Walking with God

Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:24)

The author of Hebrews comments on this unusual primeval event:

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found because God had taken him”; for before he was taken, he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)

The Greek word for “taken,” used in all three instances in this verse, means to transfer, transport, or translate. In other words, Enoch walked with God and ended up very differently than when He began. He was not just changed as to his spiritual condition, he even experienced a change in his physical state. God, who is Spirit, created the material universe, so physical reality is essentially a manifestation of the spiritual realm.

The Septuagint, an early translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, uses in Genesis 5:24 the Greek verb for “pleased” in place of the Hebrew word for “walked.” It signifies that Enoch did not merely happen to be accompanying God in this journey, but he actually pleased God in doing so — he was a delight to Him.

God had wanted to walk with Adam in this way. He came walking in the Garden in the “cool of the day,” looking for him (Genesis 3:8-9). But of course, Adam had already disconnected from God by his rebellion. It is significant that the “hall of fame of faith” in Hebrews 11 does not begin with, “By faith Adam …” Adam acted as he did precisely because he did not believe God.

But that is what pleases God — faith! As Hebrews goes on to say, “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is believing that God is, and that He rewards those who seek Him out. That pleases God, which is exactly what Enoch did. He walked with God in faith — and it changed his entire existence.

There is a way of walking in this world that can transport you into a higher reality, a new realm of living, a delightful fellowship with God. It is the way of faith — believing God.

Judging the Nations

Rise up, God, judge the earth,
For all the nations belong to You.

(Psalm 82:8 HCSB)

The judgment of God comes, not to condemn, but to set things right, to line everything up with His will and purpose. God is good, so His purpose is nothing but good. That is why Jesus came, why the Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:17-21)

In Psalm 82, God calls the rulers of the nations, especially Israel, to account. “He judges among the gods” (v. 1). They are called “gods” because He intended for them to represent His justice on earth. But instead of defending the poor and fatherless, and doing justice for the afflicted and needy, freeing them from the hand of the wicked, these faithless rulers judged unjustly and show partiality to the wicked (vv. 2-4).

God chastises them: “They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are unstable” (v. 5). They love the darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. They have no understanding because they are not interested in truth. And the world is unstable because of it. So God delivers His verdict:

I said, “You are all gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes. (vv. 6-7)

Then comes the call for God to rise up and judge the earth — to set things right all over the world — because all the nations, not just Israel, belong to Him.

The prayer for God to rise up and judge the earth is not a call for destruction and death but for redemption and life, to rescue the nations. God answers this call in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life of God for all the earth (John 14:6). God’s desire is to rescue the world, not condemn it. Condemnation is a condition of unbelief. When we do not believe God, when we do not love what is light and good and true, we condemn ourselves to darkness, evil and deception. The judgment of God does not come to condemn but to expose our true condition. If we are willing to do the truth and come to the light — to receive the Son — the judgment of God rescues and restores us.

The Bold Confidence of Faith

Who through faith … quenched the violence of fire. (Hebrews 11:33-34)

Hebrews 11 has often been called the “Hall of Fame” of faith. It begins with this definition: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (v. 1). It describes a solid confidence that is rooted, not in what is seen but in what is unseen.

The ones who by faith quenched the violence of fire are, of course, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, the three young Hebrews who refused to bow down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar. Consider the deep confidence of their faith as Nebuchadnezzar confronts them:

Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands? (Daniel 3:15)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego boldly answer:

O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. (Daniel 3:16-18)

Notice the elements of their answer:

1. “We have no need to answer you in this matter.” It was immediate and direct. They needed no time to reconsider. They had taken their stand and they were sticking with it. “We’ve already done what we’re going to do. Now you go ahead and do what you are going to do.”
2. “If that is the case.” This is a conditional statement. Not about their action but about the action of the king. They had already made their decision. Now they were laying out, in logical fashion, the king’s choices and what would happen with them.
3. “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.” They had no doubt that God was quite capable of protecting them from the fire.
4. “And He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” Here is where the confidence of their faith is fully seen. It is one thing to speak theoretically about what God is able to do, quite another to declare what He will do.
5. “But if not.” This is another conditional statement. It is important to understand that this if not statement corresponds to the earlier if statement.
6. “Let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Whatever Nebuchadnezzar decided would make no difference at all to these young men. Either way, they were not going to bow down and serve his gods.

Here is where a lot of preachers and Bible interpreters get it wrong. They think the answer of the young Hebrews runs like this: “If you throw us into the fiery furnace, our God is able to deliver us, and he will deliver us. But if He does not, we still won’t serve your gods or bow down.” It sounds like a very valiant faith, trusting in God even if He does not come through and deliver them.

The problem, however, is that the text does not say, “But if He does not.” Some translations will render it that way (the NASB and the NIV, for instance) but in the Hebrew text, it is simply, “But if not.” That is why it is important to notice points 2 and 5 above. They are both conditional statements. One says if, the other says if not. They correspond to each other. The if statement means, “If you cast us into the fiery furnace ...” The corresponding if not statement means, then, “If you do not cast us into the fiery furnace …” In other words, the if not statement is not about whether or not God would deliver them but about whether or not Nebuchadnezzar would toss them into the furnace.

Besides the corresponding nature of the if and if not statements, there is another simple reason why the if not statement refers to the king’s actions, not God’s. It would be completely unnecessary for them to point out that, if God did not deliver them from the fiery furnace, they would not serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods. It would be exceedingly obvious. If God did not deliver them, they would be instantly killed by the flames — and dead men don’t bow to anything, not even to the king and his gods.

But hear the boldness of their answer and the confidence of their faith. In context, it runs like this: “O Nebuchadnezzar, if you cast us into the fiery furnace, our God is able to deliver is — and He will deliver us! But if you do not cast us into the fiery furnace, know this: We still will not serve your gods or bow down to your image.”

As we know from Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar did throw them into the furnace — and God did indeed deliver them, just as they had declared. Their response was not based on that which was seen, Nebuchadnezzar’s threats or the reality of the fire, but on that which was unseen, the faithfulness of God. They trusted not just in the ability of God, but just as important, in the faithfulness of God to deliver His people. They may have been uncertain about what the king was going to do, but they had no doubt what God was going to do.

Bold and confident faith in the faithfulness of God is able to work miracles. It goes beyond saying, “God can deliver me,” to declaring, “God will deliver me!”

Imparting Vision with Inheritance

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children. (Proverbs 13:22)

The good man is the one who walks in the instruction of the Lord, the promises of God and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. He has an inheritance to leave to his children’s children. It is not limited to the spiritual realm, because the prosperity of God offers abundance for every area of life, as John demonstrated in his prayer for Gaius, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2).

The thing about inheritance is that it passes from father to son, from a dad to his kids. In other words, it is about relationship. It is significant in Proverbs 13:22 that is it not just the children of the good man, but his children’s children — his grandchildren — who receive his inheritance. They receive it because their parents have received it and passed it on to them. Their parents “get it.” That it, they understand what they have received from their father. They not only walk in the benefits of the inheritance but they also live in the vision of it. They know what it is about and where it is headed. Because they see what it is for, they are able to maintain it and even add to it and enlarge it for their own children. It has purpose, direction, focus.

Whatever else the inheritance of the good man may be, it comes wrapped in goodness and wisdom so that it is truly a blessing and not a curse to the next generation. Many an inheritance has been squandered because it was not imparted with wisdom, understanding and vision. That is why the second half of Proverbs 13:22 gives us this contrast: “But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

The good man sees that there is a future for those who do what is right, that it is full of peace, shalom — wholeness and prosperity, nothing missing and nothing broken (Psalm 37:37). He knows that those who delight in the Lord and His ways will prosper in whatever he does (Psalm 1:1-3). He understands that the ways and wealth of the wicked will not endure but be driven away like chaff blown in the wind (Psalm 1:4-6).

Those who disregard God and His ways are in a slippery place that leads to destruction (Psalm 73:18). Though they may increase in riches, it is only for a time. Whatever they have gained will quickly evaporate. Their wealth will not cease to be, but it will slip from their own hands and no longer be theirs. It will eventually find its way into the hands of the upright, those who know God and live by His instruction.

The good man imparts godly vision along with the inheritance. Indeed, it is the most important part of the inheritance. When the father is faithful to pass that on to his children, his children will pass it along to their children. He will know how successful his inheritance has been in his own children when he sees his grandchildren walking in the wisdom and wealth of it.

Confessions for Your Children

To confess, literally, is “to say the same thing.” That is how the English word derives and also what its counterpart in New Testament Greek, homologeo, means. To confess something is to speak in agreement with it. When we confess our sin, as in 1 John 1:9 for example, we are agreeing that they are indeed sinful, things we ought not to have done. When we confess the Lord Jesus, as in Romans 10:9, we are agreeing and affirming that Jesus Christ is indeed our Lord.

When we confess Jesus as our Lord, we have so much more we can confess because we become heir to all the promises of God. And what wonderful promises He has given for us and our children! In difficult times, such as the present economic distress, when we might wonder how our kids are going to make it through, it is good to remember and affirm these promises and expect to receive them, for our children as well as for ourselves.

With that in mind, I have this list of things I confess, based on the Word of God, beginning with the commitment of our household to God. If you find them helpful, you are welcome to use them. If I may recommend, it is good to keep them in your thoughts and in the silences of your heart, but it is also very helpful to speak them aloud, even to shout them. That can be wonderfully freeing, help break the spirit of heaviness and despair, and assist you in laying hold of God’s promises with a vigorous faith. The Bible says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). That is, faith is the underlying reality of what we are expecting (see Faith is Reality and Faith Brings Expectation).

Here are the confessions I speak over my children:

• Regardless of what anyone else may choose, as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)
• God’s promise of salvation is for our children as well as for us, and they receive it by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 16:31)
• The empowering gift of the Holy Spirit is for our children as well as for us, and they bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in their lives — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control. (Acts 2:38-39; Galatians 5:22-23)
• We are blessed in the city, blessed in the country, and our children will also be blessed. (Deuteronomy 28:3-4)
• The LORD teaches us His ways so that we shall dwell in prosperity and our children shall inherit the land. (Psalm 25:12-13)
• We shall never be abandoned, not even in old age, and our children shall never have to beg bread. We shall not have to borrow but will have abundance for lending and generosity. Our children will be a blessing because they themselves are blessed. (Psalm 37:25-26)
• Wealth and riches will be in our house, and our children will be mighty on earth, an upright and blessed generation. (Psalm 112:2-3)
• The LORD gives us increase more and more, to us and our children, and we are blessed by the LORD, Make of Heaven and Earth. (Psalm 115:14-15)
• We are imparting a rich inheritance for our children and our children’s children. (Proverbs 13:22)
• Our children are instructed by the LORD, and great shall be their peace, their shalom — their wholeness and prosperity, nothing missing and nothing broken. (Isaiah 54:13)

See also Confessions and Praying Over Your Children with Power.

Divine Portrait of Prosperity: Psalm 128

God gives us a number of wonderful portraits of prosperity. Here is what it looks like in Psalm 128:

Blessed is every one who fears the LORD,
Who walks in His ways.
When you eat the labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
Yes, may you see your children’s children.

Years ago, when I was going through the Psalms of Ascent, writing a song for each one (I call them the “Pilgrims Psalms”), I struggled with this one — it seemed too good to be true. It portrayed happiness and prosperity as something God has for all His people, for all who fear Him and walk in His ways. But that clashed with the theology I had learned, the religious mindset I had been discipled in up to that time.

Growing up in church and going through Bible college, I was taught that God wanted us to have joy but not necessarily happiness. “God would rather you be holy than happy,” other Christians would later tell me. As if we can only be one or the other, or that holiness and happiness are like matter and antimatter and would annihilate each other if they ever came into contact.

Then there was the question of prosperity. “God doesn’t have prosperity for everyone,” I was advised. “You can’t expect that things will always work out for you.” Life for the Christian is “blood, sweat and tears, and hard, hard work,” I remember someone saying. Oh, joy!

But here was the psalm writer speaking unabashedly about having prosperity, being fruitful, enjoying the produce of our work — and being extremely happy! The Hebrew word for “blessed” in the first verse literally exclaims, “How happy!” or “What happiness!” It is the kind of happiness that comes from everything going well in your life. That is hard for some people to accept, but it is what Psalm 128 describes. The Message puts it this way:

All you who fear GOD, how blessed you are!
How happily you walk on his smooth straight road!
You worked hard and deserve all you’ve got coming.
Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!  (vv. 1-2)

The Contemporary English Version reads, “Your fields will produce, and you will be happy and all will go well” (v. 2).

So I made the decision to leave behind all those old voices that were still ringing in my head and go with what the Word of God now set plainly before my face. I wrote the song according to the psalm. No apologies, no regrets. Oh, some have tried to talk me out of this expectation, often “spiritualizing” the life out of this and similar Scriptures. But they are too late — I’ve already seen it in the Word and have been experiencing it in increasing measure in my life.

I hope you do, too. Even, or especially, in these difficult times.

The favor God has for His people extends even to happiness and prosperity, for all who live in awe of Him and walk in His ways. Set your expectation on this.

The Name and the Promise

You have exalted Your name and Your promise above everything else. (Psalm 138:2 HCSB)

For the past ten months or so, I have been using the Holman Christian Standard Bible for my morning Bible reading and praying in the psalms. Over the years, I have heard this verse quoted often, from the King James and similar versions: “You have magnified Your word above all Your name” (NKJV). Much was made of the idea that God exalted His Word even above His name. This was not meant to take anything away from the name of God, but to demonstrate how valuable is His promise.

However, as I was praying recently through this psalm, I noticed that the Holman Bible renders it quite differently: God’s Word is not exalted above His name, but both the name and the promise of God are exalted above everything else. So I did what I usually do when I am intrigued by a verse or phrase or word in Scripture. I went checking through other versions to see how they have it.

The King James, the New King James and the Modern King James have “word” magnified above “name.’ So do the Jewish Publication Society Bible, the Douay-Rheims Bible, the Revised Version, the Literal Translation of the Bible, the Bible in Basic English, the Third Millennium Bible and Young’s Literal Translation. But here are how some of the other versions read:

You have exalted above all things your name and your word. (New International Version)

You have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. (New International Version 2011)

You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. (New American Standard Bible)

You have exalted above all things your name and your word. (English Standard Version)

Your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. (New Living Translation)

You have exalted your name and your word above everything. (New Revised Standard Version)

You have shown that your name and your commands are supreme. (Good News Translation)

Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. (The Message)

You were true to your word and made yourself more famous than ever before. (Contemporary English Version)

The Amplified Bible has it both ways! “You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!”

Just goes to show that translation is not an exact science. Actually, there is a bit of an art to it. Many of the variations between the versions, once you get past the distinction between the dynamic equivalent translations (such as the NIV) and the more literal formal translations (like the NASB), is pretty much just a matter of style. But sometimes the text itself can be so nuanced (or, at times, even uncertain), it is not clear how it should be rendered.

I have lived with the one translation, where God’s Word is magnified above His name, for many years now, though the logic of it seems a bit disjointed concerning the being of God, and I have never been fully able to explain it, even to myself. So I think I will meditate on the other translation for awhile. It makes more sense to me that the name of God and the promise of God are on a par with each other, while they are both highly exalted above all else. That, it seems to me, is as it should be.

The Alignment of Heaven and Earth

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)

God’s plan is for everything on earth to be brought into perfect alignment with heaven. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, He made man in His own image and according to His likeness. Then He blessed man — male and female — to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, to have dominion (Genesis 1:28).

The Hebrew word for “subdue” means to bring into subjection. The word for “have dominion” means to rule over, to bring under control. Both words speak of bringing the earth into alignment. Alignment with what? With heaven. Man was created to be like God and given dominion over the earth to bring it into line with the domain of heaven.

Of course, there was a major kink along the way, and that was when Adam decided to rebel and disconnect from the life of God. Jesus, eternal Son of God become flesh, came to restore us back to the Father and His purpose for us on earth — to bring it into line with heaven. Indeed, everything in heaven and earth is brought together in Jesus, the God-Man (Ephesians 1:10).

In Him, the kingdom of heaven comes near to us, and He has authorized us to live and act according to it. He teaches us to pray, in what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, my paraphrase). He promises us, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).

To “bind” something, in the Hebrew understanding of Jesus, means to forbid it. To “loose” something means to allow it. In the Greek text, “will be bound” is in the future perfect tense and literally means, “will have already been bound.” Likewise for “will be loosed.” Jesus gives us the authority to forbid on earth what has been forbidden in heaven and allow on earth what is allowed in heaven. In other words, we again have the power to bring earth into alignment with heaven.

We see this same authority reiterated a bit differently in the next verse: “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). The Greek word for “agree” is symphoneo, which is where we get our English word, “symphony.” It is about accord, not discord. It is being in harmony. When we are in harmony with each other about anything on earth, it will be done for us by our Father in heaven. Notice again the connection between heaven and earth: When we agree on earth about anything, our Father in heaven will do it for us.

How can this be? Jesus tells us in the next verse: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). This is what qualifies us to walk in the promise of verses 18 and 19. It is all about Him. We do not have this authority of ourselves. It comes from Jesus. To gather in His name means that everything we do is about Him. We come together for His agenda, not our own. We act as He would act and ask as He would ask. Jesus is always in alignment with the Father, and when we fellowship with Him, we come to know the Father. Our hearts begin to beat with the rhythms of His heart, and in that is the power to change the world.

As we fellowship together with the Lord Jesus Christ, in harmony with each other and our hearts beating with the passions of God, we are positioned and empowered to receive the promises of God, to change the world and bring earth into alignment with heaven.

The Divine Woo-Hooooo!

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.

(Psalm 149:4)

The Lord takes pleasure in His people. He is fully satisfied with us, takes delight in us, even enjoys us. See how great is His joy:

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

(Zephaniah 3:17)

The Hebrew word for the first “rejoice” in that verse is sus and speaks of ecstatic joy. The word for “gladness,” simcha, speaks of mirth and pleasure. The second “rejoice” is giyl and literally means to spin. The word for “singing” is rinnan, a high-pitched sound of jubilation — imagine God shouting Woo-hooooo! God takes such great pleasure and ecstasy in us that He sings and dances over us with whirling and twirling and jubilant shouts. That’s joy!

Who are His people, and how is it that we are pleasing to Him? They are the “humble.” The Hebrew word is anawim and refers to those who are lowly, poor and weak. They place no trust in themselves but look to God for their deliverance. They do not live proud and arrogant lives; they know they are fully dependent on Him. They are the ones Jesus speaks of in the Sermon of Heaven on Earth (a.k.a., Sermon on the Mount): “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

God delights greatly in those who believe His promise and trust in Him. These are the ones He beautifies, dignifies, with salvation — deliverance, healing and prosperity — with Jesus! (See The Fellowship of Drunken Glory)

If you are trusting in the Lord and believing His promises, He is ecstatic over you, rejoicing with singing and twirling for joy. Listen for His Woo-hooooo! and join in His revelry.

The Fellowship of Drunken Glory

Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand.

(Psalm 149-5-6)

What a picture this paints in my mind. It is one of unmitigated, boisterous joy. The English translation is a bit too tame for it, though.

Let the saints be joyful in glory. The Hebrew word for “joyful” is alatz. It speaks of great merriment. Picture someone jumping for joy. Why? He has been covered in glory, the goodness of God poured out on him, and he has an intense awareness of it.

Let them sing aloud on their beds. The Hebrew for “sing aloud” is ranan. It is jubilant joy, lively singing, loud, shouting joy that cannot be silenced. Imagine someone singing and shouting as he lies on his bed. He is inebriated with joy, drunk on the glory of God manifesting in his life.

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth. The Hebrew for “high” is romam. It speaks of something rising up. It comes up from a place deep in the heart and flows forth from the lips. It is not quiet, somber or sober. It is not a dirge and it is not very “dignified” (see 2 Samuel 6:22, where David, in his ecstatic joy, said, “I will be even more undignified than this”). It is ecstasy and exaltation, overflowing joy, carried away with the object of its praise.

And a two-edged sword in their hand. The Message has, “Brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance.” It is part of the warfare of praise, to fulfill the Word of God upon His enemies (see verse 9). In the New Testament, we have the “Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). It is like a double-edged sword. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).

What is the cause for all this wild rejoicing and crazy sword-dancing? Look back to Psalm 149:4, “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people. He will beautify the humble with salvation.” God takes pleasure in His people and shows them His favor.

He beautifies the humble with salvation. The Hebrew for “beautify” means to adorn, to embellish, to make sparkle and shine. The humble are those who make no assumptions about themselves but are wholly dependent upon God, trusting in Him alone. God adorns them with “salvation.” The Hebrew word speaks of deliverance, health, help and includes victory and prosperity. As a noun, is it yeshuah. As a name, it is Yeshua, Hebrew for “Jesus.” All those who trust in God through Jesus Christ are made beautiful with the multifaceted splendor of divine salvation. It is the source of crazy joy.

Faithpoint: The pleasure God has in His people overflows with abundance to them. It is deep, intense, loud, vibrant — and even undignified. It is the drunken glory of all who know Him, who are intoxicated with His love and inebriated with His joy. This honor belongs to all His saints, so come to God by faith in Jesus Christ and drink deeply of Him. Yield yourself to His Spirit and join in the Fellowship of Drunken Glory.

Resisting the Messenger of Satan

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Therefore submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Paul was dealing with demonic resistance to his ministry. A “messenger of satan,” he called it (2 Corinthians 12:7). Three times, he asked God that it might depart from him. God’s answer: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

In other words, “Paul, I have already given you everything you need to deal with this. It’s not about your strength, it’s not even about your weakness — it’s about My strength being made complete in you.”

James speaks a similar word about resisting the messengers of satan: “Therefore submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” There are three parts to this word. Two instructions and one promise:

• Submit to God
• Resist the devil
• The devil will flee

Our part is to submit to God, to yield ourselves to Him in obedience. Paul had done this. But we have a second instruction to obey that is just as important as the first: Resist the devil. The Greek word for “resist” is anthistemi and means to stand against, to oppose.

See, Paul asked God that this devil that had been harassing him might “depart.” The Greek word is aphistemi (note the root, histemi). Paul wanted the devil to desist, to stop standing against him, to cease resisting him, to withdraw — to flee! But he wanted God to make it happen for him. However, as James teaches us, that’s not how it works. Paul was trying to get God to resist the devil for him, and that was not working out too well for Paul because the devil was not fleeing.

However, God wanted Paul to learn how to resist (anthistemi) the devil for himself. In fact,He had already given him the grace to do so. Indeed, Paul already had everything he needed to deal with this satanic messenger, he had just not yet learned how to do so.

He finally did understand, though, as we can see in Ephesians 6, where he teaches us how to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (v. 10). Notice how that echoes 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My strength.” The Greek root for “strong” and “strength” is dunamis, power. We are to lay hold of God’s strength, to be empowered with the power of God. How do we do that? Paul details it for us (Ephesians 6:11-18):

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand [histemi] against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground [anthistemi], and after you have done everything, to stand [histemi].

Stand firm [histemi] then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

God has given us His all-sufficient grace, empowered us with His own strength and provided us with the complete armor we need to stand against every messenger of satan. He will not do Himself what He has given us to do, but He has promised that when we submit to Him and resist the devil, the devil will flee.

See also Pulling Paul’s Thorn and Super-Elated with the Things of God.

When Spiritual Corruption Defiles the Land

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” (2 Samuel 21:1)

Evil corrupts the land. Not necessarily by physical pollution — Saul’s murder of the Gibeonites did not particularly damage the natural environment — but by marring the underlying reality of the land. The natural realm arises from the spiritual, for the heavens and the earth were created by God, who is Spirit.

Spiritual defilement has catastrophic effects on the ecosphere. We see this especially in Genesis 3, when Adam rebelled against God, disconnecting from the divine source. Because man was created from the earth to have dominion over it, when Adam sinned, the earth was corrupted (Genesis 3:17-19). That is why Paul said that all creation groans, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed (Romans 8:18-23). The redemption of man means healing for the earth itself.

The pattern of spiritual corruption defiling the land is repeated often in the Bible:

• In the generation after Adam, Cain slew Abel, and the blood of Abel cried out from the ground (Genesis 4:10).
• Sexual immorality — fornications, adulteries, homosexuality, bestiality — defiles the lands (Leviticus 18:24-25).
• Bloodshed defiles the ground (Numbers 35:34-35).
• Idolatry, the worship of false gods, defiles the land (Jeremiah 16:17-18).
• Breaking the laws of God devours the earth with curse (Isaiah 24:4-6).
• In addition to bloodshed and adultery, lying and speaking evil of others causes the land to mourn (Hosea 4:1-3).

Famine came on the land of Israel for three years in a row. David sought the word of the Lord about this and discovered it was because of Saul’s murderous heart and bloodthirsty ways. A restitution was required, not to God but to the Gibeonites. When David complied, the famine passed and the land was healed. For the generation after David, and forward, God made this promise:

If My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

The redemption of humanity and the healing of the land is ultimately based upon Jesus, “Mediator of the new covenant” and the “blood of sprinkling that speaks better things that that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). The blood of Abel decried defilement. The blood of Jesus declares healing, not just for us, but also for the land.

Spiritual defilement corrupts the land, but repentance (turning to God) and righteousness (doing things God’s way) brings restoration.

(See also Why Does the Land Mourn, Alienated from the Land and Healing a Defiled Land.)

Prayers for This Day

Here are some of the texts God has led me to on this National Day of Prayer, to pray for repentance, revival, renewal and restoration in our land. Among the citizenry as well as our leaders.

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

(Psalm 2:10-12)

Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge
  with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the Lord,
And glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the Lord, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will open rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,
The myrtle and the oil tree;

I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,

That they may see and know,
And consider and understand together,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

(Isaiah 41:15-20)

Let our prayers have teeth to thresh through the mountains and advance the kingdom of heaven on earth in this hour.

Expectation is the Soul of Patience

In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice;
In the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.

(Psalm 5:3 HCSB)

This is one of my favorite verses in the Psalms, and has been very helpful to me in the past. When we lift our prayer to the Lord in faith, there is an expectation. Though there is usually a period of waiting in between “Amen” and “There it is,” expectation is the soul of patience. “Faith is the substance [underlying reality] of things hoped for [expected]” (Hebrews 11:1).

Why does David have such expectation when he prays? It is the confidence of knowing this:

For surely, O LORD, You bless the righteous;
You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.

(Psalm 5:12 HCSB)

The favor of God belongs to those who are His and is seen by those who walk in His ways. Being assured of His favor creates expectation. Confident expectation causes us to endure. It is the soul of patience. (See also, Praying With Expectation.)

The Table of Zion

Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:18-24 HCSB)

When we come to the Table of the Lord:

• We have come to Mount Zion. This is in contrast to Mount Sinai, the place where the Law of Moses was given, the law that inevitably led to condemnation (see Romans 7 for Paul’s experience on that). Mount Zion, however, was the place where God chose to dwell and manifest His presence among His people. This is not natural geography but spiritual reality.
• We have come to the city of the living God. In the natural, Mount Zion was the city of God, the place of His temple, His habitation. The spiritual reality is that which Abraham sought, “the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews11:10). Indeed, of all the saints of the old covenant, it is said, “But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:16). But now we have come to that city and Paul reminds us, “You are the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 6:16).
• We have come to the heavenly Jerusalem. Earthly Jerusalem, situated on Mount Zion, was a type, or shadow, of heavenly Jerusalem. Heavenly Jerusalem speaks of a higher realm and in the Jewish mind represented the hope of a future age. Now we have come to that city and the reality of heaven is breaking into the world. It is just as Jesus taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, keep coming! Will of God, keep being done on earth as it in heaven” (that is the sense of the Greek verbs). It is not a singular event but a continuous action, already begun, and will ultimately align earth with the reality of heaven.
• We have come to myriads of angels in festive gathering. The angels of God are not gathered together to execute judgment on us but to celebrate Jesus, who endured God’s judgment in our place. It is a joyful convocation, a festival of praise, and Revelation 5:11-12 gives us a glimpse:

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

• We have come to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven. “Firstborn” shows that we have a Father, who is God. It speaks of the “double portion” we receive of Him, the very best of inheritances. Paul says that we are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). “Joint heirs” means that everything the Lord Jesus receives from the Father we receive also. As David declared, “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6). Not only are we heirs of God, our names are written on the citizen rolls of heaven. Paul says, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God”: (Ephesians 2:19). “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). This citizenship we have received gives us every blessing and benefit heaven has to offer. We can now live out of that higher reality.
• We have come to God who is the judge of all. “Judge” speaks of God’s sovereign rule and authority over everyone. He is the one who sets all things right. His judgment on our sin was poured out on the Lord Jesus. As Paul says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5).
• We have come to the spirits of righteous people made perfect. This speaks of communion, connection stronger than death, with those who have gone before us and no longer walk this planet. While we are still in the process of reckoning ourselves dead to sin but alive to God, they are experiencing, thoroughly and completely, all the perfection we have in Christ. “Perfected at last!” is the sense of the text. It is a perfection that is received only in Jesus Christ, through faith in Him.
• We have come to Jesus, mediator of a new covenant. Jesus is the reason for all our coming, and all the blessing is summed up in the new covenant, of which He is the mediator. “Now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). What could not be accomplished by the old covenant of law, and all our striving, is fulfilled by the Lord Jesus in the new and better covenant.
• We have come to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. This is the heart of the covenant. In the Bible, no covenant was made without the shedding of blood, which demonstrated the surety of the promise. In this new covenant of grace, Jesus is the sacrifice — He gives us Himself. On the night before He was crucified, He took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). This covenant, and the blood by which in which it was cut, speaks incomparable things for us than any other blood ever could. The blood of Abel cried out for revenge. The blood of Jesus declares our redemption, reconciliation, restoration, freedom, victory, preservation and prosperity.

The Table of the Lord is the Table of Zion, city of the Living God, heavenly Jerusalem coming down with all its blessings.

Forty Days Opening Their Understanding

And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. (Luke 24:45)

Jesus had been with the disciples for three years, living with them, leading them, teaching them, ministering with them, even sending them out to do the work of the ministry. But for some reason, they still just did not get it. Even His death and resurrection came as a surprise to them, though Jesus had foretold them of these things more than once.

Now He suddenly appeared before them, inviting them to touch His hands and feet. This was no ghost they were dealing with. This was flesh and blood — Jesus in His resurrection. After eating some broiled fish and honeycomb, He said,

These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. (Luke 24:44)

Luke’s comment at this point is, “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” The Greek word for “opened” means to open thoroughly. The word for “understanding” is the word for “mind.” Jesus thoroughly opened their minds. There were now no obstructions to impede their understanding of these things. It had been in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms all along, they just never understood it before. To be fair, we should recognize the truth of what Paul said,

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. (2 Corinthians 2:11-12)

We have been conditioned by the world too much to recognize spiritual realities. The spirit of the world can never understand these things, they must be revealed to us by the Spirit of God. That is what happened with the disciples: Jesus caused them to “comprehend.” The Greek word means to “put together.” They were now able to add up all that Jesus had taught them and all the Scriptures had taught them and bring it all together into one magnificent picture. Jesus continued:

Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:46-49)

Now they got it. It was all making sense for them as it never had before. But there was more. They were about to receive the “Promise of the Father,” power from heaven. This was the promise of the Holy Spirit, who came upon them at Pentecost! Now they would be able to take this glorious portrait of Jesus and present it to the nations in a living and powerful way.

By His Spirit, God opens our understanding to comprehend that the Scriptures, the witness of God’s eternal plan and redemptive purpose for all the nations of the world, all comes together in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Forty Days of Kingdom Revelation

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3)

The forty days between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension to His throne in heaven — what an unusual time for Him and His disciples — are full of world-changing significance. Like everything else in His ministry, they were about the kingdom of God. He began His ministry announcing that it was now at hand. He went about preaching it and teaching it by parables and discourse. He demonstrated it by healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, casting out demons and raising the dead — and sent His disciples out to do the same. He taught them how to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done!” He announced that the kingdom was within them.

After the resurrection, He declared that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him. Surely, that is about the kingdom of God, the rule and reign of God coming to earth and the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven. It was in that context that He commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all the things Jesus had commanded them. This is all about the kingdom of God.

Before He ascended to His throne in heaven, He told His disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Promise of the Father. They asked Him if He was restoring the kingdom to Israel at that time. He answered that it was not for them to know the times or the seasons which the Father placed in His own authority. Instead, He gave them this — and I believe it is where the answer to their question is really found: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This power and this witness are all about the kingdom of God, testifying and demonstrating that Jesus is King and His kingdom is now in the world — in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria and extending to the ends of the earth. These forty days between Resurrection and Ascension were about preparing the disciples to receive His kingdom and manifest it by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The kingdom of God has come into the world. The resurrected Christ has ascended to His glory and the Holy Spirit has come upon His people. His purpose is to bring forth the evidence of who Jesus is and manifest His kingdom, heaven on earth, here and now.

Do You Believe This?

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26)

These are the words Jesus spoke to Martha. Her brother Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. Martha had said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You” (v. 21-22).

Jesus assured her, “Your brother will rise again” (v. 23).

“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day,” she said.

Then Jesus answered, “I am the resurrection and the life.” We often limit the resurrection to an event, or a time. But, first of all, it is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the resurrection; He is the life. The statement “I am” goes back to God’s answer when Moses asked Him, “What shall I say to the children of Israel when they ask who sent me and ‘What is His name?’” God said, “I AM WHO I AM … Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

How do we receive this resurrection and this life? By faith in Him. “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” In both the body and the spirit, there is death and there is life. We come to Him spiritually dead, He gives us spiritual life. When we believe in Him, though the body may die, the spirit lives on and will never die.

On another occasion, Jesus said.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. (John 5:24-25)

It is a spiritual resurrection He speaks of here, but there is also a physical resurrection coming, for He adds, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth” (John 5:28-29). So Martha was correct, there will be a resurrection of the body in the future, at the “last day.” Jesus gave us a glimpse when He called forth Lazarus from the grave — and Lazarus came back to life. But it is seen most powerfully and enduringly in the resurrection of Jesus Himself after three days in the tomb. It is important to note that He rose bodily from the grave, for as the “firstborn from the dead,” He is the guarantee of our own bodies being raised, we who believe in Him.

So there are two resurrections in view: one spiritual, the other physical. We receive them both by faith, for Jesus said, “Whoever believes in Me.” This presents us, then, with the question He asked Martha, “Do you believe this?”

Now, faith is not passive but active. It is a verb as well as a noun. Though in English we have “faith” as the noun and “believe” as the verb, in Greek, they are both the same word. Faith is not just something we have but something we do. It is an action as well as a possession.

“Do you believe this?” Notice the tense. Jesus did not ask, “Did you believe this?” but “Do you believe this?” Faith is not about what you may have believed at some point in the past but about what you are believing now. That is the only question. Faith is always present tense — that is where the life is. God is eternal and the place where we meet Him is the present.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. For those who believe in Him, there is spiritual resurrection now and bodily resurrection in the future. Do you believe this? That is the question the season of Easter presents to us.

The Sound of Marching

So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim. (1 Chronicles 14:11)

David had just been anointed king, and the Philistines did not like it, so they came looking for him. David heard of this and went out against them. The Philistines raided the valley of Rephaim. David asked the Lord whether he should go up after them. “Will You deliver them into my hand?” The Lord said, “Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.” So David led them up to the place which would be called Baal Perazim, which means “Lord of Breakthroughs.” It was there that God broke through David’s enemies “like a breakthrough of water.”

This was not like a few drips and drops. It was not a smattering of sprays and spurts. It was not a leak. It was a flood, a dam break! It devastated the Philistines. They retreated, leaving their idols behind, which David then burned. However, the Philistines made one more attempt on the valley. Again, David asked the Lord what to do. God said,

You shall not go up after them; circle around them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines. (1 Chronicles 14:14-15)

God was going to go before David and strike the Philistine army. The sign for this would be the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees. Then David would go out to battle and finish them off, which David did, driving them back all the way back to Philistia. “Then the fame of David went out into all lands, and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations” (v. 17). The Philistines were never a problem for David anymore after that.

Today, I am thinking of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday in terms of this narrative, which chronicles the final victory of David over the Philistines. It came in two parts. There was the breaking forth of many waters and then the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees.

On Good Friday, there was the breakthrough of many waters as Jesus dealt the death blow to His enemies, and ours. For He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) as well as him who had the power of death, the devil himself (Hebrews 2:14). On Resurrection Sunday, this victory became apparent as God raised Jesus from the dead. Sin, death and the devil no longer have any power over us. The Lord of Breakthroughs has prevailed.

The day between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday has traditionally been called Holy Saturday. It is a time of reflecting on the breakthrough that has been made for us, the great victory Jesus won for us on the Cross. But it is also a time of listening for the “sound of marching” as that victory manifests in resurrection life.

Let God Arise and His Enemies Be Scattered

Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoiced exceedingly.

(Psalm 68:1-3)

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Good Friday was our victory day, the day God arose to scatter His enemies. Jesus, the Word of God, became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). God made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Through death, he Lord Jesus destroyed the evil one, who had the power of death, and released us from bondage. Indeed, He came for this purpose: to destroy the works of the devil.

On this day, God arose to scatter His enemies and destroy the works of the devil. Jesus shed His blood to establish a new covenant between God and us (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6). This means that His enemies are our enemies and our enemies are His.

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
Take up shield and buckler;
Arise and come to my aid.
Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me.
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

(Psalm 35:1-3 NIV)

The Hebrew word for “salvation” in that passage is yeshuah. As a proper name, it is Yeshua, which is Hebrew for “Jesus.” Jesus is our salvation, our victory, and through faith in Him, we are made victorious.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us form the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-36, 37-39).

In Jesus Christ, Good Friday has become your victory day. God has destroyed the works of the devil on your behalf and scattered your enemies. Their bondage is broken and they no longer have any power over you. It is a cause for great rejoicing in the presence of the Lord.