2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
A new believer, young in his walk with the Lord, often has a hard time conceiving of the ultimate sovereignty and supremacy of the Lord. Adonai, our Lord and Master, is at best a somewhat uncomfortable concept to him. That is because of what the human slave/master relationship connotes. It is not accurate to consider only one or two of God’s attributes in deciding what one’s relationship with God will be. Unlike a human master, Adonai’s lordship over us always righteous, and therein one finds a significant difference. We can put our total trust in Adonai knowing that He will act, direct, protect, etc. always in our best interests. One could never have that kind of total trust in a human master. The latter’s actions are often tainted with human agendas rather than godly ones. David, whose faith matured rapidly, had a remarkable understanding of the concept of God as his Lord and Master. So, let’s look at some of the citations from the Psalms that are quite revealing.
PS 97:5-6, “The hills melt like wax before the Lord [Adonai], before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His righteousness, and all the nations see His glory.” This citation is found in a song David wrote acknowledging God as the Supreme Ruler. PS 114 is an exuberant song written by David for the Passover. PS 114: 7-8, “Tremble, earth, at the Lord’s coming, at the presence of the God of Jacob, Who changes rocks into pools of water and solid cliffs into flowing springs.” What God can do is highlighted in PS 135, a hymn of praise. PS 135: 5-7, “I know that our Lord is great, greater than all the gods. He does whatever He wishes in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in the depths below. He brings storm clouds from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the storms, and He brings out the wind from His storeroom.” We can enjoy and be illuminated by the words of the first stanza of PS 136, a hymn of thanksgiving. PS 136: 1-9, “Give thanks to the Lord, because He is good; His love is eternal. Give thanks to the mightiest of all lords; His love is eternal. He alone performs great miracles; His love is eternal. By His wisdom He made the heavens; His love is eternal; He built the earth on the deep waters; His love is eternal. He made the sun and the moon; His love is eternal; the sun to rule over the day; His love is eternal; the moon and the stars to rule over the night; His love is eternal!” The rest of this magnificent hymn is worth reading too, because it reveals so many of the Master’s powers that make Him Adonai, our Lord and Master. How can we miss the meaning of the repetitions of the phrase “His love is eternal?” With what other master can we find this extraordinary balance between power and love?
When we read the Scriptures, God tells us about the boundaries of what our relationship with Him should be. This is done with the love that our Father has for His children, and it is done with our best interests in mind. Look at these citations which demonstrate that. LK 6: 46-49 are Christ’s words about two house builders. “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ and yet do not do what I tell you? Anyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and obeys them-I will show you what He is like. He is like a man who, in building his house, dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. The river flooded over and hit that house but could not shake it, because I was well built. But anyone who hears My words and does not obey them is like a man who built his house without laying a foundation; when the flood hit that house it fell at once-and what a terrible crash that was!”
Malachi was a minor prophet and a contemporary of Nehemiah. His book was written in 433 BC. At that time after the temple at Jerusalem was rebuilt, the prophet’s main concern was to call the priests and the people to renew their covenant with God. They were cheating God by not giving him the offerings that were rightly due Him and by not living according to His teachings. God’s expectations for our relationship with Him [as Adonai, our Lord and Master] are revealed in MAL 1: 6. “The Lord Almighty says to the priests, ‘A son honors his father and a servant honors his master. I am your Father-why do you not honor Me? I am your Master-why do you not respect Me? You despise Me, yet you ask, ‘How have we despised You?’” The anguish God expresses here is righteous. Verse 7 further reveals it. “This is how-by offering worthless food on My altar. Then, you ask, ‘How have we failed to respect You?’ I will tell you-by showing contempt for My altar.” We must ask why stories like this one are included in the Scriptures. If I may be allowed to answer, I feel that God is asking us to examine our own personal relationship with Him. We are being asked to answer the question: Are we showing contempt for His altar by the way we are living our lives? In our own private time with God, we need to let Him help us to answer that question. All the while, as He may ask us to make changes in our lives bringing us to acknowledgment of His status as our Lord and Master, we can bear in mind that His love for us is eternal.
If we are ever in the mind-frame to question that love, He reminds us of it with the story of Abraham. GN 15:6, “Abram put his trust in the Lord, and because of this the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him.” Since we know that Abram came out of Ur of the Chaldes, we know that he was raised in an idolatrous culture. His willingness to leave his home and family and go where God asked him to demonstrated the rightness of God’s decision to eventually make him the father of the Jewish nation. God’s willingness to deem Abram acceptable (justify him) simply because Abram had faith is an example of that eternal love our Lord and Master has for His children. God keeps every promise He makes to us. Repeatedly, God has shown us in the Scriptures that He wants us to seek Him out and to have faith in Him. In return, He offers us eternal life through Christ itself! What could be more important to us than that?
PRAYER: O Lord, You reveal yourself though the inspiration You give to people like David and Malachi. You own Son conveyed to us Your will for our relationship with You. No other Master balances righteousness and love with unparalleled power. It is surely time that we acknowledge You as our Lord and Master. You have directed us to know You through studying the Scriptures and engaging in an active, two-way prayer life. You have commanded us to mirror the love You have for us in our own lives with others. We are called to faith, demonstrated by our placing trust in You and obeying Your commands. JN 14: 21 tells us that our willingness to obey is a measure of the love we have for You. No man holds the power or knowledge that You have. Yet with all of that, You never act unkindly, selfishly, or with malice. You are perfect, O Lord and Master, and we are blessed that You are our God. We pledge our lives to You, to serve You all our days. We acknowledge Your Lordship in our lives. We humbly offer You our adoration, worship, thanks, praise, honor, glory, and life-long loyalty. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at more citations using the name, Adonai, for God that reveal Him as a keeper of promises and demonstrate why He so richly deserves our obedience. Let me have the joy of repeating this wonderful message from PS 136 one more time: His love for us is eternal! I never tire of hearing that, because its truth makes our lives so worth living. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn