7. “The Lord brings death..” God presides in… burials (M.Henry). It’s a new picture to me. Growing up, I’ve watched movies depict Death as the black, hooded being, villan-ish in character. Of course I know that’s fictitious. But only now did it dawn on me that it is really God having that job description. What is beyond our understanding is how He decide who goes and who stays. Families cry injustice, druglords live in abundance, church martyrs were hanged, stones or burned alive, miscarriages happen, some were just sleeping, while others commit suicides. All of them were God’s call. In Job 2:6 God said to Satan ‘he (Job) is in your hands, but you must spare his life”. Clearly here, Satan asked for God’s go signal. He wouldn’t operate without God’s consent. Our lives are really at the mercy of God. I remember Ptr Nate Leigh’s message on peace. He said, If God wills it, your plane may crash and everybody dies but you. Or the plane may land smoothly, and all your co-passengers saw you die in a heart attack. ‘The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may His name be praised.’ We praise God for death because it meant we have lived. At the least, our parents rejoiced in our coming. Death also ends what He purposed for us in life. Whatever that is, He has accomplished it through us. And for those in sickness, grief, utmost pain, death is an end to that bondage. It's freedom from death itself and to those who accepted in faith God’s gift of salvation, it’s the start of life eternal with God.
Application:
Wouldn’t it be just wise to please the One who hold our lives? Although some would stupidly argue and say, ‘Drink and be merry, for tomorrow you will die.’ The fact in that statement is that we have TODAY to live. It would make a great difference how we live if we know it’s the last day of our lives right? Not how long you live, but how you lived, and for Whom. ‘For me to live is Christ and to die is gain’ could be the best ‘live for today’ verse. It’s saying “I’m all for Christ, this life and the afterlife”.
8. “The Lord.. makes alive..and raise up” I can only remember four people brought back to life in the Bible: the widow’s child in Elisha’s time, the child whom Jesus said was only sleeping, Lazarus, and Jesus. There could be more, esp during Jesus’ ministry. God’s resurrecting power is crucial in our Christian life. (1.) It completes the Gospel truth. It’s what His disciples claimed and preached, and so they brutally suffered and died. Its why Christianity is set apart from all other religion. Our God is a living God! (2.) It is our blessed hope. Because Jesus is the Resurrection and Life, we know we have life eternal. We can see pain as temporary and look forward to heaven where sickness and heartaches can hurt us no more. (3.) It solidifies the purpose of our Christian life. Paul said ‘our preaching is not in vain’ because of Jesus’ resurrection. Because it is true and brings hope to all men, it is good news. It is something worth sharing. He died not just for us, but for all.
Application:
To share is to allow someone to enjoy something that one possesses. I think the opposite is called selfishness. That is actually what we are when we don’t do the Great Commission. It is being uncaring, inconsiderate, self-absorbed. As if we will lose some portion of it for ourselves if we share it. It is God’s work and we’re just recipients of His grace. And because it’s a command, it’s disobedience to God. Pagans will do everything to appease their idols, they go as far as burning their children as sacrifice. And here we are, disregarding the voice of God. As a parents its irritating and insulting when my kids deliberately pretend to not hear my instructions. Why are we doing that to our gracious God? Lord, forgive us…
9. “The Lord sends poverty and wealth” Economic status can greatly affect one’s social standing, self confidence, and security. It divides people to classes which will define its set culture. ‘The Lord sends..’ means it is not man-made, but God ordained. Although God surely rewards the hardworking, and does not give bread to idleness, still, it is He who gives. He also uses poverty and wealth to teach us contentment, humility, thankfulness, and faith. The truth is He can send poverty then wealth, or wealth then poverty, can even move to a third stage, like what happened to Job. Interestingly, the author of Proverbs asked for neither poverty nor riches but for daily bread. This he explained to keep him from disowning or dishonoring his God. The point is, regardless of your present state, life’s goal is to glorify God.
Application:
Grumbling about our life’s financial condition is an attack to Him who decides it. Since it is God who decides how much, our role as stewards is to be faithful in handling His resource. Our savings, givings, and spendings, should match the Owner’s will. It is imperative to know Him and walk closely with Him for us to wisely allocate. And we shouldn’t regard the poor as pitiful, and the rich highly blessed, because both states are from Him. Every good gift is from God, and whatever lot fall upon us, should be received with joy and trusted in faith. After all, money is not all that matters.
10. “He humbles and He exalts” To those who acknowledge God, He exalts, but to those who foolishly claims ‘glory to me’, He pulls to the ground. There is nothing on earth we own and nothing we can do to surpass what He already did. Even our life He holds. And don’t forget He has the power to take away all we hold dear, anytime. A VCF pastor in his message on the Tower of Babel said that man, in his depravity, wants to make a name for himself. Instead of bearing Christ’s name and image, we want to display our own. We want others to praise us, honor us, love us. Now that’s wanting to be god. No wonder God really hates pride.
Application:
When we don’t pray and praise God, we are living proud lives. And we multiply that to the people around us. Truth is we need to pray for one another and worship God together. Pride hinders that relationship. It is always self-centered. Jesus said, if we acknowledge Him, He will acknowledge us to the Father. And when God exalts us, it is the greatest honor of all!
11. “He raises the poor..lifts the needy,, he sits them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor” When God helps a person, He always go beyond what is expected. He overwhelms us with unimaginable grace. It will always be from impossible to miracle so we would unmistakably know it is but God’s hand. Joseph was a servant turned prince of Egypt, Ruth was a Moabite widow then part of Christ’s lineage, David was the shepherd boy then king, Peter was a fisherman turned mighty preacher. Not perfect but forgiven, faithful with little and so were commended with honor.
Application:
God is the One who gives advancement to men. And His grace is abundant to us because we are His children, co-heirs with Christ. That is the highest honor possible to those who accept it by faith. It is really foolishness to look for success outside His will. The world’s offer is temporary, deceiving, incomplete, unsatisfying. But God’s gifts are free, eternal, complete, perfect, and overflowing. What a mismatch! I’d rather have Jesus :>
12. “The foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them He has set the world” From material to immaterial, the earth and its kingdoms, wealth and all people, are the Lord’s. He holds all things together, and makes everything work according to His good purpose. Although evil men try to oppose His will, and thought they’ve won, in His sovereignty He can turn that around and use it for His glory. They may take a man’s life, but because of it the family may turn to God for comfort and justice. We may unfairly be treated in our work, politics and all, but God provides us with a business which will be a blessing to many. The point is, if the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, why worry about life? He is God from eternity past and in His wisdom planned the affairs of the world, to the dot.
Application:
There is nothing that escapes God’s knowledge. Nothing surprises Him. Accidents, global warming, war, earthquakes, heart attacks, famine, robbery, bankruptcy, all others that threaten our lives and all that we hold dear. He is seated at the throne and is the God of our personal lives. He cares for the birds, are we much more valuable to Him?
13. “He will guard the feet of his saints, silence the wicked in darkness” To guard is to protect, keep, or watch. God’s grace set us apart and kept us under His mighty protection, keeping us from harm and watching all our goings and doings so that it will always align to His good purposes. In Psalm 91, He will command His angels to guard us in all our ways, but in this verse, it is He Himself. There is never a moment in a believer’s life where we are out of the Lord’s eyes. Psalm 139 has all its details and the psalmist exclaimed, ‘Such knowledge is to wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain’. God’s omniscience and omnipresence sets God apart. And His omnipotence beyond any other strength. He can and will punish everyone opposing Him to the grave. No one can escape.
Application:
Everyday we have to make decisions, big and small. It is but wise to run to Him who knows all things, can do all things, and who loves us so much. If only we will take to heart to faithfully listen to Him, watching His ways, and obey Him. It is plain foolishness to think for ourselves, to go out in life independent of God. It will be to our ruin. Instead let us discipline those feet to walk where He walked, and to bring good news and peace to all. So Lord, where do you my feet to go today?
14. “He will thunder against (those who oppose Him) from heaven..He will judge the ends of the earth ” Sin came as early as Genesis 3. It deceived men and challenged God. It made our great heroes of faith stumble. It caused Jeremiah and Asaph to ask why those who practice it seem to flourish even more. But GOD is greater than sin. He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love. He offers His forgiveness unconditionally to all willing to receive it in faith. But to those who keep on opposing God, Jesus will come with an iron rod, He will not leave the guilty unpunished. The whole creation is at His disposal and with His mighty power, no one can stand. To fear God is really to stand in awe of Him. It is revering His divinity. His omnipotence is unfathomable. As revealed, when the time comes, every knee will bow and confess that He is Lord. By faith, we can be a part of those rejoicing, not with those trembling in fear.
Application:
Jesus Christ has already triumphed over sin. We are already victors. Even in sickness, persecution, hunger, heartaches, and the like, with eyes of faith, we believe it is sharing in His suffering and if we endure it, we will bring glory to His Name. Choose to face life with faith, strength, contentment, hope. Live not as victims but victors. The end has been written, Jesus Christ will win the battle. We are favored to be on His side. Holding on to hope with surely lighten up our faces :>
15. “He will give strength to His King, and exalt the horn of His anointed ” Hannah was believed to be a prophetess because she hoped in the coming of the Messiah. Many around her and her nation boasted of their strength to intimidate, ruin and overpower. But what they hold on to as power is unplugged. They foolishly thought they can win all battles without connecting to God, the powersource. Pharaoh, Goliath, Nebuchadnezzar were ‘big’ men but were stripped down. But our Jesus who refrained from defending Himself, who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, who was stripped down and humiliated, God raised up and is now seated at the right throne of God. Strength apart from God is not strong enough. But through Christ, we can do all things!
Application:
When a person says ‘I am strong’, it may mean health, endurance, confidence, or influence. It is a statement refusing to be the victim, the ordinary, the weakling, or even the second best. Excellence is not the villain here. It is when one works independent from God (as if we can!), and claims all credit to Himself that it goes way out of hand. Truth is we don’t have anything. But God can work from nothing. That’s Him being our creator. And when He gives us something, He will multiply it even more. He will strengthen those who are fully committed to Him. Why work myself to death, when I can watch and see how beautifully He does His work. We were made to worship Him after all. Others work to have a good retirement, we co-work with Him and the rest He gives is far more peaceful and satisfying than money can buy. The choice is ours.
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