their gold will be like refuse;
Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them In the day of the wrath of the LORD;
They will not satisfy their souls, Nor fill their stomachs,
Because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.

"As for the beauty of his ornaments,
He set it in majesty;
But they made from it
The images of their abominations--
Their detestable things;
Therefore I have made it
Like refuse to them.
I will give it as plunder
Into the hands of strangers,
And to the wicked of the earth as spoil;
And they shall defile it.”

This is what we read in Ezekiel 7:19-21.

Matthew Henry writes:

“They shall have no benefit from their wealth and riches, but shall be perfectly sick of them.”

11/15/2023

"On Self-Loathing"

In Ezekiel 6:9, we read:

“They will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.”

Perhaps this is one reason for so many medicated people -- the pain of self-loathing.

11/10/2023

"We Are Men -- Stop Complaining"

In Jeremiah 3:39, we read:

“Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins.”

Speaking of Jeremiah and all his troubles, Matthew Henry comments:

“Though we may pour out our complaints before God, we must never exhibit any complaints against God. What! Shall a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? The reasons here urged are very cogent.

"We are men; let us herein show ourselves men. Shall a man complain? And again, a man!

"We are men, and not brutes, reasonable creatures, who should act with reason, who should look upward and look forward, and both ways may fetch considerations enough to silence our complaints.

"We are men, and not children that cry for every thing that hurts them.

"We are men, and not gods, subjects, not lords; we are not our own masters, not our own carvers; we are bound and must obey, must submit.

"We are men, and not angels, and therefore cannot expect to be free from troubles as they are; we are not inhabitants of that world where there is no sorrow, but this where there is nothing but sorrow.

"We are men, and not devils, are not in that deplorable, helpless, hopeless, state that they are in, but have something to comfort ourselves with which they have not.

"We are living men. Through the good hand of our God upon us we are alive yet, though dying daily; and shall a living man complain? No; he has more reason to be thankful for life than to complain of any of the burdens and calamities of life. Our lives are frail and forfeited, and yet we are alive; now the living, the living, they should praise, and not complain (Isaiah 38:19); while there is life there is hope, and therefore, instead of complaining that things are bad, we should encourage ourselves with the hope that they will be better.”

11/10/2023

"God is in Control"

Commenting on Jeremiah’s many afflictions, Matthew Henry writes:

“All the events of divine Providence are the products of a divine counsel; whatever is done God has the directing of it, and the works of his hands agree with the words of his mouth; he speaks, and it is done, so easily, so effectually are all his purposes fulfilled."

11/10/2023

"The Power of an Endless Life"

In Hebrews 7:15-16, we read:

“And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.”

11/09/2023

"God Always Brings Down the Wicked Nations"

The Lord brings down wicked nations. In many places in Scripture, God makes it clear that wicked nations won’t last long.

Jeremiah 46:15 speaks of the downfall of Egypt:

“Why are your valiant men swept away?
They did not stand
Because the LORD drove them away.
He made many fall;
Yes, one fell upon another.”

11/09/2023

"When Clothing is a Metaphor for Mourning"

In Jeremiah 48:37-39, God promises to destroy the pride of Moab. Moab will display every sign of mourning:

"For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth--
A general lamentation
On all the housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure," says the LORD.
"They shall wail:
"How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!'
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her."

11/09/2023

"Many Medicines But No Cure"

In Jeremiah 46:11, the prophet identifies Egypt’s desperate search for help apart from the Lord:

“In vain you will use many medicines;
You shall not be cured.”

Then in Jeremiah 47:5, he turns to the Philistines and exposes their foolishness:

"How long will you gash yourselves?"

11/09/2023

"Sluggish and Clothed in Rags"

In Hebrews 6:11-12, we read:

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Matthew Henry comments:

"'That they should not be slothful.' Slothfulness will clothe a man with rags: they must not love their ease, nor lose their opportunities."

11/09/2023

"Why Are They Deranged?"

In Jeremiah 51:2-8, we learn that God's hand is behind the derangement of the nations. The prophet writes:

“And I will send winnowers to Babylon,
Who shall winnow her and empty her land.
For in the day of doom
They shall be against her all around.
Against her let the archer bend his bow,
And lift himself up against her in his armor.
Do not spare her young men;
Utterly destroy all her army.
Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans,
And those thrust through in her streets.
For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the LORD of hosts,
Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel."
Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And every one save his life!
Do not be cut off in her iniquity,
For this is the time of the LORD's vengeance;
He shall recompense her.
Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand,
That made all the earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
Therefore the nations are deranged.
Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed.
Wail for her!”

11/03/2023

"To Rebel or Not to Rebel"

Jeremiah says not to fight Nebuchadnezzar, and tells the people to comply and be spared. In Jeremiah 37-39, we see him thrown into prison for this message. Matthew Henry comments:

“Those do better for themselves who patiently submit to the rebukes of Providence than those who contend with them. And, if we cannot have our liberty, we must reckon it a mercy to have our lives, and not foolishly throw them away upon a point of honour; they may be reserved for better times. The princes persist in their malice against Jeremiah. He was faithful to his country and to his trust as a prophet, though he had suffered many a time for his faithfulness; and, though at this time he ate the king's bread, yet that did not stop his mouth.”

11/03/2023

"Men with Little Need for Wine"

In Jeremiah 35, we read that Jonadab commanded his sons not to drink wine. Matthew Henry comments:

“He forbade them to drink wine, according to the law of the Nazarites. Wine is indeed given to make glad the heart of man and we are allowed the sober and moderate use of it; but we are so apt to abuse it and get hurt by it, and a good man, who has his heart made continually glad with the light of God's countenance, has so little need of it for that purpose (Psalms 4:6-7), that it is a commendable piece of self-denial either not to use it at all or very sparingly and medicinally, as Timothy used it (1 Timothy 5:23).”

Matthew Henry explains why Jonadab made such strict requirements:

“Why did Jonadab prescribe these rules of living to his posterity? It was not merely to show his authority, and to exercise a dominion over them, by imposing upon them what he thought fit; but it was to show his wisdom, and the real concern he had for their welfare, by recommending to them what he knew would be beneficial to them, yet not tying them by any oath or vow, or under any penalty, to observe these rules, but only advising them to conform to this discipline as far as they found it for edification, yet to be dispensed with in any case of necessity, as here (v. 11). He prescribed these rules to them (v. 1) that they might preserve the ancient character of their family, which, however looked upon by some with contempt, he thought its real reputation.”

11/03/2023

"Weddings Are a Sign of Blessing"

In the Bible, weddings are a sign of God's blessing on His people. A lack of weddings is a sign of judgment.

"Thus says the LORD: 'Again there shall be heard in this place--of which you say, "It is desolate, without man and without beast"--in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: "Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever"-- and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.'"