We read in Psalm 91:9-10, “Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” (NKJV)
As we continue our meditations on Psalm 91, we will focus our attention on verses 9 and 10 in this study. If we were to ask someone which of the above mentioned verses they desire, it would most probably verse 10, which promises protection from every form of evil and all kinds of plagues. We might have also noticed that verse 10 is framed and hung in many a Christian home. However, there is an important word that we need to note at the beginning of verse 9 and that is the word ‘because’. Whenever we read the word ‘because’ we understand that it implies that there is an instruction given which when followed will result in certain consequences.
The reason that no evil will befall us or any plague will come near our dwelling is elaborated in verse 9. This promise can be appropriated by anyone who not only has made God their refuge in times of trouble, but have also made God their dwelling place.
Long before man decided to make God his dwelling place, God Himself desired to have His residence among men.
We read in Exodus 25:8, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” (ASV)
These are the words of God to Moses, that they should build a sanctuary so God could dwell among them. Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden when sin separated sinful man from a Holy God, God has yearned to restore the relationship with fallen mankind. That was the reason why God instructed Moses that a holy sanctuary be set up so that He could reside in the midst of men. For the people in the Old Testament to go into that sanctuary to behold the presence of God, there were rules and regulations that needed to be adhered to strictly.
How can ordinary man make the Most High God his dwelling place?
The Psalmist says in Psalm 27:4, “I have asked one thing from the LORD. This I will seek: to remain in the LORD's house all the days of my life in order to gaze at the LORD's beauty and to search for an answer in his temple.” (GW)
There was only one thing that was top priority to David, to continue in the Lord’s house all through his life, so he could behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire of Him in His holy temple. There were many kings who reigned over Israel, but amongst all of them David was distinguished. The reason for David’s renown was because he had a single minded devotion toward God and made that his sole ambition.
Today we are in search of so many thing and therefore spend most of our time pursuing them. However, today we are going to study the word further to analyze what is that one thing that is needed and most necessary for our lives as children of God.
The one thing that Mary chose
These are the words of Jesus to Martha in Luke 10:42, “There's only one thing you need. Mary has made the right choice, and that one thing will not be taken away from her." (GW)
There were many who rejected Jesus while He was here on earth. Nonetheless, there was the family of Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary, who loved Jesus, served Him and welcomed Him into their home. Just like it happens in many families among siblings, Martha and Mary were quite varied in their personalities.
We read in Luke 10:39-40, “She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to his teaching. Martha was upset over all the work she had to do, so she came and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!"” (GNB)
As Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening to his teachings, Martha was busy with all other preparations. Mary was in a blessed place as she must have intently hearkened to the wonderful teachings of Jesus probably about the Kingdom of God, rule of God and the will of God. Martha on the other hand was overwhelmed with her work that she was bothered that her sister Mary did not offer any help.
Martha was so flustered with her work load that she asked Jesus to advice Mary to assist her in the work that she was doing. Martha went on further to question Jesus if He did not care that her sister was just sitting down to listen to Him, instead of being busy as she was. This was when Jesus responded to Martha with the words found in Luke 10:42, that only one thing was needed and Mary had chosen that one thing, which would not be taken away from her.
Mary realized who Jesus truly was and hence was content to spend time eagerly listening at His feet. Martha on the other hand was so caught up with her work that it not only seemed unending, but burdensome as well.
Every time we take an effort to spend time reading or listening to the word of God, we can be certain that there will be a hindrance or attack on us by Satan. The Lord sends His word out to bring healing and the enemy is certainly not pleased with this. The word of God brings life to us and can also bring transformations to impossible situations that confront us. Even today people are so busy with their humdrum day to day activities that they have no time for things pertaining to God or His word.
We are so overpowered by our busy schedules that instead of calming down, we sometimes wish to make God worry along with us. You remember the time when Jesus and his disciples were in a boat that met with a fierce storm. Not realizing who Jesus was, they woke Him up and asked Jesus, if He did not care that they would perish. That was the same word Martha used when she complained to Jesus about Mary not extending a helping hand to her. If we want to make God our dwelling place it is of utmost importance to comprehend what is that ‘one thing’ that is most important to Him. There are many who are burdened with the cares and worries of this world and the Lord says to such in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (ESV)
Have you noticed how even when having to listen to a message there are some who will prepare themselves, put everything aside, quieten themselves to sit down and listen. These are those to whom the word of God is of great importance and hence they take time and effort to meditate on the word. There are others like Martha who will be engaged with their work and trying hard to concentrate to listen in to the word that is being shared. There is a big difference between simply hearing and keenly listening. Jesus says to us outright, that there is only ‘one thing’ that is needful and the question is, ‘Have we chosen that ‘one thing’ over everything else?’
Let’s look at two parable of Jesus where He explains to us as to what we should consider as truly valuable.
The parable of the Hidden Treasure
We read in Matthew 13:44, "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field. (GNB)
While Jesus lived here on earth, He widely used parables in His teachings. These parables were earthly stories with heavenly meaning and often the message of the parable remained hidden to the hearers. In the above mentioned parable Jesus likened the Kingdom of heaven to a treasure that is hidden in a field. The man who chanced upon it was not the owner of the field, but probably a worker who as he worked on the field discovered this priceless treasure. Back in those days there were no banks and when people couldn’t keep their valuables at home for fear of theft, they would often hide them in fields, deep inside the ground. In case the owner of such a treasure died in battle or whatever other reason, and he had not informed anyone about it, that treasure would continue to be hidden until someone found it. When the man discovered this great treasure, he understood that this treasure he found was so enormous and valuable that it could transform his life. He was therefore so ecstatic that he sold all that he had, everything that he had probably saved all through his life, for his only goal was to buy that field and attain that treasure no matter what.
This treasure is in this parable is compared to the Kingdom of heaven, the rule of God. Like that man our only desire must be for us to achieve the Kingdom of heaven. It is good for each one to take stock as to what is that most important thing that we seek after. Is it the Kingdom of God and His authority over our lives or is it simply the things of this world? Often we work so hard to earn more and more, weary ourselves and others in the process, only to realize at the end of it, that we have traded our peace, our health and have heaped untold miseries on ourselves.
The kingdom of heaven is that priceless treasure that God offers us, and if we can become citizens of that Kingdom, living under the Lordship of the Heavenly King, no evil will come near our habitation. This is the promise of God to those who have made God their dwelling place, for to such no evil will befall them and no plague will come near their abode.
The parable of the priceless pearl
We also read in Matthew 13:45-46, "Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man is looking for fine pearls, and when he finds one that is unusually fine, he goes and sells everything he has, and buys that pearl.” (GNB)
Unlike the man in the previous parable who found the treasure by chance, in this parable the man is a business man who goes diligently searching to find fine pearls. It so happens that when he discovered a precious pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he has in order to obtain that priceless pearl. Here too this man was prepared to part with everything he owned so that he could acquire that one pearl which was worth far above all others.
Do we have that kind of longing to seek after that which is really important? As we look around us at the things that are happening, we will realize that this pandemic has affected everyone and spared no one. Irrespective of who people are, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, the ruler or the subject have all been leveled by the attack of this virus. That is why everyone is rushing to find safety and security during these days. It is in the midst of such chaos that God promises to grant His protective cover to those who are willing to make Him their habitation.
The disciples left everything when they found Jesus
As Jesus was on the sea shore teaching the multitudes, there was one man Peter who was washing his nets by the shore. There must have been many other boats on the shore that day, but Jesus beckoned to Peter and requested that He use his boat to address the great crowds that had gathered there. Peter had toiled all night, caught nothing and at that point he must have had a sense of being a failure. While Jesus taught that large assembly from Peter’s boat, we can be certain that Peter too was listening intently to Jesus’ exhortations.
After He had finished his teaching, Jesus directed Peter to go a little further and throw his nets again into the sea. Peter being a seasoned fisherman, knew a lot about the sea and hence he immediately responded to Jesus that their hard labor the whole night had proved utterly futile. Nonetheless, there was a faith that was sown in Peter’s heart, maybe because of what he heard from Jesus that day. Peter obeyed and cast his net just as Jesus instructed. The outcome was unimaginable for his nets were so full of fish that the nets almost were breaking. Not only was his boat brimming with fish, he called out to his partners so that their boats too were filled and overflowing with fish.
Let’s for a moment put ourselves in the place of Peter. A man who had nothing till then was now the recipient of a boat full of fish that could fetch him an enormous income. As they brought this great catch to the shore, in their minds they may have speculated all that they could accomplish with this substantial earnings.
However we read in Luke 5:11, “They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus.” (GNB)
For a fisherman the biggest blessing would have been to have a colossal catch of fish and that’s what Peter experienced that day. However, when they reached the shore they did something astounding. They left their boats on the beach, their nets, fish and all, to follow after Jesus. The reason for such a decision was because Peter had understood that only one thing was needful and he had found that in Jesus. He understood that if Jesus was with him and he went after Jesus that would be a place of total security, victory and blessing for him.
There is an important aspect of God’s word that we need to remember. Whenever, the word of God is preached and we hear it, His word will most certainly work in our lives. God’s word has the power to transform our lives. Irrespective of whichever part of the world you are from, if you have the opportunity to hear the word of God being taught, it is simply because of His great love towards us. Just like Peter, we too can be certain that every time we hear the word of God it will stimulate our faith and cause it to grow. That is why the bible tells in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (ESV) Every time we hear the word of God we should do so with prayer, preparation and the willingness to listen and obey. No wonder then that the word of God is compared to a tiny mustard seed. The size of the seed is so small and insignificant, but inside of it is the dynamic power to become a tree. So also the word of God has the power to produce faith and it is this faith that gives us the strength to overcome the world.
Paul left everything to follow Jesus
Paul before he met Jesus was so caught up with his Jewish heritage, his education and the traditions he adhered to. However, when Paul had that encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he realized that everything was rubbish when compared to knowing Jesus Christ. That was what prompted Paul to abandon everything that he held dear and to follow whole heartedly after the Lord Jesus.
Here’s a word of admonition to everyone who wants to be recipients of God’s grace, protection and security. It is available only to those who are willing to make God their dwelling place and for this to happen we must long for that ‘one thing’ that the Lord says is needed of us. In conclusion let me remind us from Psalm 27:4, “I have asked one thing from the LORD. This I will seek: to remain in the LORD's house all the days of my life in order to gaze at the LORD's beauty and to search for an answer in his temple.” (GW) Jesus exhorted us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (NKJV) It is only when we place God, His kingdom and His righteousness as top priority or number one in our lives and let go of everything else, are we guaranteed that everything else will be added to us as well.
It doesn’t really matter what kind of circumstances we are entangled with, God’s word reminds us to pursue after that ‘one thing’ and make God our all in all. The security that God assures to those of us who do so is not only for our time on earth but is available to us after death when we can obtain eternal life to live in peace and security in heaven with our Lord forever.
Pastor F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
