Scripture
“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”
~Psalm 83:4, NLT
Quote
“Prayer is the mightiest of all weapons that created natures can wield.”
~Martin Luther
Psalm 83 is the last of the Asap Psalms and it is a prayer for Israel’s deliverance. Israel has always been surrounded by enemies. The Psalmist describes a ten nation confederation coming against Israel. Half of those ten nations are kin folk, descendants of Abraham. They seem to be led by the sons of Lot which would be Ammon and Moab. They are joined by the descendants of Esau and Ismael. Israel is vastly out numbered; the odds are ten to one. We are not talking difficult, we are talking impossible. Israel has only one hope and that is God. They have only one weapon and that is prayer. Dr. Wiersbe thinks the Psalmist may be referring to 2 Chronicles 20 where the sons of Lot come against Israel. You will recall that king Jehoshaphat got on his face before the LORD and prayed, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power against this multitude that is coming against us: we do not know what to do but our eyes are on You.” The Psalmist does go into some history. He mentions the victories God gave Barak and Gideon. In both cases, Israel was vastly outnumbered. The odds, number wise, in Gideon’s battle were 450 to one. We don’t have the numbers for Barak’s battle against Sisera and Jabin the Caananite king but we do know that the LORD intervened by sending a thunderstorm which flooded the Kishon river which flooded the Jezreel Valley and made it impossible for Sisera to use his 900 chariots. Sisera and his entire army was destroyed in one day. In the case of Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah, the LORD intervened and Israel did not even have to fight. All the Israelites did in both cases was claim the spoils.
An unbeliever asked a believer to give him evidence that God exist and he simple said, “The Jews.” Do you realize how many nations and tin pan dictators have tried to annihilate the Jews? These people are hated by the world but loved and protected by God. Even a confederation of ten nations was unable to wipe them out. The group mentioned in this Psalm said, “We will destroy the very memory of its existence.” Chloe’s response to their boast would have been, “Seriously.” Were they successful? NO! Was Hitler successful in exterminated the Jews? NO! Now the Muslims threaten Israel with annihilation: will they succeed? NO! Can you make war against Israel without fighting against God? NO! Can you hate His Son and remain His friend? NO! Can you abhor body of Christ, the church without engaging God? NO!
I really like what Stephen Lawson says in the conclusion of his commentary on this Psalm…“What confidence believers should have that God intervenes in the affairs of men. He reroutes the course of human history. God hears the prayers of His people and He sees the troubles they face. God hears and God acts, even in the most difficult situations.” Prayer was the only weapon Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah had and they put it to use. Martin Luther said, “It is the mightiest weapon at our disposal.” Prayer is more powerful the atomic bomb. Unfortunately, most folks do not believe this is true.
- Sunday Schedule is full beginning with Deacons Meeting @ 8:15, LCBS @ 9:15, Worship Celebrations @ 10:15 and 6:15 with AWANA @ 5:30
- Team Guatemala will be reporting Sunday night.
- Continue to pray for the families of the men on the helicopter.
- A couple of interesting stories I’ve been following on XM radio. One is the debate on the Confederate Statues in Baltimore. They are offensive is the complaint. My question is to who. I am sick and tired of hearing these libs talk like the NORTH was righteous in the war between the states. They didn’t fight to free slaves: they were fighting for control. The war was about power not principles. Robert E. Lee was a man of principles but the North didn’t have any. Lee had more character than Lincoln, Grant and Sherman combined. Lincoln got 620,000 American’s killed and for what: to destroy an institution that was on its deathbed to begin with. Slavery had no future in America, not that kind. Actually, we have more slaves now than we did before the war of Northern Aggression, just a different kind. Sherman was no different than the jihadists. He burned farms, homes and was responsible for the deaths of 50,000 civilians and Lincoln commissioned him. You tell me why they should be heroes while Washington and Jefferson are having their monument either covered are removed from public property.
Hollywood Heroes of Yester-Year
These men served in the US Navy. Go Navy!
[Notes: Wayne Morris shot down 7 Jap planes. Tony Curtis and Larry Storch served together on the same ship. There ship, the Proteus, was in the habor when the Japanese surrendered. Robert Stack and Henry Fonda were officers. Paul Newman was a gunner.]
