Immanuel—God with Us (Isaiah 7:1-14, Matthew 1:8-25)

What is it, Christmas? Why is it the birth of Christ a big thing all time in human history? Every December is the time of light with all kinds of decorated, colorful, bright lights. Music, plays, stories, feasts, family gatherings, gifts, sound of laughter, generations together are celebrating the man who was to come and has come and will come again. He is Christ Jesus the Lord who is called Immanuel. Israel’s situations were ups and downs just like any other nations. Her history is specially peculiar because when they served the Lord they were strong and formidable to the neighboring enemy countries. But when they deserted the Lord, going after the idols, they were flimsy and indefensible from the hostility of the nations. Serving and deserting the Lord have been repeatedly observed in the history of this nation Israel. It is the exact reflection of what is really going on in each individual’s life, especially those who are in Christ. What does Christ mean to us? How does Christ affect our daily lives? Is it gradually changing to increase our awareness of his presence in the midst than last year, month, or week? Is it no change at all? Does life go as usual, same old same, boring, always looking for excitements but failing to grasp the fulfillment? How is it going to break through the wall of humdrumness and boredom in our lives? These two remarkable stories tell how—one for King Ahaz and his people by Prophet Isaiah and the other to Joseph of Nazareth by an angel of the Lord.

“When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. Now the house of David was told, ‘Aram has allied itself with Ephraim’; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.” (Isaiah 7:1-2)

This is the situation of Judah, facing the imminent national crisis. The enemies including a brother nation Israel are forcefully invading the city of Jerusalem and Judah. So, the hearts of King and his people are shaken to the core. The brutal and cruel wartime is looming to the nation, making all people including King fear and tremble. What is God’s answer for them? “Then the Lord  said to Isaiah, ‘Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. Say to him, “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, ‘Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.’” (Isaiah 7:3-6) The Lord says King and his people, “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood.” The Lord God says them not to afraid of the fierce anger of the enemies. Jesus says the same thing to his disciples, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) The myriad of the angles of the Lord are watching over them, constraining and resisting the enemies. Of course, the angels are invisible. But it is true. What King and his people need is to put their trust in the Lord. “And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 King 6:17) The reason they should not be afraid of the kings of enemy nations is that they are merely human beings under the sovereign rule of God.

Now, the Lord God is giving a great sign for the nation Israel and all humanity through Prophet Isaiah. “Again the Lord  spoke to Ahaz,  ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask; I will not put the  Lord  to the test.’ Then Isaiah said, ‘Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.’” (Isaiah 7:10-14) The Lord says Ahaz to ask for a great sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights. But he condescendingly refuses to ask a sign, which has invited Prophet’s rebuke. Nevertheless, the Lord God gives a great sign that the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel, meaning ‘God with us.’ Some seven hundred years later, the sign of God has been told to a man named Joseph and fulfilled in an obscure town of Nazareth in Galilee.

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:18-25)

Joseph was engaged with Mary. In the meantime, a terrible and shocking news was delivered to the ears of Joseph that Mary was expecting a child through the Holy Spirit. He was a righteous person, being faithful to the law, so he wanted to divorce her quietly. It must have been a difficult and humiliating moment of his life. However, he didn’t want to expose her to public disgrace, meaning stone to death, and considered this a while. Then, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and revealed the mystery of truth, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” We are not told that Joseph remembered the prophecy of Isaiah. But when he woke up, he obeyed the word of the Lord and took Mary home as his wife. Who is Joseph? He is an ordinary man, a Jew known as carpenter in the town of Nazareth. Mostly likely, as a young Jew, he must have been taught the laws of Moses. Obviously, like any other Jews, he must have been hoping for the consolation of Israel, eagerly waiting for the coming of the Messiah. “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 on him.” (Luke 2:25) Definitely not he was expecting the promise of the Messiah of Israel would be fulfilled through him, a lowly and unknown man in a tiny town of Galilee. That is what has exactly happened. We are not told that Joseph was rejoicing or surprised at all. One thing sure is that he obeyed the word of the Lord quietly and unfailingly.

The price of being the human father of Jesus was not small. He and Mary had to travel multiple times from Galilee to Bethlehem, to Egypt, to Nazareth. His character of quietness and faithfulness and consideration should have influenced the boy Jesus in his young age. Tradition tells that he died before the Lord Jesus began his public ministry though nothing was known of the circumstances surrounding his death. Whereas Mary witnessed the whole story of Jesus from birth to death, even to the resurrection. Immanuel, God with us has come to fulfill the long-standing promise of God even the time began. Is there anything more encouraging and exciting name than Immanuel? The name ‘God with us’ has been prophesied and fulfilled by the Son of God Jesus Christ. Who can win the name of Immanuel? Nothing could stop the fulfillment of the name of God with us. Nothing could delay it. Nothing could resist it. It must be fulfilled and has been done in due time according God’s Calendar. The enemies try hard to discourage and dishearten us that God with us would not avail. They even go bold in telling a lie that God is not with us. As a matter of fact, we at times cry out where our God is. Injustice, unrighteousness, prejudice, oppression, tyranny are rampant and widespread in every corner of cities and countries even in the churches. Human misery and sorrow and loneliness are ever loudly being heard all over the places. Even the Psalmist cries out, saying “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7-9) But it is not true. The devil is a liar and the father of lies and a murderer. No matter how hard and cunningly try to deceive the people of God, he never makes it at all. Rather, he is always in total fail and humiliation. Because God with us!

The most beautiful name in heaven and on earth is Immanuel, God with us. Who then can hear the voice of Immanuel? God spoke to King Ahaz and Joseph of Nazareth. From King to an ordinary man, God is speaking to all peoples on the earth whether they are reluctant to listen like Ahaz or even in a dream like Joseph. How about us? Do we listen to the voice of Immanuel God and believe in God with us? If not, what distracts and hinders not to listen to him? What makes us reluctant to listen to the Lord God who is willing to tell everything? Is it not because we don’t want to listen to him? Is it not because we think that we can handle our lives without him? James tells a pertinent story. “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:13-17) Can we do it all without God? No, it is impossible even to breathe a single breath of air without him. We would not be here without him. We are living because God with us. We are in peace and rest because God with us. We are always in love and joy because God with us. We have imperishable hope in heaven because God with us. We have enduring shelter and refugee in God with us. Joseph could be faithful and sincerely obeying the Lord because God with us. He brought Mary as his wife because God with us. He made multiple hard travels for the safety of the boy Jesus because God with us. He endured and persevered the oppression of King and the world because God with us. He remained as a faithful man of God to the end because God with us. He was drawn nearer and neared to the Lord in the midst of all troubles and challenges because God with us.

Is there a greater news ever told than the announcement of the name of Immanuel? God is gracious and merciful that he demonstrated his love through the Son Jesus Christ while we were still enemies. He gives more grace even when we are blindly hurting ourselves by self-condemnation and guilt. “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:6-10) God is compassionate and kind and gives anyone whatever they ask. No matter how many times we failed. No matter how much we went far from him. No matter what kind of fail. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) There is no sin which cannot be forgiven by the blood of Christ. Annie J Flint wrote:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Do we really want to get out of boredom and loneliness and misery of our lives and enter into Immanuel’s land? James says, “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2b)

December 12, 2017

© 2011-2017 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.

Proclaiming His Love in the Morning and His Faithfulness at Night (Psalm 92:1-15)

How can we make music in the morning and at night? Is it just an ideal thing or a really possible one? If possible, how may we do it? Is it not what we really are wanting to do? Praising the Lord and making music to his name, the Most High, proclaiming his love in the morning and his faithfulness at night. How wonderful would it be to praise the Lord for his love in the morning and for his faithfulness at night? That would be awesome and is what we are really in want. The problem is how to do it. We know that we are not doing most of our times. Instead, we are constantly anxious and occupied with a lot of busyness in our daily lives from morning till night. How are easily distracted from a life of prayer! We experience full of troubles and worries today and surely they will be coming tomorrow. There are so many things either tiny, moderate, or big to take care of everyday. Vacation is good. But it still does not rule out the daily worries and troubles. It seems having freedom, even a glimpse of it, but it is not true freedom at all. What is worse is that there are all kinds of unjust and evil practices going on in our midst. Outcry from all corners of the world are intensely increasing and growing higher, wider and deeper. That is our real experience. We have to deal with reality of our lives. So, it seems we are torn in two, just as Paul describes, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:18-20) We do not want to be in such a position of being worried and consciously uneasy. We know that it is not right to go on and on. Rather, we really want to be like what the Psalmist says, making music to him and proclaiming his love in the morning and his faithfulness at night. Now the Psalmist is going to through the process of how to do that.

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,

proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,

to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!

Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand,

that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.

But you, Lord, are forever exalted. For surely your enemies, Lord,

surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.

You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me.

My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

planted in the house of the  Lord , they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,

proclaiming, ‘The  Lord  is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’” (Psalm 92:1-15)

Firstly, observe carefully the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done. Measure how great are his works and how profound his thoughts. Only senseless people and fools do not know and understand. What they do not know and understand is that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever. God is the Lord and the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. He spoke and the universe is made in its majesty and magnificence. Vastness and limitlessness are his deeds. His hands designed, chiseled, carved, shaped, and fashioned what it is as it is. Billions of billions of stars and galaxies are told to run its due courses without fail. He made it and hold it together so that everything is in order and harmony. “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17) The Creator God also made man in his image and in his likeness. Even if man has lost and fallen by listening to the twisted and wicked voice of the devil, God still loved man that he sent the Son Jesus Christ and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The Son of God, Christ whom the Father sent was crucified on a cross like a criminal in our place. The Son had no sin but was made to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). We cannot fathom the mystery of Christ that God the Father put his own Son under such a circumstance, even to the crucifixion of cross. Why did God do that? God is forever love. Yes, he is love before and after the fall of man. It does not mean that God does not keep and maintain justice. “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’” (Genesis 2:16-17) His love is not letting go as if nothing happened, but taking long-suffering because he is love yesterday and today and forever. Instead of punishing man who disobeyed him, he bore the sin of the world in his body and shed his blood and died. He saved us once for all and will be delivering us from evil forever.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:8-10)

Christ did not die in vain. Prophet Isaiah says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11) Whosoever believes in the Son Jesus Christ will not perish but have eternal life. He demonstrated his love such a way that he offered himself as the ransom sacrifice for the sins of the world. Love suffers long and is kind. God suffers long to bring the fallen race back to himself through the Son Jesus Christ. Manifested in public and in history and in the hillside of Golgotha, the long-suffering love of God. Senseless and foolish are those do not see and understand the deeds and hands of God for it is heartily and wholeheartedly told and shown again and again. More than that, the sufferings of Christ is present and real in our daily experience of sufferings and troubles in the midst. Christ died once for all, which means we died to our sins with him. Now, every time we fail and trespass, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ comes and intervenes and even penetrates our hearts, offering abundant grace which surpasses our guilt and pains. “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20-21) Our sins and failures can never outpace the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is abundant and overflowing enough to cover our condemning hearts for God is bigger than our hearts and knows all things (1 John 3:20). So, we have boldness and confidence in Christ that we may stand in the holy presence of God, even before the throne of grace for there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). All we are asked to do to confess our sins in contrite and broken spirit and he is just and faithful that he forgives and cleanses us from all unrighteousness with the blood of Christ (1 John 1:9).

In the end, the enemy will be destroyed. Surely, there will be the Day of the Lord coming. People are not our enemy but the devil is. He is a liar and the father of all lie and a murderer. He is the accuser of humanity all time. He is doing all kinds of wicked things, like demoralizing, dehumanizing, disheartening, depressing humanity at any moment relentlessly. We are the victims of the devil’s scheme and lie. But soon he will be condemned and punished by the Lord. He has already been condemned by the Lord because he rebelled against the Holy One (John 16:11). The accuser will receive the due punishment and be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur forever. And God will exalt the righteous who endured the trials and persecutions of the world. He will reward those who stand firm on the foundation of Christ Jesus to the end. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) There will be the Day of the Lord when all evil things done even in the name of religion will receive the due penalty by the righteous Judge of all things.

“My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

planted in the house of the  Lord , they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,

proclaiming, ‘The  Lord  is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’” (Psalm 92:11-15)

That is why we make music to praise the Lord in the morning and at night and forever, proclaiming his love and his faithfulness. What God says is true and will be fulfilled because he is truthful and faithful in keeping his promises. Once we were the enemies of God, yet he loved us by sending his Son Jesus Christ to redeem and free us from the slavery of dark and evil forces. “All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:1-7) How much more will he love us in Christ if he loved us while we were still enemies? Boundlessly forever he loves, gives, protects, embraces all of his children in the Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

2017. 11. 30.

© 2011-2017 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.

He Is My Refuge and My Fortress, My God (Psalm 91:1-16)

We are living in a dangerous territory. Are we not? Dangers are lurking in our midst. Storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcano explosions, tsunamis, wild fires, winds, floods are hurting the land and human lives in a greater scale. Murder, kidnapping, human trafficking, robbery, cheating, stealing, rape, all sorts of abuse, discrimination, misdemeanor are breaking apart families, neighbors, and communities. Jealousy, hatred, revenge, sexual immorality, orgies, drunkenness, drug additions, factions, divisions are driving humans into despair, loneliness, brokenness, emptiness, sorrow, pain, and even many death. Accidents, all kinds of diseases, broken relationships shock and tremor humans to be so vulnerable and inappropriate. Failure, impotence, inability, inappropriateness are choking and swallowing our lives—vitality, excitements, and expectations. To where should we run in order to find shelter and rest? Is there such a thing or place to rush for? It is not the world, which always gives birth to disappointment and discontent though it seems promising much to deliver something. Money, success, achievement, promotion, and even entertainment are always failing to meet the ever demanding desires, resulting in wanting more and more. Those things cannot keep up with our urges and longings for we are not supposed to settle for less. The answer is God and his Son Jesus Christ. God is our Father who is willing and wanting to give whatever we ask. The Psalmist has found the answer in God and confessed, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God.” In the midst of all troubles and heartaches, we may say in the morning and in the evening, “The Lord is my refuge and my fortress, my God.”  

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The LORD is my refuge,’

and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.’” (Psalm 91:1-16)

We cry out at the incident just happened in a small town in the south where many have been fallen down by gunshots during the church service in the Sunday morning. Where was God? Why did he not stop this tragedy? This is not a new question but old one. Human beings have long been perplexed and bewildered by the evil activities which often involve mass killings and ruins of innocent lives. It is a honest plea and cry of humanity. Where can we find all the answers? Our God is the answer and he is willing to explain what we need to know. The Psalmist says, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” How could he come to this point of peace and rest? It is through the understanding of God who he is and what he is and what he is doing in our midst. A proverb says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” (Proverb 25:2)

First and foremost of all, we shall not forget that we are under God’s protection and his unchanging love. We will not be surviving even a second without his faithful loving care and protection from the evil one. What does cause humans to suffer in misery and unceasing sorrow? It is the wrath of God. No one can escape from the fierce wrath of the Lord. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” (Romans 1:18) It is invisibly manifested and yet visibly observed and seen in our midst. In the heavenly places, there is a rebel who resists and disobeys the Lord of hosts. He is the devil who is a liar and the father of lie and murderer. He is like a lion roaring and roaming around, looking for a prey to devour. He is an accuser of humanity, demoralizing and dispiriting his victims to the maximum degree. The Psalmist knows how much we humans are vulnerable and helpless in defending ourselves from the liar and accuser. The fowler’s snare, the deadly pestilence, the terror of night, and the arrow are the weapons of the evil one. The attack is coming from all side anytime and anywhere for the devil is invisible and cunning. We are really under the devil’s ongoing assault. No one would survive if not protected by God the Almighty who is restraining the evil in his hands. “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7) So, what the Psalmist says is true. “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” (Psalm 91:7)

That much and beyond our imagination and language, we are under the devil’s relentless attack. If not protected and defended by the Lord, we would have been already destroyed and no more. The Lord is our shield and rampart, refuge and fortress. The Lord is our God. He is our side. “Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” (Psalm 91:4-6) We do not see yet the wicked one punished and condemned but will be sooner and quicker than we think. As a matter of fact, the devil has been already condemned and cursed by the Almighty God. “So the Lord  God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring  and hers; he will crush  your head, and you will strike his heel.”’” (Genesis 3:14-15) The moment of winning he thinks is that of utter failure as demonstrated in the cross of Calvary where our Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead on the third day according to the words of truth. No power and authority and dominion in heaven and on earth are equal to that of the Lord God who raised the Son Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day as promised. In him, we are secure and safe for he is our refuge and shelter forever.

“You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The LORD is my refuge,’

and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.” (Psalm 91:8-13)

Why is our Lord loving us so much so that he cannot but protecting and defending us from the evil one? Because he is love. “‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’” (Psalm 91:14-16) While we were still enemies, God demonstrated his love by sending his Son just as the Law and the Prophets prophesied and promised. “For God so loved the world that he gave his Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God never stops loving man who has been made in his image and in his likeness. He still loves the fallen race who have been deceived and blinded by the dark forces of evil. He loves mankind in a way that we may see and hear the light and the truth in the Savior Jesus Christ. The Son is the image of God manifested in our midst, speaking the truth and embracing the weak and the poor and the blind in his eternal love and care.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)

God loves man because he knows that they are the victim of the invisible forces of evil. He is merciful and compassionate that he cares and protects his children with the fatherly loving heart. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) Our enemy is not neighbors and foreigners but the prince of this world, the devil. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) The devil is cunning and crafty and as strong as Leviathan and Behemoth. No human can compete with the creature who has rebelled against God. He is the father of all lies and a murderer. He is invisible and lurking in the darkness, constantly accusing man like us out of nowhere and shooting the flaming arrows callously and ruthlessly. But the devil is yet under the rule and authority of the Lord God. We shall never forget the fact that the devil is a creature made by God, so he cannot work on his own but only in the boundary and limit set by the Lord. He is not rivaling or matching with the Lord. He shudders at the Lord (James 2:19).

God knows how to protect and defend us from the evil one. What God doesn’t do is to block the devil in entirety. Rather, God allows him to work around with his wits in our lives. Only under the precise prescriptions and terms though. There is a limit and boundary that the devil cannot pass because he is under the authority of the Lord like manifested in the case of Job. In fact, God allows for us to learn the very important lesson that through which we may learn and see what we really are before the invisible Creator God. The most difficult lesson for man to learn is to know what we are and how much we have been fallen from God. It is difficult to accept that we have nothing to be credited for righteousness. Our God is gradually teaching and leading us to break into our stubborn hearts and see the unbelievable thing in us, the wicked and sinful nature, even pride. The Scripture calls it the flesh. We can’t help with this monster but always succumb to it, even the believers. “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19) We cannot but crying out as Paul does, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24) This is the point our God wants us to be, where we stand before the Creator God and the Lord of all with complete bankruptcy. So, allowing the devil in our midst to work around with his best wits is from God’s love and faithfulness. When we reach the spot or moment in our lives, there is a mighty help available, the resurrection power of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25a) Our Lord never fail to deliver us from evil even when we are tempted and offer a way out, Jesus Christ through whom we believe in God. He is our refuge and shelter now and forevermore. Amen.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted  beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,  he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

                2017. 11. 12.

© 2011-2017 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.

Human Dilemma – What Is Our Hope? (Psalm 90:1-17)

Is there any meaning in life? Is there any joy? Is there any purpose? What is gone wrong in humanity? Why are we been telling the stories of misery and cry over and over again? Why are there so much hurts and sorrows in our lives? Why are there troubles and sufferings? Why do we feel emptiness and meaninglessness? Why are we good in one day and not well the other day or most of our days? Why are we so easily frustrated and stressed out? Why do we feel fleeting and passing? Why aren’t we accomplishing much though trying hard? Why do we feel lonely and deserted though surrounded by many? Is there an answer for all that? Many claim that they have all solutions, even boast of. But at the end of the day, all turns out futile and fruitless, even the mighty efforts of the United Nations. Why is it so? So many problems and troubles have been piling up like huge mountains after mountains, telling truthfully that our pompous endeavors are not working at all. What is the cause? The Psalmist tells that it is the wrath of God. That is human dilemma. Is there any hope in humanity? If so, what is it? God is our eternal hope in Christ Jesus the Lord.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place

throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born

or you brought forth the whole world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn people back to dust,

saying, ‘Return to dust, you mortals.' A thousand years in your sight

are like a day that has just gone by,

or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—

they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new,

but by evening it is dry and withered. We are consumed by your anger

and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath;

we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years,

or eighty, if our strength endures;

yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,

for they quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of your anger!

Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, LORD! How long will it be?

Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:1-17)

The Psalmist sighs that our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures, yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow and all our days pass away under the Lord’s wrath and we finish our years with a moan. How true it is! Time is fleeting and passing so cruelly non-stop, seemingly not concerning any moment of our lives either good or bad at all. It just keeps going and flowing. Months and years are like just a moment. We cannot stop or pause the beautiful memories of ours, not a second. Why so? The relentless wrath of God is upon every human beings since the fall of man. He is the mighty God who brought forth the whole world and commanded man back to dust for they are mortals. We are like the grass which springs up new in the morning and is dry and withered by evening.

Why does God reveal wrath upon humanity relentlessly? Is he angry at us? No, he is not angry against us. Rather, he is love always as the Scripture tells. If he is always love, why do we experience his wrath so severely? It is because he is love. His divine jealousy breaks loose immediately when we violate the Law of God because otherwise we will be ever closer to the eternal judgment. God acts immediately and relentlessly because otherwise it is too dangerous to be saved. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20) One thing God is hesitant to do is to judge his people. Here the judgement means the second death which is the eternal condemnation and separation from God. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8) Prophet Isaiah calls God’s act of judgment as a strange work and alien task. “The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.” (Isaiah 28:21)

So, before too late, God issues a warning call to stop and think it over and eventually repent and change our mind to accept his loving and gracious invitation. It is still time remaining to come unto grace that we may fall into the broken hands of the Lord Jesus Christ who bore our transgressions and without finding faults who forgives those who come by faith in him. Our Lord Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem for they stubbornly refused to accept the long-suffering loving hand of God. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Matthew 23:37-39) There will be a dreadful day of the Lord for those who continue to refuse the stretched and bruised hands of Christ. “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:30-31) Our life on earth is a school time! Our God knows what we are in need and want much better than we do. He is teaching and instructing us to lead to the green pastures where we can find true bread of life. We have a whole set of truth to learn but one at a time. Hebrews warns of being remaining in the infant stage too long though it is way over time to move on to maturity.

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” (Hebrews 5:11-6:2)

There is a way to eternal life available to all believers in Christ. But it is up to our choice to take it or not. Until we choose to take it by faith, it is there but not ours. Yes, troubles and aches are there. At least our experience honestly agrees with the Psalmist. But in the midst of all pains and struggles, there is the invisible hand of God. He knows what he is doing for he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is in control of all things and watches over us. “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 123:3-4) Behind all our experience of outcry, misery, disappointment, sigh, sorrow, brokenness, emptiness, meaninglessness, and many others, the love of God shed abroad into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Right in the midst of our sufferings and troubles, the Spirit in us assures that the unfailing love of God is holding us firm and secure. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5) God is our shield and shelter and anchor even in the midst of sufferings and troubles.

Why do we have to learn the truth through pains and heartaches? Because we do not have what it takes. We are not made to handle our lives without God. Rather, we have been made to live in him. The sin in us is pride and self-confidence, saying that we have what it takes, so we can handle our lives like running the world by tail. That is the lie. There is nothing in man to offer to God. We are dead broke before him. That is way Paul says this: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Philippians 3:7-9)

Man is not an independent being apart from God. Mankind is made as holy vessel of God, the temple of the Lord Almighty. We desire to run our lives whatever we wanted to. But it is not possible to do unless we completely depend on him. The failures and troubles and sufferings will bring us to the point where we surrender to the One who is ready to give us power, the Spirit. So, Apostle Paul says, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) Our confidence is not from us, but from God in entirety. We live by the Spirit, even the power of resurrection. Sufferings and pains are working together to mold and shape us up to be like him who made us so before the creation of the world. Human sufferings are complicated and complex to describe and it is impossible to find a single solution no matter what. However, we know that all things are working together for the good, even the failures. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Our God is generous and just and righteous. He is faithful today, yesterday, and forever. He will keep his promise even the world disappears like wind. He will reward his servants who kept the faith in Christ to the end. He will reward and fill with the joy and righteousness of him as much as we were put in sufferings and troubles. Is it not our hope? God is our eternal hope in Christ.

“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:14-17)

2017. 10. 26.

© 2011-2017 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.