On the podium

In ancient times, when an army conquered a land, they took the spoils of victory and paraded them. Then they divided those spoils among the people. This is described in Psalm 68:18, “You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even from the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell there.”

Paul quotes this verse in his letter to the church at Ephesus. He says in Ephesians 4:7-8, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’”

In the Old Testament, the emphasis is on the leader who receives or gains ‘gifts’ from those who rebelled against him. In the New Testament this is applied to Christ who conquers sin and death and the emphasis is on the giving of gifts. My devotional reading says this applies to even the rebellious.

Actually, is there anyone who has never rebelled against God? Since only Jesus is perfectly obedient, all that God gives humanity in general and individuals in particular is given only to rebels. Not one person deserves the blessings of the Lord, and for good reason. We all fall short; we all are rebels at heart.

Sometimes I do something dumb and then ask, “Why did I do that?” because I know better. It is as if I forget that I am a sinner living in a fallen world. It is as if I think I should never fail. After all, I am a child of God. Hmm. My devotional author says,

If we were always patient, meek, holy, submissive, never harassed by the devil, and never felt the workings of corruption, we would begin to think we had some power to please God in ourselves, and would slight and neglect a precious Savior. But when taught by painful experience what a depraved nature and rebellious heart we carry in our bosom, when the Lord lets down a little mercy and grace into our soul, we then know the blessed quarter whence it comes, and learn to abhor ourselves and bless His holy name.

He is correct. The blessings of God are given in mercy. After all, a conquering king does not have to give the spoils to the people he conquered. History shows this is indeed rare. In fact, those who overpower others usually take, not give.

Not so with Jesus. He simply breaks all human rules and practices. When He won my heart and paraded His victory, He also offered me, the loser, everything that belongs to Him. By that, I stand with Him as a defeated rebel, but also as a total winner.