Title: God's Interest (Psalm 68:1-6)
Contents
*Introductory words
There was a Christian soldier in Rome. This soldier, named “Martin” from , was a very loyal, good-natured man who served in the military. But one cold winter, as he was passing the street, he saw a beggar shivering in the cold on a desolate street. As the beggar held out his hand,
“Soldier uncle. Just give me a penny,” he begged.
He looked through his pockets and found that he had no money, but he felt sorry for the trembling beggar. So he took off his worn-out military overcoat and tore it in half. Then he wrapped the halves around the trembling beggar and said,
“I’m sorry. I have no money, so I have no choice but to rip my clothes like this.”
That night Martin had a dream. The gates of heaven opened and Jesus Christ, surrounded by angels, stood there, dressed in half that same Roman uniform. An angel asked the Lord.
"Lord. Why are you wearing that beggar Roman uniform?”
Then the Lord
“This is the most precious gift my servant Martin has given me,” he replied.
Jesus said in Matthew 25:40. “Say it clearly. As you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me.” These are the words that make us realize where Jesus' interest lies.
In today's text, two facts are strongly compared. David's prayer for the two lives of the wicked and the righteous, the obedient and the rebel, is focused on. Let's look at what kind of interest we should have in this age through the meaning of the text paired with the morning message.
1. Concern for the wicked and the righteous
Let's look at verses 1-4. It sings about the petitions against the wicked and the life that the righteous, who hope for God, should pursue at any time in the inhabited world.
1) Attitude towards the destruction of evil forces
Verses 1-2 are prayers asking God to break the power of the enemies and let them run away through the work of God. This is to pray for the active work of God by the saints who are in trouble due to the evil power.
The background for such a powerful prayer lies in the conviction that the enemy of Israel is the enemy of God. In other words, it is an expression of strong belief that God is absolutely on the side of the saints. Believers must have such absolute trust in God.
Psalm 118:6-7, “The Lord is on my side. I have no fear, what can a man do to me? The LORD is on my side, among those who help me; therefore I will see vengeance on those who hate me.”
If you entrust your adversary to God and rely on Him, God Himself will solve this problem. Retaliation is not permitted for the saints (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19). If a believer seeks to retaliate and solve problems on his own, it is the result of buying God's wrath on the contrary.
On the other hand, the destruction of evil forces is “like the greens of wheat… ” he expressed. “Wheat” was the oil extracted from the honeydew, which was used to light lamps. These expressions mean complete extinction. When God judges and destroys the wicked, he will be thorough and perfect. Therefore, believers must not forget that the only way to truly believe is to trust God thoroughly.
2) Trust in God's interest in the righteous
Verses 3-4 sing of trust in God's concern for the righteous. The source of joy for the righteous is in God. The reason that countless ancestors of faith in the past were able to enjoy joy in their lives of persecution and suffering was because they remained in God, the source of joy (John 15:10-11; The joy of the saints never depends on the quantity of material or the quality of life. The joy of the saints is only in God. Such was the life of the early church.
If the joy disappears from the life of the saints, not only the spiritual stagnation, but also the sufferings of life. The joy and joy of the spirit are good medicines in the life of the body as well.
Proverbs 17:22, “A joy of the heart is good medicine, but a troubled spirit dries up the bones.”
Therefore, God gives joy to God and enriches the lives of believers who are pleasing to God, and God makes those who depend on Him enjoy joy.
Deuteronomy 30:9, “If you obey the word of the LORD your God, keep the commandments and ordinances written in this book of the law, and return to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will In all things, and the offspring of your body, and the offspring of your cattle, and the produce of your land, he blesses you.” Nehemiah 8:10, “And Nehemiah said, “Go ye, eat the fat, and drink sweet; To those you give, you share. This day is holy to our Lord, so do not be troubled. The joy of the Lord is your strength.” / John 15:10-11, “Just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love, so if you keep my commandments you will abide in my love. I give this name to you, that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full.”
If you love the Lord, trust His guidance. You will be filled with joy and joy.
2. Concern for the Obedient and the Rebel
Let's look at verses 5-6.
These verses show God's concern for those who trust and obey God's will, and His concern for those who disobey God's will. In other words, it shows God's utmost interest in people's good lives.
God's concern is with the orphans and widows, the stranger and the marginalized. That doesn't mean I'm not interested in other things or people. It shows God's special interest.
Let's look at Luke 4:18-19. “The Spirit of the Lord has come upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, and has sent me to preach liberty to the captives and restoration of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to bring the year of the Lord’s favor. to preach the word.”
This shows the central purpose of the Lord's work.
Let's find another place, Matthew 25:34-36. “Then the king will say to those on his right hand: Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to see me.”
These words show us what the life of a believer who can pass the examination of qualifications for entering the kingdom of God at the time of judgment is like.
Those who follow the will of God in this way are those who obey the word of God. This obedience is not only done with words and lips, but also practiced in our daily lives. The Lord does not judge you by your knowledge or theories, 'What did you know?' You will only be assessed on 'how did you live?'
1 John 3:18, “Children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and truth” Matthew 7:24, “Therefore, whoever hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is a wise man who built his house on the rock Luke 8:21, “Jesus answered and said, My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” James 1:25, “Looking into the whole law of liberty, He who has is not the one who hears and forgets, but the one who does it, and this man will be blessed in what he does.”
Can this be done easily? It's really hard to love others. Moreover, it is even more difficult to love someone in an environment that is shunned by society. Therefore, loving also requires training. God has given us a training ground where we can practice this love. In other words, he made it easier to adapt to giving and receiving love through the family (Proverbs 17:1, Ephesians 6:1-4).
However, today this home is being destroyed. If the family is destroyed, the country and nation will inevitably collapse. The reason today's society is changing so violently is probably because the family, the training ground for love and obedience, is destroyed. In such a time, the saints should return to the place that God is interested in and find their original place.
Just as God is interested in the life of the saints, we should also be obedient and interested in God's interest. We pray that you will live a life of truth that pleases God and pleases God by considering God's interests in whatever you do.