May our words and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord!
Read Psalm 28
This Psalm is another prayer for God's help and protection. David cries out in fear. One commentary summarizes this psalm this way: "In this psalm...the fear of being reckoned with the wicked and cast away, perhaps by a premature death, is very strong. But the answer is clear, and the singer takes courage to ask a similar deliverance for the people as a whole." (Kidner, Psalms 1-72, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries).
David cries out for God to hear. David asks God to triumph over his enemies. Then in verses 6 and 7, we hear David's wonderful faith shining through. In the same psalm where David cries out in fear he also boasts confidently that God has heard, that God helps, that God is his strength and shield. David then thanks him. I wonder if when we cry out in fear we can cry out in faith in the same breath?
Then David, as the king of Israel, is also concerned for the people under his care. He is convinced that God will bless not just him, but also the people. He calls on God to shepherd them tenderly. David, once a shepherd boy, who now as king shepherds people, asks God the Good Shepherd to protect, to lead, to provide, and to watch over the flock. We are included in that flock through Jesus Christ. So David prays (and we also pray) in this psalm that God would shepherd us and carry us forever too! Thanks be to God!
Read Genesis 31
There is no doubt that God has blessed Jacob. There has obviously been a little time lag between the last chapter and this one, because now we hear that Laban has changed the wages 10 times. Unfortunately for Laban, he could never win. God's will was to prosper and bless Jacob. When God chooses to bless, nothing can get in his way.
God intervened in Jacob's life. Though the family situation was somewhat dysfunctional, God saw the faithful toil and labor of Jacob, and decided it was enough. He instructed Jacob to return to his father's household. And when Laban pursued him in a fury, God intervened in a dream and sternly warned Laban to let Jacob go, saying nothing to him. Well, Laban did make sure he let Jacob know how he felt, but in the end let him go.
This chapter sets us up for the next incredible chapter, a chapter where Jacob is painted in a better light. He had deceived, and had been the victim of deception, but tomorrow we will see Jacob's faith and repentant heart shining brightly.
But this is only possible because of Divine intervention. God was pleased to bless him. God was pleased to keep his promise to Jacob. God is faithful and loving. And as a result, all the world is blessed through Jacob, through the Messiah that would come through him.
Ask Yourself:
When I am afraid, where do I go for comfort? Do I look to the Lord as often as I should?
When I cry out in fear to the Lord, am I also confident of God's protection? How can Psalm 28 be a tool to help me trust?
Where do I see Divine intervention in my life?
Pray:
Psalm 28:8-9
The LORD is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Study with me tomorrow,
Pastor Jon
Soli Deo Gloria!
3Do notdrag me off with the wicked,
ReplyDeletewith the workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
You said God intervened for Jacob. What do we say to those times when God doesn't intervene? I read this above verse and immediately thought of POWs.
I don't mean to bring up the difficult questions. Do you think God intervened more in Biblical times than he does today, or does it just seem that way because we're reading these miraculous stories of God's people?
These are the types of questions I have to answer at youth group all the time, so I just was wondering how you might answer.
ReplyDeleteSure, I understand. I would say that God intervenes all the time. The fact that I am sitting here, using my fingers, breathing in and out is because of him in the first place. In addition to that, there have been times in my life where everything could have come crashing down but instead came together beautifully, perfectly. God intervenes.
ReplyDeleteSometimes doctors shake their heads and say "This person should be dead. It's a miracle." God intervenes.
It may seem like it doesn't happen or doesn't happen as often because we are inundated with bad news. Plus, we hear of Jacob working for 20 years for Laban (14 for the wives, 6 for the flock) and it is compressed into a chapter that takes us only minutes to read. Jacob's being blessed by God was slow to him, little by little. But looking back, there was no denying that God had done it.
So also, God blesses us little by little. He intervenes. Maybe it looks miraculous. Maybe not. But God promises to help us, and he does.
My heart goes out to POW's and their families. Why God has allowed situations like that I cannot answer. I can only trust that God is love and God is power.