Monday, September 5th
Psalm 56:1-4
1 Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. 2 My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. 3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
Today, I am going to look at some “simple” words with this scripture.
Attack (Verb):
- To set upon with violent force.
- To criticize strongly or in a hostile manner.
- To start work on with purpose and vigor.
- To begin to affect harmfully.
- Filled with fear.
- Having feelings of aversion or unwillingness in regard to something.
- Filled with regret or concern. Used especially to soften an unpleasant statement.
- Liable or subject to death.
- Of or relating to humankind; human.
- Of, relating to, or accompanying death.
- Causing death; fatal.
- Fighting or fought to the death; unrelenting.
Pride causes violence. Pride is hostility in some form or another. Somebody may say something to me and it makes me upset. A decision has to be made immediately of how I will respond. Do I get angry and lash out at the person? Do I get angry and resolve the matter righteously? Do I stuff it and ignore that it happened, resulting in problems in the future, either with the person, or someone else not involved? All three options are realistic with me, I’ve done them all. I prefer the second choice, but that doesn’t mean I choose it every single time. I wish I would do it every time. The second word comes into play. I become afraid of what would happen if I confront the person. I do like to avoid conflict. I am becoming better at saying the things that need to be said. I am realizing more and more that with God on my side, who can be against me? Really, what can a man do to me? I try to keep the thought when I work, why let a customer take away my job? I have boundaries at work, of what I can and cannot do, so why would I let a customer change the concrete rules? The right thing to do, maybe? That could be true, but my job is dictated by the corporate rulers of the world, not the customer. I do what I can, within reason. But one person cannot give me eternal pain. Only I can do that. Johnny Out.
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Having baptized Lydia and her household (Acts 16:13-15), Paul remained in Philippi for some time preaching the gospel. For many days a young woman having a spirit of divination followed after Paul and cried out, saying, " These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." (Acts 16:17) This sorely trouble Paul and he cast out the evil spirit, whereupon her master laid hold upon Paul and Silas and brought them before the magistrates who had them beaten, cast into inner prison and their feet fastened in the stocks.
"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house." (Acts 16:25-34) Were the jailor and his household saved by faith only, as many teach? How does faith come? "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom.1:17). This is why Paul spoke "the word of the Lord" unto him and his household. Hearing produced faith, and faith led the jailor and his household to be baptized. His repentance was demonstrated by his washing the stripes of Paul and Silas. Jesus said. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:16), therefore the jailor and his house was saved because they had done what Christ requires of sinners.
Some teach that the jailor was not immersed, but sprinkled, because, they say, the baptism took place in the jail. But verse 30 says the jailor brought Paul and Silas out of the prison before he asked them what to do to be saved.
Note also, the jailor and his household did not wait to be baptized the next day, the next week, or the next month, but he and his house was baptized "straightway" (immediately) at the "same hour of the night" (midnight).(v.33) And it was after his baptism he "rejoiced" "believing in God with all his house" (v.34)
Turning to Christ is not some strange, mysterious experience, but a reasonable, logical, intellectual process that consists of hearing the gospel of Christ, believing and confession Him as the Son of God, turning from sin in repentance, and humbly submitting in obedience to Him in baptism.
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