We read in Psalm 91:15, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.” (AFV)
For our study today we will only focus on the first part of this verse, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;” These are the words of the Almighty God who created the heavens and the earth, with just the word of His mouth. Think of the blessed privilege that is ours that we have this awesome and mighty God who is willing to look down on us, insignificant people, and gives the assurance that He will reply us, when we call unto Him. However, this entitlement is specifically for those who trust in God completely. This part of the verse also describes an intimate relationship between God and man, wherein, as man beckons unto God, the Lord is eager to respond to him favorably.
The testimony that God gave about Moses
God is mindful of all our ways and therefore it is crucial that we live in such a way that we receive a good testimony from God. The bible records these attestations of God, about those who walked in total obedience to Him.
Here’s the wonderful testimony that God gave about Moses as recorded in Numbers 12:7, “Not so with My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house.” (AFV)
As God compared Moses with others who lived during his day, He affirmed that His servant Moses was unlike the others and that he was faithful in all of God’s house.
If God were to give a testimony about us, what kind of testimony would that be I wonder?
A background to this incident
Let us study the background to this verse to understand the reason why God made such a declaration about Moses.
We read in Numbers 12:1,“Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.” (NKJV)
In this incident Moses’ sister Miriam and his elder brother Aaron spoke against Moses, because of the Ethiopian woman whom Moses had married.
In Numbers 12:2,And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not also spoken by us?" And the LORD heard it. (AFV)
As they compared themselves with Moses, they were filled with a sense of insecurity that made them profess that they were in no way inferior to their brother Moses. They began to question the leadership of Moses and asserted that Moses was not the exclusive one through whom God had spoken, but that they too were God’s mouthpiece. It seemed like they wanted to find fault with Moses in some way. They first began with his marriage to the Ethiopian woman and later began to question the authority God had bestowed on Moses. The best part of that verse is that God heard what was spoken, which meant that God has decided to arbitrate to mete out justice to His servant Moses.
It is a fact that we are most hurt when those closest to us turn against us. Most of us may have encountered these situations where we had to face such opposition or insults from those nearest to us. Sadly, often our deepest hurts come from those whom we sometimes consider dearest to us. This happens often in families, where family members who are supposed to support each other, tear each other down. The hurts that are caused are often deep and not healed easily. If you have been the target of such painful experiences, do not be discouraged, but rest assured that if you make the Lord your refuge, He will certainly answer with justice and work on your behalf.
Generally, people who speak ill of others, do so because in some way they feel threatened by them. There are those who will insult us to our face, but there are others who do so behind our back. At those times we don’t need to let these things bother us too much, because we must be assured that God hears it all. One of the reasons why people are filled with so much of fear these days is because of the constant sharing of false information. Though you may caution people to not believe these rumors, there are a majority who are gullible and believe these false reports.
God is listening to everything that is being said, but when the word of God makes special mention like it does in Numbers 12:2, it implies that God has taken notice and will act accordingly. We therefore, should not be perturbed by those who speak ill of us, for if we walk uprightly before God, He will ensure that due recompense is given to those who malign our name.
The cry that God heard
A good example in the bible is recorded in Genesis 18:21, “I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” (ESV)
The people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had indulged in the most detestable practice of homosexuality. It was from such a city that their outcry reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. It was in response to this outcry that the Lord came down to bring due judgement on the wickedness that prevailed in these cities.
The character of Moses as God saw it
We read in Numbers 12:3,“Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” (ESV)
This was the testimony that Moses received from God, as his was a life of total dependence on God alone.
The more a person puts their trust in God, the outcome is that they develop an attitude of meekness. Oftentimes, we are so confused, perplexed and caught in whirlpool like situations, simply because we do not place our trust in the Lord and are unable to see His hand in all of our situations.
God took up for Moses
We read in Numbers 12:4, “And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out.”(ESV)
God Himself summoned Aaron, Miriam and Moses to come to meet with Him at the tent of meeting. It was after this encounter with them that God gave this affirmation about Moses in Numbers 12:7, “Not so with My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house.” (AFV)
God set Moses apart from Aaron and Miriam and declared that Moses is His faithful servant in all of His house. We know the outcome of this confrontation that Aaron and Miriam had with God. Miriam turned leprous and in those days a person with leprosy was cast aside to live in seclusion. Miriam was rejected and isolated only because she chose to speak against God’s servant Moses.
As people who live here on earth, it is of utmost importance that we maintain a good testimony with those around us. When we do so even if those around us speak ill of us, pass false reports and do their best to spoil our reputation, as we live a life of integrity before God and lean on Him completely, He will hear our cry and definitely grant us justice. Irrespective of the allegations that are piled against us, let us decide to trust God, please Him and continue to do good. At the most unexpected time, the Lord will mediate to bring speedy vindication and deliverance.
The testimony David received from God
We read in Act 13:22,“And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’”(ESV)
This is the affidavit that David received from God. His declaration about David was that he was a man after God’s own heart, as David was a man who perceived the will of God and fulfilled it in His life.
We are generally sharing testimonies of all the wonderful things that God has done in our lives. In contrast, God Himself was giving testimony about David. We too must desire to receive such a testimony from God as those who honor God and are always ready to do His will in our lives.
What made David receive this testimony from God?
1. David refused to be bitter about his situations
We read in 1 Samuel 16:11,And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your children here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here." (AFV)
In this incident recorded in 1 Samuel 16, God sent the prophet Samuel to choose one of the sons of Jesse and anoint him as king over Israel. When all the seven sons of Jesse passed by and Samuel realized that none of them were chosen, he asked Jesse if he had any other sons. It was only then that Jesse made mention of David and explained that he was the youngest and tending sheep. Samuel asked that David be brought immediately and refused to even sit down until the young boy was brought before him.
It seemed like the entire family including David’s father had almost forgotten about him. David was a young man who was spending so much of his time in the presence of God, that there was no bitterness in his heart against his family, though he was in a way rejected by them.
If we claim to be children of God, trusting Him completely, there is no place for any kind of hatred or bitterness in our hearts against anyone.
2. David worshiped God both in private and in public
One of the incredible qualities of David was that he constantly worshiped God, whether he was alone or in the company of people. Here’s the word of David as he wandered in the wilderness of Judah as recorded in Psalm 63:1, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (ESV)
David continued to worship God even when he was appointed king of Israel. No wonder then that God could affirm that he was a man after His own heart. All the psalms of David are the outcome of his heart of worship and praise that were constantly focused on God. That is why David as a shepherd boy could say in Psalm 23:1‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want’. In his experience as a shepherd he could easily recognize God to be his Shepherd who could lead him, protect him and provide for him. As David continued to worship God, God was pleased with him, He honored him, elevated him to be the king of Israel and established his throne forever.
Just like David, we too must learn to worship the Lord recognizing what an awesome God we believe and serve. The word of God reminds us that we must worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness. Today we have church buildings that are adorned with all kinds of finery, but the adornment that the Lord is pleased with is a life of holiness. Our worship should also be in Spirit and in truth. To worship in truth, implies that our worship should be from the depths of our heart, sincere and genuine. We must learn to worship God whatever be our circumstances, for only then will God bring deliverance to us.
In the New Testament too we read about many incidents where people praised Jesus and worshiped Him for the many wonders He performed. However, Paul and Silas set a great precedent about when one can worship God. They were both in prison, their hands and feet in fetters and in that arduous situation they chose to sing praises to the Lord. As they did so their chains fells off and they were set free.
May we too learn to sing praises to God and worship Him all the time, irrespective of whether circumstances are good or bad.It is only when we do so, will we fulfill God’s will in our lives and allow God to bring transformation to our hearts and minds.
3. David did His best in everything
As a shepherd boy who was minding his father’s sheep, David did so with much diligence. When a wild animal attacked the flock and fled with a sheep, David went after it and saved the sheep from the mouth of the wild beast. David could have taken a careless attitude, as one who was left to just tend sheep, but he did his job with the thought that God was watching over him, knowing that he was accountable to God and his father.
David also excelled in the use of his sling, with which he also won over Goliath, thereby bringing victory to the people of Israel. One can imagine as to how much he practiced with it, so as to develop such a brilliant skill to use the sling with perfect precision. Moreover, David also surpassed everyone in the way he played the harp too.
Here’s the testimony a servant of Saul gave about David as recorded in 1 Samuel 16:18,“And one of the servants answered and said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, and a mighty warrior and a man of battle, and prudent in speech. And he is a person of good form, and the LORD is with him." (AFV)
The servant not only saw that David was skillful in playing the harp, he was a brave and mighty warrior, excellent in speech and of great form, but he also recognized that the Lord was with David.
There are so many who do their work carelessly, but expect that the Lord will bless them anyhow. Just remember, whatever we do, we must do it as unto the Lord, wholeheartedly and giving of our very best. If we do so, we will experience the joy of having God hear and answer our prayers. We will also receive God’s blessing and approval in every area of our lives and God will surely honor us in every way.
What an amazing testimony David had, both from God and men. We too must strive to receive such an affirmation firstly from God, but also from men. Those in our family, those who work with us and the people we interact with, may they all be able to testify that we are truly the children of God. Let us cling on to God firmly and when we do so we can be assured that Psalm 91:15, ‘He shall call upon Me,’ and I will answer him’ will most certainly become a reality in our lives.
Pastor F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
