June 7, 2012
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all -- Psalm 34: 19 (NKJV)
David is on the run from King Saul when he writes Psalm 34. The king wants him dead and David did nothing to deserve it. Obviously David represented a threat to Saul, as the people rallied to him instead of the king. Saul became very jealous of the successes God had given David in war. When the people sang they referred to the tens of thousands David killed versus the thousands Saul had killed. It made Saul very bitter and angry. Remember, it was David of course, not King Saul who slew Goliath and delivered him into the hands of Israel. He did this while Saul was with the rest of the men of Israel; cowering in fear.
I think sometimes we can relate to David here. We too can feel as if the world is coming against us for no good reason. People will always view Christians as a threat because we represent for them what they are still lacking -- repentance. No one likes to hear about their sinful state. Heck, even Christians don't like to hear about it as we have seen such a drastic decrease in the preaching of sin in lieu of prosperity and seeker friendliness. Dressing God up in frilly clothing does not remove the fact that we are all sinners before a holy God and are in dire need of a Savior -- Jesus Christ. Like David however, people can become jealous towards Christians very easily too. Jealous of the peace of God which should permeate our lives. Jealous of our belief in absolute truth in a world that sells shades of grey. Let's face it -- the world wants many ways to heaven so that they can fit their sin onto that road. When Christians come along, we say:
Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. -- John 14: 6 (NLT)
That is pretty definitive! That is going to rub people the wrong way. People would much rather come to the Father through good works measured against the worst possible people society has to offer for comparison. This way everyone gets in! If only it were so easy. Of course if it were there would be no consequence for sin. Without a consequence for sin there would be no need for a Savior. Without a need for a Savior, the work of Christ on the cross becomes meaningless.
For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News--and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power. -- 1Corinthians 1: 17 (NLT)
Forget clever speech. It is not what you or I say that matters as much as it is what we believe. Yes, you can say to a mountain move from here to there and it will but not without faith. Not without what we believe. So we come to the key verse for today from this Psalm written on the run. It is a word of encouragement for us today and amidst all of the dire prophecies and warnings about sin and compromise, let us not ever lose sight of the power of encouragement. We are to encourage ourselves in the Lord beloved. David knew this well:
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. -- 1Samuel 30: 6 (KJV)
Most other translations say that David strengthened himself in God. That is the lesson we need to take in our times of peril and trouble. The key verse promises us two things today. First of all -- many are the afflictions of the righteous. Just because we came to Christ does not exempt us from the troubles of this life. Jesus said that we will have trouble in this world but we are take heart in Him because He has already overcome this world. Sometimes we over-spiritualize things and sometimes we over-devilize them. It seems whenever we face times of trouble we either think that somehow God has sent us into this vast wilderness where we must fast for forty days and lie in sackcloth and ashes or we think that that ole devil is simply beating us down again. Listen, sometimes either of those could be true. The enemy is relentless in his pursuit of devouring Christians and God will sometime send us into the wilderness to refine us for His work. But sometimes, things just are what they are. Sometimes we are merely afflicted. Sometimes we have to go through some stuff as Christians. Sometimes the medical report is not good and it has nothing to do with God punishing us or the devil beating on us. Sometimes we cannot find work and actually may simply be due to a poor job market and a stagnant economy. God will still use these times to draw us unto Him. He always wants us closer than we seem to be willing to get. He will always use these times of trial to further His glory. Realize that there is logic behind the fact that many are our afflictions. First of all, we live in a fallen sinful state. Secondly, we battle our flesh on a minute by minute basis -- anything less and that is how sin creeps in. Thirdly, we live in a world that thinks the things we believe in are foolishness and they often show contempt and disdain for it. Lastly, we have a real enemy who is on the prowl against us and never rests. If you find yourself afflicted today realize that you are no different than David. Many are our afflictions beloved.
But God! The second promise in the key verse is that God will deliver us out from them all! David would eventually succeed Saul as King of Israel. David would prosper greatly. Even after the Bathsheba sin and the ensuing loss of his kingdom -- God would deliver him from that as well. We must realize however that deliverance is the Lord's and sometimes we need to not set up our own vision of what deliverance is. Remember, Paul asked three times for God to remove the thorn that harassed him. Three times the Lord said no because it was the thorn that reminded Paul who he was and who God was. Quite frankly, a lot of us can afford some more thorny areas in our lives today. There are far too many Christians who simply have forgotten how far down God had to go to save them. Without that thorn sticking in our conscience, we can become free to be arrogant and feel superior to others. As if somehow the righteousness of God is now somehow ours. That we had something to do with it. Sometimes we can have the wrong picture of what being delivered out of our afflictions might be. Sometimes we do not get the job we wanted because God sees what would happen if we did. Maybe we would be drawn away from Him. Sometimes we may not see great material prosperity because God sees that it is our meager circumstances that keep us close to Him. And yes, painfully for us sometimes, God calls people home we love.
Remember the story of Joseph. He was sold into slavery by his brothers at age 17. He was sent to be a slave in the house of Potiphar. The Bible says that God prospered Joseph while he was there. He was given more and more responsibility. Now, I am confident that this was NOT the idea of deliverance that Joseph had prayed for. Likewise, when he was in prison for 12 years for a crime he did not even commit, the Bible says that God again prospered him. He was given more and more responsibility. Again, I am pretty sure that was NOT the deliverance Joseph had prayed for. Joseph didn't want to be a slave. Joseph didn't want to be in prison. God however was working on His master plan and during the trials; God still delivered Joseph even if that deliverance was not what he had exactly hoped for. We need to look for God within our storms because He is there providing the deliverance we need, even if it is not the deliverance we might want.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous
but God Almighty delivers us out from them all. I thank you God for these
promises.
Rev. Anthony
