Day 344
Esther 1:1-2:18; Revelation 2:18-3:6; Psalm 140:6-13
God
is at work in the life of both the Church and the nation. He has a
message for His Church. It is the message of the Spirit: "He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation
2:29; Revelation 3:6). This message of the Lord concerns His Church. It
also concerns the world. On the surface, the story of Esther is not a
very spiritual story. Nevertheless, God is there. Amid all the talk of
"twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months
with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics" (Esther 2:12),
God was working out His purpose. He was revealing Himself as the
"Sovereign Lord", the "strong defender" of His people. The plans of men -
"the wicked" - did not succeed. The pride of man was brought to nothing
so that the glory belong to God alone (Psalm 140:7-8). This is the
message of the book of Esther. In order to hear this message clearly, we
must read between the lines. This message may not be spelled out in
detail. Nevertheless, it is there for the believing reader who is
attentive to the Lord, speaking through the events of history. God's
concern is that there may be "justice for the poor", that "the cause of
the needy" may be upheld (Psalm 140:12). This is a concern which will
take us beyond the fairly narrow and well-defined scope of the Church.
God's concern takes us into the world with a desire to see the quality
of life improved by God so that the people will be more deeply moved to
praise His Name and live in His presence (Psalm 140:13).
Day 345
Esther 2:19-5:14; Revelation 3:7-22; Psalm 141:1-10
There
are doors which can only be opened by God - "See, I have placed before
you an open door that no-one can shut" (Revelation 3:8). There are
doors which must be opened by man - "Here I am! I stand at the door and
knock. If any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and
eat with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). This is illustrated in
the story of Esther. She became the Queen of Persia according to the
sovereign purpose of God. God opened the door. Nevertheless, there were
doors which had to be opened by Esther. As the Queen of Persia, she had
to act in a wise and courageous way in order to carry out the purpose of
God. In everything, we must say, with the Psalmist, "My eyes are fixed
on You, O Sovereign Lord" (Psalm 141:8). This is not, however, to be the
kind of heavenly-mindedness which makes us oblivious to what is going
on around us. We must keep a close eye on events. We must direct our
prayers towards the fulfilment of God's purpose through the particular
course of events which are taking place here-and-now. This is precisely
what the Psalmist does. He sees what is happening, and he prays, "Let
not my heart be drawn to what is evil" (Psalm 141:4). His "prayer is
ever against the deeds of evildoers" (Psalm 141:5-6). This, again, is a
combination of God opening and closing doors - "What He opens no-one can
shut and what He shuts no-one can open" (Revelation 3:7) - and
ourselves opening and closing doors as, looking at what is going on
around us, we choose God's way rather than the world's way. Concerning
this opening and closing of doors, we say, "O Lord, keep watch over the
door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3).
Day 346
Esther 6:1-8:17; Revelation 4:1-11; Psalm 142:1-7
In
the book of Esther, we see the people of God in conflict. There were
enemies against whom they had to contend. In this battle, there are
victories which lead to "joyous celebration" (Esther 8:15). Such times
of victory are times of "happiness and joy, gladness and honour" (Esther
8:16). Such times point toward the final victory, the glorious
celebration which will take place in God's eternal Kingdom. Worship will
"never stop." The Lord's people will "give glory, honour and thanks to
Him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever" (Revelation
4:8-9). Concerning the Lord, we say, "You are my refuge, my portion in
the land of the living" (Psalm 142:5). He is our refuge and portion in
both this life and the life to come. "The land of the living" does not
only speak of the "land" which will come to an end. It speaks also of
the "land" that endures forevermore. In this life, there are many times
when we say of our enemies, "They are too strong for me." In the life to
come, we will be fully "set free from our prison", set free by God to
"praise His Name" (Psalm 142:6-7).
Day 347
Esther 9:1-10:3; Revelation 5:1-14; Proverbs 30:11-23
Esther
9 speaks of days of feasting and joy (Esther 9:17-19,22-23,28). If the
Jews had cause to rejoice in Esther's day, we have much more cause for
rejoicing in the Lord - "Do not weep! Se, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed" (Revelation 5:5). The praise of
God's people does not arise only from the Jewish nation. It comes from
"every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9. Our
rejoicing is in Jesus Christ, "the Lamb of God": "Worthy is the Lamb,
who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and
honour and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:12). This praise will
continue throughout eternity: "To Him who sits on the throne and to the
Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
(Revelation 5:13). Proverbs 30:18 speaks of things that are "too
amazing" for us, things that we "do not understand." This is the Gospel.
It stretches far beyond our understanding. Through amazing grace, such
great things have been revealed to us. This is why praise arises in the
hearts of God's people as a song which will continue for all eternity.
Day 348
Malachi 1:1-2:16; Revelation 6:1-17; Psalm 143:1-12
"Come!
... Come! ... Come! ... Come!" (Revelation 6:1,3,5,7). The invitation
is clear. We are to come to the Lord. How are we to come to Him? If we
are to learn how we are to come to Him, we should learn also how we are
not to come to Him. Malachi 1 stresses that we are not to come to Him
with blemished sacrifices. Bringing such sacrifices shows contempt for
the Name of the Lord (Malachi 1:6-9). We are not to show contempt for
"the Lord's table" (Malachi 1:7). We are not to say of the Lord's table,
"It is defiled." We are not to say of the food of the Lord's table, "It
is contemptible." We are not come to the Lord's table, saying, "What a
burden!" (Malachi 1:12). This is no way to come to the Lord. We are to
come with "pure offerings", acknowledging the greatness of the Lord's
Name (Malachi 1:11). He is the "great King" whose "Name is to be feared
among the nations" (Malachi 1:14). The invitation comes from "the Lamb"
(Revelation 6:1,3,5,7). Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. He is the pure
Sacrifice. He has been slain for us. He is the foundation of our
worship. He is the basis on which we come to God the Father. When we cry
to God, "O Lord ... Listen to my cry for mercy" (Psalm 143:1), we come
to Him in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we plead His
"faithfulness and righteousness" (Psalm 143:1), our attention is fixed
on the Cross of Christ. There, God's faithfulness and righteousness are
revealed to us. When, in our morning meditation, we pray, "Let the
morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in
You" (Psalm 143:8), we are looking, in faith, to the Christ of Calvary
from whom blessing flows to us. When we pray, "In Your unfailing love,
silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant" (Psalm
143:12), we are seeking God's forgiveness and new life and are
committing ourselves to be His servants.
Day 349
Malachi 2:17-4:6; Revelation 7:1-17; Psalm 144:1-8
Malachi
4:5 speaks of "that great and dreadful Day of the Lord." The Day of
the Lord will be a Day of Judgment. This is not, however, the full
story. It will also be the great Day of salvation. This comes through
clearly in Revelation 7 - "a great multitude that no-one could count,
from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the
throne and in front of the Lamb ... wearing white robes and ... holding
palm branches ... cried out in a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our
God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb'" (Revelation 7:9-10). This
is our great encouragement as we wage spiritual warfare against the
enemies of God. The glorious celebration in the Kingdom of God is the
outcome of our life of faith. Saved by grace, we are victors in Christ.
"These in white robes ... have come out of the great tribulation; they
have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb"
(Revelation 7:13-14). That is the glorious finale of God's gracious work
of salvation. Here-and-now, we face spiritual warfare. In the midst of
the battle, we say, "Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands
for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my Fortress, my
Stronghold and my Deliverer, my Shield, in whom I take refuge, who
subdues people under me" (Psalm 144:1-2). We, who have had a glimpse of
heavenly glory, a foretaste of glory divine, now pray, "Part Your
heavens, O Lord, and come down" (Psalm 144:5).
Day 350
Ezra 1:1-2:67; Revelation 8:1-9:12; Psalm 144:9-15
We
read of "gold" in both Ezra and Revelation (Ezra 1:4,6,9-11; Revelation
8:3; Revelation 9:7). In Ezra 1:6, "gold" is set alongside "valuable
gifts" and "all the freewill offerings." "Gold" is a valuable thing. The
"gold" of our lives is truly valuable when it is given freely, as a
"freewill offering." In Revelation 8:3, "gold" is associated with "the
prayers of all the saints." The "gold" of our lives is truly valuable
when it is given prayerfully to the Lord. In Revelation 9:7, the
reference to "gold" is of a different kind. It refers to "the locusts."
It does not refer directly to "gold." It uses the intriguing phrase -
"something like crowns of gold." This phrase speaks to us of the
counterfeit, something which is like the real thing but is not the real
thing. Like "the locusts", we must be "prepared for battle" (Revelation
9:7). We must be watchful. We must guard against the counterfeit. We
must keep ourselves for God so that we may be presented to Him as that
which is truly "gold." "Prepared for battle", we must wage war as those
who trust in the Lord, "the One who gives victory" (Psalm 144:2). This
is the way of blessing: "Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord"
(Psalm 144:15).
Day 351
Ezra 2:68-4:5; Revelation 9:13-10:11; Proverbs 30:24-33
At
the heart of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was worship -"With
praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; His love to
Israel endures for ever" (Ezra 3:11). Those who worship the Lord are set
within the context of a world that refuses to worship Him: "The rest of
mankind ... did not stop worshipping demons" (Revelation 9:20). Even
when the call to conversion is sounded out clearly and often, we must
reckon with the fact that many will refuse to come to Christ for
salvation. His way is still the narrow way, while many take the broad
way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Part of God's Word to
today's world is a word of rebuke: "If you have played the fool and
exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hands over your
mouth!" (Proverbs 30:32). Stop answering back! Stop protesting against
the Lord! Start listening to the Lord! Listen to His Word! The Lord has
much to say to this generation, if only the people would listen. If the
word of rebuke is heeded, perhaps, there will be a real opening for the
word of salvation.
Day 352
Ezra 4:6-5:17; Revelation 11:1-19; Psalm 145:1-7
Ezra
speaks of the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem (Ezra 5:11).
Revelation speaks of "God's Temple in heaven" (Revelation 11:19). Both
belong together - building the Church here on earth and building for the
Kingdom of heaven. We must never be content with a measure of success
in building the Church here on earth. God's calling is heavenly. We look
beyond the Church here on earth. We work towards the full and final
fulfilment of God's eternal purpose: "The kingdom of the world has
become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for
ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). Here, on earth, we are learning to
praise God - "I will exalt You, my God the King ... Every day I will
praise You" (Psalm 145:1-2). This praise will be complete in the glory
of God's heavenly and eternal Kingdom: "I will praise Your Name for ever
and ever ... and extol Your Name for ever and ever" (Psalm 145:1-2).
However much God may bless our worship here on earth, there will always
be an inadequacy about our worship in this earthly life: "Great is the
Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no-one can fathom" (Psalm
145:3). Psalm 145:4-7 gives a great description of the joyful
celebration, which is true worship (Psalm 145:7). This joyful
celebration will reach its fullness in the glory of heaven. There, we
will see the most marvellous fulfilment of the words of Psalm 145:7:
"They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your
righteousness."
Day 353
Ezra 10:1-44; Revelation 14:14-15:8; Psalm 146:1-10
God's
people are to belong to Him alone. Influences which are foreign to the
Gospel of Christ, alien to the Word of God, are to be excluded from our
lives so that we might be, more truly and more fully, the people of God.
This is the message of Ezra 10, as it emphasizes the sinfulness of
God's people intermarrying with those who worship false gods. From our
lives as well as our lips, there is to be the song of praise, found in
Revelation 15:3-4. It is a song of praise which gives God His rightful
place in our lives. We acknowledge Him as the holy God, the God of
righteousness. We affirm that His ways are just and true. We submit to
Him - "Who would not fear You, O Lord." We seek His glory - "and bring
glory to Your Name?" (Revelation 15:4). This commitment to singing the
praise of the Lord involves the whole of our life - "I will praise the
Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live" (Psalm
146:20. This lifelong commitment is not to be fulfilled in our own
strength. We need the strength of the Lord. "Blessed is he whose help is
the God of Israel" (Psalm 146:5).
Day 354
Nehemiah 1:1-2:20; Revelation 16:1-21; Psalm 147:1-11
How
do we respond to adverse circumstances? We can respond in a godly way
or we can respond in a worldly fashion. "The walls of Jerusalem ... had
been broken down, and its gates ... had been destroyed by fire"
(Nehemiah 2:13). Nehemiah responded with faith in God: "Come, let us
rebuild the wall of Jerusalem ... The gracious hand of God is upon me"
(Nehemiah 2:18). "Sanballat ... Tobiah ... and Geshem" responded in a
worldly way: "They mocked and ridiculed us" (Nehemiah 2:19). There are
still two quite different responses to suffering. In faith, we can say,
"You are just in these judgments, You who are and who were, the Holy One
... Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments"
(Revelation 16:5,7). There is also the negative reaction: "They cursed
the Name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to
repent and glorify Him" (Revelation 16:9,11). Scripture leaves us in no
doubt that the better way is the way of praise - "How good it is to
sing praises to our God" (Psalm 147:1). We see that "the Lord builds up
Jerusalem" and we give praise to the Lord (Psalm 147:2). This "building
up" of Jerusalem is more than building with bricks and mortar. It is the
gathering together of the Lord's people, the healing of the
broken-hearted, the binding up of their wounds (Psalm 147:7). As we
consider this "building up", which is the work of God Himself, we are to
"sing to the Lord with thanksgiving" (Psalm 147:7). When we choose the
way of praise rather than the way of complaint, we bring delight to the
Lord: "The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in
His unfailing love" (Psalm 147:11).
Day 355
Nehemiah 3:1-4:23; Revelation 17:1-18; Psalm 147:12-20
God's
people faced opposition. What did they do? They kept on working - "The
people worked with all their heart" (Nehemiah 4:6). They kept on praying
- "We prayed to our God" (Nehemiah 4:9). They were watchful - "Those
who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in
the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he
worked" (Nehemiah 4:17-18). God calls us to work for Him. As we work, we
must also pray. In all of our praying and working, we must never forget
that we are involved in spiritual warfare. In this battle with our
spiritual enemies, we can say with confidence, "Our God will fight for
us!" (Nehemiah 4:20). Revelation 17:14 speaks of conflict and victory:
"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them
because He is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with Him will be His
called, chosen and faithful followers." It is important that we see the
spiritual dimension of our own experience of conflict. Satan's
opposition is directed against the Lamb. When we understand our conflict
in this broader context, we begin to see the way to victory. The
victory over Satan is not something that we achieve for ourselves. We
stand against Satan in the victory of the Lamb. Our victory is always
"with Him." It is always a sharing in His victory - ""The Lamb will
overcome them." In Psalm 147:12, we read, "He strengthens the bars of
your gates and blesses your people within you." This is speaking of the
city of Jerusalem, but we can also apply it to our own lives. Through
the Lord who fights for us, we receive strength and we enjoy His
blessing.
Day 356
Nehemiah 5:1-7:3; Revelation 18:1-17a; Proverbs 31:10-20
Again,
the combination of prayer and work is seen in Nehemiah - "I devoted
myself to the work on this wall" (Nehemiah 5:16), "I prayed, 'Now,
strengthen my hands.'" (Nehemiah 6:9). "So the wall was completed ...
this work had been done with the help of our God" (Nehemiah 6:15-16). We
may contrast the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the fall of
Babylon - "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!" (Revelation 18:2). The
contrast between Jerusalem and Babylon - the 'tale of two cities' - is
the contrast between God and the devil, between holiness and sin,
godliness and ungodliness, righteousness and unrighteousness, good and
evil. the triumph is the Lord's. The word of judgment concerning Babylon
has been spoken (Revelation 18:10,16-17). Proverbs 31:10 tells us that
"noble character ... is worth far more than rubies." Again, what a
contrast there is between the rich blessing of noble character and the
empty futility of worldly riches: "Woe! Woe, a great city, dressed in
fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering stones and pearls! In one
hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!" (Revelation
18:16-17).
Day 357
Nehemiah 7:4-8:18; Revelation 18:17b-19:10; Psalm 148:1-6
We
are called to "worship God" (Revelation 19:10). Our worship is to be
with reverence and joy. "Be still: "This is the call for reverence
(Nehemiah 8:11). Alongside this reverence, there is to be joy: "The joy
of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). We are to "rejoice" in
the Lord (Revelation 18:20). This joy is not a superficial emotion. It
is accompanied by the reverence which comes from taking seriously the
"woe" that is pronounced on the "great city" that lives for this world
only (Revelation 18:19). Joyful worship arises from "a great multitude
in heaven" (Revelation 19:1). Four times, in Revelation 19, we read,
"Hallelujah!" (Revelation 19:1,3,4,6). "Hallelujah" means 'Praise the
Lord.' Our praise is to be characterized by joy: "Let us rejoice and be
glad and give Him glory!" (Revelation 19:7). This joy is grounded in an
awe-inspiring face: "Our Lord God Almighty reigns" (Revelation 19:6).
"Praise the Lord": These are the first words and the message of Psalm
148. The 'choir' which praises the Lord is truly astonishing (Psalm
148:1-4). Our song of praise participates in the song of praise which
arises from God's whole creation. This inspires us to worship Him, more
truly and more fully.
Day 358
Nehemiah 9:1-37; Revelation 19:1-21; Psalm 148:7-14
In
the history of Israel, we read a great deal about the history of human
sin. First and foremost, however, it is the story of God's grace and
mercy. Israel's sin is there in the forefront: "We are slaves today ...
Because of our sins ... We are in great distress" (Nehemiah 9:36-37).
Even more significant is the God of grace and mercy: "But in Your great
mercy You did not put an end to them or abandon them, for You are a
gracious and a merciful God" (Nehemiah 9:31). The God of grace and mercy
is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). He reigns in
grace and mercy. This is not to suggest that there is no judgment. There
will be judgment. People from all walks of life come under the divine
judgment (Revelation 19:18). There is, however, a way of escaping
judgment. It is the way of coming to the Saviour: "Come, gather together
for the great supper of God" (Revelation 19:17). When the redeemed of
the Lord are gathered together for the great supper of God, it will be
perfectly clear that "His Name alone is exalted: His splendour is above
the earth and the heavens" (Psalm 148:13).
Day 359
Nehemiah 9:38-11:21; Revelation 20:1-15; Psalm 149:1-9
The
Lord’s people, in Nehemiah’s time, made this commitment: “We will not
neglect the House of our God” (Nehemiah 10:39). Such a commitment to God
and His work is not easy to maintain. There is an enemy who opposes God
and His work – “the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or
Satan” (Revelation 20:2). Whatever chaos Satan may cause in the Lord’s
work here on earth, we are left in no doubt about his eternal destiny:
“The devil … will be tormented day and night for ever” (Revelation
20:10). Satan’s eternal destiny is very different from that of God’s
people: “The Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with
salvation” (Psalm 149:4) – “This is the glory of all His saints” (Psalm
149:9).
Day 360
Nehemiah 11:22-12:47; Revelation 21:1-27; Proverbs 31:21-31
“At
the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service
was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully
the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that
day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them
great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving
to God” (Nehemiah 12:46). This joyful thanksgiving is only a foretaste
of the greater joy and thanksgiving of heaven: “There will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away” (Revelation 21:4). In the city of God, “the glory of God”
will be shining with everlasting brightness (Revelation 21:23). The
Church of God will be “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
husband” (Revelation 21:2). The beautiful picture of the godly wife in
Proverbs 31 gives us an outline of what God is seeking to do in His
people. It is summarized in Proverbs 31:30: “A woman who fears the Lord
is to be praised.” This is what God wants to make His Bride, the Church –
a people who fear the Lord and bring praise to Him.
Day 361
Nehemiah 13:1-31; Revelation 22:1-21; Psalm 150:1-6
Each
day, we stand between the past and the future. In our prayers, we call
upon God to "remember" (Nehemiah 13:14,22,29,31). There are two
different kinds of 'remembering' here. God remembers his faithful
servants. He also remembers those who have been unfaithful. As we face
the future, we must be guided by both the Gospel invitation and the
Gospel warning (Revelation 22:17-19). Salvation is offered to all. It is
to be received by faith in Christ. There is also judgment for those who
refuse to "come" to Him. Whatever our reaction to Him may be,
God maintains His saving intention. He waits patiently for us to heed
the call to "praise the Lord" (Psalm 150:1,6). "Let everything that has
breath praise the Lord" (Psalm 150:6).
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