Month: June 2021

208. God Hears in Heaven

1 Kings 8:30, 32, 34, 36, 39, 43, 45, 49 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive….hear thou in heaven….hear thou in heaven….hear thou in heaven….hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place….hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place…hear thou in heaven….hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place.

Martin Luther said we have two motivations to pray: 1) God commands it, and 2) God promises to hear it. The implication in Solomon’s Temple Dedicatory Prayer is that God promises to hear our prayers in heaven, where God dwells. The Temple was now the place on earth where heaven can be found, the place where God dwells with His Presence to Hear and to Bless. The Temple is “heaven on earth.” Since Jesus died and rose again, the body of the believer is now the temple of God, the place where God dwells on earth. It is “heaven on earth.” 

My human body does not feel like heaven, and it does not always feel like God is there, but it is: God said it is, so it is. God promises to hear from inside the body of the Christian, for there is the heaven where God dwells. We need to go no further than the lips and the heart to confess and believe. God couldn’t be closer. We don’t need to travel to Jerusalem, for we may pray in spirit and in truth wherever we are. But the problem is that Sin also resides in the human soul, and our sinful flesh is trying desperately to deny God’s Presence and get us to disbelieve His promise.

For this reason we need the promise of “hearing.” The promise is for all who pray to “this place,” whether they are Jew or Gentile, as long as they have heard the word and believe it. Then Solomon gives several examples: 1) when Israel prays, 2) when one trespasses, 3) when smitten by the enemy, 4) when there is no rain, 5) when there is famine or pestilence or other disaster, 6) when a Gentile, a God-fearer not a Jew prays, 7) when there is battle with the enemy, 8) when they sin against God, These are just some examples out of the thousands of needs and issues that arise in our daily lives. No problem is beyond God’s solution. “What a privilege we have, to carry everything to God in prayer.”

207. A Man on the Throne

1 Kings 8:25 Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.

Solomon reminds God of His promise and repeats the promise given to David. The promise is that there will be a man from David’s line to sit on the throne in the sight of God the Father. In the earthly realm this promise failed when the throne and the kingdom fell into exile. The physical kingdom was gone, but the line of David’s generations continued until Mary gave birth to the Son of God. (Joseph was also of the line of David, but not the biological father of the Messiah).

This promise must therefore be spiritual and eternal. In the heavenly realm, the Son of David, the Son of God, sits on the throne of the Kingdom of God forever, and that sitting will never fail in all eternity. The promise is also for us, as we are guaranteed that our loving Savior will never fail to rule from the throne of he Eternal Kingdom, of which we are citizens. This is good news, because it means that the very One who loved us so much that He died for us is the very One who is ruling over us for good. All our affairs are in His almighty and capable hands. 

He is so good that this King will never allow anything to happen to us that He and we together cannot overcome. And this will be true every day of our lives and for all eternity. Jesus will not fail to be our Lord and King and Savior and Protector and Deliverer and Provider all the days of our lives and we will dwell in His presence forevermore.

206. God will perform His Word

2 Kings 6:12, 13 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father.

The same conditional promise is given by he Lord to Solomon when he is about to finish building the Temple: If you keep my statutes, judgments and commandments, then God will keep His promise to you. This same condition and promise runs through all the Scriptures and outlines the history of the people of God on earth. Keep my commandments and you will be blessed; disobey and curses will come. God will establish His word with Solomon, the same word He had spoken to David. The promise is that a son of David will reign over the kingdom forever.

This promise could not come true on earth in the visible world because the condition was never met. Neither Solomon, nor any king, nor the people ever walked in all God’s ways or kept all the commandments. As a matter of fact, no one ever did, and no one ever could; so what was the point of even making such a promise? It could never be kept. The point is this: one person, the Son of David, the Messiah, kept the commandments for us and God’s word was performed just as He promised.

However, the performing of the word was not physical or earthly, but it was kept spiritually and in the heavenly realm. Jesus is the eternal king of God’s eternal kingdom, for He Himself performed the word. He is the fulfillment of the promise. The miracle of the Virgin Birth of the God-man is the only way the condition could ever be met and the promise fulfilled. And it was so: see the New Testament. Our sin and guilt and deserved death were placed upon Jesus, and dying, He earned the favor of God for us. And now the Lord must keep His promise. He did, and He will. Because of Christ, “all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.” And we say “Amen!” By faith we enter the forever kingdom and trust in the forever king.

205. Ask what the Lord will Give

1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

This promise is made directly by the Lord to Solomon, and it cannot be claimed as an explicit Bible verse promise to us. However, the Lord God does make this promise to us as well in other parts of Scripture; thus, we include it as a promise that we may also claim, whether this specific promise to Solomon is meant for us or not. The Lord appeared directly to Solomon as he was assuming the role of King of the people of God on earth. We also need wisdom when we take on a new responsibility.

The promise was open-ended: Solomon could have asked for anything. But Solomon loved the Lord, and he was wise and faithful enough to ask for the one good thing that was also God’s will for him in his role as king. He asked for Wisdom, wisdom to rule God’s chosen people. Solomon said, “Give me an understanding mind to govern, that I may discern between good and evil.” The Lord told him he could have asked for a long and healthy life, or for riches, or for the life of his enemies, but he did not. But because he asked for what he did, God told him He would give him also what he did not ask: riches and honor and length of days. God gave him peace and prosperity in the kingdom.

Although God did not appear to us in a dream like this, He did tell us this: “Ask and it shall be given to you…for everyone who asks receives. How much more will your heavenly father give good things to those who ask Him.” The purpose of this promise of Jesus in Matthew 7 is that we may ask for the Holy Spirit and for good things so that we may actually keep the Law and live according to the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus also says in John 14, 15, 16: “Whatever you ask the father in my name, He will give it to you.’ In 1 John 5: “If we ask anything according to His will He hears us…we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.” And finally in James 1: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith.”

In other words, God did make the same promise to us, “Ask what I shall give you.” We may know God loves us, that He is faithful, that He hears prayer.” But often we just do not ask, in Jesus’ name, in faith, or according to His will. This kind of promise is given to us to inspire us to ASK.

204. A Man on the Throne

1 Kings 2:4 If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

Here is another conditional promise given by David to his son: this time it concerns the children of Solomon, the line of the kings of Israel. The working out of this promise actually applies to us children of the promise, the NT believers. If you take heed to the way and if you live before me with all your heart and soul, then there will not fail to be a man of David’s line on the throne.

This promise did not come to pass on earth, for the children of Solomon did not faithfully walk in the ways of the Lord as David did; therefore, there failed to be man on the throne of the nation of Israel; in fact, there failed to be a nation or a throne, much less a king. But the promise still comes true in the spiritual and eternal kingdom, and that is the only world that matters. Jesus, the descendant of Solomon, did take heed to the way and walk before the Lord with all His heart and soul. And so, Jesus Christ did become the Man on the Throne of the Kingdom of God that lasts forever.

The promise is true for us in this way: Jesus, as son of David and Solomon, is our King of the Kingdom of God, and He rules on the Throne of the Eternal Kingdom as a man. Jesus the man has ascended to the throne, and Jesus rules all things today and forever as a human. The very man and very God, who loves us so that He died for us, is the man ruling on the throne. We can be sure, according to the promise, that He is ruling all things for our good, for our personal wellbeing, and for the benefit of the eternal and invisible Church. And He will not fail. 

203. Prosper in all you do

1 Kings 2:3 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.

David is dying and giving this charge to his son Solomon. Included in this blessing to his son is a common Biblical promise, which applies to all people as well. It is a conditional promise: If you keep the charge of the Lord, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, commandments, judgments and testimonies as written in the Word, then you will prosper in whatever you do and wherever you go. This general conditional promise permeates the Word of God: obey the Law of God and you will do well. This is actually true for all people, believers and unbelievers alike. Even God-hating atheists and heathen who would live by the Ten Commandments will prosper in their life and work.

The truth, of course, is that no one is righteous and perfectly keeps the Law, so the promise cannot come into effect. However, it is also true that the closer one’s life comes into line with God’s will and His laws the better his life will be. And it is also true that Christ has kept the Law perfectly in our place, and for Christ’s sake God has granted believers His righteousness (perfect Law-keeping) by grace. Two things are at stake: 1) Eternal rewards are consequent upon faith in the perfect Law-keeper; 2) Temporal rewards are closely correlated with the degree that our actual lives and behaviors (and thoughts) align with the laws of God. 

Everyone has been given a charge to keep, like Solomon as King; it may be your role as husband, father, vocation, employer, employee, etc., etc., and each will discharge his/her responsibilities and fulfill his/her role better when he/she obeys the Law than when he/she disobeys. We don’t always see the connection, but we believe there is a cause and effect correlation. For instance, just keeping one Commandment, like the Fifth (being kind) or the Sixth (honoring marriage) has its reward of making life a whole lot better.

So, if you are going to be a king or a cobbler ask for God’s wisdom and help that you may prosper. Hear the Law and do it. Listen to the Gospel and believe it. Then enjoy life to the full.

202.  A Tower of salvation

2 Samuel 22:51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.

God promises to be a tower of salvation for David and the King of Israel; He promises to show mercy to His anointed David; He promises to show mercy to the seed of David forever. The Anointed is not only David and the kings but also the Anointed One, the Messiah. This one is the Seed of David, the Messiah who would come from David’s descendants, God entering human life on earth.

We believers in Jesus are identified with the Christ by faith, and so we are the seed of David forever. We are among those who receive this promise: The Lord is a tower of strength for us, and He shows mercy to us forever. The Son of David is our King and Lord, our Anointed One, who comes from heaven to earth to save us, and then He rules over us as King in His forever kingdom. This reign of Messiah is in the hearts of believers, for whom He is the tower of salvation and to whom He shows mercy forevermore. 

As a tower of salvation the Lord is like a safe place, a fortress, or a castle, a place and a person to which we may run and hide. We are safe in Christ and we can hide in Him by faith any time, anywhere, for He is always there to guard and protect us. And in that tower He provides for us and cares for us. The King is our Good Shepherd. He is always beside us. He. He has come into our lives to show us the mercy of God and be in us the Love of God.

201. The Rock of my Salvation

2 Samuel 22:47 The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.

The Lord is my rock; blessed be He. I exalt the God of the rock of my salvation. God promises to save us, and He promises that such great salvation will be for me a Rock. The metaphor of a Rock is used many times in Scripture: it refers to building a house on the rock, not on sand; it refers to a solid place to stand secure from all the troubles around us; it refers to a fortress of strength and security, a safe place; it refers to the expression of faith spoken by Peter as the Rock on which the Lord will build His Church.

It would be a frightening feeling if we were to be caught in quicksand into which we are sinking with no hope of getting safely out unless helped from the outside. It is scary to be in an earthquake in which the house in which we are living is shaking and crumbling underneath. “He who listens and does my words is like a man who built his house on the solid rock.” When the storms of life come and disaster looms we look for solid ground on which to walk and live. That solid rock is Jesus. A life built on Christ stands forever, unshaken. 

We exalt, bless, praise, and thank God for being the solid rock underneath when we need strength, security and safety. We sing: “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand.” When we are sure that our sins have been forgiven and we are absolutely certain of eternal life then we are safely standing on the rock of our salvation. Salvation does not only mean being saved from the Enemies that would destroy us, but it also means restoration to wholeness, health and long life, settled peace within, and exuberant joy on the face. Salvation is wellbeing in every way. That’s the rock. Exalt the God of the rock of my salvation. That’s a promise. Stand on it.

200. Destroy the Enemies

2 Samuel 22:40, 41 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

God promises to subdue my enemies, to place them under my feet, and to destroy them that hate me. For this spiritual warfare He gives me strength for victory. The death of Christ on the cross decisively defeated my spiritual enemies Sin and the Devil. The resurrection of Christ has violently overthrown Death forever. These three enemies still hate me because they hate God, and they still lurk inside me in the flesh, and hang out around me in the world, tempting me to give in and give up. 

But we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has belted me with strength for battle. We may wield the sword of the Spirit by hiding the Word in our hearts, reciting it, confessing it aloud, and singing it joyfully. This is the strength that the Lord gives me for the battle. We put on the spiritual armor and walk in it all day long. Make no mistake: they hate me and they are intent on destroying me, but we have the promise: “I might destroy them.”

I destroy the enemy, but it is really the Lord who does the destroying. Every time I go to church and hear the Gospel, receive absolution, and partake of the Lord’s Supper the Lord destroys the enemies of my life. Every time I spend some time alone with God in the Word and in prayer the Lord destroys the enemies of my life. Every time I engage in Bible study with other Christians, enjoy fellowship, and pray with others enemies are destroyed again. I do not want to ease up on doing such Christian activities or the Enemy gains a foothold and eventually takes advantage. But I have this promise: We, Christ and me, overcome and destroy.

198. Feet like hind’s feet

2 Samuel 22:34 He maketh my feet like hind’s feet: and setteth me upon my high places.

This is an incredible promise about what the Lord does for us: He makes us stand and walk in dangerous places; He makes those places safe places. The feet of the deer or the mountain goat are built to hold on to steep and rocky terrain. The Lord does not always change the terrain or the environment for us, but He will give us the strength and wisdom to walk in those places.

We are in the world, and the world is a dangerous place. The temptations of the world are numerous and dangerous to our spiritual life and health. Beyond the temptation to sin there is also the temptation to ignore God and even reject Him for science, education, money, worldly wisdom, and worldly pleasures. It is easy to slip and fall, and falling away from the Lord is a terrible event. We are not equipped to walk safely through the rocky, rugged, mountainous terrain of the world. We may, by experience, gain “street smarts,” but those very smarts leave God out of the picture. Therefore, the Lord has seen fit to make my feet like deer’s feet. He gives me the spiritual equipment, the Word of God and prayer, the Gospel of grace and forgiveness, and the strengthened faith to stand.

God promises to set me on my high places. He puts me there on an elevated plateau where I can safely view my surroundings. From that safe vantage point He gives me the faith to see the spiritual dangers for what they are. I cannot handle a slippery slope, so He gives me feet to stand and walk and a high place to be secure. God sets me upon my high places. God gives me the safe and high place and I make it my own by faith. That high place is Christ Himself, and He is mine.