New Thoughts (5/22/04-5/30/04)
Before I begin digging into this incredible passage I want to take a moment to sort out how it breaks down, for it seems to me that there is a degree of ambiguity there. I have come to a number of different conclusions as to how this fits together, but here is my best sense of it.
Verse 68 stands out as a statement of the theme of the prophecy, and indeed, the theme of the Gospels: God is to be praised, for He has done it! He has appointed and accomplished redemption. He is here, and very active, he shouts to the deists of his day.
The remainder of the message contained in verses 69 through 75 could be considered as two or three parallelisms, each relating to a major character in Israel's history, and in God's unfolding drama of Messiah. The first to be brought up is David, because the Messiah was clearly connected with the promise to David - that one from his line would reign forever.
Verses 69-71 might best be viewed together as speaking of the Davidic promise. The prophets foretold it, said that salvation would come from one who was descended from David. This mighty man is declared to be on the scene. Again, the message is "He has done it!" Verse 71, in this breakdown, simply reminds those who hear the message what it was the prophets had declared about this Savior who had come.
Verses 72-73 speak of Abraham, the father of all Israel, the recipient of the covenant promise. Here, Zacharias shouts the truth of his own name, "God has remembered!" He has not forgotten his promise to Abraham, not ever, and assuredly not now. Because of His promise to Abraham so long ago, He showed mercy towards previous generations. Because of His promise to Abraham, He continues to show mercy to us. Because of His promise to Abraham, His mercy toward us has caused Him to send the Savior promised to David.
Verses 74-75 read as though they were still speaking of Abraham, but I don't think this is the case. Attention has turned now to Moses. The apparent connection to Abraham is certainly real and valid, but it is Moses who is now recalled. He it was that God chose to be the instrument of deliverance out of Egypt. Then, as now, the deliverer came because God remembered His promise to Abraham. Then, as now, it was not the people's great worth, but God's great mercy that moved Him to act. Then, as now, deliverance was for a purpose - that God's people might serve Him instead of His enemy, that God's people might do the good deeds He had prepared for them, and walk in righteousness before Him. When Moses departed this life, he left with another promise from God, that another prophet like unto himself would arise. To this, also, the prophetic declaration is "He has done it!"
David, the great king of Israel, Moses the great prophet, and Abraham the father and first high priest of God's people - all three lived to point to this One who has come. All three stood as beacons, pointing out the coming King, in whom prophet, priest and king would combine in perfect union.
Oh mighty triune God of all creation! How You have revealed Yourself to us! How You have displayed Your great mercy! How exceedingly wonderful is the news You gave Zacharias to proclaim. No longer must we await the One who is coming. No longer must we pine away for the day of redemption. No longer need we fear serving You, for You have done it! You have redeemed us according to Your promise. You have remembered Your covenant, and You have done it. Who is like You, oh God? Who can compare? What room is left for doubt, Holy Father, when the evidence is in? Long centuries have passed, yet Your Word has neither altered or failed. As You have declared, as You have purposed, so it has been, and so it shall be. Let the scoffers know, oh God, that their days of scoffing will end. Let the doubters no longer doubt. Let those walking in death know that there is a God in heaven, and in Him is life. Let Your mercy ever flow down upon the earth, oh God, until every knee has bowed to Your throne and Your righteous rule.
Filled to Speak (5/23/04-5/24/04)
There is an incredible wealth of exploration to be had in the prophecy Zacharias delivers. It's not hard to understand why it would become the topic of so much talk among the Jews. Before looking at the message of that prophecy, however, I want to consider the message of the prophet. Notice what is said of Zacharias: he was filled with the Holy Spirit. That little word filled - what a wonderfully rich word that is. With the modern charismatic understanding, we look at that little word, and we say, "oh yes, I know what that's all about. He's poured in to overflowing." We think of a pitcher being poured out into a glass, and the image is of something coming in so fast that it sort of sloshes over the edges and makes a mess all over the place. But there's something more to that word. To be filled requires that one soak!
It's not that sudden, overflowing outpour that we think it to be. It may seem that way at times, but that's not the way of it. The infilling requires soaking, soaking in the presence of God, communing with the Holy Spirit at length so that He has made His home in us. The effect, when seen from the outside, will perhaps appear as though He had suddenly dropped in to take over and speak, but that's not the way of it. Zacharias had had several months in which to soak. His opportunities for distraction were pretty severely curtailed along with his faculties of speech. Who could he communicate with freely except God during those silent months? He had been soaking and now, suddenly after nine months of building, the Holy Spirit spoke out.
It was not that different on the day of Pentecost. It was suddenly, after long times of prayer, after a long stretch soaking in the presence of God. Then, boom! The Presence, which had long since been there with them in the upper room, became manifest - visible, audible, undeniable.
This same preparation is required for us today, if we would be used of the Spirit. We, too, must learn to soak in His fellowship. We, too, must learn to set aside our over-active lifestyles, learn to toss away our spiritual wish lists, cut up our holy ATM cards, and simply soak in the presence of Almighty God. It's time for us to stop cajoling, begging, demanding that God do our will, and hear what He is saying about His will.
Here's another aspect of that wonderful little word, and another key to Christian living. What fills us, what fills our attention and our thoughts, is what has taken whole possession of the mind. It's no longer one of any number of thoughts jumbling about in our heads. Christianity is no longer one of a number of options we might pursue. God's plan is not just one of many we consider in choosing our course. It's the only thought, the only option, the only plan! If this isn't the case for me, then I am not filled.
Does this mean I'm empty? I think not! God is faithful, though every man be found unfaithful. He has promised that He will never leave or forsake me. That promise is His! There's a great long way between full and empty. This is why there's a gas gage in the car. This is what makes it so tricky for us when the gage is broken - we're never quite sure where we are on that path from full to empty except for to points in time: when we've just filled up, or when we've waited too long.
Oh! Learn from that! You and I, we may not have a visible gage to look at in this spirit-led life. We are only given to know those same two conditions: freshly filled, and totally empty. Isn't this the message of the virgins? Five were prepared, plenty of oil, full tank. They made sure to top off before going on that wedding night journey. Five thought they had enough left in the tank for this trip, but they ran out on the way.
Where are you today? How's your spiritual gas tank? There's only one safe answer to that, and that requires the fresh filling that can only come from soaking. Now, I said there's no gage on the spiritual tank, but that's not really the case. We have one, we just tend not to look at it. The gage is in the second definition I offered up: what takes whole possession of the mind. No, we're not talking spirit-possessed, in need of an exorcist, possession. It's like this: in the days of our first love, nothing else mattered but Jesus. Nothing penetrated our thoughts but Jesus. Oh, we ate, we worked, we went on with our daily duties, but nothing was on our mind but the wonderful Christ who had come to us. Nothing else was worthy of our thoughts in light of Him.
The truth of that hasn't changed, but we all know periods when this isn't true of us anymore. We all find those times when we try to read the Word, but our mind is elsewhere. We all experience those times when we want to pray, but we can't stop thinking about the troubles of the day. We all know times when we'd really like to focus on the sermon, but the son is shining, there's a good game on this afternoon, the family will be getting together, and so on. The tank's no longer full. What'll we do when we sense this? Do I immediately rush to the filling station? Sadly, I'd have to answer no to that. I bet you would to. No, my immediate reaction to spiritual distraction is not to seek out a time of communion with my Father. Instead, I am more likely to allow the distraction to become the focus. "I'll get back to You in a bit, Dad." He hasn't left. He hasn't forsaken me. Would that I could say the same for me.
God is looking for those who will give Him primacy over their distractions, who will stand in that place and say, "No more!", who will scramble to find a fresh time of intimacy with He who is our life, our breath, our being, at the first sign that the tank is starting to drain out. God is looking for a people like this, wholly focused on His presence and His purpose, so that He can utilize that people in His plan.
Here am I, Lord. I cannot claim to be such a one today, but I can claim the desire to be so. Oh, You, who are in me both to will and to work, work on my will that I may be one wholly possessed by Your thoughts, wholly attuned to Your plans, and wholly devoted to Your pursuit.
Zacharias was filled for a purpose. The Apostles, all those in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, were filled for a purpose. It's no game, folks. God does not do anything without a purpose, and He does not fail of His purpose! They were filled, that they might speak, that they might make evident the presence of the God who is. He is "I AM," but many try to convince themselves that He isn't. They can perhaps handle a distant God, an uninvolved, disinterested God, but a God who IS, who remains intimately connected with His creation, this they cannot deal with. It's one thing to have a comfortable god we can manipulate and appease. Many still try and serve such gods today. When we are full, when His purpose is our only focus, such views, such gods, will not be able to stick around where we are. He will be made manifestly, undeniably, fearfully real. When God spoke through Zacharias, there was no debate about who had spoken. God was speaking, and people knew it. It might take them awhile to sort out what He was saying, but they already knew Who.
When the apostles in the upper room broke forth with the Gospel in numerous languages, nobody misconstrued the source of their message. Thousands believed because God was clearly God in their words. They believed because there was no room left to doubt. Those who rejected belief could only do so by willfully rejecting the evidence of their own senses.
Today, when we come to that place of full focus on the kingdom, He will still make Himself manifestly evident. When we are willing to soak in His presence and His purpose, it will be undeniable in us. He will be undeniable in us, and once more, thousands will believe on the truth that He IS, He is present and active, and He is not silent, not even quiet!
This is the prophetic voice that so many people cry out for. It is simply the manifestation of those who have soaked, been filled, become totally possessed of the one thought of God's kingdom purpose. These will speak out, and they will speak God's own words in doing so. Is this revelation? No, not necessarily. Yet, in its own way it is. Revelation is defined as a communicating of divine truth, or something God reveals to man. Most often this is compared with illumination, or spiritual enlightenment. It's a fine line, isn't it? One cannot prophesy without expressing God's own truth. One cannot express God's truth without it being a function of communicating that truth, a function of God revealing Himself to man. How, then, can the prophetic message be anything other than revelatory?
Yet, there is this constraining force upon it: the prophetic voice never countermands God's Word, never stands in opposition to the revealed Word of God. While the prophetic voice is revelatory inasmuch as it reveals God's ways and God's thoughts, it is illuminating inasmuch as it expands upon what God has been saying all along. Prophecy is explanatory in nature. It seeks to explain to man what his true state is, what God's true nature is, and how these things are going to play out if man does not change. At its strongest, prophecy declares what only God can know. Today, we tend to call this the word of knowledge, but it is really no more than prophecy regarding the present.
This is, as I said, but the strongest form of the prophetic voice. That voice is not restricted to the prophets. It is equally to be heard in the teacher, in the preacher, in worship. There is something in the definition of prophesying that expresses the foundational nature of the prophetic voice. It is the way one may be speaking in perfectly natural fashion, expounding upon this or that, when suddenly one breaks forth in praise of God. Examples of this abound in Paul's writings, as well as with the other apostolic writings. In Paul it seems somehow more evident because he is the intellectual in the bunch. He is given to carefully reasoned arguments, and well crafted speech. Therefore, when he suddenly interrupts his train of thought to jump up and rejoice in God's greatness, it stands out more.
That sudden burst of praise can teach us a great deal. It may come as a refuting of our own wrong beliefs. The truth of God must, in the end, chase every falsehood out from before it. It may come as reproof to our lack of faith. When somebody around us gets all excited about God, it is a reminder to us of where we should be. It reminds us to look at that gage, and we see it needs a bit of filling, maybe a lot of filling. The prophetic voice is also a voice of comfort, for it not only reveals to us God's holiness, but also His mercy. It reveals not only the path of God's justice, but also the path of His lovingkindness.
This is clearly present in the writings of the Old Testament prophets. They are vociferous in expressing their woes upon the unrighteousness that surrounds them. They cannot possibly restrain themselves from warning those about to experience God's judgment that their time is short. Yet, they also cannot help but exalt the love and mercy which is also God's. They cannot declare the doom without pointing out Salvation. They cannot speak the verdict of God's just determination without pointing to the One who stands and offers to pay our fine in full.
Be very wary, then, of the one who claims to prophesy, yet whose words are all to one side of God's essence. Is the word all, "peace, peace"? Recall the false prophets who plagued Israel, refusing to see God's righteousness and justice, seeing only His mercy and love. These were false prophets giving the people false hope. By the same token, if the word is all, 'unavoidable disaster,' there is still cause to question who is speaking. Jonah states as his reason for not wanting to prophesy in Ninevah that he knew God would be merciful if they heeded His word. Even when delivering word of impending judgment, even when that judgment was wholly unavoidable, as with the Babylonian exile, still there was hope mingled with the message of judgment. The judgment must come. Nevertheless, it is for a season, and mercy, salvation, redemption shall come as well. God is both just and merciful, both wrathful and loving. When He speaks to His children, He speaks in the wholeness of Himself, and His words will surely reflect both the side of Him we thrill to see, and the side of Him we hope never to see.
Consider, now, Paul's hope for the Corinthians. "Would that you would all prophesy" (1Co 14:5). Was he really hoping that every member of that church would stand up, one after another, and shout out "Thus says the Lord"? I don't think so. Is he hopeful that every one there would stand and declare some future matter? No, I don't think that's it either. He actually helps us out with this, telling us what he expects to be the outcome of such a scene. Looking further down, in 1Corinthians 14:24-26, he spells it out. If all are prophesying, an unbeliever coming in cannot help but be convicted by all he hears, called to account by all he hears (v24). Is he called to give account to the people? To the pastor? No, the secrets of his heart being disclosed, he will fall and worship God, for it is to God he must give account and he knows it (v25). Now then, in verse 26, Paul spells out what it means for all to prophesy. We might think he has changed his focus to other gifts, but no, he is still on the subject of prophecy. This is clear in the opening of that verse: What will be the result of this? He tells us. Each one of us will have a psalm, or a teaching, or a revelation, or message in tongues with interpretation. Each one of us contributes something of God's truth, and all for edification.
Notice, also, that Paul later instructs that no more than two or three prophets ought to speak (v29), yet he has just said he wants all to prophesy. To quote Zhodiates: "One may prophesy without being a prophet." This is precisely because prophecy may take so many forms. Any one of God's children is likely to burst forth in spontaneous praises of Him. This is the prophetic voice, yet it does not mark that child a prophet. This has always been true. In the record Samuel left for us, we read that Saul was numbered among the prophets. He had an experience, a brief taste of that ecstatic praise of God, yet he was not, therefore, a prophet. David experienced similar exposure to the prophetic nature. He experienced numerous occasions where he spoke with the prophetic voice. Yet, he was never declared a prophet. He was a king. He was a man of God.
Oh! Do not despise the prophetic voice! Never! Yet, remain discerning in what you hear! Lay hold of the good, but reject the evil. Be innocent in evil, but mature in pursuing God. Does this mean we can simply reject the bad news, and take the good news? No! It means that we must hear the prophetic voice with a mind fine tuned by God's word, and by constant soaking in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
When David brought the ark to Jerusalem - when he did it right, according to God's plan rather than his own - he could not restrain himself. His entire being, in that moment of God's entering the city of David, making it the city of God, was engulfed in the prophetic voice. He danced with abandon before his God, he rejoiced to know God was with him, he sang praises in high voice, let all the world know that there was a God in Israel, and that he was deeply in love with that God. In a window of the palace, his first wife was watching, and she found him embarrassing. Her concern was for the dignity of her husband, rather than the glory of her God. She despised his unrestrained love for God. She despised the prophetic voice which was his in that moment. She despised God, who was giving voice to Himself through her husband's actions, and because she, in despising the prophetic, was despising God, He also despised her. This is but God's justice displayed. This is but God giving the impenitent over to the desire of their own evil hearts, the worst possible punishment, but perfect in its justness.
Delivered to Serve (5/25/04-5/26/04)
The majority of Zacharias declaration regarding God's present work speaks of His act of deliverance. He is saving, redeeming, delivering His people. But, before he turns to the future which dawns with his son, he makes plain that this work God is doing is not without purpose. The salvation and deliverance He brings to His people does not leave them with no responsibility. Like grace and works, there is a legitimate connection. He saves that we may serve.
Consider the nature of this deliverance He brings to us. That word bears in its meaning the idea that the one delivered must be forcefully dragged out of the danger he is in. Like the sheep we are often depicted as, we wander off into the very jaws of danger without the slightest clue or concern. For the most part, we don't come to Christ because we've been crying out for somebody to come save us. It happens, but I don't really believe that it is the majority case. No, like the sheep, we were perfectly content to walk right on up to that which would kill us, all but putting our necks in the wolf's mouth. But the Shepherd came and dragged us out of danger. He drew us forcefully from our servitude to sin. Why so forcefully? Was it because the enemy had such a strong grip on us? In part, yes. But this is not the whole of it. Even greater forcefulness was needed on His part for the simple reason that we had no inclination to leave that camp.
We were happy in the house of sin, had no interest in anything different. We were having a good time, and damn the consequences. If we noticed the looming specter of death, we only laughed at it, sure that it was come for somebody else. Others among us may have welcomed its approach, seeking nothing more than a quick exit from the challenges of this life, hoping for nothing better than oblivion - a false hope. There is no oblivion, there is only an impending eternity. So long as we remained in that deadly camp of deception, we thought we chose between life and nothingness, but nothing could be further from the truth. That deception is the key message from the father of lies, and it works terribly well.
But truth came in and dragged us forcefully out of that foolish belief. Truth came in and had us to know that there is no oblivion, there is only eternity. Truth came in and informed us that when we thought to choose between present life and oblivion, we made no real choice at all - either choice was a choosing of eternal damnation, either way remained a determined walk in opposition to the One Person who could offer us a better choice. It took a forceful pulling us out of that blinded mindset to get us free of it.
Notice, now, that when we are delivered, we are delivered so that we can serve God. It is not so that we can say a quick thank you and be on our way, doing as we please once more. No! We are delivered to serve. There is something a bit shocking in the concept of servant that is given to us in this prophecy. David is declared a servant of God, a prototype of what we are delivered to become. In that word servant, is buried the sense of hitting or stinging. Thus, the words primary meaning is a boy, because a boy can be beaten with impunity. Why is a boy beaten? For correction, as punishment for misbehavior.
We are delivered from doing our own thing for this? You bet! The 'come to Christ and be happy, happy, happy' message is a load of nonsense. While our joy comes from being redeemed by His blood, it is not an idyllic walk we take on this road to home. It is fraught with persecutions, trials, and the punishments of discipline. All of these are promised to the Christian disciple by the Teacher. Being God's boy, He has every right to slap me for my impropriety, to hit me for disobedience, to discipline His child. It's not a pleasant prospect, but as Scripture tells us, every child of a loving father experiences his discipline from time to time. It would be a most unloving father who left his child to wander away to his doom without making any effort to save him. God is a loving Father. He knows His children, knows their propensity for blindness, for foolish pursuits of dangerous games. He knows us, and He loves us too much to allow us our rein.
Now, before we get all upset about being God's boy, being the one he can slap at will, consider what it is we are being prepared for, for this also is in the meaning of the word. We are being prepared to be a king's minister! No, not a king's minister, but the KING's minister. He has declared us a royal priesthood, and much of our time in this present life is a preparation for that eternal office we are to hold. We are being trained, corrected when necessary, conditioned for the requirements of attending upon the King.
A good servant is attentive to his master. In his own way, he is intimate with his master, knowing his master's habits, able to read his master's body language - so in tune with his master's thoughts that he can act to provide his master's desires before there is a need to voice that desire in command. This is what we are being prepared for. This is what we are intended to exercise ourselves in. We are purposed to come into a place of intimacy with our King; knowing Him, knowing His ways, His desires, knowing every nuance of His face, His voice, His essence. We are purposed to come into such communion with Him that we act on His wishes before He even finds it necessary to declare them to us. This is beyond even knowing His voice. A sheep knows the Shepherd's voice. A servant knows the Shepherd's ways and desires. A son knows the Shepherd's plans. We are all these things: sons, coheirs with Christ, servants of the Most High God, sheep in His pastures. We are blessed to know His plans, we are allowed to be privy to His counsels. This is our blessed status as the children of God. Yet, we are doubly blessed because even as His own children we hold office in His courts, we are His ministers. As such, we are allowed not only to know His plans, but to actively participate in them. We are triply blessed because even as we serve in His courts, we remain the sheep of His pasture, under His protecting eye, guarded by the True Shepherd against all enemies!
The Redeemer is depicted in these verses as the horn of Salvation. What a wonderful image this is! The horn has ever been symbolic of power, even as the horns of the bull, and of so many other animals is the tool of its power. Our Redeemer comes with power - power to force the issue of safety. He delivers His sheep by whatever force is necessary, for He alone is able. Do all the hordes of the enemy stand in His way? It matters not! He will deliver. Does even that one He has come to redeem mistakenly strive against Him? It matters not! He will deliver. He can and will force the issue, and He will have His sheep safely in the fold. He will have His full complement of royal priests, of king's ministers, to serve Him, and they shall serve Him in fullness of joy, rejoicing to do His will, rejoicing to see His purposes fulfilled in, through, and around them.
The Redeemer has, in many ways, delivered us from ourselves. We have been our own worst enemy. Yes, Satan and his lies have done their damage in us. We could be mightily tempted to blame it all on him. But, that would simply be further evidence of his continuing work, and of our continuing service to him. Satan may have started the slide, but it is our own determination that has kept us on that downhill course against all attempts to stop us. He may have brought death and danger into Creation, but it has been our choice to actively pursue it. It is from our own predilections that we have most needed deliverance, and it is from these that He has so forcefully pulled us out. The God of compassion had compassion upon us, and compassion took action in forcefully taking us out of that danger.
Darby's translation really brings the sense of this out, in my opinion. "Lk 1:74-75 - to give us, that, saved out of the hand of our enemies, we should serve him without fear in piety and righteousness before him all our days" (Darby). First, let it be noted that deliverance, is a gift. Salvation is by grace. We did not recognize our danger and cry out for God to come save us. No. But, He did so anyway, as a gift to those He has chosen as his own. He chose to save us from our enemies, out of their very hands He pulled us free. It was not the enemy's choice that we should be freed, far from it. But, HE is able to deliver all who have been entrusted to Him by His Father, nor shall any of His own be snatched from His hand. There shall be no delivering of the children of God unto the evil one. Finally, see the connection: He gave so that we should serve Him. Our necessary discipline, as it played out in this time in the enemy's camp, has been completed. Other disciplinary actions may come, but this particular one is done. It has done its proper training in us, and we are now put into service: ministers to King Jesus, servants in the house of our God, even as we are sons of this very same God. Sons, servants, ministers - all of these titles belong to us for one and only one reason: God in His active compassion chose to give us liberty from our bondage to sin, chose to save us from our enemies and from ourselves.
Covenant Grant (5/26/04-5/27/04)
Notice also the nature that is ours as we serve Him. We serve without fear. It is not a matter of appeasing an angry deity. It's an act of love. We serve in holiness. No longer are we of mixed devotions, half wanting Him and half wanting the world.
I need to stop here, before I go on to that final characteristic which is declared of us, because this matter of holiness relates to a thought, a conviction if you will, that was upon me at church last Sunday. We have been spending our Wednesday services in what Pastor has dubbed 'soaking prayer,' times of seeking the Lord's presence and His voice, not to bring our petitions before Him, but to give Him space in which to declare His petitions to us, as it were. Now, I noted back near the beginning of this particular study section, that the filling that we speak of in connection with the Holy Spirit is a matter of soaking. I mentioned how Zacharias had been soaking for nine months before the 'sudden' prophetic moment.
This thought carried over into church Sunday. Word was coming forth of the need to be wholly attuned to His work, His voice, wholly responsive to His commands, unhesitating in our response. For some reason, this put me in mind of a relatively recent song in Christian circles, which has a chorus to the effect of "we're standing here between porch and altar. Pour out Your Spirit on Your sons and Your daughters." This sounds good. However, the thought that came to me was that if we are still between the porch and the altar, the outpouring of His Spirit will not do more than pour over us. It will not be we who are soaked by that outpouring, but only the ground beneath us, and without the soaking effect which out to be ours, we will surely perish.
Now, before I get too caught up with that, I should certainly come to terms with what the image of porch and altar truly represent in God's Word. I find that between these two elements, which Solomon had built (2Ch 8:12) was the entrance to the Temple of the LORD, the Holy Place. This was within the inner court of the Temple (Eze 8:16). In that place, Ezekiel was shown a number of men of Israel, from the ranks of God's chosen people, who had turned their back on God, and instead prostrated themselves to the sun. In Joel 2:17, the space between porch and altar is a place of weeping. Interestingly, in that passage, Joel is calling upon the Lord's ministers to come cry out to Him. It is a place of desperation.
I will add this to what we see from the Old Testament. It is a place of indecision. Look at the picture we have been shown! Sometimes, man comes to cry out to God. Sometimes, man comes to cry out to the world. The porch: it was the entrance into the inner court, but it was also the entrance back into the world. The altar: it was the entrance into the throne room of heaven. To be stuck in that place between porch and altar - it's a place of divided allegiance, a place for those not yet determined in their minds whom they should serve. We stand at the very entrance to God's Holy Place, but so long as we stand there, we make plain that we have not yet decided whether to enter in.
Again I say, if we are in this place still, torn between God and world, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will do no more than dampen us. It cannot soak in. For many, this is the sum total of the charismatic outpouring. They come, they get a little wet, they have some fun 'in the Spirit,' but nothing more will ever come of it. Five seconds after the fun stops, they're on the porch and heading back to the world. They'll come back - repeatedly, so long as the fun doesn't stop - but they may never get beyond that place between porch and altar. Stuck in that place, they will perish because their spirit cannot get the nourishing soaking it needs to survive.
Those who have come to the place of serving in holiness, in wholehearted devotion to God and God alone, will not long remain between porch and altar. They will proceed straight to the altar, declare their glad choice of God, and upon the cupped surface of the altar they will lay themselves. Then, when the outpouring of the Spirit comes, they will be positioned to soak in Him as His presence fills the altar, consumes their willing offering of all they are. Then will His outpouring be more than a fascinating sideshow for His people, then it will be more than a tickling of our senses. Then it will be the life changing preparation for service that it was intended to be. Then we will be fit vessels for His service, full prepared, fully informed, and speaking boldly the words He Himself puts upon our lips. Until we let go of the porch and lay ourselves upon the altar, we will never 'move in the prophetic,' no matter how much we declare that phrase.
Returning to the prophecy, there is a most wonderful thread of meaning that weaves through the message delivered. God has remembered His holy covenant (v72), not that He had ever forgotten it, but He is now visibly pursuing the covenant promises. What is a covenant? In present-day terms, we might view it as a will. It is the assigning of one's possessions to another. Even in the lesser covenants between men, there is this sense of assignment. Many neighborhoods now have covenants, binding the property owners in the community to maintain certain standards. This is the same idea. You own by right the disposition of your property, how you choose to maintain it, but with these covenants you give your neighbors that right.
God's holy covenant gave to Abraham, to his descendants, and to us, the right of His own possessions. Here, perhaps the marriage covenant is most appropriate to see. "What's mine is yours." Unlike a will, God does not cease to possess what is His when He declares it ours. Unlike the homeowner in a covenant community, He does not relinquish His control of matters by declaring them ours. He assigns these things to us, declares us heirs and says that as He blesses, so shall we bless. That power to bless that is His alone, becomes ours as well.
Now, the prophecy continues, saying that He has granted us deliverance (v74). When one grants something to another, he gives it to that other so as to be the other's own possession. Add this to the covenant of God. He has declared what is His to be ours, and now He has given it to us, making it ours. It is our possession. Deliverance belongs to us. Blessing belongs to us. But, there is one thing more to be seen in this thread, and that is to be found in the righteousness He has delivered us into.
We were delivered to serve, and our service as God's ministers requires that we be fearless, holy, and righteous (v75). We have looked at the holiness, the setting ourselves apart for Him alone. Righteousness stands side by side with this state of being, telling us that we must be in complete conformance to all His commands. We must be a people of perfect integrity, virtue, and purity. We must be correct - as God defines correctness - in our thoughts, our feelings, and our actions. Always, we must be so, without fail, without the slightest lapse. This is the condition, the only condition, acceptable to God, the only condition which can stand God's test. If it doesn't seem impossible to you yet, it is only because you still do not see yourself as you truly are! But, there is this incredible thing about righteousness. It is something that becomes the sinner's own possession by God's gracious gift!
Do you see this? He made a covenant with Abraham, a covenant which extends down through the ages to you and I. That covenant promised us that we would be numerous, and that we would be a blessing. For us to be a blessing, as God is a blessing to us, we must be holy as God is holy, we must be righteous as He is righteous. He has promised us these character traits which are His to be our own. He has granted us deliverance from those things that prevented us from possessing His character traits. In granting deliverance, He has given us the fearlessness, the holiness, and the righteousness that are needful if we are to serve Him. Our righteousness, then, no longer depends upon our somehow finding a way to perfectly guard our thoughts, no longer requires that we unfailingly feel as we ought to about every little thing that happens. Oh, where His righteousness is, the fruits of righteousness will surely be evident, but it's not about us! He has given us His own righteousness to be ours! He has given us the gift of being fit to serve in His presence!
Salvation and righteousness are of a kind to us. We could not save ourselves, could not redeem ourselves from the unbearable burden of our sins. We could not, however hard we might have tried, live a life of perfect holiness and righteousness. We could fool ourselves into thinking we had, perhaps, but we could not do it in fact. It required Another to do it for us. It required His covenant promise to make ours what is His alone. It required His giving us of His own essence, that we might be like Him. It requires Him daily, cleansing us from our daily mishaps, moment by moment washing away our sins by the power of His blood and His Word. It requires us taking the gift He gives - His own righteousness that we might truly be righteous.
Oh, Father! When I consider the greatness of this, how is it possible that I shall not shout Your praises! You taught us that our righteousness must exceed even that of the Pharisees, who tried so hard to live by Your commandments, yet inevitably failed of the goal. Had You stopped with telling me that, I should despair of ever pleasing You. But, You didn't stop. You granted Your own righteousness to be my own. You freed me, pulled me out of the deadly danger I had so cheerfully put myself in. Oh, You know and I know that it was not my will being done. You and I both know that I was not crying out for somebody to come rescue me. Yet, You came. You did rescue me, and I am forever grateful to You for doing so. You delivered me, and - though I will not fool myself and say I've arrived at the place You have intended for me - I am no longer what I was. I have been made anew by Your power alone. I have been made righteous by Your power alone. I am Your child for the simple fact that You have said it is so.
Wonderful Father! Mighty Savior! Most Holy Counselor! I give You my praises! I give You my life, as You have given it to me! Whatever needs adjusting, removal, addition in me still, I am Your clay. Mold me as You will! Oh, Master Artisan that You are, create me after Your image, after Your desire. Mold me and make me after Your will. I am Yours.
The Covenant (5/28/04)
It would be tempting to include any number of promises together in the assurance given us here. It would be tempting, and it might even be true in its way, but it would not be declared in the prophecy before us. He has remembered His holy covenant, which is that oath He swore to Abraham (vv72-23). It is this particular agreement that is in view here, as it was in view throughout Israel's history, and remains in view throughout our own. What is it that was sworn to in that agreement? What He swore was this: He would bless Abraham beyond measure (Ge 22:16). The remainder of the testament (Ge 22:17-18) regards Abraham's seed. Now, I have read many times that at least the most important of these references to the seed is singular. I don't know Hebrew well enough to say whether the other two references are also singular, although they look the same in the interlinear. So, let us suppose that all references are the same.
God's promises, then, are largely to this one seed. He will be multiplied beyond counting. He will possess the gates of the enemy. In him will all the nations be blessed. Behold the promise of Messiah! God has declared a will involving His own Son! His Son will be multiplied beyond counting. How is this? The man died without experience of wedlock! Oh, but God has chosen from among us countless numbers to be adopted as His own, to be transformed by His power into the likeness of His Son, who is Himself the perfect representation of His Father. Indeed, He is being multiplied as promised!
Messiah will possess the gates of the enemy. He has already done it! It is finished His are the keys to death and to hell, and He has led forth the captives of that stronghold into liberty! The prison camp of hell is now a volunteer only population, and even from among them there are those that Messiah determines to pull forcefully from the camp, to rescue whether they are presently willing or not. Whom He chooses, He will save, and nobody but nobody will force them from His hands!
In Messiah, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Well, that is certainly valid. People from every nation and every tongue have come to serve this King, to be His ministers. He has shown no partiality in this. Oh, His is a most select group, for He has personally chosen every member of His family. His is a most discriminatory group, for not a one joins that family except by His choice. Yet, every nation has known the blessing of His choosing some from among them. Every nation has experienced the blessing that His chosen experience. He does as His Father has always done, for He has always been with the Father. The Father sends His sunshine and His rain upon the unchosen as well as the chosen. The blessings Messiah showers upon His chosen overflow to those around them.
Because they are being made like Him, co-heirs to the very promise we are considering, they, too, serve to bless the nations amidst which they dwell. As the Son does what He sees His Father doing, so His disciples follow His example. God, the very definition of good, gives good things even to the bad, gives life even to the most ungrateful members of this race He created. Christ gave His life for us even though we were cheerfully opposing the Father's purpose. He died for us while we were still sinners, still fighting against His Father, still spiting the Son. We who pursue the Son cannot do less. We cannot leave those in darkness around us to themselves. Love - our love for God and for Christ - demands that we do more. Love demands that we, like Him who saved us, remove the enslaved from the enemy's dung heaps - by force, if necessary. Light must shine into the darkness, and the darkness cannot suppress it!
Now, God sealed this matter of His Son with Abraham, and as the author of Hebrews points out, He had nobody greater to turn to as the witness to this will and testament He had made (Heb 6:13). Therefore, having declared His holy and inviolable oath, He swore by Himself as witness, making doubly sure the inheritance of His Son. He alone could swear to something with that degree of certainty, for he alone would outlive His will to see to it that it was honored.
The Result (5/28/04-5/29/04)
It is this fact regarding God's overseeing of His own oath that led to Israel's assurance that they would be delivered from their enemies. Until the promised seed was come, Israel must be preserved as the line of descent through which the seed was promised. Because of His promise to Abraham, as well as promises made to others in the ensuing years, God had moved in times past to preserve Israel. The whole of the Exodus is a lengthy evidence of His preserving interest in His people. David also experienced this preservation by God on any number of occasions, and he knew from whence his salvation was come. He was also quite vocal in reminding the nation of Israel just how it was that they were a nation. God saved them from their enemies. God paid the price of their redemption (Ps 106:10). God saw what His people were suffering and, because He remembered that covenant He made with Abraham, He relented in punishing their sins, and showed them mercy (Ps 106:45).
This connection which David made led to the mindset that God would forever deliver His chosen people. For some, this had become a false security. In the times of the prophets, there were those who were certain that the Temple's presence in Jerusalem would force God to preserve them no matter how unfaithful they showed themselves to be. Even when reminded of the previous holy sites of Israel, of Shiloh for instance, they insisted on this false comfort.
The covenant had and has conditions. The requirements on our part are to walk in holiness, righteousness, and humility before our God. We are to be set apart for His use and His use alone. That's what holiness means, set apart for His exclusive use. We are to be perfect in obedience to every one of His commands. The Pharisees thought they had achieved a system that would empower them to do this, but in developing their system they had lowered the bar for themselves. They were obeying a law, but it wasn't God's Law, it was their watered down interpretation of His Law. Further, that full and complete obedience that God requires of His children is more than just being instant in compliance. It's a heart attitude, it's an obedience that is founded on love for Him rather than on fear of reprisal. We are to be humble, not given to pride over who we are in God's sight. This was part of what spoiled the attempts of the Pharisees. As short as they fell of the goal, they were ever so proud of their attempted righteousness, ever so proud of their reputation among men.
That tendency is hardly gone in the Christian church. Spiritual pride is a perpetual problem. Even with the recognition that salvation is by grace alone, that faith and believing God's message of reconciliation is by grace alone, that life and breath are by grace alone: even knowing this, we are still forever trying to prove we can be righteous on our own power. We knock ourselves out trying to look good, even when we are perfectly clear that we are sinners yet, every one.
God came to Abraham with a promise, entered into a mutually binding covenant contract with Abraham. Abraham knew what he was getting into, knew the impossibility of upholding his side of the deal, but God entered into covenant with him anyway, indeed, put Abraham to sleep while the covenant was endorsed so as to keep Abraham from screwing it up. Abraham knew he would never be able to fulfill the requirements, and he knew the cost. It was laid out for him to see in the sundered bodies of the sacrifice. "So may it be done to me, should I fail of this agreement." But, wonder of wonders! God had said the very same thing to Abraham. Here were the promises of blessing beyond all imagining, and the God who made that promise displayed the torn carcasses of the sacrifice and said to Abraham, "So be it done to ME, should I fail to deliver on MY promise!" It is the answer to this promise that has Zacharias shouting in this passage. The Seed is come, the promise is fulfilled. He has remembered His oath.
Today, we have the same call upon us as the covenant family of Christ. We are still called to live in holiness, righteousness, and humility. We know that. We know also that, like Israel before us, we never manage it for very long at a time. Perfect obedience? It's not to be found. Set aside for God alone? How, then, shall we live? Humility? In this nation of pride? Not likely! Yet, it remains our call. The One through whom the nations are blessed has declared that we are to be thus. The One who redeemed us did so with this end in mind, that we should serve Him in the fashion intended.
He died that we might be holy, righteous, humble before God. He died for this, and in dying He declared, "It is finished!" It has been accomplished. As so often in the prophetic view, the perfection seen in vision is seen as so certain that, though future, it is declared in the present. We know that we are far from the standard of holiness, far from righteous in our daily lives. We also know that He who declared us holy and righteous did so seeing the end from the beginning. He speaks over us not of our present condition, but of our inevitable final completeness. It is inevitable precisely because it does not lie in our hands to bring it about. It is in the hands of Him who pulled us from danger, redeemed us from the enemy's camp, and bought us to serve as His ministers.
We have all the same shortcomings that the Pharisees had. Every one of us has sufficient cause to declare right alongside Paul that we are the worst of sinners. We only increase our shame by denying that most basic fact about ourselves. Not that we wear our sin like some badge of honor. No, we confess our sinful ways to our shame. We admit our seemingly perpetual infidelity in tears. But, with Job we cry out "I know that my Redeemer lives!" With Paul, we can shout, "Thanks be to God! Through Jesus Christ I am saved from this body of death!" We go on in the certainty that He who began this work in us is He whose name is Faithful and True, and He will certainly complete this work begun in us. We shall not, dare not take this as license to go on as though nothing were wrong. Our love for our Savior will not allow that. The price He paid for us is too great for conscience to accept our causing Him further pain. But we labor not in hopes of being saved, we labor in the joyful recognition that we have already been saved, and in the hope of showing our gratitude in some small way.
The Impact (5/30/04)
The import of this covenant to the Jews was that their preservation was assured, at least in some small number, because God would honor His covenant and bring forth the Seed. Few, however, recognized the Seed when He had come, so many went on with a false assurance that their preservation was still certain. Some forty years after they had destroyed the Seed of promise, their false assurance was dispelled as Rome utterly destroyed the Temple, which to this day has not been rebuilt.
However, for those who heard Zacharias' message with understanding, who heard his son's message with understanding, who acknowledged the Son as He was present amongst them, the import of the covenant was even greater. The greatness of the covenant God set with Abraham continues to be upheld even to this day, even into our own time. Amongst those who followed after Jesus, understanding slowly came that the promise God had made was truly to bring blessing upon all the nations. Eventually, it was made clear to them that this blessing God had for the nations was not just the presence of the Jews in their nation of Israel. It was the presence of God amongst the nations. It was the giving to all nations the promise of salvation.
This inclusion of the Gentiles was hardly some new twist forced on the young church by Paul. Not at all! Isaiah spoke of it, again drawing a gentle connection to the covenant God made with Abraham. You are our Father, God, even though Abraham doesn't know us. We are his descendants yet, even though Israel refuses to recognize us. You are still our Father, the Redeemer promised from of old (Isa 63.16). Do you hear it? Do you see it? The promise was to Abraham, but his absence from the scene has not put an end to the promise. Israel - and let us recall that for Isaiah, Israel was representative of the ten tribes of rebellion to the north, the ten tribes that led the way in rejecting God's plan; Israel didn't recognize the true children of Abraham. The nation of Israel, and their attachment to God's purpose, was a never ending roller coaster ride. After the exile, there was a time of renewed devotion, but over the course of centuries it had cooled again. In Jesus' day, there was a willingness, certainly, to pursue the Messianic idea, if it presented itself properly. There was a willingness to follow a Messiah who would be as rebellious as His people. But, when He came to fulfill a different role and purpose, the rebel nation would not have Him.
Too busy with rebellion and worldliness, Israel did not choose to recognize Him, and therefore, it could not choose to recognize us. Yet, He remains our Father. He remains our Redeemer, because He remains faithful to His covenant. Though we all prove faithless, the Great I AM remains steadfast. I will be what I will be, I will do as I will do. My Word does not fail of its message and its purpose. That is the God in whom our confidence rests. He promised to Redeem us, and He has done it!
Israel put much stock in lineage, was forever caught up in knowing the tribal descent. Birthright was everything. I doubt there was a man amongst them in Jesus' time who could not trace his family history all the way back to Abraham. Here, they thought themselves secure before a holy God. Here, they thought they had Him bound by His own words, because they were Abraham's children. Jesus set them straight on that matter, or tried to at least. It's not a matter of flesh and blood, He taught them. If it proved necessary, God could simply renew the rocks under your feet and raise them up as children to Abraham (Mt 3:9)! Abraham understood that at the outset. He could place his son on the altar at God's command because, though his faith knew weak moments like any among us, he knew at his core that God could and would be true to His promise. He knew that if God had said, 'you will have a son,' then God could and would certainly see to it that this son came to be. The child of natural means had failed to fulfill God's plan. If the child of laughter also proved not to be the promised child, then that child would come from some other place, from the very rocks, if need be. God knew what He was doing, and Abraham knew that God knew. That was enough for Him.
The promise was given to the sons of Abraham, to his descendants. Jesus reinforced this truth. There were those in Israel that the people thought beyond the power of God's promise. Chief among these were those who had sold out to the Romans and served as their tax collectors. They were worse than temple prostitutes in the eyes of the people. And, chief amongst tax collectors was one Zaccheus. Yet, he sought to encounter the Seed of Promise. He heard there was a Redeemer in Israel, and he knew just how costly redemption could be. He went out of his way to see this Savior, and the Savior, seeing him, went out of His way to be seen. The people saw only that this supposed holy man was joining a sinner of some renown for dinner. The Son of God saw that Zaccheus was also a son of Abraham, moreso than many of those who complained of him. Because he was a son, salvation came not only to him, but to his house (Lk 19:9).
It behooves us, then, to understand what it means to be a son of Abraham, and Scripture is not silent on the question. The promise was to Abraham's sons, this much Israel understood. What they didn't understand was what it meant to be Abraham's son. No matter of flesh, this, but a matter of character. The sons of Abraham are made evident in that they do as Abraham did (Jn 8:39). The sons of Abraham know that God is their Father. When they are confronted with the Holy, with the True, they give it full attention. When they hear the voice of God, they recognize it, and do not seek to silence Him. When the angels visited Abraham, he did not seek to kill them, he brought them a meal to bless them. Contrast this with the treatment they received in Sodom: the holy has come amongst us, let us defile it and make it like ourselves!
No, but the sons of Abraham will be evident in doing as he did, blessing God, and blessing His messengers. Abraham was not about to be found stoning a prophet. No! He would hear that prophet, and give him sustenance. Confronted by the priest Melchizedek, he did not put himself forward as God's chosen man, and therefore of greater import. He did not point out his victory over the united kings, and stress his own importance. No! He recognized the voice of God in this man, and gave him a tenth of all he had simply because this man was a priest of the God Abraham served.
Abraham's faith was evident. It was not some secret, private matter to be known only to himself and perhaps his wife. No, his faith was evident in what he did, in his works, as James insists (Jas 2:21-23). Because of his faith in God, he was God's child. As God's child, he did - to the best of his ability - as he knew his Father did. He did the deeds of his Father. He knew his Father was a compassionate God, a God of mercy, so Abraham tried to be a man of mercy, a man of active compassion. That is, after all, what the works of faith are. It's not, as some still suppose, a magic act, a power to be manipulated for fun and profit. The works of faith are, fundamentally, active compassion, mercy towards those who need mercy, active love, shown in doing what is most needed by the object of that love - even if they are not going to necessarily appreciate it.
Many have tried to appear righteous and holy by doing things that looked good. That disease is hardly unique to the Pharisees. Many of God's true children, declared righteous and holy by Him do not appear to be so even in their own view. Yet there is that visible piety that remains honest, that is real. The real thing may crop up in the most unusual settings. Even amongst the most corrupt of churches, there is almost undoubtedly a remnant, a representative who stands as manifest truth, a visible reminder that righteousness remains God's to define, and God's to create in us. Too many are still trying to look righteous, and ignoring the dead spirit within them, ignoring the shriveled, stony heart. Too many have become convinced that the works of faith must display some otherworldly power, must have the appearance of incantations. Too many have made the issue of faith into an entertainment industry. But, the true sons of Abraham are made evident in doing the things Abraham did, in sharing his character. The true sons will be made evident in active compassion, good works done on the basis of a heart that loves God, and wants to be like Him in character. The charade will only seek to be like Him in power.
When the hypocrite thinks on that promise of being as God, they hear it as Satan heard it. They want the power, they want the throne, they want the praises and admiration of their fellows. But, they want nothing to do with His character. They're not interested in goodness, in mercy - only in power and reputation, pride feeders. The true sons of God could care less about the power, want nothing from their fellows. Their desire is for God's purposes to be fulfilled, for His reputation to be made known far and wide. Their desire - insomuch as they desire to be as God - is to be like Him in character, to bless like He blesses, to love like He loves, to care like He cares. If displays of His power will serve these ends, then let it be so, but never power for power's sake.
Messiah! (5/30/04)
Abraham has certainly fathered multitudes. Whether you choose to measure by the flesh or by the spirit, this is clearly the case. Yet, it was only one seed that would be the blessing of all nations, and that Seed had come. That was the ultimate point of Zacharias' announcement. Messiah had been seen in each of the historical references Zacharias made. He was the Seed of Promise that Abraham had been told of. He was the eternal King promised to David. He was the Prophet that was promised through Moses. He was all these things: Prophet, Priest, and King, and He had come! He has come, and He is with us yet! In Him, all God's promises are fulfilled!
I think, in closing this study, I will simply leave us with this grand view of the King of kings. Behold the God of our salvation! Behold the magnificent Purpose! Behold the steadfast promise of the Lord, and rejoice!
1Sa 2:1 - My heart rejoices in the LORD. He exalts my horn, so I speak boldly against my enemies, I speak because I rejoice in Your salvation. 1Sa 2:10 - They who oppose God will be destroyed. He will judge all the earth. He will strengthen His king, and He will exalt the horn of His anointed. Ps 18:2 - He is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock. In Him I find refuge. He is my shield, my stronghold, the horn of my salvation. Ps 89:17 - You are the glory of our strength, and it is by Your favor that our horn is exalted. Ps 132:17 - I will cause the horn of David to arise. I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one. Eze 29:21 - On that day I will cause a horn to grow in the house of Israel. I will cause you to declare My ways in their midst, and they will know that I am the LORD.
Isa 9:7 - His kingdom and His peace will grow forever, on David's throne and over his kingdom. It shall be established and upheld with justice and righteousness for eternity. God's own zeal will make it so. Isa 16:5 - In David's tent shall be a throne founded in lovingkindness, upon which a judge will sit who will seek justice and righteousness. Isa 22:22-24 - He will hold the key of David's house, and what he opens none shall shut, and what he shuts none shall open. He will be established like a peg driven firmly in place. He will be a glorious throne in his father's house, and upon him will be all his father's glory. Jer 23:5 - The day comes when I will raise a Branch from David to reign wisely and justly and righteously in the land. Jer 30:9 - They will serve the LORD, and their king David, whom I will raise up for them. Jer 33:15 - I will cause the righteous Branch to spring from David, to perform justice and righteousness on the earth. Eze 34:23-25 - I will set one shepherd over them, My servant David, who will feed them as their shepherd, and I will be their God, with David as their prince. They will possess the land of their fathers forever, and David My servant will be their prince forever. Hos 3:5 - Israel will return to the goodness of the LORD in trembling, and seek God as well as David their king. Amos 9:11 - I will rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David, raise up its ruins, and make it again as it was of old. Zech 12:10 - I will pour a Spirit of grace upon David's house, upon Jerusalem, so that they will see Me whom they have pierced, and will mourn bitterly for Him, as for an only son. Zech 13:1 - In that day, a fountain will be opened for David's house, and for Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity. Jesus was descended from David's line (Mt 1:1-17). Those who recognized Him as "Son of David" were recognizing the Messiah (Mt 21:9). Messiah is He who has the key of David, of which Isaiah wrote (Rev 3:7). The Root of David, the Righteous Branch, overcomes so He may open the book of the seven seals (Rev 5:5). "I, Jesus, sent My angels to speak to you regarding this message for the churches. I AM the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning start" (Rev 22:16).
"All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord" (Ps 22:27). "All who prosper on the earth will eat and worship. All who pass away will bow before Him" (Ps 22:29). "To a people who will be born, it will be told that He has performed righteousness - His righteousness" (Ps 22:31).
Did anybody hear with that understanding?
