03/16/2021
When someone attempts to take something from us how do we react? If a thief holds us at gunpoint and says “Give me your money!” What is our response? Do we hand him our wallet because, after all, it is worth far less than our life, and because we can always make more money? In doing this are we acting out of a fear of death, or do we trust in God that He will see us through this moment of need? In scripture David sings of being delivered from traps, suffering, and certain death, but I love one verse in particular because it leads me to Jesus...
“you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.”
Psalm 31:4-5 ESV
We might not know the melody, but don’t these words sound familiar to us? Well they should, because Jesus shouted them again from the cross as He breathed His last breath. The word we translate here as commit can also be translated as commend, and it means something wonderful... it means to place with someone, or to entrust. In this psalm David gives us a long list of situations in which he entrusts the Lord with his spirit, and when we read them we are reminded of someone else who said these same words... Jesus Christ.
“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.”
Luke 23:46 ESV
By shouting this phrase out from the cross every Jew in attendance knew the Psalm from which it was taken... especially the priests and other religious leaders who had worked so deviously to arrange His crucifixion. Jesus was singing the entirety of David’s lyrics from Psalm 31 in a single verse. We do this all the time ourselves... when we hear the opening two words “Amazing grace” sung. Don’t the complete lyrics of that famous hymn come immediately to mind, and can’t we also convey their entirety to others in such a simple and concise manner?
Here is an example of a particular verse from this psalm, and interestingly enough we had just heard Jesus sing in reference to it from Psalm 22...
“I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.”
Psalm 31:22 ESV
Don’t we hear these words, and understand their reference to psalm 22, and doesn’t this remind us of those times in our own lives when we have mistakenly felt abandoned by God while suffering? Listen to them as Jesus sang them while suffering earlier that day...
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”
Psalm 22:1 ESV
Scripture, especially when delivered by Christ, is like an intricate tapestry, and so often we stand at a distance seeing only the beauty of its completed scene, but when we come closer, and study every thread, the real glory is shown to us. The pain of arthritic suffering in the weaver’s hand suddenly becomes apparent as we see a loose thread here and there, or perhaps the joy in the tight pull of the yarn made my an enthusiastic pull of the shuttle, or beautiful spin of the yarn. All of these things, these moments of the weaver’s life are revealed to us; just as the life of Jesus becomes apparent... even as He sings from the cross. In these few words we see the pattern, and here the echoes of God’s will in a life now nearly complete.
So when someone comes to take something from us we remember the words of scripture, and study those things that are not obvious from afar. We hear the command to love our enemies, and to turn the other cheek to them as well, then as we look even closer at these words we find that in neither circumstance are our enemies in control, but only our God, and we see a reflection of the cross...
“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.””
John 10:17-18 ESV
So, if a thief holds us at Gun point and demands our money, how do we react? Do we see him as being in control of us, or do we look beyond him and see our God? Do we cower in fear, or turn the other cheek? Do we say “Please don’t hurt me!”, or do we turn to the Lord and say “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”? Do we fear someone one who can kill our body, or entrust our life; to He who hold our eternal life in His hand? How do we choose to weave our lives? To whom do we commit our spirit, and entrust our soul?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for you Holy Word, and how it is woven into such a beautiful tapestry depicting the life of Jesus, our lives in Him, and our relationship with you. Thank you Father for sending Him to remove sin, and the fear of death from us. Thank you for replacing these with our love, and trust in you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who has never abandoned us, not to our sin, not to death, and never did you abandon your Son Jesus as He suffered, and hung dying on the cross. Praised be your name for showing us that even when we can’t see you with our eyes that you are there. Great are you who draws us near to your Word, to show us more of who you are, and to reveal the humanity in Jesus that gives us hope, and leads us to commit our spirits to you. Wash us clean of sin, and make us righteous with in the blood of Jesus as we kneel at the foot of His cross. Hear our worship, prayers, and songs, as we await your judgement, and the return of Christ to resurrect us... and to seat us at your table forevermore.
Rich Forbes