What is your starting point? What is the foundation that you stand on in times of trouble to follow the thread of the promised inheritance? Where does it end? Money? Land? Relationship?
Singing Psalm 79 to follow the thread of the promised inheritance gifted
“O God, to Your inheritance” ~ Psalm 79:1a
The thread is a cord of three strands
The thread begins with God’s covenant faithfulness. It then runs through the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the one true God acting for the welfare of his people. God teaches them to be faithful to him since his people are his inheritance.
He gives his people a land which is bound up in his presence with them as their inheritance. Our inheritance is not money or land to divide or kill over. God with us is our inheritance. We can say that we are his, and he is ours in covenant marriage. Each one of us can say to the Lord, "I am yours, and you are mine."
His promised inheritance is his gift to his faithful people. When we are rebelliously unfaithful, he does whatever it takes to bring our adulterous hearts to faithfulness. God is jealous for his bride because he loves his people whom he made for himself and no other. Our faithfulness is inextricably tied to our inheritance. Even right now as you are reading this, if you are his but unfaithful to him, he will do whatever it takes to get you faithful again, and you will have your inheritance. You can count on it. It is sealed.
Singing Psalm 79 you learn who will carry you through the moments when you think, "Will it always be like this?" and will reconcile the dissonance of the path with the destination: how the Lord channels suffering and harnesses gifts to bring his bride home to him at last.
Singing Psalm 79 to follow the thread of the promised inheritance removed...for a time
“The nations entered in,
Your house defiled, in ruins laid
Jerusalem.” ~ Psalm 79:1b
The unbreakable thread to the promised inheritance
The thread continues as you watch everything you gave your life to broken. You follow the thread to the promised inheritance, stoop, and though worn out, begin building anew.
The thread continues through the needle while enemy nations invade as an instrument of discipline. His people had become unfaithful, and he used those nations to bring their hearts back to him. His reputation attests to the fact that he is ever committed to their well-being which is tethered to their faithfulness. In fact, he directs his people to be a faithful blessing while in exile: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” ~ Jeremiah 29:7
He punished these nations for their love of violence against their captives, his beloved Israel. Israel was made to feel the pain of being under the rule of foreign nations and away from their homeland. But these nations rejoiced in their demise. They spilled their blood like water rather than humbly acting as an instrument in God’s hand to discipline his people. God would justly punish these nations for their atrocities.
“To all our neighbors we’ve become
Objects of their reproach
A laughingstock to all who now
On us encroach.” ~ Psalm 79:4
This is reminiscent of Israel’s rebellion following the spies’ reports that sided with the faithless rather than with Joshua and Caleb. He forgave in that he did not destroy Israel and make a new nation with Moses, but he brought consequences to discipline their faithlessness as a nation.
“Then the LORD said [to Moses], ‘I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD…
‘According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure. I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.’” ~ Numbers 14:20-21, 34-35
Yet, here is God’s heart for his adulterous people:
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.” ~ Hosea 2:14-15
Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil during a time of physical weakness. His devotion to the Father was manifested there and would be graciously credited to the account of his undeserving people. The unfaithful are the benefactors of his faithfulness which is credited to their account. And what do we give him in return? Nothing but our sin.
The proud rebellious? God opposes them. Are you proud? rebellious? Then:
“Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.” ~ James 4:9
Let’s follow the thread of the promised inheritance. As God makes you humble, he gives you grace, a part of which is his transforming you from bitter to content, from entitled to thankful, from mocking to comforting, from intrusive to respectful, from complacent to caring. This then changes everything about the direction of your life. The thread of the promised inheritance leads you Godward and turns you from self-serving to serving God, from oppositional to useful, from inciting God’s wrath to pleasing him, from being God’s enemy to being his friend. He made you in his image and is remaking you to form Christ in you. And doing so involves drastic changes which include less laughter and joy and more mourning and gloom...for a time.
The thread takes you through suffering to the promised inheritance
What if you realize the things you gave so much time to had become sources of enslavement?
Your phone and computer are tools that can be used to help many people. Or they can steal your time away from those whom you could be helping. I grew up watching sports and fast horses with my dear dad. There is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying a college or NBA basketball game or marveling at the speed of horses that run at least three times as fast as the fastest humans. But when sport takes over your every waking thought or flame up desires that lure you into the love of money (the root of all evil), gambling for the big win, it is time to walk away and not look back. (Better yet, never start.) Follow the thread home, from where you are, through your desires that battle within you, through your sufferings, to the promised inheritance of God with you, the Lord Jesus bidding you to follow him and give.
The thread continuum from death to life to the promised inheritance
Esteemed medical doctors all over America had given up hope for a child deathly ill and fighting for life. But the Lord used a poor mother as a cord of human kindness uniquely equipping her to do what she could to nurse her baby daughter back to health in a severe life and death trial. From that harrowing experience, the Lord gave her the desire and strength to acquire knowledge that would not only save her daughter’s life but also help thousands of other people with various health problems, enabling them to do the good that they find to do while here under the sun. Her research led to the wonders of soluble fiber that the Lord made affordable and readily available in the form of beans, lentils, and the Plantago ovata plant whose seeds are crushed into psyllium husks that bond with and carry toxic waste out of the body to prevent it from continually recirculating through your bloodstream. Out with toxins, in with health.
This is a biochemical picture of what Jesus did for his people by bonding with sinners and carrying their sin with him to the cross to free them to live a new life as new creations starting here and now and to never look back. Put on Christ, put off sin.
“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” ~ James 1:9-12
“But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:7
The thread runs through the depths of your heart to the promised inheritance
Healing physically from chemical imbalances caused by stress, sleep problems, and unhealthy eating is one thing. Spiritual healing is quite another.
Off the top of my head, I didn’t think that I had much in common with Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s sons who are described in God‘s word as worthless men who did not know God. Or with the Israelites when their hearts were stirred by their passion for fine cuisine longing to return back to Egypt for the fish, melons, cucumbers, leeks, onions, and garlic that they craved and that cost them nothing. But I am ashamed to say that my desire for watermelon drove me to reserve the choice, sweetest center portion for myself. That's not all that far off from what David, in the matter of Uriah the Hittite, Amnon, his first born son, and Judas Iscariot did. They took what they wanted for themselves without regard for others. Different circumstances, different degree, same kind of heart.
You can be always learning and yet never acknowledge the truth, or you can take in the word of God as a double-edged sword as useful for teaching you, rebuking you, correcting you, training you, and equipping you for every self-forgetful good work—not impulsive, fear-driven good works done to assuage your guilty conscience, self-atone, or conjure up a scheme of self-righteousness to justify yourself and look good on the outside. The men that wrote down the scriptures were carried along by the Holy Spirit so that they would not twist the message to their own purposes but simply and humbly convey what God wants us to know for his purposes that are always right and can’t fail. God’s word judges the thoughts and attitudes or intentions of the heart. Each time, I'd feel a conscience prick, but my lust for the sweet, juicy thing overrode it. But because God's word is not dead but living and active, reading it each day over time, the people in the stories come to life in my mind just as the Lord designed. God's word is the mirror you look into deeply, and it is there for you to address your deceitful heart that there would be no cure for were it not for Jesus, the Word made flesh who came to us in grace and truth.
What do you do when you start to see that the biggest problem isn’t out there but within yourself? The deeply held sentiment that things should go my way, I should have what I want when I want as much as I want. If my feelings are my standard, I become a law unto myself with a sense of entitlement that chokes out gratitude to God and concern for others. When I see that I have become front and center, I mustn’t distract myself from acknowledging it, dismiss it as just my fancy for the thing and wink at it, minimize it, or allow myself to despair. But I must trace the thread of the promised inheritance through it to see it for what it is, to see God loving me in the midst of it, mourn the selfishness that spreads like a web into every area of life entangling and stymying relationships that distressed me enough to cry out to God for a new heart, for repentance, to turn and follow Jesus who shows me the truth that it is truly more blessed to give than to receive. Although even this can be misused if I go looking for some good to do in hopes that it would counterbalance, cover, or somehow erase my selfish deeds. The problem is that even that is about self. I can't atone for my own sins in works-righteousness. I don't need to try to look good before other people but need to come clean and honest before an audience of one. I need Jesus' righteousness, and he's willing to take my sins away and give me his righteousness in exchange placing me in good standing with the Father. O what a Savior! O what a Friend! O what a King, Lord, and Master who washes the feet of his saints that we would take on his lowly, gentle heart to go and do likewise.
When I give the best watermelon slice, watermelon no longer has a hold on me. It no longer takes the place of God in my heart. This god is then removed from the throne of my heart. I am free to enjoy that the recipient is enjoying it. And once God is my God, my heart’s desire, I don’t care if I ever have watermelon again. Like Mephibosheth told David to let Ziba have it all (the inheritance of Saul’s land) since David was now safely back in Jerusalem after fleeing from Absalom’s rebellion. Once I realize that I am on the throne running my little kingdom amok where I don’t belong, I plead with the Lord to remove the controls from my hands, shut down the idol factory, and keep me safe under his wings. This is about more than a melon. It's about the ugly tendency of my lawless heart to favor myself over God and others. JOY isn't a palindrome.
Singing Psalm 79, you learn to whom you can run for cover or to whom you can point others to run for cover when you are convicted of desires that battle within your covetous heart. Unlike the song, “How will I know if he really loves me?” you never have to ask that question about Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you hate that you sin against him in thought, word, or deed, and you want nothing more than to be close to him, to please him, and to trust him, then you know that you love him.
And because you love him, you know that he loved you first, that he loves you now in whatever circumstance he has placed you in where you are learning what you could not learn any other way, and that he will never leave you or stop loving you. Jesus will not only help you overcome yourself, but he will protect you from yourself. He is helping me see that food is a gift from him to nourish us so that we can glorify him and enjoy him forever. The Lord made food also for us to enjoy and receive with thanksgiving and to share with others. He made it to take away our hunger, and he made it palatable to keep us alive so that we wouldn’t reject it and starve. He made food to heal us and stabilize us. In the culture I grew up in, food was central. It had to be delicious. I was a prime target for the foodie movement, and things culinary became all-consuming. If you can give thanks for a tasty meal and not let it move out of its place as the gift from God that it is, well and good. Then God is the master. That food is no longer displacing him and is proper as it is when you use food to provide a nourishing meal for someone in need.
That we must sort through these kinds of things might seem like heavy weights to us. But God intends to make them light wings in hopes that they will help us fly to him. It glorifies him more when we wrestle through sin than if we did not need to repent since Jesus uses every one of our sins to draw us to himself. And when you turn, you give him the praise, honor, and glory, thanking him from the heart for turning you away from worthless things to himself who is worth more than a thousand worlds.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31
There is only one thread to the promised inheritance
Have you, or anyone you know and love, ever been made fun of? abused? mistrusted? left for dead? and become self-protective and self-consumed in response?
If so, you will relate to God’s people as you sing Psalm 79. If not, you will grow in compassion for those who have.
“Do nations say, ‘Where is their God?’
Let nations know instead
Your vengeance for Your servants’ blood
Which has been shed.” ~ Psalm 79:10
"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear." ~ Isaiah 59:2
How many ways are there to come to God? One.
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” ~ John 14:3-7
This is where the heathen nations err. This is where any of us go wrong if we ignore the one way and follow the many paths that lead to destruction.
Think of the blood shed by Jesus, God the Son, to take your sins away that separate you from God. We come to God the only way we can—through Jesus, the only bridge between God and man. Rather than reserve the best for himself, he willingly, not begrudgingly, gave it away for the joy set before him, that is, us, his people, his own inheritance. He shed his own blood and died to receive you as his own inheritance. This servant king is like the sun in its brilliance compared to flickering candles. No one loves like him. There is no one or nothing else like him. There simply isn't.
But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”~ Matthew 20:25-28
Only God knows the good that he has for you to do while on the earth under the sun to help those in your care and beyond. He gives you balanced energy from the food you eat, the air you breathe, the sunshine, and the water you drink. The food industry has made caffeine and sugar commodities that are readily available that deceive you into thinking they are the answer to your low energy. But after that initial rush, you crash, biochemically whipping your adrenals like a tired old horse until it can’t go anywhere even though it very much wants to. When you are in the trenches, know that the Lord moves your heart to do the next right thing to honor him whether free or in exile, out front or in obscurity, given positions of honor or lowly jobs to do, having support or having to go it alone. Yet you are not alone when the Lord is with you. No matter what job he puts before you to do, there is meaning in it if you work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord and not for men.
Acknowledge God. Give him credit for the good he enables you to do. When you suffer, you are in good company with David, the man after God's own heart, Joseph, Esther, Mordecai, Moses, Daniel, Job, John the Baptist, Paul, the apostles and prophets, and those I did not mention who are highly esteemed and dearly loved by God. These suffered greatly and yet got through it all. God will get you through all of yours too.
You are sharing in the sufferings of Jesus himself who always did what pleases the Father. Remember during those painful times that you will also share in his glory. You might never see what good results from your thoughts, words, actions, and even from what you refrained from thinking, saying, or doing to honor God. But God not only sees but uses each one as the thread you follow to the promised inheritance.
Jesus uses the parable of the talents to highlight the life principle that those who are faithful with little will be entrusted with much as the Lord exalts the humble who trust him. Those who are against God and unfaithful refuse to put to use the grace given them. Therefore even what they have will be taken away from them and given to the ones who will use it to God’s glory.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.” ~ Colossians 3:23-25
“O charge us not with former sins,
But Your compassion show.
Come quickly, meet us in our need;
We are brought low.” ~ Psalm 79:8
Singing Psalm 79 to follow the thread of the promised inheritance restored
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” ~ Luke 6:21b
The thread continues through God’s people crying out, the Lord saving them once again, punishing their enemies, and restoring them to the promised land, and more importantly, to his presence again, their promised inheritance.
O God of our salvation, help!
To Your name glory take!
Deliver us; forgive our sins
For Your name’s sake.” ~ Psalm 79:9
The thread directs you to the big picture view of the promised inheritance
When you undergo trials due to your unfaithfulness or the unfaithfulness of others, remember to follow the thread of the promised inheritance. Those trials are mere snapshots of your life and what God has for you. We’re tempted to think, “It’s all over. It’s all over now.” Except it ain’t. You cannot tell one thing about the trajectory of your life from any one snapshot. Don't stop at the snapshot but trace it all the way to the promised inheritance.
“O let the pris’ners’ sighing groans
Ascend to You on high;
Preserve them by Your mighty arm,
Those doomed to die.” ~ Psalm 79:11
When you find yourself at the end of your rope, cry out to the Lord with “sighing groans.” He will restore the gift that he has removed: the greatest gift of himself with you. When I had drifted away in my heart, the Lord led me to hard places because I would only find him there. He is making his people beautiful and valuable like incessantly crashing waves transform rough and dull stones on the shore into smooth and shiny gems.
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:3-8
Israel gives God the thanks and honor that he is due. God is known as their God whom they love because he first loved them. His glory is magnified in all the earth.
Those of God’s people who suffered at the hands of unbelieving nations unto death are safely home yet they wait for us as the trailing part of Christ’s bride that will come after to join them as we are connected by the thread of the promised inheritance. There is no competition for this promised inheritance, no animosity over it, no needing to divide it or fight over it. Jesus freely gives it to his beloved bride, his church, and every member who is a part of it. There is more than enough to go around. There is never a lack. When Jesus gives the bounty is multiplied.
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” ~ Hebrews 11:13-16
“Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” ~ Hebrews 11:35-40
The thread to your promised inheritance
Do you desire for the promised inheritance to be yours? If so, Jesus will help you follow the thread through all the ups and downs of your life to your promised inheritance.
When King Asa relied on the King of Syria in battle and on physicians for his foot ailments and did not rely on the Lord God, it did not bring him peace: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” ~ 2 Chronicles 16:9
The thread of your promised inheritance remains intact and does not fray because it begins and ends with Jesus. Come to him for rest in all you do. Taking solace in and relying on things like high intensity exercise and energy drinks and then using them as tools to combat the relational stressors on your shoulders are short-lived. You are giving them double duty, relying on them so that it won't be long before you realize that they cannot do what you hope they will do. On the contrary, they ultimately render you dysfunctional. All Scripture is about him who is gentle and lowly in heart and who fights for his people, his church, his bride so that we can learn to rely on him. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Body and soul, he nourishes you with food and gives you knowledge of how you can use food to heal your liver and calm your adrenals so that you aren’t physically at odds with your desire to rest in him who fights against your desires that battle within you and as you fly to him for refuge from all your stressors. He alone gives your soul and body rest.
"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." ~ Ephesians 1:13-14
Let us not ignore, reject, and rebel against Jesus, forsaking that we know him by relying on false saviors which amounts to crucifying him all over again. He promises to be with you always! Jesus with you is your promised inheritance. His Father is your Father. His Holy Spirit is yours - your comforter and guide guaranteeing your inheritance to have God with you, to have Jesus, your protector, the one who preserves you, sustains you, satisfies you. It is sealed and cannot be revoked. He is the vine that not only gives his branches life but also salts your life and lights your path so that you bear good fruit. Jesus is your only lasting de-stressor. Only he can relieve your burdens and give you rest. Only he can teach you to move from impulsive giving without good purpose to intentional giving to do good toward others.
As you lay aside your watermelon and undividedly devote yourself with an undying love to Jesus who died for you, God is not ashamed to be called your God. Attach yourself to him, abide in him, walk with him in his ways by doing good to all starting with his church, the family of believers. He will show you what good he would have you humbly do at the grass roots on the ground level while you eagerly await his gracious return when he comes to take you home for good to rule with him. Meanwhile, Jesus gives you his Holy Spirit who together will carry you through to the Father and keep you faithful to him in perfect peace as your mind stays on him.
“God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” ~ Ephesians 2:6
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” ~ Titus 2:11-14
“So we Your people, Your own flock
Forever thank Your name;
We will to generations all
Your praise proclaim.” ~ Psalm 79:13
July 5-12, 2024
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