2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
In GN 14: 19-20, Abram tithed, that is he gave a tenth of all the loot he captured in his victory over Chedorlaomer and the other kings, to Melchizedek. The latter was a priest of El Elyon, the Most High God. This act was Abraham’s acknowledgment that El Elyon was indeed responsible for making this victory possible. The king of Sodom told Abram to keep the loot, but to give back to him all his people. Abram’s reply is in GN 14: 22-23, “I solemnly swear before the Lord, the Most High God, Maker of heaven and earth, that I will knot keep anything of yours, not even a thread or a sandal strap.” When that citation is translated into the original Hebrew, the word, Jehovah, is used for the English word, Lord. It is not until GN 15: 2 at the beginning of a chapter on the Abrahamic covenant that we see the word, Adonai, introduced, meaning Lord. God told Abram not to be afraid, that He offers protection and a great reward. “But Abram answered, ‘Sovereign Lord, what good will Your reward do me, since I have no children. My only heir is Eliezer of Damscus.’” The connotation here is that Adonai suggests God as Lord and Master. So, in today’s message we will continue looking at citations where God is referred to as Adonai, in the hope that our Lord, Who is also our Master, will draw us into an even greater and closer understanding of His essential role in our lives.
There is an interesting background to this idea of God as Lord and Master. It goes back to God’s commands concerning the status of slaves in ancient Jewish society. GN 17: 10-14, [God speaking to Abram] “You and your descendants must all agree to circumcise every male among you. From now on you must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old, including slaves born in your homes and slaves bought from foreigners. This will show that there is a covenant between you and Me. Each one must be circumcised, and this will be a physical sign to show that My covenant with you is everlasting. Any male who has not been circumcised will no longer be considered one of My people, because he has not kept the covenant with Me.” This concept is repeated when God speaks to Moses and Aaron in EX 12: 43-44. “The Lord [Adonai] said to Moses and Aaron, ‘These are the Passover regulations: No foreigner shall eat the Passover meal, but any slave that you have bought may eat it if you circumcise him first.’” When one looks at these passages, they go right to the heart of God’s purpose in establishing the Jewish people when He called Abram out of Mesopotamia. He wanted a people who differed from all others at the time by their belief in monotheism, a “nation of priests” [EX 19: 5-6; 1 PET 2: 9], and a “light to the nations” [IS 49: 6]. To have this purpose carried out, God needed to know that individual males were willing to undergo circumcision as a sign of their faith in Him. It must be understood that the circumcision itself was not what deemed them acceptable to God, but the faith of which it was a sign was [RO 2: 28-29].
David’s prayer for mercy in PS 123: 2 really clarifies the crucial nature to us of genuine faith. “As a servant depends on his master, as a maid depends on her mistress, so we will keep looking to You, O Lord our God until You have mercy on us.” Another citation that reveals our dependency on God is PS 145: 14-16, “He helps those who are in trouble; He lifts those who have fallen. All living things look hopefully to You and You give them food when they need it. You give them enough and satisfy the needs of all.” I believe every word in the Scriptures is the truth. That is why I testify to you today that we are all servants of the Lord [Adonai] and that we are much the better for it. Our faith in Him is what sustains us through all the evil that Satan sends our way. It is by this faith that we are alive today and will be spiritually alive for eternity. The nature of God’s exquisite grace is that He offers us eternal life because we are willing to have faith in Him. It is no longer necessary for males to be circumcised physically, due to God’s grace. Being “circumcised in one’s heart” is what really matters.
PS 89: 49-51, part of a prayer for deliverance, allows us a remarkable look at the servant-Master relationship between the Psalmist and God, as well as a remarkable prophecy. “Lord [Adonai], where are the former proofs of Your love? Where are the promises You made to David? Do not forget how I, your servant, am insulted, how I endure all the curses of the heathen. Your enemies insult Your chosen King, O Lord! They insult Him wherever He goes.” We are so blessed to know that God’s chosen King is Jesus Christ! That knowledge came to those of us who have it by God’s grace. We were called by Him, chosen to believe and thus, to receive God’s blessings. It is such an honor to be the servant of Adonai and to enjoy His protection, provision, guidance, and peace. God answers PS 141: 8-10, part of an evening prayer, in the affirmative. “But I keep trusting in You, Lord, my God. I seek Your protection; do not let me die! Protect me from the traps they have set for me, from the snares of those evildoers. May the wicked fall into their own traps while I go unharmed.” He not only does that for the Psalmist, but He does that for all who believe. What comfort we can take in that!
PRAYER: O Lord, we are privileged to be Your servants. Because of Your omniscience, You already know the content of our hearts. Yet, You gave us our free agency, so that we are brought to a place of decision. Will we be faithful to You, or will we reject You? Because we have faith in You, this allowed us to know that You had called us to that faith according to Your purpose. You gave us a hunger for the Scriptures, knowing full well that we would discover in them that our faith would lead us to want to serve You. You also knew that we would be protected, blessed, guided, and provided for by You. It was Your grace that no longer made it necessary for males to be physically circumcised for You to claim ownership of them. We acknowledge that we must be “circumcised in our hearts” and desire to “live in Christ.” You know the contents of our hearts, and You are patient with us when we strive to be obedient to You. Your love surrounds us in every aspect of our lives, and we are truly blessed when we acknowledge that love. We humbly offer You continuing adoration, worship, praise, trust, obedience, loyalty, glory, honor, and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will continue learning more about God as Adonai, our Lord and Master, as we examine more citations and see how they apply to our lives today. Take great comfort in knowing that God [Adonai], our Lord and Master, has an agenda for us that is entirely righteous and in our best interests. That tells us we never have to go a single moment without the aura of His love surrounding us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn