The Cross before Time

You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your fore–fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 1 Peter 1:18-20.

The Lord God’s foreknowledge made Him well aware of Adam’s future act of treason in Eden. Being expelled from the garden would seem, on the surface, a mild rebuke rather than a judicial decree. The declaration about death also doesn’t appear to be very frightening. Only as the record unfolds do we gain an appreciation of the horror and dread sin unleashed. A question remained. How could the holy God still communicate with the expelled couple, and later, their offspring?

Strange though it may be the answer is given in the closing book of the Bible. Revelation 13:8b tells us that the Lamb (a title for Jesus) was slain from the creation of the world. God could only bear with Adam and his offspring because in God’s mind the Cross had already taken place. God was able to deal with humanity because He looked at them through the Cross. This is still the only way He can deal with the world. One day, in His time, the Lord will say, ‘It’s judgment time!’ On that day He won’t be looking at people through the cross. He will be assessing them from his throne!

In the book of Job, one of the friends makes a very pertinent quote, ‘How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of a woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, how much less man…’ (Job 25:4-6a). In Genesis 3 Adam and Eve tried to make themselves respectable to God by covering themselves with fig leaves. It was an attempt to camouflage their true condition. There was no repentance and there was no indication of sin’s action being atoned.

In Genesis 3:21 is the act of real atonement. The word atonement refers to a covering. ‘The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.’ This was provided so as not to be offensive to God and thereby be destroyed. The initiative was God’s. It cost the life of a substitute animal. Here is a shadow of God’s answer to the quote from Job: the only way to be righteous before God is for someone to pay the price for our covering.

When Revelation 13:8b speaks of ‘a Lamb slain’ the word for slain refers to an act of slaying for the purpose of sacrifice. Within the sacrificial system of ancient Israel animals were slain as a substitute for the individual or nation. The shadow cast by the sacrificial system of Israel is fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Before time had begun the Godhead knew the consequences of creation mixed with freewill. God was willing to pay the price! The Lord was without sin. He fulfilled the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Therefore He was able to offer Himself as our atonement.

We are not automatically covered, and thereby protected, from God the Father’s justice. Faith must compel us to cry out to the Lord to forgive and to cover us. Only then are we fit to stand before Him. How beautiful is Galatians 3:26-27. ‘You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.’

Ray Hawkins

This is a day's devotional  from His book 'Captured by Calvary.'

http://rayhawkinsauthor.blogspot.com.au

Book Review and Interview with Lynn Squire

Joab’s Fire – a distant hope
                    –by Lynn Squire

Reviewed by Alice Valdal

Set in Western Canada, in an area now known as Alberta, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Joab’s Fire is a retelling of the story of Job from the Bible. Sgt. Clarence Dixon of the North West Mounted Police is the hero of the story, but, in many ways, Joab Black is the protagonist. In the character of Abbadon, Ms Squire has created a masterful version of evil incarnate. Handsome, charming, talented, this character slips into people’s lives, bringing chaos and destruction yet always eludes those who would call him to account, the quintessential villain.

Like Job, Joab is a good man, upright, generous, faithful and prosperous. When evil in the guise of a man called Abbadon, comes to town, Joab suffers terrible loss through no fault of his own. His son, his livelihood, his health are all taken from him.. Sgt. Dixon is determined to confront Abbadon and bring him to justice but he cannot prove that Abbadon caused the harm that befell Joab. What’s worse, Sgt. Dixon has a secret that, if revealed, could mean the end of his career or even death. Somehow, Abbadon has discovered that secret. Instead of finding justice for his friend, Sgt. Dixon must now confront his own guilt and face the consequences, while Abbadon continues to smile and spread misery.

I won’t give away the story here, but I will point you to II Corinthians 12:9
And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.


If the author’s intent was to make readers of Joab’s Fire turn to their Bibles, she certainly succeeded with me. The minute I closed her book, I hunted up Job in my Bible, and looked for similarities, especially in the “friends” who came to comfort Job/Joab. While the Biblical characters had always seemed remote to me, Barty and Nathaniel were very real, and, truth be told, often annoying. We can all relate to the busybody!

Now, here’s Lynn to answer a few more questions for us.


Alice: Of all the stories in the Bible, Job is one of the darkest and most difficult. What prompted you to choose Job as your subject in this book?

Lynn: When I was 19 I was very ill with allergies and chemical intolerances. One night after a bout of vomiting, I sat on the floor between the toilet and the tub and asked God why? Almost as clear as an audible voice I heard Him say, read Job.

I did as He said and was truly blessed. God is in control. He loves me, and the more I read Job, the more I appreciate this. Of late, I see Him reminding me that He'll do anything to ensure my close relationship with Him...even allow hardships into my life.

There are many wonderful verses in the Bible that testify to God's provision in trials. I look at Paul's life, and I see someone who chose to suffer like Jesus and rejoiced in that suffering because it drew him closer to his Saviour. Paul wanted that for his disciples. Here's what he wrote to the church in Colosse:

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering;" Col 1:9-11

Paul didn't pray for them to not suffer. He didn't pray that they'd gain wealth or physical health or escape hardships. Instead, this man who knew great sufferings, prayed what he discovered was of far greater value than worldly possession, the knowledge of God.

Just like Job, who said when his ordeal was over, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee." Job 42:5
We know that Job was a Godly man who feared the Lord. He even had all the pat answers to trials, but when it was over, he realized what he thought he knew of God, he didn't. When he repented of his assumptions, God blessed the latter end of Job's life more than his beginnings. Is that an awesome and merciful God?

In my own life each trial has deepened my understanding and love of God. I would not want to substitute that knowledge for pain-free living. I'm glad He thunks me on the head now and again to remind me that I don't know everything there is to know about Him. And each time I discover a new depth of His love and abundant mercies.


Alice: How did you decide on the time and place for Joab's Fire? (BTW, I love your descriptions of the prairies.)

Lynn: Writing teachers often say to write what you know. I know the prairies, love history, and am particularly proud of my Albertan heritage. I loved reading my grandparents memoirs and my sister gave me a book consisting of diary excerpts from NWMP officers in their early years.
All these played a part in my decision to set Joab's Fire in the area where I grew up, drawing upon my own heritage. While Arrowwood didn't exist at the time that the story occurs, I put my fictitious town in the same area and made Joab Black's farm a place my dad once lived as a boy. As a child, I used to play in the old buildings and dreamed up all sorts of stories to suit the setting.

Alice: You have some book signings coming up. Could you give us the details of where and when?

Lynn: I will be at:

The Vulcan Library, Vulcan Alberta June 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM.

The Arrowwood Library, Arrowwood, Alberta June 29, 2011 at 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

The Strathmore Library June 30, 2011 from 5:00-7:00 PM


Alice: Anything else you'd like to add?

Lynn: The publisher has changed the release date for Joab's Fire to September 15. However, you can purchased an early signed copy from me on my website at: http://www.PresentingBiblicalTruths.com. After you have read the book, please leave a comment on the website. I love to hear from my readers.

Alice:  Thanks Lynn, I wish you all success with Joab's Fire.  And, for one lucky reader, Lynn is doing a giveaway. Just leave a comment and your e-addy spelled out to be entered in a draw for Joab’s Fire.  Lynn has agreed to ship anywhere in the world, so don't be shy. Void where prohibited by law.

As a Canadian, I enjoyed the opportunity to read a work set in my own country.  We've had some discussion here about the joys and sorrows of reading "home" stories or those from "away."  Those from away are fascinating and stretch our minds to places and cultures we would never know.  Those from home have a special resonance -- we get all the subtext.  I encourage anyone to read Joab's Fire, whatever your background.
For more about me, go to my website: www.alicevaldal.com

Lord Give Me Patience, Only Do It Quickly

I was born in England where I spent the first five years of my life living in a small semi-detached house with my mum, brother and gran. At some point my future step-father appeared on the scene and my mum announced that she was going with him to South Africa for a while with a view to us moving there permanently. I had visions of dirt roads lined with grass huts and lions roaming about looking for something to eat. I had seen Tarzan on television, so can you blame me?

Within the year, we arrived in this weird world where the sky was so blue it hurt your eyes and the soil was not black but red. Our first stop was Westville outside Durban. We rented a house with massive windows looking out onto a terraced garden that seemed to go on forever. I was relieved to see that there were no lions, and delighted that we were not going to have to live in a grass hut. It was hot and humid and there seemed to be a thunderstorm almost every night. We would sit in the back bedroom and watch the forks of lightning flash across the sky, anticipating the mighty crashes of thunder and counting the seconds to see how far away we were from the storm.

It took me a while to adjust to life in South Africa. There was the heat, and the red soil, and the schools where the corridors all seemed to be on the outside of the buildings. There was the strange language where people greeted each other with 'howzit?' and the curious signs such as 'roomys ice-cream' (it was ages before I realized 'roomys' wasn't the brand name of the ice-cream) and 'city stad' that I always saw on the buses.

The other thing I remember about South Africa is the wildlife. For the first five years of my young existence, the only insects I had seen were some ants and the odd butterfly in my gran's back garden. In the few months we lived in Westville I discovered all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures, including snakes, spiders, flying ants, centipedes, and cockroaches the size of small rodents (with the wonderful Afrikaans name 'kakkerlakke'). My first experiences of kakkerlakke was particularly memorable. I had been given a small plastic cuckoo clock for Christmas (I really wanted a toy car, but it was a nice clock) and my mum hung it on the back door in the kitchen. Within a few days it stopped working so she lifted it off the door to have a look. As she did this, two big hard-shelled cockroaches scuttled out. I remember my mum screaming and dropping the clock into the laundry basket. So one of my earliest memories of Africa is of two bugs breaking a cuckoo clock.

Another vivid memory I have is of catching buses. We moved to Cape Town and rented a flat in a place called Camps Bay which nestles between the beach and the hillside beneath a series of outcrops along Table Mountain known as The Twelve Apostles. We were situated on a bus route that followed the coast into Cape Town city centre. One reason I remember it is because the road leading into the 'city stad' was quite winding in places and the drivers seemed to relish going as fast as possible. If you sat on the top deck on the lift side, you could almost see down the sheer drop to the rocky shoreline below as the drivers swung the vehicle around the tight bends, causing the top deck to lean out at an alarming angle. The other reason I remember these buses is because they seemed to take an age to come and then two or three would arrive at once. There was a timetable on the bus stop but I cannot remember ever catching one at the advertised time. Presumably, timetables were just suggestions of when it might be a good time to arrive at a stop, or possibly they were printed to give the drivers something to look at when they got bored hanging around at the terminal.

I remember complaining to my mum about this. She responded with: 'patience is a virtue' which had quite an impact on me. So what she was saying was: if you can sit for an hour and wait for a bus without complaining or fidgeting, or feeling like your brain is going to implode, then you have learned something good and noble? Suddenly, waiting for the bus without getting impatient became a lofty goal worthy of my best efforts. I would look at kids my age sighing and complaining and fretting, and think that I was somehow a step ahead of them. I began to pride myself on being able to sit and wait. It felt good to have conquered something so fundamental. Life involved a lot of waiting around and now I had learned how to cope.

Perhaps that's why I became a writer or, rather, why I continued as a writer even when the particular bus I was waiting for (the one with 'publication' on the front) was not just late but hand't even been built yet when I started writing my first novel. Let's face it, writing takes the kind of patience that would make Job sit up and take notice. You spend months writing our stories, editing them, submitting to agents and publishers. You spend weeks waiting for replies. You spend days fretting over criticisms. It's now May, which means we are entering competition season. For the next few months, those of you who have entered any of the numerous competitions out there will have to wait to see which books the judges like. That means more sitting at the bus stop, peering around the corner to see if the bus is coming, listening for the distinctive sound of the engine, checking to make sure you brought enough money for the ticket.

If patience is a virtue, then I think we writers can give ourselves a pat on the back, because we must be very virtuous indeed.