One God over the Nations

DEVOTION

PSALMS

ONE GOD OVER THE NATIONS

Ps 83

83:1 A song. A psalm of Asaph.

O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. 2 See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. 3 With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. 4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." 5 With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you —  6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, 7 Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. 8 Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah 

9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, 10 who perished at Endor and became like refuse on the ground. 11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 12 who said, "Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God." 13 Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind. 14 As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze, 15 so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. 16 Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD.

17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. 18 Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD — that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

NIV

Well, it seems this is really uplifting. It is a history lesson of the time when it looks like Israel is about to be taken once again into captivity or overrun by all its enemies. Asaph is reminding God they are in trouble and for him to come to their aid and smash all their enemies, that he is the LORD and that he alone is the Most High over all the earth which includes all their enemies. He can do whatever he wants with anyone, anytime, anywhere. Life does not have to be just life when the LORD Most High is near. Israel does not have to be subject to the normal everyday life of a nation in the time when war and conquest were the natural course of life. However, they were subject to that kind of life because they were forever turning their back on the Lord. They were always intermingling with foreign ideas and their gods. This again is our lesson as well. We do not have to be subject to the laws of nature of this corrupt society we live in. The reason is that we refuse to intermingle with their ideas, their philosophies, and their way of life. We know that we cannot serve two masters, as the Israelites tried to. We know there is only one way to live and that is to trust the LORD God Almighty completely for every aspect of our life. We have to believe he is always near, for we sense the Spirit within us. He guides our steps, he directs our path, we are the sheep of his pasture and our shepherd leads us to green pastures, he makes us to lay down near still waters and he restores of soul. He cares for us, but we have to listen only to the voice of our Shepherd. The troubles Israel always experienced was due to their not listening only to his voice, but they listen to the voices about false gods. We cannot afford to listen to those false gods, those silver tongues messengers from the darkness. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed and they will perish because they serve another then the Lord God Almighty. That is not what we want, not does God. It is the Christian way to pray for them, that they might know God Almighty and his truth. We should want them to turn from their wicked ways and find God. Some may, if they hear the truth. How will they hear the truth unless someone tells them? How will someone tell them unless they are sent? Haven’t we been sent in to all the world? So it is up to us to speak up, to stand up, to say he is the LORD God Almighty and serve him alone. We cannot just enjoy our salvation and stay cooped up in our safety, engaged in community of the saints only. We are his ambassadors, his representatives to this world. We cannot serve this world, but we must respond to his call. The enemy is about, but we have been admonished to pray for them, to speak up for God. Silence with not get it. Let his anthem be song among the nations. We may not live as one nation under God anymore, but he is surely one God over the nations.