Psalm 140, 142; 1 Samuel 13:19-14:15; Acts 9:1-9; Luke 23:26-31
Jonathan makes a daring move against the Philistines. No one had swords or spears because the Philistines wouldn’t allow them among the Israelites so they were unable to make an attack against them or adequately defend themselves against attack. Normally this is great strategy to subdue a people. Jonathan and his father, Saul, however, retained weapons. The Israelites, including the king, are hiding in caves and Jonathan decides that this is not the way the Lord’s people should be living. The question comes down to whether their trust is in the Lord, themselves, superior force or something else. Jonathan’s statement that “nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few” shows that he has determined to live by faith and take the risk of going up against the Philistines. His move is successful and the Lord delivered many into his hands this day.
Jesus is more concerned for the women of Jerusalem than for Himself. As they weep and wail for His suffering, Jesus’ heart goes out to them. He has ultimate faith in what is to come for Himself and, like the prayer in John 17, in His own hour of need He consoles others. Do His words here presage what will come in 70 AD with the Jews being removed from Jerusalem? It seems likely that this is what He has in mind as some of these surely experienced that persecution. Jesus has faith in what will be the end result of His own suffering and death and prophesies to these concerning their own suffering. Do we have such faith and confidence?
In Saul’s mind he is doing the Lord’s work by persecuting those who have accepted that Jesus is Messiah. Saul believes that He is on the side of God in stopping this new thing here at the start. Can you imagine his horror when he heard the voice from heaven say, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”? The very one he believed to be responsible for misleading the people, taking their hearts away from God, was indeed Messiah and speaks to him from heaven. Could everything he believed be completely wrong? How could he be forgiven if this was true? If this was indeed the truth, then the stories about resurrection must be true and Stephen must truly have been a prophet of the Lord and he, Saul, had approved of the stoning of one of the prophets and possibly of the crucifixion of Messiah. If this is true, resistance is not only futility but also blasphemy. Seems pretty simple what to do and whose side to choose, Saul is having an Isaiah moment of his own, caught out in horrible sin and yet still alive.
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment