Jesus will return!

"For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay." Hebrews 10:37

In just a very little while - Paul is here speaking about a brief span of time. You and I know what a rush life is, most of the time. Time is a commodity we'd like to replenish, if we could, when it's in short supply. You've heard the phrase "Time flies." This seems to be especially true in these times.

He who is coming will come - Jesus promised to return (see John 14:3). Paul writes about the certainty of His coming, using the definite article "will come", in today's verse.

And will not delay - sometimes it seems as if the Lord is delaying His coming. We see conditions on earth becoming worse and we wonder "how long until He comes?" Here's a thought: what if Jesus was delaying His coming just so that your name was listed on a page of the Book of Life?

Today's verse is written, not to put fear into us, but to encourage us. Jesus' own words, after He had described the signs pointing to the end of the world, are: "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." [Luke 21:28]. Today Paul gives us the same encouragement - when you can't hold on any longer, when the struggles of life get you down, take courage: in a little while Jesus will come!

I hope you find these thoughts both encouraging and refreshing.

God is not limited

Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few." 1 Samuel 14:6

It was a desperate time in Israel. The enemy Philistines had seen to it that the Hebrews had no weapons. They had eradicated every blacksmith from the land, and, to sharpen any agricultural implements, the Hebrews had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. We are told that only king Saul and Jonathan, his son, had sword and spear.

The oppression had become so bad that the unarmed Hebrews had lost courage and were hiding in holes and caves. Saul had only six hundred men with him, and he himself was sitting under a pomegranate tree, without courage.

Jonathan decided that something should be done about the situation, so he and his armor bearer slipped unnoticed from king Saul's camp and bravely made their presence known to the enemy garrison at the top of a steep cliff. The Philistines taunted the two, and told them "come up to us, and we will show you something", so Jonathan led the way up the narrow pass. The climbers had the advantage in the narrow pass, and quickly took out twenty men. Then, to honor their faith, God stepped in and produced a great earthquake. The enemy fled in terror, and when the Hebrews saw what was happening, they gained courage and joined the battle. "So the LORD saved Israel that day."

Has the enemy at times surrounded you, leaving you defenseless and without courage? Move ahead in faith, and leave God to scatter the forces of darkness.

The LORD - Builder and Watchman

"Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." Ps 127:1

Two concepts are mentioned: that of building and that of watching, or keeping guard. Also, two items are listed: the house and the city.

The house is the dwelling place of the family. The house is built by laying brick upon brick, with good mortar joints in between. There are other components: adequate foundation, doors, windows, a roof, plumbing and electrical systems, furnishings etc.

If the builder does a good job, the house will stand for many years. But the Psalmist is not referring to the skill of the builder. He's saying that, if God is in the blueprints, the building will remain. If the house builders invite God to be the Construction Superintendent, including Him in all aspects of the construction, the end result will be a building that will stand the test of time.

The ancient city was surrounded by a wall, and had large, strong gates, all for the protection of the residents. At night the gate would be shut and secured, and a watchman would be on guard on the wall to see that no enemy was intruding. Inside the city walls were many houses. There was a market place where commerce was conducted, there were places of worship and also a building where food from the harvest was stored. And so the city was the center of communal life.

We are all builders. Every day we add something to our lives. The Psalmist's good advice is applicable to us, who live in the modern world: Make sure God is at the center of all that we do.

We have been set free!

"You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today." Deut 15:15

Today's verse is an extract from Bible history. The children of Israel were about to settle the Promised land. There were several things their leader, Moses, rehearsed with them before they entered their inheritance. One of these appears in today's verse as "this thing". Masters were to free all the servants whom they had bought over the years. The servant was to serve their master for six years. In the seventh year the master was commanded to set them free.

In freeing their bondmen, masters were to remember where they came from. They were all slaves in Egypt, a foreign land, and God redeemed them, setting them free. The word "redeemed" is translated from the Hebrew to mean sever, ransom, release, deliver. Verse 18 says, once the slave was released, "Then the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do."

Surely there is an application in this for us today - we were all slaves to sin at some point in our lives, and Jesus delivered us - He paid a price to set us free. The price He paid was "to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45). In gratitude, we would do well to tell others about One who can break their bonds.

God is, and all is well

"The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand." Psalm 121:5

The LORD is - The Psalmist mentions this twice in verse 5. The LORD - this is Jahweh, the Self-existent One, the Eternal One. God is, and all is well !

Your keeper - It's personal. But what is a keeper? The Hebrew word means to hedge about, as with thorns; to guard or protect. God puts a thorny hedge around you, to keep out the enemy.

Your shade - We all know how refreshing it is to stand in the cool shade of a tree on a sweltering hot day. To my amazement, I found that the word 'shade' occurs only once in the Bible. The Hebrew translates it as defense , as in 'to hover over'.

Excuse me for being visual, but do you get the picture? The guys are pinned down by enemy fire. Just at the crucial moment of desperation the gunship arrives. As the helicopter hovers overhead, spraying the enemy with fire-power, the guys scramble aboard and are airlifted to safety. You are one of the guys. What is your gratitude level, at that moment?

Maybe a weak illustration, but are we not engaged in a very real battle - the battle between good and evil? This verse paints a picture of God hovering over us as He defends us from Satan, our enemy. He spreads His shadow of defense over us.

Your right hand - Right, in the Hebrew, denotes the stronger, more dexterous. Biblically, the word "right" is quite an in-depth study. It often depicts God's favor, as in Zechariah 3:1 "…and Satan standing at his (Joshua's) right hand to oppose him." Satan wanted to crush Joshua's strength, his connection with God.

Or Luke 1:11 "Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him (Zacharias), standing on the right side of the altar of incense." This angel brought good news.

Your right hand is symbolic of your connection with God.

Go into this day, knowing the Eternal God is overhead, and you are safe in His shadow.