Called by Name

"But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you."

Isaiah 43:1-2

God did a phenomenal thing in birthing the Jewish nation out of slavery in Egypt.  It was a demonstration of love and grace which rivals the salvation God has provided Jew and Gentile through faith in Jesus Christ.  See what God said to the Hebrews in in Deuteronomy 7:7-8:  "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; ⁸ but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."  God set His love on His people because He loved them; He chose them because He would keep His word to redeem them.  God did not save His people because of their goodness, but because He is good.

Though Israel would later demand a king like the other nations, forsake His Law, and bow down before idols, God did not disown His people.  Though He chastened them to repentance with famine, drought, war, and captivity, the God who formed and chose Israel would protect and uphold them.  He delivered them to the Syrians and Babylonians for their iniquities, but He would remember them and cause them to enter the land He promised to their fathers once again.  Even in the darkest times He commanded them to fear not because He was their Redeemer.  The rivers would flood but would not overwhelm His people.  Though the fire raged hot they would not be burned from His memory.  He said, "I have called you by your name; you are Mine."

How glorious it is, that the one who formed and knows us would call our name!  In the book of Esther young maidens were prepared for one year before going into the presence of the king of Persia.  Esther 2:14 details what occurred after appearing before the king:  "In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name."  One word which stands out in this verse is "custody."  The luxury afforded the concubines of the king provided comfort, but individual freedom was restricted.  A woman who appeared before the king was not free to go wherever she wanted but would remain in seclusion unless the king "delighted in her and called for her by name."  I imagine many tears were shed in this house as many women languished in their youth with silence from the king, pining to be remembered and delighted in.  How the clouds would lift to be called by your king by name!

God delighted in Jacob and gave him a new name.  God blessed Jacob in Genesis 32:28:  "And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."  God claimed Israel as His treasured inheritance, and the New Covenant by the blood of Jesus in no way lessens the impact of the grace and goodness God has shown the Jews.  It is amazing how through Jesus Christ all people can have fellowship with the Creator who delights in us and calls us by name.  We languished in a prison awaiting death for our sin, but at the call of our Saviour Jesus Christ we have come out of darkness and into His marvellous light.  God promised to be with His people, and Christians are reminded of God's word to us in Hebrews 13:5, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  The Almighty God delights in us and calls us by His name, and let us eternally praise and worship Him for this!

God's Precious Vessels

Today I read about when King Ahasuerus hosted a great feast in Shushan.  In the third year of his reign he displayed the power of Media and Persia, inviting nobles and rulers from the 127 provinces he ruled for 180 days.  That would be quite the gathering!  When those days were completed, he hosted a feast for 7 days and all in Shushan were invited to the court of his garden palace.  Esther 1:6-7 describes the elaborate and luxurious decor:  "There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. ⁷ And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king."

It must have been a treat for the people of Shushan to partake of the generous bounty of their king.  The value in gold of even a single goblet for drinking wine might have been more gold a poor person would ever earn in a lifetime, and for 7 days there were free refills of royal wine!  The drinking vessels are described as being made of gold and each one being unique in design.  These details may seem unnecessary, but the truth of God's Word is significant.  Passages easily glossed over can contain great insight and provide observations and comparisons which enlarge our understanding of God and His grace.

The wealth of King Ahasuerus greatly exceeded that of his people, and the wealth of God is infinitely greater than all kings in this world.  Ahasuerus did well to invite rulers from 127 provinces, but God's subjects are more numerous than the sands of the sea and every star in the universe He knows and calls by name.  The golden vessels of the king of Persia, though numerous, were limited in number and value.  God's wealth cannot be measured, weighed, and is beyond compare.  One similarity between the drinking vessels of Ahasuerus and God's vessels of honour is they are all made distinct and unique.  Our lives are compared to earthen vessels fashioned in the hands of a divine Potter who makes us for His purposes.  Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."

The value of the vessels of gold could be determined by weight, but our value is determined by the precious blood of Jesus Christ who redeemed us.  This is spelled out in 1 Peter 1:18-19:  "...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."  The satanic deception is to imagine we are worthy of redemption because of the love God has for us or the price He paid, but not one of us is worthy of God's grace.  We are corruptible, perishing earthen vessels, but God treats us as if we were more valuable than gold because He is good.  King Ahasuerus received glory in the eyes of his people because of his monetary wealth and abundance of gold, yet God is worthy to receive infinitely greater glory because of His love and grace freely offered to all who trust in Him.

Astonished at Teaching

Yesterday in church the text we examined was the first half of Acts 13 which included Paul's interaction with the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus.  Being an intelligent man and likely interested to learn new things, Sergius Paulus summoned Barnabas and Paul to hear the Word of God.  A Jew named Elymas withstood the apostles when they arrived, trying to turn Sergius Paulus from the truth of the Gospel.  Finally Paul rebuked Elymas strongly and declared he would be rendered blind for a season.  After this immediately came to pass Acts 13:12 reads, "Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord."

Reading this struck me as I considered the question:  would I be more astonished by a person struck completely blind or by the "teaching of the LORD?"  Likely seeing someone suddenly blind by words alone would be more astonishing.  What this drives home is how the Bible should astonish us; the claims, actions, and implications of all Jesus did should shock us.  We who have long been familiar with the Bible can become calloused to how utterly astonishing the revelation of God and the teaching of Jesus is.  I am sure Sergius Paulus was quite familiar with the Roman mythological gods, but the fact God would humble Himself to be a man and die for lost sinners was astonishing.  Considering how the all-powerful and perfectly righteous God said and conducted Himself, choosing the path of humility and suffering without threats of vengeance, was unlike anything he had heard or imagined.

How glorious is our God, and let us observe with renewed minds and soft hearts the wonder of God's Word.  Instead of allowing the scriptures to roll off our hearts and minds like water repelled by oil on the feathers of a duck, let us humble ourselves to receive afresh the teaching of the LORD.  Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and compare it with the way we naturally think and live.  If the teachings of Jesus do not astonish us, then perhaps we aren't allowing them to sink into our hearts or be lived out in our lives to the degree God desires.  Following Christ isn't like the worship of Roman gods or goddesses with rites, rituals, sacrifice and incantations, but obedience to the Living God by faith.  God has dealt to each of us a measure of faith, yet God would have us exercise faith so our faith might be strengthened and grow.  The complexity and design of the natural world is astonishing to our minds, but much more so the teaching of the LORD to a receptive heart.

The Snare is Broken

The Bible presents a vivid demonstration of God's faithfulness and grace.  He birthed the Jewish nation out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  Though they rebelled against Him and served other gods, He was faithful to them and would not destroy His inheritance.  God's presence led and dwelt among His people, and He protected, provided, and cared for them continually.  He brought them into the land He promised them and drove out their enemies before them.  When God sent prophets to instruct His people they provoked Him to anger with their sin.  He allowed them to be scattered and brought into captivity in Babylon, but by His grace brought them out again and established them in the land according to His promise.

King David wrote Psalm 124 as the nation of Israel reached a zenith as a notable kingdom long before the destruction of Jerusalem or captivity in Babylon.  The words recorded were valid then, after captivity, and even to this day.  Psalm 124:1-8 reads, "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side," let Israel now say--²  "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us,³ then they would have swallowed us alive, when their wrath was kindled against us; ⁴ then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul; ⁵ then the swollen waters would have gone over our soul." ⁶ Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. ⁷ Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. ⁸ Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth."  God delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptians through the Red Sea and brought them into Canaan across the swollen Jordan river.  He brought them out not to destroy them but to save them and bring them into a glorious inheritance.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, today we can enter into the good inheritance God has prepared for us.  We were cursed by sin and heading for eternal destruction, yet Jesus has come to set the captives free.  He has not given us as a prey to the teeth of Satan who seeks as a lion to devour and destroy.  I love the description of verse 7:  "Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped."  Not only have we been delivered, but the snare is broken.  What held us fast is ruined and impotent.  Sin and death, our mortal enemies, have been crushed and will never regain power over our souls.  Death truly has no sting because death has been swallowed up in the victory of Jesus Christ who gives abundant and eternal life to all who believe.

Praise the LORD the snare is broken, but let us not be confident in our flesh.  Those who tout their freedom can return to bondage through legalism and disobedience.  Galatians 5:1 reads, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."  It is through walking in the Spirit we avoid the snare of the lust of the flesh.  Paul went on to say in Galatians 5:13, "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."  Liberty is not the freedom to do whatever I want, but the ability to do what pleases God.  Our help is in the LORD who made heaven and earth.  Praise the LORD who has called us out of darkness and into His marvellous light!