The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

II Samuel 3:30-34, “So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon. 31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, ‘Tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before Abner.’ And King David walked behind the bier. 32 Thus they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 And the king chanted a lament for Abner and said, ‘Should Abner die as a fool dies? 34 Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in fetters; as one falls before the wicked, you have fallen.’ And all the people wept again over him.”

Things were not always smooth in Israel. In some ways, ancient times were virtually as difficult as they are today. Of course, if someone were to intentionally kill a member of my family, I would undoubtedly want to take revenge for the killing, too. But laws in David’s era were different from what they are today. Furthermore, David obeyed the laws of his God.

Tearing one’s clothes and putting on sackcloth were early Jewish rituals for showing love for the one who had died. There was always sufficient time for avenging a death. It is easy to see that the Israelites were not simply “bloodthirsty,” for they dealt with the suffering family before effecting vengeance on the one who killed their brother.

As believers in our LORD Jesus Christ, we should never plan or execute vengeance on others, regardless of what they do against us. We live under the mandates of the New Testament. Our chief responsibility is to confess our sins and heinous thoughts to the LORD and seek His forgiveness for even our thoughts of retribution. We must remember that our primary responsibility in such situations is to “show forth to the praise of His glory.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas,

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

I Samuel 12:12-16, “When you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ although the LORD your God was your king.

13 “Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the LORD has set a king over you.

14 “If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the LORD, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.

15 “And if you will not listen to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

16 “Even now, take your stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes.”

There’s an old children’s song that you may have learned as a child. It has but seven verses, and verse three reads as follows:

“O be careful little tongue what you say;

O be careful little tongue what you say;

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love;

So, be careful little tongue what you say.”

Israel had seen her enemy coming against her. She would have done well to have looked to the LORD for protection; yet she refused. How like Israel we often are! We know the LORD is our best protection, yet we cry out for help from another source, as Israel did. Who do you know that’s a better protection than Jesus? Why, then, are you not trusting Him in the situation you are currently facing?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas,

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Ruth 4:1-6, “Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, friend, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.

2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.

3 Then he said to the closest relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech.

4 “So I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.'” And he said, “I will redeem it.”

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.”

6 And the closest relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it.”

To be sure, it was a different day. The law in Israel varied considerably from what we would find it to be, even today. Earlier in this Book of Ruth, we learn that Ruth, a Moabitess, had accepted Israel as her home. We also learn that Boaz, a wealthy businessman, had come to love Ruth and intended to marry her. But there were legal maneuvers to which Boaz was required to adhere before the marriage could be officially recognized.

Unfortunately, we’ve drifted considerably from those ancient requirements. Still, Boaz loved the LORD; and he was determined to follow the teachings of his religion. What a joy it would be were we to be as faithful to the LORD’s teachings today as Boaz was in ancient Israel.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas, USA

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Deuteronomy 5:27-29, “Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.

28 “And the LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.

29 ‘Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!”

It took me a few years to completely understand that I was on the “learning end” of the wise counsel of my parents. When I commenced to listen, however, it soon became clear to me that all instructions that came from my parents were my responsibility to obey. I should have learned from the hymn we sang so often: “Trust and Obey.”

Reading this final book of Moses ought to have pierced my soul more rapidly than it did. We are to hear and obey the Words of the LORD before we seek to do anything. To do otherwise is to self-author directives that allow only our weak, human wills to reign supreme.

Israel quite often self-authored her own directives, and she paid dearly for it! We can be thankful that we possess these writings of Moses, for they clearly lead us in the LORD’s right paths. Are you endeavoring today to walk in “these right paths” of the LORD? I hope we both will.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas, USA

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Numbers 1:1-4, 17-19, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, ‘In the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the Land of Egypt, saying,

2 ‘Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head

3 from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

4 “With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father’s household.

17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name,

18 and they assembled all the congregation together on the first of the second month. Then they registered by ancestry in their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, head by head,

19 just as the LORD had commanded Moses. So, he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.”

Everything that the LORD does, He does with a purpose. Israel had just come from Egypt, and it was only sensible that there be an accounting of their numbers. Who but the LORD would know what opposition would lie before them?

So it is with us. Each born-again believer in Jesus Christ has an assignment. Some will be quite normal in the sight of others; some will be unique and spectacular! It’s important for us to know what specific assignment the LORD has for each of us. Understandably, and in time, we will come to know the assignments we need to know; nevertheless, our focus must remain on what we are called to do.

Rewards come to those who do their work well. Keep your eyes on the Captain and tend well to His assignment for you.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas, USA

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom