The Joy of Glory

Psalm 77 (click here)
Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?

Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.

Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. (Psalm 77:8, 10-12 and 19)

Reflection
Power.

Our God has all-power.

This is one of the most basic truths of Scripture, and a truth that every believer is taught very early on in their faith. Yet…it is one of the truths we wrestle with more than any other.

All of us go through deep, dark waters in our lifetime. The deep, dark sea is actually an image of evil throughout Scripture, for in the ancient mind it represented all that was uncertain and uncontrollable. In a moments notice, the calm sea could erupt in rage, sink ships, destroy homes, and claim lives.

When the winds and waves of life crash down around us and upon us it can cause us to call into question the omnipotence of God. Is he really all-powerful?…because the storm seems much more powerful than he.

Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?

It is in such a moment that the Psalmist forces himself to remember…remember all that God has done in power and might for his people. He calls to mind the mighty deeds of God, specifically how he saved his people from slavery in Egypt and led them out through the Red Sea.

God split those waters in two! The very thing that symbolized chaos and evil, God split it and led his people through it. His path was through the sea… “yet,” says the Psalmist, “your footprints were unseen.”

Even amidst the deep, dark waters of the sea…God is still leading, still in control, still all-powerful…even when evidence of him is nowhere to be seen.

This is a truth that all too often can only be seen when looking backwards. So…when we find ourselves in a place similar to the Psalmist…when all hope seems lost…we look back upon dark times when God has subsequently proven himself to be present and powerful.

We look back to the past so that we may be able to stand in the present…even though we cannot see God powerfully at work.

We look back so that we may presently believe our God does indeed have all-power…he is indeed with us…and we know that in the end we will clearly see…he has always been for us.

*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Psalm 2 (click here)
I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:7 and 12)

Reflection
Psalm 2 is a royal psalm concerning the king of Israel.

Kings were considered to be anointed leaders from the Lord and could even be referred to as a “Son of God.” You see…the king was a figurehead or representative of the people…and God’s people were known as his “firstborn son” (see Exodus 4:22). Thus, as the people’s representative, the king was known as God’s son.

God had promised to bless Israel (under certain conditions) and to bless those who blessed them. He also had promised to curse those who cursed them.

This Psalm calls upon the nations to be careful in how they relate to Israel’s king, because how they treat him will affect their own status of being blessed or cursed. They should “kiss” (aka bless) the Son/king so that they will experience blessing…for blessed are those who take refuge in him.

The alternative to such refuge is wrath.

While this Psalm is about Israel’s king, we can easily see how it points to Israel’s ultimate coming king…the messiah/anointed one…Jesus.

How we relate to Jesus is what ultimately determines our status before God. All people are called up on to “kiss” the Son…embrace him…believe in him…receive him. For all who take refuge in him, ultimate blessing and joy is found forever!

The alternative to such refuge is righteous wrath.

Let us run to Jesus…the truly unique, one and only Son of God…and take eternal refuge in him!

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

John 1:29-31 (click here)
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Reflection
Behold him. See him. Pay attention to this fact…

Jesus Christ is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Remember Isaac’s question to his Father as he was unknowingly walking to his own death, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb?” Isaac does not behold the lamb for the sacrifice…and now, in John 1:29, John the Baptist calls back 2000 years to Isaac and forward 2000 years to all of us… “Behold the Lamb of God.”

“Of God.” This is the Lamb provided by God that Abraham looked forward to with the words, “God will provide for himself the lamb…”

If you remember, in Genesis 22, God did not actually provide a lamb, but a ram. I always wondered why? It seemed like a glitch in the story to me, but why sweat the details…right?

I have actually come to see this detail as beautifully extraordinary! I could be wrong, but I think God provided a ram because it wasn’t time for his Lamb. The ram was a picture, a shadow of what was to come. The true Lamb of God who would be sacrificed in Isaac’s place and in all of our places… that true Lamb was Jesus Christ!

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

“..takes away the sin…” Like a spotless lamb, Jesus was literally spotless. He had no sin, so that he could take on yours and mine… in truth… the sin of the world! Anyone in this world who trusts in him… Christ has borne their sin upon the cross!

Behold him. See him. Pay attention to this fact…

Jesus Christ is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.