Psalm 44:9

Psalm 44:9

It's not all plain sailing!

And so we come to the disaster that has fallen upon Israel and the dire consequences of being abandoned by the Lord God. The next few verses do not make easy reading and at first sight it is hard to see how they can apply to us! Let’s remember, that this sense of abandonment comes after a devastating defeat at the hands of Israel’s enemies. The nation has been overcome; the God of their ancestors has not fought for them this time. There has been no spectacular triumphing against the odds, instead their foe has walked in and taken over land, people and power. And, of course, it is natural to question why. Of course, it is right to look within and ask if this abandonment is justifiable, and of course it is normal to feel deeply aggrieved if the treatment appears to be unfair. 

We cannot speculate on what the events were that led to Israel’s aggrievement nor can we determine if their woes were justified in God’s eyes. However, there is a lesson here for us; Life is not fair! Listen to the words of Jesus, recorded in John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” There will be times when we feel let down because things did not work out. We will feel abandoned because our enemies seem to have gained the upper hand; why some of our number have been brutally persecuted and killed for admitting that they follow Jesus Christ! Was that fair? And do you feel sometimes, as did the Psalmist, that even when you go out to fight the enemy that God is not there and instead of progress there seems to be a retreat by the church? It does happen and it will happen, that is why we must take heart as Jesus commanded us to do in the above verse, “For He has overcome the world.”Hallelujah!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more

Psalm 71:17

Psalm 71:17 Since my youth ..... You have taught me I am reminded here of Paul’s words to Timothy.  “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”  2 Timothy 3:14-15.  “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, lives in you also.”  2 Timothy 1:5. Timothy and David may well have enjoyed a similar upbringing. We know that Timothy’s mother was a Jewish Christian although his father was an unbelieving Greek. (Acts 16:1) It appears that the boy had a Christian grandmother also and, as Jewish boys began to study the Hebrew Scriptures at the age of five, Timothy would certainly have been taught by his mother and grandmother from infancy. Wouldn’t it be great if all our children were able to say,
Read more