Do your enemies know God?

 Psalm 4:1–7 (ESV): 

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! 

You have given me relief when I was in distress. 

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 

2  O men, how long shall my honour be turned into shame? 

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 

3  But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 

4  Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 

5  Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 

6  There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? 

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” 

7  You have put more joy in my heart 

than they have when their grain and wine abound. 

8  In peace I will both lie down and sleep; 

for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. 

Clearly this is another Psalm written at a time of distress and pain for David. He implores God to listen (v1), and knows that God does hear him (v3), reminding himself that God cares, is present, available and interested in his life. Once he has considered God first David then he goes onto speak to his enemies (v2-5);

2  O men, how long shall my honour be turned into shame? 

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 

3  But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 

4  Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 

5  Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 

David has spoken to God about his frustrations and difficulties and recognises that the hands of men are to blame. In particular their incessant need to shame him resorting to lies and exaggeration. So, he ‘speaks’ to these enemies through this psalm, maybe he even spoke to them via letter or in person to exhort them to a different path in life. Even though David was hurt and persecuted by these vain, angry liars, he wants to show them a better way. He confidently informs them that they are not going to succeed because they are railing not just against him but against God. David wants his foes to know that God has selected himself as king of Israel, and that fighting against God is not going to end well for them. He attempts to show these men that even if they club together, they are no match for God. So he attempts to motivate them to a different course of action. 

David calls out to his enemies to try to persuade them to consider their purpose and actions, to really think about their motivating factors when making decisions. He knows they are angry and have set their anger towards himself (v4), but he invites them to soberly consider what they are doing. He knows they too have a conscience and a soul, and that they, even as kings, have a responsibility for their own personal actions and decisions as well as those for the nation. That is why he invites them to, 'ponder in your own hearts on your beds', sometimes the only alone time, the time away from the busy-ness of life is the time when they lie down. So David asks them to take time, when things are running around their heads after another busy day, to really think about what they are doing and why. The time of quiet and rest is a good time to reflect if they are doing the right things by God. 

At the end of the day, are you confident that your behaviour, words and actions have honoured God and His people? Or have you been busy working against them as these kings were? God cares about your soul and your eternal future, just like David cared for these men. Are you taking time out of the busy-ness of life to ponder what it is all about and whether you're going in the right direction? Are you taking time to think about your life and the impact it has on others? If you do take time to think soberly about your life, what different decisions would you be making? How would your relationships pan out and what would you do with what God says in the silence? 

The last command in this section is, 'offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord'. After reflecting on the purposes of your actions, it is probable that you may need to give some things up. Maybe things you are passionate about, things that it hurts to put to one side, but David's encouragement is that rather than trusting these things, 'trust in the Lord'. If God is asking you to live a different life, it may well feel like a huge sacrifice, but if, like David's enemies, you know that your life is against God rather than for Him, where do you think it is going to end up? Even if you enjoy what you are doing, and you feel confident that your life is going in the same direction as many others, do you really think that fighting against God is a smart and successful idea?

David was a strong, kind, powerful king, a man after God's heart, and he cared about his life and the life of those around him whether or not they were nice to him. He knew that anyone leading a life without considering God was in trouble. He saw that even those who were fighting against him needed to know God. Do you think the same about those who are against you? Do you pray for them to know who God is, do you even attempt to speak to them about God like David did? Are you concerned about those who are against you because they do not know God? David challenges us to reconsider our own perspective on those who do not like us and even those who seek our downfall. Are you upset/annoyed with them because they are hurting you, or are you more concerned for their soul and the result of them living a life without God?

The Way

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. *2*In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? *3*And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. *4*And you know the way to where I am going.” *5*Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” *6*Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:1–6.

Jesus is ‘the way’. 

The way. This implies there is only one way, a particular one. There are not a multitude of ways or directions one can go, just one, in order to reach God. That way is Jesus. Jesus is the direction, the path to follow, the way to travel. It is like he is a giant signpost revealing the direction to travel in, and he models and demonstrates that way throughout his existence.

So, if Jesus is 'the way' -Where is he going?

Jesus is showing us the way to the Father - the way to be restored to God. Sin, wrongdoing, our own selfishness have all resulted in a broken relationship between us and God. Jesus came to reveal that there is a way in which that relationship can be restored, and that there are not lots of solutions; only one. There are no other routes to reconciliation with God. 

Only one person could have created the way for us to find the path to relationship again, and that is God’s own son, Jesus. Before him there was no pathway or free access to God. Jesus created an avenue for us to follow because only he could. He, as the perfect, faultless, sin-free, holy lamb of God sacrificed himself on the altar of sin so that all sin can finally be atoned for for all time. No-one else could have done that - only the set apart sinless son of God could. We cannot get in favour with God any other way. No matter how good you try to be, how generous and kind and self-sacrificial you are - it is still not enough. No amount of 'niceness' makes up for all the wrong. 

Sin deserves death - that's the only way to completely get rid of it, so that is what Jesus did. He took all sin upon himself and killed it. That was the only way. That is the only path to obliterating sin from our lives, by killing it. We have to do nothing more than accept that Jesus has done that for us. That is why he is 'the way' because he removed the barrier of sin between us and God, and now provides a pathway to Him. Jesus became the way out and the way to something else. 

If you follow Jesus today, then he will take you through forgiveness, past guilt and shame, and show you the Father. The more you get to know Jesus, the more you will know God. You can have access to heaven and a relationship with God that you don’t deserve, because Jesus has made a path to Him. 

This is the way made known to us (v4). Are you following it? Or are you going in your own direction? Any other way will not lead to God. So, if it doesn’t lead to God, where is it going? You can decide today which path you want to follow. 

Jesus showed us what going his was was like. It was not easy, but it did result in a loving, dependent relationship with the Father. Will you follow his way? 

Are you heading for your allotted place?

 The last verse in the book of Daniel reads thus;

*13*But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” Daniel 12:13.

After all of the experiences Daniel has had throughout his life, both miraculous and mortifying, he is encouraged to, ‘go your way til the end’. What a beautifully simple instruction. God is telling Daniel that he just needs to keep doing what he has been doing. God has confidence in the way Daniel lives his life, there is nothing more that he needs to do so God exhorts him to keep it up. Daniel had many challenges and triumphs throughout his life, and he remained steadfast in his trust in God. Daniel sought God and listened to Him, and learned to care about what God cares about. So the greatest instruction that God could give Daniel at this stage of his life is to keep going in that way, with the confidence that he has a place reserved for him in eternity. Daniel is on the right path and almost there, he has an, ‘allotted place’, a secure position assigned to him because of the faithful and faith-filled life he led, he just needs to keep going.

Wouldn’t you like a word from God like that? 

I would. The simple assurance that the way you are going is right and the confidence of your eternal place. What relief, satisfaction and hope that must have brought Daniel. Towards the end of his Earthly days, he is reminded of eternal security and encouraged in the long road of life that he has been on. Daniel is assured that he will be able to ‘rest and shall stand’. Meaning that he will have relief from struggle, peace of heart, and the right to be there. When we accept Jesus as our saviour and live our lives with a God-first mentality, we too earn the right to rest and stand in our allotted places when our time on Earth is done. 

Are you living to earn that eternal reward? 

This instruction for Daniel shows us the generosity of God. God not only provides us the salvation we need - forgiveness from all our wrongs through Jesus - but He also gives us a place of honour in eternity when we live focussed on Him. God delivers us from the sin which causes separation from Him, so that we can walk life and the life after with God  Yet, like the generous father that He is. God is not satisfied with just that. God did not stop at offering us all salvation and restoration, but He also secures an eternal place for those that believe in Him and live for Him. Not only can we be free from condemnation, but we can also have relationship with God, and be given an, ' allotted place' like Daniel was. 

I think this verse is an apt way to end the book of Daniel. The genuine faith of Daniel has lasted through many trials, roles, responsibilities, persecution and revelations, and he is pretty old now. The faithfulness and boldness of Daniel has a promised reward. Daniel did not get the reward or the promise of it at the start as a young teenage exile, but at the end of an eventful, faith-filled life. Daniel had to keep going through his life doing his best to honour God in the midst of many trials, and now he receives a wonderful assurance from God. Daniel has not much further to go - the end is in sight - he is heading in the right direction, so he just needs to continue so that he gains his 'allotted place at the end of the days'. 

One day, we too will face the end of our Earthly lives. What will be the assurance God gives you then? Will you will be given rest and an eternal, appointed position because of the life you have chosen to live?

*13*But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” 

Are you grieving God?

Going through Genesis, we firstly see the joy and wonder of creation, and the imagination, purity and delight of God in what He has made, but soon it all goes wrong….

Why does it go wrong?

Well, pretty much because mankind want to do things their way. Adam and Eve were tempted, and then the initial mistrust in God then leads into sin, depravity and destruction as we through the synopsis of chapter 5. Then we hit chapter 6, and the sad reality; 

‘The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. *6*And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.’

Genesis 6:5-6

God allowed, and still allows, humans to make up their own minds, to have opinions and choices, but what does getting our own way lead to? If we take Adam and Eve as an example, and consider the reality of our own lives, we can see that doubting God and His goodness leads to thinking we know better and not doing as He wants. This can commence the rapid descent into sin, just like it did for Adam and Eve.

Without challenging the doubt of God, and remembering who God really is did not end well for the first humans in existence, for the generations that followed them it ended up with; murder, boasting, polygamy, unhealthy relationships and further distance put between God and His own creation. The same can happen for you, in your life, for your descendants. 

What would God see if He looked at you life today? 

You have a choice. You get to decide whether you live a life faithful to God or not. 

I am really struck by the last 5 words of verse 6, that the sin on the Earth, 'grieved him to his heart.’ I want no part of grieving God, do you? 

Do you know why God grieves? Do you realise that only things that are dearly loved are dearly grieved? It is because of God’s enormous love for you that you grieve Him when you do things wrong, and lead your life on a trajectory further and further away from Him. It is not because God hates you that He grieves, but because of the depth of love He has for you - His creation, a person made in His very own image.

Take a moment to consider the immensity of God's love for you, and then reflect on the way your life is going, what direction are you taking? Are you making decisions that are moving towards or away from Him?