The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit brings heaven here while leading and preparing us for eternal life, empowering us to bear much fruit for God's glory.
I Will Be Their God
Every individual living in this world is either under Satan’s control or
fighting his vile tricks. A believer is subjected to intense pressures by the
devil to force him/her away from his faith and this battle is continuous. LORD
our God has assured us of His help in numerous ways and His promises are like
blank signed cheques ready to be encashed through prayer and to be used as His
sword in this spiritual battle. Our ‘shield of faith’ will be weak without our
standing in His specific promises. The Israelites repeatedly faltered in their
faith and strayed to the gods of neighboring nations for not holding on to
God’s Word. The devil distorts the Word of God to mislead us and to resist and
defeat him is only possible through knowing the deep knowledge of Scriptures.
Isn’t simple prayer enough? – Word of God is specific, clear and in first person account, whenever a
message from God is conveyed to the prophets or others. Even when the command
was categorical ‘do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil’
disobedience resulted. How much more will be the confusion if there is no
clarity or there is some ambiguity in the Scripture or in our understanding of
the same? Satan is well aware of all commands of God in the Scripture and he tries
to distort the Word to mislead us and destroy our faith. He studies the
Scripture to distort and misinterpret it and this is carried out through a
subtle attempt and not in the face falsity, so that we may not be able to
detect the lie.
What makes
Satan happy is when he can get Christians to believe his lies about the
Scripture that Proverbs 15:6 justifies the accumulation of wealth in a world of
hunger; that 2 Thessalonians 3:10 abolishes charity; that Romans 9:16 makes
evangelism superfluous; that John 10:28 means a “Christian” can do whatever he
wants and still be saved; that Hebrews 6:4–6 means there is no security and
assurance for God’s elect. But we are commanded to ‘take the sword of the
Spirit, which is the Word of God’ and the sword works in the power of the Word.
Lord Jesus’ knowledge of Scripture was better than the devil and He quoted
exact Word to make Satan withdraw.
God
promised to Abraham ‘I will be God to you and your descendants’ and he believed
and could boldly seek God’s attention to save the righteous in Sodom and
Gomorrah and from 50 to ten went the bargaining (Genesis 17:7). In the same
promise while there was famine in the land, Isaac prospered and the Philistines
envied him (Genesis 26:1& 14). Jacob received the promise of God in Bethel
‘I am with you and will keep you wherever you go’ and Jacob’s wealth was source
of envy for his uncle Laban’s sons (Genesis 28:18). He started back to his
father Isaac’s house with his wives and children, his sheep and other possessions
and Laban went after them with his sons and servants. ‘But God had come to
Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, ‘Be careful that you
speak to Jacob neither good nor bad’. Jacob countered his uncle, remembering
God’s promise, ‘Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of
Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty handed.
God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last
night’ (Genesis 31:24 & 42). Jacob accepted and recognized God’s promise
and could withstand all difficulties for 20 years of stay in Laban’s household.
People
twist the Scripture meaning to suit their own purpose and we must read,
understand and remember various promises of God for different situations (2
Peter 3:16). We should fast and pray that God will open our eyes to see the
true and wonderful things in His word (Psalm 119:18). It is with a deep
understanding received through study and ‘teaching of the Holy Spirit’ that the
sword becomes sharpened and effective in our feeble hands to cut through the
devil’s lies. Word of God is living, powerful and sharper than a two edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart’ (Hebrews
4:12). God knows the underlying purposes, weaknesses of our soul and helps us
overcome these through His own Word for the Holy Spirit ‘reminds us of all
things that Lord Jesus has said’ (John 14:26). We are then to pray and claim
the blessings of specific promises of God to be victorious over every situation
that arises in our lives.
Abraham’s
covenant and the Jews – God has given us specific promises for
particular sorrows and struggles of life. ‘The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Get out
of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I
will show you’ and this was a blind move of faith. After the move were the
promises – first, I will make you a great nation (to a man with a barren wife);
second, I will bless you and make your name great; third, you shall be a
blessing; fourth, I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who
curses you; and finally, in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed
(Genesis 12:1-3). But Did Abram get the message to move or his
father Terah? Terah took his son Abram and others and left Ur of the
Chaldeans to go the land of Canaan but stayed on in Haran (Genesis
11:31). Abram moved further from there so may be Terah got the message to
shift but Abram received the promises.
Abram and his people were chosen to learn about God and reveal Him to others.
In the same way Abraham’s descendents, Israel was given the Law through Moses
to be an ideal model for others in the world to follow. God promised to be
their God and this promise was given to assure them of His continued presence
in their lives. At creation God had breathed a part of Himself into man; the
‘ruach’ – breath or spirit and Abram was also blessed in a similar manner.
First he was given the command, ‘walk before Me and be blameless’ and then came
the covenant promise. As fulfillment of the promise YHWH God added a part of
His own name to make him Abraham and Sarai to Sarah (Genesis: 17:1- 16). Change
of name brings in a close relationship, like a father names his child and this
addition of a part of God’s name changed their life destiny also by making
Abraham ‘father of many nations’. Jacob’s name means ‘liar, cheat’ and God
sought to know his name as a confession and then changed him to be Israel to
mean ‘El or God fights’ (Genesis 32:28). In the history of Israel the LORD
fought with and for His people and after bringing in the enemy forces promised
the Israelites ‘they will not prevail against you for I am with you’ (Jeremiah
1:13-19).
God had never revealed His name to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and only they
ascribed names to God as per situations like Yahweh Yireh the Provider (Genesis
22:14). From the burning bush, Moses was told by God, ‘I am the LORD (YHWH
Yahweh). I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty (El –
Shaddai) but by My name LORD (YHWH) I was not known to them’ (Exodus 6:2-8).Was
a new revelation given to Moses here? Name YHWH appears 165 times in
the Book of Genesis and this name was used by God to Abraham (Genesis 15:7) and
to Jacob (Genesis 28:13). The message to Moses in answer to his question is
‘You want to know My name?’ – I am called according to My deeds. When I judge
creatures I am called Elohim; when I wage war against the wicked I am called
‘LORD of hosts’; when I suspend judgement for man’s sins I am called
El-Shaddai; when I am merciful towards My world I am called YHWH. I am also
called YHWH Yireh; YHWH RAPHA and the difference in each name
being My acts within and beyond nature.
YHWH is also God who is faithful and since the promises were not fulfilled in
the lifetime of the Israelite patriarchs, the change is in fulfillment of those
promises. The book of Genesis ends with seventy souls as
Abraham’s descendants but the book of Exodus (1:9) begins with the
same people being called, Bnei – Yisrael (People of the children of Israel).
They were no more a family but a nation and were now ready to move to the
Promised Land. God’s intervention in the arena of time was not only to rescue
but that ‘My name may be declared throughout the world’ ((Exodus 9:16). The
mark of a Divine hand was to be printed in the pages of history for all
generations to know. Thereafter all mankind was to know God as faithful and
this was how the Israelites were supposed to know Him and reveal to the rest of
the world.
Fear,Faith
and God’s Word – Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and through
knowing God and this then gives us assurance to rest in His Word. Job suffered
immensely and his wife could not bear his agony, ‘Then his (Job’s) wife said to
him, ‘Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said
to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept
good from God and shall we not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin
with his lips’ (Job 2:9-10). Joseph was sold as a slave but he did not curse
God nor hold grudges and his reply to his brothers showed this, ‘God sent me
before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth and to save your lives
by a great deliverance’ (Genesis 45:7-8). Everyone that saw Joseph realized
that God was with him and he was successful everywhere. David knew God and when
the Amalekites took the wives and children of David and his men from Ziklag and
his men ‘spoke of stoning David’, yet he enquired of the LORD, ‘should I pursue
the Amalekites’ (1 Samuel 30:1-20). Philistines deployed in the ‘Valley
of Rephaim’ to attack David and his people but he was told by God ‘when you
hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall
advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of
the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:22-25).
When anxiety, fear or uncertainty crawls into our minds we must then remember
God’s specific promises to calm our souls. It was for this that Lord Jesus
said, ‘Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than
them’ (Matthew 6:26).
In the
spiritual battlefield the ‘Sword of the Spirit’, the Word of God will save.
Charles Spurgeon has categorized these five words as ‘the masterpiece of all
promises; its enjoyment makes a heaven below and will make a heaven above’ for
heaven is where God is. ‘I will be their God’ is a deep sea of bliss, a
shore-less ocean of delight, come bathe your spirit in it’ and the more we
think over it the more we rejoice in His mercy. Apostle Paul exclaimed after
writing 11 chapters of the book of Romans to say, ‘Oh, the depth of the riches
and wisdom and knowledge of God’ (Romans 11:33) and the prophet declared, ‘LORD
is the God who works for those who wait for Him’ (Isaiah 64:4).
Lord Jesus bled and died for us to bring us to this God (1 Peter 3:18) to
make us a ‘chosen generation or race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his
own special people’ (1 Peter 2:9). God ‘made us alive together with Christ (by
grace you have been saved) and raised us up together and made us sit together
with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus’ (Ephesians 2:5- 6). This is a
promise of assured salvation in Lord Jesus to all believers. The Savior came to
reveal ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is
with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself
will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor
pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’ (Revelation
21:3-4). Heaven is not heaven because
our loved ones are there, or because tears are wiped away, or because all is
made new. Glorious as these things are, heaven is heaven because of these five
words: “I will be your God” and we are to catch hold of this promise for all
circumstances.
Believers and this promise – we are
supposed to live up to the privilege of this promise as a ‘loved child of God’ for
God is with you and for you though it is undeserved. We are authorized to call
God ‘Abba Father’ but this has two aspects; one is to receive rights and
privileges as His children. But we are also required to live as per the
traditions of the heavenly household shown by the Messiah and be like Him as
His kin. ‘Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ’
(Philippians 1:27) but how do we become worthy? God’s Word
provides the answer, ‘cleanse yourselves of every defilement of the body and
spirit, bringing holiness to completion’ (2 Corinthians 7:1). Challenge every
evil thought and desire and in God’s power bring it to subjection for we are
already victorious in the Lord. We are to live and rejoice in this promise!
While
it is impossible for a human being to fully comprehend the mysteries of the
Word of God, still in our spiritual battle the shield and sword are as
effective as our knowledge of the Word is. As the devil attempts to mislead us
by his lies, we fight him with the truth to make him flee. Not only this, we
bring glory to God by seeking God and His blessings for our lives on earth in
relation to His promises. Though God willingly meets all our needs, we claim
greater rewards by going before His heavenly throne in His promises. It is His
promise to be our God that is the pivot of our relationship and of our very
lives!