© 20 Colin Melbourne
Flames of Fire
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Holy Bible, Psalms 34:7 KJV
His Servants
It’s an eternal truth, that Almighty God commands His mighty angels to protect, and deliver, those that fear Him.
Believers who reverence, and fulfil, His written word are promised divine provision and protection.
He Cannot Deny Himself
It is unthinkable that Father God would neglect His faithful children, or fail His own word.
It has never happened, and never will: We can count on God’s mercy when we trust Him wholeheartedly.
But those who doubt and rebel against His word, forfeit blessings from God; as the prophet Jonah discovered, when he fled from the LORD. Holy Bible, Jonah 1:1-3 KJV;
God said, Go! Jonah said, No!
Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
The Monuments of Nineveh painting impression of Assyrian palaces by Sir A. H. Layard, 1853
Jonah refused to honour that word because he detested Ninevites (see endnote), who were indeed detestable. (As we all are without Christ.)
He wanted God to judge and destroy them for their wickedness, but knew the LORD would forgive them if they repented at his message.
So he tried fleeing to the far side of the Mediterranean Sea, probably muttering to himself something along the line of;
The Prophet Jonah before the Walls of Nineveh, drawing by Rembrandt, c. 1655
God’s too soft on the wicked, let Him find somebody else, I’m going on holiday!
Every Sunday school child knows what happened next, and how the LORD caused His reluctant spokesman to change his mind.
Whale’s Belly-ache
None of us want to experience what Jonah went through, so it is vital that we attend to the LORD, and do exactly what He commands.
Woe to those whom He finds on vacation when He returns.
There shall not an hair of your head perish
Let us be busy about Father’s business every minute of every day until He comes.
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Holy Bible, Psalms 34:7 KJV
These are the Last Days (1 Jn. 2:18), godless wickedness surrounds us, but The LORD has promised divine angels will guard His faithful obedient children.
So we fear God, that is; we honour Christ, and do as He commanded us, with hearts full of love, and gratitude, for what He has accomplished.
Alway
We have been commissioned, we have been sent by Almighty God manifest in the Flesh to tell and show His message to the ends of the earth. Mtt. 28:19-20 KJV;
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
I am with you… think what that means!
Under the Old Covenant He promised angelic guardianship: Wonderful!
But under our current Covenant of Grace the faithful are promised the constant companionship of The LORD Jesus Christ!
I am with you…
The instant you set your whole heart to share His love and message, Christ is right there to enable you.
Attend to my words
Therefore we attend to His Spirit whispering, nudging, and leading our spirit, deep in our heart, we follow that prompting, and lo, I am with you alway… You bet He is!
What a wonderful experience it is to discover the LORD’s Presence with us as we do what He wants us to.
That He is with us, just as He was with the first disciples.
They preached everywhere, signs from God followed their message.
It is the same today; we proclaim Christ’s words, and He works wonders and miracles as sinners believe on Him.
Because we fear the LORD, He watches our backs, keeps us safe, and delivers us from evil.
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Holy Bible, Psalms 34:7 KJV
That promise is confirmed in our lives as we walk in holy fear, doing His words, with hearts full of love for The LORD Jesus Christ.
He deserves nothing less.
© 20 Colin Melbourne
Endnote: Nineveh was the capital of the pagan Assyrian empire. It was situated in Mesopotamia, in what is now Northern Iraq, and was for a time the world’s largest city.
<< Read The First Jaws. Chick tract: For God so loved Nineveh He sent the Prophet Jonah to warn the sinful city, and He loved us enough to send someone greater than Jonah to save us:..The LORD Jesus Christ.
Tract image © Chick Publns. Used by permission.
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