Psalm 79 ended with this declaration: "...we Thy people and sheep of Thy pasture..." Psalm 80:1 says:
1 GIVE EAR, O Shepherd of Israel, You Who lead Joesph like a flock; You Who sit enthroned upon the cherubim [of the ark of the covenant], shine forth
The psalmist recognized the need, again, for Israel to repent and call out to God to save them. If we have learned anything at all from our studies in the Old Testament, it should be the fact that people ALWAYS fail, but God ALWAYS forgives and restores when the people return again to Him! Psalm 80:19:
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine [in pleasure, approval, and favor on us], and we shall be saved!
This is the Old Covenant equivalent of our 1 John 1:9 under the New Covenant!
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God WANTS to restore us even more than we want to BE restored! Never hesitate to activate 1 John 1:9 when you miss it! That promise was provided to keep us in a joyful and hopeful and confident attitude so that we can continue to go boldly before His throne, daily, in praise and worship, prayer and fellowship.
Luke 1 begins with the story of the birth of John the Baptist. We talked a little before about the difference in the way the angel's message was received by Zachariah and by Mary. Something interesting to note in Luke 1:6:
6 And they both were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
Both Zachariah and Elizabeth were "righteous", the Hebrew word, "dikaios", which means: one who is such as he ought to be, upright, acceptable to God, innocent. People living under the Old Covenant were saved the same way that they are under our New Covenant - by faith! THEY were saved by faith, trust and confidence in the COMING Messiah. WE are saved by faith,trust and confidence in the Messiah who HAS COME! Their faith was accounted unto them as righteousness and so is ours! We have been made the righteousness of God according to 2 Corinthians 5:21! We HAVE right-standing with God through the Blood of Jesus Christ! That means that we have the RIGHT to stand before our Awesome and Holy god as though we have never done anything wrong! THAT reveals the awesome power of the blood of Jesus that was shed for US! Thank You Lord Jesus! AMEN!
I have always liked the account of the people giving in obedience in 2 Chronicles 31:4-8:
4 He commanded the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites, that they might [be free to] give themselves to the Law of the Lord. 5 As soon as the command went abroad, the Israelites gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, vintage fruit, oil,, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6 The people of Israel and Judah who lived in Judah's cities also brought the tithe of cattle and sheep and of the dedicated things which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and they laid them in heaps. 7 In the third month [at the end of wheat harvest] they began to lay the foundation or the beginning of the heaps and finished them in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and His people Israel.
When God's people set their hearts to obey the Word of God, things change! Not only for their own lives, but the lives of those witness the Blessing of God in their lives! Be a tither and a giver, because the Word of God says so, then look forward with expectant hope and eager anticipation to the manifested Blessing of God on your life, for your benefit and the benefit of others!
Shalom in Him!
