Focus Chapters:
- Psalms 79-82
Standout Verse(s):
Psalms 81:11-14 NLT
“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Observation (s):
- God desires to be around His people but He will not force them to accept His company.
“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
living according to their own ideas. - When God’s presence is accepted, in our lives, and we walk in His paths, He is able to deal, effectively, with our enemies and foes.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Application:
A shield’s job is to:
- Actively intercept and block specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows.
- Provide passive protection by closing one or more lines of engagement during combat.
- Damage or subdue the enemy at close range.
A shield belongs with its owner (in their hand) and must be used accurately in order for it to be effective. God becomes our Shield when we entertain His presence (keep Him close) and heed His instructions (following the rules that make Him effective in our lives). When we yield and heed to God, we don’t have to worry about our enemies! Our Defender, Shield and Protector handles them for us. He actively blocks attacks so we are not harmed. He protects us by surrounding us with His coverage so that our enemies can no longer see or engage us. Finally, He fights for us, subduing our enemies and foes, both known and unknown.
On the other hand, when we refuse to heed God’s instructions or entertain His presence, we are left to walk our own paths. Along this path, we are left to:
- To entertain our own stubborn desires and the whims (our internal foes) and,
- To the whims and mercies of our external known and unknown enemies.
Today, which do you choose? Yield and heed or defeat?
