The Remnant Who Trust the Lord

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“In that day the remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return; yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. But though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant of them will return. The Lord has rightly decided to destroy his people. Yes, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, has already decided to destroy the entire land.”
Isaiah 10:20-23 NLT

There are many references in the Old Testament to a remnant of God’s people remaining after a national disaster. Earlier, we read Isaiah 1:9, “Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah”. We also read about God’s heart for His people in Jeremiah 23:3, “But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number”. Many years before, the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham in which He said, “…Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” (Genesis 15:5). In Genesis 22:17, the Lord introduced the thought that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the  “…stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore”. And here in Isaiah 10:22, the Lord mentioned once again how numerous the people of Israel are, but the Lord had decided to destroy the majority of the people through the Assyrian attacks, some by the sword, and many others by their removal into exile from their promised land. There, in foreign climes, it seems only a remnant will return, with those remaining in the land being the ones who will “faithfully trust the Lord”. 

The Israelites had reached a stage in their nation where they sought help through alliances with surrounding nations rather than from the Lord Himself. They were deeply involved in wicked and sinful practices and had abandoned any consideration that the Lord Himself would protect them if only they would turn to Him. As far as the Israelites were concerned, God didn’t exist, or was only a faint memory in their collective thoughts. So they had reached a dangerous phase in their nation’s existence for two reasons: one, that they were now away from God’s protection, and two, that they were at the mercy of stronger nations around them who were intent on taking over their land. God decided that the behaviour of His people couldn’t continue, and He decided to destroy the entire land. 

The Israelites were God’s own people. He had made a Covenant with them, with clear benefits if they kept their side of the deal, but significant problems if they didn’t. But God was, and is, faithful, and He always kept His promises to His people. However, He punished His people so that His perfect justice against sin would be upheld, to correct and purify them, and to guide them back into a faithful relationship. God’s relationship with His people, the Jews, was, and still is, unique, and He will allow things to happen to them if it will result in their highest good. Perhaps today they are experiencing so many difficulties with their neighbours because they have once again abandoned their Covenant with God. But the belligerent nations around Israel need to be aware that although God may allow Israel’s punishment for a time, the ones carrying it out are heading for destruction, as happened to the Assyrians. 

The Psalmist wrote, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him” (Psalm 91:1-2). What a wonderful picture of God’s protection, much like a mother hen protecting her chicks under her wings. We pilgrims can always find rest and protection as we stay close to God. It is only He who can provide that security. The Psalmist realised that when he wrote, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety” (Psalm 18:2). Are any of us feeling a bit wobbly and insecure today? Perhaps we just need to run back under God’s shadow, His protection. It is there that we will find rest for our souls.

Dear Heavenly Father. We know and understand that we are in a privileged position, living as Your children under the shadow of Your wings. Thank You, and please forgive us for when we wander away into danger and all sorts of peril. Amen.

Refuge in God

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.”
Psalm 5:11-12 NLT

As the soft tones of the accompanying flute echo in the air, David finishes this Psalm with a wonderful picture of God’s protection, a picture of a scene of peace and tranquillity as the storms of life rage unceasingly around him. A 3D cameo of a human being hanging in a maelstrom of chaos, untouchable and safe, forever buoyed up into the presence of God. To describe this place, David used words and phrases like “refuge”, “spread Your protection”, “surround”, and “shield of love”. In David’s world, perhaps he was envisaging an impregnable fortress where his enemies could not reach him. Or it was the thought that in the middle of a battle the swords and spears of his opponents were unable to pierce the circle of shields that had sprung up to protect him. And welling up within him was an indescribable joy expressed in singing as he basked in God’s love.

Have we pilgrims ever been in a place like David? Have we ever experienced God’s protection, saving us from all the enemies that would come against us? A lovely story we perhaps think but not one that matches reality. We ask why bad things happen to good people. A fellow Christian smitten with ill health. A child of believing parents snatched from them by a drunk driver motoring by. Fellow believers in other nations persecuted because of their faith. Even people who dared to believe faithfully that God would protect them from anything bad, but He didn’t. 

We can read about the saints of old in Hebrews 11. On the one hand, there were those who seemed to go through life unscathed. Hebrews 11:33-34, “By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight”. But there were others described in the verses after, ” … But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons” (Hebrews 11:35-36). 

In Jesus’ longest prayer, He declared, “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 17:12). But a bit later on, Jesus prayed to His Father, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one” (John 17:15). And there’s the key. We, as human beings living in a world riddled with sin and wickedness, will experience the same ailments as anyone else, believers of not. Occasionally God will especially protect His children, as I can personally testify with the miraculous healing of my daughter. On other occasions He will, perhaps inexplicably, not answer the prayers in a way that we would like. But we will pray anyway. Fatalism has no part in a believer’s life. God is not capricious, however, sometimes healing a person and then on another occasion not doing so, depending on His mood. God looks at the big picture, and He has promised to keep us safe from the evil one. Living in a sinful world has its down sides, but one day we pilgrims will find ourselves in a place where, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4). In the meantime, whatever our circumstances, sick or well, we can “sing joyful praises” to God, assured of His loving and gracious protection until we arrive home.

Dear Father God. We bring all our sicknesses and diseases, our fears and worries, to You secure in the knowledge that You have shielded us from all the attacks of the evil one. As we stand firm in Your love we praise and worship You with thanks full hearts. And we thank You that one day, sooner to later, You will take us away to a place with You. Amen.

The Pursuit

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“When the dragon realised that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time. Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth. But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon. And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.” 
Revelation 12:13-17

John’s vision of the woman and her journey clarifies a bit and more information emerges. The dragon, or the devil as we assume, is after her. But with divine protection, he had no chance of reaching her. He did his best to drown her with “a flood of water that flowed from his mouth”. As an aside, what a strange weapon. In John’s vision, would we not have expected him to see the devil using more conventional weapons of the time? Arrows or swords perhaps? 

But according to the commentaries, the flood represents an overwhelming disaster. Think about a tsunami hitting a coastline and the resulting destruction, as we have seen in recent years. The Old Testament refers in several places to a fear of a flood, such as in Psalm 69:15, “Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me.”

As we considered recently, the woman represents the Church, or the Jewish nation, or a combination of both. Some of the old saints have suggested that the flood represents public opinion, expressing hostility to the Church as a whole. A scenario where the governments and politicians make public declarations, or pass laws, that are hostile to Christian Churches and all who worship within them. And we have seen the establishment of clandestine churches in some countries, driven underground by the actions of the country’s leadership, with the general population implementing their evil sentiments on any Christians they can find. In 21st Century Planet Earth, we see such a scenario well established in countries such as Afghanistan, North Korea, China, India and others. In these places being a follower of Christ is not a safe life choice.

In his vision, John saw the earth swallow up the flood of water, thus helping and saving the woman. Perhaps this means that the Christian Church established in countries where Christians are persecuted receives protection from God. And it is true that in some countries, Christianity, even though officially oppressed, has flourished in underground churches. China is such a country, where it has been estimated that there are ninety six million Christians, just under seven per cent of the population. Churches there are regularly shut down by the authorities and their leaders arrested, but they continue and grow anyway. 

Our verses today conclude that a very angry devil makes war on all God’s children everywhere. He fights against “all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus”. Sadly, that is so true, with persecution against Christians so prevalent all over the world. The UK charity “Open Doors” estimates that 360 million Christians worldwide are suffering persecution of one kind or another. 

So what do we pilgrims make of all this? We of course stand firm in our faith, confident that by doing so we will one day receive the reward awaiting us in Heaven. In Matthew 24 Jesus warned His disciples about what was going to happen in the End Times, and taught what they should do. We read, “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:9-13 – emphasis mine). Our salvation is assured but the narrow road we follow will not be easy. And we read in today’s verses from Revelation, that Christians who hold the line of their faith will be constantly hassled and attacked by the devil. So we pray for our Heavenly Father’s protection, as we continue to do His will. We pray that His love and grace covers us as we live in His shadow, day by day, step by step.

Dear Lord. We praise and thank You today. Only You have the words of eternal life, there to sustain us. Please lead and guide us through the minefields of life, hedging us around with Your love and protection. Amen.