The Father's Love

Just as a father loves his children, so the Lord loves those who fear and worship Him. Psalm 103 v 13 The Lord has compassion on us as we are not just His creatures but we are His children. Though God cares for all of His creation in a generic way, He loves those who fear, obey and worship Him. Human beings who do not know God as their Father are like the Eskimos in polar regions who have to invent different ways to keep warm and sustain themselves against the vagaries of nature. But for those who know Him, love Him, have a personal relationship with Him through Christ, the first born Son, He is as intimate as a Father. He provides for us. He protects us. He heals us. He restores us when we fall into error or wilful ways. He delights in us as a Parent in her children. He listens to our every thought, whisper and sigh. Knowing our mortal and sinful nature, the Lord God provided the way for us to have eternal life even at the cost of the suffering and life of Jesus, the Anointed Son of God. Having not even spared His own Son, He would go to any extent, move heaven and earth for our sake. His love in unconditional but subject to the condition that we believe in His Son that He is the propitiation for our sins. The Lord is a righteous Father and that is the reason that we who are sinful need to be fearful as we enter His presence. But as we are washed in the blood of regeneration of Jesus, we are redeemed and can be bold to run onto His lap, as it were. We, as children of God should not resemble the self righteous elder son in the parable of the prodigal son but the broken, humbled, repentant younger son. The Father provides for us the robe of salvation, the signet ring of authority to co-rule with Him over the earth, the shoes to go anywhere in His name, the belt of truth. Indeed, His banner over us is love and He invites us to heaven's banqueting table to rejoice with Him in our salvation.

Deliverance Comes from the Lord

But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a man to rescue the people of Israel, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. Judges 3 v 9 When we cry out to the Lord in any difficult situation, He will send deliverance. Othniel means "Lion of God" and he proved his courage when Caleb set him a military challenge in which he promised the victor the hand of his daughter Achsah. The name Achsah means courage or breaking out of the veil. She was an able support to her husband Othniel. Othniel was also the first judge or ruler of Israel once they settled in the Promised Land. The Lord blessed him as he feared God. In proportion to the faith and reverance we have for God, we are imbued with courage just like Othniel. Jesus is the ultimate Deliverer the Lord God sent to help us. His conquest is eternal and in the realm of the spirit. The Spirit of the Lord came down upon Othniel as Judge of Israel and enabled him to wrest victory from the Mesopotamian king. In our lives today, we do not deal with flesh and blood kings but with principalities and powers of darkness. When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon us, we have victory over these strongholds - injustice, pride, envy, lust, violence and so on. As "lions of God" we need to wait upon the Lord for His strength to come upon us and manifest in the challenges we face daily in our lives. God did not prove a debtor to Othniel and blessed him with land and prospered him in Israel. Israel enjoyed peace for forty years under the leadership of Othniel.