Warm greetings on a cold day - at least where I am! I trust
that God is meeting your every need and is guiding you day by day.
God's guidance and direction is precisely what caught my eye
as I recently read Psalm 105. This psalm recounts Israel's history, and it
praises God for His wondrous works in the course of that history. What stood
out to me in this reading was that God's plans for Israel changed over time to
the point of apparent contradiction, and in each change, it was God who was
directing.
Israel's history started with Abraham. God made a covenant
with him, promising him the land of Canaan, and sending him to that land (vs.
9-12). It was God's plan for Abraham to move to Canaan and remain there. It was
God's plan for Isaac to live in Canaan. It was God's plan for Jacob/Israel to live
in Canaan for most of his life.
But then God's plan changed. Joseph was sold as a slave to
Egypt. In a time of great famine, Joseph was able to provide for his family,
and the whole clan moved to Egypt (vs. 16-24). That was God's plan. It was
God's plan for Joseph to live in Egypt, and for the nation of Israel to live in
Egypt for 400 years.
Then God's plan changed again. Moses was appointed by God to
lead Israel out of Egypt and back to Canaan, albeit with a 40-year interlude in
the wilderness (vs. 26-44). It was God's plan for Joshua and Caleb to live in
Canaan. It was God's plan for Gideon and Samuel and David and Josiah to live in
Canaan.
While Psalm 105 does not include the continued story of
Israel's history, God's plan changed again. It later became God's plan for
Israel to live in Babylon and Assyria. Later it was God's plan for a remnant to
move back to Israel, where they were at the birth of the Messiah. Then it was
His plan for them to be scattered abroad in the time of the early church,
living throughout Asia and Europe. Not until the late 1940s was it God's plan
for Israel to return to their land in large numbers. And someday (soon) God
will pull Israel back to their land with divine thoroughness.
What is God's plan for Israel? Where does He want them to
live? Canaan? Egypt? The wilderness? Babylon? Europe? The answer to all of
these questions is "Yes." Each location, in its time, was God's plan.
Psalm 105 supports such a statement by repeatedly attributing the changes to
God's intervention. The psalm celebrates God's "wondrous works" (v.
2), "his marvellous works" (v. 5), and "his wonders" (v. 5). I count at least thirty-two actions of God in this psalm, things that He
did on Israel's behalf as He led them from place to place.
Why did God's plan change so often? It certainly was not
because God did not love them, nor was it because God was powerless to prevent
the changes. Verses 8-10 speak of God's everlasting covenant with Israel, one
that He always remembers and is committed to fulfilling. It is indeed God's
ultimate plan for Israel to dwell in the land of Israel. That is the place to
which He has repeatedly pulled them and will ultimately pull them.
The temporary absences from that land were, however, part of
God's plan as well. Those absences were necessary and served specific purposes
in accomplishing the ultimate plan of God. God had different purposes for
Israel over the years: initiation of His covenant, growth into a mighty nation,
training in obedience, chastisement for willful sin (with the purpose of
restoration), the spread of the gospel. The pressing need at the time dictated
God's guidance, as He created the environment in which to meet that need.
God wanted Israel to live in Egypt so He could abundantly
provide for them and increase them from seventy souls to a great multitude. God
needed Israel to live in the wilderness so they would learn to trust and obey
Him. God required Israel to live in Babylon so their hearts would return to
Him. God deliberately scattered His disciples into the world so they would
carry the message of the gospel. Each exception, whether it was 400 years in
Egypt, 40 years in the wilderness, 70 years in Babylon, or 1900 years in Europe,
carried its own purpose within the overall unchanging plan of God.
I have a brother and also a dear friend who went through
puzzling changes. After many years faithfully serving in ministry, God led them
each to new ministries - both for a mere two years - before leading them back
to the exact ministry where they had previously served. Why? This doesn't make
sense. As with Israel, the answer is that God had a different purpose for those
two years, a purpose that could only be accomplished in a different setting.
We can look back at Israel's history and see the different
needs and reasons for the changes. We don't always have that same insight in
our own lives. But God does. He knows exactly what we need and for how long.
Whether those temporary puzzling changes have to do with geographic location,
type of ministry, co-workers, health, finances, family situation, ministry
challenges, or anything else, God knows exactly why each change is needed. He
knows precisely what He is accomplishing in each situation.
The other comforting aspect of this psalm is how far God
went to effect each change. When He needed to move His people, He truly did
great wonders! He moved heaven and earth for them - sending famines, bringing
unfathomable plagues, parting seas, giving fire by night, providing manna, springing
water from a rock, driving out enemies (v. 16, vs. 27-36, vs. 39-41, v. 44).
When God needs to make a change, He is well able to do it, and He can
accomplish it so there is no doubt! And in the midst of all the change and
upheaval, He carefully watches over His people (vs. 14-15).
Thanks, praise, and glory are indeed appropriate for our
great God, who knows exactly what He is doing and why, who is completely able
to accomplish His purposes for us, and who gently watches over us while He does
it! God is great, and God is good. May you rest in His guidance and supervision
of your life, even when you don't understand.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holtmember at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com
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