Theme: GOD IS MIGHTY TO SAVE
Text: “The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion” – Psalm 20:1, 2
Comment: This was a song of king David, the sweet psalmist of Israel by which he magnified the LORD’s power. He was a man who knew what greatness was and also suffered vicissitudes of various magnitudes. In all, he humbled himself under the mighty hand of God.
As a young man, king Saul sought to kill him, when he killed Goliath. God protected David and arrested his enemies (1 Samuel 19:1-3,8-24); twice he almost lost God’s favor (2 Samuel 11:12; 24:); and his son Absalom dethroned him and sought to take his life. Israel had a civil war that claimed Absalom’s life and put down the insurrection (2 Samuel chapters 15 -18). The life of king David inspires humility, devotion, total repentance and implicit faith in God, all of which will be described as total “submission” to the will of the Almighty God. No wonder the LORD referred to him as “a man after mine own heart” (Acts 13:22) and established His covenant with him, even the “sure mercies of David”.
The prophet Joel spoke of the protection that comes from invoking the name of God thus: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” – Joel 2:32; Isaiah 46:13; Micah 4:7; etc.
Theme: COMMENTARY ON HEBREWS 11:32 - 40
Text:“For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.” – Jeremiah 32:3.
Comment: Because the king and people of Judah had given themselves to the worship of the devil, God Almighty used Jeremiah the prophet to warn them, telling them that if they would not repent, He would make Jerusalem and the temple they took pride in to suffer the fate of Shiloh, where the name of God was in earlier times before it was destroyed and abandoned. (Joshua 18:1; 19:51; 1Kings 14:2.) For warning the people against sin the leaders determined that Jeremiah must die. (Jeremiah 26:1-10) However, some of the elders, together with Ahikam, an officer of the king, intervened to prevent them from their wicked plot.
Again, when the Chaldeans besieged Jerusalem, Jeremiah was instructed by God to tell them to submit to their rule to avoid death and destruction. This was seen as treason for which the leaders of the people convinced King Zedekiah to cast Jeremiah into.a well. But God also delivered him. When we stand up for the truth, even in the face of danger, God will give us victory in the end. St. Paul in his writings recalled God delivered them “from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10).. He added that God Almighty shall deliver him “from every evil work, and will preserve him unto his heavenly kingdom. – 2 Timothy 4:18