OUR FATHER WHO IS WORTH OF HONOR AND PRAISE FOREVER.

Psalm 149 says this;

Praise the Lord.

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.

Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters,  their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them—this is the glory of all his faithful people.

Praise the Lord.

This Psalm encourages the people of God to joyfully praise Him with new songs, with dancing and with musical instruments.

This is because the Lord delights in His people and He crowns the humble with victory.

The psalmist calls God's faithful people to rejoice with singing at all times even while in their beds because of the honor that the Lord their God has, at His own pleasure, given to them.

In this state of having the praise of God in their mouths and carrying the Word of God (which is a two-edged sword in their hand), the people of God will have the authority to execute judgement upon the spiritual rulers of darkness with the punisments they have been sentenced to.

God's people who are faithful with be granted the glory of the authority to bind spiritual powers of darkness with shackles to incapacitate them and ransack what they have stolen and then consign them to their written sentences.

Revere the Lord who confers such authority to those whom He finds faithful.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SHIELDS HIS PEOPLE FROM THE ASSYRIAN

The book of Isaiah chapter 31 verse 4 says this;

This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey—and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor—so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.

This passage, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah of the Lord's own words, speaks of the defence that the Lord Almighty will put up on behalf of His people.

A great lion that is not intimidated by the shouts and clamor of men is used as a metaphor for the Lord being implacable as He steps into the fray to shield His people and deliver them from the Assyrian. 

As Isaiah chapter 31 verse 5 says;

Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem, he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”

The powers of darkness that have deigned to conquer God's people are brought down and subjugated by supernatural power. 

Isaiah chapter 31 verse 8 says it this way;

“Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them.

They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor.a

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO IS THE FINAL JUDGE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 10 says this;

They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.”

We are revisiting this scripture  to consider different facets of what was happening at this pivotal juncture in history.

In the previous examination of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 10, the kings of the earth, having been stirred up in the realm of the dead to receive the one named 'the king of Babylon' whom they had feared and emulated, looked upon him and realized that he had been stripped of all his strength and was as feeble and helpless as they were. They now realised that any hope that they had that he would lead them out of their eternal predicament, were soundly dashed.

Also to consider are the extreme contrasts that are presented at this event. Here, all the kings of the earth had been subject to this person and thus he can be understood to have attained the very highest pinnacle of power and authority on earth where the kings of all the nations had feared him but now, in weakness and pitiful helplessness, he was brought down to the lowest pit and laid among maggots and worms as the next verse (verse 11) says;

All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.

Whereas the king of Babylon commanded fear and made the nations tremble, now, in the realm of the dead, the former kings of the earth are made (by the realm) to mockingly rise from their thrones to receive him.

They ponder the fate of the one who was once installed as the bright morning star who then subjugated all the nations but now had fallen and was cast down to the lowest place on earth. Verse 12 renders it this way;

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

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OUR FATHER WHO WILL BLESS THOS ED WHO MINISTER UNTO HIM

Psalm 134 says this;

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.

This Psalm, addressing the people who have set themselves apart in the night to minister unto the Lord, counsels them to raise their hands to the Lord and to praise Him that He may bless them from His headquarters and He, the creator of all things in heaven and on earth, has the power to bless greatly.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE PEOPLE ARE CALLED INTO SERVICE IN THE HIS MIGHTY ARMY

The book of Joel chapter 2 verse says this;

They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.

The innumerable army of the Lord moves quickly across the face of the earth shaking the ground like thunder.

The soldiers, moving in equestrian formations, are coordinated and move in unison to bring down strongholds and fortresses.

This massive gathering of an army is the greatest that has ever been in all the ages past and will ever be in all the ages to come.

The army, led from the front by the Lord Jesus Christ, is beyond comprehension in forces and it meticulously obeys His commands. As Joel chapter 2 verse 11 says;

The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command.

The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE PEOPLE PURSUED OTHER GODS AND GAVE THEMSELVES TO THEM

The book of Ezekiel chapter 15 16 verse 9 - 10 1 - 2 says this;

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices 

The Lord, speaking of Jerusalem as His bride, instructs the Prophet Ezekiel to go confront her for her sinful practices.

The Lord had found her in a pitiful condition and had raised her up but she repayed Him by consorting with idols and sacrificing her children to these idols.

She conducted herself with lewdness that even the surrounding godless neighbours did not practice.

Thus Lord was angry at her and brought humiliation upon her at the hand of those whom she followed after.

But the Lord's anger subsided and He made atonement for her because of His covenant with her.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO PRESERVES A REMNANT

The book of Isaiah chapter 17 verse 3 says this;

The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites, declares the Lord Almighty.

This verse is referring to the aftermath of the judgement and destruction that would be visited upon the kingdom of Aram and its capital city of Damascus.

The prophet Isaiah foretold of the events that would render Aram's capital city into a heap of ruins but he indicated that a tiny remnant would survive and that these remaining few of Aram would match the glory of the Israelites.

The remnant that the Lord preserves for Himself out of judgement are greatly strengthened and they are reserved for the purposes of the Lord.

As Isaiah chapter 60 verse 22 says;

The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.”

Amen.

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