2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
My last three messages have been about Jehovah Nissi, “the Lord is my Banner.” There is more to write about this compelling subject, because we must look at both sides of the coin. Yesterday, we saw how God lifts high His banner, so that we can keep it in our line of vision and thus, be victorious with the help of the Holy Spirit in the spiritual warfare we must encounter. Today, we need to see what happens when we don’t keep God in our line of vision. Both of these responses to God’s sovereign power are presented in the Scriptures in order to allow us to make righteous choices. This information is imparted since early in mankind’s history. The Song of Moses in DT 32: 1-43, which I hope you will read, is a “must-see” in revealing God’s superb wisdom and attributes. Here are some excerpts to wet your appetite for more: DT 32: 4-6, “The Lord is your mighty Defender, perfect and just in all His way. Your God is faithful and true; He does what is right and fair. But you [Israel] are unfaithful, unworthy to be His people, a sinful and deceitful nation. Is this the way you should treat the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? He is your Father, your Creator, He made you into a nation.” DT 32: 11, “Like an eagle teaching its young to fly, catching them safely on its spreading wings, the Lord kept Israel from falling.” DT 32: 18, “They forgot their God, their mighty Savior, the One Who had given them life.” DT 32: 19,21 “When the Lord saw this, He was angry and rejected his sons and daughters…With their idols they had made Me angry, jealous with their so-called gods, gods that are really not gods. So I will use a so-called nation to make them angry; I will make them jealous with a nation of fools.” DT 32: 26-27, “I would have destroyed them completely, so that no one would remember them. But, I could not let their enemies boast that they had defeated My people, when it was I, Myself, Who had crushed them.” DT 32: 35-36, “The Lord The Lord will take revenge and punish them [Israel’s enemies], the time will come when they will fall; the day of their doom is near. The Lord will rescue His people when He sees that their strength is gone. He will have mercy on those who serve Him, when He sees how helpless they are.” DT 32: 39-41, “I, and I alone, am God; no other god is real. I kill and I give life, I wound and I heal, and no one can oppose what I do. As surely as I am the living god, I raise My hand and I vow that I will sharpen My flashing sword and see that justice is done. I will take revenge on My enemies and punish those who hate Me.”
The previous long paragraph can be read like a stream of consciousness, allowing us a unique view into the mind of our Lord. His righteousness is truly revealed in it [RO 3: 25-26]. When we realize that the Law He gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai was God’s effort to deal with lawlessness that had been going on since the original sin [GN 3: 6], we begin to have a deeper understanding of the Banner God is putting before us to view. God knew that Law wouldn’t bring salvation, but it would allow mankind to know the difference between what is righteous and what is sinful [RO 7: 7]. Now that we have already discussed so many names of God, we can reread the Song of Moses to see how many of His attributes are revealed just in this one passage with greater understanding of its value to us.
With this understanding of God, His compassion and His power, let me share the dictionary’s definition of the word, “banner.” A banner is an ensign or standard carried at the head of an army, to indicate the line of march or rallying point. It can be a flag or pole with a metal ornament which shines in the sun. If I may be allowed to add my own spin on this, “it can be a flag or pole with a metal ornament which shines in the Son.” The question we must all face, hopefully much before the day when we come face to face with Christ to be judged, is: in which army will I be in the spiritual warfare I must face? Will my eyes be firmly fixed on Jehovah Nissi, or will I ally myself with the adversary? There is no middle ground.
I have reiterated the story of the failure of the Amalekites in their war with the Israelites from EX 17 and that of the consequences to Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, for their faithlessness [OBAD 1-14]. They are only two examples of whole nations that have disappeared from the scene because of their contempt for God. God doesn’t only deliver negative consequences to nations; He will do the same to individuals who reject Him too. The story of the white throne judgment in REV 20: 11-15 is proof enough of that. While it is not pleasant to think of people ending up in spiritual death-being cast into the lake of fire and sulfur-we must see this side of the coin to help us know which choices to make. God, in His infinite wisdom and compassion, gives us this knowledge and profoundly desires us to choose to repent and come to faith. He also loves us enough to want us to move forward in the path of our sanctification. To that end, He gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, so that we might understand His word, be motivated to listen to His whispers in prayer, and thirst for righteousness. Because of His love for us, I believe there will be a day when we will be called to a meeting in the air [1 THESS 4: 16-17] and will sit together at the wedding feast of the Lamb [REV 19: 5-10]. Hallelujah! Maranatha! [O Lord, come!-in Aramaic-from 1 COR 16: 22].
PRAYER: O Lord, it is so much easier for us to read about what blessings our faith encourages You to give us than about the consequences of rejecting You. However, You are wise enough to know that we must have this other side of the coin in order to make righteous choices leading to eternal life. To that end, You have given us the accounts of peoples like the Amalekites and Edomites, who were Your sworn enemies and who remained so until their total disappearance from the scene at Your hand. And yet, You give us even more than that. In passages like the Song of Moses, You give us a view into Your very own mind and heart. When You reveal Your attributes to us this way, we must understand that You are putting Yourself on the line for us, laying Yourself open for us. There is no reason for You to do that, except to let us know how much we mean to You and how much You love us. What You ask us to do in the context of faithfulness is often hard for us, because we are born sinners. But, the choice to be righteous has been given to us by You when You sacrificed Your Son on the cross for us. You deserve a righteous response to Your sovereignty from us, and today, we dedicate ourselves to giving You that. That is why we approach You in humility offering You our adoration, worship, trust, obedience, loyalty, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ’s name, we pray, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at citations that show us the actions of individuals who reject God and the consequences that come as a result. Then, we will look at the alternative, living by faith, so we can see how Jehovah Nissi rewards courage of faith. The word of God is His love letter to us. One of the gifts reading and believing it gives us is discernment. That is a true manifestation of God’s love for each and every one of us. God is an equal-opportunity Source of blessings. His word is for everyone, not just the materially wealthy, the famous, and the beautiful. A day never goes by that God doesn’t love each of us. Peter and I send our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn