doubt

Faith, Famine, and Fruitfulness

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24 Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver.’ 26 Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” 27 And he said, “If the LORD will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?” 28 And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body— 31 and he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

32 Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” 33 And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said, “This trouble is from the LORD! Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” 

1 But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD: thus says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” 2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”– 2 Kings 6:24-7:2 ESV

One thing that becomes painfully evident when reading God’s Word is that it often paints humanity in far-from-flattering terms. The characters found in the Bible are presented with all their flaws and foibles fully exposed. The reader gets to see the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of human nature in all their gory details. There are examples of mankind’s more positive traits, but they seem few and far between. From the opening pages of Genesis to the closing chapters of Revelation, the fallen nature of humanity is presented with painstaking accuracy.

Throughout the book, we see a litany of vices on display, including all of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth. Countless stories chronicle mankind’s stubbornness, arrogance, and selfishness, and they are intended to stand in stark contrast to the righteousness of God. Throughout the Bible, we see the sinfulness of man set against the stark backdrop of God’s incomparable holiness. The stories of mankind’s unfaithfulness, arrogance, pride, and sin are seamlessly woven together with the countless examples of God’s power and sovereignty. And today’s passage contains one such story.

For some time, Ben-hadad II, the king of Syria, had been trying to develop secret plans to invade Israel. But each time he attempted to put them into action, the Israelites were one step ahead of him. He discovered that Elisha the prophet had been receiving secret intel on all their planning sessions, and it had come directly from Yahweh, the God of Israel. Since Ben-hadad couldn’t do anything to stop the all-powerful Yahweh, he decided to capture Elisha. But, once again, his strategy failed miserably. When his troops laid siege to the city of Dothan, where Elisha was living, God blinded them. Then Elisha led them to Samaria, where the king of Israel spared their lives and hosted a feast for them. These men returned home, grateful to be alive.

But then we read, “Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria” (2 Kings 6:24 ESV). We’re not told how much time transpired between Ben-hadad’s last failed attempt to attack Israel and this latest campaign. But he had not given up his intentions to conquer the nation of Israel. This man’s stubborn persistence is on full display. Despite what had happened to his troops the last time they went into Israelite territory, he was determined to carry out his latest plan.

As a result of the siege, the conditions inside Samaria quickly deteriorated. Food became scarce, and the people within the walls of the city became desperate. Price gouging was prevalent because there was nothing to eat. People were willing to pay exorbitant prices for anything that even remotely resembled food.

The siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a cup of dove’s dung sold for five pieces of silver. –  2 Kings 6:25 NLT 

These were desperate times. And to make sure we understand just how bad things had become, the author reveals that the people had resorted to cannibalism. To drive home the dire nature of their circumstances, he shares the story of a mother sacrificing her infant son so that she and her friends could survive. This sickening story was told to King Jehoram as he walked along the city walls, surveying the worsening conditions of his people. What makes this incident all the more repulsive is that it involved deceit and dishonesty. Facing starvation, two mothers had agreed to kill their own children and eat their flesh just to survive. One had followed through on her commitment, but when it came time for the second mother to kill her child, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. In a desperate attempt to preserve the life of her child, the woman hid him.

The abysmal conditions within Samaria should have come as no surprise to the people of Israel because Yahweh had warned them that disobedience to His law would result in severe discipline.

“If in spite of all this you still refuse to listen and still remain hostile toward me, then I will give full vent to my hostility. I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins. Then you will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters.” – Leviticus 26:27-29 NLT

“They will attack your cities until all the fortified walls in your land—the walls you trusted to protect you—are knocked down. They will attack all the towns in the land the LORD your God has given you.

“The siege and terrible distress of the enemy’s attack will be so severe that you will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you.” – Deuteronomy 28:52-53 NLT

Upon hearing the woman’s story, King Jehoram was sickened and tore his clothes in mourning. Yet, rather than see the situation as a sign of God’s judgment against apostate Israel, the king decided to blame Elisha. After all, the prophet was Yahweh’s official spokesman and had proven to be a thorn in Jehoram’s side for some time.

“May God strike me and even kill me if I don’t separate Elisha’s head from his shoulders this very day.” – 2 Kings 6:31 NLT

Jehoram was about to make the age-old mistake of killing the messenger. He knew that Elisha spoke for God, so he assumed that if he could eliminate the prophet, the conditions in Samaria would improve. But Elisha was not the cause of his problem or the source behind the judgment Israel was experiencing. The siege and the resulting famine were the handiwork of the sovereign, all-powerful Yahweh. God had warned them what would happen if they turned their backs on Him, and now they were suffering the consequences.

Jehoram’s decision to kill God’s prophet was doomed to failure. However, fueled by anger, arrogance, and pride, the king sent a messenger to retrieve Elisha and bring him back to the palace for execution. But Elisha was one step ahead of Jehoram, having been informed by God of the king’s intentions.

“A murderer has sent a man to cut off my head. When he arrives, shut the door and keep him out. We will soon hear his master’s steps following him.” – 2 Kings 6:32 NLT

When the messenger arrived, he found the door to Elisha’s home blocked. So, he dutifully delivered his message from the king.

“All this misery is from the LORD! Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” – 2 Kings 6:33 NLT

Jehoram acknowledged that God was behind the siege, but he also revealed his doubt that God would ever rescue them. Since he couldn’t vent his frustration on God, he was determined to take out his anger on God’s prophet. He was following the same strategy his mother Jezebel had used when Elijah defeated and killed the 450 prophets of Baal. Angered by the prophet’s unexpected victory over her false god, she ordered his death (1 Kings 19:2). Now, years later, here was her son attempting to thwart the plan of God by killing the prophet of God. Jehoram’s pride, arrogance, and anger are on full display. At no point does he take ownership of his godless leadership of the nation. He displays no remorse or repentance. Yet the prophet delivered an unexpected, seemingly inexplicable message to the king.

“Listen to this message from the LORD! This is what the LORD says: By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, six quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and twelve quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver.” – 2 Kings 7:1 NLT

Things were about to take a dramatic turn for the better. In just 24 hours, God would miraculously reverse the conditions in Samaria. The long-lasting siege and the devastating famine would come to an abrupt end, and the people living inside the walls of Samaria would suddenly find food readily available and affordable. But the king’s messenger found Elisha’s prediction to be far-fetched and refused to believe a word he said.

“That couldn’t happen even if the LORD opened the windows of heaven!” – 2 Kings 7:2 NLT

This arrogant man questioned the prophet’s words, but, more importantly, he displayed his doubt in Yahweh’s power, and Elisha warned him that he would pay dearly for his mistake.

“You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!” – 2 Kings 7:2 NLT

God was about to do something incredible, but this emissary of the king refused to believe it was possible. Like his boss, he had long ago given up any belief in Yahweh’s sovereignty and power. From his godless and apostate perspective, this problem was too big, even for God. For this unbelieving, apostate servant of the king, news of Israel’s reversal of fortunes was too good to be true. He refused to believe that the Syrians would suddenly abandon their siege and that the conditions in Samaria would miraculously change overnight. His faith in Elisha’s God was too small, so he forfeited any hope of enjoying the fruits of Yahweh’s favor.

The emissary’s doubts in Elisha’s words and Yahweh’s power reflect the spiritual state of the entire nation of Israel. His reticence to believe brings to mind the words of Yahweh recorded by the prophet Micah centuries later.

“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. – Malachi 39-11 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Why Are You Here?

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4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” – 1 Kings 19:4-14 ESV

While everything had gone exceptionally well for Elijah on Mount Carmel, he soon found himself disappointed in how things turned out. His challenge of the false prophets of Baal had proven to be successful, and, from the immediate reaction of the people, it appeared that revival had come to the land. This spiritual renewal of the people seemed to be symbolized by the torrential rain that had brought an end to the three-and-a-half years of drought. It appeared as if the nation was headed in the right direction. As a prophet of God, Elijah longed to see the repentance and restoration of the people of God.

But upon his triumphant return to Jezreel, he was met with intense opposition from the very woman who had begun all this trouble in Israel. Queen Jezebel was incensed when she heard what Elijah had done to the 450 prophets of her god. So, she sent Elijah a life-threatening message.

“So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” – 1 Kings 19:2 ESV

She swore an oath to her gods that she would avenge the deaths of the prophets of Baal by killing Elijah. She gave the prophet less than 24 hours to live and vowed to sacrifice her own life if she failed to take his life. Despite the abject failure of her god to defeat Yahweh on Mount Carmel, she was still very much a believer. She exhibited no remorse or repentance but instead warned Elijah that while he had won the battle on Mount Carmel, the war was far from over. She was willing to fight to the death – either his or her own.  And Elijah did not take this news well.

…he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. – 1 Kings 19:3 ESV

The man who had run from Mount Carmel to Jezreel after his victory over the prophets of Baal was now running for his life. But this time, he was powered by fear, not faith. And Elijah didn’t stop running until he had reached Beersheba, the last town of any size in the southernmost region of Judah. Then, leaving his servant behind in the city, Elijah traveled another day’s journey into the wilderness, where he finally stopped to rest.

In a state of deep depression and disillusionment, Elijah asked God to take his life. Since Ahab and Jezebel remained fully committed to their false gods, Elijah had concluded that his prophetic mission had been an abysmal failure. There would be no revival in Israel as long as those two wielded all the power and influence over the people. They were calling the shots and determining the nation’s religious affiliation.

Elijah had run out of faith and energy. He was physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent. In his despondent state, he cried out to God, saying, “I have had enough, LORD.…Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died” (1 Kings 19:4 NLT). Exhausted, he fell asleep. But he was soon awakened by an angel who commanded him to eat. There beside him was a loaf of bread and a jar of water. Rather than taking Elijah’s life, Yahweh provided his faith-famished prophet with sustenance, miraculously delivered by the hand of an angel. Elijah may have decided that he was done, but God was not done with Elijah. The prophet ate and fell back asleep. 

However, his rest was disturbed yet again by a second visit from the angel, who had brought more food and a message.

“Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” – 1 Kings 19:7 NLT

Elijah’s plan had been to die alone in the wilderness, but Yahweh informed His disillusioned prophet that he had not yet reached his final destination. He had run, but not far enough. When Elijah abruptly fled Jezreel, he did so because he thought his life was over. Since Jezebel had vowed to kill him, Elijah determined to have Yahweh take his life. But the LORD had other plans. He sent Elijah on a 40-day journey further south, all the way to Mount Sinai. The food the angel provided miraculously sustained Elijah for this long and arduous journey.

…the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. – 1 Kings 19:8 ESV

This trip should have taken no more than 15-20 days on foot, but Elijah found himself wandering in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. This number is significant because it corresponds to the 40 years that the disobedient Israelites had spent wandering in the wilderness. When they failed to obey God and enter the land of Canaan (Numbers 13-14), He doomed them to spend the next 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai, until that disobedient generation died off.

So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord came to an end. – Numbers 32:13 NLT

When they had heard the report of the spies that the land of Canaan was full of giants and well-fortified cities, the people of Israel refused to trust God and made plans to return to Egypt.

“If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” – Numbers 14:2-3 NLT

Now, centuries later, Elijah, the prophet of God, had chosen death in the wilderness rather than face the “giants” in his day. He had determined that Jezebel was too big for God. But Yahweh ordered Elijah to go to the very place where He had revealed Himself to the people of Israel. It had been at Mount Sinai that God gave His law to Moses. It had been on Mount Sinai that God displayed His glory and demonstrated His unparalleled power.

So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. – Exodus 19:16-17 NLT

When Yahweh had safely sequestered Elijah in the recesses of a cave, He asked His doubting prophet a question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9 ESV). He wanted Elijah to explain the motivation behind his most recent actions, and the prophet responded with a pitiful portrait of his Don-Quixote-like quest to defeat the enemies of God. He deemed himself the last man standing, the sole survivor of an ill-fated battle against the forces of evil.

“I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” – 1 Kings 19:10 NLT

Elijah threw himself a pity party and invited Yahweh to attend, but the LORD was not interested in celebrating Elijah’s accomplishments or validating his woe-is-me mentality. Instead, God instructed His despondent prophet to step out of the cave and into the shadow of Mount Sinai. As Elijah stood at the base of the mountain, God revealed Himself. At first, He displayed His glory in the form of a fierce windstorm so mighty that it blew boulders off the face of the mountain. This dramatic display was followed by a massive earthquake that shook the ground under Elijah’s feet. Finally, Elijah watched as the peak of the mountain was consumed by fire. The pitiful prophet was witnessing the same jaw-dropping spectacle the Israelites had seen.

Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the entire mountain quaked violently. – Exodus 19:18 NLT

But Elijah was to discover that, while these dramatic revelations of God were impressive, they were not meant to represent His presence. The text clearly states that the LORD was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. Yes, they were manifestations of His greatness, but they were not how God was going to speak to His prophet. After the ear-piercing blast of the wind, the earth-shaking rumble of the earthquake, and the roar of the fire, Elijah heard “the sound of a low whisper” ( 1 Kings 19:12 ESV). Evidently, the three previous displays of God’s power had driven Elijah back into the recesses of the cave. But upon hearing the gentle sound of the whisper, he timidly made his way back outside. There, in the quiet of the moment, he heard Yahweh repeat His previous question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13 NLT). 

Once again, Elijah gave the same well-rehearsed reply. He reiterated his claim to have zealously served Yahweh and re-emphasized his status as the last faithful Israelite. It was all about him. He alone had zealously served Yahweh. While everyone else in Israel had turned their backs on God, Elijah had remained faithful and fully committed. He was the last line of defense against the forces of evil, and now he was as good as dead.

But where was God? Even after the dramatic displays of divine power on Mount Sinai, Elijah had been unable to get his mind off himself. For some reason, he believed that the future of Israel had been dependent upon him, and he had failed and let God down. Despite his victory over the prophets of Baal, Ahab and Jezebel were firmly entrenched and in charge of the affairs of the nation, or so Elijah thought. From his perspective, all was lost. But God had news for Elijah, and He had plans for Ahab and Jezebel that the defeated prophet knew nothing about.

In a still, small voice, Yahweh was about to whisper His sovereign secret for Israel’s future in the ear of his self-consumed prophet. When God had asked Elijah, “What are you doing here?”, the prophet had given his answer. Now it was God’s turn. He would explain the real purpose behind Elijah’s seeming failure and his fear and flight. Elijah thought it was all over, but Yahweh was just getting started. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Fateful Journey From Faith to Fear

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41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. 44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. 46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. 

1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. – 1 Kings 18:41-19:3 ESV

Chapter 18 opened up with the words God spoke to Elijah: “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 18:1 ESV). This statement contains a command as well as a promise from God. After his three-and-a-half-year absence, Elijah was to return to Israel from Sidon and confront King Ahab one more time. But while this command would likely involve significant risk to the prophet, his obedience would result in a tremendous blessing on the people. God would end the prolonged drought and restore rain to the land.

It is impossible to know if Elijah was aware of all that would have to happen before the rain returned. There is no indication as to when God divulged the rest of His plan and Elijah’s role in it. But before the physical drought could end, the spiritual drought afflicting the people would have to come to a decisive conclusion that involved a dramatic confrontation between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal. However, the real battle would be between Yahweh, the God of Israel, and Baal, the god of Ahab and Jezebel.

Yahweh had won the day, displaying His power by sending fire from heaven that “consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38 ESV). This demonstrative exhibition of God’s omnipotence brought the people to their knees in fear and worship. What they had just witnessed left them thoroughly convinced that Yahweh was the one true God, and that newly revived awareness left them crying out, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God” (1 Kings 18:39 ESV). And as if to put an exclamation point on the whole scene, Elijah ordered the capture and execution of all 450 of Baal’s so-called prophets. Their god had remained silent when they cried to him for help. Now the prophet of Yahweh silenced them for good. They would no longer deceive and mislead the people of Israel with fallacious promises concerning their false god.

But there was still one thing missing: The rain that Yahweh had promised. Baal had been discredited, his prophets had been eliminated, and the peoples’ reverence for Yahweh had been rejuvenated. But the land remained under the God-ordained drought that had turned Israel into a dust bowl where water and food were scarce and daily survival was a challenge. The land that God had once described as “flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 33:3 ESV) had become fruitless and lifeless, reflecting the spiritual state of the people who occupied it.

Hundreds of years earlier, long before the people of Israel took possession of the land of Canaan, Moses warned what would happen if they proved unfaithful.

“And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full. Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you.” – Deuteronomy 11:13-17 ESV

Years later, when God’s people continued to display their propensity for unfaithfulness, His prophet, Joel, would offer this promise of divine restoration even in the face of their disobedience.

Surely the LORD has done great things!
    Don’t be afraid, O land.
Be glad now and rejoice,
    for the LORD has done great things.
Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field,
    for the wilderness pastures will soon be green.
The trees will again be filled with fruit;
    fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more.
Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem!
    Rejoice in the LORD your God!
For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness.
    Once more the autumn rains will come,
    as well as the rains of spring.
The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain,
    and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.

The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost…” – Joel 2:20-25 ESV

That day on Mount Carmel, the people had seen the fire of God fall from heaven, completely consuming the altar, sacrifice, and water. But they had not yet seen or felt His blessing. As Joel stated, “the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness.” Their land was in desperate need of restoration and rejuvenation, and so were they. After three-and-a-half years of spiritual drought, their hearts were parched and hardened. They had lost the capacity for fruitfulness and faithfulness and needed an outpouring of God’s grace and mercy.

Elijah knew what God had in store. So, he informed the shell-shocked king to “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!” (1 Kings 18:41 NLT). There was a blessing on the horizon. Despite Ahab and Jezebel’s wickedness, God was about to pour out His goodness on the land.

The fact that Ahab had food to eat is symbolic of his self-centered approach to leadership. His sins had brought God’s curse upon the nation, but while the people suffered severely from the lack of rain, Ahab and Jezebel lived in royal comfort and ease. God would later issue an indictment against the leaders of Israel, warning them of their blatant disregard for the care of His people.

“What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep?” – Ezekiel 34:2 NLT

As Ahab was busy satisfying his own needs, Elijah interceded on behalf of the people of Israel. He “climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees” (1 Kings 18:42 NLT). At one point during his prayer, he stopped and sent his servant to look toward the Mediterranean Sea in the east. But the servant saw nothing. This pattern repeated itself five more times with the same disappointing result. But the seventh time, the servant returned with a different report.

“I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.” – 1 Kings 18:44 NLT

Out on the distant horizon, the servant saw what appeared to be a glimmer of hope. It was a small and seemingly insignificant cloud, but Elijah knew what it meant. The blessing of God was about to fall and, when it did, it would come in torrents. So, he instructed his servant to warn Ahab to leave immediately, or he may not make it back to his winter palace in Jezreel. When Elijah’s servant looked to the east, he saw only a faint possibility. But through his eyes of faith,  Elijah saw something altogether different. He perceived the imminent arrival of the outpouring of God’s blessing, and before long, that small cloud developed into a massive storm that brought strong winds and torrential rains. As Ahab tried to outrun the storm in his chariot, “the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel” (1 Kings 18:46 NLT).

Because Jezreel was anywhere from 10 to 20 miles east of Mount Carmel, some commentators attempt to explain this last verse by saying that Ahab’s chariot got caught in the mud and delayed his arrival. Others speculate that Elijah simply took a shortcut over the ridge of Mount Carmel. But everything about this story has been focused on the matchless power of God, and it should not seem out of the question that God might endow his prophet with a supernatural capacity to outrun the chariot of his arch-nemesis. God had defeated Baal. Now, the prophet of God had defeated the benefactor of Baal.

But while Elijah had won the victory at Mount Carmel and the race to Jezreel, he would have little time to celebrate. Upon hearing the unexpected news of all that had transpired on Mount Carmel, Jezebel was outraged and directed all her anger at Elijah.

“May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” – 1 Kings 19:2 NLT

Despite all that Ahab told her about the day’s events, she remained unconvinced of Yahweh’s power. She even called on Baal and his queen mother, Asherah, to come to her aid so that she might avenge the deaths of the prophets by killing Elijah. She was still putting her hope and trust in her false gods. Even the sudden arrival of long-awaited rain did nothing to diminish her misplaced trust in her lifeless and powerless gods. Baal, Jezebel’s beloved fertility god, had done nothing to eliminate the drought that had plagued the land.

But even more surprising than Jezebel’s stubborn belief in Baal and her resistance to God was Elijah’s sudden display of fear and doubt. This man, who had called down fire from heaven and had singlehandedly executed 450 prophets of Baal, found himself intimidated by the idle threats of this self-absorbed, idol-worshiping queen. Her vow to avenge her false god should have made Elijah laugh with scorn. Her god had proven himself to be speechless, powerless, and utterly helpless in the face of Yahweh. Yet, the formerly faithful Elijah was suddenly fearful, and this time, rather than running to the problem in the strength of God, he took flight and tried to escape it. He fled for his life, covering the 25 miles from Jezreel to Beersheba, motivated by fear and in the strength of his own flesh. Faced with the threats of Jezebel, Elijah took his eyes off God and took his fate into his own hands. 

This faithful man of God allowed the words of an idol-obsessed queen to dishearten and defeat him. He had bravely faced off against the 450 prophets of Baal, but now, with Jezebel’s words ringing in his ear, Elijah ran all the way to Beersheba, located on the southern border of Judah. From there, he would enter the Judean wilderness, the very same place where the disobedient and doubtful Israelites had wandered for 40 years when they refused to enter the promised land. And, in no time at all, the once faith-filled Elijah would find himself racked by fear and desiring death rather than face the vengeful anger of Jezebel.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Failure to Believe

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36 Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. 37 For on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. Your blood shall be on your own head.” 38 And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.

39 But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,” 40 Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And when Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, 42 the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’ 43 Why then have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the commandment with which I commanded you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the harm that you did to David my father. So the LORD will bring back your harm on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.” 46 Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.

So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. – 1 Kings 2:36-46 ESV

There was one last piece of unfinished business that Solomon had to attend to. Just before his death, David had charged Solomon with the task of repaying Shimei for the disrespectful way he had treated him as he was evacuating Jerusalem after Absalom’s takeover of the kingdom (2 Samuel 16:5-14). This relative of David’s predecessor, King Saul, had held a grudge against David ever since he had supplanted Saul as the king of Israel. He was overjoyed to see David having to suffer the indignity of sneaking out of the capital city because his own son had stolen his kingdom. Shimei even threw stones at David, hurling insults and curses as he did so.

“Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. “The LORD is paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul’s clan. You stole his throne, and now the LORD has given it to your son Absalom. At last you will taste some of your own medicine, for you are a murderer!” – 2 Samuel 16:7-8 NLT

Shimei wrongly assumed that David’s fall was the work of Yahweh. Some of David’s faithful soldiers, who had accompanied him out of the city, offered to strike Shimei down, but David would not allow it. Instead, he told them, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to do it. And perhaps the LORD will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today” (2 Samuel 16:11-12 NLT).

David could empathize with Shimei’s anger and resentment. He understood why Shimei was so upset and had also concluded that God was behind it all. When Shimei called David a murderer, he had struck a very sensitive nerve. David would have immediately recalled his complicity in the death of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:14-17). Shimei was right; he was a murderer, and perhaps God was still repaying him for his sinful actions against an innocent man. So, David refused to punish Shimei for his actions.

But some time later, when the attempted coup had been thwarted, and Absalom had been killed, David returned to the city of Jerusalem. And one of the first people to greet him upon his arrival was Shimei.

As the king was about to cross the river, Shimei fell down before him. “My lord the king, please forgive me,” he pleaded. “Forget the terrible thing your servant did when you left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. I know how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all Israel to greet my lord the king.” – 2 Samuel 19:18-20 NLT

With the news of Absalom’s death and David’s return to Jerusalem, Shimei feared for his life. He knew he was a dead man unless he could convince David of his remorse and regret for his previous actions. Feigning sorrow for his emotionally driven display of anger, Shimei begged the king for forgiveness.

Though Shimei deserved punishment, David was unwilling to spoil the joy of the occasion by meting out judgment. He could have had Shimei executed on the spot, but instead, “the king said to Shimei, ‘You shall not die.’ And the king gave him his oath” (2 Samuel 19:23 ESV).

David kept that oath, but on his deathbed, it became clear that he had never really forgiven Shimei for what he had done. He allowed Shimei to live, but he intended to repay his accuser in the end. So, years later, as he neared death, David gave Solomon a not-so-subtle hint about what should be done with Shimei.

“And remember Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me with a terrible curse as I was fleeing to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I swore by the LORD that I would not kill him. But that oath does not make him innocent. You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him.” – 1 Kings 2:8-9 NLT

David didn’t tell Solomon what to do. He simply reminded Solomon of what Shimei had done. He fully expected Solomon to defend his honor by having Shimei put to death. But Solomon had other plans. Rather than subjecting Shimei to capital punishment, he had him confined to the city of Jerusalem. Shimei, as a Benjamite, lived within the territory of his tribe. But Solomon ordered that he relocate within the city walls, where his actions could be carefully monitored. Shimei was given strict instructions never to venture outside the walls of the city for any reason, under penalty of death.

“Build a house here in Jerusalem and live there. But don’t step outside the city to go anywhere else. On the day you so much as cross the Kidron Valley, you will surely die; and your blood will be on your own head.” – 1 Kings 2:36-37 NLT

Solomon graciously spared Shimei’s life but placed him under house arrest. This arrangement seemed to work well for Shimei. For three years, he enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous life. But then, the unexpected happened. Two of his servants ran away and, without thinking about it, Shimei saddled a donkey and pursued his missing property. When he had recaptured his runaway servants and returned to Jerusalem, he was surprised to learn that he had been summoned to the king’s palace.

By this time, Shimei must have understood the gravity of his situation. He had violated the oath he had made, and Solomon reminded him of their agreement.

“Didn’t I make you swear by the LORD and warn you not to go anywhere else or you would surely die? And you replied, ‘The sentence is fair; I will do as you say.’ Then why haven’t you kept your oath to the LORD and obeyed my command?” – 1 Kings 2:42-43 NLT

Notice that Solomon describes Shimei’s oath as having been made to the LORD. When he agreed to the stipulations handed down by the king, he had been swearing an oath before Yahweh. Solomon had been acting as God’s appointed leader, and when Shimei agreed to the terms of the contract, he made a binding covenant with God Almighty. Now he had broken that vow and failed to keep his word, and he would have to suffer the consequences. Solomon ensured that Shimei understood the seriousness of his situation.

“You certainly remember all the wicked things you did to my father, David. May the LORD now bring that evil on your own head. But may I, King Solomon, receive the LORD’s blessings, and may one of David’s descendants always sit on this throne in the presence of the LORD.” – 1 Kings 2:44-45 NLT

David had kept his word and allowed Shimei to live. Now, Solomon was going to keep his word and have Shimei executed for the violation of his oath. Shimei’s death would not be because he had left the confines of the city of Jerusalem. The death sentence that hung over his head was due to his unlawful treatment of and rebellion against the LORD’s anointed, King David. He deserved to die because he was a rebel, but Solomon had shown him grace and mercy. The city of Jerusalem had become a city of refuge, a place where he could find release from the condemnation of death he so richly deserved. As long as he remained within the walls of the city, he would be spared. His confinement was not imprisonment, but a form of protection. As long as Shimei remained faithful to reside within the confines of the city, he would be spared the penalty of death. But as soon as he walked outside the gates, he violated his oath and forfeited his right to live.

In so many ways, this narrative foreshadows what Jesus Christ would do for guilty sinners. He would become the place of refuge, the living Jerusalem, where those condemned to death could find mercy, grace, and life. As long as Shimei remained within Jerusalem’s protective walls, he would be spared the penalty he deserved. But when he allowed himself to be distracted by the cares of this world and went in pursuit of his runaway servants, Shimei revealed his true heart. He placed a greater value on material things than he did on the gift of life he had been offered by the king.

Jesus would later remind His disciples about the necessity of abiding in Him. He would challenge them to remain faithful, recognizing that their hope of eternal life was found in Him alone.

“Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” – John 15:5-7 NLT

Shimei had failed to remain in Jerusalem, and it cost him his life. He had seen the walls of the city as a prison rather than a source of protection. He had seen his agreement with the king as restrictive rather than redemptive. How often do those who are offered the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ come to see that offer as a burden rather than a blessing? They prefer the “freedom” of sin over the emancipation from death that is offered within the protective walls of God’s gracious love. Like Shimei, they ultimately forfeit their lives.

In the passage above, Jesus is not teaching the possibility of losing one’s salvation. He is calling for faith that stands the test of time. It endures the trials and temptations of this life because it is based on the hope of eternal life. The apostle John described those who give the appearance of abiding faith, but walk away at the first sign of trouble.

These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. – 1 John 2:19 NLT

Jesus used agrarian imagery to describe those who will claim to have faith in Him but eventually turn away.

The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. – Matthew 13:20-21 NLT

The author of Hebrews provides a powerful warning against professing a false faith that fails to stand the test of time and the inevitability of trials. He encourages his audience to seek a faith that endures to the end.

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. – Hebrews 3:12-14 NLT

It seems that Shimei never really believed that Solomon would put him to death. When his slaves ran away, Shimei never stopped to consider the danger he faced if he left the confines of Jerusalem. His possessions meant more to him than the threat of death. Jesus spoke of those who place a higher priority on this life than the one to come.

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” – Matthew 16:24-26 NLT

In capturing his runaway slaves, Shimei got what he was looking for, but he also got what he deserved: Death. He failed to take his oath to Yahweh seriously because he never really believed his life was on the line. He regained his slaves but lost his soul; a high price to pay.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Stop, Stand, and See

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To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron. – Psalm 77:1-20 ESV

Asaph once again found himself facing a difficult situation that left him lying awake in his bed at night. In his suffering state, he attempted to cry out to the LORD, but received no answer. Sleep eluded him, and he had begun to lose hope. His prayers went unanswered, and his need for relief went unmet.

All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
    but my soul was not comforted. – Psalm 77:3 NLT

Wide awake and with the entire evening to consider his circumstance, Asaph began to question the very presence and compassion of God.

Has the Lord rejected me forever?
    Will he never again be kind to me?
Is his unfailing love gone forever?
    Have his promises permanently failed?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he slammed the door on his compassion? – Psalm 77:7-9 NLT

Nothing made sense. His pain was real, and his cries for help were heartfelt, but God felt distant and disinterested in his plight. There seemed to be a barrier between him and God, preventing his prayers from reaching their destination and leaving him in a state of desperation and deep despair. In assessing his situation, he reached a far-from-positive conclusion.

“This is my fate;
    the Most High has turned his hand against me.” – Psalm 77:10 NLT

The NET Bible translates verse 10: “I am sickened by the thought that the Most High might become inactive.” His greatest fear was not his ongoing pain and suffering but the thought that God might not intervene. He couldn’t imagine life without God’s gracious intervention. He could recall past occasions where God answered his prayers for help quickly and compassionately. But this time, he felt as if he had been abandoned to suffer in silence and solitude, all alone and with no hope of relief.

Yet, Asaph refused to give up on God. He would not allow his current circumstances to determine his view of God’s faithfulness. His sleepless nights, unanswered prayers, and ongoing suffering were difficult but not determinative of God’s character. Sometime during his “dark night of the soul,” Asaph made a conscious decision to remember God’s past acts of deliverance rather than to dwell on His seeming absence.

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds. – Psalm 77:11-12 NLT

If Asaph couldn’t see God in the present moment, he would look for Him in the stories of the past. Raised on the epic tales of God’s deliverance of the people of Israel, Asaph had a storehouse of soul-stirring, faith-building reports of God’s power and provision. He had grown up hearing the well-documented and faithfully preserved stories of Yahweh’s faithfulness. In his next psalm, Asaph promises to tell the next generation of the wonderous works of God.

I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
    stories we have heard and known,
    stories our ancestors handed down to us.
We will not hide these truths from our children;
    we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
    about his power and his mighty wonders. – Psalm 78:2-4 NLT

Asaph knew that God’s past acts of deliverance were meant to remind His people of His presence in the present. Yahweh would always be with them and would never abandon them, no matter how dark and desperate things might appear.

When Moses was leading the people of Israel to the promised land, he gave them a sobering reminder to pass on the stories of God’s faithfulness to the next generation.

“For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?

“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.” – Deuteronomy 4:7-9 NLT

As Asaph lay awake in the darkness of his despair, he reached back into the distant past to shed light on his circumstances. Recalling the familiar stories of God’s faithfulness led Asaph to conjure a more accurate image of God’s character.

O God, your ways are holy.
    Is there any god as mighty as you?
You are the God of great wonders!
    You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. – Psalm 77:13-16 NLT

When Asaph needed a reminder of God’s power, he recalled one of the most amazing moments in Israel’s storied past. As the waves of despair and doubt threatened to overwhelm him, Asaph imagined the scene that took place on the shores of the Red Sea centuries earlier. The recently released Israelites found themselves facing the advancing Egyptian army and trapped against the impassable waters of the Red Sea. Caught between a rock and a hard place and facing certain death, the panicked Israelites lashed out at Moses in anger and fear.

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” – Exodus 14:10-12 NLT

But Moses responded with confidence and certainty, imploring them to trust in Yahweh, their deliverer.

“Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD [Yahweh] rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD [Yahweh] himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” – Exodus 14:13-14 NLT

And Yahweh did rescue them.

…the LORD [Yahweh] opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! – Exodus 14:21-22 NLT

It was this epic event that Asaph focused on in his darkest moment. When faced with his own Red Sea moment, Asaph recalled the people’s cries, Moses’ words, and the Almighty’s actions. Though he could see no way of escape or hear the voice of God, he could live vicariously through the lives of his ancestors and be reminded to stand firm, fear not, and see the salvation of the LORD. By looking back in time and recalling God’s past faithfulness to His covenant people, Asaph was encouraged.

When the Red Sea saw you, O God,
    its waters looked and trembled!
    The sea quaked to its very depths.
The clouds poured down rain;
    the thunder rumbled in the sky.
    Your arrows of lightning flashed.
Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;
    the lightning lit up the world!
    The earth trembled and shook.
Your road led through the sea,
    your pathway through the mighty waters—
    a pathway no one knew was there!
You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,
    with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds. – Psalm 77:16-20 NLT

Notice Asaph’s emphasis on God’s provision of a “pathway no one knew was there” (Psalm 77:19 NLT). When the Israelites reached the shores of the Red Sea, they had no way of knowing that their salvation would be through the sea, not around it. Their path of deliverance would be through the waters of despair and doubt. What they thought would be the source of their demise would be the pathway to their salvation.

Asaph could not understand the nature of his suffering. He found it difficult to see any light in the darkness that engulfed him, but his recollection of Israel’s Red Sea experience was just the encouragement he needed to not give up.

There were so many stories Asaph could have recalled that would have bolstered his faith. The chronicles of God’s power and provision were many, and they each provided a much-needed reminder to trust and obey. Asaph could have focused his attention on the story of Abraham and Sarah when God announced their son’s pending birth.

“I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” – Genesis 18:10 NLT

They had waited six decades for this news, but when Sarah heard it, she scoffed.

…she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” – Genesis 18:12 NLT

But responded to Sarah’s doubt with a question of His own.

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” – Genesis 18:14 NLT

This rhetorical question was meant to assure Abraham and Sarah that their God was faithful, powerful, and indomitable. Barrenness and old age were no match for God. An impassable sea was no problem for the God of the impossible. Asaph’s difficulties and the seemingly impenetrable darkness of his despair would fade in the light of God’s glory and goodness. All Asaph had to do was heed Moses’ advice: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13 ESV).

Father, when things take a turn for the worse, I tend to allow my circumstances to distort my view of You. I let the darkness of life drown out the light of Your goodness, drawing faulty conclusions about Your love and faithfulness. This reminder from Asaph was much needed. In those moments when I can’t see You, I need to recall the countless stories of Your past provision in my life. When those become cloudy and difficult to remember, I need to turn to Your Word and recount one of the many occasions when You delivered Your people from far worse situations than anything I have ever faced. You are good, gracious, powerful, faithful, constant, and always reliable. Never let me forget that nothing is impossible with You. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Keep Trusting

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To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

1 O God, save me by your name,
    and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
    give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have risen against me;
    ruthless men seek my life;
    they do not set God before themselves. Selah

4 Behold, God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your faithfulness put an end to them.

6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. – Psalm 54:1-7 ESV

This psalm continues David’s diatribe against the godless fools who have made his life a living hell. David had been forced to live like a fugitive because of King Saul’s relentless pursuit of his death. When Ahimelech the priest aided and abetted David, Doeg the Edomite murdered all the priests of Nob, as well as their families, in an act of revenge, and in an attempt to win favor with King Saul. In this psalm, David complains to God about the Ziphites, who sold him out to King Saul. Everywhere David turned, he found himself surrounded by enemies intent on his destruction.

These weren’t the mutterings of an overwrought conspiracy theorist prone to over-exaggeration and hyperbole. David was describing real-life events that had produced less-than-ideal outcomes. He remained an exiled fugitive with a bounty on his head, and the senseless deaths of the priests of Nob would haunt him for a long time.

In this penitential psalm, David tells God the dire nature of his circumstances.

For strangers are attacking me;
    violent people are trying to kill me.
    They care nothing for God. – Psalm 54:3 NLT

The Ziphites had not personally threatened David, but their actions had put his life at risk. By informing King Saul that David was hiding out in nearby Horesh, the Ziphites increased the chances of his capture and death. Their betrayal of David was meant to win favor with King Saul, even though they knew it would likely result in David’s execution. In turning him over, they would be complicit in his death.

But David paints their actions as a blatant disregard for God’s will. He could recall the day when the prophet Samuel had anointed him with oil and the Spirit of God had come upon him (1 Samuel 16). Samuel had received a clear message from Yahweh that he would find the next king of Israel residing at the house of Jesse.

“You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” – 1 Samuel 16:1 NLT

As Jesse paraded all his sons before the prophet, God disqualified each of them.

“Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

When David, the young son of Jesse, was brought before the prophet, God affirmed him by stating, “This is the one; anoint him” (1 Samuel 16:12 NLT). Then Samuel “took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on” (1 Samuel 16:13 NLT).

It’s unclear how much David knew about what took place that day. The text doesn’t say that Samuel gave David all the details concerning his anointing. At no point is David told that he has just been chosen as the next king of Israel, but he knew that something significant had just taken place. He understood that there was more to Saul’s obsession with his death than mere jealousy. The king saw David as a threat to his throne, and David knew that Saul’s unjustified pursuit of his death could not be in God’s will. That’s why he begged God to protect and avenge him.

Come with great power, O God, and rescue me!
    Defend me with your might.
Listen to my prayer, O God.
    Pay attention to my plea. – Psalm 54:1-2 NLT

David viewed Saul’s actions as unjustified and undeserved. Yet, when given the opportunity to seek revenge and take Saul’s life, David refused. Chapter 24 of 1 Samuel records the story of David’s chance encounter with Saul while hiding in the wilderness of Engedi. David and Saul had been engaged in a cat-and-mouse game involving “3,000 elite troops from all Israel” (1 Samuel 24:2 NLT). These well-armed and highly experienced troops had been chasing David and his men for days. At one point, King Saul took a break from the action “to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave” (1 Samuel 24:3 NLT). 

David’s men saw this as a God-ordained opportunity for David to take matters into his own hand and put an end to their misery.

“Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” – 1 Samuel 24:4 NLT

David was tempted but refused to take the life of Saul. Instead, he told his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” (1 Samuel 24:6 NLT). But while David spared Saul’s life, he did take advantage of the opportunity to declare his innocence. 

“Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord’s anointed one.’ Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.” – 1 Samuel 249-11 NLT

David had taken the high road. What appeared to his men as a divinely appointed opportunity to kill the king was actually a test of David’s allegiance and faithfulness. Was he willing to leave his fate in the hands of God? Would he trust the Almighty to settle matters between himself and King Saul?

Psalm 54 reveals that David was committed to relying on God despite what happened around him. Yes, he desperately wanted to see God step in and resolve the situation. He begged God to show up in power and rescue him. But even as Saul pursued him and the Ziphites betrayed him, David could say, “God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!” (Psalm 54:4 NLT). When David penned this psalm, he had not experienced some grand deliverance or dramatic change in his fortunes. He had just been betrayed by the Ziphites. King Saul remained determined to take his life. His men were growing weary of living on the run. Yet, David remained confident in God’s goodness, grace, and mercy. He understood that the very fact he was still alive was proof of God’s power and presence in his life. 

Despite Saul’s best efforts to end his life, Doeg’s murderous treatment of the priests of Nob, and the Ziphites’ betrayal of his location, David remained alive. And he didn’t take this point lightly. David promises that the next opportunity he has to return to Jerusalem, he will offer the appropriate sacrifices to God for His care and compassion.

I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you;
    I will praise your name, O Lord,
    for it is good.
For you have rescued me from my troubles
    and helped me to triumph over my enemies. – Psalm 54:6-7 NLT

David’s problems were far from over, but his faith in God was far from expended. He was willing to keep trusting even though his circumstances had not changed for the better. His exile had not ended. Saul had not called off the dogs. His days of running were far from over, and his enemies were growing in number. But he knew he could trust God.

Father, what a great reminder that I should never view Your faithfulness through the lens of my circumstances. Yet, when things don’t turn out quite the way I expected, the first thing I do is begin to doubt Your goodness and grace. I question Your presence. I complain about Your apparent lack of concern for my predicament. But if I would stop long enough to think about it, I would realize that my very existence is proof of Your goodness. Even in the darkness, You are with me. When I feel all alone and abandoned, You are there. You never leave me or forsake me. No enemy is too great for me. No problem is too overwhelming for me because You are by my side — at all times. Thank you for that much-needed reminder. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Trusting God When It Doesn’t Make Sense

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Hear this, all peoples!
    Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
    rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
    I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.

5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,
    when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man can ransom another,
    or give to God the price of his life,
8 for the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
    and never see the pit.

10 For he sees that even the wise die;
    the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever,
    their dwelling places to all generations,
    though they called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp will not remain;
    he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;
    yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
    death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.
    Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
    for he will receive me. Selah

16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
    when the glory of his house increases.
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
    his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed
    —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
    who will never again see light.
20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish. – Psalm 49:1-20 ESV

This psalm is an honest response to one of the most common concerns expressed by the godly in every generation. Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous seem to suffer? This seeming incongruity on God’s part has always puzzled His people, often causing them to question His justice. The author of Psalm 73 voiced the frustration of the faithful as he conveyed inequitable success of the godless.

I envied the proud
    when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
They seem to live such painless lives;
    their bodies are so healthy and strong.
They don’t have troubles like other people;
    they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. – Psalm 73:3-5 NLT

He goes on to express the impact this inequity has on God’s people.

And so the people are dismayed and confused,
    drinking in all their words.
“What does God know?” they ask.
    “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
Look at these wicked people—
    enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. – Psalm 73:10-12 NLT

This is exactly the problem the author of Psalm 49 is addressing, but he comes at it from an eternal perspective. Rather than focusing on the temporal success of the wicked, he points out the promise of future reward for the righteous. He approaches the whole matter from God’s all-knowing, all-seeing vantage point. Yahweh is not blind to the actions of the unrighteous, and He is not guilty of injustice or inequity. Things are not always as they seem. So, inspired by the wisdom of the proverbs, the psalmist calls on all people to listen to his counsel.

Listen to this, all you people!
    Pay attention, everyone in the world!
High and low,
    rich and poor—listen!
For my words are wise,
    and my thoughts are filled with insight. – Psalm 49:1-3 NLT

Rather than rail against God for His apparent mishandling of earthly affairs, the psalmist sought to take a more long-term perspective. While it may appear that the wicked grow wealthy as they purposefully disregard God’s law and abuse His people, their affluence will have no influence on their eternal state. They will never make enough money to pay for their sins or ransom their way out of judgment.

Why should I fear when trouble comes,
    when enemies surround me?
They trust in their wealth
    and boast of great riches.
Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
    by paying a ransom to God.
Redemption does not come so easily,
    for no one can ever pay enough
to live forever
    and never see the grave. – Psalm 49:5-9 NLT

The psalmist repeatedly brings up the topic of Sheol, or the grave, because he is attempting to shift the focus to the fate of the wicked. Death is inevitable and unavoidable. This life can be fleeting and fickle, with some enjoying experiencing joy and material success while others suffer great sorrow and the pains of poverty. But in the end, they all suffer the same fate: Death.

King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived and he enjoyed all the perks that came with his role as king. He was wealthy, powerful, well-educated, and surrounded by all the pleasures money could buy, but he had learned that money was an unreliable source of satisfaction and provided no protection from the grave.

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers! – Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 NLT

There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. – Ecclesiastes 5:13-15 NLT

A rich man may use his money to build a beautiful mausoleum to contain his remains, but his wealth can’t stave off death. That is precisely the point the psalmist is trying to make.

Those who are wise must finally die,
    just like the foolish and senseless,
    leaving all their wealth behind.
The grave is their eternal home,
    where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
   but their fame will not last.
    They will die, just like animals.
This is the fate of fools,
    though they are remembered as being wise. – Psalm 49:10-13 NLT

It doesn’t matter if you’re wise, foolish, wealthy, impoverished, famous, or faceless — everyone faces the same fate. With this rather somber and depressing thought in mind, the psalmist drives home his primary point. He will rest in God’s sovereign protection and provision.

Like sheep, they are led to the grave,
    where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
    Their bodies will rot in the grave,
    far from their grand estates.
But as for me, God will redeem my life.
    He will snatch me from the power of the grave. – Psalm 49:14-15 NLT

The wicked, like all mankind, will eventually face death. Their bodies will rot in the grave while others spend their hard-earned wealth and enjoy the fruits of their earthly labor. And when they are gone, there will still be righteous, God-fearing people who remain behind. Verses 14 and 15 are sometimes construed as the psalmist’s belief in some form of afterlife. But at this point in their history, the Israelites did not have a fully formed theology of heaven, hell, and the eternal state. Their concept of life beyond the grave was a work in process that had yet fully developed.

“It is possible that the psalmist is looking at ultimate eschatological realities, anticipating his own resurrection and a time when the righteous, not the rich, will rule on earth. However, it is more likely that the ascendancy of the righteous refers to their vindication in this life, a well-attested theme in the Psalter, especially in the wisdom psalms (see, e.g., Pss. 1, 34, 37, and 112, as well as the discussion above). In this case verse 15 refers to God’s preserving the psalmist through ‘evil days’ (cf. v. 5) by keeping him from premature, violent death at the hands of the oppressive rich and from the calamity that overtakes them. ‘Morning’ (v. 14), which brings to mind the dawning of a new day after a night of darkness, aptly symbolizes the cessation of these ‘evil days.’“ – Robert B. Chisholm, Jr. – “A Theology of the Psalms.” In A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament

It’s unlikely that the psalmist is expressing his belief in a place called heaven or declaring his hope in an eternal abode beyond the grave. He is simply stating His trust in God’s sovereign will over the affairs of life. He knows that he, too, will one day face death, but he trusts that his days are numbered by God and that nothing will happen to him until his God-ordained hour comes.

The emphasis of his song is not on the hope of heaven but on the inevitability of death. Everyone dies — from the wealthiest and wisest to the impoverished and ignorant. Death is the great leveler. But the righteous have God on their side. He watches over them and protects them. He preserves their lives even when they are confronted by the unfair and unjust actions of the wicked. So, he concludes:

So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
    and their homes become ever more splendid.
For when they die, they take nothing with them.
    Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
In this life they consider themselves fortunate
    and are applauded for their success. – Psalm 49:16-18 NLT

Don’t waste your time envying them or longing to be like them. Don’t get fooled by their apparent success and seeming avoidance of God’s judgment. Death will come for them just as it does for everyone else. The Jews did believe that death was not the end, but it was not a well-formed or fully developed doctrine at this time. The psalmist is not trying to encourage hope in the afterlife; he is trying to remind his fellow Hebrews to trust God in this life. In a sense, he is saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The wealthy wicked may seem blessed and free from pain and suffering, but death is the inevitable judgment for all mankind. Death, as the apostle Paul put it, is “the wages of sin” (Romans 6:23 NLT). Death entered the world because of sin, and only God can preserve and protect His people from the penalty of death. In the psalmist’s day, they believed God could delay death for His righteous ones.

But it wasn’t until the coming of Christ that the concept of a permanent escape from sin’s penalty became a reality. With His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for mankind’s sin debt. Death still occurs. The righteous must still face the inescapable reality of the finality of life. But the apostle Paul reminds us that there is hope beyond the grave because of the atoning work of Jesus.

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 NLT

The psalmist had no concept of this great truth, but he encouraged his audience to sing God’s praises nonetheless. He believed in the goodness and greatness of God in this life, even though he had no fully developed doctrine of the next life. He was willing to trust God in the here and now, even when it didn’t make sense. Death is the great equalizer, but God determines each man’s fate. As David confessed in Psalm 139, God knew his birth date and death date before he was even born.

You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed. – Psalm 139:16 NLT

So, don’t worry. Don’t be jealous. Don’t allow the apparent success of the unrighteous weigh you down or cause you to doubt God’s goodness. He is in control, and your life is in His all-powerful hands.

Father, I needed to hear this today. We live in a world where nothing seems to make sense. It seems like the wicked get rewarded while the righteous are forced to suffer in obscurity and face ridicule for our faith in You. It’s so easy to allow jealousy, envy, fear, and doubt to creep in and destroy my confidence. But this psalm reminds me that You are in control — at all times. I know things the psalmist didn’t know. I have been exposed to the truth of the gospel and the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. I know where I’m going when I die, yet I still struggle with fears, doubts, and questions about the seeming lack of justice in this life. Help me stay focused on Your faithfulness and sovereignty. You are not done yet. Your plan has not yet been completed, but it will be. Thank you for this timely reminder.. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Light in the Darkness

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
    against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
    deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
    why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Send out your light and your truth;
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
    and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
    O God, my God.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God. – Psalm 43:1-5 ESV

Psalm 42 begins what is commonly referred to as Book 2 of the Psalms. This section includes Psalms 42 through 72. Some believe Psalm 43 is a continuation of Psalm 43 because it is the only psalm that contains no heading. It also appears to carry on the theme found in the previous psalm. In Psalm 42, the author describes his soul as being “cast down” (Psalm 42:5 ESV). He feels oppressed by his enemies and abandoned by God. He longs to escape the mocking taunts of his enemies and experience a restored relationship with his God and Savior. Though he is disheartened, he remains hopeful that God will vindicate him. Psalm 42 ends with the psalmist practicing a bit of self-motivation intended to draw his attention away from his circumstances and back onto God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.– Psalm 42:11 ESV

Yet, in Psalm 43, the psalmist continues to debate with himself, displaying his difficulty in dismissing the devastating nature of his predicament. He wants to hope in God but can’t help but feel that his prayers for vindication and restoration are going unheard. He describes God as his “safe haven” (Psalm 43:1 NLT), but the conditions surrounding his life remain unchanged and anything but safe. Desperate, he vents his frustration to the only one who can save him.

Why have you tossed me aside?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?– Psalm 43:2 NLT

The psalmist holds nothing back, describing his circumstances as God-ordained and, therefore, inevitable and unavoidable. He feels helpless and at a complete loss as to what to do. He calls out to God but receives no answer. He begs and pleads, but nothing changes.

Yet, God’s apparent delay and non-responsiveness do not stop the disheartened psalmist from crying out for help. He is persistently prayerful and stubbornly hopeful.

Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me.
Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you live. – Psalm 43:3 NLT

Engulfed by the darkness of his circumstances, he longs for the light of God’s glory to break through and provide a clear path back into His presence. His reference to light is reminiscent of the theophany the Israelites experienced as they made their way through the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan. God appeared to them in the form of a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire so they might experience His presence and know He was guiding them day and night.

The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. – Exodus 13:21-22 NLT

God’s presence is always associated with light, representing His glory and majesty. When He appeared on Mount Sinai, His presence was accompanied by fire, lightning, and thunder.

All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.– Exodus 19:18 NLT

When the prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of God’s glory, it was accompanied by indescribable light.

Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me.– Ezekiel 1:26-28 NLT

The apostle John was given a vision of the New Jerusalem, the eternal city where God will dwell with His people on earth. He described it as having “no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light” (Revelation 21:23 NLT).

The psalmist longed to be immersed in the light of God’s glory and have the truth about his life exposed. He was confident that he would be acquitted and vindicated by God. That is why he boldly cried, “Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars” (Psalm 43:1 NLT).

Light eliminates the darkness and illuminates the truth. The God who knows all and sees all can shine the light of His glory into the darkened recesses of life and expose the truth. He can take the confusing circumstances of our lives and reveal their God-ordained purpose to bring about good while displaying His glory. Like the psalmist, we may not understand or like what is happening in our lives, but we can trust that God knows what He is doing and has a plan that will one day make sense.

This trust in God’s faithfulness and reliance upon His light-giving nature and truth-revealing power allowed the psalmist to close Psalm 43 the same way he did Psalm 42.

Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God! – Psalm 43:5 NLT

Father, You are light and truth. There is no darkness in You (1 John 1:5). Wherever You are, darkness cannot exist. When You speak, truth always prevails. You never lie or fail to keep Your word. But I still struggle with doubt and allow the seeming darkness of life to convince me that Your light has somehow diminished and Your truth has been overwhelmed by the lies of the enemy. Don’t let me lose heart. I don’t want to stop hoping and believing in You, but I sometimes feel overwhelmed by life and prone to give in to doubt and despair. When those times come, please continue to reveal Your light and truth to me. Thank you for never giving up on me. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Hope in the Lord

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    in your righteousness deliver me!
2 Incline your ear to me;
    rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
    a strong fortress to save me!

3 For you are my rock and my fortress;
    and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
    for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
    you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

6 I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
    but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
    because you have seen my affliction;
    you have known the distress of my soul,
8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
    you have set my feet in a broad place.

9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eye is wasted from grief;
    my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
    and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
    and my bones waste away.

11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,
    especially to my neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
    those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have been forgotten like one who is dead;
    I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many—
    terror on every side!—
as they scheme together against me,
    as they plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand;
    rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16 Make your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love!
17 O Lord, let me not be put to shame,
    for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
    let them go silently to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be mute,
    which speak insolently against the righteous
    in pride and contempt.

19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
    which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
    in the sight of the children of mankind!
20 In the cover of your presence you hide them
    from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
    from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the Lord,
    for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
    when I was in a besieged city.
22 I had said in my alarm,
    “I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
    when I cried to you for help.

23 Love the Lord, all you his saints!
    The Lord preserves the faithful
    but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord! – Psalm 31:1-24 ESV

Why do we fear? Why do we worry and doubt? When we serve a mighty God who loves us like He does, what would ever cause us to distrust or doubt Him? The simple answer is that we are weak and sinful. In our limited understanding, we know of no one or nothing as strong as God is. We have no experience with anyone as reliable and trustworthy as He is. Yet, we tend to judge God based on human standards and our own limitations. If we truly believed God was all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving, would we fear and doubt dominate our lives like they do?

Over the course of his life, David had learned to turn his bouts with doubt into opportunities to see God display His power, grace, and mercy. He came to God for protection, salvation, and encouragement. He viewed God as his “rock of refuge” and “strong fortress” (Psalm 31:2 ESV). In times of trouble, David had learned to run to the One who could provide safety, comfort, guidance, and deliverance.

This Psalm seems to have been written amid a time of crisis. David found himself in the middle of a difficult season of life in which some sin he had committed had left him discouraged, despondent, and deeply depressed. He doesn’t elaborate on the circumstances or disclose the nature of his indiscretion, but he painfully describes his troubled emotional state.

Tears blur my eyes.
    My body and soul are withering away.
I am dying from grief;
    my years are shortened by sadness.
Sin has drained my strength;
    I am wasting away from within.
I am scorned by all my enemies
    and despised by my neighbors—
    even my friends are afraid to come near me. – Psalm 31:9-11 NLT

Whatever sin he committed left him feeling attacked from within and without. His guilt weighed heavy on his heart, and the scorn of his friends and enemies deepened his discouragement and despair. The rumor mill had generated all kinds of salacious gossip and motivated his enemies to take advantage of his diminished popularity and weakened position. He was vulnerable and feeling exposed.

But while David was feeling down and out, he didn’t feel abandoned by God. He knew he could find refuge and rest in the arms of his loving, faithful, and all-powerful God.

But I am trusting you, O Lord,
    saying, “You are my God!”
My future is in your hands.
    Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
Let your favor shine on your servant.
    In your unfailing love, rescue me. – Psalm 31:14-16 NLT

David had learned that Yahweh was a reliable and trustworthy source of strength and sustenance to all those who feared Him and placed their trust in Him.

You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
    safe from those who conspire against them.
You shelter them in your presence,
    far from accusing tongues. – Psalm 31:20 NLT

David could praise God in the midst of the current storm because he had experienced Yahweh’s deliverance in the past. David used God’s track record of divine deliverance to bolster his faith.

He kept me safe when my city was under attack.
In panic I cried out,
    “I am cut off from the Lord!”
But you heard my cry for mercy
    and answered my call for help. – Psalm 31:21-22 NLT

Recalling God’s past actions helped to strengthen David’s resolve and led him to declare, “Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!” (Psalm 31:24 NLT).

It seems that a big part of the journey for Christ’s followers is to learn to trust God more and to fear life less. In this Psalm, David seems to ebb back and forth between a strong confidence in God and a wavering doubt. He says, “Save me, for you do what is right” (Psalm 31:1 NLT). He calls God his rock and his fortress and talks of His unfailing love and mercy. But then, David seems to change tones because he faces the daily reality of living in a fallen world. He has to confront wickedness and the influence of sinful people who make it hard to live the life of faith. There is a constant battle between trusting God and living amid difficult circumstances, constantly attempting to shake our faith in Him.

Knowing and serving God does not guarantee us an easy road or a life free from difficulty. It promises us a God who loves us enough to care about what is happening to us and is powerful enough to do something about it. David seemed to know that from experience. Despite his difficulties, he turned to God. He knew where the source of his help and hope was to be found — in God alone. David states confidently, “But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, ‘You are my God!’ My future is in your hands” (Psalm 31:14-15a NLT). All David had to do was remember the countless times God had rescued him before. God had proven Himself faithful in the past, and David knew God would prove Himself faithful in the future. He could be trusted because the Lord preserves the faithful.

Father, thank You that You can be trusted. And because You can be trusted, I can be brave and strong. May my courage increase daily as I learn to rely on and trust in You. May I increasingly learn to put my hope in You. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

How Long?

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

To the choirmaster: A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me. – Psalm 13:1-6 ESV

Reading David’s Psalms can be confusing. It’s almost as if he suffers from a multiple personality disorder. In some of his writings, he comes across as a faithful and fully committed follower of God who boldly declares his allegiance and trust in the Almighty. But there are other times when David seems doubtful about their relationship, questioning God’s presence and seeming apathy or disinterest in his circumstances. But David isn’t schizophrenic, he’s simply being realistic and honest.

As a human being, David suffers from a limited perspective. He is neither omnipresent nor omniscient. Unable to see into the future, David cannot know the outcome of his present circumstances. Incapable of seeing into the throne room of God, he can only guess what the Almighty is doing at any given moment, leaving him to wonder and worry whether his predicament has gone unnoticed. In the heat of the moment, when the pressures of life begin to overwhelm him, David does what every other man does, he begins to question the goodness and greatness of God. He doesn’t stop believing, but he does start to have serious doubts about God’s intentions and seeming lack of activity.

David opens this Psalm with four rapid-fire questions.

O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?

How long will you look the other way?

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

David isn’t accusing God of being AWOL. These are not questions about God’s nearness but about His seeming delay in providing deliverance. David isn’t denying God’s presence or power; he just wants to know what is taking so long. He is expressing his frustration with God’s promptness.

Four times in the first two verses of Psalm 13, David repeats that question, “How long?” He pleads with God to answer him, to give him some glimmer of hope in the darkness. He desperately wants to see God act so his enemies will stop gloating over his situation. From David’s perspective, their boasting over his defeat is nothing less than a mockery of God’s power. He is grieved that his loss has given them a false sense of superiority because they have bested the LORD’s anointed one.

David cared deeply about God’s reputation. Having been anointed the king of Israel by the prophet of God, David knew his life was meant to reflect God’s glory. He served at God’s behest and had been tasked with the responsibility of shepherding the flock of God.

“I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.” – 2 Samuel 7:8 ESV

He chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the nursing ewes he brought him
    to shepherd Jacob his people,
    Israel his inheritance.
With upright heart he shepherded them
    and guided them with his skillful hand. – Psalm 78:70-72 ESV

David felt a profound responsibility to honor God with his life, and when his enemies got the upper hand, he felt like he had let God down. His failures reflected poorly on God’s name. That’s why he wanted to know why God wasn’t stepping in to remedy the problem. What was keeping Yahweh from proving His power by providing deliverance?

But then David makes a profound admission: “But I trust in your unfailing love” (Psalm 13:5 NLT). Actually, the tense of the verb he uses speaks of a past event, a completed action. In a sense, David says, “But I have trusted in your unfailing love.” David has continually lived his life by placing his confidence in the kindness and mercy of God. That’s why he can say, “I will rejoice in your salvation.”

Because David had trusted God in the past, he knew he could trust God for the future. He knew there was a day coming when God would bring salvation. He didn’t know how or when, but he knew it was coming. He was fully confident that he would have reason to rejoice one day. He would sing for joy. Why? Because God had a proven track record of faithfulness.

The best translation of verse 6 is, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.” God’s past provision was the basis for David’s future joy. He knew God would come through for him because he had experienced it repeatedly. David’s God was a faithful, consistent, and unchanging God. His God always delivered, always came through, never abandoned, gave up, walked out, or disappointed.

What more does God have to do for you to begin to trust Him? What is it going to take for you to really believe that He knows what is going on in your life and will provide for and protect you, regardless of what you see happening around you? That is the recurring theme of so many of David’s Psalms. David was a man who had his own share of trials and troubles. He may have been a king who enjoyed great wealth and wielded tremendous power, but he was not immune to problems. He faced various difficult circumstances in his lifetime, including the constant threat of enemies, both within and without his kingdom.

At one point, his own father-in-law, Saul, launched a crusade to have David killed. Later on in his life, David would watch as his own son, Absalom, led a rebellion against him and took over his kingdom. The Philistines never forgave him for killing their champion, Goliath. There were times when David felt all alone and alienated from God. He was human and prone to look at his circumstances and question whether God knew what was happening to him. Amid his suffering and struggles, he would ask the same questions we all ask of God: How long? When is this going to stop, God? When will you do something about this situation in my life? Why the delay? What are You doing? Why are You waiting?

From David’s perspective, only a fool would conclude that there is no God (Psalm 14:1). Only a fool would decide that God was not there or did not care. David had seen the hand of God in the past and knew he would see the hand of God in the future. Because of God’s past provision in the face of problems, David knew he would sing, rejoice, and praise God some day – despite all that was going on at the moment.

Father, You have never failed to be faithful to me. So let me trust in Your past deliverance and there find hope for my future restoration. You are always faithful, always loving, and always powerful. Because You have, I can trust that you will. Your character is consistent,  constant, and never changing. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.