2013-03-29
Good Morning Dear Ones,
When I left off last week, I had related the story of how Jonathan worked with David to save David’s life against the onslaught of Jonathan’s mentally ill father, Saul [1 SAM 20: 15-16, 23]. This had been by putting his own life in danger from his father’s temper for Jonathan [1 SAM 20: 30, 38, and 42]. The next time David and Jonathan were to see each other would be after David had a series of victories, notably over the Philistines [1 SAM 23: 4]. Saul continued his pursuit of David, sending his troops to Keilah [1 SAM 23: 8]. At this time David spoke with the priest, Abiathar, asking him to bring the ephod [which contained the urim and thumim, items used in prophesying-(9)]. David asked Abiathar to ask the Lord if Saul was on his way to Keilah to destroy the town on account of him. The Lord answered, that Saul was, and that the people of Keilah would turn David over to him (10-14). While David was at Horesh in the desert of Ziph, Jonathan met him there and helped him find strength in God. Jonathan said, in 1 SAM 23: 17-18, “’Do not be afraid. My father, Saul, will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father, Saul, knows this.’ The two men made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, and David remained at Horesh.” Just as Saul’s men were closing in on David, a messenger came to Saul telling him that the Philistines were raiding the land. Saul broke off his pursuit of David in favor of going after the Philistines, and David went to live in the desert at En Gedi [extreme south of modern Israel-1 SAM 23: 26b-29].
It was clear that both David and Jonathan trusted God as their StrongTower, their Protector. It’s an intriguing question to ask: Did Jonathan have any idea his life would be cut short later on at Gilboa? We will never really know, except that both Jonathan and David had enough trust in God to know that their covenant would help them in the long run (eternal sense). Both men understood that the enemies of one’s covenant partner were also his own enemies. A covenant partner is obligated to come to come to his partner’s defense. Since God is a Partner to this covenant of friendship, we might also look at the enemies of God’s chosen people, the Jews. Those of us [Jews living in covenant relationships with God and Gentiles who have been grafted in to God’s chosen -RO 11: 17], would most likely want to join Bible teacher, Kay Arthur of Precepts Ministries, in the assertion that Israel’s enemies will never destroy her! That may seem like we are standing out on a limb, but consider the history over the last 3000 years. Consider all the past enemies of Israel, e.g. Amalekites, Ammonites, Canaanites, Edomites, Moabites, Selucids, followers of Torquemada, and Nazis, etc. who have disappeared off the face of the earth, while Israel continues to exist. God is basically saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones!” These are covenant words.
Does this mean that Israelshould ever let down her guard? Of course not, any more than God ever let’s His down. God’s faithfulness is a paradigm for all His covenant partners. PS 105: 7-11, 14-15, 24, and 42, “He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remember His covenant forever, the word He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: to you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit...He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake He rebuked kings; ‘Do not touch My anointed ones; do My prophets no harm’…The Lord made His people very fruitful; He made them too numerous for their foes…He remembered His holy promise given to His servant, Abraham.” BecauseIsrael is God’s covenant partner, then God is bound to defend her.
And what about us? How do these principles apply in our lives? I can only write about my own experience. No one can live 69 years as I have without having some people that simply don’t like you. They are your enemies, and I’ve had my share. Often it was due to my own foolishness, in efforts to learn how to choose friends wisely and how to read the intensions of others. Some of my own lessons in this regard have been hugely painful, and yes, I’ve been kicked to the curb more than once. But thankfully, by now I’ve learned to make better decisions. God knew I was having trouble, and He stepped in to bring certain people into my life who have been wonderful examples for me. One of them is my husband, Peter. When I first met him, he said, “You can tell a lot about a person from the friends he keeps.” That piece of wisdom has certainly helped me a lot. Being a human with foibles, I’m far from perfect, but I do have more peace in my life from my Covenant Partner than in my past. When I look back at my life, I can see God’s stamp on what happened to transform me from not knowing of His magnificent existence to learning to appreciate my Jewish heritage and the great gift of faith in His Son that has been given to me. As with all of us, I am still a work in progress for my Covenant Partner, but He gives each of us hope. 2 COR 4: 13-14, “It is written: ‘I have believed, therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know the One Who raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with You to Himself.”
PRAYER: O Lord, we offer You praise and thanks for Your intervention in the lives of every one of Your covenant partners. PS 14: 1-2, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice.” HE 12: 28, “Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe!” Today, we confess our imperfections and work to discover those not yet seen by us. We are humbled by the example that our Lord Jesus set for us in gentleness, honesty, kindness, and the other fruits of the Holy Spirit [see GA 5: 22-23]. Dear Father, we know that we can’t make the necessary improvement without Your help, and thus, we ask for it. The lessons of today’s message lead us to careful self-examination of our covenant relationship with You and others. Seeing our own imperfections and sinfulness may be painful to us, but it is necessary. That is how we become less apathetic and more aware of Your will and our need to put it as a first priority in our lives. Moreover, we need to be constantly alert to the work of the devil obeying JAS 4: 7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Apathy is one work of the adversary, and we can obey 1 PET 5: 8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” We must not let the devil succeed. We need to learn the lessons from mankind’s history and Your intervention in it. That is why Your word and prayer are so valuable to us. This is so much so, that we should spend daily time with them. PS 119: 24, 93, “Your instructions give me pleasure; they are my advisors…I will never neglect Your precepts, because by them You have preserved my life.” We acknowledge You and the value of studying Your word and prayer, in the holy/mighty name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am led to continue this “Strong Tower” segment of the “Our Covenant” messages with further discussion of why Israel’s enemies are also God’s enemies-the importance of “Do not touch My anointed ones; do My prophets no harm.” We will look at some of the horrific persecution that Israel has endured, partly due to their geography, partly due to belief in one God, partly due to the beliefs of other groups, partly due to fear of those who are different, etc. God’s faithfulness as our Covenant Partner is unparalleled in any human being. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t good people; it just means no one is perfect. God has always wanted us to know Him better. IS 43: 12b-13 gives us insight. “’You are My witnesses,’ declares the Lord ‘that I am God. Yes, from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of My hand, when I act. Who can reverse it?’” We can count on God to act against our enemies, and He has even given us the same power against the adversary as He, the Father, used to raise Christ from death to eternal life [EPH 1: 18-20]. Our God is always here for us, always faithful. PS 145: 18-19, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of all who have reverence for Him; He hears their cries and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him.” This reconnaissance should give us all great comfort. We can turn to God for protection, provision, guidance, or anything we truly need, and He is here for us. PS 55: 22, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit an honest man to be defeated.” How great is that! He never abandons us and remains the Best Friend we will ever have. Praise and thanks to the Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives