Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Wisdom In The Battle
When in life we face challenges, we can find ourselves wondering at the prosperity of those that do things that we would believe God does not like. This same point was addressed by the psalmist in Psalms 49.
Psalms 49:16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
Here we see that those that do well and have acquired many things may think it will go on forever, and men praise them in their wealth. However, it will not go on forever. In fact, we see in verse 20, that if we end up with great possession but lack understanding, then when we die we will be like the animals that die. We will perish without God and without a future. So what should be our battle cry? Should we cry out to God when we are in need, and to what end? The answer is found in many places in scripture. One I saw this morning was in Psalms 25.
Psalms 25:1 Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
The first part of the answer comes in the first two verses. Yes we should ask God to battle on our behalf. This same theme continues throughout this Psalm. Toward the end of the verse we find what the psalmist said when he called out to God, and what his expectations were from God.
14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
In verse 14 the word “secret” means the close company, similar to the secret place of the Most High in Psalms 91. Here the psalmist keeps his eyes on and looking toward God for His deliverance. Deliverance from what? In the last verse we see it is all troubles – sickness, sorrow, poverty, and every manner of distress.
In verse 17 we see that the psalmist felt a great burden in his heart. Have you ever felt that from some problem? I know I have. He asked God in verse 18 to look at the specific problem, and then he asked forgiveness. This is key in our warfare. If we ask God to cleanse us, He does, and then we are once again in good standing with Him.
Nothing separates us from God if we seek His forgiveness. It is just a request away. Then the psalmist asks for God to look at the many points of attack he is feeling, his many enemies. He is asking for deliverance from them all. Again, this ties back to our covenant with God.
God promised His people great blessings when they served Him. The law was once external and required much doing. Even so, this psalmist knew that God would respond to a request for forgiveness, and knew God was the only source of deliverance. Today, the new covenant is written in our hearts. Today it is about being. We can follow this same path as the psalmist, and ask God for forgiveness, and for His deliverance from all our troubles. This would be great wisdom in our warfare against darkness.
Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High God. Father, we ask today that You look and see all of the many afflictions of Your people. Please forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Please help us to know the way we should go, and help us go that way, Your way. We have many troubles and are cast down, and we ask that You deliver us from all of these. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.