Worry-Free Rest

"Unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city,  the watchman stays awake in vain. ² It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep."

Psalm 127:1-2

Have you ever lost sleep due to pressing worries or cares?  I typically sleep well, but there have been occasions when I struggled to sleep because my mind was working overtime on some problem out of my control.  If you can identify with this, you likely also can identify with this rationale:  "I just can't help it."  It is natural for all people - even followers of Jesus - to worry or fret over difficult or seemingly impossible situations.  There are a lot of things we naturally do which are sinful, and worrying is one of them.

I was blessed to read Psalm 127 this morning and have my mind renewed by God's changeless truth.  Recently we have been dealing with a drought in NSW, and God this past week has brought rain.  Worrying about dry creek beds and catchments cannot bring rain to fill them, but God is able to do so abundantly.  Worry wears us out, and we are best served seeking the God who does great works beyond number.  Psalm 127:1-2 reminds us our best efforts and labours are fruitless without divine aid.  God is almighty and sovereign, and without Him we can do nothing.

How awful it would be to work to exhaustion in building a house but in the end it proved to be all in vain!  I can imagine a tired watchman doing everything in his power to remain awake, but even if he does so it pointless unless God guards the city.  Seeing the advancing enemy does not mean you have the power to defeat the invaders.  Builders need supplies and strength from God to accomplish their task, and no amount of watchmen can prevent a city from ruin God has determined will fall.  It is good for us to realise the completion or preservation of God's work does not depend solely upon our efforts.  The watchmen of Jericho could not prevent its collapse, and we cannot do a constructive thing for God's glory without His help.

God gives His beloved sleep, and it is a shame for us to be robbed of such a gracious gift by our worrying.  Let us not miss the fact God's people are "His beloved."  The Good Shepherd knows it when a single sheep is missing or walking with a limp; He knows when the sheep of His flock are diseased and distressed.  He is the One who makes us to lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters.  God is faithful to establish His people on a firm foundation and guards our souls from harm.  Sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning from the One who has promised fullness of joy and peace which passes understanding.  Those who seek Jesus and find rest for their souls are benefited by sleep without interruption due to worry.

The Privilege of Repentance

A great instance of poetic justice in the Bible is seen in the book of Esther.  The wicked adversary Haman plotted to destroy all the Jews and had access to the king of Persia.  Though he was able to pass a law to achieve his murderous intentions, he was foiled by the courage and bravery of Mordecai and Queen Esther.  The life of Haman well-illustrates Proverbs 26:27:  "Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him."  The one who wanted to kill Jews was himself killed for his evil scheme - on the same gallows he had built for Mordecai.

When King Ahasuerus was informed of Haman's evil plot, he left the room in a rage to compose himself and collect his thoughts.  Haman knew his life was in great danger.  Esther 7:8 says, "When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?" As the word left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face."  From this passage it seems the covering of the face indicates a person was doomed to death.  The laws of the Medes and Persians could not be changed, and once the cloth covered the face of a person, their life was finished without any appeal.

It struck me what a blessing and privilege repentance is!  Haman was not given the opportunity to repent of his crimes before a king, yet God has made a way for men to repent of their sins before Him.  God is just and righteous, but great is His mercy, love, and compassion towards us.  His anger is inflamed by wickedness into great wrath, yet when we repent He is gracious to forgive.  Repentance is often viewed as an unpleasant duty, but it truly is a privilege - a gift of God which should fill us with reverence and awe of His goodness towards us.  How glorious is our God who forgives and gives new beginnings to all who repent and trust in Him.

Our LORD and God

During devotions yesterday I was struck by something I read in Luke 4 when Jesus was being tempted by the devil.  After being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus was met by Satan.  Few knew or were convinced of Jesus being the Christ at this point in history, the promised Messiah God sent to save sinners.  But Satan knew.  Because he knew Jesus was the Son of God and desires to oppose God at every turn, he tempted Jesus to forsake His lofty station ordained by the Father.

The first thing Satan did was appeal to His physical needs by telling Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by turning stones into bread.  Then he offered Jesus the power and glory of all the nations of the world if Jesus would worship him.  Finally the devil told Jesus to leap from the pinnacle of the Temple - likely in the sight of many people He would amaze - and even supported this course of action with scripture!  An ordinary man would have stumbled at these temptations, but Jesus replied most wisely in Luke 4:12, "...It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16 that says, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah."  This prompts the question:  how did the children of Israel tempt the LORD in Massah?  Exodus 17 describes the scene which unfolded shortly after God brought the Hebrews out of bondage in Egypt.  The euphoria of victory and deliverance quickly evaporated in the arid heat of the wilderness when the people had no water to drink.  The people angrily accused Moses of bringing them out in the wilderness to kill them!  In his great distress Moses cried out to the LORD and God told Him to go with the elders, take the rod in his hand, and strike the rock in Horeb and God would cause water to flow from it.  Moses obeyed the LORD and God supplied water for the people, their families, and livestock.

Exodus 17:7 holds a key to understanding the answer of Jesus:  "So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"  The way the people tempted God was to doubt He was among them.  The people questioned whether God was among them in Massah, and the Jews in the days of Jesus wondered the same thing.  They wondered if John the Baptist was the Messiah, and others asked concerning Jesus despite signs and wonders confirming the Word, "Is this not the Christ?"  Satan offered a path to acceptance with the people, but Jesus knew His path must go through suffering of the cross and to rise from the dead in glory.  Jesus is the "LORD your God" whom Satan tried to tempt:  He was Satan's LORD and God he refused to submit to.  Jesus Christ is the LORD over all, and all authority has been granted to Him in heaven and on earth.


How awesome is the LORD our God Jesus Christ, also called Emmanuel which means "God with us."  In the days of Moses God tabernacled in the midst of His people, and Jesus has prayed the Father to send the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts.  Jesus has gone to the Father but has not left us without comfort, for the Comforter dwells with us; He resides within and upon us.  Matthew 18:19-20 reads, "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  Praise the LORD, for He inhabits the praises of His people!  Instead of tempting the LORD our God, let us trust, praise, and obey Him now and forever.

Don't Avoid Sin

"And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

Luke 24:45-47

When the coming of Jesus the Messiah was announced by John the Baptist, the way had been prepared with baptism of repentance.  Spearheaded by the prophet John the Jews were struck with their need to repent of their sins.  People asked, "What shall we do?"  John was a mighty prophet, and his role was not to make disciples of himself but point to Jesus.  In fact, many who once faithfully followed John the Baptist left him and demonstrated a shift in their primary allegiance to follow Jesus instead.

John preached repentance, and so did Jesus throughout His earthly ministry.  The passage cited from Luke shows that even after the death and resurrection of Jesus repentance and remission (freedom, pardon, deliverance) of sins was to be preached in His name everywhere.  For the unbeliever and disciple alike, Jesus says repentance is to remain a major point of emphasis in preaching.  It is interesting to me Jesus did not say to emphasise grace, love, comfort, or purpose - common themes of books and sermons today.  There is nothing wrong with emphasising these biblical truths of course, but these potentially more attractive themes to sinners cannot replace the need for preaching of repentance and remission of sins in the name of Jesus.

To preach repentance, it is often necessary to lay groundwork John the Baptist and Jesus did not need to with their audiences.  The Jews were well-versed in the Law and their sins before God.  Many people today have their doubts about the existence of God, and before repentance can be preached there is a need to explain sin in detail.  Most men will proclaim their own goodness (Proverbs 20:6), and these have no idea of how profound and systemic their own sin is and the fatal consequences of it.  We must be brought to believe we have a dangerous disease before we will submit to a painful and costly cure, and sinners must be convinced of their sin before they will desperately seek a Saviour.  Unless the hard hearts of sinners are made contrite and broken in repentance before a holy God for their sin, there can be no salvation.  God and His Word does the breaking - not the preacher.

Even as it was necessary for Jesus to suffer, die, and rise from the dead for us to be saved, preaching concerning repentance and remission of sins are indispensable in Gospel preaching.  Let us not be surprised there are few or no genuine converts when we cautiously avoid the very topics the Holy Spirit was sent to address:  He has been sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11).  We will be judged by our almighty Creator according to His perfect standard of righteousness, and God's Word reveals to a tender conscience how we are grossly sinful.  It is by grace through faith we are saved and by nothing we do, yet repentance is an important step in our forgiveness.  This change in us is only by God's grace as we are brought into agreement with God.

When a patient is diagnosed with a deadly illness, the doctor is forced by their sworn duty of care to inform the patient of the grave news and possible treatment options.  It is difficult for the doctor to share the bad news, and the patient is sorry to hear it.  But the severity of the illness must be communicated so the patient will respond appropriately for the good of their own health.  It is similar with Gospel work, for the disciple of Jesus must establish the need of repentance for sins before remission of sins can be addressed in Jesus' name.  Let us not shrink from this sober and joyful duty any more than a doctor or midwife prepares to bring a new child into the world by assisting a pregnant mother.  Addressing sin will be painful as the Word cuts deep, but there is healing, consolation, and comfort for all those who repent and rely upon Jesus for salvation.