“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them…”
Psalm 34:1-7
The bible records in 1 Samuel 21 and 22, how when David was driven away because Saul was trying to kill him, that he went to the priest Ahimelech and had to eat the Holy Shew bread because he had nothing else to eat. He then fled to Achish the king of Gath because of fear of Saul. But the servants recognized David and knew he had been the one leading Saul’s armies successfully in battle against the Philistines. David became afraid and he pretended to be mad, spitting on his beard so that when they took him to the king, the king let him go saying, “Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?” David then escaped to a cave where four hundred men gathered to him. (All those who were distressed, discontented and in debt). These would later be known as David’s mighty men. From this point on David and his men had to flee from King Saul. Yet, out of all this distress, Psalm 34 was born.
From the time Samuel anointed David and told him he would be king, it seemed as though it was all falling in place. He defeated Goliath, began living in the King’s palace, married the king’s daughter and led Saul’s armies. Yet, all of a sudden, Saul turned on him and now David was running for his life. Yet in the midst of it, he wrote Psalm 34. This is the key to our victory. No matter what the circumstances look like, we trust in God and praise Him, knowing we have the victory. Surely God did deliver David and made him King just as he had promised.
The Lord is showing us a snap shot of how the kingdom works. The enemy always comes to try to steal the word sewn, but when we keep our confession of faith and praise God, and trust Him, seeking Him with all our hearts, we have the victory!
When God called Moses to tell Pharaoh “Let my people go”. Pharoah’s response in Exodus 5:2 was to say “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israael go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.” He then commanded that the people make bricks without straw, that they would have to gather their own straw but still need to make the same amount of bricks. He then revealed the reason for doing this by saying in Exodus 5:9: “Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein: and let them not regard vain words.” He did this to make it seem like God’s word was vain, and would not come to pass. The people who before welcomed Moses as their deliverer, were now angry with him saying that he made their lives worse, not better. Moses even then turned and accused God of wrong doing, saying in Exodus 5:22-23: “Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoah to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people: neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.”
This is the key to how the enemy operates. He uses the same old tricks again and again. He tries to make it seem that it is in vain we serve the Lord our God and that God’s WORD doesn’t work; that His promises are meaningless and will not come to pass. Moses thought he’d go to Pharaoah, speak God’s word and he would immediately let the people go. Instead, things got worse. Much worse. He did exactly what God said and it got worse. Yet God answered and let him know that Pharaoh would indeed let the people go, just like He had said. Not only did Pharaoh let the people go, but they left with the riches and treasures of Egypt. They left loaded down with wealth, not lacking anything.
Jesus reveals in Mathew 13 how this same trick is used by the devil. He tells the story of the sower and how some seed fell on the wayside and the enemy gobbles it up. Some fell on stoney places where it sprouts quickly but is later scorched by the sun because it had no root. Some fell among thorns and so it is choked and unfruitful. But the seed that fell into the good ground produced some hundredfold, some sixtyfold and some thirtyfold.
Jesus later explains that the SEED is the WORD. The Word that fell on the rocky ground represents those that hear the word with joy (Like the Israelites when Moses first came to proclaim God sent him to deliver him) But they have no root in themselves so they endure for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arises for the Words sake, by and by they are offended and therefore unfruitful. Those on the thorns hear the world but the cares and worries and deceitfulness of riches choke the word and they are unfruitful.
The enemy will often bring contrary circumstances to us in order to try to get us to believe God’s word will not come to pass. He wants us to think God’s word is “Vain”, so that it doesn’t produce fruit in our lives. He does not want it to take root in our hearts. But indeed, if you do not give up, and instead persist and stand on God’s promises no matter what, you will receive the promise fulfilled.
Just continue to Hear the Word, Speak the Word and Act on the Word and it will not fail. It will produce in your heart and your life. Whatever seed you sew in the dirt, the dirt immediately begins working on it to make it grow, sprout and be fruitful. Our spirits are like that. Whatever seed is sewn in our spirit, it will work on that seed to make it be fruitful and produce. Therefore Guard your heart (your spirit) and make sure you are only sewing the good seed of God’s Word in your spirit and you will see that hundred fold return if you do not give up! Do as David did in Psalm 34. Speak God’s promises over your life and praise and worship God! Remind yourself of who your God is and what He’s already done! Praise Him with all your heart! You have the victory through Christ!
Proverbs 10:22
“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow [toil] with it.”
Galatians 3:13
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Isaiah 45:19
“I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain; I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.”
Luke 21:19
“In your patience possess ye your souls.”
Hebrews 6:12
“That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Isaiah 55:10-12
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
1 John 5:4
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Further Reading:
Psalm 34, 1 Samuel 21 & 22, Mathew 13, Exodus 5-14
