5. Andrew

People who met Jesus : 5 :  Andrew

PART TWO : The Apostles

Jn 1:40-42    Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

Today we are going to start looking at the apostles, the twelve who walked most closely with Jesus. We’re going to start with Andrew for a reason that will become obvious.

Sometimes I hear people saying that the Bible is full of contradictions. “Oh,” they say, “one Gospel says this and another that,” as if that were proof of a contradiction. It is only a contradiction if one Gospel says one thing and the other specifically says exactly the opposite – and that never happens. What we do find with the Gospels is that different writers include different things, but that simply means we get a fuller picture. Now this is true of the first of the apostles that we will be looking at in the coming meditations.

Andrew originally came from Bethsaida on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee (Jn 1:44) Jesus had settled in Capernaum (Mt 4:13) just a few miles along the coast. Most people remember Jesus encountering the fishermen alongside the Sea of Galilee, so it is somewhere there on the coast that we see Andrew being called with his brother Simon Peter: “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him,” (Mt 4:18-20) but that, John tells us in our verses today, wasn’t the first time Andrew had encountered Jesus.

Prior to those verses we find something quite special: “The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him.” (Jn 1:35-39)   It is then, in our verses today, that we are told that one of these men who had been with John the Baptist was actually Andrew. Andrew had left his fishing up in Galilee, gone down to hear John, had obviously been baptised, stayed on for a while at least, and had then encountered Jesus there for the first time. Andrew was first and foremost a seeker! He meets Jesus, spends the day with him, comes to belief in him as the Messiah, and goes and finds his brother Simon, who is also obviously down there, and tells him. So now we have a seeker who has become a believer and then a messenger of the gospel – we’ve found the Christ!

It would then appear that at some point they go back north and settle in to fishing again, so that that is where Jesus finds them when he too moves north to start his ministry, working out of Capernaum. We’ll see the incident with Simon Peter in the next meditation but for now we simply note that when Jesus starts calling disciples to leave their everyday jobs, Andrew is one of the first to follow him. References to individual disciples are often fairly few; they simply get mentioned when they stand out in some particular way.

We next see Andrew in the account of the feeding of the five thousand: “Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (Jn 6:8,9) Jesus, in teaching mode, has challenged Philip about where to get bread to feed the crowd. Philip sees the size of the crowd and concludes it is a hopeless task. Andrew is willing to step out as little bit further with, “Well we have a few resources here but I realise they are few.” Yes, he’s willing to step out and look silly with his suggestion. (Had he made friends with this small boy?) Is it that he has in mind the solution but doesn’t quite like to bring it out in the open?  Jesus solves the problem and performs a miracle and feeds them all with these few resources.

At a later date we find another simple incident involving Andrew: “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.” (Jn 12:20-22). It suggests that Andrew is somewhere up the seniority order. Some seekers came but approached Philip. You approach the outer members first. Philip goes to talk to Andrew. Why? To get reassurance from him that this is all right!  He shows he looks up to Andrew.

We next see Andrew with the post-resurrection and post-ascension group: “Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.” (Acts 1:13) Andrew is a sticker, he’s still there and is going to continue there.

Let’s summarise what we have seen. Andrew was a seeker who became a believer, who was called to be a follower to serve and his faith gradually grew to the point where he was not afraid to speak what appeared humanly silly. He became a fairly senior member of the apostolic band and carried the faith on after Jesus had ascended. (Yet for some reason he wasn’t included in that very inner group that consisted of James and John and Peter – e.g. Mt 17:1)

Now let’s apply that to ourselves. Do we have seeking hearts? Have we become believers, followers who are willing to go where Jesus leads and live out faith, determined to go on and be continual carriers of the Gospel – even if we don’t get a great deal of recognition. Andrew wasn’t especially famous and didn’t reach the senior ranks of the apostles – but he clearly played a significant part in life. May the same be able to be said of us!

4. John the Baptist

People who met Jesus : 4 :  John the Baptist

Mt 3:13,14    Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

I have a feeling that John the Baptist would have been an uncomfortable person to be with – prophets, especially Old Testament prophets, often were, but then as John’s Gospel blandly says, “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.” (Jn 1:6), Yes, he was sent by God and he came with a purpose, and that purpose involved him meeting his cousin, Jesus, publicly and proclaiming him.

His birth had had a supernatural touch about it, because of his parents we read, “they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.” (Lk 1:7) but that was going to change, as announced by the angel Gabriel: “the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.” (Lk 1:13). His birth would cause much rejoicing (Lk 1:14, fulfilled in 1:58), he would be holy (Lk 1:15) and he would be a prophet like Elijah (Lk 1:17). Oh yes, there was definitely something about John that set him apart from all other men.

His role was to bear witness to the light, which was Jesus: “He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.” (Jn 1:7) to prepare people to believe in Jesus: “Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord ….. to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Lk 1:16,17). Now what is interesting is that he was clearly aware of a lot about Jesus, but not everything. For example: “You yourselves can testify that I said, `I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ ……He must become greater; I must become less. The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.” (Jn 3:28,30,31) and yet, as our verses for today show, although he was exercising his ministry of baptizing people, he didn’t realise that that had to include Jesus.

It is clear therefore, that these two cousins, although closely linked in God’s purposes had not talked about the details of what would happen – and that is encouraging! I say that because there is, in some circles, an assumption almost that God will share everything with His children – He doesn’t!  We are called to a life of faith (2 Cor 5:7) which sometimes means we just have to get on with what God has given us to do, WITHOUT  full knowledge of the details of what will happen and how it will work out.

This truth is personified in John because after he had baptized Jesus he just carried on with his ministry. He obviously felt that he was to carry on until told otherwise by God. It was only Herod’s intervention that stopped him: “when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.” (Lk 3:19,20) Yet that didn’t stop John continuing his ministry of pointing people to Jesus for we read later, “After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Mt 11:1-3). Was this John having doubts in prison? It was more likely his way of sending his own disciples to Jesus as he recognised that his time had come to an end.

John is an amazing example for us. He was the cousin of Jesus but his sole task is to obey what God has said to him and point people to Jesus and to prepare them to receive him. It was a ministry without glory, for it was left to Jesus to give him the honour due to him that others hadn’t recognised: “Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.” (Mt 11:7-9) and then added, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” (Mt 11:11). No, John understood this and had declared in respect of himself and Jesus, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (Jn 3:30) John didn’t seek any glory. Indeed, to the contrary, he gave it all to Jesus and made less of himself. What a challenge to modern ministries!

John prepared people’s hearts to receive Jesus, by making them realise that they fell short and needed to come to God in repentance. When they had done that, they were ready to meet Jesus. At that time he was a physical Saviour, not a risen Saviour. For the moment he brought God’s words of love and acceptance, and God’s power brought love through healing. Later he would bring salvation and Sonship but John never saw that. John simply did what God gave him to do, and carried on doing it until stopped. What an example!

3. The Magi

People who met Jesus : 3 :  The Magi

Mt 2:1,2    After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

This is going to be the last of our three meditations about those who met Jesus when he was a baby. The first was about the shepherds who were outcasts. The second was about an old man and now the third one is about foreigners. Is God trying to tell us something through the people He chose? He delights in outcasts, He delights in the elderly, and He delights in foreigners? These are all people we tend to write off – but God doesn’t!

We’ve dressed up some of these stories so that they appear so sweet and sentimental when we include them in the Nativity every Christmas. The shepherds were probably a rough bunch of outcasts who many of us wouldn’t want to know.  The Magi or ‘Wise Men’ were from a foreign Arab country and they were probably magicians-cum-fortune tellers. How embarrassing that such people should come to see Jesus. We tend not to describe them like this usually, but it is possible that this is what they were. In the Christian world we teach (rightly) against astrology and yet there seem to be elements of that in this story. “We saw his star in the east.” Whatever was that about? Somehow, and we don’t know how, these men saw a new star in the sky and it caught their attention, and we have no idea why.

Was it that God prompted them? Did He take the means that was familiar to them and speak through that? Was it a comet? We don’t know, but somehow the attention of these men from the East was caught. But it was more than that; yes there was a star but look at the content of their understanding, for the star was only a means of guidance to a PERSON. Listen to their descriptions of this person: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Mt 2:2) Yes, the star can almost be a distraction. Somehow these men have found out that there is a king who is about to be born, and this king is so special they need to travel hundreds of miles to worship him. Worship is the sign of an inferior bowing down and acknowledging the greatness of a superior being, a deity even. Indeed when they eventually get to Jesus we find, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” (Mt 2:11) This has got to be pure heart felt worship. You might bow down before a powerful king, but before a baby?

We mustn’t extol these men too much because, in fact, they did get it partly wrong. They knew there was coming a great king, and they knew he was coming to Israel; so far, so good. But they assumed being a king he would be born in Jerusalem and that proves difficult because when they come seeking, King Herod hears about it and is upset and jealous and fearful. Yet all is not lost for he calls the scribes and teachers together and they point out the prophetic scriptures that say the Messiah will come to Bethlehem. So off they go to Bethlehem and there they find Jesus.

Whatever imperfect guidance these men used, it got them to Jesus. Ultimately we have to say that God guided them, for why would they accidentally turn up. In fact we have to ask WHY did they come? Oh yes we know vaguely how they got there, but for what purpose? Did God have a purpose in bringing these men? Well when we look at the end outcome, after these men have been and gone, we can only say, well, yes, God is a provider and this little family have been provided for in a most amazing way: “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (Mt 2:11) These men appear to have expected an earthly king and you present gifts to such a king; not small gifts but expensive, lavish gifts, and these men (and we assume three usually because three gifts are given) bring three expensive gifts. For what purpose? To sell surely!  God knows this little family is going to have to soon flee to Egypt and live there for several years. This little family needs living expenses and this they now have!

There thus appear two reasons for these Magi coming to Jesus. First, they come to herald and proclaim him and, second, to provide for him and his family for the coming years. After they have done that they return home: “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” (Mt 2:12). Whether they heard what happened to this baby when he grew up, and whether they were still alive thirty years later, we don’t know. The have played their part in this child’s life and they have moved on. No doubt they did many other significant things in their lives but this little episode is what has them recorded in history, this little episode was possibly the most significant part of their lives. Sign posts and providers! Are we signposts to our Jesus? Do we provide our lives for his use? Do we give what we have for his use? Simple but serious questions, all stirred on by some strange men from the East. May we be challenged by their example!

2. Simeon

People who met Jesus : 2 :  Simeon

Lk 2:25-26    Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

I love the account of old man Simeon. He is obviously old because God has told him he will not die before seeing the Messiah or Christ. He’s counting the days. I’m going to depart from the style of these meditations today and instead insert an imaginary story that I once wrote of Simeon, based on the Scripture:

The old man had been praying. He was very conscious of how good it was to live in Jerusalem and be near the Temple. It was an easy walk in each day, to this place where the presence of God was supposed to live. It had started some time back in the local synagogue when the scrolls had been brought out and the Rabbi had read one of those enigmatic prophecies from of old that spoke about a coming one. As the words were read, something in him seemed to say, “You’ll see him!”  He gently chided himself for his foolishness, “I’m an old man. We’ve waited all these years and there has been no sign. I can’t have long to go. Why should I be special? Why should I see him? It may be centuries before he comes!”  But that inner voice seemed to persist, “No, you will see him when he comes to his house.”  It was then he had decided to move into Jerusalem, to be near the house of God, the Temple. How long would he have to wait, he wondered?

Day after day he had risen early and made his way into the Temple and sat in the courts in the shade and watched the pilgrims who came, but no special figure appeared.  How would he come? Riding on a donkey or riding in on a charger? Would he arrive with an escort or would he make a lone entrance?  The pilgrims came and went, but no special figure appeared. Had he come and I missed him, he mused?

That morning he woke from a disturbed sleep. He felt tired. Perhaps, just this once I may stay at home. How many days have I been going there? What’s been the point? Perhaps I just made it up. What had Joel said? Old men will dream dreams. Perhaps it was just a dream of an old man, perhaps it was wishful thinking. Yet there again came that gentle nagging inner voice, “This is the morning. Today he will come.”  Oh, what am I on about? This is silly! There’s nothing special about this day! It’s no great feast day! Surely he would come in great glory on a feast day, a day of celebration in his house? “Today he will come.” The inner voice persisted. Very well, I’ll go.

He made his way up to the Temple courts. He ached a lot this morning. It hadn’t been a good night. He felt highly unspiritual. I’ll just sit in the shade and watch what happens. He had been there an hour or so, just watching the crowds coming in, when he first saw them, a young man and even younger woman, more a girl really, and she with a bundle in her arms that looked like it could be a baby. His eyes drifted past them to others following them in, but strangely he felt his eyes being drawn back to them. Something inside him leapt. He found himself on his feet and moving towards them. Is this young man the one, but with a girl and a baby? No, it’s the baby! Suddenly he knew! It’s the baby! He ran towards them. They looked startled as this old man with a big smile came panting up to them with his hands out. “Please….” The girl looked up and smiled and handed the tiny bundle over.

As he took the child into his arms his heart seemed to explode with joy. He looked upwards with tears pouring down his face. “Almighty Lord, it’s just as you promised! I can come home now! I’ve seen your glory!” The young couple looked on in wonder. He turned to them, “Dear children, may the Lord bless you!  This child of yours will be a measuring stick to determine God’s people. He will reveal their hearts.” He turned to the girl. “Your heart will be pieced before his days are ended, but fear not.”  Just then an old lady appeared at his elbow praising God for the tiny child. The old man handed it back to the girl and then slid away while others came up and blessed the little family. With his heart beating so much he felt it would burst, the old man made his way outside and sat down. Still with tears running down his face he looked up. “Lord, I can come home now.”

Well there it is. It is a story of a man who had learned to listen to the prompting of God – and he saw Jesus. He wouldn’t be around very much longer but that didn’t matter. He had seen God’s answer to the world’s problems. That was enough. Yes, he would meet him again but only once he had returned home. That would be wonderful!

1. The Shepherds

People who met Jesus : 1 :  The Shepherds

PART ONE : People who met Baby Jesus

Lk 2:16-18    So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Sometimes these meditations take on fairly deep theological tones. In this series that is not our intention. It is simply to look at some of the people who encountered Jesus and wonder what they felt in all that happened.  I have been reading and studying the Bible for over forty years but the more I read, the more I realise how much is missing. God has given us sufficient upon which to build faith, but time and time again I am left wondering. We are usually given only sketches of what went on. I think I understand a little of what the closing verses of John’s Gospel mean where we find: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (Jn 21:25). I‘ve pondered that if even the things that were written, were written in more detail, our Bibles would be ten times thicker than they are. Anyway, enough introduction, let’s start looking at the first people outside of the family, who met Jesus – the shepherds. They are the first of three people or groups of people who met Jesus when he was just a baby. 

Shepherds, I am told, in those days would have been outcasts. They were men who lived out on the hillsides looking after their sheep, protecting them against predators and thieves. They rarely came down from the hillsides where their sheep were, and they certainly didn’t have time to be religious and attend religious festivals. Keeping sheep, whether for food, for wool or for sacrifices, was a big industry. In that sense they were important, but otherwise they were outsiders.

So, supposing you were a shepherd, a rough outcast from society, and you are minding your own business one evening around the fire (perhaps – it’s not said) when suddenly an angel turns up. Now often in Scripture when angels arrive they appear as ordinary human figures and there is even doubt as to who they are – but not on this occasion! This one is coming with effect: “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” (Lk 2:9) God really does know how to make an impression when He wants. There is going to be no question about this encounter when they come to talk about it later. They may not be religious and probably wouldn’t have cared too much about the religious establishment, and although they might have been taught as children in the synagogue about Israel’s history and angels and such like, for them this was a hard, cold world where such things didn’t happen – until now!

Now it does happen and now there is no room for doubt, and so now they are scared silly!  But the angel has a message – the Messiah or Christ has come and he’s down there in the town, lying in a manger. Mangers they knew about – feeding troughs for animals, OK.  Now of course we don’t know what the shepherds thought at this point because we aren’t told, but I think they could have been forgiven if they looked on and thought, “This angel has come to the wrong place. Whatever is he doing telling US about the Messiah? We’re not religious. In fact we really don’t care about deliverance from the Romans if we’re honest about it, because they don’t have much impact on us, so what is he doing telling us this?”

But that’s not all that happens. Now, recently in our Sunday morning meeting, we found the Spirit coming again and again with waves of singing in the Spirit and it was most beautiful. Now if that was beautiful, how much more must have been a “a great company of the heavenly host” (Lk 2:13) singing?  Whatever doubts they had must, I suspect, have been melted away by the beauty and wonder of this incredible experience.  They are just left with a “Let’s go!” response when the sky goes dark and silent again. This is how they come to meet Jesus.

No, we aren’t told anything about what they felt or said, when they came and saw the little baby; we’re only told what they did. They went out and they “spread the word” (Lk 2:17). The angelic preparation, and then the sight of the little baby, left no other response; it was automatic, they just went and told everyone they knew what had happened – and then they went back to their sheep: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Lk 2;20) Suddenly these outcasts were believers! They had had a touch of heaven and now they were believers and they praised God. When was the last time such words were found on their lips? Perhaps never before!  We’re not even told how they actually found Jesus, but find him they did. Did they have any real ideas about who he was and what he had come to do? Almost certainly not! 

They may have had some vague memories of some long distant ‘Sunday school class’ but all they know was that they had met an angel, and they had been sung to by the most wonderful choir to ever appear on earth – and they had seen the baby spoken about.  The next time they see Him they will probably be old men. In fact by the time Jesus comes on the scene publicly, some of these men may have died, i.e. they will never see him again. But they have seen a baby that heaven has just heralded. They, the outcasts, have been chosen by God to be the first outsiders to see him. This is a story that will be told for many a long year. Why did God include a bunch of outsiders in the nativity story? Perhaps just to make a point that He loves outsiders! This baby has come for outsiders!

30. Rewarder

God in the Psalms No.30    

Psa 18:24   The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

In the West at least we know of rewards. Rewards are given for finding lost pets, or providing information leading to convictions of criminals, or even for being loyal to a particular supermarket chain. A reward is something given in return for something good done, a way of saying thank-you. So what does  the Bible say about rewards and God?

“God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” (Gen 30:17,18). Leah saw that seeking to bless her husband and come back on her by her also being rewarded with a child herself.  “Then men will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.” (Psa 58:11) Here the concept of God rewarding the righteous comes right out in the open as God assesses people’s lives and rewards those who are good.

Solomon wrote: “The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his” (Prov 14:14) which is another way of saying, “God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7). The apostle Paul had this in mind when he also wrote: “The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor” (1 Cor 3:8), a hint that we will be given according to what we do. 

Paul also had this in mind when he was expounding his foundation for salvation: “God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Rom 2:6-8) where he quoted Psa 62:12 and Prov 24:12.  We thus see that receiving according to what you do is a very common Scriptural teaching.

In the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:3-10) Jesus indicates rewards for different people, e.g. the meek will inherit the earth (v.5), the pure in heart will see God (v.8). At the end of time this principle will be applied: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” (Rev 20:11,12)  and “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Rev 22:12).

David was able to say, The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness and the same will be true for us. David was not claiming perfection; simply that, unlike his enemies, he had faithfully sought the Lord. We who are Christians today have been declared righteous through the work of Christ on the Cross when we came to Him. It is this righteousness that is the basis for the rewards we have been considering. For a classic example of rewards being apportioned, read Rev 2 & 3 and see Jesus’ words to the seven churches of Asia Minor, especially his promises to those who overcome (2:7,11,17,26-28,  3:5,12,21); these are clear rewards for faithfulness, which is what we are called to.

29. Rescuer

God in the Psalms No.29    

Psa 18:16-19   He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

In a previous meditation we considered the God who delivers, and the concept of the God who rescues is very similar, but worth considering again. Indeed, the concept of rescue is far more familiar to us than that of deliverance. People stuck down pot-holes  need rescuing. People stuck on  mountain sides need rescuing. People in boats wrecked on the rocks need rescuing. A company drifting towards insolvency needs rescuing. A great man turning to drink needs rescuing. Someone who’s car has broken down miles from anywhere needs rescuing. Oh yes, we’re very familiar with the concept of ‘rescue’.

In each case the person needs rescuing from something. For David in the verses above, he saw himself in ‘deep waters’.  We speak of ‘being out of our depth’ meaning being in a place where our feet can’t touch the bottom, where we’re not able to be in control, not secure and safe. Then he speaks about a ‘powerful enemy’. The comment before the psalm talk of him writing it after he has escaped Saul’s army. He was confronted by those more powerful than himself. It was a ‘day of disaster’ a day of potential destruction.

Do not these three descriptions fit the needs of mankind and show the reason Jesus came?  First, out of our depth. Most of the time people declare that they are ‘all right’, they are in control and feel they are masters of their destiny. Then, every now and then something happens that makes them realize that they are not, they are not in control, they are out of their depth in the situation. It may be circumstances going bad, it may simply be an illness or an infirmity. Aches and pains – back ache, tooth ache, arthritis or sprains – have the ability to cripple and weaken a person. One minute strong, the next minute vulnerable.

Second, confronted by an enemy.  The world today has taken to speaking about a person’s ‘demons’. What they mean by these are the things that we fear or the ‘nasty’ things in humanity that we battle against and which make us less than we could be.  Finally, the potential of destruction. When we are out of control and we are threatened by forces stronger than us, our very lives are at risk. There is one who seeks to destroy us. It is a very real threat.  Spiritually, morally and even physically, the threat is very real. So there we were – helpless – and then we cried out.

We’ve quoted it before but it fits most perfectly here, Paul’s description of what God has done: “he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col 1:13).  There it is in its simplicity: we were doomed in the dominion of the devil, a prey to his suggestions and his activities, our very lives threatened and then, when in our desperation we cried out, God reached down and rescued us from the darkness of the pothole, from the cold of the mountainside, from the threat of drowning, from going utterly bankrupt, and from the loneliness of broken down isolation, and brought us into a safe and secure and warm place where the Son rules over our circumstances and provides everything we need. It’s a marvelous feat of transformation and we are rescued!

28. My Rock

God in the Psalms No.28    

Psa 18:2   The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

In this verse David pours out a number of descriptions of the Lord. We’ve previously considered the Lord as our fortress (or stronghold) and as our deliverer and so now we focus on the Lord as our rock.  Perhaps the best way to remind ourselves of the nature of a rock is to remember Jesus’ parable of the two house builders (Mt 7:24-27),  “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (v.24). In the parable when the floods came the house built on sand was washed away but the one built on rock remained firm. New York is a city which is built on rock which is why so many of its buildings go so high – they have a strong foundation. The picture conveyed is of a firm, fixed and stable foundation.

The picture of a deity as a means of support was not uncommon. Moses comparing the Lord with the gods of other nations, said, “For their rock is not like our Rock” (Deut 32:31). In similar vein Isaiah wrote of the Lord saying, “Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one” (Isa 44:8). Even more, the picture of a rock is of an enduring or lasting support. When we look at mountains made of hard rocks we realize they have been there a long time! Isaiah wrote: “Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” (Isa 26:4). When all else is shaky or moving, God can be depended upon to be the same, unmovable: “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go” (Psa 71:3).

The heading over this psalm speak of it being written by David when he had just escaped from Saul. In the historical context we find, “David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands” (1 Sam 23:14) and “Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon” (1 Sam 23:25).  The place of refuge for David was evidently a rocky outcrop in the midst of a desert. What a picture!  All around is sandy wasteland that is barren and unstable, and David finds his security in a rocky outcrop. Thus is the Lord to us, a rocky, stable outcrop in the midst of a dry and barren and unstable world.

In the world everything is constantly changing. The early part of the twenty-first century has been characterized by natural disasters as well as human wars and conflicts and terrorist activity around the world. It is an unstable place. Postmodernism is a way of thinking that doubts and questions the assurances of the previous scientific age. Cynicism is a common characteristic. The old adage of “Been there, done it, got the tee-shirt” might now be changed to “Been there, done it, and it doesn’t work.” People have tried alternative life-styles, for example cohabitation instead of marriage – and are finding it doesn’t work! Constant change is because we have been unhappy or even disillusioned over what has gone before. Where is something that is stable, unchanging and trustworthy?  Here He is!  The Lord, our Rock.  All else changes but the Lord is unchanging.  When we speak of the Lord’s love, His goodness, His kindness or whatever other characteristic that He has, it is ALWAYS there, it never changes. We may drift away from the Lord but when we come back, we find He is still there, unchanging, still as faithful as ever, with his arms of love reaching to us. He is our Rock!  Hallelujah!

27. My Strength

God in the Psalms No.27    

Psa 18:1    I love you, O LORD, my strength.

Such a simple description: my strength. In a world that sees so many people stressed, this must surely be a most important meditation. What is stress? It is the inability to cope with the pressures of life or work or family difficulties. The presence of stress means that we have run out of personal resources that would enable us to cope well. Stress means that we are being pushes further than our physical resources can cope with. Stress means we are being pushed beyond what our mental resources can cope with, and stress means we are being pushed beyond what our emotional resources can cope with. Oh yes, we mustn’t forget one other area, stress is being pushed beyond what our spiritual resources can cope with. But actually our lives are one and all these interact within us – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  If we get ourselves into circumstances that are beyond our God-designed resources, we are into stress.

I have a busy day and the demands upon me may be many. I am at a time of life when my physical strength and stamina is not what it was when I was thirty years younger. Therefore I have to be wiser in conserving what I have and the way I use it, but if I believe my circumstances are God-given and God-guided, then like the apostle Paul, I must trust that the Lord will provide my physical strength: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:13). But the key here, is checking that all the things I allow to come and make a call on my life are things I believe are God sent. Sometimes I may have to reject some things. I also need to ensure I have a healthy lifestyle – healthy food, reasonable exercise and no late nights and early mornings!

Then there are difficulties to be overcome, problems to be solved, things that challenge my mind, and I need mental strength to be able to work at these without worry creeping in.  Are these problems my responsibility? Are they things the Lord wants me to deal with?  They appear to be things that require knowledge, wisdom, understanding and possibly insight, things which God said Jesus would have (Isa 11:2) and now because Jesus lives in me, must be resources available to me. All I have to do is commit it to him: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6,7). Ah, look what is in there in the midst of that, a promise of peace, i.e. emotional strength!   How did that come about? It came by turning to God, by seeking Him, and by pouring out my heart to Him. Therein is spiritual strength. Yes, He does live within us, but spiritual strength and stamina come by conscious awareness of His presence, by seeking Him and finding Him and knowing Him and finding that His glory is reflected in us (2 Cor 3:18).

Later on in this Psalm 18 David says, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.” (v.32-34) There he links strength with the way ahead being made perfect. When we are weak, we may stumble and fall, but with God’s strength we can walk or run steadily and surely (like the deer), and we find a new strength there that enables us to fight the battles that confront us. You can’t explain his strength really, you just ask for it, and then suddenly you realize you have it and step out to do His will for your life and find you can do it; the strength is there physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and you achieve His purposes!

26. Rescuer

God in the Psalms No.26

Psa 17:13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword.

In this verse we see a very different aspect of the Lord – One who acts against His enemies and does something about them! But we must take it piece by piece.

David starts with this call to the Lord to “Rise Up”. This has two aspects to it: first that the Lord is in a place of rest as he rules, and second there is a need to move to bring change. This is a common call:

Psa 3:7  “Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God!” One thing precedes the other by necessity.

Psa 7:6 “Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.” There is a double call implying the same thing.

sa 9:19 “Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph” There it’s a case of rise up to take action to stop something.

Psa 10:12 “Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God”. There it’s rise up so that you can act. In every case it is a call to the Lord to change from a state of inactivity to a place of action.

In our verse here, the call is to come from a position of inactivity to face up the people David is concerned about (the wicked) with their wrongs and then to bring them down so that they will  no longer prevail over David or dominate him.  Again this idea of the wicked being brought down is a common one:

Psa 36:12 “See how the evildoers lie fallen– thrown down, not able to rise!”

Psa 52:5, speaking of the wicked, “Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin”

Psa 55:22,23 “he will never let the righteous fall. But you, O God, will bring down the wicked” There are many more similar references.

The picture that is conveyed is of the wicked who are full of pride and think they are in a strong and secure position as they carry on their wicked acts. It’s like they think they are in a high unassailable position and they impose harm on others and appear to be getting away with it.  Thus we look at well known figures in the news and wonder how long they will get away which is clearly unrighteousness. From our hearts must come a similar cry, which is the cry of righteousness – bring them down Lord, pull them down from their high place of scorning you, your laws and indeed, scorning goodness, bring them down. It is a righteous cry because they are offending God and they are offending justice and they are offending the weak and the good. They continue to harm God’s world by what they say and do. It is right that we cry for their downfall. Now that may include, hopefully, them turning to the Lord in repentance and receiving a new life, but if they won’t they need stopping because they are not only doing harm, they are leading others astray.

But there is a simple, central truth here that sometimes those of us who are Christians question:  God does deal with the wicked! David knew it, experienced it and now asked for it. God DOES act into His world and He does bring discipline and judgment upon those who flout His design for His world. The Lord does not just sit back and let people get away with it. If He does He is doing it for a purpose and because He wants to use people to achieve His ends and that means taking time of He is not to offend the right He’s given them of sovereignty of will. It may take time and, indeed, it may be the other side of the grace on occasion, but the Lord WILL deal with the unrighteous and the wicked and the evil of this world. Establish that clearly in your belief system!