He's Always On My Side

Deuteronomy 33:29 (TNIV)

²⁹Blessed are you, Israel!

Who is like you,

a people saved by the Lord?

He is your shield and helper

and your glorious sword.

Your enemies will cower before you,

and you will tread on their heights.”

Observation:

This is Israel’s great happiness, that all would go well with them as they lived in covenant with God. Blessings would come if they would follow God’s teaching. Curses would follow if they were disobedient. Disobedience was not mere error of judgment; rather, it is the willful refusal to follow God’s law. Nevertheless, Moses declares that Israel ought to be happy, because they have been chosen by God, as a special people. They are under the protection of the creator of Heaven and Earth.

The beauty of this verse is found in the words of encouragement. He (God) is your shield, helper, and glorious sword. Moses emphasizes that God is not an enemy, nor is he just waiting for them to fail. The essence of this passage is that God is actively involved on Israel’s behalf.

Application:

Growing up I had the idea that God was very disappointed with me. I felt I could never quite measure up. Somehow I had believed that he was really just waiting for me to mess up, so he could thump me. Perhaps, there are good many people who have had this image. Sadly, the church has appeared this way all to often. However, this is not the image of God that Jesus reveals to us. (After all, Jesus is the physical and spiritual image of God in human flesh.)

God is rooting for us to be victorious. The problem is that we cannot win because of our sinful nature. We are prone to live for our selves. We are prone to do what is best for us and then think of others (including God) later. Therefore, God has involved himself deeply in the cause of human freedom. Not an American style of freedom. No, his freedom is over sin. He frees us from the chain of slavery to sin. He empowers us to live holy and pleasing lives.

That term holy does not mean we do not miss the mark sometimes. it means that we love God more than ourselves, and we loves others as ourselves. We are free to think of God and others first and our selves last. How is this possible? When we trust God fully he protects us from the temptations of the enemy. He gives us a superior help that guides us to right decisions, actions, and judgements. His Word thwarts the attack of the enemy and encourages us to stand firm.

Prayer;

Father, you are glorious beyond description. You are superior to all my ways and understanding. Since the beginning of time you have been working your salvation into the human condition. You completed the work on the cross through, your only Son, Jesus the Christ. Fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I might fully trust in you. You are my Shield, my helper, and my sword. Forgive me for the times where my faith is weak. Strengthen me as I humbly submit myself to you. Thank you Lord. - Amen