PRÉCIS ON THE HIGH PLACES OF SINCERITY, TRUTH, AND HONOR IN THE HEART OF THE KING: 80 YEARS AND NOT COUNTING

PERSONAL NOTE. Let me say at the outset that even though I constructed this little study on ‘Truth’ days ago, it is fitting to my Quiet celebration of 80 years on this Earth, over half of which have been in service to our KING, JESUS THE CHRIST. I shouldn’t, by all accounts both spiritual and natural, be alive and well to tell Stories of Him. But I am, beloved, by His magnificent Purpose and Power, I still am able.

Thank You Lord, thank You from the top to the bottom of my very being. DK

SCRIPTURE. “If a man’s offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.” – LEVITICUS 3:1, AMP

KEY TERM: “WITHOUT BLEMISH.” ‘Tamim’ [תָּמִ֖ים]: “From Hebrew roots implying, ‘Integrity, truth;’ complete, full, perfect, sincerely, sound, undefiled, upright; blameless; linked with virtue, righteousness; wholesome, unimpaired, innocent; ‘of God’s Way – entirely in accord with truth and fact.’”

QUOTATION. “‘Truth is One.’ It doesn’t change. It covers all things which touch the heart – Honor and Pride and Pity and Justice and Courage and Love.”― WILLIAM FAULKNER, Go Down, Moses, 1942; edited

COMMENTARY. This is another Theme that we see all throughout Leviticus when it comes to offerings that were presented before God, they must be ‘without blemish.’ So basically, if you’re an Israelite, you wouldn’t take or couldn’t take the animal who is sick or has all of these problems and think, ‘Okay, I’ll sacrifice that, that way I’ll kinda’ save the best for myself and I’ll offer the worst to God.’ No, you would have to give an offering that’s without blemish, ‘that is perfect.’ And there’s really … Well, there’s multiple purposes going on here, but at least two of those purposes, think about it with me, one, ‘God was teaching his people to offer Him their best, not their leftovers.’” – DAVID PLATT, “Giving Our Best to God,” Sep. 4, 2018; edited

DK’S TAKE. I could have named this little essay, “The Lost Virtues,” since they appear to be in very short supply these days and virtually absent from the topics of our Sermons in Church – the valor of David Platt notwithstanding that vicious, vacuous trend.

Today all we hear of is love and compassion and forgiveness without end, but they are nothing – I say again – they are nothing without TRUTH! Why?

“Jesus said to him [that is Thomas, the Doubter], ‘I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” – JOHN 14:6, AMP

The essential Idea in this classic passage that is tragically and dangerous underestimated is amply summarized by WILLIAM MACDONALD: “‘The Lord is the Truth!’ He is not just One who teaches the truth. He IS The Truth! He is the embodiment of Truth. Those who [truly, fully] have Christ have the Truth. It is not found anywhere else” (Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1995, pp. 1545-1546; edited).

CODA. Beloved, we are living in the very headwaters of the Age of Antichrist, Lawlessness, and Deception. All the more reason why Truth ought to be aggressively pursued and shared with as many we can, again: ‘While it is still Day; for Night is fast approached when no one can work.’ Selah.