Young People’s Blog

“And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants” (Genesis 40:20).

Kings and queens have traditionally made a celebration on their birthdays, even as far back as the Pharaohs of Egypt, who lived thousands of years ago. Today’s date happens to be the anniversary of the birthday of the late Queen Victoria of England, who was born on May 24, 1819. This date is still celebrated in Britain and some of the countries belonging to the British Commonwealth. She reigned more than sixty-three years, from 1837 to 1901—longer than any previous British monarch.

However, the present Queen of England, Elizabeth II, has already reigned more than seventy years, and as I write this in May, 2022, she is still alive. The only other monarch in modern times to have reigned longer was King Louis XIV of France. He was only five years old when he became king, and he reigned more than seventy-two years, from 1643 to 1715.

But when the Lord Jesus comes to reign as the rightful King, He will reign over this world for 1,000 years. No human king can compare to Him, or His kingdom. When He comes to reign, you and I who are saved will reign with Him. What a wonderful time that will be!

“Then said the Jews unto Him [the Lord Jesus], Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at Him” (John 8:57-59).

Yesterday we noticed that the Lord Jesus took the title I AM, just as Jehovah had done when He spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. Jesus was the Jehovah of the Old Testament.

Here, in our verses today, He uses that title again with reference to Abraham. By faith Abraham had looked on to the time when Christ would come, and then the Jews questioned how someone who was not even fifty years old could have seen Abraham.

The Lord’s answer is instructive for us. He did not say, “Before Abraham was, I was.” No, as the ever-existing One, He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” If someone like Noah or Methuselah had been speaking, they could have said, “Before Abraham was, I was,” for they were men like Abraham. But the Lord Jesus, who existed from eternity, did not move in time before He came into this world. Living and moving in eternity, He could say, “I am.”

“Unless ye shall believe that I am, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24 JND).

“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel…and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM…I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:13-14).

We see in the Old Testament that God identified Himself to Moses and the children of Israel with the title I AM—the ever-existent One. Then in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus takes this same name, showing clearly to the Jews that He was the Jehovah of the Old Testament. God in Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was not revealed before the Lord Jesus came into the world, although there were hints given in the Old Testament. But when the Lord Jesus came, He identified Himself as the One who had spoken to Moses in the Old Testament.

More than this, it was most important to recognize who the Lord Jesus was. Those who refused to accept His Person would die in their sins, for to reject the deity of the Son of God is to reject the One who wants to be our Savior. If the Lord Jesus is not the Son of God, then we have no Savior. Sadly, many of the Jews rejected Him as the Son of God, and refused to believe.

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name…Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17,20).

The Lord Jesus had sent seventy of His disciples out to preach, and when they came back, they were overjoyed that even the demons were subject to them, because of the name of the Lord Jesus. However, while the Lord Jesus shared their joy, He reminded them not to be so much taken up with what they had done, but rather with what He had done.

Whenever we do something for the Lord, even if it is with His guidance, approval, and strength, there is always the danger of our getting a little proud of what we have been able to do for Him. But when we think of our names being written in heaven, it makes us hang our heads. Did we have anything to do with that? No, for all we contributed was our sins. All the work was done by our Lord Jesus on the cross; we cannot have any pride about that. While we can be pleased if the Lord uses us in any way to serve Him, let us not be occupied with what we have done. What He has done is much more, and He is the only One worthy of glory.

“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray them which despitefully use you” (Luke 6:27-28).

When the Lord Jesus spoke to the people, His words went beyond the law of Moses. Under the law of Moses, if someone did wrong to you, you were entitled to seek justice, and to demand “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24; Matthew 5:38). However, the instructions of the Lord Jesus were totally different, and totally against our natural hearts. He instructed the people to love their enemies, and to do good to them. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we cannot do this in our own strength; we need a new life in Christ, in order to demonstrate divine love like this. But it is possible for us to do so if we know the Lord Jesus, and are truly saved.

The world today has a saying, “Don’t get mad; get even!” This is the way of the world, whether as individuals or as groups. But the Lord Jesus Himself showed us how to show divine love, and we are called to follow in His steps. The world cannot understand divine love that does good to its enemies, but it has won hearts for Christ, when people see the love that can pray even for those who treat us badly.

“The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day” (Luke 9:22).

When the Lord Jesus first began His earthly ministry, He presented Himself as the Messiah—the rightful King of Israel. There were many signs that ought to have convinced the people that He was the Messiah, for He fulfilled all the Old Testament prophesies concerning Himself. In the Old Testament it was foretold where He would be born, how He would be born, when He would be born, and many other details about His life. More than this, He did many miracles that had never been done before, as proof of who He was.

Sadly, the nation of Israel did not recognize Him, and would admit only that He was a great prophet. There came a point when the Lord Jesus stopped presenting Himself as the rightful King, and told His followers that He must die, yet rise the third day. This too had been prophesied in the Old Testament, yet many of His followers were very upset, as they were looking for a glorious kingdom to be set up. But Israel could not have the kingdom in their sinful condition, and neither could we. The Lord Jesus needed to suffer and die so that our sins could be put away. Only in this way could there be real blessing for us.

“Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him [the Lord Jesus]: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead…and Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see Him” (Luke 9:7,9).

The Herod family, started by Herod the Great, were really not Jews at all. They were Edomites, descended from the family of Esau. However, they managed to gain favor with the authorities in Rome, and thus had political power over certain parts of the land of Israel.

Sadly, while Herod had built a magnificent temple for the Jews, it does not seem that any of the family had real faith. The Herod mentioned in our verses today was the son of Herod the Great, and his desire to see the Lord Jesus was only because of curiosity. Later, the Lord Jesus referred to him as “that fox” (Luke 13:32), and when Pilate sent the Lord Jesus to him, Herod mocked and humiliated Him, and as part of the shame, put on Him a gorgeous robe.

How sad it is to have only a natural curiosity about the Lord Jesus, and not to have any real interest in being saved!

“And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him” (1 Samuel 18:14).

In reading this chapter in 1 Samuel, I think you will find that four times, we are told that David behaved himself wisely. Stop and think where he was. He was living in Saul’s court, where King Saul’s moods were swinging back and forth. One day he would enjoy and be calmed by David’s playing on his harp, and the next day he would throw a javelin at him, trying to pin him to the wall. Yet here we find a young man of whom it is recorded that he was wise in his behavior. You may be in hard circumstances, or have a difficult boss, or teacher. But you can, with the Lord’s help, behave wisely.

Many years later, Solomon wrote these words, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Solomon was David’s son, and I like to think that he learned some of what he wrote in the Proverbs from the example set by his father. The Lord Jesus is the perfect example in this for us, and we can also learn from other Christians who have been along the road ahead of us.

“And some…fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold” (Luke 8:7-8).

Spring is arriving in our little corner of the world right now. It has been a long and cold winter, with an unusually late spring, but there is a fuzz of green bursting out on the trees, and the early flowers such as daffodils are in bloom. We live in a wooded area and don’t have much sunshine in our yard. But we have a tiny garden in a sunny spot, and we are always checking it for those first shoots of green that show us there is life. How eagerly we wait for those signs!

The Lord looks for signs of life in us as well. And we older ones who care a lot about you young people, look for those life-signs in you. Sometimes, even though we may truly belong to the Lord, we don’t “bloom” much. Do others around us know that there is divine life in us? They should be able to see it!

Our small garden wouldn’t grow us anything if it didn’t get any sunshine! We need to keep in the sunshine of His love to produce fruit. How do we do that? Reading God’s Word and talking with Him in prayer. You too can “bring forth an hundredfold”!

“Them that honor Me, I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30).

This verse was part of a message given to Eli the priest. He was being rebuked for the terrible state that the tabernacle was in, and the offerings to the Lord. Eli himself was a godly man, and most of this disorder was because of his wicked sons. Sadly, Eli had not tried to discipline his sons, or restrain them from acting this way. He spoke to them but did nothing more. But this encouraging part is also inserted—a positive side to it all. There is always a way back; a way to correct things. Keep this in mind daily.

Often there are difficult decisions to make. Perhaps you are being offered a job that would have you working on the Lord’s Day. Is there a way around that? Ask your boss. You may be delighted with what the Lord can do. But perhaps He has a different path or job in view for you.

Sometimes it means giving up something we want in order to honor our Lord. Then the last clause of the verse, “I will honor” may not be seen until a coming day when He hands out His rewards for faithfulness. Nothing you ever do to honor Him will go unnoticed, or unrewarded.