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.

4

OUR FATHER WHO SAVES HIS PEOPLE FROM FALSE PROPHETS

The book of Ezekiel chapter 13 verse 9 says this;

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

This verse is a declaration by the Lord that the prophets who tapped into the realm of falsity and were thus reporting false vision and uttering false divination would be barred from the council of God's people. 

They had allowed their imaginations to be leveraged by deceiving spirits and then prophecied these false notions as though they were the words of the Lord.

They would be blotted from the records of Israel and they would be expelled from the kingdom of Israel.l1

Distracted by these deceptions, the prophets failed to shore up the defences of Israel leaving her vulnerable to invasion because her walls were weak and merely covered in whitewash to give the appearance of being strong.

The Lord, in Ezekiel chapter 13 verses 22 - 23,  says;

Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives,  therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO DEPOSES KINGS AND RAISES UP NEW ONES

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 4 says this;

I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,”  declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

In the judgement against Egypt for their aggression against God's people, the Egyptians were made subject to a harsh taskmaster who had absolute power over the people of Egypt.

As part of the destruction of Egypt's ability to afflict the children of Israel, a new ruler put into place by the Lord and this ruler will  inflict recriminations against the Egyptians which will further demoralize the Egyptian kngdom.

This prophecy, uses the kingdom of Egypt as a stand-in for the worldly system of power that seeks to completely shape the world in the image of man and erase the Lord and His salvation from the knowledge of men.

This emergence of modern 'Egypt' , which is driven by a creed that seeks to decimate the people of the earth even as the Egyptians of old tried to decimate the children of Israel and then rule them harshly with restrictions on what they needed for their work just as the Egyptians of old did by withholding straw from their brick making work.

But the Lord, as described by Isaiah, will visit Egypt and render the kingdom inert with foolishness and economic woe and will orchestrate the placement of a new ruler over them who will act despotically toward his own people.

As Daniel says in the book of Daniel chapter 2 verse 21;

He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES FALSE PROPHETS

The book of Ezekiel chapter 13 verse 11 says this;

therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. 

The Lord, speaking of the walls of defence that were built around Jerusalem, gave warning through the prophet Ezekiel that the wall was going to fall.

Just as the wall surrounding the city was flimsy and deceptively covered in whitewash, so were the prophecies of peace being delivered by the false prophets of Israel at the time.

The Lord declared that the wall would fall under the power of the natural forces the Lord unleashed on it.

First, torrential rain would fall on the wall then hailstones would batter the wall and then violent winds would rush in to blow down any standing walls.

The false prophets would themselves be washed away like the false security they were trying to offer to the people.

Jerusalem would also fall when the judgement of a foreign power came to defeat Israel.

The false prophets promised peace out of their own imaginations but there would be no peace.

This reflects the well known scripture found in Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 14 which says;

“They have treated superficially the [bloody] broken wound of My people, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ When there is no peace.

And this is reflected again in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 1 - 4 which says;

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.

Here, the people of God are advised to be prepared so that even when peace and safety is being declared around them, they would not be caught unawares when destruction comes.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE WARNING TO ISRAEL.OF THEIR COMING JUDGEMENT

The book of Ezekiel chapter 4 verses 3 - 5 says this;

 Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.

“Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. 

I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

The prophet Ezekiel was charged by the Lord to bring a word of warning to the people of Israel that judgement was coming to visit them because of their rebellion against their God.

He was commanded to construct a miniature representation of the city of Jerusalem and then he was to enact a siege against the miniature city.

As directed, Ezekiel took an iron pan and placed it to represent an iron wall that protected the city. He then was to turn toward the city and represent the city was under siege.

This was a warning to the people of Israel of what was to come.

Ezekiel was the commanded by the Lord to lie on the ground before the city for 390 days to represent the number of years that Israel had sinned.

For those days, Ezekiel was to bear the sin of the people of Israel in a representation of how the Messiah would bear the sins of the world.

Whereas Ezekiel was mortal, he could only bear the sins in a figurative way and only for a finite period. The Messiah, who is eternal, would actually bear the sins of mankind and thus save mankind from the penalty of death because of our sins.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO PROTECTS US FROM OUR MORTAL ENEMIES

Psalm chapter 17 verse 9 says this;

...from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.

This verse captures a phrase from the prayers of the Lord Jesus just before He was tracked down by His enemies and arrested in the garden of Gethsemane.

Here, Jesus asks His father to guard Him and to hide Him in the Shadow of His wings so that the wicked who were attempting to destroy Him and His mortal enemies who encircled Him, would be unable to defeat Him.

The wicked sought to destroy Him because of His righteousness that shone contrary to them and those who were His mortal enemies sought death for Him because He was life and light exposed them for their hypocrisy.

Even though Jesus had identified Himself to the soldiers when they entered the garden looking for Him,  they surrounded Him to entrap Him in their midst.

The Lord is mighty.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO DEFENDS HIS PEOPLE FROM RUTHLESS MOCKERS

The book of Isaiah chapter 37 verse 4;

 It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.”

This verse carries the hope that King Hezekiah of Judah sent by his servants to the prophet Isaiah along with the report of the threats that the commander of the  Assyrian army named Sennacherib had made against Judah.

The Assyrian commander had taunted the people of Judah telling them that the gods of the other kingdoms that Assyria had already conquered were unable to save them and therefore the God of of the people of Judah would not be able to save them either.

Hezekiah's hope was that the taunts of Sennacherib against the people of Judah would arouse the wrath of the Lord and that the Lord would rebuke them and therefore a remnant of people in Judah would be spared.

When the prophet Isaiah heard this report, he gave this response recorded of Isaiah chapter 37 verses 6 - 7;

Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 

Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’”

Hezekiah's hope was realised when the insults that Sennacherib has leveled against the Lord had been noted in heaven and there was a rebuke that was set in motion to bring about judgement on the Assyrians.

Amen.

3

OUR FATHER WHO DELIVERS HIS PEOPLE FROM THE ONSLAUGHT OF THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS

Psalm 9 verse 6 says this;

Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.

This verse captures the complete devastation that the powers of darkness suffer under the judgement of God.

This judgement came is response to the concerted effort of the kingdoms of darkness to persecute God's people and the attempt to erradicate them from the face of the earth.

As Psalm 9 verse 13 says;

Lord, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

From the throne of judgement, the rebuke from the Lord caused them to turn and scramble to get away as they fell over each other in their panic as they perished.

 Psalm 9 verse 3 says it this way;

My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.

Let us rejoice in the Lord's salvation.

Amen.

From Psalm 3;

You Lord are my defence when so many rise against

You are the One who lifts my head

I called out to You The One who is strong and true

You answered me and calmed my dread

You Lord delivered me 

When I laid down to sleep

I rose again for You sustained me.

I will not fear the foe

For in You I truly know

That Your deliverance is sure

6

OUR FATHER WHOSE SPIRIT RESTORES THE LAND

The book of Isaiah chapter 32 verse 9 says this;

You women who are so complacent,  rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say!

This verse exhorts the women of the land to stop being carefree but rather to be alert and watch and pray.

For it is they who will need to discern the changing seasonings that in a little more than a year, will bring about the failure of the harvest of the vineyard and the presence of the Spirit of God will be scarce.

The righteous people of God will be bypassed and only the stubborn and rebellious men will take rulership over the land.

In this time, hardship and oppression will dominate and will only end when the Spirit of God is poured upon His people and finally,  peace and prosperity will take hold in the land.

As verse 18 says,

Then my people will live in a peaceful surrounding,

And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO REDEEMS HIS PEOPLE EVEN WHEN THEY REBEL AND TURN AWAY FROM HIM

The book of Isaiah chapter 59 verses 4 - 5 says this;

No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.

This passage, referring to the Lord's people who had fallen away from Him, lists the perversion of justice that permeated their lives. 

They left injustices to stand because they did not argue the cases with integrity.

They used fallacies and deceptions to prop up unfair and unjust conditions for people to live under.

They imagined harm and distressful burdens to place on their societies and thus birthed evil in their midst.

They broke open spiritual packages through abominable acts that released demonic entities among the people.

They spun up spider webs to ensnare innocent people in oppression and spiritual bondage.

Anyone who partook of their demonic offerings invoked the protocols of death. 

From out of this chaos and moral degradation,  the Lord sent a redeemer to save those who were led to see the evil of their deeds and renounce them. As Isaiah chapter 59 verse 20 says;

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.

20

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES HIS PEOPLE WITH GARMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Psalm chapter 5 verses 1 - 2 says this;

Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament.

Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

This passage records the psalmist calling on God to listen to his words and to consider his lament.

The psalmist then describes the ones who the Lord does not allow to bring prayers and requests  before Him; Those who are wicked, evil, arrogant, liars, bloodthirsty and duplicitous.

The ones who are welcomed by the Lord are the ones who are righteous, humble, truthful, peaceful and without guile.

Even as the psalmist calls for the Lord to consider His lament, the Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 6 verse 28 - 30, calls on His people to consider how the Lord arrays even the short-lived lilies of the field in splendor. 

If He does this for the lilies, how much more will the Lord clothe His people in righteousness.

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

For those who put their trust in God, to meet the standard of righteousness required so that they can bring their requests before Him, they need not worry about where their garments of righteousness will come from.

The Lord will provide His people with the righteousness needed to approach God with laments and requests.

God, through the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, made it possible for us to be clothed in righteousness through faith and we need not worry about how to be righteous but rather we can be assured that the Lord will provide us with the righteousness we need.

Amen.

10

OUR FATHER WHO TENDS THE VINEYARD OF JACOB TO YEILD FRUIT FOR THE WHOLE EARTH

The book of Isaiah chapter 27 verse 3 says this;

I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.

Here, we read that the Lord personally oversees the fruitful vineyard of Israel. He tends to this garden night and day as he waters it and protects if from harm.

The fruit that comes out of the vineyard are that Israel's guilt will be atoned for and his sin removed.

This verse points to the careful nurturing that the Lord undertook to keep Israel safe so that in the correct time, the Messiah could be brought to save not only Israel but the whole world.

As verse 6 says;

In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.

The work the Lord does in His vineyard causes Israel to blossom and yield fruit that goes to the ends of the earth.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO GLORIFIES ZION

The book of Isaiah chapter 60 verse 13 says this;

“The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet.

The city of Jerusalem had been made desolate in judgement but grace and favour of the Lord had been restored to her and now she has been exalted by the Lord and her light shines brightly at her rising as her walls are restored and the nations of the earth serve her.

In this verse, Jerusalem, as part of her rehabilitation, has the sanctuary of the Lord beautified and adorned with the majestic trees of Lebanon which is known for cypress trees and other conifers.

The place where the Lord sets as His staging area, is glorified by Him.

The city, referred to as Zion, will have the glory of God shining from it and God's people within it will be amplified in God's strength. As verse 22 says;

The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

Amen

9

 OUR FATHER WHO DEFENDS HIS PEOPLE

The book of Amos chapter 1 verse 7 says this;

I will send fire on the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses.

This verse, part of a prophecy concerning Gaza, is topical is surprising ways. 

In the prophecy, Gaza had taken whole communities captive and sold them off and for these sins, their judgement was sure.

This prophecy mirrors the recent events where people out of Gaza captured communities of people at the behest of the spiritual powers contending for the land.

In the prophecy, the sponsors of the attack who operated out of Askelon, Ashdod and Ekron ( near Tel Aviv ) were rooted out and eliminated in response to their their attack.

Likewise, Gaza itself faced physical destruction and the land was purged of the infrastructure that protected the enemies of Israel.  That prophecy reads almost like a current news headline.

Have mercy on us oh Lord.

6

OUR FATHER WHO REVEALED THE MYSTERY OF THE UNITY OF THE JEWS AND GENTILES IN CHRIST

Ephesians chapter 3 verse 4 says this;

 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesians, was explaining to them the nature of his mission as a Jew who was sent to them as gentiles.

He said that from the ancient past, the salvation of the gentiles was a mystery that was locked away so that no one could decipher the encoded plan of salvation for the Jews and the gentiles.

Paul reveals that he gained the understanding of this great mystery of God's grace being extending to the gentiles, through direct revelation by the Spirit of God and this revelation was the basis for his ministry.

The mystery, locked up as an enigma for eons, was that the Gentiles would become heirs in the same way that the Jews were and that the two groups would become one body and would share in the promises of Christ. 

This is the great mystery, is hinted at in Isaiah chapter 49 verse 5 - 6 that, written in the words of the coming Messaih, says;

And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—he says:

 “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant  to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO UNDERGIRDS THOSE WHOSE WALK IS BLAMELESS

Psalm 14 15 verse 9 2 says this;

The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;

This verse  itemizes the first three among the twelve characteristics that the people who are invited to dwell in the tent of the Lord and to live on His holy mountain possess.

First, those who live by the Spirit of God such that their steps are ordered by the Lord and are blameless in their walk before God, will find themselves granted proximity to God.

Second, those who stay away from evil deeds and only do righteous deeds are marked out for this invitation. 

Third, those who only speak sincerely and truthfully from their hearts. They speak without guile; without hidden motives.

These are the first three character traits that are found in those who will be situated near God's dwelling place and His administrative headquarters.

As verse 5 says;

Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES FOR THE DISERNMENT OF SPIRITS

The book of Job chapter 34 verses 1 - 3 says this;

Then Elihu said: “Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning. For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.

This passage reveals the concept of disernment  which we are given as spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians chapter 12 contains the listing of the gift of the distinguishing between spirits.

To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Continuing to 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 29 says this;

Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 

When Job had rested his case and the three elders had nothing more to say, the young man name Elihu began to speak to them to give the councel of his perspective and chapter 34 begins with him asking the wise men to hear his words for the ear tests words like the tongue tests food.

This request has a two-fold response where the listeners are asked to disern the spirit by which the spoken words are issued and also to weigh the content of the words spoken against existing revelation, knowledge and experience.

Disernment is a spiritual sensory function that is given in order to reduce the ability of nefarious agents to deceive and manipulate the people of God or to stop the errors of well-meaning people from gaining traction in the body of Christ.

In the same way that the tongue senses the sweetness, saltiness and bitterness in food and alerts the one eating to potential dangers in the food if inappropriate flavors are detected, disernment senses the sweetness, saltiness or bitterness of the source of words or atmospheres and measures them against known conditions and detects the spirit by which the words are issued.

Amen.

6

 OUR FATHER WHO SHARED OUR ANGUISH

The book of Job chapter 17 verses 4 - 5 says this;

You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph.

If anyone denounces their friends for reward, the eyes of their children will fail.

This passage records some words spoken by Job as he conversed with his friends who had come to comfort him after he was ruined through the loss of his children, his finances and his health.

Speaking of the mockers who jeered at him, Job states that the Lord had closed their minds to understanding and as such, they would not triumph.

And those who turned on their friends for a reward would have their children struck by blindness.

These words of judgment appear to be the words of the Lord Jesus responding to the mockers who jeered at him and spat on him as well as on Judas who had betrayed him for the rewards of money.

As Job recounts his afflictions in this chapter, he alludes to circumstances that transend his own life and speaks the words of the Lord Jesus as He contemplates the nature of hope in the face of death.

Thus Job, enveloped in anguish, speaks as a prophet and pre-records the inner monologue of the Messiah who will go though the anguish of utter destruction even unto death on a cross.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO IS DELIGHTED WHEN HIS PEOPLE RETAIN THEIR FAITH THROUGH TRIALS

The book of Job chapter 2 verse 3 says this;

 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

This verse captures the Lord's description of Job to Satan after Job had all his holdings destroyed and all his children killed.

Job was under the microscope and under the extreme pressure of calamity, he had proven to be able to maintain his integrity even though he had been brought to complete ruin.

Because of this, God said that Job was unique in the earth because, throughout the experience of having everything in his life destroyed, he had remained blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. 

May we, as Job did, remain blameless and upright when we encounter trials in our lives.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHOSE ENEMIES ARE LAID LOW

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.”

This verse captures the words of the former leaders of the earth who occupied the realm of the dead. 

They stirred to witness the descent of the man of lawlessness named the king of Babylon.

They comment on how the one who had been mighty in power and pomp was now stripped of everything and rendered as a feeble being who was to reside in the lowest pits of gloom.

These residents, who were formerly  rulers on earth, were now weak and they watched as the one whom they emulated joined them in the same condition as they were.

They may have believed that for all the power he wielded, the king of Babylon would have been able to save them from their abode in the darkness but instead, they saw him to be as helpless as they were.

The finality of their position was confirmed to them when they witnessed this event.

6

OUR FATHER WHO IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED

From Psalm 148;

All you angels of the Lord

Praise His holy name forever

Praise His holy name and His alone

Heavenly Hosts of the Lord 

Praise His holy name forever

Praise His Holy name and His alone

Psalm 148 verse 2 says this;

Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

This verse calls on the angels and the armies of angels in heaven to praise the God who created them. As part of the rest of creation made by God, they are called to join in with all the other sectors of the created order in praising the Lord.

The sun, moon and stars are called to praise Him along with all the beast and animal orders.

All the heirachical structures of kingdoms and nations and their sub-jurisdictions are called on to praise God along with all the phenomena like lightening, hail, wind and fog.

All people on earth both great and small are also to praise God.

Verse 7 says this of God;

His glory is far greater than all of earth and heaven.

This means that His refulgence greatly exceeds the glory of the earth and of heaven and as such is to be the focus of all praise and honor of all that exists.

Hallelujah.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHO IS HIGHLY EXALTED AND YET HE ATTENDS TO THE POOR AND LOWLY

Psalm 113 verses 4 - 5 says this;

The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, 

This passage speaks of the singular supremacy of the God of Israel.

He holds the loftiest position over every nation on earth and His refulgent radiance is above the heavens.

He is the One who uniquely occupies the highest throne and, as verse 6 says;

who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

The Lord is exalted above all and yet He concerns Himself with the poor and needy. He provides pathways for their elevation by ensconcing them among His princes.. 

He knows the aching hearts of those who are childless and who yearn to have children of their own and He places them in happy homes bustling children.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES LIVING WATER TO THOSE WHO ARE THIRSTY FOR LIFE

Psalm 104 verse 10 says this;

He makes springs pour water into the ravines;  it flows between the mountains.

This verse speaks of the water that the Lord makes fall from His upper chamber and it flows as springs into the ravines between the mountains.

This water then flows down to the fields where the wild donkey quenches it thirst and the birds of the air (spirits) inhabit the space around them and lift their voices to sway their lives.

Verses 11 and 12 say it this way;

They give drink to every animal of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky dwell beside them; They lift up their voices from among the branches.

This process is emblematic of the way that the Lord makes living water available to the marginalized peoples and those lowest in the heirachies of men.

The wild donkey represents the untamed men who dwell in the land subject to the vagaries of the  seasons for their survival. Their own fallen nature makes them subject to the spirits of the air (birds) who operate in their midst and work to destroy their lives and destinies.

They are the ones to whom the living water from God is made available so that they may quench their thirst and be revived to a life in God.

John 4 verse 10 is an important convergence of this principle where the woman at the well, in the ravines, so to speak, of the social hierarchy, is offered a chance of revival by the Lord Jesus.

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

This woman, who had been subject to the influences of the spirits that plagued her life with one broken relationship after another, encountered Jesus when she came to the well to quench her thirst.

He knew details about her life and surprised her with His words about her situation and she was suddenly enraptured by the reality of the eternal life that Jesus offered her.

He makes springs pour water into the ravines;  it flows between the mountains.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO RESCUES OUR FALLEN RACE

We are going look at Psalm 14 verse 3 again but in greater detail in order to understand the axioms listed;

All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

The verse lists 3 absolute statements;

• All humans have turned away from God
• All humans have become corrupt
• Every single human does not do good

This listing reveals a cause-and-effect sequence of events. 

First, we all turn away from God. We then become corrupt after we de-couple from God's life. Once we become corrupt, our actions degenerate and become altogether sinful.

Thus we all manifest our fallen nature and it is only by the mercy of God that He brought about the possibility of our salvation through the sacrifice of the perfect sinless life of the Lord Jesus.

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHOSE SON RULES IN THE MIDST OF HIS ENEMIES

Psalm 79 verse 4 says this;

We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.

This verse alludes to the hostility faced by God's people by the people who dwell around them.

They are surrounded by scoffers and those who are pleased to see God's people suffer. These enemies are those spoken of in Psalm 110 verse 2 which says;

The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!”

The people of the Lord's kingdom is described as being embedded in the midst of His enemies as opposed to being geographically segregated from them.

It is while they are in this precarious position that they are ruled by the mighty scepter of God.

This mighty scepter of authority rules God's people unto judgement and unto righteousness and brings occasion for them to be derided and held in contempt by those in whose midst they dwell leading to persecution and attacks.

But on the Lord's day, the kingdom of darkness will be uprooted and cast down.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO SEARCHES OUT HIS PEOPLE AND BRINGS THEM TO HIS SALVATION Part 2

Continuing with Psalm chapter 14, verses 3 - 4 says this; 

All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord.

This passage declares the totality of the corruption of the human race. Among the myriad of members of the human race alive now and who have ever lived, not a single example of a sinless person exists.

All who do evil are marked by their lack of knowledge of their predicament and so act against God.

They mindlessly attack and tear apart God's people and it never occurs to them to call on their creator.

Verse 5 goes on to say;

But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.

This means that the presence of God among His righteous people stirs up dread and conviction in the hearts of the evildoers and this is the prompt by which sinful men may lift their eyes to God and receive salvation.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SEARCHES OUT HIS PEOPLE AND BRINGS THEM TO HIS SALVATION

Psalm 14 verses 1 - 2 says this;

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

This passage points to the mode of existance many of us humans beings operate by.

We are undiserning and dismiss the possibility that God exists and thus, feeling unsupervised and unaccountable to anyone, we conduct ourselves in whatever way our flesh is led and corruption sets in.

Above this miasma of humanity, the Lord looks down to discover any people who percieve and understand their true condition and are thus seeking transendance from their fallen state.

The Lord, upon detecting these people, brings them into proximity of His righteous ones who carry God's presence and when they are exposed to the presence of God, they are overwhelmed with dread and they are convicted of their sin.

This is mainly the way that God separates out those whom He chooses for salvation and brings to repentance.

As verse 7 says;

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Amen

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OUR FATHER WHO RESISTS PRIDE

The book of Isaiah chapter 15 verses 3 - 4 says this;

In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping.

Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint.

Judgement was brought upon Moab and their towns and cities were suddenly ruined overnight.

In dismay, the people wailed and cried out so loudly that neighbouring towns could hear them and the soldiers, in fearful response, themselved cried out and their hearts were shaken.

Moab's judgement had been brought against them because they had risen up in pride and they were brought down.

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OUR FATHER WHO REACHES OUT TO HIS PEOPLE TO SAVE THEM EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE STUBBORN

The book of Isaiah chapter 65 verses 2 - 3 says this;

All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good,  pursuing their own imaginations—

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

This passage reveals the persistent efforts that the Lord invested in order to win over His people. He held out His hands to offer salvation to them  but they were stubborn and insisted on following their own evil  paths.

The people ignored the Lord's entreaties of reconciliation and instead, insulted the Lord by practicing the dark arts of necromancy and sacrificing in graveyards.

Those who practiced the unrepentant defilement and rebellion did so with a sense of superiority over others which was galling to the Lord as it says in verse 6; Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day. a fire that keeps burning all day.

Severe judgement was thus invited into the land as verse 7 says;

“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountain  and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.”

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OUR FATHER WHO SAVES HIS PEOPLE FROM THE SCHEMES OF DARKNESS

Psalm 64 verse 9 says this;

All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.

In this psalm, David writes of a time when the kingdom of darkness plots against the kingdom of light and lays down plans for the destruction of the righteous and for the triumph of evil on the earth.

He says in verse 2, "Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers."  And in verse 6, "They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the human mind and heart are cunning."

In secret, the agents of darkness scheme to ruin the innocent but those who call on the Lord for help will see His salvation for He will arise and pinpoint those who conspire and fold their words back against them to bring them to ruin.

In the aftermath of the destruction of the conspiracy against the innocent,  "All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done."

The righteous whom the Lord has saved will rejoice in their God and take refuge in Him. The upright will glory in Him.

Amen.

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