A mighty king once urged his readers, “Give to the Lord, O you mighty ones, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due to His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” [1]
One reason to give the Lord glory and strength is that from the Lord flows healing. “O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.” [2]
Another reason is the Lord turns sadness into gladness. “…His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” [3]
Cry out
Lift up
Seek as for silver
Seek as for hidden treasures
The above are action verbs and phrases from the Lord in regards to looking to Him for discernment, understanding, knowledge and wisdom. [4]
The Lord tells us where to get the best coaching available, namely in Him and in His Word.
He also tells us what He does for whoever receives and implements His guidance:
A Shield
A Guard
A Preserver
A Deliverer from evil, perversity, darkness, seduction, death
A Deliverer to good ways, right paths, good land [5]
Caleb and Joshua were the ones of their generation to enter the Promised Land. The Lord said of them, “they have wholly followed the Lord.” [6] Those who disregarded and disobeyed the Lord missed out.
Among the younger generation of Israel, there were those who said, “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do.” [7] The Lord led them victoriously into the Promised Land.
The captors of Israel’s people, the Egyptians, had been idolators. Idolatry is evil in God’s sight because it, 1) denies God His rightful place as Creator, Sustainer and Savior of humankind, and 2) because idolatry leads to destruction.
God executed judgment on the gods of Egypt by killing their firstborn sons. The Egyptians buried their firstborn sons on the day after the Passover. [8] But ironically, God buried His firstborn Son on the day after the Passover as well. Whatever woe people have experienced as a result of sin, God experienced as well in His Son Jesus on the cross. Jesus Messiah atoned for the sins of the world on the cross and was buried on the day after the Passover. The good news is that He resurrected on the third day and gives eternal life to all who believe in Him!
Before the Israelites executed His judgments on Canaan’s idolators, the Lord said to Israel, “destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places.” He told them, “If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.” [9]
Perhaps, the thorn in the Apostle Paul’s side that he asked God to deliver him from was the saboteurs of his efforts to bring people to Christ, namely the idol makers and false teachers. [10] They would have killed him if the Lord had not graciously intervened to rescue him.
The good news for Paul is that he is now in the eternal Promised Land with Christ our Savior. He wholly followed the Lord, and the Good Shepherd helped him to overcome every stormy sea and to enter the peaceful and glorious harbor of heaven. This is my prayer for you and for all who read this message.
[1] Psalm 29:1-2
[2] Psalm 30:2
[3] Psalm 30:5
[4] Proverbs 2:3-6
[5] Proverbs 2:7-22
[6] Numbers 32:11-12
[7] Numbers 32:31
[8] Numbers 33:1-4
[9] Numbers 33:52, 55-56
[10] Acts 19:26; 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Lift up
Seek as for silver
Seek as for hidden treasures
The above are action verbs and phrases from the Lord in regards to looking to Him for discernment, understanding, knowledge and wisdom. [4]
The Lord tells us where to get the best coaching available, namely in Him and in His Word.
He also tells us what He does for whoever receives and implements His guidance:
A Shield
A Guard
A Preserver
A Deliverer from evil, perversity, darkness, seduction, death
A Deliverer to good ways, right paths, good land [5]
Caleb and Joshua were the ones of their generation to enter the Promised Land. The Lord said of them, “they have wholly followed the Lord.” [6] Those who disregarded and disobeyed the Lord missed out.
Among the younger generation of Israel, there were those who said, “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do.” [7] The Lord led them victoriously into the Promised Land.
The captors of Israel’s people, the Egyptians, had been idolators. Idolatry is evil in God’s sight because it, 1) denies God His rightful place as Creator, Sustainer and Savior of humankind, and 2) because idolatry leads to destruction.
God executed judgment on the gods of Egypt by killing their firstborn sons. The Egyptians buried their firstborn sons on the day after the Passover. [8] But ironically, God buried His firstborn Son on the day after the Passover as well. Whatever woe people have experienced as a result of sin, God experienced as well in His Son Jesus on the cross. Jesus Messiah atoned for the sins of the world on the cross and was buried on the day after the Passover. The good news is that He resurrected on the third day and gives eternal life to all who believe in Him!
Before the Israelites executed His judgments on Canaan’s idolators, the Lord said to Israel, “destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places.” He told them, “If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.” [9]
Perhaps, the thorn in the Apostle Paul’s side that he asked God to deliver him from was the saboteurs of his efforts to bring people to Christ, namely the idol makers and false teachers. [10] They would have killed him if the Lord had not graciously intervened to rescue him.
The good news for Paul is that he is now in the eternal Promised Land with Christ our Savior. He wholly followed the Lord, and the Good Shepherd helped him to overcome every stormy sea and to enter the peaceful and glorious harbor of heaven. This is my prayer for you and for all who read this message.
[1] Psalm 29:1-2
[2] Psalm 30:2
[3] Psalm 30:5
[4] Proverbs 2:3-6
[5] Proverbs 2:7-22
[6] Numbers 32:11-12
[7] Numbers 32:31
[8] Numbers 33:1-4
[9] Numbers 33:52, 55-56
[10] Acts 19:26; 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
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