ResponsiveReiding

Margin Notes: Reading Joshua 22

June 14th, 2019

Joshua 22:9–30 (NET) — 9 So the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and headed home to their own land in Gilead, which they acquired by the Lord’s command through Moses…and built there, near the Jordan, an impressive altar.11 The Israelites received this report: “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the entrance to the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 12 When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to launch an attack against them…15 They went to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them…‘Why have you disobeyed the God of Israel by turning back today from following the Lord? You built an altar for yourselves and have rebelled today against the Lord…You are rebelling today against the Lord; tomorrow he may break out in anger against the entire community of Israel…don’t rebel against the Lord or us by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God…21 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the Israelite clans..we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, 27 but as a reminder to us and you, and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.” ’29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord by turning back today from following after the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace aside from the altar of the Lord our God located in front of his dwelling place!” 30 When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders and clan leaders who accompanied him heard the defense of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, they were satisfied.

Barely had the Israelites taken possession of Canaan then they faced civil war. And over what? One group assuming they knew the motives of another group, and interpreting their actions according to their misunderstanding.

Things haven’t changed much, have they?

Of all the lessons in the Christian life I’ve needed to learn personally, this one certainly falls into the top 5 if not the top 3. I do not know, I CANNOT know the motives of other people’s hearts. And how desperately I need to reserve judgments until ALL the facts are in.

This scenario is a simple albeit tricky, and nearly disastrous one. After all 12 tribes of Israel had fought to so hard to take possession of Canaan, the 2 & 1/2 tribes who had been assigned their inheritance east of the Jordan, finally went home to live in it. And as the text notes, when they got to the Jordan – they built a large, conspicuous altar there. Moses had made it abundantly clear that God was going to choose a place in Israel where He would have the one official altar built – the single altar where sacrifices for sin and worship would be located. At that place alone, all the males in Israel would have to appear 3 times a year according to God’s command. No other such altar was authorized. And now, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and 1/2 of Manasseh had built this altar. What to do? The text says that as soon as the others heard about it – they “assembled at Shiloh to launch an attack against them.” Nobody asked any questions. No one sought for clarity first. They just strapped on their weapons, got on their horses and full of their righteous indignation – got ready for the massacre.

How much like me.

Fortunately, the 2.5 tribes didn’t just say “bring it on” – but took the time to explain themselves. And when they did, the war was averted. And the text says the 9.5 tribes “were satisfied.”

How careful we must be here Believer. How easily we can assign motives to actions before we’ve ever bothered to really ascertain the truth. And how often Christians throughout the centuries both on the Church level, and personally – have waged needless, bloody and divisive conflicts all because we were absolutely sure we knew the motivations lurking in the hearts of others. Father forgive us.

The truth is, some things can take on a very sinister appearance at first glance, which when investigated more fully, could actually be the very opposite. What appears to be sin or rebellion to the naked eye, may in fact, be careful devotion.

Beware. None of us knows the motives of others hearts until they are revealed in thoughtful dialog and disclosure. Base no decisions on why you “think” or “feel” someone did or said what they did. Brother to brother, seek them out and ask. And who knows but that your union will be all the greater for having disposed of unwarranted suspicions.

Father help us. Help us to live in love, and not baseless suspicion of hearts and motives we cannot possibly know.
Margin Notes: Reading Joshua 17

June 13th, 2019

Joshua 17:14–18 (NET) — 14 The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you assigned us only one tribal allotment? After all, we have many people, for until now the Lord has enabled us to increase in number.”15 Joshua replied to them, “Since you have so many people, go up into the forest and clear out a place to live in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites, for the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.” 16 The descendants of Joseph said, “The whole hill country is inadequate for us, and the Canaanites living down in the valley in Beth Shean and its surrounding towns and in the Valley of Jezreel have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.”17 Joshua said to the family of Joseph—to both Ephraim and Manasseh: “You have many people and great military strength. You will not have just one tribal allotment. 18 The whole hill country will be yours; though it is a forest, you can clear it and it will be entirely yours. You can conquer the Canaanites, though they have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels and are strong.”

We can imagine our inheritance as too difficult to attain, and thus get sidetracked seeking an easier way. But there is no other inheritance appointed for us other than conformity to Christ’s image. And there is no shortcut around confronting and rooting out the remnants of our indwelling sins to arrive there.

There will always be those in the Body of Christ (and I among them) who complain that they did not get enough, and are in more difficult circumstances than everyone else and thus deserve something more or something other than what has been appointed. Indeed, they are somehow being put upon much more than all others and should have special consideration. Not so. These are the very ones who need to be challenged to pursue what has been their lot.

And how often this has been my own wicked heart. Telling God that what He has appointed for me in life are things I do not want, and are too hard for me. The sins I have to wrestle with, the circumstances which are adverse and sometimes seem to overwhelm, the blessings I’ve not enjoyed; on and on and on. All of it, basically accusing Him of not loving me enough, or not being as wise as He ought to be in my case.

Father forgive me. Help me to see that you have proscribed for me nothing but the best in that glorious path toward being conformed to the image of your Son. That you always provide by your Spirit and your Word all that I need to face what is too great for me in the natural. Sanctify my thoughts. Correct my vision and my attitudes. Teach me how to submit graciously and sweetly, resting in your infinitely loving divine appointments and assignments. Give me the mind of Christ.
As I was reading today: A Thought from Joshua 11

June 12th, 2019

“So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.” ESV Jos 11:23.

One of the most difficult aspects of the Christian life to wrap our heads around is: How much has changed, and how much hasn’t? We read passages like 2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” and we say to ourselves, “ALL things new? I still have so much of the old hanging on!” And confusion over this state can lead to times of near despair. You are not alone.

Fortunately, portions like the book of Joshua are meant – by means of their graphic descriptions of the invasion and conquering of the Canaan – to give us pictures of the Christian struggle as well.

So here, we have a pretty categorical statement: “Joshua took the whole land.” And if that’s all we read we think “wow! That’s it! It’s all done!” But in truth they were very, very far from “done” in terms of all God had called them to. Yes, they had entered the land. Yes, they had come to a place of dominance over the whole territory. Yes, they had rest from the necessary first invasion wars. But then we remember that the verse right before this one noted they had not been able to expel all of the Anakim – like those in Ashdod, Gaza and Gath; The very place where later, a descendant of the Anakim, Goliath of Gath would arise to challenge God’s armies. Nor have we read yet: Joshua 13:1 “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.”

Well which is it? Had they taken the whole land, or was there “yet very much land to possess”? Yes! It is an issue of what has been called “the already, but not yet” principle.

The idea here isn’t that the territory was entirely free of Canaanites, or that every inch of land was fully occupied. Rather, the whole was under Israel’s control. This is the same with the Believer and indwelling sin. Christ has won all of the territory of “self” for us. We now live in it so to speak – but not all sins are gone. Not every area of life is fully subdued as it ought to be and one day will be. But by God’s grace, we have entered the land and the decisive victory has been – even though there is massive work to be done.

Don’t be discouraged or downhearted Christian – if you are Christ’s – all things are indeed new – but not as new as they one day will be. Keep at the work. Keep battling sin. Keep looking to and trusting Christ , for one day, unlike the Israelites, you WILL be fully conformed to the image of Christ. Already new, justified, but not yet glorified. But you WILL be! By God’s good grace.
As I was reading today: A thought from Matthew 17

June 11th, 2019

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” English Standard Version Mt 17:24–27.

There is a really striking balance in Jesus here. When it came to truth, especially the truth of the Gospel or about God, Jesus didn’t hesitate to offend anyone or everyone. He was no shrinking violet.

But when it was not such a matter, here, in what is nothing more than a social custom, Jesus is concerned not to give any needless offense.

This is greatly instructive to us. For we are ever needing to be clear which hills are those to die upon, and which are not so grave.

It also gives us occasion to be reminded that in the whole of the New Testament, neither Christ nor His Disciples are ever recorded as having been offended or taking offense themselves. And they were most certainly ill-treated. The tendency to take offense at everything it seems is found only in their opposers.

I wonder at how easily, I, we, in this generation make so much of offenses. Perceived or real ones. We imagine ourselves wounded at almost every turn. Something conspicuously absent both in our Lord and those who suffered with Him. Perhaps the ease of our circumstances, the “rights” upon which our society prides itself, the general acceptance we have as Christians – which opens us to precious little true persecution – has made us imagine the world (and people in general) owe us some level of courtesy and regard. Our skins grow exceedingly thin. Every bump is considered battery. Every slight, real sin. But this is not the Biblical model. Like Jesus, we are to be more concerned with not giving unnecessary offense to others, than whether or not they may offend us.

We, are about to inherit eternity. And will we wrangle with one another over momentary sensitivities?

Father forgive me for this being all too often true in my own life.
As I was reading today: Thoughts from Joshua 1

June 10th, 2019
5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone. 6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. 7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do… 9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.” 10 Joshua instructed the leaders of the people:…16 They told Joshua, “We will do everything you say. We will go wherever you send us.
17 Just as we obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. But may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses!
18 4Any man who rebels against what you say and does not obey all your commands will be executed. But be strong and brave!”

Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005), Jos 1:5–18.

The news media thrives on generating fear – It is how they keep viewers glued. Politicians thrive on generating fear- It is how they garner attention and votes. Drug companies thrive on generating fear – It is how they increase sales. Every Activist group thrives on generating fear about some threat, loss or coming woe – It is how they make money and gain power.

Fear is the way of the World. But it is not the way of the Kingdom of Christ.

In this passage, Isreal is in a time of great transition. And so it is a society ripe for fear mongering. What will we eat when the manna stops? Will Joshua lead us like Moses did? How well armed are our enemies? Can we really defeat them all? How long wit it take? Do we have enough soldiers? Do we have the right strategies? The territory is unfamiliar. We are not warring people but a wondering one. What if we fail?

And for Christians facing onslaughts by the World, our own flesh and the Enemy can find us running in fear as well. Will the government persecute us? WIll my sins overtake me? Will Satan deceive me? Will the Culture overwhelm me or make a pariah of me?

And God’s counsel remains the same for us as we seek to conquer the territory of our inward sins as it did for Joshua – “Be strong and brave!”
1. Be strong and brave because we are called to lead. We are called by God to demonstrate to the World what it means to follow Christ above everyone and everything else. He has called us to this day – and because He has called us to it, He will equip us for it. But we must guard our hearts and remain brave in the face of whatever opposition – internal or external confronts us. Have confidence in God’s call to make you like Jesus.
2. Be strong and be brave in hearing and adhering to God’s Word. When we are single-minded in pursuing the goal of being conformed to the image of Christ, and do not swerve to the right or the left for any other life governing goal in life – He is with us. Be strong and brave in commitment to His Word above all else.
3. Be strong and be brave, don’t be afraid and don’t panic: “for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.” We are not alone! Fighting indwelling sin is must more frightening than anything the Wolrd can throw at us – but He has promised to be with us every step of the way. And if He be with us, and for us – who or what can be against us?
4. Be strong and be brave for the sake of other Believers. One of the most neglected ministries we have toward our fellow Christians is to bolster and increase their faith and courage, and never to undermine it. It does not mean we ignore hard truths. It DOES mean we are required to examine those truths in light of God’s Word, power, love, purposes and promises.
“For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged” ESV 1 Co 14:31.

God is still on His throne, and we are His beloved in Christ.
As I was reading today: A Thought from Matthew 15

June 6th, 2019

Matthew 15:32–33 (ESV) — 32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?”

This is commonly referred to a Jesus feeding the 4,000. It comes pretty close on the heels of His feeding the 5,000 a short time before. And in it, I see my own faithlessness mirrored in the disciples.

How much like me these men are.

They had been in this position once before. Not long before either. And yet they repeat what they did the first time – they sputter to themselves about what they cannot do. One would have thought they would turn to Jesus once again first instead. But no. Like me they went through the ritual of personal helplessness first rather than running to Christ first. They rehearsed and bemoaned their lack, when the very Fountain of all life stood before them.

Oh Father, help me to seek your face before I get into a dither about what I can’t do. Seeing every situation, make my first thought to run to you.
As I was reading today: Matthew 7

June 5th, 2019

Matthew 7:7–8 (ESV) — 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

We are all familiar with this passage. But unfortunately, it seems most often to be applied with the idea that if I want something from God, I must simply dun Him for it in prayer until I receive it. But I do not believe that is what Jesus is really after here. The context is the key.

I cannot help but think this admonition refers especially to coming to know our Father so as to have Him hallowed in our own hearts and minds…etc.. In other words – its main application is in encouraging us to trust that the petitions taught to us in the prayer of 6:9-13 – will indeed be ours if we set ourselves unswervingly upon them.

But why ask (and keep on asking), seek (and keep on seeking), knock (and keep on knocking)? Why the perpetuation of these three? Because we tend to think that God’s graces come to us as a once-for-all bestowment, rather than a continual supply which must be continually looked for in ongoing dependence upon Him.

So for instance, one cannot just ask and seek and knock for deliverance from some sin – thinking all the while that someday (in this life), we’ll just have absolute freedom from that temptation and not have to face it any longer. This is not the reality of the Christian life. I must ask continually, because I will face the same challenge continually. I must seek Him continually because each day brings distractions from Him. I must knock continually because sin closes up my heart and mind and spiritual eyes and ears continually. I must rely on His grace continually that I might experience the ongoing supply of that grace.

We want once-for-all solutions. But the once-for-all, is realizing that He is the once-for-all source and fountain – which must nevertheless be appealed to and relied upon constantly.

This dynamic remains the reality regarding every grace from God we desire. Victory over sin, and the receipt and manifestation of every fruit of the Spirit. No one has a “gift” of longsuffering. We can only be sustained in it.

Keep seeking Him Christian. Ask for His name to be hallowed, His kingdom to come and His will to be done in this earth as it is in Heaven. Keep looking to Him and Him alone for your daily bread, the forgiveness of sins, a forgiving heart and deliverance from the Devil’s schemes. For it all and always rest in Him and Him alone. What a great and glorious God we serve.
As I was reading today: Matthew 2

June 4th, 2019

Matthew 2:19–22 (ESV) — 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.

I like the habitual and the familiar. I like formulas. Uniformity. Especially in life, I like to know how things work. I like the predictable. But life isn’t always like that, and this is also true in our life with Christ.

If you are anything like me, you may want to have God and His ways kind of figured out too. In each situation, God will do X, and I can live in the comfort that “this is how it works.” Except when it doesn’t. And a good case in point is from this interesting part of the narrative of the early life of Jesus.

We all know the basic facts of this part of the account. When the Wise men from the East appeared seeking the one who was born “King of the Jews” they went first to King Herod. Herod, who never missing an opportunity to suspect that others wanted his power and position, tried to trick the Wise men into coming back to tell him who and where this newborn King was. But God warned them in a dream. And hightailing it out of town by another route, Herod’s plan to eliminate his possible opponent was foiled. So he tried again. This time more brutally. He had all the boys under the age of 2 born within a certain region killed, figuring he’d eliminate all possible contenders. He was wrong.

Once again, God stepped in and warned Joseph by an angel in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt. And they remained there until once again – by angelic direction – Joseph was told he should return to Israel. That is, until he heard that Herod’s son now sat in his father’s former throne. At this point Joseph was scared. And the plan was modified.

Now I went through all that to say this: The first warning to flee came from an angel without anything prior on Joseph’s part. But this warning appears to come on the heels of Joseph’s concern over Herod’s son now being in power.

Here’s the point: Though there are times when God intervenes without our being aware of the danger ourselves, there are also times when our concerns are the trip wire to God’s intervention. I would guess that Joseph’s concern was probably expressed in prayer, and that the angel was sent in response. The point being, we cannot reduce our walk with Him to formulaic expectations. Our walk with God is dynamic, fluid, and meant to be lived out – not mechanically, but in a living way. Sometimes God just acts. Sometimes He acts in direct response to prayer. Because He acts sovereignly at times is no reason to neglect prayer, and because He responds to prayer is no reason to doubt His watchful care at all times. Both are realities we wondrously live in the light of.

He is a good God, but a living one – one who acts and interacts with us in real time. Trust Him, and seek Him. We need to do both.
Romans 8 – A Prayer

May 23rd, 2019

For well over a decade now I’ve been a member of the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals (F.I.R.E.). FIRE is a wonderful, international association of like minded Churches and individuals. And this week I had the pleasure of attending our latest international conference held at Providence Church in Rowlett TX. It was an unusually sweet time with old friends and many new ones.

The theme this year was Romans 8 and the slate of speakers each took a portion of that majestic passage until the whole was covered. We were truly blessed.

I was given the privilege of offering the closing prayer. Sometimes as it happens, my thoughts organize themselves in verse. In this case, attempting to summarize the key points emphasized by the speakers and the chapter – I composed the following as my prayer. I pray it will be a blessing to you.

What then shall we say Dear Lord

For all that we have heard

As each approached the sacred desk

To break to us your Word?

The riches of our Christ and King

Of condemnation gone

The Spirit, and our life in Christ

Christ’s true new day has dawned

The law of sin and death undone

In Christ sent in the flesh

You Father, sent your Only Son

To grant true life afresh

And by the Spirit’s residence

To grant a Heav’nly mind

Abolishing hostility

Our hearts to yours to bind

And how the power of canceled sin

You grant to each you’ve bought

No more a debtor to its bonds

This victory you have wrought

You dealt to fear its fatal blow

Placed “Abba!” on our lips

And made us fellow heirs with Christ

With all His glorious gifts

Redeeming all our sufferings

Transforming every groan

Into hymns of sweetest praise

Tho in inexpressible moans

Your precious Spirit intercedes

When we’re too faint to cry

Divine and Triune pleading

Your own transcendent sigh

Loving, yea predestinating

First called then justified

Not failing in the smallest thing

Til we are glorified

You who did not spare your Son

What won’t you give us free?

For all in Him you’ve given us

Oh, give us eyes to see!

And add to all, inseparably

You bind us fast in love

Our names engraven on His hands

Til home at last above

The weak made more than conquerers

The wicked made anew

Declared as saints in Christ alone

Dear Lord – all praise to you.
The Fear of The Lord Part 2

May 12th, 2019
The Fear of the Lord Pt. 2

Reid A Ferguson

Psalm 139; Deuteronomy 10:12–13; Proverbs 2:1–5

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

Last time we began to look at this topic of “The Fear of The Lord.” A phrase found all through the Scriptures and given significant emphasis in places like: ‌Deuteronomy 10:12–13

Deuteronomy 10:12–13 ESV / “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?”

At first blush, fearing God seems counterintuitive to loving Him and being loved by Him.

But as we began to see, there is no disparity between the reverential awe that is brought on by contemplating God in His greatness, attributes, nature and acts, and loving Him. In fact, the more we see Him as He really is, the more awed we are at Him AND, the more we come to love Him. Because what is revealed about Him makes Him the most lovable of all objects and beings in the universe.

But we cannot get to that place without looking beyond the glory of His immensity, genius and power in Creation – to the glory of His self-revelation in His Word, and His acts.

So you’ll recall that we are following this outline:

The Fear of the Lord:

1 – Why Should I Care?

2 – What it isn’t.

3 – What it is.

4 – How it is obtained.

5 – What are its benefits?

We dealt with #1, #2 & #3 last time, and suggesting a boiled down definition of “the fear of the Lord” to 2 words: Reverential Awe.

Then moving on to #4 we began to explore how a reverential awe is birthed in us when we rightly explore how it is obtained.

Gaining the Fear of The Lord
1. Creation
2. The Word
3. His Acts
All 3 of which confront us with God’s nature such that a speechless, reverential awe is all we are left with. One which then ought to fill our hearts and minds so as to govern all of life.

And as I mentioned last time, Scripture informs us this fear of the Lord must be intentionally sought. It does not come automatically.

This becomes very clear in Proverbs 2:1-5

Proverbs 2:1–5 ESV / My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

So here is where see how God’s Word is that 2nd means of encountering and fostering the fear of the Lord.

Note this text: Receiving God’s Word, storing up His commands, being attentive to His wisdom, turning our hearts to understanding, calling out (i.e. -praying for discernment and understanding), seeking it like precious metal and hidden treasure. THEN – you will understand how to fear the Lord. You will gain knowledge of Him that brings the soul into reverential awe.

It is clear then that we need more revelation than Creation can give us.

As Paul tells us, a certain amount can be known about God in Creation: Romans 1:19-20, says we can grasp something of His genius, rationality, power and transcendence in how Creation manifests immensity, timelessness, symmetry and order and its design to bless and sustain human life.

But what we cannot know from creation is our relationship to Him, the nature of sin and redemption and His plan of salvation. For these we need some special revelation – a revelation which we receive above all in His Word.

His Word explains Creation and the God behind it. And so some Biblical passages especially lend themselves to fostering this reverential awe in unique ways.

One thinks of Daniel 4 for instance and the testimony of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar after his recovery from the madness God visited with to humble him: Daniel 4:34-35

Daniel 4:34–35 ESV / At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

This is a profound revelation of God’s sovereign rule over mankind and the affairs of mankind. Not so as to obliterate human responsibility, but so as to demonstrate how God still works and rules within this sphere to bring about His sovereign plan even while man acts out of his own fallen will.

In fact, an prominent feature of New Testament preaching from the Day of Pentecost on was to point to God’s active rule over human affairs, even as humanity acts according to its will, and the Enemy of our souls does as well: But God rules over all.

Or think of Isa. 40 or Acts 17 where we not only read of God creating all things but of his active role in the affairs of men.

But there is one passage which in appealing to 3 attributes of God stands out as a particularly useful means of creating the right and reverential awe of God – and it is the 139th Psalm.

It is laid out in this wonderful pattern:
1. vss. 1-6 / God’s Omniscience.
2. vss. 7-12 / God’s Omnipresence.
3. vss. 13-16 / God’s Omnipotence.
4. vss. 17-24 / 3 Applications.
1. vss. 1-6 / God’s Omniscience.
If you are not familiar with it, OMNISCIENCE is just a fancy word for saying God knows EVERYTHING.

And the text bears out the nature of this “everything” by bringing it down to a very personal level.

And we need to grasp the contrast here: The God who we looked at last time, who spoke this vast universe into existence in all of its unfathomable immensity, complexity and wonder – and who continues to operate and sustain it all – is the same God who knows us individually on an unimaginably intimate and minute scale.

Something God Himself testifies to regarding EVERY single creature in Job 38-41.

So what does David, a single man say about how God “knows” him?
1. Ps. 139:1
English Standard Version Psalm 139 / O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

Listen to this. David testifies that this God of creation doesn’t just know OF David – but KNOWS David – and has even “searched” him. Scrutinized him. Examined him. And just how extensively will be brought out as we go.
1. Ps. 139:2a
English Standard Version Psalm 139 / You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

One would think such a massive God would have no time or inclination to note such things but here is the testimony. He knows every time I sit down and every time I get up. The most mundane, repetitive and ordinary of things. Nothing, nothing – escapes His all-seeing eye and notice.
1. Ps. 139:2b
English Standard Version Psalm 139 / you discern my thoughts from afar.

Imagine this! How he drills down even deeper. Now some interpret this phrase to mean that God, being far off in Heaven, still detects even our thoughts.

But I tend to consider this as Spurgeon did when he wrote: “Before it is my own it is foreknown and comprehended by thee. Though as yet I be not myself cognizant of the shape my thought is assuming, yet thou perceivest its nature, its source, its drift, its result.”

God knows our every thought even before it is fully formed in our own minds. And He is aware of us all on this level – everyone of us, all at once.
1. Psalm 139:3a
English Standard Version Psalm 139 / 3 You search out my path and my lying down,

You search out where in life I am going, and even where and how I take my rest.
1. Psalm 139:3b
English Standard Version Psalm 139 / and are acquainted with all my ways.

He knows every foible, every quirk, every tendency and reasoning, feeling, action and reaction. ALL our ways.
1. Psalm 139:4
English Standard Version Psalm 139 / Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You know everything I say. More! Everything I WILL say even before I say it.
1. Psalm 139:5
English Standard Version Psalm 139 / You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

And every step I take is guided by your providence, in all my progress, all my digressions, all my future and all my past. You have your hand on me personally.

And when David considers all of this he can only gasp out: Psalm 139:6

English Standard Version Psalm 139 / Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

To even imagine this level of God’s personal knowledge of just me as one lone human being is so overwhelming, I can’t really grasp it. It is too far above my capacity to really take in sufficiently. It is way over my head.

And beloved- this is God’s knowledge of you too! And it ought to fill us with just as much awe and wonder.

Nothing is hidden from His gaze. As Hebrews 4:13 reminds us –

Hebrews 4:13 ESV / And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

And so will anyone dare to imagine they can approach this God with clean hands? Without His intimate knowledge of every foul thought, every empty and filthy imagination, every doubt, bad attitude and preoccupation with the worthless things of this world? Every inward inclination toward abuse, anger, greed, prejudice, selfishness, impurity, pride, faithlessness, jealousy and autonomy from His Lordship – He knows them all in their most wretched depths.

And yet in Christ He accepts us and loves us and receives us as His own.

And not at arm’s length, but as the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15 – falling on our necks, weeping over us and preparing a glad feast in our honor when we return to Him in repentance and seeking forgiveness.

What a glorious God!

And how I wish we had time this morning to unpack the other 2 portions here in the same detail. But let me just skim them quickly so we do not lose them altogether.
1. vss. 7-12 / God’s Omnipresence.
Yes, our God is Omniscient, but He is also Omnipresent – always with us in every place we go.

Ps. 139:7-12

Psalm 139:7–12 ESV / Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Now we are struck with a conundrum aren’t we? I don’t know about you but when I stop to consider such a God as this, I want to hide my face from Him. Like Adam and Eve in their sin, I don’t want to be found out in my guilt and sinfulness. I want to seek some way of covering myself from that all penetrating gaze: But it can’t be done.

Once again, as Spurgeon notes: When David asks: “where shall I go from your Spirit?”

“No answer comes. From the sight of God he cannot be hidden, but that is not all—from the immediate, actual, constant presence of God he cannot be withdrawn. This makes it dreadful to sin, for we commit treason at the very foot of his throne. His mind is in our mind, himself within ourselves. His Spirit is over our spirit; our presence is ever in his presence.”

And isn’t this both, glorious and disturbing. Disturbing in that we cannot hide anything of our weakness, failings and sins from Him – but glorious in that nothing can ever befall His own that He is not right here with us. In every sorrow, grief, struggle and fear, we have a God who is never far off, never distant, but with us every step of the way. The very thing Jesus needed to remind His disciples of when He was preparing to leave them physically: Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV / And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Our Omnisicent – all-seeing, all-knowing God, our every present God, who is also Omnipotent – our all-powerful God.
1. vss. 13-16 / God’s Omnipotence
Once again time will not allow a full treatment here but look
again at how the Holy Spirit through David puts the spotlight on this attribute of God by focusing it on the personal.

Oh how it ought to fill each one of us with awe to know that we have been personally crafted by the hand of this God to be who we are.

Psalm 139:13-16

Psalm 139:13–16 ESV / For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

What a wonder – what a miracle, what a display of infinite wisdom and power is the creation of the human being in body, soul and spirit.

18th century theologian Andrew Fuller noted in this passage: “The human frame is so admirably constructed, so delicately combined, and so much in danger of being dissolved by innumerable causes, that the more we think of it, the more we tremble, and wonder at our own continued existence.”

How then does David apply this tour of God’s omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence to his own life?

3 ways.

English Standard Version Psalm 139 / How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.
1. vss. 17-18 Application 1. I can trust you with my weakness. Sleep. We are never more vulnerable and helpless than when asleep. Utterly defenseless. But because God thinks on us immeasurably – because we are the object of His deep scrutiny and consideration – we need fear nothing else.
Psalm 139:19-22

Psalm 139:19–22 ESV / Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.
1. vss. 19-22 Application 2. BUT! I can trust you with my trials. Your enemies become my enemies. Be they human opposition, sin, or adverse Circumstances. I can call on the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present one to stand up in my defense.
Psalm 139:23-24

Psalm 139:23–24 ESV / Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
1. vss. 23-24 Application 3. I can trust you with my sanctification.
Since you know me, since you rule over me, since you are near me so as to know my most inner being: Work in me to make me like Jesus. I can trust you not just to detect, but todetect and deal with all my sin. Lead me after yourself.

David’s direction to us? Such considerations produce humility, and the desire to follow after our great and wonderful God.

And are the considerations of God’s awesome nature in His all-knowing, everywhere-and always present and all-powerful glory not fitting considerations as we come to the table this morning?

Think about this as you come today – if you are His:

1 – He knows our sin. All of it. The full extent of it beyond anything we are aware of. And still He loves us in His limitless grace.

2 – He has the power to deal with our sin in its totality. As to its guilt and defilement in the Cross, its remaining power by His indwelling Spirit, and its very presence in the resurrection.

3 – He is present with us. In the person of His Spirit. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Philippians 2:13

Philippians 2:13 ESV / for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

He knows our sin better than we.

But His power is such that all sin is met in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ – so that the worst of all sinners may be fully cleansed, forgiven and justified before Him.

And He so joins Himself to us as to always be with us, at all times, in all things. Never forsaking the trophies of His grace.