Admiring and Applauding God. R. Bruce Stevens

      • Deuteronomy 27 describes a scene where, on two opposing mountains, the twelve tribes of Israel crowd the summits. From one peak the words ring out, “Cursed is the man who . . . cursed is the man . . . cursed is the man.” Twelve times a curse is declared on any person who fails to keep the agreed-upon covenant. Meanwhile, on the other mountain, echoing words of blessing are issued for those who choose to obey the covenant.

      • All who sin violate God’s law and fall under the curse of judgment outlined in God’s Law. The wages of our sin is death, and God pays his wages on time and in full.

      • Praise God for the Lord Jesus, our Curse-bearer, who chose to be cursed so that we might be blessed. That calls for a standing ovation and a round of applause! Actually, it calls for a life of humble service as an expression of our gratitude.

      Defender of Widows

      A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

      —Ps 68:5

      • In biblical times, certain members of society were vulnerable to exploitation by the powerful and the rich. Widows were among that group.

      • God has a special place in his heart for those who cannot defend themselves—widows, orphans, and aliens are mentioned often.

      • Praise God for his love and concern for those who have no one to turn to but God when in need. This concern reveals his heart and the kind of person he is.

      • “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Jas 1:27).

      Delighter

      The Lord detests men of perverse heart, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

      —Prov 11:20

      • Most of us know the feeling of joy and delight when we see a loved one after a long absence or meet a distant friend.

      • Just as we know that experience, so too does God express delight in certain people.

      • It is both humbling and sobering to realize that we have the ability to bring pleasure and joy to God. Who are we that we should have any effect upon God? But truth be told, he finds pleasure in us when we live our lives according to his commands. How humbling to be so honored!

      • Reflect on God, who delights in those whose hearts are right with him. May the thought of his smiling face looking down on you bring you joy today.

      Deliverer from Graves

      But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

      —Ps 49:15

      • People usually don’t choose to picnic in a cemetery; it is a place of sadness, sorrow, and painful memories.

      • A part of the good news of the gospel is that Jesus could not stay dead in the tomb, and because we are united with him, we will not stay dead in our graves: “because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence” (2 Cor 4:14).

      • Praise God that the redemption price has been paid for our release from the grave and from death. We have “crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24), and thus we “will never see death” (John 8:51). We need not live in fear of death or of what comes after, for God will “surely take me to himself.” We can even picnic in a cemetery if we want, because we know that death has lost its terror.

      Deliverer

      Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners.

      —Ps 144:7

      The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.

      —1 Sam 17:37a

      • David testified that just as God helped him overcome attacks from a lion and a bear, so too will he deliver David from Goliath, the Philistine giant.

      • It is safe to say that most of us have never wrestled a bear or a lion, nor have we ever faced off against a nine-foot man on the field of battle. But David did, and despite the odds, David, the underdog, won—not because of luck or years of training but because of God.

      • Praise God, who is able to deliver us from any and all danger. He can—and will—deliver us from the lions, bears, and giants in our lives, according to the master plan he has for our lives: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt 6:13).

      • Praise the Lord Jesus, who delivered himself into the hands of his enemies so that we might be delivered from the clutching hands of death and hell.

      Demon-caster

      Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.

      —Luke 11:14

      • Satan’s work in our world varies according to what he believes is most effective. Obvious demonic possession is not a tactic he uses in most Western cultures. He prefers to work more stealthily there, it seems.