God Rules the Raging Sea!!

Do you ever read a scripture and realize that even though you have read it before, you missed something?

That happened to me last night!!!


I wanted to read for a bit before I went to sleep and my Bible was already open to Psalm 89, so I started reading it again!!!  And this is what I saw.


Psalm 89:9 (KJV) Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

The raging sea!!!  Wow!!!  Just those very words make me think of huge waves and high winds raging against a small boat trying to capsize it!!! 



And indeed, the sea will rage, but God and ONLY GOD can calm the sea!!! 


Matthew 8:23-27 (AMP)

²³ And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

²⁴ And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.

²⁵ And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!

²⁶ And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness).

²⁷ And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!



When Jesus spoke, the sea, the winds and the storm obeyed HIM!!! 


Mark 4:36-41 (CEB)

³⁶ They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.

³⁷ Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped.

³⁸ But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”

³⁹ He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm.

⁴⁰ Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”

⁴¹ Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Did you notice what Jesus was doing as the storm raged??


HE WAS SLEEPING!!!

That is what we need to do when the storms of life rage!!!  When we trust in God and don’t let our circumstances effect us, then we HAVE PEACE and even lay our head down and rest!!!  We can sleep PEACEFULLY while the storms rage!!!



This is one of my favorite verses because I know that if Jesus spoke to the storm, I can, too!!! 


Mark 4:39 (NKJV) Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.



PEACE!!!  BE STILL!!!

We need to speak PEACE over our lives because God has given us NOT ONLY power, but authority over ALL the powers of the enemy!!!


Luke 10:19 (AMP) Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.



Did you know that God tells us in HIS WORD that we can do greater things than Jesus did???


John 14:12 (NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

HE Rebuked Kings For Their Sakes!!!

The other day God showed me several things in HIS WORD!!!  I had written about part of what HE had shown me, but I had forgotten about the other!!! 


Psalm 105 kept coming back to my mind, so I reread it!!!  And God reminded me of something that HE had already shown me in His Word!!!  I wanted to share it with you!!

Psalm 105:1-15 (NKJV)

 

105 Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!


Do you know that magnifying God and giving HIM praise is NOT the same as giving THANKS to HIM??? 


Many times, we say, “God, you are wonderful and mighty!!  You are glorious and full of power,” but we don’t say, “Thank You, Lord!!!” 


In this Psalm, we are reminded that we should NOT only give THANKS TO THE LORD, but we should call upon his name!!!  As the New Century Version says, We should pray to HIM!!! 


Then verse 1 tells us to “Make known His deeds among the peoples!”  That means that we should tell everyone how good HE is to us and what ALL HE has done for us!!!


 
² Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!


We are to sing unto the Lord and worship HIM; sing praises to HIM.  And again it tells us to tell of ALL HIS WONDROUS WORKS; HIS GOOD DEEDS!!!



³ Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!


We are to give honor and magnify HIS GREAT NAME!!!  Our hearts should be merry and joyful because the Lord is OUR GOD: OUR SAVIOR; OUR DELIVER; OUR PROVIDER!!!  Therefore we rejoice in knowing HIM!!!



⁴ Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!


We ask HIM to strengthen us!!!  We seek HIS FACE which is HIS GOOD PLEASURE; HIS APPROVAL!!!  For if God is pleased with us then nothing else matters!!!  Seeking HIS Face and NOT HIS Hands means that we are NOT seeking HIM for what HE can do for us, but what we can do to please HIM!!!



⁵ Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,


When times of trouble come, or things look bleak, we are to remind ourselves of ALL that HE HAS DONE for us and how HE HAS BROUGHT US OUT in times past!!!  In doing so, we have encouraged ourselves in The LORD and given ourselves hope!!!



⁶ O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!


Not only is God speaking to us, but this psalm was originally written to the children of Israel!!!



⁷ He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.


THE LORD; HE IS OUR GOD AND HE HAS SHOWN HIMSELF MIGHTY IN ALL THE EARTH!!!  HE HAS SHOWN HIMSELF MIGHTY TO ISRAEL AND TO ALL THOSE AROUND!!!



⁸ He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,


HE WILL NOT FORGET HIS PROMISES!!!  NO!!!! NEVER!!!  It doesn’t matter how much time has passed!!!



⁹ The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,


God made a covenant with Abraham TO GIVE ABRAHAM AND ALL HIS DESCENDANTS THE PROMISED LAND; A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY!!!!  This covenant was a divine agreement between Abraham and God, and GOD WILL NEVER FORGET THAT AGREEMENT!!!!



¹⁰ And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

¹¹ Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”


GOD has shown Jacob that HE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN HIS EVERLASTING COVENANT to give the seed of Abraham the promised land!!! 



¹² When they were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

¹³ When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,


God promised Israel this land long ago when they were only a small nation and before they even came and took the land!!!  Even as they traveled through the wilderness to this LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, God reassured them of HIS PROMISE!!!  



¹⁴ He permitted no one to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,

¹⁵ Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”



This is the promise that God made to Abraham and his descendants!!!


Genesis 12:1-7 (NKJV)

12 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.

² I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴ So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

⁵ Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.

⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

God was with Abraham as he continued on his journey to the land of Egypt. 
And when Pharaoh desired to make Sarah his wife, God caused great plagues to come upon the land!!!


Genesis 12:14-17 (NKJV)

¹⁴ So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.

¹⁵ The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.

¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

When Jacob and his sons left the place where they had dwelt and traveled home to Canaan, God cause ALL those around them to fear greatly!!! 


Genesis 35:5 (NKJV) And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.



GOD drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea when they pursued His Children, Israel!!! 


Exodus 14:13-14, 26-30 (NKJV)

¹³ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.

¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”


²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.”

²⁷ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

²⁸ Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.

²⁹ But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

³⁰ So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.



GOD made the walls of Jericho to crumble before them!!!  He gave Israel victory in battle after battle and the fear of them fell upon the land because of their great GOD!!!



GOD ISN’T DEAD AND HE HASN’T GONE TO SLEEP!!! 


HE WILL COME TO RESCUE HIS PEOPLE AGAIN!!! 


HE WILL STAND UP FOR ISRAEL AND HE WILL SAVE THEM!!!


AND ALL NATIONS WILL KNOW THAT HE IS THE GOD OF ISRAEL!!! 

Love and Hate

Have you ever read the book of Esther???  



Have you heard how Esther, a Jewess, became Queen of all the land from India to Ethiopia (now known as Cush?)

If not, it is well worth the read.  It is a book of intrigue and passion, of love and hate.



And yes, ALL this is in the Bible!!!



Let’s look at what happened while Esther was Queen.


Esther 3:1-6 (CEV)

¹ Later, King Xerxes promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha to the highest position in his kingdom. Haman was a descendant of Agag,

² and the king had given orders for his officials at the royal gate to honor Haman by kneeling down to him. All of them obeyed except Mordecai.

³ When the other officials asked Mordecai why he disobeyed the king’s command,

⁴ he said, “Because I am a Jew.” They spoke to him for several days about kneeling down, but he still refused to obey. Finally, they reported this to Haman, to find out if he would let Mordecai get away with it.

⁵ Haman was furious to learn that Mordecai refused to kneel down and honor him.

⁶ And when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he knew that killing only Mordecai was not enough. Every Jew in the whole kingdom had to be killed.



Have you ever noticed that some folks seem to hate anyone who serves God?  And sometimes they have no idea why!!!  God has chosen people everywhere!!! 



Be careful who you hate!! 



I know that some would say, “Why wouldn’t Mordecai bow down to this man?”



That is simple!  Jews do NOT bow to anyone or anything, but The Lord God Almighty!!!  Therefore, Mordecai would NOT even consider bowing to Haman. 



So, Haman schemed and came up with a plan to avenge his wounded pride, and in doing so he planned to destroy NOT just one man, but a whole people!!!!  


Esther 3:8-12 (NCV)

⁸ Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain group of people scattered among the other people in all the states of your kingdom. Their customs are different from those of all the other people, and they do not obey the king's laws. It is not right for you to allow them to continue living in your kingdom.

⁹ If it pleases the king, let an order be given to destroy those people. Then I will pay seven hundred fifty thousand pounds of silver to those who do the king's business, and they will put it into the royal treasury."

¹⁰ So the king took his signet ring off and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jewish people.

¹¹ Then the king said to Haman, "The money and the people are yours. Do with them as you please."

¹² On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal secretaries were called, and they wrote out all of Haman's orders. They wrote to the king's governors and to the captains of the soldiers in each state and to the important men of each group of people. The orders were written in the writing of each state and in the language of each people. They were written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with his signet ring.



How can anyone hate another person so much?  And yet they do!!!  Even in our world today!!!  Look at Iran today.  Iran hates Israel!!!  And they want to see Israel wiped from the face of the earth. 



Look at radical Muslims.  They hate Christian and Jews alike.  Some people hate us because we are Americans!!!



And yet God loves ALL of these people and wants to see them ALL saved!!!




We find that the Jews were to be wiped from the face of the earth on the day scheduled by Haman. 



Esther 3:13-14 (NCV)

¹³ Letters were sent by messengers to all the king's empire ordering them to destroy, kill, and completely wipe out all the Jewish people. That meant young and old, women and little children, too. It was to happen on a single day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which was Adar. And they could take everything the Jewish people owned.

¹⁴ A copy of the order was given out as a law in every state so all the people would be ready for that day.

When Haman made his plan he had no idea, that Queen Esther, was one of God’s chosen people!!! 



Esther 4:5-13 (NCV)
 

⁵ Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was.

⁶ So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate.

⁷ And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews.

⁸ He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people.

⁹ So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai:

¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.”

¹² So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.

¹³ And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.

The words, “FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS” ring out in my heart!!!

Esther 4:14-17 (NCV)

¹⁴  For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:

¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”

¹⁷ So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.



As we can see, God gave Esther great favor with the King!! 


Esther 5:1-4 (NCV)

¹ On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner courtyard of the king's palace, facing the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the doorway.

² When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, he was pleased. He held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand, so Esther went forward and touched the end of it.

³ The king asked, "What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want to ask me? I will give you as much as half of my kingdom."

⁴ Esther answered, "My king, if it pleases you, come today with Haman to a banquet that I have prepared for you."

Haman’s hatred was so fierce towards Mordecai that he could NOT be content to know that the Jews were to be destroyed.  Nor could he just be happy to have been honored to eat with the king and queen. 



Esther 5:9-14 (NCV)

⁹ Haman left the king's palace that day happy and content. But when he saw Mordecai at the king's gate and saw that Mordecai did not stand up or tremble with fear before him, Haman became very angry with Mordecai.

¹⁰ But he controlled his anger and went home.

   Then Haman called together his friends and his wife, Zeresh.

¹¹ He told them how wealthy he was and how many sons he had. He also told them all the ways the king had honored him and how the king had placed him higher than his important men and his royal officers.

¹² He also said, "I'm the only person Queen Esther invited to come with the king to the banquet she gave. And tomorrow also the queen has asked me to be her guest with the king.

¹³ But all this does not really make me happy when I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate."

¹⁴ Then Haman's wife, Zeresh, and all his friends said, "Have a seventy-five foot platform built, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and be happy." Haman liked this suggestion, so he ordered the platform to be built.

As always, God intervenes for HIS CHOSEN ONES!!! 


Esther 6:1-2 (NCV)

¹ That same night the king could not sleep. So he gave an order for the daily court record to be brought in and read to him.

² It was found recorded that Mordecai had warned the king about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway and who had planned to kill the king.

And if you don’t think that God has a sense of humor read these next 2 verses!!!  God turns the tables on Haman and makes him look the fool or so it seems to Haman, himself!!! 



Esther 6:10-11 (NCV)

¹⁰ The king commanded Haman, "Go quickly. Take the robe and the horse just as you have said, and do all this for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Do not leave out anything you have suggested."

¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse, and he put the robe on Mordecai. Then he led him on horseback through the city streets, announcing before Mordecai: "This is what is done for the man whom the king wants to honor!"

And as he comes home and begins to complain to his wife and friends about what happened to him that day, he is rushed off to the banquet that unbeknownst to him is to be his last supper!!


Esther 7:1-10 (NCV)

 ¹ So the king and Haman went in to eat with Queen Esther.

 ² As they were drinking wine on the second day, the king asked Esther again, "What are you asking for? I will give it to you. What is it you want? I will give you as much as half of my kingdom."

 ³ Then Queen Esther answered, "My king, if you are pleased with me, and if it pleases you, let me live. This is what I ask. And let my people live, too. This is what I want.

⁴ My people and I have been sold to be destroyed, to be killed and completely wiped out. If we had been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because that would not be enough of a problem to bother the king."

 ⁵ Then King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he? Who has done such a thing?"

 ⁶ Esther said, "Our enemy and foe is this wicked Haman!"
  
Then Haman was filled with terror before the king and queen.

 ⁷ The king was very angry, so he got up, left his wine, and went out into the palace garden. But Haman stayed inside to beg Queen Esther to save his life. He could see that the king had already decided to kill him.

 ⁸ When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was lying. The king said, "Will he even attack the queen while I am in the house?"
  
As soon as the king said that, servants came in and covered Haman's face.

 ⁹ Harbona, one of the eunuchs there serving the king, said, "Look, a seventy-five foot platform stands near Haman's house. This is the one Haman had prepared for Mordecai, who gave the warning that saved the king."
  
The king said, "Hang Haman on it!"

 ¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the platform he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king was not so angry anymore.

As we can see, God gave NOT only great favor to Queen Esther, but also the wisdom to know what to say to the king, so that he would spare her and ALL of her people (God’s people.)



Esther 8:1-2 (NCV)

¹ That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther everything Haman, the enemy of the Jewish people, had left when he died. And Mordecai came in to see the king, because Esther had told the king how he was related to her.

² Then the king took off his signet ring that he had taken back from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of everything Haman left when he died.

Now, that is NOT the end of the story, even though it was indeed the end of Haman, the man who chose to make himself the enemy of God people!!!



Esther 8:3-12 (NCV)

 ³ Once again Esther spoke to the king. She fell at the king's feet and cried and begged him to stop the evil plan that Haman the Agagite had planned against the Jews.

 ⁴ The king held out the gold scepter to Esther. So Esther got up and stood in front of him.

 ⁵ She said, "My king, if you are pleased with me, and if it pleases you to do this, if you think it is the right thing to do, and if you are happy with me, let an order be written to cancel the letters Haman wrote. Haman the Agagite sent messages to destroy all the Jewish people in all of your kingdom.

 ⁶ I could not stand to see that terrible thing happen to my people. I could not stand to see my family killed."

 ⁷ King Xerxes answered Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Because Haman was against the Jewish people, I have given his things to Esther, and my soldiers have hanged him.

 ⁸ Now, in the king's name, write another order to the Jewish people as it seems best to you. Then seal the order with the king's signet ring, because no letter written in the king's name and sealed with his signet ring can be canceled."

  ⁹ At that time the king's secretaries were called. This was the twenty-third day of the third month, which is Sivan. The secretaries wrote out all of Mordecai's orders to the Jews, to the governors, to the captains of the soldiers in each state, and to the important men of the one hundred twenty-seven states that reached from India to Cush. They wrote in the writing of each state and in the language of each people. They also wrote to the Jewish people in their own writing and language.

 ¹⁰ Mordecai wrote orders in the name of King Xerxes and sealed the letters with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the king's orders by messengers on fast horses, horses that were raised just for the king.

 ¹¹ These were the king's orders: The Jewish people in every city have the right to gather together to protect themselves. They may destroy, kill, and completely wipe out the army of any state or people who attack them. And they are to do the same to the women and children of that army. They may also take by force the property of their enemies.

 ¹² The one day set for the Jewish people to do this in all the empire of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.



God saved HIS PEOPLE from being killed and even allowed them to NOT only fight anyone who came against them, but to take the property of their enemies!!! 



Esther 8:13-16 (NKJV)

¹³ A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

¹⁴ The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.

¹⁵ So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

¹⁶ The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor.




As I read this last verse today, I was overwhelmed (even as I am now) with the feelings of LOVE that GOD HAS FOR HIS PEOPLE!!! 



Esther 8:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.

And I can feel and hear the Lord saying, “I will rescue my people!!!”




GOD HAS DONE IT BEFORE AND HE WILL DO IT AGAIN!!!



So, be careful who you hate!!!  



And what you plan against others!!!



And to Iran I say, “Look out, because just as Haman built the gallows that he was hung upon, so are you planning your own demise!!!”




As it says in Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!!!” 



WE WILL STAND WITH ISRAEL!!!  AND WE WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF HE LORD!!!

I WILL SING OF YOUR MERCIES FOREVER!!!

What an awesome and glorious psalm!!!  It touches the depths of my soul!!! 



Psalm 89 (NKJV)

89 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;
With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

² For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever;
Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”



As I read this psalm, the sincerity and the depth of worship that this man brings to paper awed me and blessed my soul!!!  This was truly written by a man who knew God!!!  He is writing out of the depths of his heart to praise and honor GOD!!!



The first verse says, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” 



The Bible I was using said this psalm was a Maschil by Ethan the Ezrahite.  I looked up maschil and found that it means enlightened; a psalms that teaches something.  Indeed one description said a special psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite.



When I first read this psalm, I realized that Ethan must have been a very intelligent man, full of knowledge and wisdom. 



Even verse 2 is praise unto THE LORD, “For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”



And then in verse 3 and 4, God speaks through Ethan about David,  and the covenant that God made to David because of his love for God and because he walked in the ways of THE LORD!!! 


³ “I have made a covenant with My chosen,
I have sworn to My servant David:

⁴ ‘Your seed I will establish forever,
And build up your throne to all generations.’”



At the end of verse 4, we see the word, “Selah,” and we know that it means that we should stop to consider the great importance of what the writer is saying!!!



In verses 5-18, Ethan continues magnifying the Lord God of Heaven.


⁵ And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.

⁶ For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord?

⁷ God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.

⁸ O Lord God of hosts,
Who is mighty like You, O Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

⁹ You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.

¹⁰ You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

¹¹ The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.

¹² The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.

¹³ You have a mighty arm;
Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.

¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Mercy and truth go before Your face.

¹⁵ Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.

¹⁶ In Your name they rejoice all day long,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

¹⁷ For You are the glory of their strength,
And in Your favor our horn is exalted.

¹⁸ For our shield belongs to the Lord,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.




And once more, beginning with verse 19, God begins to speak of HIS SERVANT; King David, A Man After God's Own Heart and the promises that HE made to David!!!


¹⁹ Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,
And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.

²⁰ I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,

²¹ With whom My hand shall be established;
Also My arm shall strengthen him.

²² The enemy shall not outwit him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

²³ I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him.

²⁴ “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
And in My name his horn shall be exalted.

²⁵ Also I will set his hand over the sea,
And his right hand over the rivers.

²⁶ He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

²⁷ Also I will make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.

²⁸ My mercy I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall stand firm with him.

²⁹ His seed also I will make to endure forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven.

³⁰ “If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,

³¹ If they break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,

³² Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.

³³ Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.

³⁴ My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

³⁵ Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:

³⁶ His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;

³⁷ It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah




And again I say, What an awesome psalm!!!  How touching and moving to read of praises of the MOST HIGH!!!

The Lord Will Repay!!!

Let’s take a closer look at the 26^th chapter of 1 Samuel.  I’ve already written about this incident, but last night as I read this passage again, I saw some things that I did NOT mention in my last post!!!



As we read we find David yet again being hunted by Saul!!!  As I read last night, I realized that Saul had hunted endlessly for David.  Then I understood exactly why David left his country of Israel to go into the land of the Philistines to seek refuge and peace!!!


1 Samuel 26:2-3 (NKJV)


² Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph.

³ And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon, by the road. But David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.



Abishai is like many of those in the world today.  He doesn’t understand that God can love folks even when they refuse to act right!!!  He only sees Saul as David’s enemy, not as the Lord’s anointed!!! 



But David understood and even though he would NOT have had to touch Saul himself, David understood how serious it was to come against God’s anointed!!! 


1 Samuel 26:8 (NKJV) Then Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!”



Many of us need to understand how serious it is to come against the Lord’s Anointed!!!  GOD LOVES HIS CHILDREN!!! 


1 Samuel 26:9-10 (NKJV)


⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?”

¹⁰ David said furthermore, “As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.



Let’s read verse 9 again!!!  Listen to what David says because he understands that if he trusts in God and waits upon the Lord, GOD WILL REPAY!!!!


1 Samuel 26:9 (NKJV) “…FOR WHO CAN STRETCH OUT HIS HAND AGAINST THE LORD’S ANOINTED, AND BE GUILTLESS?”



Unfortunately, we think nothing of gossiping about the Lord’s anointed.  Many folks lie and do ugly things to God’s people, while others actually try to bring physical harm.  Perhaps they need to be reminded that GOD WILL INDEED REPAY!!!!


1 Samuel 26:11 (NKJV) The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.”



We see that God was indeed with David even as he goes down to the enemy’s camp.  God had his hand on David!!!  And even though David could easily have killed Saul, he was merciful!!! 


1 Samuel 26:12 (NKJV) So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got away; and no man saw or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.



Folks truly do NOT understand that they are cursing themselves when they come against God’s Kids!!!  They are causing themselves unnecessary problems!!!  But David understood this!!!


1 Samuel 26:19 (NKJV) Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’



It is very simple!!!  You will harvest what you plant. 


If you plant corn then corn will come up.  If you plant tomatoes then your vines will bear tomatoes.  If you do good deeds and kindness, then you will have good things happen to you and you will be treated with kindness!!! 


And if you do bad and treat others cruelly, then you will have bad things happen to you and you will be treated cruelly!!!   


Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.



The CEB says it even more plainly!!!!

Galatians 6:7 (CEB) Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant.



Do good things and treat others with kindness, so that the Lord may repay you with good things and bless you!!!


1 Samuel 26:23 (NKJV) May the Lord repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness…

Touch NOT The Lord’s Anointed!!!

The other day I opened my Bible to read a passage of scripture and the Lord showed me something new, something that I had never really thought about!!!

1 Samuel 26:7-12 (NKJV)

⁷ So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him.

⁸ Then Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!”

⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?”

¹⁰ David said furthermore, “As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.

¹¹ The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.”

¹² So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got away; and no man saw or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.



As I read this, I thought, Wow!!!  God delivered Saul right into David’s hands!!!


It was then that I heard God say, Touch not mine anointed. Do my prophets no harm.


1 Chronicles 16:22 (KJV) …Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.



That is when I realized that this had been a test for David, and he had passed it!!!  Wow!!!  He did well!!!  After ALL we know that Saul had been trying to kill him for sometime!!! 



You know, this wasn’t the first time that David had been given the opportunity to kill Saul.  David, being wise, had refused one other time to kill Saul because he knew that Saul was the king that God had chosen and anointed to lead Israel.   


1 Samuel 24:1-18 (NKJV)

¹ Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.”

² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats.

³ So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.)

⁴ Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

⁵ Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.

⁶ And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”

⁷ So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

⁸ David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down.

⁹ And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’?

¹⁰ Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’

¹¹ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it.

¹² Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.

¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you.

¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea?

¹⁵ Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”

¹⁶ So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

¹⁷ Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil.

¹⁸ And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.



1 Samuel 24:19-22 (CEB)

¹⁹ When someone finds an enemy, do they send the enemy away in peace? May the Lord repay you with good for what you have done for me today.

²⁰ Now even I know that you will definitely become king, and Israel’s kingdom will flourish in your hands.

²¹ Because of that, make a solemn pledge to me by the Lord that you won’t kill off my descendants after I’m gone and that you won’t destroy my name from my family lineage.”

²² David made a solemn pledge to Saul. Then Saul went back home, but David and his soldiers went up to the fortress.



David was NOT only very merciful to Saul in this situation, but David had so much respect and love for God that he wanted to be pleasing to God!!!  We can also see that David was so full of the love of God that he could love Saul. 

Psalms 105:15 ... “Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.”

David knew God’s heart and he refused to take revenge on his enemy and kill him!!!


Romans 12:19 (AMP) Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord.



I wonder how many of us would have been that merciful and would have spared our enemy’s life???  How many of us would have been like Abishai who would have killed his enemy???



But David knew God and he knew that God did NOT want him to take revenge on Saul.  God wants his people to allow him to take care of their enemies!!!


Deuteronomy 32:35 (NCV) I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them. Soon their foot will slip, because their day of trouble is near, and their punishment will come quickly."



Of course, in our day it is NOT really a question of whether or NOT we would literally kill our enemy or enemies, but rather will we be merciful and treat our enemy with undeserved kindness???



I know!!!  I know!!!  How in the world can I or even God expect you to be nice to someone who has treated you with disrespect???  Someone who has done everything he or she could to destroy you!!! 



Well, God tells us in His Word that you are to pray for those who despitefully use you!!!


Matthew 5:44 (NKJV) But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you



Luke 6:28 (NCV) bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you.



PRAY?????????????????????????????

Yes, PRAY!!!!!!  Pray good, and kind, and nice prayers for those who treat you bad!!!



And, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You can’t pray, “God get ‘em!!!!”



I totally understand because there were many times when I wanted to pray exactly that!!!  But I had to learn to pray good things for my enemies!!!  I had to learn to ask God to forgive the ones who were mistreating me!!!  I had to learn to pray that God be merciful to them!!!



Even Jesus asked God to forgive HIS enemies!!!


Luke 23:34 (NCV) Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they don't know what they are doing."



I had to learn to ask God to set my enemies free from bondage!!!  I had to learn to ask HIM to deliver them and save them!!!



And, no, it wasn’t easy!!! But do you know that it works???



IF YOU REALLY WANT TO TICK THE DEVIL OFF AND CONFUSE HIM, be nice to your enemies and pray good things for them!!!



When we pray for our enemies and treat them nicely we are heaping great coals of fire on their heads-the red hot coals of God’s Love!!!


Proverbs 25:21-22 (NCV)

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink.

²² Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

Romans 12:17-21 (CEB)

¹⁷ Don’t pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good.

¹⁸ If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people.

¹⁹ Don’t try to get revenge for yourselves, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. It is written, Revenge belongs to me; I will pay it back, says the Lord.

²⁰ Instead, If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. By doing this, you will pile burning coals of fire upon his head.

²¹ Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.