Protect Them

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.”
John 17:11-12 NLT

Jesus continues His High Priestly Prayer with a focus on His disciples. He prayed for their protection by the power of His name. But there were many in the religious society of their day that hated them, and we can see through the early chapters of Acts the abuse they suffered for sharing the Good News about Jesus and His death and resurrection. In Acts 12 we read about how Herod Agrippa had one of the Apostles, James, the brother of John, killed, and he then arrested and imprisoned Peter, presumably with the intention of killing him too. So what was the protection Jesus was referring to, if not the life of His disciples?

Under the Old Covenant, we see how God protected His people from physical harm. There is an amazing story in Daniel 3 about the three Jewish exiles, Shadrach, Meshach, and Adebnego were saved from a very hot furnace. We read in Daniel 3:27, “Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!” In Daniel 6 we read about how God saved Daniel from becoming supper for a pride of lions. He said, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty” (Daniel 6:22).

In the New Covenant, God’s protection is for our spirits from any attack of the enemy. Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution“. Paul wrote about our spiritual resources in Ephesians 6. In this, his last epistle, Paul was facing death, and yet he could write, “Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).

We pilgrims have no need to be anxious about our future. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). Jesus prayed for His disciples’ protection and I have no doubts that, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, they are all in His presence today.

Dear Father God. Thank You that once we are in Your hands we are there forever. Please continue to lead and guide us in Your truth. Amen.


Burning Coals

Posted on by korgrocker

Let my enemies be destroyed
by the very evil they have planned for me.
Let burning coals fall down on their heads.
Let them be thrown into the fire
or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.
Psalm 140:9-10 NLT

If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat.
If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads,
and the LORD will reward you.
Proverbs 25:21-22 NLT

So here we have an apparent direct contradiction between what David wrote in Psalm 140 and what his son, Solomon, wrote in Proverbs 25. On the one hand David wanted his enemies to be destroyed, and on the other Solomon advised that we are to be kind to them. Which is it to be? But before we do a Google search for “contradictions in the Bible”, I would say it all depends what is meant by “enemy”. In the context of Psalm 140, David was going through a very difficult time with his enemies. And he wanted God to do something about it. I suppose if someone is coming at you waving a claymore or battle-axe, there wouldn’t be much point in offering them a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. It would be a case of a quick prayerful cry – “Help God!”  Or perhaps David was in a war situation with adjacent peoples – verse 7 mentions “the day of battle”. 

But Solomon’s definition of “enemy” might have been more benign, perhaps just meaning someone who is upset by us and has little more than malevolent feelings about us. In that case, of course we love our “enemies” and immediately respond to meet their needs in whatever way we can.

In David’s case, “burning coals” imply literal destruction. In Solomon’s case, perhaps “burning coals” mean that the “enemy” burns up with a guilty conscience, with shame. In the one case there is little we can do other than ask God to intervene. In the other we have a duty to be kind and loving, no matter how antagonistic the person is. 

In our pilgrimage through life we will find many “enemies” in our way. People who want to stop our progress. People who want us to take another path, perhaps leading in the wrong direction. But whether we take the path of the Psalm or the path of the Proverb, it is important that we involve God in the process. Only He knows the right way.