Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Psalm 119:114, 116 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.
ACCORDING TO HIS PROMISE
Throughout Psalm 119, the writer expresses that he has hope for the future because God has promised to save him. Today you and I have hope for the future because God has not only promised to save us, God has done it through Jesus the Messiah.
God's Garden of Eden promise (Genesis 3:15), which the Old Testament prophets describe, has come to realization in Jesus of Nazareth -- in the person of Christ. God's Son became human like you and me.
Because He was sinless, He had room on His soul for our every evil thought, our every shameful action. Out of love for our broken souls He did take up our sins -- every one.
While He hung crucified, our sin and guilt hung on Him. The eternal condemnation for all our sins was poured out on Him. Our uncountable individual punishments were inflicted on Him instead of on us. This isn't poetry or imagination. The physical and spiritual suffering of the man Jesus is historical fact.
In the last verse of Psalm 119 the writer prays to the LORD: "I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant" (Psalm 119:176).
When we feel guilt over our sins, let this be our prayer also. God will respond to our confession with love. As apostle Peter wrote, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:24-25).
God is our refuge and our shield. He has sheltered us from His anger over sin by covering us with His sinless Son. He still shields us from the evil forces of this world according to His promise.
