I Will Arise - 240106

SPEAKER A Hello. SPEAKER B I'm Steven Groom. Welcome to let God speak. The psalmist lived in a time when evil, injustice and oppression raged, as it is today. For this reason, this week's lesson will look at some of the underprivileged groups specifically mentioned in the psalms, who God fought for back in King David's time and is still fighting for today. Please join us for this important Bible study. On our panel today, we are joined by Jaiden Green and Kaysie Vokurka. Hello, Jaiden. SPEAKER A Thank you so much for having us. SPEAKER B Before we begin, let's have a word of prayer to invite the Lord to be with us. Dear heavenly Father, we pray that you will be with us during this study of the psalms and help us to understand how you are a warrior fighting for your people and specifically who you fight for. And we ask all this in Jesus'worthy name. Amen. Many Bible passages portray God as a warrior fighting for his people. One such example is given in psalms 18 we will be looking at today. There are four scenarios in the first part of this psalm. In the first three verses, however, David praises God. And in verse three, David writes that the Lord is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies. This leads into the first scenario. What is that first scenario, Kaysie? SPEAKER C Yes, it's very interesting to read it, and it gives a poetic description of, obviously an intense experience that David went through. And if we read in verse four and five, it says, the pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of shiol surrounded me. The snares of death confronted me. So in this situation, he is obviously feeling very threatened to the point of death. Exactly. Yeah. So this is like, he was obviously being persecuted by his enemies, most probably at this time. And it's interesting because, as we continue to read, it says in verse six, in my distress, I called upon the Lord and cried out to my God. He heard my voice from his temple, and my cry came before him, even to his ears. And so we can see here that it's referring to the Lord in his temple. Or it's kind of like, if you think in terms of warrior imagery, it might be his castle or something like that, but basically where his dwelling place is, David is calling out to him, and he says that God heard it. It came to his ears. God heard it, and he reacts. God actually reacts to David's cry. And we find that in the next couple of verses, where it says, in verse seven and eight, then the earth shook and trembled the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils and devouring fire from his mouth. Coals were kindled by it. So this is a very, very violent sort of a picture of his anger coming out very, very strongly about, no doubt, the injustice that was happening to David at that time because of being persecuted. So this is the picture that's painted in this first scenario, isn't it? SPEAKER B Thank you for that. Let's have a look at the second scenario. What is that? Jaiden? SPEAKER A Absolutely, Steven. The second scenario is found in verses nine to twelve. I just want to read verse nine to eleven. First we read in the Bible, he bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub and flew. He flew upon the wings, the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place. His canopy. Around him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. What we see here, Steven, is that we have a description of a divine warrior. Contrast nicely to the first scenario. Now we've got a divine warrior coming with an incredibly impressive and magnificent display of power. And so much to the point that this power and magnificence creates confidence in the heart of the warrior's servant. I guess the key point here, Steven, is that our God is no weakling. He has power and he's magnificent. He is not a weak God, he is power. SPEAKER B And so first of all, we have David in trouble, and then we have God responding in anger to this problem. What's the third scenario, Kaysie? SPEAKER C Yeah. So in the third scenario, we can continue reading in verses 13 through to 15, it says, the Lord thundered from heaven, and the most high uttered his voice. Hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out his arrows and scattered the foe lightnings in abundance, and he vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen. The foundations of the world were uncovered at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. So again, it's very poetic language here in its description, but it's very interesting. The Lord's ammunition are powerful, like things in the weather. It talks about hailstones and fire and all of these things that his God is able to use. SPEAKER B He uses nature in his actions, Steven. SPEAKER A It really demonstrates how powerful God is. To be able to control the forces of nature is a huge demonstration of one's power. SPEAKER C Yeah. And far more than any human power, we can't tap into that. But God has this amazing power, and so he's definitely, and we can see. SPEAKER B That all through the Bible for instance, the seven last plagues in revelation. He uses nature in its extreme. What's the fourth scenario? Jaiden? SPEAKER A Great question. In psalms 18, verses 16 to 19, we actually see the fourth scenario. But I just want to read verse 19 for us. The Bible says he also brought me out into a broad place. He delivered me because he delighted in me. So here in verse 16 to 19, we actually read about the warrior's servant being delivered. We see that the warrior rescues, emancipates and sustains him. I think that's very good there. SPEAKER B That's a powerful message, isn't it, for the way that the Lord fights on behalf of his people? SPEAKER A He delivered me. SPEAKER B Yeah. What will understanding this as God's people? How will understanding God as a divine warrior do for us, Kaysie? SPEAKER C Yeah, I think it's a really important thing to be mindful of because we can appreciate God for his attributes of compassion and mercy and all of those things. But it's important to also remember that he is incredibly, infinitely powerful and he has a purpose to protect us. He wants to protect us and he wants to be a defence for us and he wants us to be able to trust him, that he would do that for us. And so I think the way that David is calling out to God in this way is an example for us, that when we are feeling threatened or in trouble, for whatever reason, that we can call on God to help us in our trouble. And he would give help and defence for us because he is constantly working against the evil in this world, working to try and counteract that and bring about good, because he is good. That is God's nature. And he uses both of these avenues. SPEAKER B I wonder how, if understanding this will make us less willing to avenge ourselves. As the Bible says, vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will repay. So we can have confidence that God will make things right. SPEAKER C Definitely. SPEAKER B Speaking in the same way, in verse 34 of psalm 18, it says that you have given me the sorry. He teaches my hands to war so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. So this says that God teaches him to fight. Is his confidence in his ability to fight wars? SPEAKER A Very good question, Steven. Actually, as you read through the psalms, you'll constantly see that David has his full reliance and dependence, and his source of strength is not from himself but from God. That's a constant theme throughout the psalms. Here we see that David always gives praise back to God for the victories that God does through him. So all credit goes back to God in that. And I think it's very clear here from what we read is that David knows where the source of power comes from. He's not ambiguous about that. He knows that the power comes from God. And I think that's really important for us because it's God who fights and delivers for him. And like you were saying just before, that's also applicable for us, because us, as christians on this world, we also have spiritual battles to fight. We have a power that is God, who we can rely upon. SPEAKER B And it's the same God that was there 3000 years beforehand, wasn't it? SPEAKER A There you go. SPEAKER B Yes. So now we're going to look at the people of the groups that God fights for as a warrior. In many places in the mosaic law, God is stated as looking after three specific groups of people. Who are they, Kaysie? SPEAKER C Yes, it's very interesting. There's a bit of a pattern. When we look in the Old Testament, especially in the book of deuteronomy, it mentions the stranger, the fatherless and the widow. And there's a text I want to read just as one example of that in deuteronomy ten, verse 17 and 18. It's a very beautiful passage here. It says, for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. I think that's such an amazing picture of the God here in the Old. SPEAKER B Testament, and no less than six chapters of Deuteronomy, these three groups are mentioned. So that's important. So why were these three groups, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow picked out for special attention from the Lord? Jaiden absolutely. SPEAKER A Steven. Well, we know that back then, obviously, things was a very, very different world to where we are right now. Things are very, a lot more stable now. There's Social Security out there and a lot more help. But it's a pretty ruthless world back in the time of the Bible times. And obviously without land, one didn't have stability, they didn't have a means of an income. Remember, they were mostly agricultural back then. So you can see how they were especially vulnerable without that stability of. SPEAKER B And so in light of this underprivileged group, what is one way that God is presented in the psalms? Kaysie? SPEAKER C Yes, so it's very interesting. The psalms has some beautiful descriptions. And in psalm 68, verse five, it says that God is a father of the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his holy habitation. And so in other words, he is very much looking out for people who are in this situation and in this having this sort of a need. And another verse is psalm 146. Psalm 146. And verses nine says, the Lord watches over the strangers. He relieves the fatherless and widow. But the way of the wicked, he turns upside down. And this kind of gives a clue that God, whilst he helps those who are in need, he's also, I guess, as the judge of all, taking into account those who are the oppressors and working to thwart those planned, or at least holding them accountable for their actions, which is important because it's revealing his sense of justice and his power to be just in the earth. SPEAKER B So in light of that, those who oppress these people are seen as being the wicked in a lot of Bible texts. There is another group of people, however, who are called the poor and needy. Can you give an example, Jaiden, of what God does for the poor and needy in society? SPEAKER A Absolutely. And I really like this verse. If we just go back a page to psalms twelve, verse five, we actually read, for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy. Now I will arise, says the Lord. I will set him in the safety for which he yearns. So what God's saying here is, for the oppression of the poor and needy. God will rise up on their behalf. I'd like to just quickly cross over to psalms 113, verse seven. In psalms 113 seven, we have another verse that reads, he raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy out of the ash heap. Isn't that very nice? Descriptive language of what God does for those who cannot help themselves. SPEAKER B Very nice. Thank you for that. However, does the poor and needy here in the psalms refer to just literal poor and needy, or does it have a deeper meaning? Kaysie? SPEAKER C That's a good question. It actually does have a deeper meaning. So it's not limited merely to material poverty, but it can also be representing just purely being vulnerable or helpless in any sort of situation. It can also refer to being, like poor and needy in terms of being even mentally or emotionally afflicted or just purely afflicted in circumstances. You may be like, even rich people, for example, can be afflicted in their heart. Do you know what I mean? And this means that they are, like what Jesus said, poor in spirit. And so this is where God's compassion for people in any sort of need, whatever that looks like, is completely broad and completely encompassing. SPEAKER B Covers a lot of people, doesn't it? SPEAKER C Does. SPEAKER B We're all poor in something. SPEAKER C Yeah, that's right. And so this is I guess just highlighting how much God is looking out for those who need help. SPEAKER B Yeah. How about those people who help the poor and needy? What do they get for their troubles? Jaiden? SPEAKER A Fantastic question, Steven. In psalms 41, verses one to three, I read that it says, blessed is he who considers the poor. The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth. You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of sickness. You will sustain him on his sick bed. There. So we actually see, I actually want to note in verse, psalm 41, verse one, blessed is he who considers the poor. Now, that word could also more precisely be translated as powerless or helpless. So it's more than just financial, as Kaysie was just saying. But there's definitely a blessing for those that help those people. SPEAKER B So there's a special blessing for cooperating in the work of God, isn't there? And so should we also then, as Christians, cooperate with God? And how do we do that? SPEAKER C Yeah, good question. Yeah. It's very much something that we are called to do. And Jesus told us that it's more blessed to give than receive. So whenever we are seeking to help people in need, we are doubly blessed. But it's very interesting that in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, the prophets, the Old Testament prophets, like there's Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, all of these especially, admonished the people to look out for the more needy classes of people around them. And Jesus also said that the poor you'll have with you always. So there's always going to be opportunity to find people who need help. And whilst we have today things like government assistance for the people who are in need and that kind of a. SPEAKER B Thing, which is also based upon the. SPEAKER C Bible guidelines, this is true especially in this country, in Australia, even though that is there, sometimes people still fall through the cracks. And so that means that there are still opportunities very much for us to look out for people who may be suffering from not having enough food or clothing, but they also might not be able to get access to proper services or they might be struggling with things like abuse or violence. And so there's all sorts of different needs that can be out there. SPEAKER B And God really, is our church doing for that? Are we specifically helping those people group somehow? SPEAKER C Well, yes, in different ways, because as a church, we do have a humanitarian arm that especially focuses on that. But at the same time, I believe that God is calling each of us individually to look out for people in need, because sometimes there can just be people that only you come in contact with. Yes. And so God is giving each of us individually that unique opportunity to take up because he wants us all to cultivate the kind of character that is developed through reaching out to people like that. SPEAKER B Thanks for that, Kaysie. Let's go back to the Old Testament and Israel. What was the role of Israel's leaders in the Old Testament times in relation to this? Jaiden? SPEAKER A Yeah, absolutely, Steven. In psalm 72, in verses one to seven and twelve to 14, we see here that the Lord endowed Israel's leaders with authority to maintain justice in the land according to the will of God. Their central concern, according to the Bible, was to ensure peace and safety, but also caring for the socially disadvantaged. SPEAKER B Yeah, thanks for that. Yeah. However, what happens when the leaders pervert justice and oppress the people they are tasked to protect? Sometimes they sought for know money is the root of all evil or for whatever reason. What happens then, Kaysie? SPEAKER C Yeah, it's a good question. I mean, God is impartial in his judgments, and he's also very fair. So when God considers people who are leaders or people who are influencers, they have a lot more responsibility because they have, by virtue of their position, more power to do something. And it's very interesting. Psalms 82 is an example of. I guess it's a psalm, but it's talking about how God would judge people who are in this kind of position. And if we have a read of just verse two, psalm 82, verse two, it says, well, actually, in verse one, it says he judges among the gods and gods. It can be also translated as, like, magistrates or leaders. And in verse two, it says, how long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? And then it continues. And the kind of things that God is wanting these people to do are, in verse three and four, defend the poor and to fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and needy, deliver the poor and needy and free them from the hand of the wicked. And this is like a call that God is calling these people to see their duty, that this is what they have the power to do. And by virtue of calling, that means that they probably weren't fulfilling that as they should have. And so it's very much a reprimand to them that this is a high responsibility that God expects of people who are able to have this kind of influence. SPEAKER B And so these people have greater responsibility, and God holds them more accountable than other people. Is that right? SPEAKER C Yeah. Well, I mean, God accounts each of us to be the responsibility for whatever sphere we are in. So if we have a small sphere of influence, well, that is what we are accountable for. If we have a large sphere of influence, we're accountable for that. He does everything fairly. Yes, and this is very important. SPEAKER B Very important. Thank you. Are some leaders less guilty of these crimes today, say, in the christian church, as in ancient days of Old Testament Israel? What is the message in psalms 82 for us today? Jaiden? SPEAKER A Yeah, fantastic. I love practical applications. Basically here, charity needs to begin at home. We should be teaching our children and even ourselves personally, every single day. We should be remembering to be generous to those who are in need, to keep a watchful eye out for those that are less fortunate. The psalmist reminds us that we are children of the most high. We know that God created us in his image, as it says in Genesis, chapter one. SPEAKER B So he sets a high standard for us, doesn't he? SPEAKER A Absolutely. SPEAKER B And then we just have to live up to that high standard. SPEAKER A And we should look at other people as they also created in God's image. So that really elevates how we should be treating our fellow brother and sister in Christ. Yeah, but as Kaysie said, definitely, whatever our sphere or influence, our workplace, our school, you can be God's ambassador. You can be doing the work of that in any way, any single sphere. SPEAKER B Yes. So we should hold ourselves in high esteem and everyone else we meet, and if they're not in that way, we should try and raise them up. Is that right? But this warning against mistreating the underprivileged is not just for leaders, is it? And I think you've touched on that a little bit already, Kaysie, can you add to that? SPEAKER C Yeah, certainly. So we find some more details in psalm 82. So continuing on, if we read in verses six through to eight, it says, I said, you are gods, and all of you are children of the most high, but you shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. Arise, o God. Judge the earth, for you shall inherit all nations. And so this is appealing to God to judge for his fairness. But it's very interesting. In verse six it says, I said, ye are gods, or ye are leaders, influencers, and all of you are children of the most high. So this is really saying that, well, not only, this doesn't just apply to people who might have a leading role. All of us are children of the most high. And therefore God expects all of us to live up to what his character is like, which we saw earlier. We saw that he is compassionate and merciful for those in need. He's also got a strong sense of justice and fairness, and so he's wanting all of us, in whatever sphere we have in our lives, to be able to exhibit this kind of character. And that will help to make the world a much better place from at every single level. Because if everyone is doing that within our family circle, we'll be seeing those sort of characteristics come out. But then in churches and then community groups and further, further out into society, you're going to see these kind of things coming out more. SPEAKER B Very good. SPEAKER C Yeah. SPEAKER B So here's an important question, though, in light of what the psalms tell us about God being a warrior, fighting on behalf of these people, what do you say to people? And I meet people myself who even question the existence of God because they tell us, and you probably know of injustices that have been done to people and God does not seem to be fighting for them. What would you say, and what do you say to people who say this? Sure. SPEAKER A I'd refer them, Steven, to the book of lamentations, chapter three, verse 25. And it writes, the Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him, the waiting element. SPEAKER B So you're telling me that God does not always act straight away on behalf of these people? SPEAKER A Sometimes it's not exactly when we want it. Yeah, but we do have to wait because everything in his timing works out perfectly. SPEAKER B Okay. So, like David, we have to have patience and plead and pray to God, hoping for his justice. One think. SPEAKER C Yeah, I think that there's so much comfort that we can get from God's word about this question. And I recognise that it's a very real question in people's minds, that they find it hard to believe that a God who is all powerful would not actually in their own experience or lifetime, or visibly see that God is standing up for them. And so this is a big question. Right. And so I think that what we've been studying today in the book of psalms is really important for that, because you're seeing over and over again examples of God expressing his heart sentiment for people in this situation. SPEAKER B Yes. SPEAKER C And I think that it's showing how much God really wants to help them. But it's also important to keep in mind that God judges everyone fairly. And it says, in ecclesiastes 1214, it says, God brings every single work into judgement. So people who are oppressors, he's going to bring that into judgement? SPEAKER B Yes. SPEAKER C He can't do it immediately because he has to give everyone a chance. But one day there will be a judgement. There will be justice played out. And this is something that even if we can't see it today, we can have hope in God for, because he will do that for us. SPEAKER B He may not save us in this life, but he can save us in the resurrection. SPEAKER C Yeah, definitely. SPEAKER B Well, thank you for joining us today. We've looked at many passages that deal with God as a warrior and who he's fighting for, the poor and the needy and the fatherless and the others. So thank you for joining us. SPEAKER A Thank you for having us. SPEAKER C Thank you so much. SPEAKER B Unfortunately, we have injustice in this world until the Lord returns. We also have the underprivileged, the poor and needy, the stranger, the fatherless and the widows with us. Maybe you are among this group, but by faith. The psalms tell us that we have a warrior in heaven who can and is fighting battles on our behalf. This was the hope for the psalmist and it is our hope today. We're glad you could join us on let God speak today. You can watch this programme again or catch up on our website, threeabn australia.org au email us if you wish on lgs3abnaustralia.org.au God bless. SPEAKER D You have been listening to Let God Speak, a production of 3ABN, Australia. Television. To catch up on past programs, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au Call us in Australia on 024-973-3456 or email [email protected] We'd love to hear from you.