Like Psalm 34, which we highlighted yesterday, Psalm 56 for today was also written when the Philistines had seized David in Gath. And just like yesterday’s psalm, this one starts with David begging God for help.
Then, in verses 3 and 4, David says this, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”
I see a pattern here that David liked to repeat:
He acknowledged his fear, “When I am afraid.” Fear is a natural reaction when in danger – either real or perceived.
David then made a deliberate decision to trust God. This is not a normal reaction, it is an intentional decision, flying in the face of the natural fear.
David praised God for delivering him – before he had been delivered. (In this case, David praised God’s word, but often, he just praised God.) When David did this, he was stepping out on faith, believing God would answer his prayers.
Finally, in the assurance God would help him, David banished his fear, “I will not be afraid.”. Notice he chose to not fear what mortal man could do to him.
This reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:28, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
This is a pattern I have also tried to follow in my own life. Many times, I have cried out to God, confessing my fear. I have then made a deliberate decision to trust that whatever God has for me is best, whether I know it (or like it) or not. Then praise God for his promise that all things work together for my good – because I love God. Finally, with God’s help, I let Him lift my burden off my shoulders, whether it is fear, or whatever else it is.
With the fears swirling around now, whether Covid-19, or unemployment, or difficulty finding what you want at the grocery store, or … You have a choice. You can succumb to fear, or you can follow David’s example.
I challenge you to try this pattern with whatever makes you fearful today. Then you can say, like David wrote in yesterday’s reading from Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” And from today’s reading in 56:11, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
–Steve Mattison
(originally posted April 15, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
What have you been afraid about in the past? What has God already successfully brought you through?
When is fear helpful? Do you have a healthy fear of God? Do you fear only God?
What makes you fearful today (besides God)? Would you like to conquer this fear? Write out David’s steps to replace fear with faith and keep them in a place you will see often and practice working through the steps – over and over again.
This week we are choosing past devotions to repost, but I had a hard time choosing just one – so here are 3 for you! SeekGrowLove today!
ON PSALM 27 –
(from 2021) You may have noticed that the SeekGrowLove blog features a key verse: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” from Jeremiah 29:13. The LORD confirms that our seeking is worth it, because ultimately, we will find Him. However, there is an important requirement; we need to seek with all our heart. What does this phrase “with all our heart” really look like? How can we seek “with all our heart”? Perhaps “with all our heart” seeking is completely and sincerely devoted. Maybe determined and enthusiastic. This type of seeking is relentless, full of passion for what is right. It can’t be stopped. Psalm 27:4 states, “The one thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Verse 8 continues, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek His face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.’” You can hear the determination in that statement. The writer wants to be in the presence of the LORD. They are completely and sincerely devoted. Enthusiastic for the presence of the LORD. They are pursuing him ‘with all their heart.’
This is what the LORD desires for us. “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalm 14:2) He wants us to seek him wholeheartedly. Passionately. Relentlessly. In life, we can be distracted with many pursuits, desires, and distractions. However, we can choose to refocus on the one who matters. We can choose to seek “with all our heart.” The benefits of this type of “with all our heart” seeking is great. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” This desire to be close to God will be rewarded. We are rewarded today with our close loving relationship with God and later when we see Him face to face. So, if you start to feel discouraged or distracted, remember who our seeking will lead to: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3,4)
-Rebecca Dauksas (originally posted February 25, 2021 for SeekGrowLove)
ON PSALM 34 –
In yesterday’s lesson, I neglected to point out a story from 1 Samuel 21 that is relevant to today’s reading. When David ran away from Saul, he escaped to Gath (enemy territory) so Saul wouldn’t keep chasing him. The king’s servants pointed out that David was the man about which they sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
David took these words to heart and was very much afraid, so he pretended he was insane – scratching on the doors, and letting his saliva run down his beard. When the king saw this, he thought David was crazy, and sent him away.
David wrote Psalm 34 after this experience. Here are some verses that stand out to me.
V 3, “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”
V 4, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
V 6, “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.”
V 7, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
V 8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
V 12-14, “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
V 15, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;”
V 19, “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all’
We need to be quick to praise God for whatever he does for us, just like David did. It’s easy to cry out to God when times are tough, but sometimes it’s harder to remember to praise Him and let others know what He has done for us. This is important too.
What I really like about this chapter are the multiple times that David points out that we will experience difficult times, but God sees us through those times. I like the image conveyed by verse 7. When I’m going through a hard time, it’s comforting to imagine God sending an angel to protect me. This doesn’t mean I won’t have difficulties, but God sees me through. God is attentive to the righteous.
In verse 8, I picture David saying, “I’ve been through some hard times, but I’ve remained faithful to God, and God has pulled me through. I want to encourage you to develop a close relationship with the Lord. Once you experience that relationship and experience His helping you through those difficulties, then you too can understand how good God is.”
I have to echo David’s words, because I’ve been there. So I encourage you too, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
–Steve Mattison (originally posted April 14, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)
ON PSALM 52 –
For the Christian it is considered a “no brainer” that our trust is supposed to be found in God. But so often the stresses and worries of the world come against us, and we may forget that we serve a mighty God who cares deeply for us.
Here in Psalm 52 we are shown a great contrast between David here and his enemy. David wrote this Psalm during the time when he was constantly on the run from Saul, who was chasing him down to kill him, out of jealousy. David lost many years of his life running from Saul but he never lost his trust in God. At this time David had amassed a group of strong men who were ready to fight for him, but Saul, having the armies of Israel behind him, had the greater strength. David had support from people who gave him food and supplies as he ran from place to place, but Saul had all the riches of Israel behind him. But the important thing is that David had God with him, and God had promised him the throne of Israel that Saul currently sat on.
David was able to stay strong in his faith because he had seen God help him against overwhelming odds again and again, the most notable time was when he took on the nine foot tall giant, Goliath all on his own. There were actually two times during David’s years of running, that we are told about, where David had the chance to rely on his own strength to defeat Saul. Once was when Saul went to relieve himself in a cave, not knowing that David was hiding in the cave. The other time, the Bible says that God caused the entire army that was with Saul to go into a deep sleep and David was able to sneak right up next to Saul. Both times the man who was with David encouraged him to kill Saul and take the throne. But each time David refused, saying that he would not harm the Lord’s anointed. It would have been so easy for David to trust in his own strength in that moment, and no longer have to keep running for his life, but just like when David faced Goliath, David put his trust in God and not in himself. And because David did trust God, he never had to draw his sword against Saul or anyone in his family. In one single battle, Saul and all of his sons were taken out by the Philistines. God provided David the throne without David having to shed blood. David’s faith in what probably seemed like the hopeless situation of being relentlessly chased down by King Saul, paid off in the end. Years later after David had become king, he penned another Psalm, in which he said, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” I hope and pray each day to have the kind of faith and trust in God like David had, and I hope you do as well.
-Jonny Smith (originally posted February 22, 2023 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
Is there a time you have trusted in God through a tough situation? What was the result? Who have you seen trust God through a tough situation and emerge with an even stronger faith in God?
What do you sometimes put your trust in instead? How does that work? Why?
What has God shown about Himself in your reading today?
In today’s reading, we see more examples of Saul’s rebellion against God and his hatred of David. Ahimelech the priest had inquired of the Lord for David. In his rage, Saul ordered that not only Ahimelech, but all the priests must be killed – so Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul’s goons, killed 85 priests, then went to their town and killed every man, woman, and child (and its cattle, donkeys, and sheep). In chapter 23, Saul chased David and tried to kill him multiple times.
In chapter 24, David finally has his opportunity for revenge. Saul was again chasing David. David and his men were hiding in the Desert of En Gedi. Saul and 3000 chosen troops were in hot pursuit. Along the way, Saul needed to go to the bathroom. He wanted a little privacy, so he stepped into a cave to relieve himself. Little did he know that David and his men were hiding further back in that very cave.
If you were David, what would you have done? Would you have eliminated the threat to your life, and ushered in your reign as king? To be perfectly honest, I think that’s exactly what I would have done. David’s men encouraged David to kill Saul, but instead, David crept up to Saul, and cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.
Afterward, David was conscience stricken and said, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”
Wow! Clearly Saul was a scoundrel, but David spared his life because God had made him king. I think we can learn a lesson or two from David’s respect for the office of authority, even when the man in the office wasn’t worthy of respect.
This is exactly what we’re told to do in 1 Peter 2:13-14 – “For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.”
David’s actions also remind me of Romans 12:17-18 – “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
So too, we need to submit to authority, even when we don’t like the person in authority, or what they are doing. Also, we need to be intentional about never repaying evil for evil.
To finish today’s story, because David had spared Saul’s life, Saul promised to leave David alone, and returned home (for now). David and his men went up to their stronghold. God had protected David yet again.
Steve Mattison
(originally posted April 13, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
What do you admire about David?
When have you found it difficult to pass when given the opportunity for revenge, a cutting comment, or having the last word? What is the world’s position on paying back evil for evil? What is God’s? What is the advantage to leaving it up to God to be the judge, rather than taking out revenge for wrongs done against us?
In what ways do you think God wants to see Christians submit to authority today?
Today’s reading, found in 1 Samuel chapters 18 through 20, highlights how far Saul has fallen from his successes of chapter 14. (Remember from chapter 15, that Saul had deliberately disobeyed a direct command from God, and things have been going from bad to worse for him since.)
In 18:10-11, we read, “The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.”
Once Saul decided to abandon God, God not only abandoned Saul, God tormented Saul. This should be a lesson to us – never disobey God – there are always negative consequences.
Saul became jealous of David, after David had killed Goliath, because the women of Israel sang this song, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” As a result of his jealousy, Saul tried to kill David with his spear in 18:11 and again in 19:10. Saul also tried to kill David by having the Philistines kill him in 18:17, 21, 25. In 19:1, Saul urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. In 19:15, Saul ordered his men to bring David (and his bed) to Saul to be killed, when Saul thought David was sick in bed. In 19:20, 21 and 22 Saul unsuccessfully sent troops to get David three times.
In 20:30, Saul boiled with rage at his own son, Jonathan, who was friends with David, and in 20:33, Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him.
So much for Saul, what about David?
If you were David, how would you react? What would you do?
Remember that Samuel had anointed David in chapter 16, and declared that David would be the next king over Israel. So what did David do? He wrote some songs about this. Let’s see what he said in those songs…
David wrote Psalm 59 when Saul sent his soldiers to watch David’s house in order to kill him. This psalm starts out, “Rescue me from my enemies, O God. Protect me from those who have come to destroy me. Rescue me from these criminals; save me from these murderers. They have set an ambush for me…”. This makes sense. David was in trouble, so he cried out to God for help. David continues in verse 9, “You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress.”
Then an astounding thing happens. David starts praising God – in advance of God’s rescuing him. Psalm 59 ends with, “But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning, I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.”
David, the man after God’s own heart was actually praising God when he was literally afraid for his life. This shows his great faith that God will indeed rescue him. Maybe this is one of the reasons he was called a “man after God’s own heart.”
Psalm 11, the other chapter from today’s reading also shows David’s faith through difficulty. It starts out, “I trust in the Lord for protection…”, and ends with “For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.”
I believe David’s response is a good example for us. When times are tough, it’s natural to cry out to God for help. We need to move on from just asking for help, and follow David’s example to also have faith and praise God, even before the answer comes. And in the process, we, too, may become people after God’s own heart.
–Steve Mattison
(originally posted April 12, 2020 for SeekGrowLove.com)
Reflection Questions
Compare and contrast Saul and David based upon what we know from 1 Samuel.
What do you see in your own life that is similar to Saul? And David?
What does it look like to show faith in God during the difficulty?
What difficulty (big or small) have you recently found yourself in, in which you can practice giving God praise even before the answer comes?
Abraham was a man of incredible faith. God made astounding promises to Abraham, and Abraham believed God – and this was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham lived a long and faithful life of service to God, then, as recorded in Genesis 25, Abraham died.
We’re picking up the story in Genesis 26 – after Abraham was dead and gone. Genesis 26 starts by telling about a famine in the land that was so bad that Isaac (Abraham’s heir) had to move to have enough food to eat.
Then we find this amazing encounter in Genesis 26:2-6, “The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.’ So Isaac stayed in Gerar.”
God promised:
To give Isaac and his descendants all these lands
To confirm the oath God has sworn to Abraham
To make Isaac’s descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky
To bless all nations on earth through Isaac’s offspring (Jesus)
And did you notice why God extended all of these promises to Isaac? “Why” is recorded in verse 5: “because Abraham obeyed me and did everything (emphasis added)I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.”
Did you catch that? Isaac was promised that he would receive incredible blessings because his dad had obeyed God and had done everything God required.
A couple of years later, in Genesis 26:24, we read, “That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
Again, God extended blessings to Isaac because of Abraham’s faithfulness.
And oh yeah, most of that obedience to God was before Isaac was even born.
We’ve heard about the blessings for ourselves if we follow God – especially eternal life in the Kingdom of God. We don’t often think of the blessings for our descendants because of our faithfulness to God.
When I was young, my dad would have us memorize scripture. One of those verses he had us memorize was Psalm 37:25 which says, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
I think the point my dad was trying to make was that we needed to be righteous, and God would never forsake us. But I remember thinking something like this at the time: “I’m glad my dad is righteous, because in spite of my not necessarily being righteous, I will be blessed because of my dad’s righteousness.”
Now that I’m old, I recognize that the decisions I made, and the example I demonstrated had an impact (for good or for bad) on my kids. As a result, they have picked up both some of my good traits and some of my bad traits. I wish now that I had demonstrated more good examples and fewer bad examples – not only for my own benefit, but also for the benefit of my children.
Now let’s talk about you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a teen, a parent, a grandparent, young, or old. The most important thing you can do with your life is to obey God, and do everything He requires. This will guarantee you eternal life in God’s coming kingdom, and may also give you many blessings in this life (not necessarily including health and wealth). But in addition to your blessings, you may also pass along an inheritance of faithfulness to God to your kids – even those unborn. And then they too can have incredible blessings.
So, if you love your kids, obey God.
-Steve Mattison
Reflection Questions
What are all the benefits/blessings you see to obeying God? Which have you already enjoyed? Which are you still looking forward to?
How are you doing in the faithfulness department? Will God be able to tell your descendants that you obeyed Him, did everything He required, and followed His laws?
What did God reveal about Himself to you today?
(originally posted for SeekGrowLove January 16, 2023)
The prophet Ezekiel was among the Jewish exiles taken to Babylon. While there, he had amazing visions of God, which are recorded numerous times throughout the book of Ezekiel. In chapter 1, we read about his first vision. He started by describing four cherubim inside a fire in great detail, including each of the four faces per cherub, and what their feet looked like (not what you might expect), he went on to describe in detail what their wheels looked like. And that was just the introduction. He then went on to describe God’s throne, sitting on a platform above the cherubim, and then he went on to describe the glory of God that he saw sitting on the throne. If you want the details, you’ll have to read Ezekiel chapter 1.
During this encounter, God told Ezekiel that He was sending Ezekiel as a prophet to the people of Israel. God told Ezekiel in 2:7, “You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.”
Then, in 3:18-19, we read this, “17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.”
Wait a minute. Does verse 18 really say that God will hold Ezekiel accountable for the blood of the wicked if he doesn’t warn them? Yes it does.
God demands obedience. And there is always punishment for disobedience. That disobedience can range from eating forbidden fruit in a garden, to doing things He prohibited, to not doing things He requires. In this case Ezekiel is commanded explicitly to warn Israel to return to the Lord, and he is warned that if he disobeys, there will be consequences. As we read throughout the rest of the book, we will find that Ezekiel obeyed faithfully, but it cost him dearly.
We have been given some similar commands. Jesus told his followers to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” In 1 Peter 2:9, we find, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Remember, as we’re told in 1 John 2:4, “The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Will you obey?
Steve Mattison
(originally posted August 26, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
How do you view the role of watchman?
How does God view the role of watchman?
Who do you know who needs to be warned of God’s judgment?
How excited are you about going to church? You might think church is boring, the singing doesn’t inspire you, the sermon puts you to sleep, the building is nothing to write home about, etc. If you think like this, you are probably also thinking, “Why even bother going to church when there are so many more exciting things I could be doing?”
If you think church is bad now, just imagine how bad it was when they used a tent as a church (called the Tabernacle), and slaughtered animals to cover sins. How well would you have liked going to church then?! (Can you imagine the smell?)
Our reading today is from Psalm 84, which starts out, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!” The writer wasn’t talking about the throne room of God in heaven, he was talking about the Tabernacle (tent) where he went to worship God.
Psalm 84 continues, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”
The writer wasn’t getting excited about visiting a tent, he was getting excited about being able to be in the presence of God. He was yearning, fainting, crying out to be near God.
Verse 4 goes on to say, “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.”
I’m guessing the writer is referring to the singers whose job was to stay at church and sing praises to God all day long. He was envious they didn’t even have to leave there to go to work (they were at work) – they were so lucky! They got to be near God all the time.
Verse 10 says, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”
You may dread going to church. The writer of Psalm 84 dreaded having to leave church. He’d rather spend one day at church than almost 3 years anywhere else. He’d rather be a doorstop at church than party all the time with his wicked friends.
Why did the author crave going to church so much? The answer is: because he loved God, and he associated being at church with being in God’s presence – so he couldn’t get enough of it.
Today, as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we have far greater access to God than the people in the Old Testament (including the writer of Psalm 84) had. We’re told in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
God didn’t just send Jesus to die for our sins, God also wants to adopt us as His children. And there’s an inheritance involved – the Kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “… No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”
I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty vivid imagination, and can imagine some amazing things. But, according to this verse, I can’t imagine how great the Kingdom will be. Start with no more death or mourning or crying or pain, add in a little euphoria in the presence of God forever, and you’re just scratching the surface for what God has prepared for those who love him.
I want that!
God wants to adopt us as His children, but there’s a catch. He will only adopt us if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savor, are baptized, and live our lives for Him. Only then will we get to live with Him forever.
Maybe, our level of excitement in going to church is related to our level of excitement for God. Once we recognize how much God has already done for us, and what He has planned for those who love him, we’ll get more excited about God. And once we do, I suspect we’ll get more excited about going to church too.
-Steve Mattison
Reflection Questions
What are your thoughts and feelings right now about going to church? Where do you think they come from?
How excited for God are you? What has He done for you already? What do you know about – and what can you imagine – about being in the Kingdom of God? Have you already been adopted into God’s family? Are there steps you need to do in this adoption process?
Is there anything about your perception and understanding about going to church that you think God wants you to change?
As Marcia mentioned in yesterday’s devotion, many of us were at Midwest Family Camp last week, where the theme was “Stand Firm”. In a nutshell, if we don’t have a relationship with the Lord, it is critical that we repent and come into a relationship with Him. If we already have a relationship with the Lord, we need to strengthen that relationship, and stand firm in the faith – no matter what.
In today’s reading in Proverbs 28, there are a few verses that jumped out at me which reinforced that message. The first is found in Proverbs 28: 9, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.” This proverb tells us that if we’re not doing everything to live the life God called us to live, if we’re not following His rules, then He won’t listen to our prayers. Since many of our prayers are about asking for God’s help with various things, if we selfishly want Him to answer our prayers, then we need to obey His rules, and live for Him. As we grow in relationship with Him, we come to long for an even deeper relationship with the Lord. Then we learn that prayer is powerful, and we don’t waste it just asking for superfluous things.
Proverbs 28:13 goes on to say, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” This is saying if we pretend to be Christians, we won’t prosper (you can’t fool God). But if we confess and renounce our sins, and turn completely to God, we will receive God’s mercy. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather have His mercy than to have Him holding me back from prospering.
As we continue to read through this chapter, we get to verse 20, which says, “A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.” I’ll take a detour here and comment on the health and wealth teachings we often hear from people who don’t know better. The theory goes sort of like this… “if someone follows God, God will bless every aspect of their life. They will be rich, healthy, and blessed.” Many people who call themselves Christians subscribe to this false belief. Jesus told us in John 16:33, “…In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” We have to remember this life isn’t our reward. This life is the test to see what reward we will receive when Jesus returns. If we are faithful to the Lord now, we will enjoy peace with God now, and eternal life when Jesus returns. If we are just trying to get rich, we are actually worshiping money, not God — our reward is in this life, and we will forfeit eternal life.
1 Tim 6:9-11 says, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and have pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.”
Instead of trying to get rich, we need to follow the advice given in Proverbs 28:27, “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.” Again, I think the idea is that if I’m greedy, wanting to keep all my money for myself, I’m not trying to please God, I’m just greedy for money, and God will curse me for not following Him. But if I’m generous with the things God has given me by giving them to the poor — this mimics God’s generosity to me. When I am imitating God, God loves that. In fact we’re commanded in Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.”
So the bottom line is this. We need to do everything we can to reconcile ourselves to God. We need to confess and renounce our sins, obey His laws, be faithful, and be generous. All these things are required to live in close relationship with God. And if we live in a close relationship with God, we will have peace with God in this life, and an amazing reward in the life to come. In Rev 21:4, we’re told, “He [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…” Rev 21:7 goes on to say, “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
How well are you imitating Dad?
Stand Firm.
–Steve Mattison
(Originally posted June 28, 2021 – but we did just return from another week of Family Camp, where the theme was “Pray Continually”. You can watch Steve’s Thursday Night sermon and story on Yield to God’s Will here.)
Reflection Questions
What are the prayer lessons to be remembered from Proverbs 28?
How well are you following God’s instruction?
When was the last time you confessed your sins to Him?
What relationship do you have with money? Is it stronger than it ought to be? How would you rate your generosity? Why do you think God values our generosity?
In Mark 2, we find the story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man. Jesus was becoming more well known, and more popular. He was inside a house, and some men brought their friend to Jesus so Jesus could heal him. But because such a big crowd had gathered, there wasn’t room to bring him to Jesus, not even outside the door. So the friends took the man onto the roof, dug through the roof, and let him down in front of Jesus.
I have to admire these friends. They were very concerned about their friend, and wanted to see him healed. They believed Jesus could and would heal him, if they could just get him to Jesus. They didn’t just “pray about it”, they stepped out on faith and did something about it. They dug through the roof, and let their friend get close to Jesus – and Jesus rewarded their efforts.
Mark 2:5 tells us, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus obviously saw that the man was crippled, but Jesus saw what wouldn’t have been nearly as obvious to us. The man’s biggest problem was his sin – so Jesus healed him of that first. This is the greatest miracle Jesus performed (and still performs).
The teachers of the law said that Jesus was blaspheming, believing only God can forgive sin. I’m guessing they were thinking, “it’s easy to tell someone their sins are forgiven, since you can’t prove they are really forgiven.” Jesus then told them, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take up your mat, and go home.” So the man got up, took his mat, and walked out.
I love this story, not only because I love reading about all of Jesus’ miracles, but specifically because this is the only story I can think of where someone is healed because of the faith of his friends. We’re not told, maybe the paralyzed man asked to be taken to Jesus. But any way about it, Jesus saw the faith of the friends, forgave the man’s sins, and ultimately healed him.
This story puts me to shame. I invite you to ask yourself some questions…
Am I this concerned about my friends?
Am I willing to be uncomfortable – maybe even make a scene – to bring someone to Jesus?
Am I willing to not just “pray for” someone, but actually “do something” for someone?
Would Jesus see my faith and forgive and even heal someone I care deeply about?
Finally, do I need Jesus’ ultimate miracle for myself – to have him forgive me of my sins? This miracle meets the greatest need. It costs the most. It brings the greatest blessing. It has the longest lasting results. And Jesus is still doing it daily.
–Steve Mattison
(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on October 6, 2020)
God had promised Abraham, in Genesis 17:19, “Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”
At this point, Abraham was over 100 years old, and had faithfully followed God. In Genesis 12, Abraham obeyed when God told him to leave his country and family. Abraham allowed Lot to take the lush land around Sodom in Genesis 13, and trusted God to provide for his own flocks and herds on barren mountains. In Genesis 15, Abraham trusted God’s promise that he would have a son in his old age, and God counted that faith as righteousness.
In Genesis 22:2, we find God commanding Abraham, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
This doesn’t make sense. God had explicitly promised that God’s promises to Abraham would be passed down through Isaac’s descendants, and now God was commanding Abraham to sacrifice him – apparently destroying the promise He had made to Abraham.
By this point, Abraham had developed a very close relationship with God. In fact, we’re told 3 times in the Bible that Abraham was God’s friend (2 Chron 20:7, Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23) – and as far as I know, Abraham is the only person in the Bible of whom this is said.
We’re told in Hebrews 11:19 that Abraham reasoned that God was able to raise the dead, and that He was going to keep His promise.
So early the next morning, Abraham took Isaac and 2 servants and left for the place God told him to go. When they got close, Abraham told the servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and we (emphasis added) will come back to you.”
As they got even closer, Isaac asked his dad, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Can you imagine how this must have broken Abraham’s heart, looking down into his son’s questioning face, knowing that in a few minutes he would be killing his beloved son, who would be the offering? Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb.” (Actually, God had provided Isaac – as a miracle baby in his parent’s old age.) When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar, arranged the wood, tied up Isaac, and laid him on the altar.
As he was getting ready to kill Isaac, the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and stopped him. Abraham then saw a ram caught in the brush by its horns, and sacrificed it instead. God then promised Abraham, as recorded in Genesis 22:16-18, “I swear by myself, declared the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore… and through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
I could point out all the similarities of Abraham’s being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, and God being willing to sacrifice His Son, Jesus. I could point out the significance of another quote from this chapter, “Jehovah Jireh – on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” (This was the mountain where Soloman’s temple was built hundreds of years later.) I could point out the importance of obeying God, and the benefits that result.
Instead, I want to comment on who, when, where, how, and why of God’s provision.
Who: God tested Abraham with a very difficult test even after a life of serving God. We see that God provided the ram in this case only after Abraham trusted and obeyed God – even though it didn’t make sense. Assertion: God provides for those who trust Him and obey Him.
When: God provided for Abraham at the very last minute, not before. We’re told in Hebrews 4:16 that we will “receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Assertion: God provides precisely when we need something, not when we think we need it. (i.e. according to God’s timing.)
Where: God provided for Abraham only after Abraham went where God told him to go, and after he obeyed everything God told him to do. Assertion: God will provide if we are where He wants us to be. We should have no expectation of receiving God’s provision if we aren’t where He wants us to be.
How: God didn’t send an angel from heaven with an offering for Abraham to sacrifice, God provided a normal ram, caught in a normal thicket, by it’s normal horns. And God didn’t send a whole flock of sheep, just one ram, because that was all that was needed. Assertion: God will usually provide in ways that are very natural – don’t look for miracles.
Why: In times of testing, it’s easy to only think about our problems, and focus on, “why is this happening to me?” I think there may be two general reasons why trials come. First, we are told in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Note that this only applies if we are living according to His purpose. Also note that trials are by definition difficult, and won’t seem to be beneficial at the time. Second, ultimately, everything is for God’s glory. Isaiah 43:7 says, “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory…” We see an example of this with God destroying Pharaoh and his army for God’s glory in Ex 14:4, 17. Assertion: God allows trials and gives provision for our good and for His glory.
The bottom line is, if we are faithfully following God, times of testing will come. If we remain true to God, if we are where He wants us to be, and if we are obedient to Him, he will provide what we need (not necessarily what we want), at the very last minute, usually through normal means – and this is for our good. If we aren’t following God, the times of testing may just be to bring Glory to Him. I’d rather be in that first group. How about you?
–Steve Mattison
(originally posted January 11, 2021 for SeekGrowLove)
I am sorry this was not posted this morning – I thought it was – and then was surprised to see it still sitting here this evening. We are enjoying a weekend of reFuel North, a youth retreat in northern Indiana and haven’t been on the computer today.
Reflection Questions
In what times of testing have you seen God provide for you? How?
Are you where God wants you to be now so that He can provide for you?
What do you learn from Abraham in Genesis 21 & 22?
Seek Grow Love 
