OUR FATHER WHO RESISTS THE OPPRESSION OF ALL PEOPLE

When the Lord saw the misery and affliction of His people in Egypt, He was moved to action and in the book of Acts chapter 7 verse 34, He said these words to Moses to send Him to Egypt to free them;

I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” ’

After the Israelites were freed from Egypt by the Lord, Moses was given this instruction in Exodus chapter 23 verse 9 to teach the people.

“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

To oppress someone  is to impose hardship and/or subservience on them especially by means of the unjust use of authority.

This verse cautions the children of Israel not to oppress foreigners in their midst. 

The Israelites, having endured the harsh oppression they were dealt as foreigners in Egypt, would have experience with the physical and psychological pain suffered under oppressive regimes  and as such, the verse instructs them to be cognitive of the vulnerabilities of foreigners and to take care not to oppress them.

Oppression in the physical realm is mirrored in the spiritual realm where the devil oppresses people by imposing physical afflictions, mental anguish and bondage on them.

Even as the Lord Jesus travelled in Judea and Samaria,  He was moved to take action against the oppression imposed by the kingdom of darkness by healing those afflicted. Acts chapter 10 verse 38 says it this way;

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

The Lord our God takes action against oppression of all kinds and enjoins us to share in the work of alleviating oppresion among the people around us. He also instructs us to ensure that we ourselves do not perpetrate oppression against others.

Amen.

40

OUR FATHER WHO UPHOLDS THOSE WHOSE STEPS HE ORDERS

Exodus chapter 21 verses 5 - 6 says this;

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

This passage lays out the template for the position of bond servant in the old covenant  that represented the spiritual bond servant in the spiritual realm that church leaders like the apostle Paul declared themselves to be.

The original prescription for being a bond servant was for a man to declare that he was willing to forfeit the right to his own life and legally bond himself to his master. This intention was formalized by having an awl pierced through the servant's ear against a doorpost.

The spiritual application that this stood for was that followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, having been saved by believing in His death on a cross and trusting that He was able to save them, could opt to forfeit their own lives for the sake of the kingdom of their Lord.

By permantly inclining their ear to hear and obey the voice of the Lord, they would thus become bond servants of the Lord Jesus Christ having forfeited the right to chose their own path but rather, have all their steps directed by the Lord.

In doing this, they will find the blessing of the Lord's delight in them and His assurance that He would uphold them as written of in Psalm chapter 37 verses 23 - 24;

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO SAVES US AND HAS A PURPOSE FOR US IF WE CAN HEED HIS VOICE

When the children of Israel were released and led out of Egypt, they arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai where the Lord gave Moses a message to speak to them. 

Exodus chapter 19 verse 4 records it this way;

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 

The Lord, establishing that the children of Israel, having seen the great signs and wonders that He had done to free them from Egypt and then also to lead them safely through the wilderness, they should have been prepared to obey the Lord so that they could fulfil the purposes that He had for them. Verse 5 and 6 capture the Lord's  offer to the children of Israel;

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,  you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

The Lord conditionally called the children of Israel to be His treasured possesion, a holy nation and a kingdom of priests on the earth if they were willing to obey Him.

Having been saved by the Lord ourselves, in gratitude for what the Lord has done to save us, let us obey His voice in order to fulfil his purposes for our lives.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO DELIVERED HIS PEOPLE FROM BONDAGE BY HIS GREAT POWER

During the time of the ten plagues of Egypt, which were signs and wonders designed to persuade Pharaoh to release the Hebrew slaves, it became clear that Pharaoh was able to rationalize the occurences of the plagues of bloody water, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilences and bodily boils that had struck Egypt and her people. 

The Lord now commanded Moses to warn Pharaoh that things would get worse as recorded in the book of Exodus chapter 9 verses 13 - 14;

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

This passage heightens the stakes against Pharaoh by warning of more severe plagues that would adversely affect Pharaoh himself, his officials and the whole population of Egyptians

This time, the coming plagues would not be  explained away as easily. Hail, locusts, darkness and the deaths of all the first born people and livestock in the land represented an escalation that would be  an existential threat to the kingdom of Egypt.

These strikes against Egypt, it turned out, were so devastating that by the end, Pharaoh unconditionally surrendered and released the Hebrew slaves.

Thus the power of God was known in Egypt and the surrounding nations and they all feared the Hebrew nation as they departed Egypt because of the devastating power of their God.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL NATIONS (95)

Chapter 4 in the book of Daniel is an extraordinary chapter that is the personal testimony written by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, about his encounter with the Almighty God of Israel.

The chapter starts with the king saying that it was his pleasure to announce to the nations and peoples of every language, the amazing signs and wonders that the Most High God had done for Him. 

He then recounted a frightening night vision that he had while lying in bed and that he had sought the interpretation of the dream  from the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners but they could not solve the mystery.

King Nebuchadnezzar then described how Daniel, also known by the name Beltechazzar,  finally came into his presence and in chapter 4 verse 9, recorded this excerpt of his testimony;

I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me.

Nebuchadnezzar, in this verse, revealed that  Daniel, a prophet of the God of Israel, was highly regarded among the Babylonians.

Daniel had been elevated to the rank of Chief Magician and it was known that the Spirit of God was in him because there were no mysteries that were not laid bare to him by the Spirit's power.

The king thus confidently entrusted Daniel to interprete the dream for him.

Daniel, knowing that the dream was about the king himself, was greatly perplexed about telling the king what the dream meant but the king encouraged him to speak plainly of its meaning and so Daniel explained that the dream spoke of king's fall from his lofty position in his kingdom  down to being among the animals, drenched in dew and eating hay like an ox. 

Daniel also revealed that the expulsion of Nebuchadnezzar from among humans would be for 7 years and that the Lord would restore his sanity and restore him to his position as king.

It was after the astonishing prophecy came to pass and Nebuchadnezzar was expelled from governance due to insanity and then restored to his throne over his kingdom when he recovered,  that he wrote and widely distributed his testimony of the greatness of the sovereign God whom he called the King of heaven.

The Lord had promoted his prophet Daniel in the land of Babylon and demonstrated the greatness of the power of God through him such that the name of the Lord was glorified before all people.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO REIGNS IN GREAT POWER

Psalm 99 verses 1 - 2 says this;

The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.

Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.

This passage captures the awesome majesty of the reigning Lord.

From His throne in Zion, the Lord, seated between the cherubim,  is exalted above all nations. The nations tremble and the earth shakes in His presence.

How great the Lord is.

He is worthy of honor and praise forever.

Amen.

OUR FATHER CHALLENGES THE IDOL MAKERS

In Isaiah chapter 44 verse 10, the Lord asks this question;

Who shapes a god and casts an idol,  which can profit nothing?

Isaiah chapter 44 verse 11 then follows with the response to the question describing the consequenses that would be upon those who deemed it their role to make idols.

People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings.

Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame.

For mere human beings to presume that they have the power to craft gods out of wood and stone that other people should worship defies common sense.

How could a man imbue an inanimate object with qualities worthy of deification by another person?

The Lord foretells that they will be put to shame. 

He invites these craftsmen to assemble and make a case for themselves and demonstrate the power of the idols they create  but predicts that they will be brought down to terror and shame when their demonstrations fail.

As 1 John chapter 5 verse 21 says;

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE NAME IS GLORIFIED 

Psalm 45 verses 3 - 4 says this;

Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.

In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.

This passage captures some details of a 'most excellent man' who lips have been anointed by grace and who has been blessed by God as recorded in the previous verse.

This man is described as a mighty one clothed in slendor and majesty which points to His royalty and kingship.

His cause is that of truth, humility and justice.

The subject of this passage is a prefiguration of the Lord Jesus. At the end of His first visitation where he existed as a carpenter and a traveling preacher, he suffered and died on a cross. Gaining victory over sin and death,  He  rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit on the administrative throne at  right hand of God the Father.

On this throne, splendor and majesty are His regalia while truth, humility and justice are the hallmarks of His kingdom. 

Bless the Lord who reigns forever. 

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO REACHES OUT FOR US

Isaiah chapter 65 verse 1 ( x chapter 64 verse 13) says this;

“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.

I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’ To a nation which did not call on My name.

This verse reveals the bracing reality about the condition of mankind in relation to our creator.

If the Lord did not permit Himself to be sought and to be found, we, as a race, would never have be able to reach Him. 

If the Lord had not gone out of His way to indicate that He was there and who He was, we would have remained completely in the dark about the God who made us.

The very brightest among us may have been able to form a rough idea of the nature of the God from creation but this would have been uncertain and even more contested than it is today.

To our eternal benefit, the God who made us in His image, deliberately set out to make Himself known to those He created even when, in our fallen and rebellious state, we were determined to follow our own ways.

We consorted with false gods and occupied ourselves with the pursuit of fleshly desires but the Lord still called out to us to turn back to Him.

Our God loved us so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice of giving His son unto death in order to pay the ransom for our redemption after we had fallen under the sway of the kingdom of darkness.

Let us believe in the Lord Jesus who was slain so that we, by calling upon Him and trusting in Him, can be saved and  find our God who loves us and reaches out for us.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO SETS ASIDE A REMNANT

The Lord permitted himself to be sought and found by a people who were not calling upon His name. The people turned out to be obstinate and  rebellious and  walked in bad paths and were given to pursuing their own thoughts and imaginations.

Isaiah chapter 65 verse 3 describes how brazenly they defied the Lord by sacrificing and burning incense to other gods; 

a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;

These people carried out rituals among graves, kept unholy vigils in the night and indulged in impure flesh.

The Lord, responding to those who rejected His ways for their own ways, said in Isaiah chapter 65 verse 8;

So I will act on behalf of My servants In order not to destroy all of them.

When a society rebels against the Lord, He sets those who remain faithful to Him apart and they inherit a place set aside for them as Isaiah chapter 65 verse 9 says;

“I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, And an heir of My mountains from Judah;

Even My chosen ones shall inherit it, And My servants will dwell there.

Amen.

 OUR FATHER WHO SETS US FREE

From Psalm 142 

I pour out my heart

I cry aloud to You

I lift my voice for mercy Lord

For what I'm going through

When my spirit grows faint within me

It's you who guards my way

You set me free from my prison Lord

That I may praise your name

 OUR FATHER WHO REMAINS THE SAME

( From Psalm 102 )

You release the captives and those condemed

And so be praised by people not yet created

You remain the same, Your years will never end 

Forever You'll be worshipped in Jerusalem

You Lord are enthroned forever

Your name will be feared by all nations

The kings of the earth Your glory will revere

You will be renown for all generations

OUR FATHER WHO INVITES THE RIGHTEOUS TO DWELL NEAR HIM

Psalm chapter 15 verses 1 - 5 ( x 9 - 11) says this;

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?

The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

In the 15th Psalm, the psalmist asks the Lord who would be the people who would be residents in His household and who would have homes located on the Lord's holy mountain, Mount Zion. 

The psalmist continues on to list the attributes of those who would be welcomed into heaven to reside in the household of God and dwell on His holy mountain.

They will be those who do what is right and who are honest. These are the people who guard their tongues and do no wrong to those around them.

They avoid those who engage in depravity but give honor to those who submit to God. If they make a vow, they keep it even if upholding the vow hurts them. They refuse to rescind the vow.

They lend money to the poor at no interest and they do not take a bribe to tip the scales against the innocent.

Those who are brought by the Lord to be His close neighbours in heaven are those who cultivate honesty, fairness, generosity, integrity in their lives.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO MADE AN ETERNAL SACRIFICE ONCE AND FOR ALL

Hebrews chapter 9 verse 14 says this;

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 

This verse describes the efficacy and the excellency of the blood of Christ. The unblemished sacrifice, offered to God by Christ through the eternal Spirit, has the power to cleanse our consciences so that the guilt of our sins in the flesh which lead to death, is washed away and we are able to serve God.

The verse also shows how the once-and-for-all sacrifice far exceeds the sacrifice of goats and bulls and heifers that were prescribed under the old covenant which had to be repeated over and over and even then, only cleansed externally.

The perfection of the sacrifice that Christ made of Himself, in the greater and more perfect eternal tabernacle in heaven, obtained for us eternal redemption.

Christ, having died as a ransom to set free those who committed infractions of the laws enumerated under the old covenant, is the mediator of a new covenant which promises an eternal inheritance to those who are called.

Those cleansed from sins that lead to death, are made alive in Christ so that by their living, they may serve the living God.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO HEARD HIS SON'S CALL FOR HELP

Psalm 71 verses 11 - 13 says this;

They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.”

Do not be far from me, my God; come quickly, God, to help me.

May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.

This passage, in a parallel narrative to the one David was recording in his Psalm, tells of the travails that our Lord Jesus underwent as agents of darkness conspired against Him.

They scorned the Lord declaring that He had been abandoned by God and they were free to seize Him because there was no one to rescue Him.

The Lord Jesus Christ cried out to His God to help Him quickly as He fell into the hands of His enemies.

The spirits of darkness who presented accusations against Him and planned to injure Him, were judged such that they would be covered with the scorn and disgrace that they tried to heap on the Lord and they were condemned to perish in the same way they attempted to make the Lord Jesus perish.

The Lord prevailed against His enemies.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO EXPECTS OATHS AND COVENANTS TO BE HONORED

The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,  had invaded Israel and overthrown Jerusalem. He took all the captured leaders of the land back to Babylon.  

Nebuchadnezzar then signed a treaty with an Israelite king whom he installed in Jerusalem to oversee the conquered kingdom of Israel on his behalf.

While Nebudchanezzar was away, the vassal king of Israel decided to break the treaty he had made with him. He plotted to rebel against the Babylonians and throw them off with the help of the Egyptians.

Because of this breaking of a formal treaty, the Lord was against the Israelite king for his actions. The Lord regarded the treaty signed between Babylon and Israel as an oath and covenant between Himself and Babylon and so when Israel broke the covenant, He declared in  Ezekiel chapter 17 verse 19;

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant. 

The Lord expected Israel to keep its treaty with Babylon because His own name was associated with Israel and He judged Israel severely for failing to keep the signed covenant.

Amen.

OUR FATHER IN WHOM WE HOPE

Psalm 131  ( x verse 4 ) says this;

My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother;  like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

The psalmist describes four postures that we should adopt when we approach the Lord.

Firstly, we humble our hearts before the Lord and  we do not look with haughty eyes. The Lord is Himself humble and lowly of heart so it is wise to approach Him with humility.

Secondly, we should not come before the Lord with lofty intellectual notions too great for us but rather we should be simply cogniscent of how great the gift of salvation the Lord undertook to gain for us through the giving of His life on a cross. Simple gratitude before the Lord is fitting.

Thirdly,  we should be calm and content before the Lord. We should be confident in our security  in the Lord and trust in Him such that anxiety and worry do not take root in us.

Forthly, we must permanently hope in the Lord so that all our expectations and all our concerns are laid on Him and we are not led elsewhere seeking fulfillment but rather, always seeing the Lord as our only source and aspiration.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO IS OUR REFUGE

From Psalm 91 and Psalm 92

Those who dwell in the shelter of our Lord

Will rest in the shadow of  Almighty God

He is my refuge whom I trust with all my days

For by His angel's He will guard my ways 

The righteous will flourish in the house of the Lord

They will grow like the cedar in the courts of our God

They will  always bear fruit as they proclaim

The Lord is my Rock, there is no wickedness in Him

OUR FATHER WHOM WE PRAISE

( From Psalm 41 )

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

From everlasting to everlasting

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

Amen and Amen

Blessed are those who give  the poor a hand

The Lord will preserve  them and always deliver them

They are among those called blessed in the land 

Amen and Amen

OUR FATHER WHOSE GREAT SACRIFICE MAKES US PERFECT FOREVER

Hebrews chapter 10 (x16) verse 14 says this;

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The sacrifice being spoken of in this verse is the sacrifice of the life of the Lord Jesus where, as the sinless lamb of God, he was slain to pay the price to redeem all who believed.

This one sacrifice made by God was of such perfection that it was sufficient to perfect those who are being made holy.

A sacrifice is understood to mean the giving up of something of value to gain something for someone else's sake.

The more valuable what is being given is to the giver, the greater the quality of the sacrifice. 

If, for example, I give one of my ten coats to help a family member without one, it is a sacrifice but not an extremely notable one. On the other hand,  if I were to give my enemy my only coat in winter, the sacrifice would be greater because it would entail a greater cost and risk to the giver.

In the case of Jesus' sacrifice, He was the only begotten Son of God. He was the only being who was the exact and perfect representation of God,  the precise portrayal of God by God. 

Jesus' sacrifice was the giving of the life of this  infinitely valuable perfect person to pay for the sins of the enemies of God so that some of them may be saved if they believed.

The gift that those who believe get from this great sacrifice is that they, having been bought out of sin and death, are then made perfect forever.

Considering the extreme value of this gift,  it would be worth surrendering everything in our lives to step forward and believe in what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, and follow Him.

He is indeed no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO DEFENDS THE WEAK

Jeremiah chapter 34 verses  2 - 3 reads this way;

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.

You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.

The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had undertaken war against the kingdom of Judah and had conquered most of the country and now surrounded Jerusalem where the king of Judah named Zedekiah, was fortified against the siege.

While in this tense stand-off with the Babylonians, the prophet Jeremiah was sent by the Lord to give a message to the king, Zedekiah.

The prophet  told Zedekiah that his resistance against Nebuchadnezzar was futile and that Jerusalem would be overrun and burned down. Furthermore, Zedekiah was informed that he himself would be captured and taken to Babylon.

The Lord's word of reassurance to king Zedekiah was that even though he was to be captured and taken to Babylon, he would still live in the dignity of his office as king and that he would be buried with honors in Babylon.

Now, King Zedekiah and the nobles of Jerusalem had made a covenant with each other  regarding their Hebrew slaves. They agreed to free them as the siege against them set in. They repented before the Lord for not keeping the law of God which stipulated that every person who held Hebrew slaves was to free them after six years. The nobles of Jerusalem had not done this up to that point but the Lord accepted their repentance and their freeing of the slaves.

Soon after however, those who made the covenant changed their minds and forced their freed slaves back into slavery.

The Lord was angered by this breaking of the  covenant that was made and the re-enslaving of the people who had already been freed to choose their own path.

Because of the treachery of Zedekiah and the nobles, the original judgement  against Jerusalem, which was difficult but tolerable, was changed to a brutal and ultimately fatal collision with the king of Babylon.

Treating  human beings of humble means treacherously will invite an escalation of judgement from the Lord that may not be survivable.

Let us be careful to treat others fairly no matter what their stations in life are.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO OFFERS REST THROUGH THE GOOD NEWS

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 7 says this;

God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your 

 hearts.”

The verse quotes Psalm 95 verse 11 where David adjures his audience not to harden their hearts if they hear the Lord's voice.

The literary use of the word "today" by the Lord in this verse is to make an offer to anyone who would hear it at any time at the present or the future.

This standing offer is made to God's people when they hear the good news. Whereas some hear the good news and harden their hearts and decline the offer, others  hear the good news and believe and they enter God's rest.

They can rest from their works because they accepted the standing offer of the gospel and believed.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE COVENANTS MUST NOT BE BROKEN

Ezekiel chapter 17 verse 19 says this;

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.

This verse contains the words of judgement upon the king of Judah  who had made a treaty with the king of Babylon and then broke it.

After conquering Judah, the king of Babylon had installed a king in Jerusalem to rule over Judah as his proxy but this king, unauthorised by the Lord, decided to rebel against the king of Babylon and sent envoys to Egypt to get military help in his quest to shake off the Babylonian masters.

Even though the proxy king shook hands on the treaty with the king of Babylon,  the treaty was between the God of Israel  and the King of Babylon so when the proxy king broke the covenant, he was actually breaking it on behalf of the Lord and this breach brought down severe judgment on Judah where many of the nobles of Judah were taken away to Babylon and many were killed. The armies of Judah had numerous soldiers slain and the rest were scattered.

Thus, the rebellious kingdom of Judah was left in utter ruins for their disregard of the Lord's covenant.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO RESTORES US BACK TO LIFE

Ezekiel chapter 16 verse 9 ( x 15 verse 9 ) says this;

“‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.

This verse in Ezekiel is a detail of the revelation of what condition the Lord found His people.

Before the Lord found them, the people were in a forsaken and abandoned state. They were injured and naked as they struggled in their own blood unable to restore themselves.

The Lord saw them and was compassionate towards them and declared that they should live and then they were able to grow.

The Lord, in accepting the people as His, then washed them with water, rinsed their blood off them and anointed them with oil to heal them.

This is reminiscent of the story of the good Samaritan that Jesus our Lord told.

There was a man who was accosted by robbers and he was beaten and left naked and half dead on the side of the road. The good Samaritan, passing by, saw the injured man and took pity on him. The Samaritan stopped to help and cleaned and bandaged his wounds and anointed them with oil and wine. He then made provision for the injured man to have shelter and a place to recover.

The Lord, in redeeming us, is like the good Samaritan. He finds us in a lost and damaged state and He cares for us by cleansing us and annointing and binding our wounds to heal us and restore us back to life.

Bless the Lord who saved us. With his own resources He provided for us. 

Amen.

OUR FATHER IN WHOSE SALVATION WE REJOICE

Psalm 13 verse 5 says this;

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

The Amplified version says it this way;

But I have trusted and relied on and been confident in Your lovingkindness and faithfulness; My heart shall rejoice and delight in Your salvation.

To trust is to wholly surrender to the promised security of the Lord's love and kindness towards us.

To trust is to stop seeking other paths of security and comfort or to hedge our position by making provision for our security on our own.

From this place of trust, even when the Lord's deliverance is not readily visible, our hearts will find true joy and delight in the Lord when His great salvation is revealed.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO CAUTIONS US AGAINST THE FOLLY OF  FORMING IDOLS IN OUR LIVES

Isaiah chapter 44 verse 19 says this;

No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals,

I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?  Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

The Amplified version says it this way;

No one remembers, nor has knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], “I have burned half of this log in the fire, and also baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. Then I make the rest of it into an repulsive thing [to God]; I bow down [to worship] before a block of wood!”

This verse records the Lord incredulously considering  the mindset of a person who had made an idol out of a log of wood.

The person does not have the presence of mind to recall that from half of the same log that he burned to cook his bread and roast his meat,  he fashioned an idol to which he bows down.

If one end of a log fulfils the mundane purpose of being burned to cook food, how can the other end that is left over have any sacred value worthy of bowing down too?

Generalized to the rest of our lives, are there any mundane things that we partake in to sustain us  which we then elevate to the status of idol in our hearts?

Amen.

OUR FATHER REQUIRES REPENTANCE FOR HARBOURING IDOLS IN OUR HEARTS AND FOR CLINGING TO WICKED STUMBLING BLOCKS

One day, a number of the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel's home and sat in front of him. 

They wanted to inquire of the Lord through the prophet but the Lord, seeing their hearts, said to Ezekiel these words in the book of  Ezekiel chapter 14 verse 3;

“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?

The Lord informed Ezekiel that the men had come with two conditions; they had idols in their hearts and they had wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.

The Lord, in verse 6, instructed Ezekiel to advise the men with these words;

“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!

The two conditions the men of the elders of Israel needed to repent from were harbouring idols in their hearts (which are any alligiances that are held to anyone or anything that are prioritized over the Lord) and having stumbling blocks before their faces ( which are any sinful distractions that draw their attention away from God and towards satiating their lusts or ambitions).

In such a state, one cannot draw near to God and hear from Him. The Lord cannot forcefully interject himself onto a person's affairs in order to displace an idol or a stumbling block that has been incorporated into that person's life.

Such things must be willingly repented of and turned away from before the Lord can be accessible to those who call upon His name.

Amen.

OUR FATHER OF WHOM ONLY WE BOAST

The apostle Paul was controverting the notion that had emerged among the people of the church at Corinth, that there was some significance attached to the apostles who served the people there. Some of them had taken to boasting about the human leaders in their midst which Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 5;

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 

Paul asserted here that there was no value to fostering loyalties to any specific servant of God who had worked among them.

Each person who participated in the endeavour of bringing them to salvation was simply doing the task to which they were assigned by the Lord.

To boast of affiliation with particular ministers of the gospel incorrectly ascribed credit to servants that should have been exclusively given to the Lord.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO SECURED US FOREVER

Hebrews chapter 10 verse 14 says this;

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The Amplified version says it this way;

For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity].

This profound verse contrasts the repeated daily sacrifices that the priests had to perform under the old covenant with the singular sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered by dying on a cross to perfect and cleanse us forever.

Whereas the blood of bulls and goats could not cleanse from sin or from a guilty conscience but rather served only as a  reminder of sin, the blood of Jesus was able to permanently cleanse from sin and cleanse the conscience of those being made holy.

How precious the sacrifice of our Lord is for it forever secured those who in faith believed.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO MIRRORED HEAVEN ON THE EARTH FOR THE OLD COVENANT

In the earthly tabernacle built under the old covenant, there was an inner section that was veiled by a curtain. This section was called the Most Holy Place and it contained a number of items that are listed in the book of Hebrews chapter 9 verses 4 - 5;

which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover.

The Most Holy Place and the articles it contained were copies or representations of the architecture of heaven and the mechanics of heavens interactions with the earth.

The Most Holy place represents heaven where God dwells. The golden altar of incense represents the altar of praise before God that ascends from His people to Him.

The ark of the covenant is an earthly representation of the dwelling place of the presence of God.

Contained within the ark of the covenant was the gold jar of manna which represents the bread of life for those in the spirit. Aaron's staff which budded represents the tree of life in heaven.

The stone tablets with the ten commandments represent the perfect law of God which is the law of love which is also written on the hearts of God's people.

The sculptures of the cherubim on the ark represent the actual cherubim in heaven who surround and shield the presence of God. The atonement cover of the ark represents the throne of mercy from which mercy is granted to those for whom atonement by blood is made.

Amen.