"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

Friends, take heed; Now the Word of God does not yield up its meaning to lazy people. Salvation is free; but "Truth" has to be "bought" (see Proverbs 23:23); yet few indeed are willing to pay its stipulated price. Not only do the Scriptures have to be "searched" (John 5:39), and searched "daily" (Acts 17:11); not only does passage have to be carefully compared with passage (I Corinthians 2:13); not only must all this be done in meekness (Psalm 25:9) and complete dependency upon God (Proverbs 3:6); but there must be a fervent crying "after knowledge" and an importunate "lifting up of the voice for understanding," and seeking her "as silver", yea, a searching for her as for "hid treasure" (Proverbs 2:1-5, KJV). The Word of God represents the fallen children of Adam as being spiritually bound with chains, shut up in death, securely held in prison, so that nothing short of a miracle of grace, the putting forth

  The Cities of Refuge (Part 2) by D.G. Miles McKee Then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there.  (see Numbers 35:11) . In Joshua 20:7-8, they appointed six cities to which a person, guilty of manslaughter, could flee for refuge.  When inside the city, the guilty person was safe. As you remember, from last week, each city, in its name, gives us a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus. Last time we considered the city of Kedesh and in it saw Christ as our Holiness.  This time let’s think about Christ, our Shechem.   2)  Shechem. What does the name Shechem tell us about Christ?  In the Hebrew language, Shechem means ‘shoulder.’ A shoulder is often used for carrying things and so it is that Jesus carries His people. Moses speaks of God conducting the children of Israel through the wilderness as a man carries his weak and weary child (see Deuteronomy 1:31).  Carrying is the kind of thing the Almighty does.

"Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more." -Proverbs 31:6, 7  [KJV] What is the strong drink of the gospel but the covenant love, faithfulness, and grace of Jehovah? And what is the wine of the gospel but the love of Jesus, which the church saith is better than wine? Tell a poor sinner that is ready to perish, of God the Father's everlasting love towards His people, who were all by nature sinners ready to perish, when God passed by and bid them live; tell them that such was God's love that He gave His only begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life; tell them of Jesus, His Godhead, His Manhood—both natures united in one person, forming one Christ; tell them, that faith in His blood will save the soul; that God the Father hath respect only to the person and worth of His dear Son; and that