Psalm 66:1-8, Joel 2:21-26, James 1:21-27, John 16:23-33.
A). SING FORTH HIS GLORY.
Psalm 66:1-8.
The superscription to this Psalm is addressed, “To the chief musician. A Song or Psalm.” Whether sung or spoken, it is a call to all nations to “Make a joyful noise” to God (Psalm 66:1). Which God? Well, compare Psalm 100:1, where YHWH, ‘the LORD’ is named.
All creatures, even inanimate things, acknowledge Him. How much more should man, created in His image, bow the knee to Him (Psalm 146:5-6; Isaiah 45:22-23).
“Sing forth the glory of His NAME. Make His praise glorious” (Psalm 66:2). Join the cherubim is singing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory’ (Isaiah 6:3).
So, God is to be acknowledged because of His great NAME, which is YHWH, the LORD, the same yesterday, today and forever. Furthermore, He is to be worshipped on account of His AWESOME deeds (Psalm 66:3). His works of creation and providence, His works of grace and mercy, the salvation which He has wrought for His people at the Cross of Jesus.
The response comes in Psalm 66:4, where “The whole earth SHALL worship thee, and SHALL sing unto thee; they SHALL sing to thy NAME.” (Cf. Habakkuk 2:14; Philippians 2:10-11). “Selah.” Think on these things.
“Come and see,” begins the next section (Psalm 66:5). These are the words of evangelism. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip to Nathanael (John 1:45-46). ‘Come see a man,’ said the woman of Samaria: ‘is not this the Christ?’ (John 4:29).
What shall we come and see? His AWESOME deeds toward the children of men (Psalm 66:5). The rehearsal of the deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt (Psalm 66:6) is also described as AWESOME in Exodus 15:11.
“HE turned the sea into dry land, THEY went through the flood on foot, there WE rejoiced,” (Psalm 66:6). The crossing of the Red Sea by the children of Israel is paradigmatic of the salvation accomplished by Jesus. ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ Without His death, there is no resurrection - for any of us. We rejoice in His victory on our behalf!
When we have ‘passed from death to life’ (1 John 3:14), we join Israel in exalting the LORD (Exodus 15:2). Even in the exodus of the children of Israel, God was showing forth His power with His eyes towards “the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves” (Psalm 66:7). “Selah.” Think on this.
“O bless our God, ye peoples” (Psalm 66:8) is an appeal being made by the congregation of God’s people to all the peoples of all the lands of all the earth (Psalm 66:1; cf. Psalm 100:1). This is evangelism which puts God first. It is not about us; it is about Him.
“Let the sound of His praise be heard” (Psalm 66:8) gives permission to the church to harness all this world’s media for the furtherance of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tell the world to tell others: this stuff is good! This word is for all, y’all: pass it on!
B). RESTORATION.
Joel 2:21-26.
The locusts, and their like, had eaten away many years of Israel’s history (cf. Joel 1:4), with devastating results. Not only was the land wasted for the farmers and winemakers, but also the offerings of the LORD were cut off (cf. Joel 1:9-12). Joy was ‘withered away from the sons of men’ (cf. Joel 1:12)!
Joel’s reaction to all this was to speak into the ear of government and church leadership, calling for a national fast and a public day of prayer and humiliation before the LORD (cf. Joel 1:14; Joel 2:15). The LORD Himself called for nothing less than national repentance, rending of hearts, fasting, weeping and mourning (cf. Joel 2:12-14). The ministers of the LORD were enjoined to join Joel in this initiative by weeping and saying, ‘Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: why should they say among the people, Where is their God?’ (cf. Joel 2:17).
When they thus humbled themselves and fasted and wept and mourned and cried to the LORD, ‘then would the LORD be jealous for His land and pity His people’ (cf. Joel 2:18). The LORD would ‘no more make you a reproach among the heathen’ (cf. Joel 2:19). The locust has done his ‘great things’ (end of Joel 2:20); now the LORD would do His ‘great things’ (JOEL 2:21).
Israel is called to rejoice in the LORD their God (JOEL 2:23a). We pray for seasonable weather, and that is just what the children of Zion had restored to them: “the former rain moderately, the rain, the former rain and the latter rain” (JOEL 2:23b). In the words of Elijah, ‘I hear the sound of an abundance of rain’ (cf. 1 Kings 18:41).
Now the pastures of the wilderness would spring, and the trees and the vines would be fruitful (JOEL 2:22). The floors would be full of wheat, and the vats overflowing with wine and oil (JOEL 2:24). The LORD would restore the years that the locust had eaten: “my great army which I sent among you” (JOEL 2:25).
Now the people of the LORD were vindicated, along with His great name (JOEL 2:26). With the twice repeated “My people shall never be ashamed” (cf. Joel 2:26-27), even the groaning of creation (cf. Romans 8:22) was abated.
In Christ, God restores to us what would have been had we not allowed sin an entrance. Ultimately the full restoration lies ahead, even for us, but meantime we have the ‘guarantee of our inheritance’ (cf. Ephesians 1:14). The Holy Spirit, and all the rich blessings which come with His presence in our lives.
C). DOERS, NOT HEARERS ONLY.
James 1:22-27.
We must be careful that we are “doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving our own selves” (James 1:22). Having heard and received, we must then put the word into action in our lives. Good works do not make us Christians, but Christians will do good works. Practical Christianity is not a spectator sport (cf. Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21)!
It is unfortunate that, having heard the word of God, we so easily forget what we heard. James illustrates this with his picture of a man who looks in the mirror, sees his messy hair, and who then goes away and forgets that he needs to comb his hair (James 1:23-24). By contrast, the “blessed” man looks intently into the “perfect law of liberty”, applies it in his life, and puts it into action. Not that he is “blessed” for the deed, but rather he is blessed “in” the deed (James 1:25).
Our studies of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ reveal it to be a “perfect law of liberty,” (James 1:25) setting us free from the law of bondage of sin unto death and leading us into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
James here introduces three marks of true spirituality: bridling the tongue, our attitude to widows and orphans, and personal purity (James 1:26-27).
Our words speak forth what is in our hearts: and if our heart is full of “the word of truth” (James 1:18), we will surely allow that word to guide us in our speech. “Slow to speak” (James 1:19) and “bridling the tongue” (James 1:26) are not exhortations to silence, but a warning against hasty, unconsidered speech. When we are not doers of the word, but hearers only, we are “deceiving our own selves” (James 1:22); when we make a show of religion, and bridle not our tongues, we are “deceiving our own hearts” (James 1:26).
Widows and orphans stand for all those who are deprived of their means of support. The Fatherhood of God is here held up as our reason to “visit” them in their need. And if our “religion” is “undefiled”, and God is our Father, we will “keep ourselves unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
D). JESUS HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD.
John 16:23-33.
JOHN 16:23a. “And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing.” In John 16:19, Jesus had known that “they were desirous to ask Him” about what He had just said. Now he assures us that at His second coming we won’t need to ask Him such things, because we would be ‘no longer seeing through a glass darkly, but face to face; no longer knowing in part, but now knowing, even as we are known’ (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12).
JOHN 16:23b. “Verily, verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.”
There are two entirely different words translated as “ask” in the two halves of this verse. Jesus has changed the subject from asking questions to asking in prayer.
If we ask the Father in the name of the Son, then our petitions will be in keeping with what we know to be His will. Which guarantees the response: “He will give it you.”
JOHN 16:24a. “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name.” This gives us permission to channel our petitions through the mediation of Jesus the Messiah.
JOHN 16:24b. “ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” That your joy may be filled up, or fulfilled.
JOHN 16:25a. “These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs.”
Hitherto the Lord had spoken in “proverbs” or, as it is translated in John 10:6, ‘parables.’ Most recently He had used the parable of the woman in travail to demonstrate how the disciples’ sorrow would be turned to joy (cf. John 16:21).
JOHN 16:25b. “but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.”
The time for milk and baby food will soon pass. After His resurrection, Jesus, in His own physical Person, taught His Apostles ‘in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself’ (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44). Jesus was seen of His disciples over the next forty days ‘and spoke of the things concerning the kingdom of God’ (cf. Acts 1:3). Just before His ascension He spoke of His power, and promised His continuing spiritual presence with them (cf. Matthew 28:18-20).
JOHN 16:26a. “At that day ye shall ask in My name.”
Jesus had already promised ‘Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you’ (cf. John 16:23). And certainly from the ascension of Jesus onwards the church would learn to utilise the Mediatorship of Jesus, praying to the Father through Jesus the Son, and in keeping with His will and purpose.
JOHN 16:26b. “and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you.”
The early disciples may have asked Jesus when He was physically with them, ‘Pray for us.’ But the responsibility to pray is ours, both collectively and each one individually.
JOHN 16:27. “For the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
The Father loved us so much that ‘He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (cf. John 3:16). We love Jesus because He first loved us (cf. 1 John 4:19). Now we are told that “the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God.” The indication is that the Father is well-disposed to answer the prayers offered to Him in Jesus’ name.
JOHN 16:28. “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.”
Jesus affirmed the disciples’ belief that He ‘came out from God’ (cf. John 16:27). He pointed back to His incarnation, His humiliation, His coming into the world to be our Redeemer. Then He pointed forward beyond His death and resurrection to His ascension into heaven, to sit at the right hand of God ever-interceding for us.
JOHN 16:29. “His disciples said unto Him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.”
Jesus had just promised, ‘I shall no more speak to you in proverbs’ (cf. John 16:25). Now the disciples realised that, even as Jesus continued His speaking, he was already keeping that promise. Already, it seemed, He was not speaking in parables, but more plainly than ever before. We grow by stages, and now the disciples already understood better than they had ever before. But more was to come.
JOHN 16:30. “Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.”
We can see the disciples growing in confidence as the conversation continues. They explain their belief as a realisation that Jesus is all-knowing: literally, “Now we know that you know all things.” In effect, You have told us plainly who you are, and now we are so convinced of it that we need question you no further.
JOHN 16:31. “Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?”
There is an irony in the question, as we see by the following verse. Even in believers there yet remains an evil root of fear and unbelief. This calls for self-examination: ‘Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief’ (cf. Mark 9:24). Help me get over my unbelief!
JOHN 16:32a. “Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone.”
Very soon, that very night, this was going to happen. How little, sometimes, do we know our own hearts!
JOHN 16:32b. “and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
Even when the Lord’s best friends would all desert Him, as He knew they would do, yet still He knew that He would have the presence of the Father with Him. Likewise are we “not alone” when we seem to stand alone for Christ.
JOHN 16:33a. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace.”
This whole discourse is a call to rest our souls in Him, who ‘is our peace’ (cf. Ephesians 2:14).
JOHN 16:33b. “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus does not pretend that the Christian way is easy (cf. 2 Timothy 3:12), but He leaves us with the reassurance, “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The Prince of Peace has defeated the prince of this world, so “be of good cheer;” and ‘let not your heart be troubled.’
