The Storm Will End

“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” (Ps 57:1 AV)

The calamities to which David is referring are the years he fled from Saul.  There are in the plural because fleeing brought with it a host of other problems.  He was estranged from his first wife and she eventually left him for another.  Each place he stopped was only for a short while, and trouble usually ensured.  David lost friends and family.  Those several years were difficult, to say the least.  Regardless of how long the trial was or what the specific situation was, David never lost hope that the calamities would end.  There was only one time in which he reached his limit.  That didn’t last long.  He encouraged himself in the LORD.  That one little word is a word of great hope.  Overpast. 

That word is an interesting one.  It means to pass over.  But it also means to transition.  The closest I can come to understanding this idea is a severe storm in the heat of the summer.  It is hot.  It is humid.  I grew up twenty miles to the east of Niagara Falls.  This meant most of our weather was affected by the Falls.  The summers could be rather dramatic.  Because our humidity was amplified from the evaporation coming off the Falls, when we had a summer downpour, it was rather dramatic.  They were often very heavy and very quick.  This meant things changed in very obvious ways.  It could be sweltering one minute, then cool down significantly the next.  Seeing roads steam after a storm was rather common.  It would be sunny and hot one minute, then we would have a downpour that lasted less than ten minutes.  Then the temperature would cool at least ten degrees.  Most times, even more.  There was a very obvious transition.  We went from very hot and humid to cooler and drier within a matter of minutes.

This is the understanding of overpast.  David knew the times that he suffered would come to an end.  When they did, life would transition.  They would not stay as they were.  It was this hope in the grace of God that got him through the downpours of life.  While he stood under the flood of adversity, the LORD was his refuge.  It was God who protected him and enabled him to weather the storm.  It was the promises of God that kept him focused.  He was able to do this because he knew the storm would be overpast.  It would be over and life would transition.  The circumstances would not stay the same forever.  They will change.  When they do, we will experience relief.  We can rest in that relief until the next storm comes.  In my childhood, we would have these downpours intermittently.  A steady rain was not the norm.   Bursts of downpours were more frequent.  This is what life can be like.  We can go from one violent storm to the next.  Knowing they will not last forever and that God is our refuge helps us to thrive in the most difficult times of life.

Of Justice and Mercy

“In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.” (Ps 56:10 AV)

We don’t normally talk like this, so the phrasing above is a bit cloudy.  When David says, “In God” and “in the LORD”, what he is saying is respect towards, and for, God or the LORD, he praises His word.  At least that is what our wise teachers tell us.  I have no reason to dispute their understanding so we will go with it.  What is more interesting is the balance David chooses to strike where.  By distinguishing both God and LORD, as John Gill points out, he is pointing out God’s justice and mercy.  The title God would speak to His justice while LORD would speak to His mercy.  Again, not nearly as educated as Bro Gill, but I will not take issue here.  Rather, I will use His insights as the victuals for my soul this morning.

The justice of God and the mercy of God co-exist in infinite measure.  The attributes of God are infinite in measure and scope.  When God chooses to use one over the other, it is not because one is more in quantity or ability than the other.  Rather, when God uses two opposing attributes that He possesses infinitely, He shows the balance of the Godhead.  This is of great comfort to the saint!  He or she can remember when in need of one or the other, God has not run out.  The saint can also take comfort that because God holds both infinitely when He exercises one rather than the other, He does so with purpose and measure.  David speaks of this balance in the midst of several psalms that ask for God’s intervention over his enemies.  What is striking is David’s praise of both justice and mercy.  As if to say he is not wise enough to determine which is best, yet God is.  Therefore, he will trust in the balance of God to mete out or refrain from exercising justice.  He leaves the situation in the hands of our very capable God and goes on serving Him without delay.

The fact that David praises God goes one step further.  This means David not only accepts God’s judgment as far as his enemies go but also meditates on what God did and what He did.  Or, chose not to do what could have been done.  This suggests David gives God the benefit of the doubt seeking the wisdom in God’s actions, or inactions.  He does not second-guess God’s judgment.  He accepts it as all-wise and part of a greater plan.  What David sees in God’s hand on others, we also must consider as God works with us.  As the LORD continues to work toward our practical sanctification, there are times He will show mercy when we think He should correct, and there are other times when He corrects when we think He should show mercy.  We cannot think that every bad thing that happens is because we did wrong, nor can we think that the absence of adversity means we are automatically right with God.  There is a balance.  Seeing that balance and asking for wisdom is the point here.  God is merciful.  He is also just.  His actions are found upon His holy word.  Being a student of that word will help us see the true balance between the two.

All We Need To Rejoice

“And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.” (De 12:7 AV)

By the ministry of the Holy Spirit, a thought occurred to me.  When reading this passage, we may focus on the first part of it.  We may notice the LORD encouraging us to enjoy those things which He has blessed us with.  There is nothing wrong with that.  In fact, it seems as though this might be a command.  Given that idea, what occurred to me is that what we need to live a joy-filled life is provided by the LORD.  All we need to have a life of joy is given by God’s grace.  This implies if we are discontent with our station in life, it is not because of lack.  God has given us all we need.  His blessings abound.  The things He gives are not all material.  He gives relationships.  He gives experiences.  He gives ideas, thoughts, and truths.  The blessings of God abound in so many types and in various amounts.  Again, if we are discontented, it is not God’s fault.

This provision includes all God provides.  Even those things we would rather not have.  No one wants to be ill.  No one wants to have bare cupboards.  No one wants a wayward child.  No one wants to be laid off, wondering how the bills are going to get paid.  No one wants persecution.  No one wants demonic oppression.  Yet, these things can turn into a blessing.  I am sure as Daniel was lowered into the lion’s den, he wasn’t celebrating by asking for more lions.  I am sure he felt a wee bit of anxiety.  As the three children were cast into the fiery furnace, they may have felt a bit of apprehension.  As Peter stepped out of the boat in the midst of a storm, he obviously battled fear.  As Jesus agonized in the garden, joy was hard to come by.  Yet, the Bible calls the crucifixion a joy that was set before Him.  Life is full of times we would rather not endure.  If we could trade them in or pass them off to someone who hates the LORD, perhaps we would take that option.  All these things, like Job’s trials, are for our joy.  Perhaps not at the precise moment in which we experience them, but they are.

We can fill our lives with all sorts of things, people, or experiences we think will offer joy.  But the fact is, the LORD provides this for us.  We can make one of two choices.  We can either accept all things as caused or allowed by God and worthy of immediate or delayed joy, or we can circumvent the provisions of God for joy and try to find it ourselves.  The latter only ends in more discontentment.  We can be content with what God has given, knowing He knows us better than we know ourselves, or we can doubt the wisdom and ability of the LORD by trying to find happiness on our own terms.  I was recently asked if I liked where I lived.  Did I wish I lived somewhere else?  I have lived long enough to know the best place to live is where God wants you.  The best thing in life to be doing is what God would have you do.  Find that, and you will find the joy that only faith and obedience can bring.  Heaven is my home.  Where I dwell on this planet matters not.  What matters is rejoicing in the grace and provision of the LORD no matter what that might look like.

A Simple Reminder

“Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:” (De 8:11 AV)

Sometimes we need a reminder of the simple things of the word of God.  No profound point here.  No elaborate explanation of the context is needed.  Israel is challenged in the book of Deuteronomy to walk according to the commandments of God because the former generation refused to do so.  Above is a warning for a new generation not to do the same as the previous, or they will suffer similar consequences.  I don’t feel led to take this down the path of a rebuke.  Rather, a simple reminder.  God only asks of us that which is reasonable.  He is the Creator and we are created for His pleasure.  The LORD has every right to demand of us anything He desires.  Praise the LORD He is loving and benevolent.  Not only does He require of us what is reasonable, but His motive is mercy and love.  He requires of us only that which brings Him honor and works to our benefit.  It may not seem so at the moment.  But it always is.  God desires His best for us.  This means we must trust His judgment and live according to His divine plan.  That plan includes obedience to His law.  Again, His law is not intended to make our lives worse.  Rather, better.  The great Psalmist puts it this way.   “And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.” (Ps 119:45 AV)  Obedience and faith are the foundations of our walk with God.  They are the key to eternal life.  They are the secret to finding the Creator’s plan for us.

Self-determination can be a curse. More times than not, it is.  Adam and Eve were given the freedom of self-determination.  God created mankind with the ability to choose.  Right or wrong, we have the ability to choose which direction we are to go.  Consequences are out of our control.  But the ability to choose is not.  Thus, Adam and Eve made a choice that set us all on a trajectory of disobedience and doubt.  We fight this battle every day.  It is the curse of having the ability to choose.  Conversely, we have the ability to choose right, as well.  Contrary to some theological systems, the Bible challenges all mankind to obey God.  If we did not have that ability, the challenge would be mute.  This ability to choose too often gets in the way of having a truly blessed life.  Israel had a hard time learning this.  It cost them greatly.  We are no different.  Obedience is not easy.  It is not natural.  It has to be learned.  The quicker we learn it, the more blessed we can be.

Note here an important point Moses is making.  Obedience and relationships go hand-in-hand.  If we do not obey God, we will soon forget Him.  To walk in faith and obedience is to walk in intimacy.  Jesus teaches us that to love Him is to obey Him.  This truth is soon lost on our current generation in Christendom.  All emotion and no submission.  What a shame.  The challenge is to know God’s word and follow it.  Maturity does not try to find a way around it.  Maturity complies.  Maturity wants to know exactly what the word of God says so obedience can be pursued.  The verse above is not complicated.  There is no secret truth hidden deep within the words.  It is simple.  Obey the LORD so that you do not forget Him.  It really is that simple.

Stay In The City

“Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.” (Nu 35:28 AV)

If you are not a fan of allegory, this entry is not for you.  The cities of refuge were six cities scattered throughout the nation of Israel where someone who committed negligent homicide could flee.  The penalty for killing another was death.  But there were times when causing the death of another was purely accidental.  The example of an errant swing of a sharp implement or a falling rock is given.  There was no hatred, premeditation, or motive for self-gain.  This event happened purely by chance.  The guilty party could not have predicted the outcome in any way.  So, his or her life was protected by fleeing to a city of refuge and remaining within its borders until the death of the high priest.  Once the high priest passed away, then the offender was free to return to his home.  The revenger had no recourse.  The High priest was the protection granted to the erring one.  The only stipulation was that he had to remain under the protection of the High Priest.  If, for any reason, he left the city of refuge, he was fair game.  The revenger of blood, when coming upon the offender outside of the city, had the legal right to take the life of the offender.  The key was staying in the city of refuge.

Jesus Christ is our High Priest.  Our city of refuge is the presence of God.  As long as we remain in the presence of God, the accuser of the brethren and our Adversary cannot inflict a fatal blow.  He may harass.  Like the example above, the avenger of blood could enter the city of refuge as he pleased.  He could harass the offender.  He could make the offender’s life miserable.  But he could not inflict a fatal blow.  So, too, is it with the believer.  As long as we are in the presence of God’s grace, we are protected from the fatal blows of the adversary.  We are free to live for the glory of God while suffering persecution here and there.  But the old Devil cannot ruin what God loves.  God will protect us.  Yes, He may allow a bit of discomfort.  But only so to make us stronger.  The LORD may allow the avenger of blood to be seen and heard, but he has no power over us while we wait in the city of our refuge.  Staying in that city is the key!

This example is also a great picture of the Old Testament saint who had to wait until the death of the high priest.  Our High Priest.  The Old Testament saint was protected as long as he put his faith in the future death of the High Priest.  Just like the Old Testament saint who looked forward to the death of humanity’s High Priest, they looked forward to the death of Christ.  When the High Priest died, they were free.  GLORY!  The cities of refuge remained.  When the current high priest died, he was replaced and the cities continued.  Our High Priest rose on high.  He sits at the right hand of the Father.  He ever liveth to make intercession for us.  In doing so, He is the High Priest who died for us once yet still lives.  He is our everlasting High Priest.  He can never die again.  So, when the devil makes our life miserable by accusing us of things we have done, then remind him that we live in the city of refuge.  We are as guilty as they come.  We are wicked and evil.  We deserve none of God’s grace.  Yet, we abide in the presence of our High Priest who has died for us and is risen again.  His death covers all our sin.  So, saint, stay in the city of refuge.  Stay in the presence of God’s grace.  Learn to live in the reality of His mercy and grace.  Confess and forsake!  Yes!  But don’t let the adversary have one inch of ground that is not his to take.  Stand firm in the city of refuge.  He is our Rock and High Tower.  He is our eternal High Priest.  Nothing the adversary says or does can change that!

He Is Coming

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.” (Ps 50:3 AV)

It occurred to me, by the leading of the Spirit, that the first part of the verse suggests to those who hate God that God appears to be uninvolved in the affairs of humanity.  They perceive God as silent.  Later in the same psalm, we find out why.  They perceive what appears to be the silence of God as His approval.  They believe God’s values are similar to their own and therefore, believe God is not judging them for their ungodliness.  We see this play out more than we would think as we read or watch the news.  We see celebrity after celebrity condoning and even promoting wickedness and suggesting their values are the true values of Christians.  They condemn those who tell the truth.  They judge us as unloving for sharing God’s holiness and pending judgment for wickedness.  They see, what appears to be, a lack of judgment, comparing this to our trials of faith, concluding they are in the right and God’s people are not.  But the ungodly better be careful.  What appears to be the silence of God will not last that much longer.  The history of humanity bears this out.  God judges wickedness.  This judgment is delayed because He is a gracious God who calls humanity to repent.  He gives more than enough time for the earth to repent.  But this time is limited.  He will judge evil.

Believers should not feel guilty that God must judge sin.  After all, He judges ours, right?  At some point, we have to decide who we love more.  Do we love God or people more?  If push came to shove, and we had to make a choice, who would we choose?  If we must choose between hurting feelings, who do we consider more?  God has definite feelings regarding sin and holiness.  This is not personal or fluid.  God’s holiness is absolute.  He created all things to exist in holiness.  He did so not to push His authority or prove His sovereignty.  He did so because He is benevolent.  His holiness is motivated by love, not by pride.  So, when mankind rejects His holiness, mankind rejects the love and benevolence of God.  God must judge this.  Even the silence of God is a manifestation of His benevolence.  He has every right to judge immediately.  Yet He often does not.  The lost world cannot see the motives of God.  All we do is see the holiness of God and His expectations as nothing more than a dictator who wants to steal fun from our lives.  This is not true.  A loving and benevolent God wants what is best for us.  If we reject His best, He has no other choice but to judge us for that choice.

I truly fear what humanity will endure when Jesus returns.  Reading the book of Revelation should make mankind tremble.  The word of God describes what will happen when God has had enough of the rebellion of man.  If we stopped and meditated on the details of what these judgments imply, I don’t think there would be anyone looking forward to the judgments of God.  A thorough study of the tribulation period will reveal that almost the entire human race will suffer horrible death as a result of rejecting what God intended to be a blessing.  For the believer, we can be encouraged in that no matter how bad the world gets, Jesus is coming back.  We will be rid of the evil by life or by death.  Either we will die before the rapture or be raptured out of here before the judgments begin.  Those who are saved during the tribulation, will either die a martyr’s death or last seven years and enter the millennial reign.  For those who are weary of the evil all around us, remember, that God will fix it all.  This is certain.  This is a matter of God’s reputation and honor.  This is a matter of God’s justice in balance with His benevolence.  Take heart, dear child of God.  No matter how evil the world gets, God will have the last word.

Study To Share

“Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.” (Ps 48:12-13 AV)

It is important to know the things of God and relate them to the next generation so they do not lose the importance of them.  To tell the towers means to count them and relate the origin of them.  To tell the towers means to relate the importance of them.  Bulwarks are entrenchments one might find along the wall protecting the city of Zion.  The palaces are David’s, Solomon’s, and other palaces that existed.  They speak of government and splendor.  They speak of God’s blessing, direction, and glory.  David is sharing the importance of relating all that God had and is doing to the next generation.  He is letting us know it is important to rehearse not only the origins but also the purpose for them and the maintenance of them.  The thing is, David built them with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.  The present generation is enjoying the fruits of the previous generation’s efforts.  Note here David does not tell us to walk about Zion with the next generation.  However, that would be a great idea. Rather, he is speaking to the present generation as the one who must know details to share with the future Israelites.  We cannot pass on what we do not know!

My father used to take us on vacations that sometimes included a historical site of one sort or another.  At the time, we resented it.  What teenager really wants to see where some event of historical significance occurred?  The one I remember the most is the sight of the Johnstown flood.  He took us to the place where the damn broke.  There is a plaque or two recounting the event, but by and large, it is one large valley with the remains of an earthen damn.  Not much to see.  No buildings.  No monuments.  No playground equipment for bored kids to play on.  We didn’t appreciate it at the time.  But it was important to my father.  In time, we may not have understood a flood that rocked the world.  But we did understand the significance of knowing about it.  A flood that wiped out a town may not be a life-changing experience.  But it did play a part in appreciating things of our past.  I also remember a trip to Harper’s Ferry.  That really stuck in my mind because I began to appreciate the facts of history as they might have played out in real-time. 

I see here as well the responsibility the coming generation has to maintain and build on what the previous generation had done.  This is not a mere exchange of information.  This exchange has a purpose behind it.  The coming generation has the responsibility to carry and go further than their predecessors did.  They have the responsibility to take the nation or church from where it is to where it needs to be.  They have the responsibility to further the glory of God and His kingdom.  The only way to do that is with an understanding of where they came from and how they got there.  Where they came from defines the future.  How they got there should increase an appreciation for what there is and instill a sense of ethical responsibility to continue on.  One of the reasons we are losing our present generation is a lack of respect for history and manifest destiny.  That being, a concrete belief in why we are here and where we are going.  Today, it seems as though people merely exist without any sense of direction and purpose.  That lies at the feet of past generations who did not leave behind an understanding of legacy and purpose.  I don’t see the older generation regaling the wonders of God with an attitude.  What I see is a love and appreciation for God, manifested by the work it takes to study what God did, and a passion to tell the generation coming up with appreciation and excitement.