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!