Jehovah is on His throne!

Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’ Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.” (1 Kings 1:11–14)

It had already been determined that Solomon would take the throne after David died. However another man had a following and determined to be the next king. This would not happen by popular vote as in our democracy. 

Not only that, the life of the rest of David’s family was in danger with Adonijah as king. To put a royal mother to death along with her offspring, though perhaps unusual, was not unknown. Nathan the prophet Nathan says this may be Bathsheba’s fate. He also knew God’s will for Solomon because David told him:

But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’ (1 Chronicles 22:8–10)

Since David was near the end of his life, he needed reminders of this and of the conspiracy that was happening. When told, he took wise steps to insure that Solomon became the next king.

This event is told with much detailed description. As a detail person, getting a big picture is a challenge. What I do see is the activity of our spiritual enemy trying to thwart the will of God. In this case, he uses Adonijah’s ambition to rule and David’s feeble condition to try and stop Him from putting his choice on the throne.

God refused to allow that enemy by strengthening His servant David to declare his intentions as the one who still had the authority to do so — after Nathan and Bathsheba informed him of the plot.

The Bible says God sets up kings and also puts them down. We watch the news and wonder about those currently in power, yet I’m hearing that in war-torn places thousands of people are turning to Christ because of the decisions of their evil political leaders. We might send food and military aid, but God is using their horrible situations to grant mercy and eternal life. 

Oh God, surely Your ways are not our ways. You remain on the throne and as mere mortals plot to usurp You, they cannot. Jesus is King of kings, and cannot be destroyed nor can His family be erased. You have given us eternal life, no matter what ambitious and God-hating enemies try to do. You are our hiding place, our shelter in all storms, our eternal hope, the one still in charge of even those who seem to be controlling what is happening in this messed-up world. Praise Your powerful and holy Name!

Living in a frightening world . . .

 

 

READ Psalm 1-5

This morning’s news is the same as yesterday: “The six-week-old war has forced more than 4 million people to flee Ukraine, destroyed cities and prompted a slew of Western restrictions on Russian elites and the economy. Russia has denied targeting civilians and said Ukraine and its Western backers are gripped by discriminatory anti-Russian paranoia.”

Bad news like this often turns me to Psalm 2 for assurance and I’ve used it to calm others who are fearful for the world’s future. Not to deny that current events could lead to something worse and more widespread, but the truth is that God is still in charge.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:1–12)

It is easy to fret about bad news but futile to stew over a war that I cannot do anything about. As if worry will fix it? The psalmist (likely David for all five) had all sorts of troubles. His own son threatened his life yet he was a man after God’s own heart and knew that no mattered what happened, those who trust the Lord are in His remarkable care:

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. (Psalm 3:5–6)

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! (Psalm 4:1)

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)

He could sleep at night. But this does not mean sleeping when shells are exploding all around; it means a calmness that comes with trust even in the midst of great danger. Outer horrors are not incompatible with the peace of God that passes understanding for those who understand that evil will not prevail. Only God prevails.

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. (Psalm 5:5–6)

This may not be immediate, but in the end of things, God’s will will be done. The worst that can happen is giving in to fear and letting those who lie and destroy ruin that confidence. Even if their weapons find their mark, the people who trust the Lord are immediately with Him. Is that such a horrible thing?

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:11–12)

I know — this is easy for me to say sitting at a desk with nothing more than the noise of traffic and the construction of a high-rise outside the window and the calm voice of an announcer covering the Masters golf event in the background. Yet this is the Word of God speaking, not my authority or experience. He never lies. For reasons unknown, He seems to allow the evils in our world to run unchecked but never fear; He is able to do all of the above and then some!

Lord God, trusting You makes sense to me. The other options do not. Keep my heart focused on You, even in this messy and very scary place.

 

Seated on His Throne . . .

 

On the seventh day after creation, God ceased working and rested. Did He SIT down? Perhaps.

There are thrones where human rulers sit in authority and a throne where God is seated on High. There are seats where scoffers sit and a seat of the image of jealousy as described by Ezekiel, both defeated by Christ. There is a seat describing the reign of violence and seats for money-changers who sold pigeons in the temple. Jesus overthrows both. His mercy seat depicts atonement and the covering of sin.

There are the ‘best seats’ in the synagogues and at feasts for the proud and grassy hillsides where the humble were seated to listen to Jesus, as was the Ethiopian seated in his chariot hungry to understand God’s Word.

There were judgment seats where the Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel decided disputed cases, pointing ahead to the “bema” seat where God will sit to judge the works of His people and a great white throne of judgment where He judges those not written in His book of life.

When John was given a revelation of Christ, he saw the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power, and one seated on a throne, and more thrones:

Revelation 4:2–11. At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind . . . And the four living creatures . . . day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

In the end, when rebellion against God reaches its maximum and when false religion is depicted as a “prostitute seated on many waters” and is judged, then Revelation 19:4 declares,“the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’ ”

After this, Revelation 20:11–15 describes what God does — as He is seated:

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

After this, God reveals the outcome in Revelation 21:5–7.

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He added,  “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Simply put, Jesus wins. These days, with wars, wildfires, pandemic hysteria, refugees pleading for help, and bad news everywhere, one option is a deep longing to go home, leave this place and be with Jesus. The other option is to realize He sits on the throne and rules all of it. I do not understand His plan, but I do believe in His wisdom and power and that He operates from a seated position indicating certainty that His plans will be accomplished. When He gave His life for our sin, He said, “It is finished” — He does not need to say it again.