International
25 October 07
Psalm 107 vs. 10-16
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12So he bowed their hearts down with hard labour;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
Whoever is wise let him attend to these things;
Let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD (vs. 43)
As we’ve looked at this psalm and ‘considered the steadfast love of the LORD’ we’ve seen in verses 1-9 that for those who cry out to Him, God delivers them from the pain and anxiety of insecurity, bringing them through Christ to the perfectly secure home of heaven. In this section of verses 10-16, that we’re looking at today and next week, we’re shown how God in his love saves us from slavery and buys our freedom.
Are you really free?
During the world cup Brian Ashton commented that the biggest thing he had done for the England rugby team was ‘freeing them up to play what was in front of them on the pitch’. He went on to say that good coaching was really about freeing players from constraints, so that they can play to their full ability. So what about our lives? Are we free to play to our full ability in all aspects of life?
The verses we’re looking at start by painting an oppressive picture. Prisoners shackled by heavy iron chains, wasting away in a dark prison where not even a ray of daylight can be seen. They have nothing to look forward to, only long-days of darkness and isolation leading eventually to death. However, the shock here is that the cause of this imprisonment is ‘for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel (or advice) of the Most High’. This is of course contrary to what all of us by nature think; we feel deep down that God’s a kill-joy and that living according to his ways is constraining. "Why do we have to follow God’s way – I just want to be free to do what I want!” is too often the cry of all of our hearts – both for Christians and those who aren’t.
But this sin of rejecting God’s word the Bible and refusing to let it govern our lives is to spurn the advice of God. God made the world; he knows the principles and laws that govern his creation. He knows that if a plank of wood is placed on water then it will float, and if a stone is placed on water it will sink. Similarly he knows the principles and laws that govern moral behaviour, and to use the metaphor how we should act so that we don’t sink in life. And yet the psalmist tells us that all who reject God’s words and refuse to live his way are sinking; they are sinking deeper and deeper into the prison of sin where there’s no freedom and no light.
Jesus tells us that ‘you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free’ (John 8:32). Next week we’ll look in more detail how the truth of the gospel frees us, but for this week – search your heart and ask yourself whether you really do see that living God’s way is the way of freedom. Ask God to search your attitudes and desires and to expose to you ways that you are not living according to God’s truth and then turn to follow his way and enjoy the freedom that only he offers.
Pete
You are currently subscribed to International Email. To unsubscribe click here