To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed. (Psalm 25:1-3)
In the days when Israel had a Sanctuary, if someone sinned there were sacrifices that could be offered to atone for those sins. However, the vast majority of these sacrifices provided a recourse for unintentional sin or sins committed in ignorance. With only a few exceptions, there was no sacrificial recourse for intentional sin whatsoever thus begging the question, what was a guilty person to do? Later when there was no Temple, there was no avenue to bring sacrifices for any sin, intentional or not; so again, what was a person to do in that situation?
Based on David’s prayer, we conclude that a person could only offer their own heart and soul unto God and be dependent upon His grace and mercy. This notion is essentially the same idea that Paul presented to the Romans when he said that we are not to conform to this world but present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). In so doing we lay our all before Him, trusting that He will receive us and be merciful unto us, not allowing us to be disappointed and put to shame. From the beginning, this wholehearted self-sacrifice is what God has asked of those who trust Him as a demonstration of their confidence in His protection and provision. As it is written, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).
Notice David prays this, not only for himself, but for all who place their hope upon God’s goodness which, we might surmise, would include those from among the nations. As evidence of that, consider certain exchanges that took place between Messiah and believing Gentiles. When a Canaanite woman pleaded for Messiah to heal her daughter, He at first resisted, telling her He was sent only for the lost sheep of Israel. She persisted, however, until He said, “O woman, great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28). When she got home her daughter was healed. Consider Messiah’s reaction to the centurion’s faith in His ability to heal his servant: He marveled, and said, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel” (Matthew 8:10). His servant was healed that very hour.
The point is your name doesn’t have to be David, Moses or Abraham for God to move on your behalf. None who place their trust in God will be disappointed; He may not move when we want Him to or how we want Him to but, in the end, we will not be put to shame. Let’s close with these words from Paul: “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him” (Romans 10:10-12).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
Recent Comments