Our Divine Home

“Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.” (Ps 90:1 AV)

These are the words of Moses.  They are in reflection of Israel’s repeated failures and God’s loving correction.  The psalm is a recognition of this fact, but also a prayer to continue this pattern so that in the end, the LORD might grow and use Israel.  Israel had a land in which to traverse.  They had tents in which they resided.  They had fields into which they sent their flocks and herds.  During their wilderness wanderings, they still had places to which they called home.  It wasn’t like they were on the move every day of the year for forty years.  There were places they stopped for a season.  To say they had no earthly dwelling place would not be accurate.  When Moses refers to the LORD as the dwelling place of Israel, he is not speaking of a place of rest for the body.  He is speaking of a place of rest for the soul.

Lately, my mind is looking ahead at some needs my wife and I will need.  The current residence is a wonderful home.  But as we age, this will change. My in-laws are getting to that age where a house is a bit too much for them to care for.  They are beginning the thinking process of what the future might hold as far as living arrangements.  Looking at our situation, we can navigate stairs just fine.  Getting up and down from the first to the second floor is no problem.  But that will not always be the case.  There will come a time when brushing snow and ice off a car is a little too much to handle.  For us, that may not be for another couple of decades.  But it will eventually be the case.  There will come a time when our earthly house will need changes.  The same is true of our earthly tabernacle.  Our bodies will begin to fail.  This will necessitate rather dramatic changes.  There will be more pills, more exams, more tests, and more appliances.  There will be increased doctor appointments, scans, and blood work.  That which we come to depend on for our security and comfort will no longer be adequate.  There will be change.

But for the soul, there is only one dwelling place.  And He never changes.  There is one constant that we have.  The LORD is our dwelling place.  He is the one who brings comfort and security to our souls.  One thing I have learned is that our earthly habitations will never be perfect.  There will always be something not up to our needs or standards.  This is not so with God.  What is funny is we work so hard to provide temporal security and comfort but the one that can make all others seem adequate we tend to value the least.  Israel constantly complained because their earthly sources of security and comfort were not perfect.  Whether it was water, food, shelter, or protection, there was always a need.  The one provision for peace of mind and heart they valued the least.  The LORD puts up with a lot of us.  We fail Him way too much.  To many, the LORD is an afterthought.  To others, He is not in all our thoughts.  He is the only One who can give peace to the soul.  He is our dwelling place.  It should be to Him we go for peace and rest.  It should be our relationship with the LORD that takes priority.  It should be this relationship that is maintained with impeccable standards.  Yet, He is often the least of our concerns.

A Way Out

“And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.” (1Sa 29:9 AV)

A bit of background here.  This event is toward the end of David’s eight-year flight from Saul.  He was extremely exhausted from all the running he was doing and was convinced Saul would eventually kill him unless he did something drastic.  So, he and his men went to dwell among the Philistines.  This was extremely unwise.  David killed their champion fifteen years earlier and occasioned the death of tens of thousands of Philistines over the years in battles here and there.  For David to seek sanctuary in the camp of the enemy was very extreme.  And also, very compromising.  Over the ensuing months, David gained the trust of the king of the Philistines.  Achish made David the keeper of his head.  That was pretty important.  Then Saul came against the Philistines and Achish had the idea of using David to his advantage.  This put David in a very precarious position.  He was asked to go to battle against his king and country to assist his enemy.  God intervened and led the princes of the Philistines to wisely change Achish’s mind and send David away.  David, because of his weariness, placed himself in a very compromising position.  The LORD knew this and provided a way out.

This brings to mind something that happened to me in the distant past.  I had gone through a particularly hard time and there was a major life change looming in the immediate future. I was spiritually and emotionally worn out.  I had never been this weak before.   My wife and I made a major decision and it came back to haunt us for several months.  I will not get into the details, but what we chose to do wasn’t the smartest of all choices.  It was legal, ethical, and moral, but the circumstances had the potential to cause great anxiety in the process.  Over a period of about three months or so, this situation went from bad to worse to better, then to worse again.  It was a see-saw of emotions and decisions that caused me to almost lose it.  I had to call a friend to talk me out of a panic attack.  However, the LORD provided a way out!  Praise the LORD.  In hindsight, we should not have made this decision.  We simply didn’t know all the ramifications of what this decision would be.  The way out was a miracle.  I had never breathed so freely in my entire life.

God does not bring us out of every fix we put ourselves into.  In fact, most of which He does not.  He gives us a way by which we can fix it.  But there are times when we make decisions that were better if never made at all.  We do so in a moment of weakness.  We go down the wrong path because our souls are very low.  It is at these times the LORD has great compassion for us.  It reminds me of 1 Cor 10:13.  This principle gives us great hope.  We are not the brightest lightbulb in the lamp.  We don’t always see it as we should.  Sometimes we react and do something when we should not have done such.  The LORD knows our frame.  He knows we are weak.  As a loving Father would do, He picks us up, brushes us off, and leads us out of the mess we have made for ourselves.  Praise the LORD for His compassion!

Praise The LORD for Our Abigails

“And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.” (1Sa 25:32-33 AV)

It takes quite a woman to affect a man for his own good.  David and his men provided protection for a man named Nabal.  He and his household were shearing sheep in the wilderness.  This was a risky business.  Predators and robbers alike could have brought great loss or death as Nabal’s servants performed their duties.  David and his men surrounded Nabal and his household and kept them safe. This they did at their own expense.  As supplies dwindled, they asked Nabal for some consideration.  They didn’t ask for much.  All they asked for was some compensation for the services already rendered.  Nabal refused to compensate David for his expenses and worse, accused David of being a runaway slave.  To this, David’s anger was stirred.  He commanded his men to arm themselves because they were fixing to do Nabal and his household justice well deserved.  Then enters Abigail.  Abigail, Nabal’s wife, fixes a feast and sends it to David and his men.  She begs David not to harm her husband even though Nabal is a drunken madman.  David relents and his comments are seen above.

When I read this, I am struck with the wisdom and skill of Abigail.  David has several wives.  But it was Abigail who is seen in more detail than all of his wives, with the exclusion of Michal.  Abigail is the wife David should have had all along.  She is wise and she knows how to handle her husband.  She is not haughty.  She is not arrogant.  She is humble and persuasive.  She sees her husband's faults and rather than harp on them, she tries to overcome them.  For his own good.  She did that with Nabal and she did that with David.  Abigail is the wife David needed all along.  She saw his great leadership and bravery but also knew it needed a bit of refining.  She saw he was prone to react emotionally and knew she could be that balancing influence to make David a greater man than he was.  It astounds me every time I read this passage how much feminine wisdom is essential for us husbands.  David would have taken the life of someone who deserved it.  Yes.  But he would have gotten the reputation of being vindictive.  His wife saved him from a rash decision that would have harmed him in the long run.

If the truth be told, us men owe a lot more to our wonderful wives than we realize.  They are far more wise than we may recognize.  They have a way of seeing us in all our unflattering persona and rather than use our faults to their own ends, they wisely compliment who and what we are to get the best out of us.  That is who I married.  She is the best of the best.  I have the cream of the crop.  My wife is the wisest person I know.  She has pulled me off the ceiling more times than I care to remember.  When I was a bit out of my league or worse, out of my mind, she pulled me back into reality.  It is often said that women are the more unstable of the genders.  Not so.  We simply manifest it differently.  Men, we need our wives far more than we realize.  Like Nabal and David, we need our Abigail to run interference sometimes.  We need her to pipe up and say something in meekness and fear.  We need to hear things that only she can say.  We need her to give guidance that only she can see.  Praise the LORD I married my Abigail and I trust you are as blessed as I am.

Safe And Secure

“Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.” (1Sa 22:23 AV)

That was quite a boast David made to his men.  But he could!  The LORD anointed him to be the king in the stead of Saul and his house.  This promise was unconditional.  David was destined to be the king and there was nothing that could alter this.  As long as David obeyed the LORD, he would ascend the throne.  So, too, would all the men who served him be safe.  He made this promise to Abiathar.  Abiathar was the sole survivor of a slaughter of the priests at Nob.  Doeg the Edomite, a pagan servant to Saul, showed no fear and carried out the execution order of Saul.  The rest of Saul’s servants had enough respect for the priesthood not to raise a hand against them.  But not a heathen.  He was glad to do it.  Abithar got away and fled to David.  This we read the promise above.  Since they shared a common enemy and the promise was to David, whoever allied themselves with David would also enjoy some benefits from that promise.  This is a great picture of the church and the LORD Jesus Christ.

The LORD has many enemies.  The world and the Devil hate Him.  They do everything they can to destroy Him.  They are enemies of all those who seek to follow Him.  For the moment, it seems those who hate God far outnumber those who desire to worship Him.  This isn’t to say we love and serve an inferior God.  Not so.  There are promises made by the Father to the Son.  “For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Mr 12:36 AV)  Jesus teaches us that He sits on the right hand of the Father until the Father brings all into subjection to the Son.  This promise was made in eternity.  It is unconditional.  There is nothing that will change this.  Jesus made this promise secure by living and serving the Father in complete holiness and obedience even to the cross of Calvary.  By His obedience, the Son secured forever the promise of the Father.  Philippians tells us that because of His obedience to the Cross, the Son will sit on the throne of glory where everyone ever created will bow the knee and confess Him to be the King of kings and LORD of lords.  This brings us to the picture and promise above.

When we accepted Him as our Savior as Abiathar accepted David as his protector, Jesus is able to make the same promise.  This promise is not one from all trouble.  David would flee from Saul for several years.  In those years, Abiathar would be inconvenienced as well.  Being safe with God does not mean we will never suffer hardships.  How temporal and short-sighted it is of us to think of this promise strictly in terms of the terrestrial.  Rather, we are safe with the Savior no matter where our life may take us.  Through deep waters and better days, we are safe and secure.  Through troubles, trials, and persecutions, we are safe with the LORD.  We are by His side.  Or, rather, He is by our side.  He will never leave nor forsake us.  He is always there.  He never abandons us.  When we pass off into eternity, no matter how that happens, Jesus is there to walk us, hand in hand, to the glory that awaits.  There is nothing the enemies of God can do to separate us from the love of Christ.  Nothing.  They may breathe out great threats.  They may huff and puff.  They might even inflict painful experiences.  But nothing they do can separate us from the love of Christ!  Nothing!  Glory!

Bigger Than We Will Ever Need

“And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.” (1Sa 21:9 AV)

There is no record of how big the sword of Goliath was.  We know the spear of Goliath was easily three times the size of one used by a normal-sized man.  It was twenty-six feet tall with a seventeen-pound head on it.  The shaft was 2-2 ½ inches in diameter.  That is really huge.  A pole vaulter’s pole is anywhere from 12 feet to 16 feet.  Goliath’s spear was twice the length and ten times the weight.  Someone like that who would wield a spear of that size had to have an equally impressive sword.  According to the Bible, it took multiple men to carry Goliath’s armor to the battlefield.  No doubt!  When I think of David attaining Goliath’s sword for battle, I have to chuckle.  Remember, David is a little guy.  He was fair-skinned and not much to look at.  When he picked up that sword, it was clearly not fitted to the man carrying it.  It was more than he could handle and more than he needed.  But what this brought to mind is what the word of God is to the child of God as we battle our spiritual battles.  Far more than we need at any given moment and equally powerful against our foe or trial.

The size of the weapon is an indication of the fight in the man!  Regardless of whether he can wield it or not, the capability is a manifestation of the possibilities.  One of my favorite YouTube channels is Kentucky Ballistics.  Scott’s specialty is firearms that kick really hard.  I have to admire him.  He fires things I wouldn’t dare consider.  Especially at my age, I would probably dislocate my shoulder.  Or worse!  One of my favorite firearms I enjoy watching is the punt gun.  This shotgun is massive.  It takes a specially built cradle in order to aim and fire it.  It is so large, that you cannot shoulder it.  The shotgun weighs well over one hundred and fifty pounds.  It is nine feet long.  It fires a one-pound lead ball.  The felt recoil is 23,000 pounds.  That means if you were standing behind it and tried to anchor it, you most likely would not survive.  Another of his long guns is called the four-bore.  This gun can be shouldered and fires a four-gauge projectile.  This is the largest production rifle available today.  When Scott fires that rifle, it throws him back a few feet.  The destructive power of these firearms is indescribable.  The transfer of energy is massive.  But what I admire about Scott is his interest in more recoil in a measure of the fight in the man.  So much so that he almost lost his life when firing another rifle with over-pressured rounds.  He should not have lived through that, but the fight in the man was greater than the weapon he used.

If we only understood the resource we have in God’s word!  The word of God is supernatural.  It is that which the LORD has provided to fight any and all battles we will face.  The problem is our faith.  We have to believe it can perform miracles in the mind, heart, and soul.  We have to believe the words we are reading are the words of our Creator-God who gave them to us, translated them for us, and preserved them through the ages that we might hear from Him any time we open its pages.  The word of God is a miracle.  It should not naturally exist.  Mankind has tried to destroy it many times over.  Without success, I might add.  The word of God is to us what the sword of Goliath was to David.  Found in the house of God, the man of God took it with him wherever he went.  It was on his side ready to be drawn from its sheath whenever it was needed.  It would always be larger than any opposing sword it would face.  We have, at our disposal, all that we need to live our lives for the glory of God.  We have at our side all we need to slay whatever giants come our way.  We have at our side God’s holy word.  His voice.  His commands, encouragement, and timeless truth.  The adversary may scoff.  He may snort.  He may bellow out threatenings.  But no adversary can withstand the sword of the LORD!

Ya Gotta Love This Guy!

“And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (1Sa 17:32 AV)

Ya gotta love this guy!  Imagine the scene.  The entire army of the Jewish people was entrenched on the side of a mountain.  On the other side is the entire army of the Philistines.  A champion in the person of Goliath throws down a challenge.  If there is any one man who can kill him, then the Philistines will surrender and be the servants of Israel.  However, if this nine-foot giant took the life of the best Israel had to offer, then Israel would be enslaved to the Philistines.  Now, understand that on that mountain were the best of the best.  Saul was the first king to form a professional army.  Before then, the Judges of Israel were limited to an all-volunteer army.  Under a king, they had professional training.  They were the elite. They were the largest, most intelligent, most muscular, and bravest of all.  Yet, when looking at Goliath, they all become jello.  Now comes this little guy. He is the youngest of all present.  He is the smallest.  He is fair-skinned, which means he sunburns easily.  Perhaps he has a bit of redness to his cheeks.  At first appearance, he would come off as a weak mama’s boy.  Yet, he has the faith and courage to calm men who easily best him by a wide margin.  The smallest and least capable is telling the largest and most able to take courage and he will take care of the big bad scary monster.

Adversity is a funny thing.  It often strengthens what we perceive as weakness.  This perception continues in the opinions of others, but they are completely unaware of what it was the LORD brought us through that gives us what we need to overcome present challenges.  When David was challenged as to his ability to defeat Goliath, his resume was that he killed a hungry lion and his buddy, the bear, when they stole a lamb from the flock he was charged with keeping.  Most people would have let the lamb go.  There is always another that can be birthed.  It wouldn’t have been worth it to risk one’s life against a much larger foe for the sake of one lamb.  The funny thing is, that our limitations are often the motive to excel beyond them.  David knew he was young, small, and fair of complexion.  He knew he didn’t impress anyone.  When Samuel came to anoint a king among Jesse’s sons, David was not asked to assemble with his seven brothers.  They thought so little of him that he was out in the field watching the flocks.  He was tending to those things his brothers thought were beneath them.  He was relegated to a task others considered simple and not worth recognition.  If David allowed the lion and bear to take the one sheep, no one would have blamed him.  But not David.

David looked at his limitations not as an excuse to pass up opportunity or duty.  If he is supposed to guard the sheep, then that is what he will do.  No lion or bear is going to keep him from his appointed duties.  His size, inexperience, or lack of skill didn’t matter.  He was going to kill these two raiders and secure his lamb!  Period.  So, when it came to Goliath, there was no difference.  His limitations were in his head.  If God is in charge, there are no limitations.  If the LORD commands, regardless of how we perceive ourselves, there is nothing our God cannot do.  So, when I read the words of David above, I have to chuckle.  What a picture!  This small little lad who couldn’t even wear a coat of armor was telling men twice his age and size they had nothing to fear.  He and his God would take care of it.  I love this guy!  Would to God our churches had more Davids in our pews—men and women who would not limit God to their constrained abilities.  We need to pray the LORD would send more saints who would see their limitations as a dare.  We must pray to the LORD that He would send more Davids, Daniels, and Joshuas.  People who are not afraid to put what little they have and are completely on the line with faith and assurance in God’s ability to do more than we ask or think.

The Purpose For Hard Work

“Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” (Pr 23:4 AV)

Talk about a verse that seems to be anti-capitalist!  This is not what Solomon is attempting to share with his children.  It is not wrong to labor and become rich in the process.  Obviously.  Solomon was one of the wealthiest of world leaders at the time.  Rather, what Solomon is trying to say is wealth should not be the primary purpose for working.  Wealth is a result of working.  But wealth in and of itself should not be the goal.  One needs wealth in order to make more wealth.  College costs money.  Trades require training that costs money.  Setting up a business takes capital.  One needs to spend money to make money.  So, wealth is an important part of laboring.  If wealth is not the point of working, then what is?  If we do not put in the hours so we can afford the things we need and want, then why should we work?  What is the point?

Someone once said, “If you find something that you love to do and fill your day doing it, you will never work a day in your life.”  That seems to be true.  I have known several wealthy business owners in my time.  One thing stands out to me.  They do what they do for the love of it; not for the wealth it produces.  They also have a higher sense of purpose than those who do what they do just to gather more things.  The golf course I caddied at had several of these people.  There was old money and new money.  There were self-made millionaires as well as the wealthy who inherited their fortunes.  For the most part, these are amazing people.  The world is much smaller to them than it is to the rest of us.  They see things differently.  They see their lives as something that could alter the course of humanity in some way.  It may be small in the sense of producing a product that would change how humanity accomplished something, or something large like one golfer who was part owner of a large TV network.  The point is, that the vast majority of the wealthy clients I worked for saw their vocation as a calling more than a resource for vast amounts of wealth.  This proved itself out by the philanthropic pursuits in which they were engaged. Often those projects became larger than their source of wealth.  They were not content with the yacht or the sports car.  What they really wanted was to donate toward a new research wing of a hospital or start an endowment for those who could not afford college.  They did not labor to become rich.  They became rich so they could labor.

Solomon was a very wise man.  God gave him the liberty to pursue whatever his heart desired.  Even if it wasn’t God’s perfect will for his life.  He allowed him to do this so experience would become his greatest teacher.  Solomon had everything his soul could want.  He had more riches than any king that existed at the time.  He had 1,000 wives and 2,000 concubines.  He had more than he could possibly consume.  He concluded that laboring merely to attain as much as one could is an empty pursuit.  He figured out, after all that he had gotten, that purpose us the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  If the riches one attained did not accomplish a greater purpose, it was pointless.  It is just a number on a sheet.  It is metal in the vault.  It is paper in the drawer.  That is all it is.  If it does not serve a purpose, it is laid up where moth and rust will corrupt it.  Laboring for a purpose, calling, or goal is what drives the individual to get up and continue amid great adversity or times of loss.  The question then arises:  what are you working so hard for?  Why do you get up in the morning?  What purpose does your life have?  If your life does not have a greater purpose than Self, then wealth will be empty and burdensome.

Open Wide

“I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Ps 81:10 AV)

At first, I had the picture of a chick in the nest which opens its beak for the hen to drop in nourishment.  But that is not the idea at all.  The word used for ‘open wide’ has to do with exhaling.  Not eating.  The idea is if the children of Israel open their mouths wide with prayer and praise, then the LORD will fill the petitions for which they seek.  With that in mind, there is one word that appears to pop when I read this verse. That word? Wide.  Open wide the mouth in praise and prayer, and the LORD will answer.  The opening of the mouth to prayer and praise is not cursory.  It is not something done in passing.   Opening the mouth wide infers opening the mouth as wide as it can be opened.  If our whole person is involved in opening the mouth in prayer and praise, then the LORD honors what the heart expresses.  However, if the heart is only partially involved, the LORD may not be as apt to move on our behalf.

I have a condition called TMJ.  That is when one side of your jaw is longer than the other.  What can happen is the shorter side can slip out of joint.  There are certain things I must avoid.  I do not chew gum.  I have to be careful eating very hard things.  What I also must do is yawn in a certain way.  I remember the first time I suffered lock-jaw.  I was at a McDonalds eating chicken McNuggets.  Not too hard or large.  But for some reason, I opened my mouth wide and quickly.  Immediately my jaw swelled.  I could not open my mouth at all.  The remaining food I had to shove through clenched teeth.  It took about a week for that swelling to completely recede.  That weak, I learned what it was like to be very limited without the use of my jaw.  Talking became a chore.  I could talk.  I could project volume.  I could for words to some degree.  Vantrilicanism is more closely related to what I was doing than to carry on a normal conversation.  This made my job very difficult.  I was the expeditor at a pizzeria.  Communication is essential to doing that job well.  I learned what it meant to lose the ability to eat and to communicate.  At least for a week or so.

This begs the question.  Do we seek God’s face and His benevolence until it hurts?  Opening wide means just that.  It means to pray and praise God with all we have.  Every ounce of strength and ability we have must go into prayer to God and praise for God.  Then and only then will the LORD fill our desires.  The words above were spoken to a nation that had recently been liberated from slavery.  One might assume a nation like that would rejoice.  However, four hundred years of governmental caretaking and mandatory servitude made Israel a helpless dependent.  When they suffered a need, they complained.  This is what they had been doing the entire time they lived in Egypt.  The cycle of welfare had to be broken.  The way to do that was to pray to God and praise Him for what He provides.  They didn’t need to throw a temper tantrum.  They didn’t need to threaten a return to Egypt.  All they needed to do was to open wide their mouths in prayer and praise, and the LORD would have gladly taken care of them.

A Loss is a Gain

“And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.” (1Sa 4:11 AV)

On the face of it, it might seem God lost here.  The ark of the covenant was brought from Shiloh to the battlefield.  The thinking was using the ark of the covenant as a token or talisman.  A good luck charm, if you will.  They believed if the ark of the covenant came, God was bound to give them success.  So, when the Philistine army seized the ark of the covenant in battle, it may have seemed like God lost.  We know, from hindsight, that this is not true.  God allowed the ark of the covenant to be taken so that the Philistines would know, once and for all, who the true God is.

When the Philistines brought the ark of the covenant to Gaza, they put it in the house of their god, Dagon.  Dagon was a god with the head, face, torso, and arms of a man on a fish’s tail.  Think of a mermaid.  He was the god of fertility and prosperity.  Believing all life came from water, this god was worshipped by many cultures.  As the practice went, if you conquered your enemy, it was believed your god was stronger than the god of the nation who fell.  When the Philistines brought the ark into the house of Dagon, it was a statement that Dagon was mightier than Jehovah.  God divinely interceded and desecrated the statue of Dagon.  The response of the Philistines was to remove the ark to a different city.  While there, a great plague fell on the people wherein many died.  They moved the ark again.  In each city to which the ark came to rest, the city suffered the same plague and death.  The Philistines reasoned it was better to return the ark than to continue to suffer from its presence.  What they did, though, speaks volumes as to why the LORD allowed them to suffer what seemed like a loss.

The Philistines built a brand new ox cart.  They placed the ark on that cart along with golden idols to appease Jehovah.  They then took two nursing cows and strapped them to the cart.  With their calves in the opposite direction and set the cart in motion.  Naturally, the nursing mothers would have followed their young calves back into the territory of the Philistines.  If God was the cause of the ark being a curse to the Philistines, then it would return to Israel regardless of the natural instincts of the bovine.  The Philistines stated if the cart were to travel back to Israel, then all the misfortune they had experienced by the presence of the ark was not caused by the ark but was merely coincidental.  I think it is rather humorous the Philistines could not figure this out with all the death and illness and the desecration of their god which they had already suffered.  They figured they had to orchestrate impossible circumstances for God to prove Himself.

The point to be made here is that sometimes, God allows what might seem like a loss so that a greater victory can be had.  When the ark was lost, Eli, his sons, and his daughter-in-law all died as a result.  Eli’s two sons died because of their wickedness.  But Eli and his daughter-in-law died because the ark was taken.  They saw the loss of the ark as solely a loss.  They never considered it could be part of God’s bigger plan.  When we are discouraged because it seems like God is losing, just remember God never loses.  He is sovereign.  He is always in control.  He will not share His glory with another.  God has this.  He has lost nothing.  Those who think they have scored one against Jehovah have no idea who they are messing with.  It may seem like things are going backward, but God always has the last word.

What Do We Do With The Answers?

“For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.” (1Sa 1:27-28 AV)

Hannah was tormented by an adversary, most likely her co-wife to Elkanah, regarding her inability to bear children.  She was so distraught that she would not eat or drink.  When she went to the Tabernacle, she did nothing but pray for a child.  It was so extreme, that Eli the priest thought Hannah was drunk when in reality, she was deep in prayer.  When Eli saw the anguish of her soul, by the word of the LORD, he promised Hannah a child.  Thus Samuel was born.  What Hannah did next was the essence of her character and is the reason why God blessed her with children.  For three years after his birth, Samuel and his mother stayed home from the yearly trek to the Tabernacle.  Hannah would tell Elkanah she was weaning Samuel because when she was done weaning him, she would leave him at the Tabernacle for the service of the LORD.  This, in the context of the high priest, Eli, not being a successful parent to his own two sons, Hannah’s sacrifice was even more remarkable and showed a great depth of faith.  What spoke to me was a challenge.  What do I do with the answered prayer God sends my way?  Do I trust Him with what I desperately asked for?  Do I dedicate the answer to Him for Him to use as He sees fit?

Many years ago, I had a good friend who was suffering from terminal cancer.  It disease progressed pretty much the same as anyone diagnosed with this type of cancer.  During his treatments, he had heard of a revolutionary treatment that might have gained him more time, or at the very best, cured him of this horrible scourge.  This treatment was very costly and his insurance would not cover the cost.  So, he went about raising funds for this treatment.  One of the things he said to me was that if the LORD were to give him more time, but the disease was still present, he would surrender to preach in the most dangerous countries in the world.  He would travel to a nation in which he knew he would very likely be martyred.  That really spoke to me not because he said it, but because I knew him well enough to know that is exactly what he would do.  He didn’t get his wish.  The treatment never worked. But, this hero of the faith was in the pulpit until the last possible moment.  As long as he could sit in a chair and speak, he preached.  He did more with the time he had left than most people who were in perfect health.  God answered his prayer in the sense he gave him strength to serve.  And he used this answer for God’s glory rather than his own pleasure.

We seek God’s hand in many things.  We may seek the LORD’s hand for health reasons.  We may seek Him for financial reasons.  We may ask the LORD to move heaven and earth to bring a lost loved one to Christ, help with an erring child, or do something as simple as finding an item in a grocery store.  The question remains.  What do we do with the answers God gives?  How do we use His grace for His glory and for the blessings of others?  Hannah gave her son to the service of the LORD.  Samuel glorified the LORD with his life and also led the people of God.  He oversaw a very hard time in the history of Israel.  Samuel was the last judge of Israel and he stood against the error of God’s people. He forced the nation and their king to be accountable to the LORD.  Hannah, because God was good to her, refused to consume parenthood for her own pleasure.  Sure, the arrival of Samuel and his five siblings ended the shame and reproach Hannah felt because she was childless.  There were benefits from answered prayer she would naturally enjoy.  However, she did not hoard the blessings she could have had if she kept Samuel for herself.  How we treat the answers God gives says volumes regarding our character.  How much we express our gratitude by giving back to God what He has given so freely shows just where our hearts are.

It's All In The Works

“Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.” (Ru 3:13 AV)

These words were spoken by Boaz to Ruth.  A little background here.  Ruth is a woman from Moab who married into a Jewish family.  Her husband and father-in-law both died while living in Moab.  Ruth returned to Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi.  Being without male leadership and provision for the home, Naomi asked Ruth to glean in the fields of a near relative, Boaz.  Further, Naomi instructed Ruth to go to Boaz in the middle of the night and lay asleep at his feet.  When he awoke, he would do the right thing by Ruth and Naomi.  The law required a near kinsman to marry a widow and raise a son or daughter in the name of the deceased so the inheritance left vacant could return to whom it was given.  So, when Boaz awoke and found Ruth at his feet, he knew what he had to do.  He had to arrange the marriage of Ruth to a near relative of Naomi.  There was one closer to Naomi than Boaz.  The right of redemption belonged to him, first.  Boaz promised that if the nearer relative declined or could not perform his duty as the nearest relative to Naomi, he would.  This is the background of the statement above.  What struck me is that God had this handled all along.  It didn’t matter what one person or another did, Ruth would be taken care of.  There was no reason to lose sleep over her situation.  Within a matter of days or weeks, her situation would be resolved.

Over the course of decades of life, I can attest to the fact that it all works out in the end.  One way or another, the LORD will lead us to where we need to be and we will be fine when we get there.  That is not to say our journey in getting there is easy.  It rarely is.  There are always hardships that crop up.  Life is difficult.  It is not for the faint of heart.  Yet, we have to remember that if there is a God, and there is, then all things are under His supervision and care.  He knows the end from the beginning.  He has a plan and that plan will work out exactly as He wishes it to. We are not a victim of circumstances.  We are not subject to fate.  We are not thrown into a hurricane of events that have no resolution.  We are in the hand of Almighty God who knows just what is going on and has designed a way and goal through it all.  Ruth was surviving.  She worked the fields like a beggar.  There was no future.  All she could do was to survive on the charity and benevolence of others.  There was no hope.  She put herself last so that her mother-in-law would be cared for.  Ruth had no reason to live outside of getting through today.  She was in a sorry place.

What Ruth had on her side was the law.  And, she had a sovereign God whom she trusted with her whole heart.  The law demanded a husband be provided for her so that she might have a child to whom the inheritance would progress.  The law would not allow Ruth to remain an unmarried and barren widow.  The law did not command her to accept whatever offer came her way.  She could refuse much like Naomi did.  She refused to right of succession because she felt she was past childbearing years.  Ruth, being a Moabite, could have used her lineage to ethically refuse the grace that would come her way.  Rather, Ruth relied upon the truth of the word of God both in the letter of the law and the testimony of the God to whom she swore allegiance and did the only thing she could do.  She went to Boaz.  She sought a resolution with no immediate guarantee.  Her actions were taken from the counsel of one wiser than her and the word of God which she was learning.  The comfort given to Ruth came because she decided to trust what she learned.

We get very worried over life’s situations.  We get very anxious, even to the point of forgetting what we already know.  The LORD has it all figured out.  He did so before He created anything.  Whether it was a nearer relative or Boaz, Ruth would be taken care of.  We may not know, as yet, the means or the manner in which our situation will be resolved, but by life or by death, it will be resolved.  One way or another, the LORD has this handled and the best thing for us to do is lay our head down and rest on the person and promises of God.  He has this handled.  Truly, He does.  Sleep well for your LORD has it taken care of.

Remembering the Past for Hope in the Present

“I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.” (Ps 77:11 AV)

This was uttered in a time of doubt.  The writer was overwhelmed to the point he could not see the LORD’s hand in his present circumstances.  So, his answer was to retreat into the past.  He knew it was hard to see what he did not know and what he might have doubted.  So, rather than look for evidence in the present, he chose to look at the past.  This remembrance of the past faithfulness of God is the evidence upon which he can rely for God’s faithfulness in the present.  This statement is a vow.  It is a commitment.  It is a promise to his soul that he will exercise his mental faculties to recall what the LORD has done for him in the past.  Note also it is not the recent past.  It is as far back as his origin.  He may not remember his conception, birth, or early childhood.  But he can recall the facts of them.  In other words, the writer promises his discouraged and overwhelmed heart that if he cannot find hope in the present, his past will speak volumes.  All he needs to do is to think upon it, and hope will return.

There is another word that strikes hope and interest.  Note here the word ‘surely’.  There is no doubt in the writer’s mind that once he exercises his memory, he will remember.  The word ‘surely’ is not limited to the depth of the vow.  It also relates to the faith that this vow is possible and probable.  I have had three concussions.  Memory is something I battle.  My siblings constantly throw out events from our childhood that I do not remember.  But memory is a funny thing.  The more they mention the details of a particular event something will eventually trigger my memory and I will remember it as well as my siblings.  In other words, if it is not caused physically, then forgetfulness can be overcome.  The point is, that we are not subject to a poor memory.  With a bit of work, memories can resurface.  I think that is what the writer is trying to express.  His situation was so overwhelming, that he had a hard time remembering the faithfulness of God.  He knows, as a fact of the word of God, that He is eternally faithful.  God never has left us nor will He ever leave us.  What he needs to remember is how the faithfulness of God worked out in his own life.

Journaling is helpful.  When the LORD brings to our memory His faithfulness, it is a good thing to write down what one remembers. Again, we can start with our birth.  The gift of life is an amazing thing.  No matter our earthly experiences, we will have all of eternity with the perfection of being and environment.  All the troubles we experience in our earthly pilgrimage will be forgotten outside of that which we have done for Christ.  No more pain, sorrow, or any other thing that offends.  It will all be gone.  If God never gave us life, we would never experience the perfection of eternity.  So, we can remember the fact of our birth.  I can remember the facts of three concussions and the fact God brought me through them all without any serious consequences.  I can remember coming through life-threatening situations like car accidents and the threat of gun violence.  God has brought men through much.  He has brought all of us through much.  Don’t let the seriousness of what you face blind you from what God has already done.  Work at remembering.  Listen to the recollections of others.  Go back to places, times, or your other senses and ask the Holy Spirit to rehearse the faithfulness of God to your heart.  We don’t have to suffer.  We choose to.  The answer is in remembering the faithfulness of God.

 

 

Commanded To Fear

“Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” (Ps 76:7 AV)

It is kind of funny.  We see tragedy and adversity all around us.  Yet, we assume what we see is the full wrath of God.  Not even close!  Since the time of Noah’s flood, the world has not seen the full wrath of God poured out on the Earth.  They will not until the seven years tribulation wherein all who have not trusted in Jesus Christ are destroyed.  Noah’s flood will seem merciful compared to what is coming.  Noah’s flood destroyed all living things in less than two months.  Destruction was by drowning.  That is mild compared to the disease, war, and natural disasters that will rain on mankind for seven years.  Our imaginations cannot even begin to draw a detailed picture of the coming 21 judgments mean for those who hate God.  The above verse, although written in the context of those who hate God and His people, should not be forgotten by the children of God.  We may not have to fear Him in the same way as the enemies of God do, but He is still God and He must be feared by all.

By the Spirit that dwells within me, I noticed the first-person reference to the LORD.  The writer is speaking directly to the LORD and in the process, is reminding his audience we are to do the same.  He is speaking a universal truth as his way of confessing he is to fear God as well.  Even though the context is the rebellion of the enemies of God, he chooses to speak to the Creator and not the enemy.  Why?  It is either a reminder to himself or a confession of his own respect for Almighty God.  Let us be honest.  We love God.  We strive to love Him with all our hearts.  However, how much do we fear Him?  How much do we respect who and what He is?  How much of what we know of God changes who we are and how we live?  Do we see Almighty God with eyes of reverence that refuse to look up?  Do we walk with God in deep seriousness to the point of complete and humble submission?  Do we relate to God as One who made all things and by a mere thought can erase all things?  Do we love God with eternal gratitude no matter the situation or circumstances, or do we murmur and complain over every trouble that comes our way?  Where is our joy?  Is it ill-founded?  Are we filled with joy because God is good to us, or do we continue in that joy when it seems life is impossible to live?

The church’s relationship with God has changed.  There was a time when going to church was something you did because God required it of you.  You went to church regardless of what you thought you might personally get out of it.  Rather, you went because it was an act of obedience.  When you did go to church, it was with an eye toward participating in any way you could.  It was being in your pew with your mind and heart engaged.  It was seen as worship which one offered rather than consuming what was given.  There has been a shift away from genuine fear toward disrespectful familiarity.  True worship is almost judged as mean-spirited, negative, and counter-productive.  We think we have to go to church to laugh and have a good time.  Gone are the days when one went to church for God’s sake and not our own.  What has happened?  God has become too familiar and the fear of God has been lost.

This doesn’t change the truth of the verse above.  God is to be feared whether we are willing to fear Him or not.  He is to be respected and worshiped as the Creator of all things and the determiner of all events.  He is to be approached with fear and trembling.  Our beloved Apostle tells us this.  In our eyes, God has lost His honored and exalted spot and has been replaced by a God we have created in our image. And please, don’t give me that drivel about modern contemporary worship as true worship.  Your heart may be in it, but your actions say something entirely different.  If we really feared God, we would obey His word.  All of it.  All we have done is replace somber and humble worship with an emotionally manipulative musical experience.  It is as fake as the man behind the curtain.  There is no wizard.  It is all smoke and mirrors.  The concerning thing is, that when mankind has lost the fear of God beyond the possibility of recovering, the full anger of God will be poured out.  May man turn to God before that day comes.  And, may the child of God put away the god which he or she has created and worship with fear and trembling the God who holds their soul in the palm of His hand!

How Will We Age?

“The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.” (Pr 16:31 AV)

As I am quickly approaching this age, it appears to me this will be a concern.  The last thing an aging saint desires to be is a bad testimony in his or her latter years.  There is encouragement to be had, though.  In all the years I have pastored, I have known almost no aging saints who have been an embarrassment to the LORD or their families.  Even those who may not have been the most faithful or who caused issues at church really didn’t shame their Savior or their families.  What I noticed though is the standard above.  Not being a disgrace is one thing.  Having a decent testimony is great.  But what of this crown of glory?  That white hair that naturally appears as we age is supposed to symbolize wisdom, discipline, sacrifice, and in general, a life that pleased God.  I have visited many nursing homes in my day.  I have sat at the bedside of dying saints.  For the most part, the saint dies well.  What I have to wonder though is whether we die with glory.  Do the white hairs on our heads shine as a testimony to the grace and power of God in our lives?  Does the white hair atop the old head shine forth as an oracle of what God did in the life of the saint?

One of my greatest fears is how I will age.  I have enough experience to relate that in our old age, we tend to become what we truly are inside.  I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I have seen the aged become someone whom others would not recognize.  But I have also seen many who become what the LORD wanted them to always be.  What a precious sight this is.  One lady, in particular, who suffered from Alzheimer’s got so close to God that one thought the LORD Jesus came into the room.  As I visited with her, she became less and less aware of her surroundings.  Her disease digressed to the point she could not recognize the presence of people.  Any one.  Not one soul could she discern as in her presence.  The last time I saw her before she passed away, she was out in the hall sitting in her wheelchair.  I sat next to her and attempted to get her attention so I could speak with her.  She was speaking quietly but not making eye contact.  I spoke more and more directly to her, but she continued to speak to no one.  Or, at least that is what I thought.  I sat and listened.  Then I realized something.  She was in prayer.  God was so real to her that nothing else existed.  Not even me.

Have you ever been behind an older person at the checkout and he or she does nothing but complain about life?  Nothing is good enough.  They gripe and complain about everything from the prices to the weather to all of society.  They are not happy.  Have you ever known neighbors who cannot adjust to changes?  They are angry all the time.  When others see the hoary head, they avoid it.  They know that no matter the situation, they will get an ear full.  A head of white hair is meant to mean something.  It is meant to represent wisdom and grace.  The thought is that if this person has made it this far in life with relative success, he or she must know a thing or two.  He or she must have done a few things right.  If their house is still standing and their children are serving the LORD, then perhaps they have a bit of wisdom to share.  The hoary head is meant to be an honor and not an embarrassment.  It is meant to glorify the LORD and not to agitate the young.  The hoary head is meant to be a snow-capped peak to which others go for refreshing and input.  My prayer is age my head gets whiter and whiter, it becomes a glory rather than a grunge.

Lord Jesus, Come Quickly

“O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.” (Ps 74:10-11 AV)

Is it o.k. to be concerned with the direction of the world?  Is it o.k. to be offended by the wickedness of the world?  I don’t mean that in a self-righteous sort of way.  We are all in this thing together.  We are all in the same boat. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.  None of us naturally seek God and His holiness.  We are all wicked to the core.  We are all condemned as utterly evil and deserve the full wrath of God.  But does that mean we have no right to be concerned or offended by the evil of others?  That all depends.  If the wickedness of others is directly in opposition to the purpose and liberty of the saint, absolutely!  The writer asks a very good question.  The adversary wishes to destroy the godly.  He, or they, wish to erase God’s people from the earth.  They wish to inflict on the people of God circumstances or persecution that will hinder their life of sanctification towards the LORD.  More importantly, this attack is more about God than it is about the people whom they torture.  One has to ask, why is it that Christians are singled out for mistreatment more so than all others?  Why is it that the world seems to hate believers more than any other demographic group?  Is it right for the church to pray for the return of Christ or not?

That which is of note is the psalmist’s motive.  He is not concerned with himself.  He is not asking for deliverance.  His concern is the adversaries’ attitude toward God Himself.  It isn’t protection he seeks.  It isn’t a return of sanity he wishes for.  It isn’t world peace or prosperity that he yearns for.  All these things would come if Messiah reigned.  The motive above is purely for the glory of God.  The mention of blasphemy is the key.  When the world kills the unborn, that is blasphemy against the Creator.  To assume mankind has the right to end a life as it pleases is absolute arrogance against the One who created that life.  This whole satanically influenced child mutilation over gender reassignment is another example of mankind rejecting the Designer/Creator and setting up an idol in its own image.  I am repulsed by the attitude of the God-haters to destroy their own kind for the mere ability to shake their collective fists at almighty God.  Just recently, a well-known Pol went to an abortion clinic and invoked religion as a justification for it.  When will this insanity end?  As a reminder though, the child of God should be more offended at what this means for the reputation and glory of God more than how it might make us feel.

So, the question remains.  Is it o.k. for the child of God to pray for the return of Jesus Christ for the glory of God?  I believe so, yes.  This is exactly what the psalmist above is doing.  Our job is to preach the gospel of salvation to a wickedly lost and dying world.  It is to be done with love, compassion, and due diligence.  We are to love the unlovely.  We are to preach without bias.  We are to share what God can do for the penitent sinner.  What that doesn’t mean is that we remain silent regarding the wickedness all around us.  What that does not mean is to stifle our prayers as to the return of Jesus.  What that does not mean is we look past the total depravity of mankind as though it is no big deal.  What that doesn’t mean is we wish for infinite time and desire a postponement of the return of Christ.  There needs to be a balance.  We must wish for and seek opportunities to share the gospel in love.  But at the same time, wish for the hastening return of the Messiah who will end this circus!

Our Strength in Death and in Life

“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” (Ps 73:26 AV)

One wonders why our hearts have to fail to begin with.  If God is the strength of our hearts, and He has unlimited strength, then why do our hearts fail?  To what the psalmist is referring is his literal flesh and heart.  He is speaking of old age.  If one continues in this psalm, it is evident the writer’s eyes are on eternity.  He speaks of old age.  He speaks of having more he loves in heaven than he does on earth.  The writer, Asaph, was David’s personal composer of psalms.  Psalm 72 was the last of David’s psalms.  Chronologically speaking, that is.  Some believe Psalm 73 was written for David as a remembrance after he had died.  This would make sense.  It could be said this psalm was written for someone who was aging and getting ready to depart from this life into the next.  The takeaway is, that if God can be our strength in our weakest and most vulnerable time of life, then He can be so any time of life.  If He is our strength in time of death, He can surely be our strength in life.

Over the years, I have seen many people go through very deep waters.  One comes to mind almost immediately.  Mike is one of the most humblest men I have ever known.  But Mike was no pushover.  He owned his own business.  He served the LORD in our church faithfully and when it came to fighting spiritual battles, he was relentless.  Mike had a Jeep CJ-7 with roll bars.  These vehicles were notorious for tipping over.  Mike had gone around a curve a bit too fast and rolled that Jeep right into a ditch.  He was airlifted to a level-one trauma hospital where is underwent several life-saving surgeries.  It was a miracle he survived that crash.  I cannot remember how long he was in that hospital.  Something tells me it was over a month.  Perhaps as long as three.  I remember going to see him the day after the crash.  I had never seen someone in such bad shape before.  Yet, that is not the most amazing thing about this saint.  Before he trusted Christ, Mike had a substance abuse issue.  The LORD saved him and delivered him from it.  So, when the time came to discharge him, the doctor offered serious pain medications for his rehabilitation.  The last thing he wanted to do was to relapse back into that old life, so he refused.  This man has more metal in his body than the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.  When the weather changes, he is in a great deal of pain.  Yet, he will not take pain meds stronger than over-the-counter stuff.  How can he do that?  How can he make it without some relief?  As far as I am concerned, Mike is a hero, unlike all others.  His strength is the LORD in life and in death.

I have seen many people pass away into eternity.  What I can tell you is the measure of God’s grace and strength is immeasurable.  When the LORD calls the saint home, the strength that is evident is beyond normal comprehension.  So, if the LORD can be our strength during the deepest time of life, surely He can be our strength through the rest of it.  If the LORD can lead us to eternity with grace and peace, surely He can guide us through our pilgrimage with that same strength and peace.  The key is to yield to His strength rather than to try to make it in our own strength.  It will not work.  We must leave it with Him, take a moment to rest in His strength, and go one more step.  He is there.  He is always there.  It is just a matter of letting God be God.

Thank You For Your Service

“My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.” (Jud 5:9 AV)

The words above are part of Deborah’s song of victory over Sisera.  With her husband, Barak, they led Israel against a neighboring nation that had oppressed them.  Deborah led Israel to victory and chapter five is the result of that victory.  She was the only female judge in the history of Israel and many believe she was chosen because Israel lacked strong male leadership at the time.  Therefore, there were two ways Deborah could have gone with her victory song.   She could have extoled the fact she, instead of a man, led Israel to liberty.  She could have held herself up as an exception to a rule who had earned it.  She could have made mention of a lack of male leadership and the nation was blessed to have a woman stand in the gap when there was no man.  Or, as we see in the verse above, she appreciated what the leadership did do.  Her heart was toward those who stepped up, fought, and led with her.  She did not diminish their commitment.  She valued it and she extolled it.

I have seen too many bitter servants of God resent the lack of commitment they perceive should be in others.  There should be a camaraderie with those who serve, regardless of their perceived commitment level.  This reminds me of the last battle David fought before he became king.  He, and his men, were holed up in the territory of the Philistines.  While they were away fighting for this pagan king, a band of marauders came to their base camp.  They invaded, stole all their cattle, and took all their women and children.  When David arrived at camp to find it all gone, he immediately saddled up and went after the intruders.  However, because they had just finished a battle, some of the less capable men were not strong enough to undergo this campaign.  So, David left some behind to protect what they had left.  The rest went to battle.  David was successful.  He brought back all the families and belongings.  With it, he also brought back much spoil.  When they arrived home, he instructed to spoil to be dispersed equally among all regardless of their commitment level.  This angered those who went to battle.  They didn’t think the small remnant that stayed back with the stuff should enjoy any spoil.  David required they split it evenly.  Commitment level did not determine recognition.

Deborah shows great leadership here in allying with all who sacrifice regardless of how much they sacrificed or if they might have sacrificed more.  She did not resent what was not done.  She was grateful for what was done.  There is also another principle here.  Those who sacrifice for the LORD tend to have a unique relationship with one another that others simply do not have.  The shared experience of sacrifice and service has a way of building strong and unique relationships that can come in no other way.  Deborah appreciated those who gave what they could.  She knit her heart with them.  She appreciated them.  She held time up as souls worthy to be admired.  Rather than use their shortcomings as a means to elevate herself, she chose to ignore what they were not and value what they were.

Miracles Are More Common Than We Think

“I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.” (Ps 71:7 AV)

The first half of the verse has given writers fits.  What makes it difficult is the first word of the second half.  It becomes even more difficult if all the student does is look at Hebrew definitions for a single word.  The word ‘wonder’ means a miracle.  Therefore, when one thinks about this verse, the writer is comparing a miracle of God against God being his refuge.  This, on the face of it, makes no sense.  Why would the writer be considered a miracle yet, on the other hand, claim God as his refuge?  If the miracle is indeed a miracle, what need is there for a continuing refuge? What we are missing is the context and a point of observation.  The prior verse speaks of the writer’s birth.  In particular, how the hand of God guided the entire process so that he was born safe and sound.  The verse following is a request of David that the LORD would be his help in the elderly stages of his life.  What may be a possibility is the one, or ones, that see David as a wonder are those familiar with his birth.  Could it be his mother bore him under very difficult circumstances and it was said of David that his birth was a miracle?  David gives God the credit.  He does so in verse six.  He then does so in verse seven in comparison with what everyone is saying regarding his birth.  He is a wonder and shouldn’t be.  Then he asks for God’s protection and strength until his last dying breath.  What I think is going on here is David is correcting, or offering further light, on his miracle birth.  He does so in the context of requesting God’s faithfulness unto death.

It is easy to forget just how much God is involved in our very existence.  The fact we exist at all is a miracle.  When we consider how many different variations we could have been, it is astounding to think that we are who we are.  If we were to stop and think of how many times we have had a brush with death yet lived to tell about it, it would boggle the mind.  If we stopped and meditated on all that we have and how we came to enjoy it, we would be dumbfounded.  To say this all happened naturally is a fool’s answer.  But just as foolish is forgetting from whence cometh our help or assuming His grace ends at some point.  It is the premise of God’s past mercies which are the foundation for continued grace as he ages.  Those who see his life see it as a miracle.  All that he is and has should not be.  David faced death more times than the average man.  He faced down lions, bears, and giants.  He evaded the sword of his sworn enemy for almost a decade.  He fought battles to free Israel and overcame insurrection from his own son.  Many times over David’s life could have ended.  Yet, God brought him through it all.  It is because of this faithfulness that David can count on God’s continued faithfulness.

The word for ‘wonder’ is a miracle.  We do not stop long enough to consider just how many miracles have come our way.  This is the point.  David stated that God is his refuge.  In the context of miracles, David states it is God who did all that and not him.  He is able, then to count on continued miracles because that has been God’s pattern throughout his life.  Why would God stop now?  If God has done all that He has done, why do with think He would act out of character and take a different tact?  If the LORD has brought you this far with wonders that others can see, why is it we think He will not continue in the same?  The Bible tells us His mercies are new every morning.  Every day we awaken is a miracle.  Every breath we take is a wonder.  Every answered prayer is a miracle.  Every meal we eat, every safe night we sleep, and every soul to whom we minister is a testament to a gracious God who tirelessly works for us so that we might serve Him with humility, gratitude, and fear.  Every moment of every day is proof that miracles continue.  Therefore, to ask them to continue is not a pipe dream.  It is not wishful thinking.  It is not a pie-in-the-sky request.  It is a request in faith based on God’s past actions.  There are miracles to be had every day of our pilgrimage.  All we need to do is ask in faith, nothing wavering.

So Faithful

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” (De 7:9 AV)

What an encouraging verse.  The faithfulness of God cannot be adequately described, but we will try!  When we read of the history of Israel we are amazed at the patience and mercy of God.  I am starting the book of Judges tomorrow.  This book of the history of Israel in their younger years is the record of a nation that repeatedly fled the help and provision of God.  They went after the false gods of their neighbors.  Time and again, the LORD brought them back with mercy and compassion.  Reading of the forty years wondering, we are struck with how patient God was with this nation.  Then we read of the history of the kings and it strikes us that throughout hundreds of years of unfaithfulness, God still brought them back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and the temple. We know they rejected Jesus, but the God of faithfulness sent His Son the second time to a welcoming and believing Jewish nation.  Time and again, the LORD keeps mercy on those who share a covenant with Him.  Much like Israel, the New Testament saint also shares a covenant with God.  We are His children by the blood of Jesus Christ.  We have the covenant of adoption.  We have the covenant of eternal life and glorification.  We have this covenant founded upon God’s grace and not on our merit.  Therefore, the faithful God of the Old Testament is the same faithful God today.

Last week, the LORD spoke to us regarding strength.  We learned that He will strengthen us.  We learned He expects us to offer all our strength before He adds His own.  We learned the source of His strength is unlimited and granted by grace.  We learned there is nothing too hard for God.  We learned a lot about the strength of God.  The other side of the coin is His faithfulness.  God will not abandon us especially when we need Him the most.  What kind of God would do that?  We don’t do that with our own children, do we?  We don’t turn our backs on them when they are going through a hard time.  Self-inflicted or not, we take pity on them and try to ease their burden in any way that we can.  There are times when we must require them to go through hardships when we could take them away.  They need to do this so they can, one day, do the same for their children.  But we never expect them to endure something we know they cannot endure.  Even when they are not living as they should, they are still our children.  We still love them.  They can still call at any time for any reason and they know Mom and Dad will love them unconditionally.

A parent’s love is no comparison to the love and faithfulness of God.  There are many promises regarding the manifestation of God’s faithfulness that appear in the Bible.  Faithfulness must have an object.  That would be us.  Faithfulness must also have manifestation.  When two people pledge their lives to one another, one of the ways in which they promise this faithfulness is to hold one to the other.  They promise to refrain from any relationship that would compromise the one to which they are pledged.  But there are other ways faithfulness is manifested.  Showing up to do one’s duties, forgiving transgressions, or caring for the needs of others as one had promised to do.  When the Bible tells us God is faithful, we take that statement as absolute.  We should never doubt it.  We should assume it to be true and seek to see the ways in which God is faithful.  Our challenge is seeing God’s faithfulness and how He is working that out in the middle of our situation.

More Strength for Those Who Bring All

“Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” (Ps 68:28 AV)

The first phrase caught my attention this morning.  As is my custom, I check with the ancients to see what their view is.  Putting them all together, the ‘thy’ is the strength that Israel possesses at present.  The Psalmist then seeks the LORD to strengthen them beyond what they possess to what they need so that the will of God is accomplished.  In other words, the LORD has made Israel strong by decree and action.  He has grown them numerically, spiritually, and with the ability to conduct themselves in pursuit of God’s commands.  With the LORD commands the strength of Israel, in essence, He is telling Israel to fall out.  He is calling them to inspection at their full strength.  He is demanding they do all they can do as the LORD had presently strengthened them.  The troops are to stand ready, equipped as the LORD has provided, prepared to fight the battle before them.  The LORD demands Israel to come with all they have at the front of the line and submit to what the LORD would direct.  The second verse is complimentary.  That is, even in our full strength, the battle is too much.  So, the writer seeks God to strengthen them even more than they are at present so victory would result.  Herein is a principle.  We cannot ask the LORD for more strength if we are unwilling to give that which we have.  All of it.

There is a saying that is attributed to the Bible but is not really in there.  “God helps those who help themselves.”  Have you ever heard that one?  Other than quoting this as if it is a verse in the bible is that God often helps those who do not, or cannot, help themselves.  Sometimes, the grace of God comes upon us whether we seek it or not.  It rains on the just and the unjust.  God does not always demand we expel our full strength.  Just think of Jericho.  The children of Israel marched around the city walls for seven days and the LORD made the walls collapse.  Or, when the LORD asks the cripple man at the pool of Bethesda if he really wanted to be made whole.  That fella clearly did not expend all of his strength and resources.  But there are times when the LORD does intervene when we have nothing left.  Remember the lady who was sick with the issue of blood for fourteen years?  She spent all her living trying to find a cure.  Or, how many times did the LORD cure those who were by the roadside begging?  They spent every day, all day, begging for alms.  They did all they could.

In our passage above, the LORD asks for troop assembly.  In fact, He commands it.  The LORD wants one-hundred percent commitment on their part before He will strengthen them more than they already are.  The question is, do the circumstances we face at present require our full commitment?  And, if it does, are we fully committed?  It is way too easy to sit back and ask the LORD to do it all for us.  Is the whole person, abilities, and resources, at the front line standing for inspection and ready to march?  Or, do we hold a little back and ask the LORD to make up the difference?  Is our all on the altar?  Are we fully in?  Or, do we sit there like Israel did for 40 years and ask the LORD to do everything?  Perhaps this was the moment Israel finally matured.  They have been cared for in Egypt by a nation that enslaved them.  God delivered them and all they could do was to demand God care for them as Egypt did.  They couldn’t handle liberty because liberty demands faith.  When we are in a fix and we seek the strength of the LORD, we have better be willing to come with all we have before we ask.  We have better expel all that God has already given before we ask for more.  God commands our strength.  But He will not limit us to what He has already given.  A willingness to use what He has given opens the door for more!

Blessings of Faith

“Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.” (Jos 14:8 AV)

The words above are spoken by Caleb after they entered Canaan and received most of their inheritance.  Caleb is responding to his daughter and her new husband as they seek water sources for the land which Caleb won.  While granting his daughter’s request, he reminds them both of the cost of this blessing they were now to receive.  Had Caleb joined the faithless spies, he would have died in the wilderness with his generation and his daughter would have never received her request.  Either she would not exist, or her father would have passed away and she would have been left without an inheritance.  I give you all the background to say something very simple.  Our attitude toward what God I capable of doing affects more than just us.  If we are positive and faith-filled, it matters not if others follow.  God will bless us for our hope in Him.  However, if we doubt the LORD and are habitual nay-sayers, then it will cause others to fear.  Everyone who does not possess the faith that could be had loses out on what God can and will do.

There is a question, however, that arises.  Note here that Caleb uses a tense that begs a question.  When he states that he wholly followed the LORD, the tense might suggest he is only referencing that one event.  However, the tense can also suggest this was a pattern of life.  Wholly following the LORD was not limited to spying on the land and reporting back that God was able to give them the land.  Caleb wholly following the LORD was not a one-time act on his part.  Add to that, if he is referring solely to the attainment of Canaan, and following the LORD was limited to that event only, we would assume he went into Canaan with him and Joshua in an attempt to conquer it all by themselves.  No, the ‘wholly following the LORD’ claim was one of a lifetime not limited to something that happened over forty years ago.  Remember, even though he and Joshua were confident God could win the battles for them, they were limited by what the nation chose to do as a whole.  They could not invade themselves.  This opportunity was to Israel as a nation and not twelve spies alone.  They were blocked in their faith because of the unbelief of their colleagues. 

All of the above is something very simple.  It really doesn’t matter what others choose or do not choose to do.  The faith, or faithlessness, of others, should not confine us to what we can do for the LORD.  It may limit us.  But it cannot stop us from wholly following the LORD.  Second, we had better be careful of our doubts.  They can be contagious.  We may very well be robbing others of the blessing of faith because our example is what they follow.  Caleb had to wait 40 years before the LORD allowed him to live out his faith to the fullest.  That didn’t mean he did nothing.  For forty years, he followed the LORD even if that meant he could not accomplish what he deeply wanted.  God understood.  What did happen is God blessed Caleb in the next generation.  Caleb finally got his mountain.  In return for his faithfulness, Caleb left to his daughter not only a legacy of faith but also the blessings derived from it.  In short, in the end, Caleb left more to his daughter despite a lack of opportunity than he may have if he had the opportunity to begin with.

Time Is Long; Or Short

“Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.” (Jos 11:18 AV)

Although time is a constant, the perception of it is not.  A second is a second.  A minute is sixty seconds.  However, the events that transpire in that second or minute skew our perception of the length of that second or minute.  If we are told we can lick on an ice cream cone for exactly a minute, that minute goes by rather quickly.  However, if we are waiting for the Novocain to kick in while the doctor works on a cavity, that minute seems like an eternity.  The ‘long time’ above was about six or seven years.  In retrospect, seven years is not that long of a time.  However, while fighting what seems like a never-ending battle, seven years can seem like an eternity.  Something to also remember is Joshua’s age.  He is no spring chicken here.  He is between 69 and 79 years of age.  When he undertakes the leadership of a nation as they fight their enemies for their divinely appointed inheritance, Joshua is past his prime.  This causes time to become even more distorted.  The older we get, the more it appears time has raced by.  But the older we get, the longer it takes to do things that we did rather easily in our youth.  We have to plan more time to do the things we used to do in a hurry.

Regardless of our perception of time, there is one constant. Time is limited; at least in this lifetime.  Our lives are limited.  Our opportunities are limited.  Our experiences are limited.  Our trials are limited.  There is a beginning and an end.  The Bible calls this our expected end.  Or, that which the LORD has determined to be the goal of whatever we happen to be in the midst of.  This necessarily suggests there is a beginning and an end.  If there is a beginning and an end, then the time between is certain.  What we see above is Joshua’s perspective; or the human writer’s perspective; of the seven years of battle as it applies to a 75-year-old.  To the writer, it was a long time for Joshua.  Being a long time, the takeaway is, that perception does not determine commitment.  In other words, to the writer and perhaps to Joshua, seven years seemed like a long time.  Just because it seemed like a long time did not give Joshua an exit ramp.  Endurance is the point here.  When we start a difficult task our trial, knowing it will last years or decades and not days or weeks, it seems like a very long time.  This may be so. But it is our race.  It is the one that is set before us.

Life is a marathon.  Not a sprint.  One of my childhood regrets was that when it came to sports, I didn’t stick with it.  I tried track, basketball, and baseball.  In each instance, when the practice became dull and it seemed like I maxed out on my abilities, I called it an experience and went on to something else.  Track, especially, was one that I regret.  I was a sprinter.  Yet the coach had us constantly running miles instead of sprints or relays.  I didn’t understand his methods.  It seemed as though all this accomplished was to slow my sprint speed down.  I didn’t see the point.  Regardless of the reasons for it or if it would have eventually paid off, I would have learned to endure life a bit better if I had learned it at such a young age.  Joshua lived two-thirds of his life before God put him in the place of leadership.  Two-thirds.  When the LORD finally did and gave him the battles with the kings, time slowed down immensely.  Where did those seventy years go to?  Time flew by.  Now, at his age and with the responsibility laid before him, time seemed to come to a standstill.  Joshua faithfully discharged his duties even though perception was a discouragement.  This faithfulness is sorely lacking in our churches today.  Either we are in a hurry to get where we think God wants us, or we are too tired once we get there.  Commitment is not determined by our feelings or perceptions.  It is determined by the command of God!