Meaning of LEAD

(Heb. "ophereth"). It was a metal known to the ancients. The Israelites found lead in the loot taken from the Midianites (Num. 31:22). The Egyptians used it (Against Apion 1:34); It was very abundant in the Sinai Peninsula; It was also found in Egypt and Tarshish (Ez. 27:12), from where it was exported.

(Heb. "ophereth"). It was a metal known to the ancients. The Israelites found lead in the loot taken from the Midianites (Num. 31:22). The Egyptians used it (Against Apion 1:34); It was very abundant in the Sinai Peninsula; It was also found in Egypt and Tarshish (Ez. 27:12), from where it was exported.

Lead was used for weight (Zech. 5:7); it was written on lead tablets (Tacitus, Annals, 2:69; Pliny, Natural History 13:21; Pausanias 9:31, 4). Jb. 19:24 would be an allusion to these tablets, but it can be admitted that Job wanted to carve the letters into the rock so that they would remain indelible.

Father, as we honor the birth of your Son, let us think on mercy, healing, and reconciliation. Amen.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Healing Time

J. Stephen Lang

1868: On this date a political leader who grew up poor, had no formal education and was illiterate until his wife taught him to read and write, issued Proclamation 179 “granting full pardon and amnesty for the offense of treason against the United States during the late Civil War.”

Christmas means you have an eternal home waiting for you. That should make more than the angels sing!

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

A Personal Promise

Charles Stanley

Jesus came to earth with the view of offering you salvation. He wanted you to have a restored relationship with the Father, a relationship that was so close, so intimate, that you would have your special place in the Father’s house (John 14:1–4).

The only people in Israel who did recognize Christ at His birth were humble, unremarkable people.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Unexpected Savior

John MacArthur

Scripture records that when John the Baptist began his ministry, “The people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not” (Luke 3:15).

In the incarnation, God spanned the vast chasm of fear that had distanced him from his human creation

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Reflections on the Incarnation and Freedom of God

Philip Yancey

Think of the condescension involved: the incarnation, which sliced history into two parts had more animal than human witnesses. Think, too, of the risk. In the incarnation, God spanned the vast chasm of fear that had distanced him from his human creation.

Remember that His presence can be experienced. His promise is as true as ever.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Blessing of the Presence of Jesus

Charles Spurgeon

He is as certainly with us now as He was with the disciples at the lake when they saw coals of fire, fish on the coals, and bread (John 21:9). Not physically, but still in real truth, Jesus is with us!