Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

This is very significant because usually calling upon the name of the Lord involved building altars and sacrificing the life blood of lambs, bulls, and goats. All the blood that flowed from Old Testament altars cannot be estimated in price. It all pointed to the priceless value of the one supreme sacrifice whose atoning blood ended all the vast rivers of blood shed on Old Testament altars.

Matthew 26:26-28: “And as they were eating Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Mark 14:23: “And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.”

John 6:53-57: “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.”

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they had to eat all the lamb, including the internals. These days the Jews only partake of the shank portion of the leg of the lamb.

However, we who believe in Christ, are to partake of His head (His mind and His vision), His hearing, His speech, His internals (bowels of mercies), His heart of love and compassion, His legs (to walk as He walked), and His hands to be our hands of welcome, love, embrace, and healing.

This is all because of Jesus’ shed blood.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The blood of Jesus Christ was, without doubt, a very big emphasis in the Old Testament church.

Genesis 3:21: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Adam and Eve clothed themselves with fig leaves, but God shed the blood of an innocent animal to clothe them.

Exodus: 12:3, 13: “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house . . . and WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD, I WILL PASS OVER YOU, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”

Genesis 4:10: “And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance.

Hebrews 12:24: “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” The voice of Jesus’ blood speaks better things (mercy, forgiveness, salvation, deliverance, and healing) for all mankind.

When the children of Israel left Egypt, they had to take a lamb for every household. Every day in the life of the Old Testament church, there were two lambs killed, the morning and evening sacrifice (Exodus 29:38, 39).

For the dedication of Solomon’s temple, they killed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep (1 Kings 8:63).

At Josiah’s Passover, he gave of his own substance 30,000 lambs and goats and 3,000 cattle; his princes gave 2,600 lambs and goats and 300 bullocks; and the Levite leaders gave 5,000 lambs and goats and 500 bulls (2 Chronicles 35:7-9). Wow, that’s 38,700 in all!

It was not the slain animals that God was impressed with, but rather the innocent blood. The inestimable value of all the blood of millions of sacrifices beginning with Abel to the patriarchs, to the sacrifice of the firstborn animal, to the dedications of the temples, as well as all the daily free will offerings, all pointed to the one great final sacrifice of absolute inestimable worth—the precious blood of God’s own son, Jesus Christ. He is the only One who takes away the sins of the whole world.

All these sacrifices and their blood pleaded day by day and year by year (as on the Day of Atonement) for mercy, favor, and forgiveness for all the sins of Israel (God’s chosen people).

How much more should we, every day, sing and shout the praises of Jesus’ blood that was so very much more effective and precious to cleanse the darkest stains of our sinful nature and give to us eternal salvation, mercy, and forgiveness?

The amazing truth is this: it took just one perfect and sinless sacrifice to take away sin and fulfil the rivers of blood that flowed from all the Old Testament altars.

If your church does not exalt and praise the precious blood of Jesus, you and your family can be deceived to build a Cain altar of your own works.

Make praising the blood of Jesus a strong part of your family worship time.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

When they called upon God, pleading His divine mercy to flow from His mercy seat which was the seat of His throne in the earthly tabernacle and temple, God answered their prayers. Why? Because of the blood of bulls and goats abundantly sprinkled upon the mercy seat.

But now, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, the sinless, spotless, Lamb of God, whose blood is on Heaven’s mercy seat, HOW MUCH MORE greater and abundantly above all that we could ask or even think shall our payers be answered.

Men, we must teach our families this great truth. I believe with all my heart that there is absolutely no limit to the leverage we have obtained in and through the precious blood of Jesus. Through His blood we can receive from God all that we could possibly imagine.

Psalm 81:10 says: “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” This means that God calls His people to ask Him for BIG requests. In this psalm God reminds His people of His great miracles when He delivered them out of the bondage of Egypt.

To see His mighty power again, all they had to do now was to repent, walk in His ways, and stop worshipping false gods.

Verse 11 states: “But my people would not hearken to my voice.”

Verse 14 says: “I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.”

Verse 16 says: "He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.”

This was all under the Old Covenant, sealed with the blood of bulls and goats.

HOW MUCH MORE shall the sinless, spotless blood of Jesus Christ prevail for us?

How wide do we open our mouths?

Teach your family the power of Jesus’ blood to receive answers beyond their wildest dreams.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

All our service, to and for God, can only be acceptable to Him based on the blood of Jesus Christ. All our so called good works become dead works if we think they can save us and make us more acceptable to God. Perish the very thought!

The only good works that are acceptable to God are the good works based on the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. The power of His blood purifies our hearts from all the boasting and pride of all the works done through the energy of our self-life. It is only the blood of Jesus that makes our works acceptable to God.

Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling.

• It is not how much more good works we have done; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER there is in the blood of Jesus.

• It is not how much more knowledge of the Bible we have; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER that is in His blood.

• It is not how much more sacrifice we have made, even to the laying down of our lives; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER that is in His blood.

• It is not how much more we have prayed; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER there is in the blood of Christ.

• It is not how much more we have attended church; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER there is in His blood.

• It is not how much more gifted we may be than others; it is rather HOW MUCH MORE POWER is in the blood of Jesus.

There is power, power, wonder-working power,
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The heavenly tabernacle, including the mercy seat, required purification, not with the blood of innocent animals, but with the precious blood of the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ.

If mercy flowed from the mercy seat on earth through the blood of animals for the temporary forgiveness of sin, how much more shall the blood on Heaven’s mercy seat obtain for us a FAR GREATER forgiveness and salvation? Through the mercy seat on earth the blessings flowed to protect, heal, prosper, and give victory over enemies. How much more from Heaven’s mercy seat? And we also have a stronger guarantee that our prayers will be heard and answered when we plead the precious blood of Jesus Christ rather than the blood of earthly bulls, goats, and lambs.

Why don’t we plead the blood more?

Hebrews 10: 4 states: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” They only provided a temporary band aid until the true sinless, Lamb of God was slain and His blood applied to Heaven’s mercy seat. Jesus’ precious blood is the only guarantee for our prayers to be heard.

In Hebrews 9:7 we read that the High Priest of Israel could only approach the earthly mercy seat once a year and He could only do this with the blood of animals. But now we can come boldly through the name of our heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, who by His own blood entered ONCE AND FOR ALL into the Holy of Holies in Heaven, “having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).

Men, we must teach our families this great truth so that our faith will be increased to see our prayers answered.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

We must never forget that all of God’s benefits and goodnesses towards us from the beginning of time have their source and foundations in the mercy seat of His throne.

The mercy seat reveals to us the greatness of our Heavenly Father’s heart.

However, the mercy seat would have absolutely no benefit to us if it were not for the blood of the innocent, pure Lamb of God sprinkled upon it.

Referring to the faces of the cherubims looking at one another as well as both looking towards the mercy seat, some commentators speculate that their faces would have a look of amazement, awe, and wonder. They saw the ark carrying the Ten Commandments which were righteous and holy, yet they condemned and judged us guilty and worthy of death because we were helpless to keep them perfectly.

If it were not for the blood-sprinkled mercy seat the cherubims’ faces would have appeared sad and grieved. However, the Scriptures say that their faces in unity were not actually looking at the judgmental law, but at the mercy seat which was sprinkled with innocent blood.

This is a picture of the righteous wrath of God being satisfied with the atoning blood of His innocent, sinless Son, resulting in His great heart of mercy flowing abundantly towards His fallen creation of mankind.

The truth is that God is more than satisfied with the blood of His Son. When we boldly approach the One who sits on Heaven’s mercy seat, we can plead the precious blood of Christ and know that God is totally appeased.

Hebrews 4:16 say: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The Darby Bible Translation says: “Mercy GLORIES over judgment.”

J. B. PHILLIPS: “Mercy SMILES in the face of judgment.”

We all agree that the law written on the tables of stone was righteous and good, and yet in another sense, it judged and condemned all who could not keep it. And who could keep it?
If it were not for the blood-sprinkled mercy seat we would be hopelessly lost and appointed to death.

Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The mercy seat, sprinkled with innocent blood, makes the ark of the covenant attractive to us. If it were not for the mercy seat, the ark of the covenant would be terrifying and fearful. We would be afraid to approach it.

Praise God, it is the blood-sprinkled mercy seat that attracts us and gladdens our hearts. It reveals to us that despite our hopeless state caused by our sins against His righteous laws, that we have a God who loves us and shows us amazing mercy. He shows us this incredible mercy in a righteous and just way because of the innocent blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, the innocent Lamb of God.

His blood has been sprinkled on Heaven’s mercy seat. Hebrews 9:22, 23: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”

I am so incredibly glad for Heaven’s blood-sprinkled mercy seat. I need His mercy so much. So do we all.

Furthermore, we are exhorted to come “BOLDLY unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

We are all living in a time of great need, not only for ourselves, but also on the behalf of so many others who are suffering, here and in persecuting countries. We must come to this mercy seat on behalf of all in the Houston area who are suffering the loss of almost everything they own.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

P.S. Bible translations that say: “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
ESV, BECK, BSB, GOODSPEED, HCSB, NEB, NET, NIV, NASB, NKJV, GW, WEYMOUTH, WEB, WILLIAMS. There may be more, but this is what I found.

The “ark of the testimony” was a piece of furniture to protect the stone tablets containing the testimony (the ten commandments) written with the finger of God. Because the ark is called the “ark of the testimony” or the “ark of the covenant” the testimony must take preeminence. The law reveals the holy, righteousness of God in His works and nature, but it had no power to make men keep it.

The mercy seat was OVER the law in that it was positioned above the ark and in a sense helped to protect the testimony.

The law, because of man’s weakness, became our judge and condemned us. However, the mercy seat, covered by the innocent blood, became man’s salvation.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

What an amazing name! We also read a similar name in 1 Samuel 4:4: “The ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims.”

The Lord of hosts mean the Lord of the heavenly armies, the God of battles. Throughout the ages, God’s people have faced many battles, both personally and nationally. Israel has faced many wars and persecutions. Christians in many counties have faced, and are currently facing, great persecution in the form of imprisonment, torture, hunger, and deprivation of food and clothing.

We must never forget that the same God who sent His angel to shut the lion’s mouths when Daniel was cast into the lion’s den is the same God that provided Elisha with a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire to protect him and his fearful servant.

The God who sent His angel to rescue Peter who slept between the two guards while the church prayed without ceasing for him is the same God who is more than willing to fight our battles for us too.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were provided an Angel like unto the Son of God to save them from fiery furnace.

We as families and churches must learn to call upon the One who sits on the Mercy Seat in heaven, the Captain of the heavenly hosts whoa are mighty in battle.

In the margin of my Bible regarding 2 Samuel 6:2 it states: “At which the name of the LORD of hosts was called upon.” The ark was the place where they called upon the Lord God of heaven’s armies.

Dear families and churches, we must never lose sight of Jesus Christ, who has now been given all authority and power to smash down all our enemy strongholds.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

This passage calls the ark the ARK OF THY STRENGTH. Also, in Psalm 78:16 Asaph the psalmist writes about the ark of the covenant and says that God “Delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.”

As long as the ark was in the midst of God’s people, His strength united them. This was the same Strength that created all things, that displayed mighty signs and wonders when He delivered them from Egypt, that dried up the Red Sea in the Gulf of Akaba which separated Egypt from Saudi Arabia. He is the Strength of all strengths.

They faced many dangers during their forty years’ wilderness journey in Saudi Arabia, including hostile enemies.

In Numbers 10:33-36 we read how the ark went before them to search out a resting place for them. “And the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered: and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.”

The Israelites quickly learned that the only way they could survive this dangerous wilderness was to let the Ark of God’s Strength lead them from one resting place to another. They were safe and protected from all enemy attack as long as the Ark of God’s Strength led them.

They had to keep their eyes on the ark. If they didn’t, they quickly lost their way.

The ark was not only God’s Strength, it was also their strength while they kept their eyes on it and did not lose sight of it.

Jesus Christ is now our Ark of God’s Strength. The physical ark of the Old Testament embodied the great strength and power of God and was a type of Jesus Christ, who was filled with the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2;9). The ark represented everything that God is today—His presence, glory, strength, power, leadership, protection, provision, health, wisdom, and knowledge. Oh, how we need His strength.

King David spoke so much of God’s strength.

Psalm 27:1: “The LORD is my light and my salvation’; whom shall fear; the LORD IS THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 28:7: “The LORD IS MY STRENGTH and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”

Psalm 118:14: “The LORD IS MY STRENGTH and song, and is become my salvation.”

We must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, the ark of our strength, at all times.

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

Colin Campbell

Holiness is a major doctrine of both the Old and New Testaments. Holiness is not only limited to the Old Testament as some people think. It is just as strong in the New Testament.

1 Peter 1:15, 16: “But he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Hebrews 12;14: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”

The tabernacle, and later the temple, was divided into three areas. The outer court, the holy place, and the Holy of Holies. Paul instructs the Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The Greek word for “temple” is “naos” which was the heart of the temple. It means “the Holy of Holies,” the sacred place where God’s Shekinah glory dwelt.

During the wilderness journeys, the priests carried the ark on their shoulders, typifying in picture form the New Testament church which carries the ark of God in our bodies as we journey through his world as strangers and pilgrims.

We must never ever take the holiness of our God for granted. This is not to say we should try to establish our own holiness. We should seek to walk in an ever-closer relationship with the One who is our “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” “Sanctification is the same word that is translated “holiness.”

Jesus Christ is our holiness. He desires to work out His holiness through us. This is such an important truth and the church in general has often failed to grasp the importance that the Scriptures place on it.

Some have tried to put a greater emphasis on holiness and ended up in cold, stereotype legalism. God’s true holiness rings with love, joy, peace, and freedom. If these attributes are not present our so-called holiness may not be holiness at all.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

4) THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD OF ALL THE EARTH (Joshua 3:11). What an amazing name for the ark of the covenant. The blessings of this ark are not only for Israel, but for everyone on the whole earth.

God places His ark throne in the midst of His people so He can reign through His people over all the nations of the earth.

Joshua 3:13 states: “And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear THE ARK OF THE LORD, THE LORD OF ALL THE EARTH, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above: and they shall stand upon an heap.”

Joshua 4:24: “That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God forever.”

Although the ark of the covenant had a special relationship with Israel as God’s chosen people, it was for the nations of the whole earth. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob chose Israel, and Mt. Zion which is situated in the center of the earth, to set up His ark throne. Not only would His ark throne rule Israel, but in the set time govern the whole earth.

Isaiah 2:2-4: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it.

“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

“And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

All the truths and revelation of the tabernacle teaching find its fulfilment in the person of Jesus Christ.

* He is the Lamb of God, slain upon the brazen altar.
* He is the Word into whose name we are baptized at the brazen laver, representing baptism.
* He is the Light of the world, represented by the golden lampstand.
* He is the Bread on the table of shewbread, who feeds not only the twelve tribes of Israel, but also His living Word to all believers throughout the whole earth.
* He is the Golden Altar of Incense and through His name all our prayers are made.
* Finally, He is our Ark and Mercy Seat, our propitiation which is covered with His precious blood.

Because He is the ARK OF THE LORD OF THE WHOLE EARTH He can save all who put their trust in Him—from every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation.

Revelation 19:13, 15: “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. . . And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

In Psalm 2:8 Father God tells His Son: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”

As praying people, we join Him in prayer for all nations.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

He is the LORD OUR GOD and we must worship Him. He is seated at the right and of the Father on the ark throne in Heaven which symbolizes our salvation. This ark is also sprinkled with Jesus’ blood.

In 1 Kings 2:26 Solomon calls the ark, “The ark of the LORD GOD.” It is in the context of pronouncing judgment on Abiathar the priest who had conspired to make Adonijah king instead of Solomon. He didn’t put him to death at that time “because thou barest the ark of the LORD GOD,” but thrust him out from being priest. He was the last descendant of Eli to be priest because they did not respect the tabernacle and all that pertained to it, especially because it was the tabernacle containing the ark throne of the LORD GOD!

Eli’s sons did not respect the things of God. They kicked at the sacrifices of God’s altar. When God reprimanded Eli in 1 Samuel 2:29 He said: “Wherefore do you kick at MY sacrifice and MY offering which I have commanded in MY habitation, and honor your sons more than me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel MY people.” These things didn’t belong to Eli and his sons, but to God.

Through God’s amazing grace in Christ Jesus “He giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (2 Timothy 1:17). However, we must be careful to remember the words of Romans 11:36: “For OF HIM, and THROUGH HIM, and TO HIM, are all things: to WHOM BE GLORY FOREVER. Amen.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell