His Presence
Introduction
If you love somebody, what you long for more than anything else is that person’s presence with you. Photos are a comfort. Telephone calls, emails and texts are nice. Letters are good. Zoom and FaceTime are great ways to communicate. Yet, as has been brought home to us acutely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, nothing can compare to actually spending time with them in person.
What Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden when they sinned was the presence of God. Even more than possessing the law, the distinguishing feature of Israel was God’s presence with them. The temple was not primarily a place of sacrifice but a place of God’s presence. The exile was such a disaster for the people of God because they were away from God’s presence.
God promised to be in the midst of his people again. This promise was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He promises to be with you.
Psalm 46:1–11
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Commentary
‘The Lord Almighty is with us’
The presence of God in the Old Testament was associated with Jerusalem – the city of God. ‘God lives here’ (v.5, MSG). In particular, it was associated with the temple – ‘the holy place where the Most High dwells’ (v.4b); ‘God is within her’ (v.5a); ‘The Lord Almighty is with us’ (vv.7,11).
When Jesus was on earth, he declared that his body was the temple where God was present (see John 2:19–22). On the day of Pentecost, God’s presence came to dwell with his people through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. In the New Testament, God’s presence is not in a physical temple but with his people – ‘a holy temple’ (Ephesians 2:19–22).
In life, it seems there is always so much that needs to be done and it is tempting to want to be active and get on and do it. But the Lord encourages you: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10). If you take time to be still and to listen to him, you see in this psalm, a favourite for many during the challenging times our world continues to face, some of the blessings that come from knowing his presence with you.
1. Peace
‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear’ (vv.1–2a).
2. Joy
‘There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God’ (v.4a). Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit bringing ‘streams of living water’ (John 7:38). This river is now not in a physical city but in your heart.
3. Security
‘God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day’ (Psalm 46:5).
4. Protection
‘The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress’ (vv.7,11). ‘God fights for us’ and ‘protects us’ (v.11, MSG).
Prayer
Lord, today I want to ‘Be still, and know that [you are] God’ (v.10). I bring to you my fears, worries and anxieties. Thank you that I can trust you. Thank you for your presence and the peace, joy, security and protection you bring.
Luke 17:11–37
Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
The Coming of the Kingdom of God
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” [36]
37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.
He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.
Commentary
‘The kingdom of God is among you’
With the coming of Jesus and the coming of the kingdom of God, God has come to dwell among his people. Jesus is ‘Immanuel... God with us’ (Matthew 1:23). Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is both ‘now’ and ‘not yet’:
1. God’s presence: ‘Now’
The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus answered, ‘The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, “Look here!” or, “There it is!” And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you’ (Luke 17:20–21, MSG).
The kingdom of God is God’s rule and reign. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing the sick (for example, vv.15–18), and through his death and resurrection. With the coming of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, God is present among his people. However, his presence is not always visible. People today will not always be able to say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is’ (v.21), but a time is coming when his presence will be visible.
2. God’s presence: ‘Not yet’
One day Jesus will return. This will be the day of consummation for the kingdom of God. Then everyone will see, ‘For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other’ (v.24).
This will be the day when the Son of Man is revealed in all his glory (v.30), then we will see him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12); and ‘we will be with the Lord for ever’ (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We will experience the visible presence of God for ever.
Right now, God’s presence is not visible. People focus on eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting and building (see Luke 17:27–28). None of these things is wrong in itself. They are part of regular, ordinary life. The problem in both Noah’s time and Lot’s time was that most people did not listen to the warnings. Jesus urges you to be ready.
Paradoxically, whoever tries to keep their life will lose it and whoever loses their life will preserve it (v.33). If you are always trying to find ways of getting the most out of life for yourself – the most money, highest position, best reputation, most popular – you will miss out. If you lose your life in denying yourself and serving Jesus, you will actually find life in all its fullness.
As you live in this time between the first and second coming of Jesus, don’t forget to thank God for all his blessings. Of the ten with leprosy whom Jesus cured, only one came back ‘praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him’ (Luke 17:15–16).
It is easy to be like the nine who forgot to thank Jesus. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude – taking time to thank Jesus for answers to prayer, his constant love, his forgiveness, his kindness and especially for the promise of God’s presence with you. Recently, while praying in Hyde Park, I decided to try and think of a hundred things for which to thank God. I got there very quickly and realised that I’d hardly begun to list all the things for which to give thanks.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for forgetting so often to thank you. Thank you so much for all your blessings…
Deuteronomy 26:1–28:14
Firstfruits and Tithes
26 When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the land the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians ill-treated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labour. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, LORD, have given me. ” Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 Then say to the LORD your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them. 14 I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything you commanded me. 15 Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Follow the Lord’s Commands
16 The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. 18 And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. 19 He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honour high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.
The Altar on Mount Ebal
27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today. 2 When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the LORD your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. 3 Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. 5 Build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them. 6 Build the altar of the LORD your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God. 7 Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God. 8 And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.”
Curses From Mount Ebal
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the LORD your God. 10 Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”
11 On the same day Moses commanded the people:
12 When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. 13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.
14 The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:
15 “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol —a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
16 “Cursed is anyone who dishonours their father or mother.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
17 “Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbour’s boundary stone.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
18 “Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
20 “Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he dishonours his father’s bed.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
21 “Cursed is anyone who has sexual relations with any animal.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
22 “Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
23 “Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
24 “Cursed is anyone who kills their neighbour secretly.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
25 “Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
26 “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
Blessings for Obedience
28 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in obedience to him. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.
Commentary
‘The presence of the Lord’
In this passage, we see part of the Old Testament background to the understanding of ‘the presence of the Lord’. The land that God had given as an inheritance was the place that he chose as ‘a dwelling for his Name’ (26:2).
They were to recite their history ‘in the Presence of God’ (v.5, MSG). They were to prostrate themselves ‘in the Presence of God’ (v.10, MSG). In the ‘Presence of God’ they were to pray for God’s blessing on his people (vv.9–16, MSG). They were to rejoice in ‘the Presence of God’ (27:7, MSG).
God had rescued his people from ‘misery, toil and oppression’ (26:7). This is a good description of life without the presence of God. He called his people to be ‘his treasured possession’ (v.18). He tells them to build a place of worship where they can rejoice ‘in the presence of the Lord your God’ (27:7).
Sin is what takes us away from the presence of God. Therefore, God warns his people to avoid idol worship, dishonouring families, theft, leading the blind astray, injustice, sexual immorality, murder and bribery (vv.14–26).
By contrast, if his people fully obey they will enjoy all his blessings (28:1–14). God promises to bless their homes, families, work and other activities. As Joyce Meyer writes, ‘Obedience is not to be an occasional event; it is to be a way of life. There is a big difference between people who are willing to obey God daily and those who are willing to obey only in order to get out of trouble. God certainly shows people how to get out of trouble, but He showers blessings on those who decide to live wholeheartedly for Him and make obedience to Him their lifestyle.’
Of course, none of us have fully obeyed the Lord, except Jesus. His death and resurrection have made it possible for you to be forgiven and to enjoy the presence of God and a foretaste of all the blessings that are promised in this passage. And one day, when Jesus returns, you will experience them in all their fullness in the visible presence of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Father, thank you for all the blessings that you promise. Thank you for the forgiveness that is available in Jesus Christ. Thank you that I experience a foretaste of these blessings in this life and one day I will experience them fully, in the visible presence of God.
Pippa adds
Psalm 46:1 says, ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore [I] will not fear.’
I feel better as soon as I read these verses, knowing that God is with me in every situation. I have to remind myself that I ‘will not fear’ even if tempted and then try instead to do as verse 10 says: to ‘Be still and know that I am God.'
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References
Joyce Meyer, How to Hear from God, (Faithwords: New York, 2003) p.222
The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel (commentary formerly known as Bible in One Year) ©Alpha International 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Compilation of daily Bible readings © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 1988. Published by Hodder & Stoughton Limited as the Bible in One Year.
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.