2013-02-15
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, we examined an important message in DT 7: 8 in which we are reminded that God brought my believing Jewish forefathers out of Egypt, and wanted them to know He is the one and only true God. I can say this because I am Jewish, however, what about all of you, who are my Gentile friends? You are included in anything God says now, because of what you learned in RO 11 in Paul’s olive tree metaphor. RO 11: 17, “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others, you now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root.” Yes, we are all together, believing Jews and Gentiles, as one in the body of Christ! Now, let’s rehearse God’s vital message in DT 7: 9-10, which is meant for all of us and all who potentially will come to faith in the future. “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands. But those who hate Him He will repay to their face by destruction; He will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate Him.” We also saw that He is our Kinsman-Redeemer, like those human ones referred to in LV 25: 25. Our Covenant Partner, Who is the Lord God Himself [note the capitals used here to denote God], is the One and same. The bond that exists between God and a believer cannot be broken [RO 8: 38-39].
God is indeed our Strong Tower, and a Deliverer. In case there is any question about that, let’s look at GA 2: 20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Since the Son of God is the second personality of the Godhead, then God is indeed our Deliverer, through Christ’s Atonement. He has delivered us from the consequence of spiritual death through this tremendous sin-sacrifice the Son made and our faith in Him. Having said all of that, our covenant relationship with our Strong Tower/Kinsman-Redeemer means that His enemies are also our enemies. That is part of a covenant relationship, just as it was between the house of David and house of Saul due to the pact between Jonathan [Saul’s son] and David. God’s agenda becomes our agenda; His priorities should become ours.
Because of our covenant relationship with God and our belief in the Atonement of Christ and in Him, we can look to our Strong Tower for deliverance of other kinds. NH 1: 7, “The Lord is good; He protects His people in time of trouble; He takes care of those who turn to Him.” Personally, I was delighted to find GA 3: 26-29, which confirms what I’ve already written. “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Could this be a foretaste of heaven? Maybe, so. God Himself has forged us into a remarkable relationship with Him and also with each other. EPH 4: 3-5, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all.” The long-asked question: Am I my brother’s keeper is answered clearly in GA 6: 2, “Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” I find this combination of Scriptures very powerful and a compelling reminder of what our lives should be like, according to our Lord. It’s my hope that you will find time to meditate on them, coming to an understanding of how they should apply to your own lives, as I am doing.
Getting back to the concept of God’s actions against His enemies, we can be sure that He will take vengeance against those who are knowingly and serially doing evil over time. Our Strong Tower (Covenant Partner) has made it clear that it’s His right only to take vengeance against His or our enemies. RO 12: 19, “Do not take revenge, my friend, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written [in LV 19: 18]: ‘It is Mine to avenge I will repay.’” I wanted to see how this was worded in the OT, so here is LV 19: 18 NIV, “Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” The application of this may put us in a tough place, because it’s possible that a fellow believer or even member of your family might cause you to want to hold a grudge or even be angry enough to take matters of revenge in one’s own hands. God is being clear about this being the wrong thing to do. In RO 12: 20-21, God drives home His point in this reference to PR 25: 22. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not overcome evil by evil, but overcome evil with good.” The foundational behavior code that God sets here for us coordinates perfectly with His desire that we exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. So I’ll end today’s message with that. GA 5: 22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
PRAYER: O Lord, our covenant relationship with You is crucial to our spiritual maturation and our need to continually offer You our praise and thanks. You are indeed our Kinsman-Redeemer/Covenant Partner in the true sense of these words. We can say these things about You, because of Your love for us, and stated desire that we should be returned to Your side to be joint-heirs with Christ in heaven [JN 6: 39-40; EPH 1: 4-5; RO 8: 17]. We can call You accurately our Strong Tower, because of the way that Your love motivates You to be our Shelter and Deliverer in times of trouble [PS 46: 1]. We read and feel the words of PS 18: 1-2, “I will love You, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in Whom I will trust; my Buckler [a word meaning a round shield with arm straps for protection], and the Horn [King] of my salvation, and my High Tower.” You, Lord, have called us to give over the taking of revenge against our mutual enemies to You. We will do this, because Your power can never be matched by any human, nor can Your most perfect justice. Just as a strong tower was needed in ancient times for the protection of a settlement, so You are our Strong Tower to protect us from allowing our anger to lead us to evil thoughts and actions. EPH 4: 26-27 and MT 5: 23-24 make Your will in these matters clear. “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold…Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” We are indeed our brother’s keepers. We offer You thanks and praise for being here as our Strong Tower/Covenant Partner, for offering to take matters of revenge off our shoulders, and for protecting us from the work of the devil. We do this in the holy/mighty name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I had been led to write in this same, “Strong Tower” segment of the “Our Covenant” messages about some examples of how God takes revenge against His/our enemies and then go on to how some Biblical examples have modern applications. A true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ needs never feel alone, or that God is unaware of the trials he has. My own life is living proof of that. Even when my past troubles were at their worst, the Lord stepped in with advice for me that enabled me to extricate myself from this turmoil. The key to doing this is to listen for the Lord (in case He has something to say), obey any advice He gives (even if it goes against what is normally done), and have confidence in the fact that He will eventually right the wrongdoing (even if it takes what seems like a long time). To hear what God has to say, we need to begin in an attitude of prayer. PS 4: 1, “Answer me when I call to You, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.” PS 119: 65-66, “Do good to Your servant according to Your word, Lord. Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust Your commands.” Let the Lord know that our obedience is a high priority with us, just as it is with Him. PS 119: 17, “Do good to Your servant, and I will live; I will obey Your word.” And reveal our understanding of our need to give the Lord whatever time He needs to lift our distress. PS 27: 13-14, “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.” And finally, we must let the Lord know we accept that His decisions are always just. PS 89: 14, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You.” When we use His words along with our own in praying, the Lord will be pleased and we can always count on His help. Praise and thanks be to our Lord forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.
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