Saturday, January 30, 2010
Psalm 72:9 The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.
OUR MESSIAH-KING'S VICTORY: SMASHING
It was June 18, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo. The French under the command of Napoleon were fighting the Allies (British, Dutch, and Germans) under the command of Wellington. The people of England depended on a system of semaphore signals to find out how the battle was going. One of these signal stations was on the tower of Winchester Cathedral. Late in the day it flashed the signal: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D---."
Just at that moment a sudden English fog cloud made it impossible to read the message. The news of defeat quickly spread through the city. The hearts of people throughout the land were filled with gloom when they heard the news: "We lost the war." Suddenly the fog lifted, and it was discovered there was more to the message. It had four words, not two. The complete message was: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D---T-H-E---E-N-E-M-Y!" It took only a few minutes for the good news to spread. Sorrow was turned to joy, defeat into victory!
The same thing happened when our Messiah-King was laid in the tomb on Good Friday. Hope had died even in the hearts of His most loyal friends. After the frightful crucifixion, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding had crept in on them. They had "read" only part of the divine message. "Christ defeated" was all they knew. But on the third day (Easter) the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding lifted, and the world received the complete message: "Christ defeated death!" Defeat has been turned into victory and death to life!
That is why each Christian may joyfully sing midst the troubles of life in a sin-torn world: "The One who loves me has won for me a resounding victory in all these difficulties. I'm convinced that nothing can separate me from His love. Not death or life. Not anything in the present or future. No forces in the world above or the world below or anything in creation." His victory is my victory! Hallelujah!
--Adapted
O'er every foe victorious, He on His throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious, All blessing and all-blest.
The tide of time shall never His covenant remove;
His name shall stand forever, -- That name to us is Love.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 59:6)
