Arise For Our Help, And Redeem Us
Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles! Psalm 25:22
Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. Why do You hide Your face, And forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust; Our body clings to the ground. Arise for our help, And redeem us for Your mercies' sake. Psalm 44:23-26
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. Psalm 46:1-5
Believers can praise, bless and trust a wonderful God who forgives all their iniquities, Who heals all their diseases, Who redeems their life from destruction, Who crowns them with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies their mouth with good things, so that their youth is renewed like the eagle's and who executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed (Psalm 103:1-5). Their Rock is their Redeemer Jesus Christ who is full of compassion who has by His own blood redeemed them from the hand of the enemy and stands ready to do so from every other enemy! His word is unchanging:
"But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'"Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them-Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing.For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.' Isaiah 41:8-13
But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. Isaiah 43:1-4
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17
God is more than capable of dealing with His enemies and those of His people. But woe to them who have become His adversaries for the Lord will take vengeance on His enemies. As God does not lie and He has promised to do so and so be it!
Men, even religious ones, do not understand that there is a consequence and price to be paid when they become rebellious, enjoy the companions of thieves; loves bribes, follows after rewards, do not defend the fatherless nor take up the cause of the widow. Such men will not know the blessings of God but rather His curses and His right hand moving against them. As one of the chief cornerstone of God's character and foundation of His Kingdom is His love for righteousness and justice. His word is true:
The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. Psalm 25:9
He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. Psalm 33:5
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. Psalm 89:14
It is a fact that God guides the humble in justice and He teaches him His ways including:
"For thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Just as I determined to punish you When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,' Says the LORD of hosts, 'And I would not relent, So again in these days I am determined to do good To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear. These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,' Says the LORD." Zechariah 8:14-17
God's love for justice is so great that He did not stop to obtain it when Adam and Eve were deceived by the devil and had their freedom and lives stolen from them. Even though it meant the price of God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, God saw that justice was done and Adam and Eve and their seed were redeemed. Redeemed by the new Adam Jesus Christ who was born of the Spirit and not of the flesh. . .
Now it is a fact that God demands that His people love and seek true justice and righteousness just as He does. His word is true:
You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow's garment as a pledge. "But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing. "When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 24:17-19
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the LORD'S fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD'S anger comes upon you! Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the LORD'S anger. Zephaniah 2:1-3
God commands and demands that His people execute true justice, and show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother; that they do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor; that none of them plan evil in his heart against his brother. His word is true:
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.'
"But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. "Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
"Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts. "But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate." Zechariah 7:9-14
Yet many, even this day, refuse to heed the word of the Lord. They shrug their shoulders, and stop their ears so that they could not hear. They refuse to hear the Word of God sent by His Spirit through His prophets for after all they are God's children and 'once saved, always saved?" Not anticipating that as a result of their real foolish choices and ways a great wrath would come upon from the LORD of hosts. But God's true prophets appreciate and understand God's love for justice and even though it involves judgment on God's own people and their rulers who refuse to know and do justice. While the false prophets prophesy peace and lies God's true prophets tell the truth. God's word records:
And I said: "Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice? You who hate good and love evil; Who strip the skin from My people, And the flesh from their bones; Who also eat the flesh of My people, Flay their skin from them, Break their bones, And chop them in pieces Like meat for the pot, Like flesh in the caldron." Then they will cry to the LORD, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds. Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets Who make my people stray; Who chant "Peace" While they chew with their teeth, But who prepare war against him Who puts nothing into their mouths: "Therefore you shall have night without vision, And you shall have darkness without divination; The sun shall go down on the prophets, And the day shall be dark for them. So the seers shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God." But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin. Now hear this, You heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who abhor justice And pervert all equity, 0 Who build up Zion with bloodshed And Jerusalem with iniquity: 1 Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us." Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest. Micah 3:1-12
Although many religious ones who call themselves Christians do not want to talk about it, a sign that a person is full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, and of justice and might, is His or her ability to declare to God's people their transgression and the church of Jesus Christ their sin. However! Religious rulers of our day, in general, abhor justice and pervert all equity. They live off the offerings and tithes stolen from the sheep. They show partiality to others, and are constantly talking about money, as though God is broke. They say they belong to the Lord and that He will protect them. But they fail to appreciate that God doesn't protect rapists, murderers and thieves in His house He judges and deals with them and casts them out. For no apostle, prophet, teacher, preacher, administrator, or foolish sheep will escape God’s judgment if he or she deserves it. They are God’s people and He can deal with them and spank them for their evil words and thoughts and ignoring His love of righteousness and justice. What God has done once before He can and will do it again? His word is true:
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest." Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:1-13
WALTER KAMBULOW
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