OUR FATHER WHO REDEEMED US
From Psalm 107;
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Tell of how He saved us from danger
Give thanks to the Lord our God
For he is good His love endures forever
Some of us were thirsty, hungry and lost
Others were chained in darkness, terror and loss
Some of us were wandering, couldn't find a home
Others were afflicted, oppressed and alone
Then He turned the desert into flowing springs
And this why my heart rejoices and sings
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OUR FATHER WHO GIVES WISDOM TO ANYONE WHO ASKS
The book of Ecclesiates chapter 7 verses 1 - 7, dispensing words of wisdom, says this;
A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.
This verse teaches that a good name is more enduring than expensive perfume. It brings to mind the verse in Mathew chapter 26 verses 12 - 13, where a woman, overcome with remorse, breaks a jar of costly perfume over the Lord's body. The Lord made this statement when the people around commented on her actions;
When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
This gesture of humble adoration is an illustration of how the woman was willing to expend a whole bottle of perfume in exchange for a good name for all the coming ages when the Lord Jesus declared that she would be remembered throughout the world because of her action.
The next section advises that we should give preference to somber and solemn events rather than events marked by laughter, feasting and pleasure.
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.
Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
The counsel given is that the hearts of the wise gravitate towards occasions of mourning while the hearts of the foolish are drawn to occasions of pleasure.
The section that follows speaks to the value to our lives that the wise and the foolish bring.
It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools.
Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.
These verses advise us that qualitatively, it is better to hear the rebuke of a wise man than to listen to the song of fools. Even though a rebuke sometimes difficult and even painful to receive, it profits us far more than to listen to a pleasant song of fools. The songs and laughter of fools bring no gain to our lives but are like thorns crackling in a fire where they burn away and amount to nothing.
This verse speaks of two ways that people can be induced to perform certain tasks or to overlook some activity. A person could be extorted or person could be bribed;
Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
This insight given here is that if a wise man is subjected to extortion, he is turned into a fool because every option he has to choose between yields a bad result.
On the other hand, if a wise man is offered a bribe and he accepts it, his heart will get corrupted in a way that shapes how he percieves himself and how he is perceived by other people.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO DELIGHTS IN HIS SERVANT
The book of Isaiah chapter 42 verses 1 - 2 says this;
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
First, this passage records the Lord pointing out and introducing His servant to the people which is echoed in Mathew chapter 3 verse 3 which, even quoting Isaiah, speaks of announcing to the people the arrival of the Lord;
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
Secondly, this expected One is described in Isaiah as the One in whom the Lord delighted.
This mirrors the words that came from heaven when Jesus was being baptized by John the baptist in Mathew chapter 3 verse 17 which, in the Amplified version, says;
and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased and delighted!”
It is notable that "the One", in Isaiah, who delighted the Father, was a servant and "the One" in Mathew, was a Son.
Thirdly, the Lord, in Isaiah, says that He would put His Spirit on the servant while in Mathew, at the Baptism scene, Mathew chapter 3 verse 16 says this;
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
These three converging conditions in both books, namely that God would publically point out the One who was chosen, and that the Lord was delighted in Him and that the Spirit of God would be placed on him, establish that the Servant and the Son, are one and the same person and that the promised Son would be revealed first as a servant.
This humble starting place for the Servant of God would take Him through paths of rejection, scorn, accusations and trials that ended in death but out of that, the perfection of the Son of God would cause Him to rise from death and ascend to the right hand of the Father, the servant now revealed as the King of glory.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER OF WHOM THE WHOLE EARTH WILL MARVEL
Psalm 99 100 verse 10 1 says this;
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
This verse outlines the appropriate scale and type of response that the Lord should receive when the whole world sees Him.
The ancient nagging questions that have haunted the entire human race from the dawn of time will be answered in one moment when the glory of God is seen by all.
The deep questions pertaining to our origin, our structure, our condition, our purpose and our destiny will be answered in a moment and joy, expressed in shouting and singing and clapping and weeping will spontaneously burst forth.
Our Creator, in His power and righteousness and perfection, will thrill the entire earth when we behold Him and marvel and tremble.
Blessed is the Lord.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO GIVES INCENTIVES TO WALK IN LOVE
Philemon chapter 1 verse 7 says this;
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
The apostle Paul, writing from prison to his friend Philemon, lauds him for the love he had shown to other believers and also for his faith in the Lord Jesus.
Paul tells Philemon that hearing of this love had filled him with joy and encouragement because this love had refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people.
The gift that Paul gave to Philemon for the love shown to the people of God was to pray for him so that his activities would give him access to a deeper understanding of the things that Paul was doing for the sake of Christ.
This means that demonstrating the love of God to the people of God so as to refresh and revive them, is a channel of gaining deeper revelations of the goods things that shared for the sake of Christ.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO HAS OVERCOME
The book of Ezekiel chapter 2 verses 5 - 6 says this;
And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them.
And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.
This passage records the charge that God gave to the prophet Ezekiel to speak the word of the Lord to people of Israel.
He was to speak to them whether they listened or not.
The people were described as rebelious which invokes their involvement in witchcraft as alluded to in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 23 which says;
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
Ezekiel is instructed not to fear them or whatever they said. Even though fears and worries are cast upon him and witches lived around him, Ezekiel was told by the Lord to be steadfast and unshaken.
This charge is on us as well. We are to be fearless in the face of darkness and its power.
The Lord Jesus made a public spectacle of these powers and they have been placed under His feet.
Amen.
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