Psalm 91:7
“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.”
The Psalmist is speaking of the benefits derived from living in an intimate, abiding relationship with God. Jesus also spoke on the same subject when He refered to Himself as the vine and us as the branches. He made it clear, the only way to bear fruit in our life was by remaining in a close and personal relationship with Him. This verse expresses one of the most important benefits of abiding.
“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.”
Sadly, we have all seen Christians fall by the wayside. People who, at one time, were walking with the Lord, but have fallen back into the life from which they were delivered. We see this happen to new believers and old, we even see it happen to those who at one time or another, were serving the Lord. One of the saddest experiences for me, is to look around a room filled with people, and know those who are missing, because they have fallen. How was it that sin was able to get its grip on them, tear them away from Christ, and leave them wounded on the sidelines? The answer is quite simple; they stopped abiding. The same thing will happen to you and me if we cease to abide in the secret place of the Most High.
The word ‘abide’ means ‘to stay or to live’. The person who is abiding in Christ, is the person who is daily remaining connected to the Lord. There are some simple, practical ways we can do that. First, we must make time to spend with the Lord, in His Word and prayer. All those who succeed in following and serving Christ, have learned to develop a daily time with the Lord, in His Word. Second, it is not about the number of verses you read or memorize (although both of those are important), it is about putting into practice the things you read. Abiding is directly related to obedience to the Word. Third, we were never meant to live out the Christian life alone. If we want to make it to the end of our race, we need to get involved in Christian fellowship; more than sitting next to someone once a week in church. The strongest bonds you can form with others, are the bonds developed while serving Jesus together.
The Christian life is a battlefield where we see our comrades falling around us on a regular basis. We need to recognize the battle is intense and the secret to success is abiding in the secret place of the Most High. Will you take time to sit at His feet today?
Pastor Jim
Webster’s dictionary defines secret as, “kept from view or hidden.”mIt goes on to speak of something as “being covert or stealth,” implying that great pains are taken to avoid detection.
Over the years I have discovered something about myself, I am better at projects than I am at maintenance. My yard is a classic example. We worked hard to irrigate, lay sod, and plant trees, and our yard looked good for a little while. As time went on however, we discovered that neglect undid much of our labors, and before long, things looked rather unkept. It seems like Azariah had a similar problem; while he desired to live pleasing to the Lord and made great strides, he still neglected certain areas that needed his attention. One area in particular, was the “high places”, where altars were built to false gods. These shrines were destructive to the nation because they served as an open door to lead the people away from the true and living God. The only way to properly deal with the high places was to aggressively attack the problem. Azariah needed to mount an offensive and destroy the altars.
The Northern tribes of Israel reached the zenith of their strength under king Jeroboam II. Here we are given insight into the secret behind their success:
When we are young we think we will live forever; death, even aging, is for other people. As we age, we still cannot imagine a world of which we are not a part. Yet, the Psalmist is making clear, we have been designed by God with a shelf life. In other words, one day we will expire. The bodies that we live in will no longer be able to sustain life, and we will move on to an eternal habitation. James put it like this, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away ” (James 4:14). The word ‘vapor’ is defined as, “diffused matter floating in the air impairing its transparency.” In other words, a vapor is only slightly more than nothing. It speaks of the fact that life on earth is transitory, not permanent. This does not mean that life is meaningless.
Even a casual reading of Scripture should reveal a pattern; when things get dark, God will raise up a deliverer. We see this when Israel was enslaved in Egypt and God raised up Moses, when they were oppressed by the Midianites and God called Gideon, and here, when Israel was harassed by Syria. A few things are worth noting. First, God responded to the cry of the king. Jehoahaz was not the godliest of men, but he knew enough to cry out to the Lord when things got difficult. We find that God responded to his pleading and sent a deliverer.
This Psalm is entitled, “A Contemplation of Heman.” Heman was one of Israel’s worship leaders. As such, he was a man who was committed to the Lord, and to His service. Yet, he describes a time in his life when trials have mounted up against him. It seems as though there is no way out. While he does not explain the cause, he does describe the effects.
Young king Jehoash began his reign by repairing the Temple of the Lord. In order to fund the work, he had a large box built with a hole in the top, where people could place their offerings. He instructed the people to give as they “purpose in their hearts.” This freedom allowed each person to go home, sit with his spouse and pray, regarding what portion of their income should be given to the work of the Lord. Once decided, they would simply drop the funds into the box, without any fan fair or recognition. When the money was received, it was set apart for the work of the Lord. This is a very clear illustration of New Testament giving. Paul instructs us that we should give “as we purpose in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 9:7), and Jesus said, “we should not let our left hand know what our right doing” (Matthew 6:3). The New Testament model for giving is one that allows for “freedom.” Each one of us is free to give as we see fit. However, we must guard against misusing this freedom, by failing to take the time to sit before the Lord and determine what part of our income should be given to the work of God. There are at least two common mistakes we make that negatively influence our decision to give.
There are times in life when we are required to do things that seem almost impossible. The odds are stacked against us and it looks as though we will never be able to do what is required. That is certainly the case when Joash was crowned as king of Judah. His grandmother killed all other heirs to the throne, and his life was spared only because a priest hid him away in the temple for six years. Now, at the ripe old age of seven, the crown was placed on his head and his reign began. The nation of Judah was in complete disarray: the throne had been stolen by an evil woman who surrounded herself with ungodly men, the people were given over to the worship of Baal, the enemies of Judah were threatening to attack, and the Temple was in need of repair. How in the world could a seven year old king and a handful of priests make a difference with so much stacked against them?
One of my favorite movie lines of all times is at the end of “The Princess Bride.” As the narrator comments upon the kiss of Wesley and Buttercup, he states, “Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.” That statement, while nothing more than a poetic expression in the film, would certainly be true of the statement the Psalmist makes here.
Jim Gallagher 