Warriors Arise: April 18, 2023
1 Chronicles 16:7-35 (NKJV) On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord:
8 Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
11 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
13 O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
17 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
18 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
19 When you were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
20 When they went from one nation to another,
And from one kingdom to another people,
21 He permitted no man to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
22 Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
24 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
25 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
27 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place.
28 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
29 Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
30 Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
33 Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
34 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
35 And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation;
Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.”
Seriously, my mind is blown with this. David is speaking of a time prophets haven't even prophesied about. It is as if David knows about the need for salvation, the need for a Savior, Rescuer and Deliverer. He knows Jesus is coming not only the first time, but the second to gather His people together. The day of judgement is coming. David is telling them to be praying they are gathered together and to be delivered from the Gentiles. Is he seeing that some of their countrymen have turned away from God and left all He promised them?
David seems to be insistent that each one come away from the Gentiles and proclaim God as their own. When David is telling them to say, "Save us, O God of our salvation" what is he seeing. They are free. They are no longer slaves. They are in their promise land. They are not wandering in the desert. Why is he wanting them to pray for God to gather them together? There doesn't seem to be a threat from the Gentiles, at this time. But maybe David knows how the enemy works to divide a nation. Maybe he realizes his countrymen have something the Gentiles do not. They have the Lord God, who made heaven and earth, who made each one, has delivered them and given them this land. He and his countrymen have God. He knows he can't choose God for them. He knows they have to choose God for themselves. He has exalted God before all the people and they must choose for themselves. It is as if he remembers what he knows of Joshua's exhortation after the Children of Israel had been sent out to conquer the land God had given them as an inheritance.
Joshua 24:14-15 (NKJV) “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Maybe David is hoping, calling out to those who have already gone to the Gentiles. Maybe he is hoping, his words reach the Israelites who have already left. Remember back when Jonathan and his armorbearer overtook the Philistine garrison and it says some Hebrews who had aligned with the Philistines took off their cloak and returned to Israel. David has spent time in Philistine territory, because Saul has pursued him out of Israel's territory. He saw others who left and aligned with the Philistines. But when David was in Philistine territory, he never left God. He had to leave the land to prevent Saul from killing God's anointed. Maybe David wants them to put away the gods of the Philistines and return to God. Who does David see that needs to be saved? His heart is overflowing with compassion. When he was on the run for his life, many came to him in the wilderness. Now, that he stands before them as their king, he seems to be calling them back. "Return to the Lord." He does not reject you; He welcomes you. He will save you. You are welcome here and here is home.
Have you felt rejected, unwanted, unaccepted? The Father is wanting you back. He wants you to return to Him. He offers you and I salvation. He offers us restoration. He offers us position to be about the Father's business. He offers us a place. He offers us acceptance. He welcomes you with open arms.
Luke 15:11-32 (NKJV) Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”
Just like Jesus, David is making an offer to the prodigals to return and to the brethren who had stayed to receive them back. It is a public offer. He wants the fellow countrymen to receive them back, because the Lord God receives them back. It is as if David sees, himself and his countrymen falling into sin like the older brother of the prodigal in Jesus' parable, unwilling to celebrate the return of the younger brother, the prodigal. Maybe David remembers back to his great great grandmother Naomi. Boaz was Naomi's kinsmen redeemer. He received them back and allowed a foreigner, David's Great Grandmother Ruth, to glean in his fields.
God offers salvation, and wants to gather His people and deliver them from the ways and worship of the Gentiles.
Father, I pray for those in my family and people I know who have looked for refuge outside of You. I pray for each one to have an awakening to You love. I pray they would receive the salvation You offer. I ask for them to find their way back into relationship with You. God, Your desire is for all people to be saved through the life, death and resurrection of Your Son. You desire if for each one to receive the fullness of what You have given into thier hands. I pray for You loving to draw them close. I pray they would come away from world beliefs and mindsets to be broken. I ask for each one to rid themselves of the gods they have served and profess You as their God. I ask for You to lead them in triumph and for Your name to be magnified and Your presence to be known. I ask for the return of those who have left You. I ask for those who remained but whose heart has grown hard. I pray they would have Your heart and receive back all of Your people. You are to be praised this day and forevermore in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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