Salt & Light Blog

The Life of David Part 2: A Man After God’s Own Heart, Love and Courage

8/17/2016

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 On photo of Roses in Pink by Lani Campbell

The Life of David Part 2: A Man After God’s Own Heart, Love and Courage
When The Lord rejected Saul as king of Israel due to his sin and pride by building a monument to himself, He chose a new king. He chose David, the youngest of eight brothers in Bethlehem. Why did He choose this boy? Samuel spoke to Saul about it in 1 Samuel 13:13-14.
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

God searched for a man after His own heart. He found that man in David, even when he was still a boy. But what does it mean to be after God’s heart, to have a heart that takes after The Lord? Acts 13:22 reads,
And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
Paul said that to have a heart like God’s means we will do ALL His will. Doing all of God’s will takes courage, love, trust, and faith. We can look at what God commands and be afraid, be concerned with the how, why, and what ifs, or we can look at God and have courage to love enough to obey. David certainly had those traits. 1 Samuel 16:14-23 describes how David entered Saul’s service.
Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul's servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

David was described as a man of valor, war, prudence, good presence, and he was noted to have the Lord with him. David lived a life with evidence of God, the fruit of His Spirit was apparent. People took note of him. He was a man after God’s own heart. The Lord made it so David would enter the king’s service and this boy left his family and devoted himself to the king. David followed God’s command to do as his father Jesse said. He served Saul as if he were serving God. That is part of being after God’s own heart. God loves the world (John 3:16). He is love (1 John 4:8). So serving God means loving and serving people as if we are serving God. Colossians 3:23-24 reminds us of this.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
God wants us to glorify Him through our tangible love to people. David served Saul with that level of passion. He comforted the king with music. The Spirit worked through David and the harmful spirit left Saul in David’s presence because of his faith to obey his Lord.
Can you imagine the courage that took? He had to leave the home he knew and work for the king. The king was a powerful man who could order deaths if not pleased. The people understood that God had placed Saul as king and his word was unquestionable. David was placed in a position of closeness to Saul. But he served him so well that Saul loved him, counted on him, and gave him a promotion to be his armor bearer, no small job. He had to carry the king’s shield into battle! He was responsible for keeping Saul alive during combat.
God’s heart is courageous. He wants us to be courageous as well. He is perfect Love and perfect Love casts out fear. We have nothing to be afraid of. 1 John 4:16-19 reads,
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.We love because he first loved us.

Note that Love serves people freely because we have no fear. Love is perfected in us and gives us confidence, that we have nothing to fear. We do not fear what people may do to us. We do not fear condemnation, death, or Hell. We have Jesus Christ, perfect love being perfected in us. Love enables us to take action. 1 Samuel 17:1-11 in The Message reads,

The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. They deployed them at Socoh in Judah, and set up camp between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines. The Philistines were on one hill, the Israelites on the opposing hill, with the valley between them.
A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.
Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, “Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you’re all committed to Saul, aren’t you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you’ll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!”
When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine’s challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope.
We are talking about warriors being terrified of fighting this gigantic man. No one would step forward to fight him. David’s eldest three brothers were with Saul at the battle. David was going back and forth between caring for Jesse’s sheep and taking care of Saul. The standoff had lasted forty days. Jesse sent his son to check on his brothers’ safety. 1 Samuel 17:21-27 tells us what happened next.
And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
David couldn’t believe that anyone was afraid of Goliath. Why would anyone who serves the One True Living God be afraid of someone who doesn’t have Him and His armies behind him? The army was looking at Goliath. David was looking to God. What situations have you faced where you saw Goliath instead of God? Looking at Goliath can be terrifying. But David didn’t care that the man was ten feet tall, He had God. He had nothing to fear in some dude who didn’t call on the name of The Lord.
David’s oldest brother Eliab was ashamed at his own cowardice but pride made that shame manifest as anger at David. He told David to go back home and take care of the sheep. But David didn’t let his brother’s words hurt him. Instead he convinced Saul to let him fight Goliath. Saul tried to dissuade the young man but he wouldn’t change his mind. 1 Samuel 17:38-44 reads,
Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
The enemy tried more words to try and discourage David. But David had The Spirit on him and was not going to be discouraged or afraid. He had faith in God to be God. He knew what God could do, and He trusted Him to do it. David didn’t go fight Goliath for his glory but for God’s glory. Verses 45-51 read,
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”
When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

Believer, you have nothing and no one to fear. You have the Lord God. You know who He is and He has given you His heart, His Holy Spirit, Love. You know He is always with you, what do you have to fear? You are free to love, free to act, free to glorify God!

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Genesis 19:30-38 Faith or Flesh Lot’s Daughters’ Choice

6/23/2016

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for we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (on a photo of Erik Weihenmayer on Mt. Everest by James Q Martin)

Genesis 19:30-38
Lot had escaped Sodom to Zoar but as the lone survivors of the destruction of the wicked cities, he was afraid to stay there. Instead he and his two daughters lived in a cave. Lot may have been okay with the situation but his daughters were not. They had both been engaged, preparing to start lives as wives and looking forward to becoming mothers, but now they were alone in a cave with their dad and his fear affected them. Verses 30-32 describe their desperation.
Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”
These two women had been raised by a righteous man, but their mother was not so righteous. They had been raised in a city so evil that the people thought nothing of gang rape and thought that it was wrong of Lot to try and protect the victims. Lots daughters were faced with a dilemma and a choice of how to handle that problem. They could have prayed to the Lord and asked Him to send them husbands. They could have cried out to Him for an answer. But they didn’t have the faith to see past their own fears and see the hope. They were each one of three survivors of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Rather than see themselves as survivors, or see the hope of what their saved lives could mean, they focused on what that terrible experience meant for their fleshly desires. They came up with a plan to fix their problems. They decided to rape their father and take what they wanted. Verses 33-35 read,
So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
34 The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
Rape is rape, whether the victim is a man or a woman, whether he was drunk or sober, aware or not aware, rape is a terrible violation of a person. It is the epitome of hate. These women were alive only because their father was a good man and God had mercy on him. They were alive because God allowed them to be saved. But they couldn’t acknowledge that or trust that if God had saved them, He most certainly was not going to leave them alone in a cave forever. Rather than be thankful to God and to Lot and use their new lives for good, they hated enough to violate their father in the most despicable manner possible. The plan worked, they got what they wanted. Verses 36-38 read,
Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
They had no shame over their sin, they proudly displayed what they had done by naming their sons with the banner of their sin. Moab sounds like Hebrew for ‘from father” or more closely “the waters of father” and Ben-amni means son of my people. Their mothers showed no repentance for their terrible deeds. And the descendants of Lot’s sons would become prideful evil nations.
The Moabites were pagans known for their obscene worship of the gods Chemosh and Baalpeor. They overwhelmed a race of giants called the Emin but were later dispossessed from that land by Israel. They would give us Ruth who forsook the gods and religion of her people to worship The Lord and become an ancestor of Jesus.
The Ammonites were a strong and vicious people who destroyed an ancient race of giants called Zamzummim, and seized their country east of Judea. They were flagrant idolaters, chiefly worshipping Moloch or Saturn. They fought Israel constantly and had many prophecies against them.
What could Lot’s daughters’ legacy have been had they appreciated their situation through faith instead of selfishness? We might have known their names instead of the wickedness of their sons. He might have given them amazing godly husbands and broods of children, but we will never know. They trusted themselves not God.
It is not easy to see past what we want right here and right now. It is not easy to choose to trust God to have our best for us when we could take the easier route and steal the solution sitting in front of our eyes.
I can’t imagine it was easy living in that cave, not knowing if or when Lot would be courageous enough to leave and find a new place to live. But if they knew their dad, they knew he wouldn’t stay there keeping them away from life forever. They had witnessed God’s power firsthand as He saved Lot from death, offered salvation to their fiancées and rained fire and brimstone down in the cities. But they refused to see the hope because they could only see their desires and despair. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 reads,
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Faith is not about looking at the world with our eyes. It is about seeing the world through our relationship with God. If we know God, we can trust Him to do what is right and best for us. We know that what He has for us is far better than what we can get for ourselves.
What have you taken upon yourself that you should have left to the Lord? Is there a choice before you now between waiting for God or taking the immediate fix? I exhort you to choose faith, wait for the Lord. He won’t leave you exhausted at the end of your rope. Isaiah 40:31 promises us,
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

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Cowardice is a Sin

10/26/2015

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Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

Did you know that the Bible lists cowardice in the same category as murder, sexual immorality, and sorcery?
Revelation 21:8 reads,
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
Wow! Fear is as bad as killing? How is that? I know that fear stops you from trying, which stops you from accomplishing. Fear keeps you from enjoying life. Fear stands between you and the gift on the other side of the fear. I know this from personal experience.
Years ago, I was afraid of everything a person could be afraid of. I could not enjoy life because I was only able to watch from the sidelines. One day, God told me to go on a mission trip to The Amazon Jungle of all places. Could any place have so many things I was afraid of all together in one place? That trip changed my life. Every day of that trip I had to do things that scared me like climb ladders, step over a gap, climb steep hills, and deal with bugs. As our trip neared its end, we were enjoying a day of sightseeing. We were visiting a shop right on the river. There was a tall rickety old bridge leading back from that shop into the jungle. People were walking along the bridge and I was afraid to cross it. I wanted to do it but I couldn’t make myself move, so I settled for waiting for the others to return. Well one man, decided I was not going to miss and it sternly encouraged me to take the walk along the bridge with him to join the rest of the group. He told me my fear was based on imagination and not reality. I took a deep breath and walked along that rickety old bridge, and there around me were beautiful towering trees and a plethora of birds I had never seen. A monkey moved along the tree tops above us. At the end of the bridge was a lovely little lagoon type of area with giant lily pads, gorgeous flowers, and caiman swimming through the dark water. It was breathtaking! I stood there and marveled at the God’s creation. No description of it could ever have done it justice. I would have missed out on that blessing had I given in to the fear. I would have missed out on the entire trip had I let fear stop me. Before that trip I was afraid of EVERYTHING. After that trip, fear couldn’t stop me from anything.
Fear is not from God. Fear keeps us from doing God’s will, enjoying His gifts and experiencing His fullness.
2 Timothy 1:6-7 reads,
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
We have The Holy Spirit! That Spirit is powerful, we have love, and we have self-control. Some versions of the Bible read sound mind rather than self-control. Fear is the antithesis of power, love and sound mind or self-control. Fear is a timid, loveless, and turbulent mind. We have nothing to fear! Fear is part of a life without God. God loves us, He holds in His arms, Our Papa.
Romans 8:15 says,
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
Do you remember when you were little; you knew if Daddy was there, all was right with the world. He told the monsters under the bed to get out. He held you when you were scared. And when he held you there was nothing in the entire universe that could hurt you. Your Abba, your Father in Heaven is holding you tightly in his arms. Nothing can take you out of His mighty hands. John 10:28-29 reads,
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”
He will not let anyone hurt you. He will not let the enemy touch you! The enemy will taunt you, he will threaten, he will lies to you but he can’t touch you. You are safe in your Daddy’s arms!
1 John 5:18 says,
“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”
What is fear keeping you from doing? What is it you are afraid of happening? Change? Death? Maiming? Is any of that a real fear? Are you imagining what will happen if things go wrong? That is worrying. That’s not reality. Where are those thoughts originating? Those are not from God! Remember God didn’t give you a Spirit of fear. Remember the enemy wants you to fear. The Bible tells us not to worry.
Philippians 4:4-7 reminds us,
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
He didn’t promise nothing bad things would not happen to us but He did promise to be with us regardless (Hebrews 13:5). He promised that everything works for good to those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Don’t let fear stop you. Don’t spend your time imagining “what if”. If you fear something remember the enemy doesn’t want you to live a victorious life and he wants you to be afraid. That’s probably a good reason to overcome your fear and do whatever it is, the enemy doesn’t want you to do.
Before He went home, in John 14:27 Jesus said:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Don’t ignore that gift. I challenge you today; Do the thing you fear. Do it now. Let the enemy know he can’t touch you. Do what you are afraid to do and accomplish what it is you are afraid of doing. See what wonderful thing God has in store for you and for your world.

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Psalm 56 Put Your Trust in God

7/16/2015

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Psalm 56

David went through trial after trial in his life. Over the years many people not only wished bad for him, they tried to capture and kill him. When we are friends with God, when we belong to Him and our hearts align with His, people will come up against us. They will try to hurt us in any way they can. Their prince, Satan wants us stifled. The accuser of the brethren doesn’t want us to use the power of God at our disposal. He prefers us to sit ignorant or terrified. But he can’t touch us spiritually. He can only hurt us physically through the lost who belong to him. (1 John 5:18-19). The more of God’s gifts, power and authority we exhibit and the more we resemble Christ, the more eager Satan is to suppress us.

When David wrote this Psalm called a Miktam, he had been captured by the Philistines at Gath. Verses 1-4 read,

“Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?”

When we are afraid because it seems no matter where we turn enemies surround us, like David we put our trust in God. We can trust Him. We can praise Him in the midst of troubles. We can thank Him for our deliverance. We can do all that because we know who God is. We know what He has done and what He has promised He will do. We know we can trust Him so thoroughly because God’s promises are so certain we can count them as already done. After all what can people do to us? They can’t separate us from God. They can’t steal our joy or rob us of salvation. Why should we be afraid of mere flesh and bone? Why should we be afraid of Satan and his weak attempts to stop us?

David’s enemies went after him with the intent to stop him permanently. They knew he was a powerful military leader. They knew he was gifted, smart, and clever. They could see God’s anointing and calling on him. It made them more determined to stopping him. Verses 5-7 tell us some of the evil people did to David.

“All day long they injure my cause;
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
    they watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
    In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!”

David had reason to fear for his life. In 1 Samuel 27:1 David’s fear is expressed. He kept this fear to himself. It was between David and The Lord.

“Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”

The Lord answered David. He cared deeply about David and He cares deeply about us. He doesn’t enjoy the suffering we experience. He doesn’t abandon us while we suffer. Verses 8-11 say it like this,

“You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
    in the day when I call.
    This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?”

God knows when we struggle and He doesn’t forget the difficulties we face. He knows we cry. He cares. We can know that the enemy will not win. The enemy will pay for his reign of terror over the earth, for his attempts to hurt us, and for his hatred of The Lord and His children. In verse 9 David said, “This I know, that God is for me.” Believer, God is for us too! And we know if that we know we have nothing to fear at all. In Romans 8:31-39 Paul says it this way,

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul quoted Psalm 44:22. It is for The Lord’s sake we are being hunted and killed. Satan wants to destroy us, not because of who we are but for who we are in Christ. But he can only accuse us. He can only tempt us. He cannot take our victory, he cannot take our salvation, and he cannot take us away from God.

We have already won. Satan was conquered when Jesus laid down His life on the cross. Satan’s hope, death and eternal separation from God was conquered when Jesus rose from the dead. Satan’s schemes were made futile when Jesus ascended and gave us The Holy Spirit.

David put his trust in God and thanked Him for his life and rescue even before it happened. Verses 12-13 read,

“I must perform my vows to you, O God;
    I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
    in the light of life.”

God did the same for us. We act out our vows to God. We vowed to make Jesus our Lord. God vowed to forgive us, make us righteous, and conform us to Jesus image. We actively and intentionally walk in that knowledge of God’s redemption of us, in our deliverance from death, sin, and Hell. Our part of the contract is that we make Jesus our Lord. God does all the rest. God keeps us walking, protects us from the enemy, destroys the enemy, and makes us new creations with His heart, His mind, His nature, and His Spirit.

What is it you have to fear? Nothing, because God your Father protects you. Zilch, because God, your Savior delivered you. Nada, because God, your Comfort indwells you. God loves you, He adores you. You can trust in Him and have nothing to fear.

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Psalm 49 Why Should We Fear Anyone at any Time?

7/9/2015

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Psalm 49

This Psalm of the Sons of Korah is titled, “Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?” That is a good question. Why should we fear? What is it we have to fear? How can anything cause us fear when we are children of The LORD? If we put our trust in Him than surely there is nothing and no one that can shake us or hurt us. We can tell the world we are secure. We can tell those who try and hurt us that there is nothing they can do to us. And we can tell those who have been injured by the powerful that they have hope. Verses 1-4 read,

“Hear this, all peoples!
    Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
    rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
    I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.”

Everyone needs to know that God can be their salvation. Everyone whether powerful or weak, rich or poor, needs The Lord. It is in wisdom and love we share the gospel through the Holy Spirit and with prayer. When we praise God we share the secret of salvation and give hope to the lost. Don’t keep your praise private. People need to know the beautiful truth.

People do not want to admit they are weak and unable to do something. We like to rely on ourselves. We cheer the self-sufficient. It isn’t the self-sufficient man who is saved. It is the man who admits he can’t do it himself. It is the man who concedes his sin and weakness and acknowledges he needs Jesus who is saved. Verses 5-9 say,

“Why should I fear in times of trouble,
    when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man can ransom another,
    or give to God the price of his life,
8 for the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
    and never see the pit.”

We can’t rely on our wisdom, our strength, our money, or our authority. The smartest man can still go to the pits of hell. The bravest man can still perish forever separated from God. The richest man cannot buy salvation. The cost is too high for any man to pay himself. Only Jesus can pay the price. Romans 6:23 tells us,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Only Jesus can pay the price of salvation and He doesn’t require us to pay a thing, he freely gives us eternal life. That is awesome. That is great news that every person should get the chance to hear. No one can be good enough, wise enough, or powerful enough to earn eternal life. Verses 10-12 read,

“For he sees that even the wise die;
    the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever,
    their dwelling places to all generations,
    though they called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp will not remain;
    he is like the beasts that perish.”

Those people who proudly depend on themselves and who cannot humble themselves to confess they are sinners incapable of perfection will die and go to Hell. It is a fact we need to remember. We don’t remember it so we can argue a person into faith in Jesus. We don’t remember it so we can laugh at them. We remember so we can be grateful and humble ourselves and love others enough to share the gospel. So when we boast, we boast in Christ and not ourselves. We boast in our weakness and so glorify Christ to all those who witness our lives. Paul said it this way in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10,

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

It is not our own power, wealth, intelligence or wisdom which glorifies Christ. It is His strength exercised through our weaknesses which glorifies Him and testifies to the world how awesome He is. Verses 13-15 describe the route of the prideful man,

“This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;
    yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
    death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.
    Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
    for he will receive me. Selah”

When we admit our weakness, our poverty, and our sin Jesus ransoms us. He pays the price and gives us the gift of eternal life. We may not have the strength to fight, but The Father does. We may not have the power to overthrow evil, but Jesus does. We may not have the discernment to handle any situation, but The Holy Spirit does. He generously gives us His strength, power, discernment, and righteousness. There is nothing for us to fear. If God is for us who can be against us? Verses 16-20 encourage us.

“Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
    when the glory of his house increases.
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
    his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed
    —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself--
19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
    who will never again see light.
20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.”

Romans 8:31-39 sums it up so much better than I ever could,

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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