2 Samuel 5:1-5, 2 Samuel 5:9-10, Psalm 48:1-14, Ezekiel 2:1-5, Psalm 123:1-4, 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, Mark 6:1-13.
(A). THE THIRD ANOINTING OF DAVID: KING OVER ALL ISRAEL.
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 2 Samuel 5:9-10.
After the LORD had rejected Saul from being king (cf. 1 Samuel 15:23), the LORD sent Samuel to anoint David (cf. 1 Samuel 16:1). The LORD had sought Him ‘a man after His own heart’ (cf. 1 Samuel 13:14), and found him in ‘David, the son of Jesse’ (cf. Acts 13:22). And the Spirit of the LORD who had ‘departed from Saul’ (cf. 1 Samuel 16:14), came upon David ‘from that day forward’ (cf. 1 Samuel 16:13). This was David’s first anointing, while Saul was still King, and before David had killed Goliath.
After the death of Saul, David asked the LORD whether he should go up into any of the cities of Judah, and the LORD instructed Him to go up into Hebron (cf. 2 Samuel 2:1). There the men of Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah (cf. 2 Samuel 2:4). This was David’s second anointing and, with Hebron as his capital city, David reigned over the tribe of Judah for seven and a half years (cf. 2 SAMUEL 5:5a).
After this second anointing, ‘there was long war between the house of Saul, and the house of David.’ David became ‘stronger and stronger,’ whilst the house of Saul became ‘weaker and weaker’ (cf. 2 Samuel 3:1). Until, at last, “All the tribes of Israel” came to David at Hebron with a view to making him king over all Israel (2 SAMUEL 5:1a).
Moses had anticipated that one day Israel would want to set a king over them, and laid down certain strict guidelines (cf. Deuteronomy 17:14-15). The “elders of Israel” (2 SAMUEL 5:3a) seem to have had these in view when they made their approach to David.
The first argument which the representatives of “all the tribes of Israel” brought to David at Hebron was one of kinship: “we are thy bone and thy flesh” (2 SAMUEL 5:1b). This is in keeping with Deuteronomy 17:15b - ‘one from among thy brethren.’ (Incidentally, the LORD used similar language in Deuteronomy 18:18 when he spoke to Moses of the Prophet to come: ‘from among their brethren, like unto thee.’
The second argument was practical: “in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel” (2 SAMUEL 5:2a). This is substantiated in 1 Samuel 18:16 – ‘all Israel and Judah loved David because he went out and came in before them.’ It was, in effect, as if David was already king, even while Saul was still alive. After all, David was doing the job that the people had expected a king to perform: ‘to go out before us, and fight our battles’ (cf. 1 Samuel 8:20).
The third argument is the strongest: the king was to be of the LORD’s choosing (cf. Deuteronomy 17:15a). “The LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed (shepherd) my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain (ruler) over them” (2 SAMUEL 5:2b).
Moses had been a shepherd in the wilderness before the LORD called him to lead the people of Israel out of captivity and towards the promised land. David was a shepherd boy before ever he was a giant killer, and ultimately became the first ‘shepherd-king’ of Israel. This was the template which his successors were supposed to follow, but against which they so often failed.
Ultimately, it is the LORD Himself who is the ‘Shepherd of Israel’ (cf. Psalm 80:1; Psalm 78:52). ‘The LORD is my shepherd,’ David had sung (cf. Psalm 23:1). And Jesus is ‘the Good Shepherd’ who ‘giveth His life for the sheep’ (cf. John 10:11).
Jesus told Peter to ‘feed my lambs,’ ‘shepherd my sheep,’ and ‘feed my sheep’ (cf. John 21:15-17). In like manner, Peter exhorted his fellow-elders to (literally) ‘shepherd’ the flock of God which is among you (cf. 1 Peter 5:2).
It is interesting that it does not say here that the elders made a covenant with David, but rather that David made a covenant with the elders (2 SAMUEL 5:3). This is not democracy, but was all done “before the LORD” – which may have involved promises and sacrifices. The response of the elders was to anoint David as king over all Israel. This was David's third anointing.
2 SAMUEL 5:4-5 recounts the length of David’s overall reign. In 2 Samuel 5:6-8 we read of the capture of Jerusalem, a hitherto Jebusite city within Benjamin’s tribal territory. Here King David took up his residence, calling it “the city of David” (2 SAMUEL 5:9), and this rapidly became the capital of all Israel.
“David went on, and grew great,” but only because “the LORD God of hosts was with him” (2 SAMUEL 5:10). The dynasty would continue on, with all its ups and downs, until at last one of David’s line would be “born King” in Bethlehem (cf. Matthew 2:1-2), and named ‘Jesus’ (cf. Matthew 1:25). The New Testament opens with the genealogy of Jesus, and begins, ‘The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, THE SON OF DAVID, the son of Abraham’ (cf. Matthew 1:1).
Jesus is ‘that great shepherd of the sheep.’ Let us read Hebrews 13:20-21.
(B). THE POWER OF PRAISE.
Psalm 48:1-14.
1. The God of the City.
Before we can talk about the “city of our God” we must recognise and acknowledge the God of the city. The Bible does not begin with Jerusalem, but with God. The New Testament does not begin with the church, but with Jesus.
This psalm begins with a simple statement of fact: “Great is the LORD” and, because of the greatness of the LORD, He is “greatly to be praised” (PSALM 48:1a).
It is God who is known in the palaces of the city as a refuge (PSALM 48:3). It is Jesus who is our city of refuge. He is the sacrifice whose blood atones for our sins. He is the high priest whose death sets us free.
It is God who broke the ships of Tarshish with an east wind (PSALM 48:7; cf. 2 Chronicles 20:36-37).
It is God who establishes the city “for ever” (PSALM 48:8). This is perhaps the key verse in the whole chapter. It is Jesus who said, ‘I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (cf. Matthew 16:18). “Selah:” think on these things.
It is the ‘hesed’ of the LORD, His covenant mercy, His “lovingkindness,” that we meditate upon “in the midst of thy temple” (PSALM 48:9). It is Jesus who established the new covenant in His blood (cf. Matthew 26:28).
It is in accordance with the name of God that His praises redound to the ends of the earth (PSALM 48:10a). It is at the name of Jesus that every knee shall bow (cf. Philippians 2:10-11).
It is God whose right hand is “full of righteousness” (PSALM 48:10b). He is both ‘just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus’ (cf. Romans 3:26). And Jesus is the One who, sitting on a white horse, ‘in righteousness doth judge and make war’ (cf. Revelation 19:11).
“This is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death’ (PSALM 48:14; cf. Psalm 23:4). Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (cf. John 11:25). Jesus leads the way OVER death.
2. The City of our God.
Where is the LORD to be praised? In the place that God has chosen (cf. 2 Chronicles 6:5-6), “the city of our God” (PSALM 48:1b). A city is a place of civilisation. We could speak of the civilising influence of the church, wherever the gospel has flourished. This city is, “in the mountain of His holiness.” Jesus said, ‘a city that is set upon a hill cannot be hid’ (cf. Matthew 5:14). True Christians cannot remain hidden for long.
The Psalmist talks about the beauty, or elevation, of Mount Zion (PSALM 48:2). This is the site of the Temple Mount within Jerusalem. Like Zion, the church is founded upon a rock. Jerusalem is both “the city of our God” (PSALM 48:1) and a Royal city: “the city of the great King” (PSALM 48:2; cf. Psalm 2:6). Jesus is the ultimate and final king of David’s descent (cf. Matthew 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7).
PSALM 48:4-6 may well be a reference to the attack against Jerusalem by the Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites during the reign of King Jehoshaphat. On that occasion, the LORD told the king, and ‘all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem’ that ‘the battle is God’s,’ and that they need not fight, but just ‘stand still and see the salvation of the LORD.’ Jehoshaphat set singers in the forefront, that they should ‘praise the beauty of holiness;’ and ‘the LORD set ambushes’ against the enemy so that they ended up destroying one another (cf. 2 Chronicles 20).
Or it may refer to a later deliverance, during the reign of King Hezekiah, when 185,000 Assyrians were struck down by the LORD, causing the king of Assyria to return to Nineveh where he was assassinated by his own sons in the temple of his ‘god’ (cf. Isaiah 37:33-38).
No wonder the Psalmist exhorts both “Zion” and the “daughters of Judah” (the lesser cities) to “rejoice” and “be glad” (PSALM 48:11). The church, too, will surely rejoice at God’s righteous judgments against our persecutors (cf. Revelation 19:13).
PSALM 48:12-13 takes us on a peripatetic tour around the city. ‘Look at all this,’ the tour guide might say, ‘the towers, the bulwarks, the palaces: all intact despite the wicked intentions of our enemies! Mark it well, count them, and be sure to tell the generation following what God has done.' It is the responsibility of every Christian to tell forth what God has done for us, in the Lord Jesus Christ.
PSALM 48:14. It is THIS God who is OUR God. He is our God “FOR EVER AND EVER.” He will be our guide not only unto, but OVER death!
(C). A HARD CALLING.
Ezekiel 2:1-5.
In times gone by, and in certain places and professions still, it was taken for granted that children would follow in the trade of their fathers. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, would have known from an early age that they were going to be fishermen. The people in Jesus’ village recognised Him only as ‘the carpenter’s son’.
Ezekiel was all set to follow in his fathers’ footsteps as a priest in the Temple: no doubt studying in the Priest school (if there was one), and maybe doing post-graduate studies in preparation for his big day. However, on Ezekiel’s thirtieth birthday - the day when we would normally expect him to be ordained into his priestly role - we find him purifying himself (perhaps): but not for the priesthood, and not in Jerusalem, but hundreds of miles away, in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1). Another call had taken precedence in Ezekiel’s life: the call to pack ‘flight bags only’ as he was going into exile!
Sometimes, it seems, life does deal us bitter blows. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, falsely accused, wrongfully imprisoned. Generations later, Moses, who had been brought up in Pharaoh’s house, had to flee from Egypt. Even Jeremiah, Ezekiel’s near contemporary, was dragged by his countrymen back into exile in Egypt (Jeremiah 43:6-7).
Ezekiel had no doubt been looking forward to becoming a priest his whole life long. Now the Temple was gone, and God’s people scattered. However, it became evident that the LORD of glory (Ezekiel 1:28) had other plans for the young man.
Perhaps it is when we are most perplexed that the LORD speaks into our situation. Is it not so? We are at the end of ourselves, the end of our tether, and our only recourse, our only hope, lies in Him. For now, before the throne of the LORD of glory, Ezekiel could only prostrate himself: but the voice of the One who spoke called him to his feet (Ezekiel 2:1). Stand up for your commission!
By way of simple comparison, a priest speaks to God for the people, whereas a prophet speaks for God to the people. The term used by God in addressing his new prophet is ‘ben Adam’: son of man. Whereas this might be a way of saying ‘Mister’ as opposed to any other ecclesiastical title, I still see significance in the fact that Jesus’ favoured term for Himself was ‘Son of Man’.
The call of a prophet, as of a priest (and Jesus is both, as well as a King), is wrapped up in his humanity. The prophets, from Samuel to John the Baptist, filled the void until the One came who was ‘like unto’ Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). Such a One, or any of His forerunners, would speak the LORD’s words after Him (Deuteronomy 18:18). Even as Ministers should be doing to this very day!
The Spirit entered Ezekiel, and empowered him to rise to his feet, right there before the speaking One (Ezekiel 2:2). The prophet, like the Apostles after him, became a “sent one” (Ezekiel 2:3) - but the people to whom he was sent were not necessarily going to be friendly, or open to the Word.
There is a certain irony in the comment that “the children of Israel” were “a nation of rebels” - in other words, they were behaving as goyim, Gentiles! They were “in revolt” against the LORD, their covenant King. The status was ongoing, continuing “to this very day” (Ezekiel 2:3), and they were still far from recognising their transgression (but cf. Daniel 9:5; Daniel 9:9).
The new generation had “stiff faces” (were obstinate, brazen-faced, impudent); and “hard hearts” (were stiff-hearted, tough-hearted, stubborn). In other words, their faces were as hard as their hearts. To such, the LORD was sending the prophet: and to such he must say, “Thus says the LORD” (Ezekiel 2:4).
Whether they would “hear or refuse to hear” was not the point. After all, the house of Israel was now named “a house of defiance” (Ezekiel 2:5). As the Apostle Paul would later say, ‘Preach the word; be instant in season and out of season’ (2 Timothy 4:2).
As the Apostle says elsewhere, ‘Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel’ (1 Corinthians 9:16). Only when the prophet (or Minister) fulfils this commission will the people know that it has been the very word of God that has been spoken among them (Ezekiel 2:5). Nothing is more important.
(D). AN OPEN-ENDED PRAYER.
Psalm 123:1-4.
This is a short, impassioned prayer: a plea for help in the face of adversaries. It begins with adoration, with an abrupt “Unto You…” (Psalm 123:1).
This is a song of Ascents, and its opening may be paralleled to another: ‘I to the hills will lift mine eyes, from whence doth come mine aid?’ (Psalm 121:1). Our help is not to be found in the high places; however awesome they may seem. The answer follows, ‘My safety comes from the LORD, who heaven and earth hath made’ (Psalm 121:2).
“Unto You,” then, “I lift up my eyes” (Psalm 123:1). Another Psalm takes it a step further: ‘But unto thee, O God the LORD, mine eyes uplifted be: My soul do not leave destitute; my trust is set in thee’ (Psalm 141:8).
But “Unto You”, who? Answer: “O Thou that dwells in the heavens” (Psalm 123:1). The LORD says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool’ (Isaiah 66:1; cf. Isaiah 57:15). ‘The throne of the LORD is in heaven’ (Psalm 11:4). Are you worried about powerful, scornful people? ‘He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; He shall have them in derision’ (Psalm 2:4). ‘Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases’ (Psalm 115:3).
The lifting of the eyes is compared to the lifting of the eyes of servants to their masters’ hand, and of a maid to the hand of her mistress (Psalm 123:2). We should be willing to obey the hand that directs, and to accept of the hand that disciplines: but we should also be ready to receive from the hand that graciously gives ‘all good things’ (Matthew 7:11). ‘My eyes are ever toward the LORD; for He shall pluck my feet out of the net’ (Psalm 25:15). ‘My eyes long for your salvation’ (Psalm 119:123). So, “OUR eyes look to the LORD our God, until He has mercy on us” (Psalm 123:2).
The subject of mercy continues over into the third verse. Here the Psalmist twice invokes God’s mercy in the context of his prayer. He is no longer speaking only for Himself, but for the whole community of God’s people: “Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy upon us” (Psalm 123:3a)! This is the corporate form of the language of the taxman in the Temple: ‘God be merciful to me, the sinner’ (Luke 18:13); and of David in the cave (Psalm 57:1).
Now we (at last) get to the petition, to the reason for the prayer: “for we are exceedingly filled with contempt” (Psalm 123:3b). The pride of enemies was also in the purview of David (Psalm 56:1-2). The servants of the LORD are mocked (Psalm 89:50-51). They are the taunt of their neighbours and are surrounded by derision and scorn (Psalm 44:13). When Nehemiah began to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he spoke of enemies ‘who laughed at us, and despised us’ (Nehemiah 2:19); who were ‘furious and very indignant and mocked the Jews’ (Nehemiah 4:1). Nehemiah turned this into a petition: ‘Hear, O our God, for we are despised (Nehemiah 4:4).
I imagine Ezekiel knew this kind of contempt, too, when he was commissioned to preach to what the Voice from heaven called, ‘impudent and stubborn children’ (Ezekiel 2:4); ‘a rebellious house’ (Ezekiel 2:5). But the ultimate sufferer of such scorning was the One who took it all upon Himself: our Lord Jesus Christ. The Pharisees ridiculed Jesus (Luke 16:14); the onlookers at the Cross scoffed at Jesus (Luke 23:35); Jesus was despised, rejected, and held in low esteem (Isaiah 53:3).
“Our soul is exceedingly filled,” repeats the Psalmist. This time it is “with the scorning of those who are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud” (Psalm 123:4). If we return to the servant image, then we have here those who despise them. ‘In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune’ (Job 12:5). ‘Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,’ cries Amos (Amos 6:1). Why? Because ‘they are not grieved over the affliction of Joseph’ (Amos 6:6).
One of the amazing things about this Psalm, is that it ends just here. There is no evidence of the prayer being answered, but we all own it. It spans the history of the church, and cries in unspoken words (that are spoken in other parts of the Bible) ‘How long Lord?’ (Psalm 13:2; Habakkuk 1:2; Revelation 6:10).
The Psalmist has now presented his petition. Like the lawyer who says, ‘I rest my case’, he leaves it at the feet of Jesus (so to speak). Then he rests. Thus, the godly express their confidence in God. There is no reason to go back over and over it. Will not God speedily answer (Luke 18:7-8)? We know that He will, though the time seem long to us. ‘The LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants’ (Deuteronomy 32:36).
When we have presented our case, made our petition to the Lord, laid it at the feet of Jesus: we should rest in faith. Instead of mulling over it, fretting over the outcome: we should leave it where we put it, get on with our lives, trust in the Lord. It is in good hands. It is no longer our business. God knows. God answers. His timing is perfect. And to His name be all the glory forever. Amen.
(E). GRACE SUFFICIENT.
2 Corinthians 12:2-10.
In the process of composing an argument against some proud boasters who measured themselves by nothing more than one another (2 Corinthians 10:12), Paul allowed himself to engage in some rhetorical boasting which confronted his foes on their own ground (2 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Corinthians 12:11). Paul admitted, again and again, that he was playing the fool to get his point across (2 Corinthians 11:21; 2 Corinthians 11:23). Whatever heroics the self-styled super-apostles could boast, whatever credentials they could flaunt, in whatsoever sufferings they could boast, Paul would no doubt excel them all.
Yet all this glorying was quite unseemly and out of character to the Apostle. After all, we know from another Scripture (and from a well-known hymn) that Paul really desired to boast in nothing less than the Cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14). Yet before his game was over, Paul had one last ace up his sleeve: the question of visions and revelations which his opponents sported like some kind of badge of authentication (2 Corinthians 12:1).
At this point Paul slips into the third person singular (2 Corinthians 12:2-5). It was as if, in order to distance himself from what he had once experienced, he had to step out from who he was in order to take an objective view of what had really happened (2 Corinthians 12:6). That the experience was nevertheless Paul’s own experience is seen from his cautious return to the first person singular (2 Corinthians 12:6-7).
It is not appropriate that we should here speculate about what it was that Paul had heard that he was forbidden to tell us (2 Corinthians 12:4) – his own reticence should be our guide in that matter. It is like the experience of the prophet of old, who was told to seal the vision until the time ordained (Daniel 12:4).
Neither is it appropriate to speculate on the nature of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” - except to stress that it was “given" (by God) as "a messenger of Satan" (2 Corinthians 12:7). This is a carefully crafted expression, which perfectly holds the tension between the evil origin of suffering, and the sovereignty of God. The devil is sometimes allowed to do his worst: but only according to the limits set by God, and no further (Job 1:12; Job 2:6). The dog-in-the-yard can get no closer to the mail-man than the length of the animal’s chain.
This is an example of the kind of chastening that we might expect as Christians (Hebrews 12:6), lest we also should become puffed up through our experiences. In the midst of such suffering (whatever it may be), we might indeed pray, imploring the Lord to take it from us (2 Corinthians 12:8) - but we must recognise also that God’s seeming silence could be an answer in itself. Three times Jesus asked for ‘this cup’ to pass from Him, but He was content rather to submit Himself to God’s will (Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:42; Matthew 26:44).
As for Paul, He did at last get an audible answer, and by its inclusion in Scripture we also have our answer. If there is no way out of our suffering, God does provide a way through: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). After all, what is incarnation, and what the power of the Cross, if it is not God participating in the very extremities of our weakness?
With this, Paul reverts one last time to his rhetorical boasting. The Apostle will “glory” in, take pride in, take pleasure in, and rejoice in his “infirmities” – so that the power of Christ might rest upon Him. “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
(F). CONTINUING THE WORK OF CHRIST.
Mark 6:1-13.
The true worth of any ministry is discovered not in manufactured ‘results,’ but in faithful service to the Lord. Your quiet word to a friend in time of need or perplexity may be just as valuable - if not more so - as the clarion call of the gospel going out throughout the world by the various media available to us in this day and age. One may plant the seed of the gospel, another may water it, but ultimately it is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).
If we do become ‘results oriented’ in the church, we are quite possibly setting ourselves up for a fall. In another context, Jesus spoke of that which is good for the master being good also for the servant: ‘If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also’ (John 15:20). There is something quite poignant in the passage before us, when we see that even Jesus Himself had His hands tied as far as visible ‘success’ was concerned when His hearers refused to apply their own faith to His words (Mark 6:5)!
Prophets are generally not recognised at home, amongst their own kith and kin (Mark 6:4). Their neighbours and acquaintances are generally “astonished” (Mark 6:2), and take offence that someone like the village carpenter, whose mother, brothers, and sisters they know, should suddenly be empowered to preach sound words (Mark 6:3). Yet our apparent ‘failure’ in one place becomes our opportunity to serve somewhere else (Mark 6:6).
The astonishment of the congregation in Nazareth (Mark 6:2) was matched by Jesus’ own wonder at their unbelief (Mark 6:6). Yet He did what He could, laying His hands on a few sick folk who were open to His blessing, and healing them (Mark 6:5). Then He went about in the villages on a teaching circuit (Mark 6:6).
Jesus’ disciples quite happily tagged along with Him during this mini-crisis (Mark 6:1): but now it was time for them to conduct their own outreach (Mark 6:7). There is no point in us sitting under the sound of the gospel if we do not also apply it in our lives, and seek to minister to others in our day to day living. We receive consolation in the midst of affliction not just for our own benefit, but also so that we may minister the comfort of God to others in the midst of their troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
The first thing that we notice about Jesus’ commissioning of the twelve apostles for their inaugural exercise, was that He sent them forth “two by two” (Mark 6:7). Later Jesus sent out seventy missionaries, two by two, to the cities and places where He would come (Luke 10:1). Later still, the Apostles themselves sent forth Peter and John on a particular mission (Acts 8:14). Paul companioned with Barnabas (Acts 13:2); and then Barnabas took Mark, and Paul chose Silas (Acts 15:39-40). ‘Two are better than one,’ says the wise man, because one is able to ‘lift up’ the other (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). There is strength in partnership.
The specific instructions for this particular mission do provide some general guidelines for outreach, but are not necessarily cast in stone. There was to be an urgency about their work, so they were exhorted to minimise the clutter they carried (Mark 6:8-9). And wherever they were received, there they were to stay, rather than flitting about from house to house seeing who would give the best hospitality (Mark 6:10).
There is a deep symbolism in the final instruction, concerning the people who refused to receive the apostles - and by extension, refused to receive Jesus and His gospel (Mark 6:11). Shaking the dust off one’s feet was a familiar symbol, exercised by Jewish people when they returned to Israel from pagan lands. Now the apostles would use this gesture as a testimony against any - of whatever nation - who refused to accept their persons or their message. Jesus told them that it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city in the day of judgment.
The apostles were given “power over unclean spirits” (Mark 6:7) - but their ministry, like that of John the Baptist (Mark 1:4) and Jesus (Mark 1:15) before them, was first and foremost the preaching of repentance (Mark 6:12). The outward manifestations of exorcism and healing served as signs - as the Apostle John, for example, consistently calls miracles - but they were not an end in themselves (Mark 6:13). The Apostles were to continue to do what Jesus ‘began both to do and to teach’ (Acts 1:1), leaving the church an open-ended book to complete.
Whatever the Lord calls us to do, let us be faithful in it. We may rest assured that His word ‘shall not return unto Him void’ (Isaiah 55:11). It shall accomplish that for which He sent it.
