By Robin Sam
WE live in a dog-eat-dog world where everyone looks after his own interests. People will do anything to be successful – to go ahead in their career or business – even if it means badmouthing a peer or spreading canards about a rival company.
In the western countries, competitors fight pitched battles with each other through media advertising to prove a point. Pepsi will mock at Coca Cola while Unilever’s toothpaste brand will claim they are better than Colgate.
This rivalry is not just in the corporate world, it’s in every sphere of life. Film-stars badmouth each other in private and gloat when their peers’ movies bomb at the box office. In short, those who talk good about others and wish them success have become a rarity these days.
Christians are called to be different. Once, when Jesus’ disciples disputed among themselves about who would be the greatest among them, the Lord called them and said to them: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).
Again, when James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him asking for the most special privilege of sitting on His right hand and left hand in His glory, Jesus taught them the greatest lesson in leadership – namely servanthood. He said to them: “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant” (Mark 10:42,43).
Servanthood, however, should not be confused with settling for the least. It’s a deliberate choice made by those who have the clarity that the One they are serving is the Master, and He owns everything. God desires the best for His children. He is concerned for them and cares for their needs. He wants to always give them the best. The best comes when we give heed to God’s Word.
Three times in the Psalms, God specifically calls His children (‘O My people’) and asks them to incline their ears to His words. The three verses talk about three phases in the life of a child of God. We will look at each one of the instances to understand the scriptural truths behind them.
- God says: I will testify against you
The first instance of God calling out to His children as ‘O My people’ comes in Psalm 50. The 7th verse reads thus: “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you.’
This phase of life has occurred in every believer’s life. Before salvation, God and His Word continually testified against us. “…for at one time you were darkness”, says Ephesians 5:8. We were called as the ‘sons of disobedience’ then. Before we accepted Jesus as our saviour, the handwriting of ordinances was against us, says Colossians 2:14.
Isaiah 59:12 says: ‘For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them…’
When our life was in a mess, when we lived in open rebellion to God and His Word, He was merciful. When we went astray, He came looking for us. Oh, thank God for the love that sent His only begotten Son into the world! One of the biggest praise points a redeemed child of God needs to utter frequently is that He didn’t snuff out our lives when we were yet sinful. Hebrews 10:31,32 say: ‘…The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’
God in His mercy sent His Son Jesus who “wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us” (Colossians 2:14). Jesus did it by taking what was against us out of the way and nailed it to the cross. Oh, praise God for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
- God says: I will testify to you
The second instance of God calling out His children as ‘O, My people’ is found in Psalm 81:8. It reads: ‘Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you.’
Admonishing is an act of disciplining. The same verse is found in KJV as ‘…I will testify unto thee.’ Disciplining is for our benefit. Hebrews 12:5,6 underline this: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
The God who admonishes us reminds us of three important things in Psalm 81. We will look at them briefly.
The three things God reminded Israelites then, and reminds us now
- I am your God
Psalm 81:10, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.’
The Israelites knew who their God was. They knew it was He who brought them out of the land of slavery, but as years went by, they conveniently forgot their God and turned to their own ways. In John 9, we read about Jesus healing a man who was born blind. After an encounter with Jesus, the man could see but did not know who had healed him. The Pharisees did not believe the man’s testimony and cast him out. When Jesus heard the man who had a miracle was thrown out, He met up with him again. If you read John 9:35-37, it is interesting to note that Jesus did not introduce Himself as the One who healed his blindness but as the Son of Man. When the blind man started seeing, Jesus had gone away from the place. However, Jesus’ voice must have been etched in his mind’s eye. So, Jesus does not take the trouble of introducing Himself as the Healer (which He is), but as the One who is called the Son of Man. Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
Hallelujah! This is how He deals with us too. When we had our first encounter with Jesus, He came as our Saviour. As time goes, He wants to know if we would accept Him as our Lord.
- There shall be no other gods before you
Psalm 81:9, ‘There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god.’
God knew it was not enough to tell the Israelites who He was (‘I am the Lord your God’). It was also important to command them about the way forward. The way forward should be one of total and absolute devotion only to Him, the Almighty God. Because He is a zealous God, He does not like His children to go after false and worthless gods.
In Jesus’ time, once a woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought before Him. In those days, punishment for those caught in adultery was death by stoning. When the accusers wanted to know from Jesus how the woman should be dealt with, He bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. When they pestered to know His mind, Jesus threw in a game-changer. He asked the one without sin among them to throw the first stone against the woman. As the crowd slowly dispersed, Jesus refused to condemn her either. However, He showed her the way forward. He told her, ‘…Go, and from now on sin no more’ (John 8:11).
Jesus said the same thing to the man who lay by the poolside in Bethesda. He had been an infirm for 38 years and would have continued to be infirm until his death had it not been for that encounter with Jesus. The Lord healed him and later when Jesus found him in the temple, He told him: “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14).
Sin does not just cause a relapse of a physical infirmity, it also leads to spiritual decay. When we move away from Christ, we fall from grace, says Galatians 5:4. Turning to false gods is akin to turning our back on Jesus, the only Living God.
- Victory is round the corner
Psalm 81:14, ‘I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries.’
God gave His people a wonderful promise, that He would subdue their enemies. God is pretty much telling us the same thing now. Romans 16:20 says, ‘And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.’
God will accomplish our final victory when death itself is swallowed up. When the corruptible puts on incorruption and the mortal puts on immortality we will receive our final victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:56).
- God says: You testify about Me
Psalm 78:1 has the third instance when God calls His children as ‘O My people.’
‘Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.’
When we first met God, our condition was such that He would testify against us. When He made us His children through the blood of Jesus Christ, He testified to us and now when we walk in His footsteps He expects us to testify about Him to others. What a wonderful God we serve!
Why does God want us to hear the words of His mouth? There are at least two reasons found in Psalm 78. To reveal to us the dark sayings of old and to make them known to the generation to come.
Dark sayings of old are parables. When Jesus spoke in parables, His disciples thought He was being difficult to his audience. When He spoke in parables, He was in fact uttering things kept secret from the foundation of the world (Matthew 13:35).
What we testify about God is never in vain. It goes on from one generation to another. It goes on to even those who would be born someday (Psalm 78:6). What we do for the Lord never goes waste. The seed that we sow diligently today will sprout someday and give a yield 30, 60 or 100 times. Will you say an Amen to that?
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