The Bountiful Refuge

Few people have ever been the focus of a nation-wide manhunt, but David was such a one.  King Saul, infuriated over David's popularity with the people, his suspicion stoked with pride, sought to hunt David down and kill him.  Though David had also been anointed king of Israel, he refused to wage a smear campaign or command his men to retaliate against the LORD's anointed, King Saul.  He left the comforts of home and family and fled into the wilderness.  Many times David sought refuge in a cave, and the heading in my Bible says Psalm 142 was written during one of these occasions.

He wrote Psalm 142:1-6:  "I cry out to the LORD with my voice; with my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. ² I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. ³ When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me. ⁴ Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul. ⁵ I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. ⁶ Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I."  David sought refuge in a cave, but it only could provide temporary and feeble protection for his body.  As he held his breath in the deep, dark recesses of the cave, he knew the cave could also be his tomb.  In the musty blackness he knew a bright light would betray his presence to his perusing enemy.

But in the darkness David discovered the peace and presence of God, the One who was a refuge for his soul.  God knew exactly where David was, how unjustly and wickedly he had been treated, and the greatness of his need.  David sought refuge in a cave, but the cave was not David's refuge:  God was!  When David was overwhelmed, he cried out to God and was heard.  In God was a sure hope no damp cavity of earth can provide.  He concluded his song in Psalm 142:7:  "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me."  Through God those who trust Him have abundant salvation and deliverance.  Have you made God your refuge in faith?  Jesus has come to set the captives free and proclaim liberty to those in bondage.  There is no substitute for the refuge provided in Christ alone.

On His Shoulders

Carts make heavy lifting lighter work.  When I used to work in the shipyard, having a motorised cart for hauling tools and materials over long distances was critical for efficiency.  Carts are also useful when moving multiple books, totes, or packages at once.  One cart greatly reduces the amount of trips necessary to move items from one location to another.  People might say the use of a cart is working smarter, not harder.  This is usually true - but not always.  God wisely directs us in what must be done and how to do it.  Sometimes the way that seems easier and more efficient isn't the right way.

After the tabernacle was built, anointed, and sanctified by Moses, the princes of the people brought an offering of six carts and 12 oxen.  Numbers 7:4-9 reads, "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ⁵ "Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the work of the tabernacle of meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service." ⁶ So Moses took the carts and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. ⁷ Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service; ⁸ and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. ⁹ But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because theirs was the service of the holy things, which they carried on their shoulders."  Moses distributed the oxen and carts to the Levites to help them in their service unto the LORD.  Though true Levites, the sons of Kohath were not given carts.  Their role was to carry the holy things of God upon their own shoulders.

The special role of the Kohathites is explained in detail in Numbers 4:1-20.  Their privileged responsibility was to carry the most holy articles in the tabernacle when it was moved.  The high priests and his sons were to cover the ark of the Covenant, table of showbread, lampstand, altar of incense, and all the instruments used in the service of God.  The coverings of skin and cloth was for their protection.  Things they were not permitted even to look upon they could carry when properly prepared.  Once covered, the sons of Kohath were tasked to carry these items directed by the high priest as commanded in Numbers 4:15:  "And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation."  They were not to place any of the most holy things on a cart but to be carried on their shoulders.  The most holy things were not to be treated as bricks, lumber, grain, or goods for trade:  they were specially designed and made for use in the worship of God and should be treated as ordained by God.

What I find particularly special is the connection between the duties of the Kohathites and that of the high priest.  Though the high priest was granted carts to be used by his authority, he was called to bear the names of the tribes of Israel on his shoulders before the LORD.  Exodus 28:12 states, "And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders as a memorial."  Even the Messiah revealed as Jesus Christ, both King and High Priest, would bear the government on His shoulders.  It was prophesied in Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  There are some burdens and responsibilities God has ordained men to carry in a particular manner, and this is even true concerning the Messiah.

A personal application for bearing burdens ordained by God is found in Galatians 6:2-5:  "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ³ For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. ⁵ For each one shall bear his own load."  In ministering unto the LORD, we find ourselves with a weight of responsibility.  We can succumb to the temptation of putting the ark of God on a cart as a common thing, to try to lighten our load in ways contrary to God's plan.  We are called as one body to bear one another's burdens, but we are also called to carry our own load.  Fatigue and burnout comes from the neglect of our responsibility before God to carry our divinely prescribed burden or trying to carry things for ourselves or others in a way God has not permitted.  We are not to look at other people using "carts" and wish we might have a reprieve from our responsibilities before God, but to examine our own work.  Ask yourself:  am I faithfully carrying the thing God has called me to do?  Am I taking shortcuts or shifting my duty onto the shoulders of others?  Am I doing the right thing in the right way?

God did not load the Kohathites with unnecessary burdens, nor give them an impossible task.  They were to submit to the guidance of the high priest and do as they were told.  It is the same with every Christian, for Jesus is our High Priest.  He has provided us wisdom and guidance through His Word and the Holy Spirit.  We can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us.  Ensure every burden you carry has been first covered by Jesus and divinely distributed for you to shoulder in obedience.  We will find ourselves strangely, amazingly helped and able to endure.  Let us rejoice in the privileged duties with which God has tasked us, for even as we bear burdens on our shoulders our King and High Priest bears us upon His.

Meeting God's Conditions

"If I keep drinking, I'm going to die."  The wide eyes of the heavily tattooed man stared unflinching into mine.  "I have to get clean.  I'll do anything."  This man had walked into the church minutes before, asking to speak with a pastor.  That's one thing about serving the LORD:  you never know who He will bring across your path or what unexpected thing He might call you to do.

"If you're serious, I know of a place which can help you get clean," I told him.  "Let me warn you though:  it is a very intensive program which requires total commitment.  It is a free program, but you have to commit to a year of staying clean, working your way towards a job and renting your own place, and Bible study."  I didn't want to waste the man's time or the time of the people at Set Free, as it was called at that time.  I spent a few moments explaining my basic understanding of what was offered and requirements my visitor would be subjected to.  He was keen because in his mind it was a choice between life and death.  He had been recently locked up and didn't have transportation, so I gave him a ride over to the facility because time was of the essence.

Upon arriving, I talked with a pastor I had met before.  After my new friend briefly explained his alcohol addiction and dire situation, the pastor in a friendly manner began to explain the program.  As my friend sparked up a cigarette the pastor said with a smile, "And that's another thing.  You'll have to give up smoking."  All the sudden the demeanor of my friend changed.  He became extremely nervous, almost agitated.  "Man, quit smoking?  I can't do that.  I can't smoke in the program?  I just bought this new pack of cigarettes!"  The discussion continued, and I watched that man begin to work his way through the whole pack, still debating whether the program was for him or not.

I never knew whether my friend ended up entering into the rehabilitation program or not.  It was free to those without money, but it was not without personal cost - a cost that man initially was loathe to pay.  He saw his drinking as a life and death issue, but not his smoking.  What he did not seem to realise was refusal to give up cigarettes would disqualify him from the program which could save his life - so his smoking was just as deadly as his drinking.  Refusal to agree to quit smoking was symptomatic of a spiritual heart problem more deadly than lung cancer.  This shortsightedness is not limited to alcoholics.  We can do the same thing as Christians.  We might recognise sinful problems in our lives and deem some worse than others when they are all linked and equally deadly.  We might want to be rid of an addiction because of the negative impact we perceive in our lives, but other things can also control our hearts and equally distance us from God and fellowship with others.  It is stubborn disobedience and unwillingness to submit to God in our hearts which proves more deadly than actions which are mere symptoms of an inner sickness.

Sin brings death.  It is not alcohol or smoking in themselves which doom a man to hell, but the refusal to confess and repent of sins, choosing to deny self and obey God.  If there is anything in your life which hinders you from coming to Jesus to be forgiven and cleansed, holding onto that thing says you love it more than Life Himself.  Does God have your affections and desire?  Are you willing to do everything He asks without question?  Or is there one little thing you are not yet willing to submit to His rule?  Following Jesus is a life and death decision.  To follow Him is life, and all other ways are death.  Giving up the old life and choosing to follow God in obedience requires faith.  As it is written in Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Ways and Deeds

In my morning reading I was quite taken with reading Zechariah 1:4, "Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds." ' But they did not hear nor heed Me," says the LORD."  God made a distinction between the ways of the people and their doings.  God's people had turned from the Living God, and did not do the things which pleased Him.  Their motives and pattern of life had deviated from God's righteous course, and their deeds were also polluted with greed, selfishness, and pride.  They refused to hear or heed God's voice through the many prophets He sent to them, and by this God was sore displeased.

Here we see the loving and gracious nature of God, who sends His Word as a light illuminating the path to those who willfully stumble in darkness.  Unless God gave me the necessary understanding I could not have known Him or recognised wickedness in my own heart.  God first loved us, and love is not content to sit at a distance when the one He loves hastens to plunge into hell.  Instead of enacting some "mind control" to save us, God through His love appeals to our conscience and reasons with His gracious love.  He does not bombard us with facts though He knows all things, nor does He threaten and bluster to intimidate.  With His still small voice He beckons, and with outstretched arms of love He invites all to come and find rest for our souls.  Now is the time to turn; today is the day of salvation.  God has supplied us life, all that we possess, and the wisdom to live in the highest and best possible manner by which a man experiences the utmost satisfaction for God's glory..

This line of thinking, that our ways and deeds ought to glorify God as we hear and heed Him, is a theme brought forth in another book I am currently reading.  I have been blessed beyond measure by William Law's A Serious Call To A Devout and Holy Life.  Within the pages are vivid illustrations and sound logic reasonable minds cannot ignore.  He concluded chapter 11 with these wise words:

"All that we have, all that we are, all that we enjoy, are only so many talents from God:  if we use them to the ends of a pious and holy life, our five talents will become ten, and our labours will carry us into the joy of our Lord; but if we abuse them to the gratifications of our own passions, sacrificing the gifts of God to our own pride and vanity, we shall live here in vain labours and foolish anxieties, shunning religion as a melancholy thing, accusing our Lord as a hard master, and then fall into everlasting misery.  We may for a while amuse ourselves with names and sounds, and shadows of happiness; we may talk of this or that greatness and dignity; but if we desire real happiness, we have no other possible way to it but by improving our talents, by so holily and piously using the powers and faculties of men in this present state, that we may be happy and glorious in the powers and faculties of Angels in the world to come.  How ignorant, therefore, are they of the nature of religion, of the nature of man, and the nature of God, who think a life of strict piety and devotion to God to be a dull uncomfortable state; when it is so plain and certain that there is neither comfort nor joy to be found in anything else." (Law, William. A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. London: J.M. Dent &;, 1906. 132. Print.)