Peace From Sea to Sea

Psalm 72 is a song written by David and the heading in my Bible says, "A Psalm for Solomon."  When I read the lyrics of the song, what is written about David's son Solomon and fulfilled in part will be ultimately and completely fulfilled by the Son of David:  Jesus Christ.  In the song, David asked for the king to be given God's judgments and righteousness.  Though Solomon was given great wisdom from God, he did not always walk wisely.  The more I read in this passage, with a prophetic lens we see it alludes clearly to someone greater than Solomon--and Christ affirmed He was indeed that person.  Speaking of Himself and the present generation that rejected Him, Jesus said in Luke 11:31:  "The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

The name of Solomon pales in comparison to the name of Jesus Christ, the Messiah who is both KING OF KINGS and great High Priest.  David wrote prophetically of Jesus whose name is above all in Psalm 72:17-19:  "His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed. ¹⁸ Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! ¹⁹ And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen."  Paul affirmed it was at the name of Jesus every knee would bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God the Father.  Solomon will one day bow before Jesus Christ His king along with every other created being.

There is one part of the song which has been my meditation the past couple days in Psalm 72:7-8:  "In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. ⁸ He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth."  The long and prosperous reign of Solomon is a hint of Christ's future millennial reign when He returns to judge the earth in righteousness, and His reign will endure after the sun and moon no longer shine.  The righteous reign of Jesus will be a global dominion, for King Solomon's lands only reached from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.  In recent times I have heard a slogan that goes, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."  This slogan does not account for Psalm 72:7 which says the domain of the Son of David is from sea to sea, from the Jordan River to the ends of the earth.  The rule and authority of Jesus extends over the entire earth He created with words from His mouth, and the whole universe is filled with His glory.

Jesus cautioned His disciples not to be deceived or troubled in Matthew 24:5-6:  "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."  Slogans and fighting words against Israel and God's people ought not to trouble us, and even when the end comes we have nothing to fear but God as we follow Jesus.  The rise of deceptions, threats and violence will grow, but now and forever we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).  Killing Jesus did not result in Him rotting in the grave, for He has risen in glory and will ultimately rule the nations with a rod of iron.  Even threats and murder can be redeemed by God to advance His kingdom.  What peace and comfort we have as Christ's disciples, for His yoke is easy and His burden light.

Pray and Don't Lose Heart

Jesus spoke a parable to illustrate how people always ought to pray and not lose heart in Luke 18.  He spoke of a persistent widow who continued to urge a judge who did not fear God or man to avenge her.  Ultimately it was not a desire for justice but on account of personal annoyance he decided to take action on her case.  He was weary and troubled by the widow pestering him, so to get rid of her he avenged her.  Jesus concluded in Luke 18:6-8, "Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  Jesus affirmed God will surely avenge His people!  We are assured God will respond to the prayers of His own people He loves who cry out day and night to Him.

The point Jesus made was it was not really a question if God could or would answer the prayers of His people, but would His people who claim to trust in Him persist in prayer?  Would they lose heart?  Paul urged believers in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  God's will is for people to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks.  While God is faithful to hear and answer prayer, He looks upon the hearts of people looking to find faith and truth in the inner man.  He is not pleased to heed the prayers of people who pray to idols or those who refuse to hear or obey His words.  Because God loves His people, He will go to great lengths to turn their hearts to Him through judgment rather than coddle them by giving them everything they ask for.

Case in point:  God's people had been guilty of idolatry and refusing to hear the prophets God sent to warn them.  Because they had forsaken God and sold themselves to do great evil, consequences for their sin was inevitable; they could not talk themselves out of trouble.  Jeremiah 11:11-14 says, "Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. ¹² Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. ¹³ For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. ¹⁴ "So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble."

When God's idolatrous people cried out to Him--as well as their idols--He chose not to respond to their prayers to show the powerlessness of their false gods.  God told Jeremiah not even to bother praying for them because His judgments against them were set in the stone of the Law of Moses they ignored and He would uphold.  For Christians today, God's will concerning our praying continually without losing heart is abundantly clear.  Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2:  "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."  It is good for us to be aware of the powerful impact a humble heart, contrition and repentance for sin has on our prayers--even more than the precise words we say or how long we pray.  God looks upon the heart, and those who humble themselves before Him in faith will always have an audience with the almighty God by His grace.

Daily Spiritual Renewal

"For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."

2 Corinthians 4:15-16

As I walked early this morning, evidence of spring renewal was everywhere.  Trees were covered in white and pink blossoms, small green leaves have begun to emerge on deciduous trees, magpies foraged for their young, and the winter chill was gone from the air.  In His wisdom, God created the earth with seasons where winter rest precedes a period of renewal, growth and fruitfulness in the spring.  This led me to consider what Paul meant when he said the "inward man" of a believer is being renewed day by day.  Unlike the four seasons we experience in nature that last for months, spiritual renewal of Christians is intended by God to be our daily experience.

People can lose heart due to disappointments, dashed expectations and physical pains.  Many can be frustrated and feel hopeless about our physical bodies which wear out and perish like everything on earth that at one time was new.  Paul did not lose heart in the tribulations he faced for Christ's sake or his aching joints because day by day he was being renewed with spiritual strength and sure expectation of receiving good from God according to the riches of God's grace.  The psalmist spoke of the renewal of animals on the earth by God's power in Psalm 104:29-30:  "You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. ³⁰ You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth."  After Noah, his family and animals were preserved in the ark during the great flood, God's renewal of the earth has continued every year and every day without fail.  Observing God's renewal in the natural realm illustrates the spiritual renewal God desires to do in us day by day.

It struck me:  what if Noah, his family and animals decided to remain in the ark due to fear of future rains and flooding?  When the ship rested on Mt. Ararat and the olive leaf had been fetched by a dove from a tree to affirm the waters had dried up on the earth, it was time for a new season to emerge from the ark, explore and inhabit the new world God brought out of the previous global devastation.  All living things saved alive in the ark were to go forth, and God would make them to be fruitful and multiply.  Though exploring and settling in the land would require hard labour, it was good for Noah and his family to depart the cramped quarters of the ark and even use it for scrap in building projects--knowing God would keep His word to never again flood the earth with water to destroy it.  Spry youths grow weary and faint, but those who wait on the LORD will have their strength renewed to miraculously do spiritually what is impossible for our bodies:  to mount up with wings as eagles, to run without weariness and walk with Christ without needing to stop (Isaiah 40:28-31).

The invitation of the beloved to the Shulamite to venture outside to appreciate God's renewal of the land is fitting for Christians to consider spiritually in this new day God has made in Song of Songs 2:10-14:  "My beloved spoke, and said to me: "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. ¹¹ For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. ¹² The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. ¹³ The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! ¹⁴ "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely."  The Shulamite needed encouragement to rise and go toward the one who loved her, and Christians need encouragement as well to rise from our winter slumber.  The winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers are blooming, birds are singing and fruit is growing.  This is the spiritual reality when Jesus Christ renews our inward man day by day.  Will we remain bundled up in the dark, afraid of being rained on when the Light of the World shines and calls us by name to rise and seek Him?

Freedom and Responsibility

Growing up in the United States, there was regular talk of our rights and freedoms.  While the Beastie Boys sang raucously to fight for your right to party, the talk in school and on the playground often went to our Constitutional right to freedom of speech and to bear arms.  We felt entitled and deserving of the rights handed to us, and as we grew to adulthood many were fiercely protective of rights as well as pushing to secure additional rights.  For all I heard about rights, however, I heard very little about our responsibilities and duties as God-fearing citizens.  The rights touted by the founding fathers endowed by God who created mankind of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness in our modern day often do not include God or His purposes at all.

While the world around me seemed to dismiss the responsibilities and duties of U.S. citizens with disdain, I was raised by parents who feared God and sought to please Him.  In our household there was a very clear correlation between obedience to authority and additional freedoms earned, and at any time they could be forfeited by rebellious behaviour.  There was a strong emphasis on us kids taking personal responsibility to do what our parents required and expected of us with the understanding there would be plenty of opportunity provided for us to do as we pleased as well--within the structure established by my parents.  Work was prioritised over play, and after the work was completed there was wide latitude for going to friend's houses, playing with toys, enjoying games or watching a movie.

One marked difference in the kingdom of God from earthly systems and structures is the provision of grace that cannot be earned.  All the rights, benefits and privileges of God's children are offered freely by God for us to receive.  But a common thread found in both worlds is that of personal responsibility and duty to be wise and circumspect in the exercise of our freedom.  Paul stated there were lawful things which were not beneficial in 1 Corinthians 6:12:  "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."  Having been born again and washed from sin, Paul and all Christians are responsible before God to walk in wisdom and be circumspect, ensuring we are using the freedoms God has given us in a beneficial way that honours Him.

With the freedom we have in Christ, Paul wrote of many responsibilities of Christians that concern our hearts and conduct in Ephesians 5:1-4:  "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children

²  and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (NIV)  For anyone who touts their freedom from the Law of Moses or freedoms provided by right of citizenship, we ought to consider the standard of holiness and righteousness God requires of every Christian in His kingdom.  Having received all freedom by God's grace, we ought heed Christ's example to walk in love, to repent of sin when God convicts us, to speak wisdom with thanksgiving to God.