A Cry of Desperation

Psalm 116

A frequent theme in movies or TV shows is someone in a life or death situation who, even if they aren’t religious, will make a desperate prayer to God.  They pray that if He will rescue them, they will start going to church, or read their Bible, or otherwise amend their life, a sort of frantic bargain.  Even genuine Christians, when in a desperate life or death situation make similar promises to God.  However, if they come out of these situations alright, these promises to God are often forgotten about.  The psalmist of today’s psalm was in a critical situation, enough that he despaired of his life.  However, as we will read, he had all full intention of keeping the vows he made to God.  Let’s take a look and see what God’s Word can teach us.

Psalm 116 is a personal testimony of our psalmist’s deliverance by the Lord from a near-death crisis.  This is a testimony of a believer who has been brought back from the brink.  He praised God for His rescue, and then vowed to commit himself to giving thanksgiving, obedience, and public worship throughout the rest of his life.  This psalm is also one of the Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113-118), which were traditionally sung at Passover.  Thus, it is likely that Jesus and His disciples sang this psalm after the Last Supper, right before His sacrificial death (Matthew 26:30).

Once rescued, the psalmist openly proclaimed his love for Yahweh because He heard his cry for help, and responded (vs. 1-2).  He called upon Him, and the Lord proved to be faithful.  God’s hearing of our prayers is not passive.  He bends down and inclines His ear to hear His children’s cries.  Unlike the pagan’s futile prayers to their false gods, our prayers to Yahweh are effective because He is personal, attentive, and near.  Our love for Him should grow as we remember His past mercies and answers to prayer.

The next several verses describe our psalmist’s brush with death (vs. 3-4).  We don’t know the details of this crisis in his life, perhaps a critical illness, or some bad accident.  He described the “pains of death”, the “pangs of Sheol” or the realm of the dead, along with “trouble and sorrow”.  Death is our enemy (I Corinthians 15:26), and it is a believer’s instinct to call upon the Lord when we are in a deadly crisis.  The psalmist didn’t give a long, deeply theological prayer, as that is not necessary.  He called out in desperation, and God responded to his sincere, humble cry.

In the psalmist’s tribute to the Lord following his rescue, he mentions three of His attributes - gracious, righteous, and merciful (vs. 5-7).  God is gracious in that He gives us what we do not deserve.  He is righteous in that His actions are always just.  And the Lord is merciful in that He withholds from us what we do deserve.  He also praises the Lord because his soul can now rest since Yahweh has brought him peace.

The psalmist returns again to speaking of the crisis that he was in, describing his deliverance (vs. 8-11).  The author speaks of being delivered from death.  Whatever his situation was, there was physical danger and a near-death experience.  He was in emotional anguish with tears.  He also spoke of falling, which could either speak of actually physically falling, or refer to a moral or spiritual collapse.  He spoke out to others about his deliverance because his renewed faith in the Lord produced such a testimony.  Because of the fallenness of humanity, such as mankind being liars, we know that trust must be placed in God alone.

What can he give or do for the Lord in payment for his deliverance?  (vs. 12-14).  He will take the cup of salvation from the Lord.  He does that by receiving God’s salvation with gratitude, and not trying to repay it.  He will also call upon the Name of the Lord, not worshiping or praying to any of the false gods around.  He will fulfill the vows and promises he made, in obedience and with integrity in front of people in public worship.

Verse 15 is a beloved verse of many, as it affirms how God values the death of His children, those who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus.  He is not indifferent to their suffering.  Their passing is not a tragic loss, but a precious transition from their life here on earth into the realm of His presence and kingdom.  We can have confidence in eternal security and God’s tender care at our life’s end.

As the psalm comes to a close, the writer declares that since the Lord “loosened his bonds” bringing him freedom from the crisis, he will give Him service, not just living his life like he might want.  He gives the Lord a sacrifice of thanksgiving in public worship.

If we truly have gratitude for what God has done for us we will express it in obedience to His Word, in public testimony by telling others what He has done, in giving joyful worship, and living a life filled with service to Him.  When we cry out to God in desperate times, He will hear, answer, and act on our behalf.  His deliverance is complete, in both body and soul. 

Fear Not, You Are Mine

Isaiah 43:1-13

Imagine going through a very devastating disaster.  Perhaps your home was completely flooded, with everything you own being washed away.  Or maybe a fire burned everything to the ground, or a tornado flattened everything.  There are other tragedies we could face, such as the sudden, unexpected death of one or more members of our family.  During such times, it can be comforting, and emotionally strengthening to have a dear friend come alongside us, and walk with us through these tragedies.  Some friends, though, disappear when the difficult times come.  Others are there temporarily, but as they have their own needs and families, they leave and you are left alone again.  Is there anyone who will always be there to comfort us, and take our hand and walk with us, or will we always be alone?  We find an answer in our Scripture today from the prophet Isaiah.

Being all alone in a tragedy and having no one to be there with us is discouraging.  However Christians never have to be in that position, as our Scripture tells us.  We don’t need to be afraid of facing a time like that, as the Lord tells us that, not only did He create us and redeem us, but He personally knows us by our name, and we belong to Him (vs. 1).  Jesus redeemed us, bought us back from our sinful inheritance, and saved us from the consequences of sin (I Peter 1:18-19).  God tells us not to be afraid, no matter what comes against us.  If God cares when a sparrow falls, He will care for us (Matthew 10:31).  God is not going to fail us, disappoint us, or allow us to be put to shame.  We belong to Him.

God has promised His children that He will be with us through the deep waters and the fire and flames, whether literal floods and fires or figurative ones (vs. 2).  This echoes His carrying His people through the Red Sea and later the Jordan River on dry ground, along with the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel.  It is assumed that these trials will happen.  God said “when”, not “if”.  However we do not need to fear, as His presence is guaranteed.  He promises to be with us.  God has also set the limits of our suffering, as “they shall not overflow you.”

No matter how deep the water we wade in, or how raging the river that comes against us in life, we will not be overwhelmed, for God is with us.  His love for us is stronger than anything that would try to come against us and overtake us.  No matter the size of the opposition coming against our lives or those we love, God is bigger.  God does not promise the absence of trials, but He has promised His presence in them.

Reading on, we see that God moved nations and empires to preserve Israel (vs. 3-4).  His love is not sentimental, but covenantal, sacrificial, sovereign, and purposeful.  He sent His only Son to die, not only for Israel, but also for all mankind.  If we have ever doubted our own worth, remember, that God believed us important enough to Him to justify the death of His Son.

Next we read of God’s prophetic promise that He will gather again the people of Israel, which have been scattered around the world since the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (vs. 5-7).  They have been in worldwide dispersion since then, but God has now begun regathering them, and this will ultimately be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom.  He lets us know that their existence is tied to His glory not their merit.  Currently, as a whole, they are spiritually blind, yet chosen to testify of God's works (vs. 8-9).  Nations and idols cannot predict or explain history.  God alone foretells and fulfills prophecy.

As the prophet Isaiah proclaims, God is an exclusive God (vs. 10-11).  Only one true God exists, that being Yahweh.  There has been none before nor will there be any after Him, and only the Lord Jesus Christ can save us.  The Apostle Peter also echoed this truth in Acts 4:12.  He is self-existent, all-powerful and supreme (vs. 12-13).  No one can reverse the intentions and objectives He has for His people.

As we close, we learn that though trials in our life are real, God’s presence is more real.  Despite our failures, God will always remain faithful to the promises He has made to His people, those who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus.  Remember, we are not abandoned, and are not alone in the universe.  The God who made everything has chosen us to be His very own.  He has called us by our own names, so there is no danger that He might have mistaken us for someone else.  We are safe forever, no matter what may happen to us.

The Nailprints in His Hands

John 20:19-31

It had been a very difficult past three days for Thomas.  It started late Thursday night with the arrest of Jesus by the religious authorities.  Then a mockery of a trial overnight, followed by His crucifixion on Friday.  Thomas chose to spend the next couple of days by himself.  His grief was such that he preferred to be by himself, rather than with the other disciples.  Then later in the day on Sunday, the other ten disciples were telling him some unbelievable news, that Jesus was risen from the dead, and that they all had seen Him!  This is the setting for our Scripture from the Gospel of John today.

As mentioned above, ten of the disciples were gathered together.  The betrayer Judas was dead, and Thomas was not among them.  Some people like to be with friends and loved ones when they are grieving and troubled.  Others prefer to be alone, and Thomas was probably one of the latter.  Some of the women who also followed Jesus had told them earlier that day that they had gone to the tomb and that Jesus was not there.  They told of angels and of His resurrection.  Mary Magdalene had even seen and spoken to Jesus.  However, they were still quite afraid of the authorities and continued to keep the doors locked and bolted.  That evening as they were gathered together, puzzled and afraid, Jesus appeared standing among them (vs. 19-20).

Jesus now had a glorified body, and He was able to come into a locked room.  Though His body was glorified, it was still a physical body, as He showed them the wounds in His hands and side.  This was not a spirit or ghost of Jesus.  The wounds were proof of His bodily resurrection and proof that the atonement was complete. Jesus’ first words to them were a blessing of peace.  It is the peace purchased by His death (John 14:27; Romans 5:1).  The disciples were now glad, as fear turns to joy when Jesus is present.

Jesus proceeded to give them a commission (vs. 21).  This was not the same event as the Great Commission of Matthew 28, but is consistent with it.  They have a mission to reveal God and proclaim the truth to the world.  Jesus also breathed on the disciples, bestowing the Holy Spirit (vs. 22).  This was not Pentecost, which would happen in a little over a month, but was a symbolic, anticipatory act.  This was a pledge of the Holy Spirit, a preparation for the coming empowerment.  Then the disciples were authorized to declare God’s terms of forgiveness (vs 23).  When they preach the gospel, they can confidently say that those who believe in Jesus will be forgiven their sins, but those who reject the Gospel will remain in their sins.  We are admonished to be forgiving of others who sin against us.  If we withhold forgiveness, we will be denied forgiveness, as well.  Don’t stand in the way of your own relationship with God by denying forgiveness to someone else.

These ten disciples then told their missing brother Thomas that Jesus had come and appeared to them (vs. 24-25).  However, Thomas did not believe, and even said that he would only believe if he put his fingers into the nail prints, and his hand into the wound on Jesus’ side.  We shouldn’t be too hard on Thomas, as he honestly struggled with believing.  He wanted to know with certainty, and was slow to accept the testimony of the others.  Jesus didn’t condemn him, He met him where he was in faith.

A week later, on the following Sunday evening, Jesus appeared again, repeating the blessing of peace (vs. 26-27).  Then He turned to Thomas and invited him to touch the wounds, telling him to not be faithless, but to believe.  Jesus’ encounter with Thomas shows that the Lord has patience with those who struggle with faith.  He is willing to give evidence, and desires to bring people to faith in Him, not to shame them for their doubts.

Thomas then responded with one of the clearest declarations of Christ’s deity (vs. 28).  By calling Jesus “Lord” he was declaring that Jesus was His Master, and Thomas also proclaimed Jesus’ deity, that He was God.  Jesus accepted this worship, giving proof that He is truly God.  He responded with a blessing to Thomas who saw and believed, and also with a blessing to those who believe without even seeing (vs. 29).  This blessing is for all future believers, to you and me, and everyone who trusts the Gospel.

John concluded with the statement that Jesus did many signs, which were never recorded (vs. 30-31).  John recorded what he did so that we all would believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.  By believing the testimony of John we can have life in Jesus’ Name.

One final look at the wounds which the Risen Savior has in His hands, feet, and side.  When you and I get to heaven, God will take away all of the scars that we have, both physical scars and emotional ones.  However, Jesus will eternally bear the scars of our sins, the scars that purchased our salvation.  We are engraved onto God’s hands (Isaiah 49:15-16).  We are like an open wound on the hand of God, unforgettable, always before His eyes.  We are engraved as scars on Jesus’ hands.  They are a reminder of God’s incredible love for us, more tender than even a mother’s love for her baby.

An Incorruptible Inheritance

I Peter 1:3-9

You’ve accepted Jesus as your Savior.  Maybe that was recently, or maybe that was a while ago.  However, now you are going through some very difficult trials and difficulties.  Perhaps you are even being persecuted for your faith, and maybe you are wondering why all of this is happening.  Weren’t things supposed to get better once you accepted Jesus?  That is a common misconception, that once one becomes a Christian your life will be a picnic, a stroll through a garden.  The Apostle Peter addresses this confusion, along with the eternal security of our salvation and our heavenly inheritance.  Let’s take a look at this Scripture that is brimming with strong Christian hope.

The Epistle of I Peter was written by the Apostle to believers who were scattered from their homes due to persecution.  They were suffering for their faith in a world that was very hostile to those who followed Jesus.  He wanted to remind these suffering Christians that their trials were only temporary, and that they were precious in God’s sight.  He wanted to encourage them, and us today, to look to God during trying times, and to anchor our hope in the certainty of His promises, not in circumstances.

Peter reminded these believers that as Christians we have a living hope (vs. 3).  This hope isn’t wishful thinking, such as hoping it doesn’t rain on my day off work.  This is the confident, anchored expectation of our future salvation, the resurrection, and eternal life with God, based on the resurrection of Jesus.  It is knowing that God’s promises are sure.  Our hope is as alive as the risen Christ Himself, and His gift of eternal life will never come to ruin.

As believers who have placed their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, we have an inheritance.  Some people have had an inheritance, but then something happens and it was lost, or destroyed, or in some other way ruined.  That would be so disappointing, even devastating to those people.  Our Scripture here describes the inheritance we have through Jesus as incorruptible (vs. 4).  It cannot decay.  It is also undefiled, as it can’t be ruined, and it will not fade away or be diminished.  It is reserved in heaven for us, basically kept under divine guard.  There it is safer in heaven than anything we could ever secure on earth.

But what if somehow I lose my salvation?  That has worried some Christians.  God’s Word tells us here that believers are “kept by the power of God” vs. 5.  This is one text that shows the Biblical truth of eternal security.  Our faith is the means of our salvation, but God’s power is the guarantee.  He guards us like a military garrison, and He promises that nothing can take us out of His hand (John 10:28-29).

Next Peter addresses the trials and persecutions that these believers are going through (vs. 6-7).  Despite what they are experiencing, he encourages them to rejoice in the Lord.  This is not a denial of their pain, but to have joy in spite of it because of what we know is coming in our future.  The purpose of these trials is to refine us and make us more like Jesus.  At times God allows us to face impossible circumstances in order to test and try our faith.  It is the adversity that motivates us to seek Him, and when we do, He faithfully strengthens and refreshes us.

Our trials are not random.  They will test the genuineness of our faith. Peter tells us that our faith is more precious than gold, which is refined by fire.  And just like that gold, our faith is refined by trials.  When purifying gold the refiner’s fire only destroys the impurities that mar the gold’s beauty and detract from its basic characteristics, making it worth much less.  A piece of gold that has not been refined and purified is worth much less.  Though it is still gold, it would only be made into much lesser, inexpensive jewelry.  However, the pure, refined gold is valuable, and made into beautiful pieces.  Which type of Christian do you want to be?  God values your faith more than the world values gold, so allow Him to refine you.

Peter continues by commending those Christians who have a strong faith, yet have never seen Jesus (vs. 8).  Peter and the other apostles saw Jesus and were taught by Him for over three years.  These believers who are going through trials and persecution for His Name have never seen Him in the flesh, yet they love Him, believe in and follow Him.  The same is true of every Christian today, and the end outcome of our faith is the salvation of our soul, which refers to our glorification in heaven (vs. 9).

Jesus made it clear that troubles are inevitable for God’s children.  His own life was no exception.  As His followers, we can expect difficulty.  God allows struggles for our benefit to purify and grow us for greater service, to test our endurance and devotion to Jesus, and to strengthen our trust.  We have an anchored hope in Jesus’ resurrection and our inheritance in heaven.  It is certain and eternally secure!  Remember, we are not home yet, but we’re on our way, and the finish line is guaranteed!

An Alphabet Psalm

Psalm 111

Many of us have heard alphabet songs before. Some are instructional songs for little children to help in learning the alphabet.  There are a few alphabet songs that list alphabetically the ways the singer loves his beloved.  Today’s psalm is an alphabetical, also called an acrostic, psalm. Each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  This was to help believers in praise of God for His works, His righteousness, faithfulness, and reliability.  Also to instruct us in the fear of the Lord, obedience, and in worship.

Our psalm begins with a proclamation of public, open praise to God.  The psalmist’s praise is both personal and wholehearted.  He shares his praise when gathering with other believers.  Praise and worship should be shared among the redeemed.  Church services really should often have a brief time where the congregants can give public testimonies of praise for how the Lord is working in their lives, answers to prayers, and what He has done recently for them.  As is indicated in our psalm, our worship should be sincere, undivided, and expressed among God’s people.  Half-hearted worship is unworthy of our God, who has done such great works for us.

Our God is not some weak, meager, and insignificant deity.  His works are great, and are meant to be studied, not just admired (vs. 2).  We do that by getting into His Word, the Bible, and not just reading a few verses here and there, but actually studying the Scriptures.  This is not optional for a genuine believer who loves Jesus.  True believers will delight in studying God’s Word and works.  Our worship will grow as our understanding grows.

As we study God’s works, both through His Word, and what we see around us, we see that they are honorable, majestic, and glorious (vs. 3).  His works reveal His eternal righteousness.  When our problems and worries start to mount up, and our faith starts to falter, we should look at God’s works - His creation, His protective care of us, and His redemption.  All of these testify that God is righteous and trustworthy.

God wants His children to remember His works (vs. 4).  We do that through Bible reading and meditation, along with certain sacraments, such as Holy Communion, “This do in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:14-20).  Forgetfulness is a spiritual danger.  God calls His people to rehearse His works continually.  This is why testimonies, Scripture memorization, and group worship matter.  One specific work of the Lord is that He provides food for His children (vs. 5), both physical and spiritual.  God never forgets His promises.  We can trust Him for our daily needs because He is faithful to eternal commitments.  The psalmist reminds us that our inheritance in Jesus is secure (vs. 6).  God’s power guarantees our future.

As we read on, we are reminded that God’s Word is both trustworthy and eternal (vs. 7-8).  His works and His Word share the same qualities - that of truth, justice, faithfulness, and permanence.  They are sure, reliable, and unchanging.  In a world of shifting morality, which we see so much of today, God’s Word remains a Christian’s unshakable foundation.

The greatest work that God has done is that of redemption (vs. 9).  That was accomplished when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die on the Cross for our sins.  The New Covenant that God made with mankind through the Blood of Jesus is eternal.  Those who have entered into that covenant by accepting Jesus as their Savior, are eternally secure.  Our redemption is the ultimate reason for praise.

God’s Name is holy and should be feared (vs. 9-10), that is, it should not be taken lightly or in vain.  Our life should reflect reverence for His Holy Name.  The “fear of the Lord” is having a godly respect for God’s power and authority.  True wisdom begins with a reverent submission to God.  Wisdom is not intellectual brilliance, but is instead having humble obedience to our Lord and Savior.  Obedience is what will naturally come from having a godly fear of the Lord.  A proper and accurate view of God produces a good life.

As the psalm closes, the author went through the whole Hebrew alphabet, with each of their twenty-two letters successively beginning each line.  Though that wouldn’t translate well, to be able to do that with any other language, it was a way to especially teach Old Testament Hebrew children the importance of praise to God, remembering His works, and having a godly fear and respect for His Holy Name.  That is something that we can learn today, as well, with or without any alphabetical help.

The Covenant of Preservation

Genesis 9:8-16

We all make promises of various sorts to other people.  Sometimes we might need or want a reminder of what we have promised, or we give the other person, the one the promise was made to, a reminder that we have given them our word.  In our Scripture today we read of a solemn promise, or covenant as the Bible calls it, that God made with mankind, along with the sign or reminder that was also given.

In the Bible, there are two types of promises that God makes - conditional and unconditional.  Conditional promises are ones that if we do something, or if we obey what God said, then He will fulfill His part of the promise.  Some examples are: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9).  And “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7).  Unconditional promises are ones where God has given His word, and we don’t have to do, or not do, anything to receive it.  The promise God made to Christians, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) is one example.  Today’s Scripture passage gives another unconditional covenantal promise.

Beginning in Genesis chapter 6 on through chapter 8 we read of God’s judgment of mankind’s sin by sending a world-wide flood that destroyed everything living, except for Noah and his family, along with a pair of each animal.  Now that the flood waters have receded, and everyone departed from the ark, God made an everlasting covenant with man, and with all the animals that had been on the ark.  This was a unilateral, unconditional promise grounded in His mercy, not in any human merit.  God did not require Noah or any of his descendants to promise anything in return.  God bound Himself.  There are no conditions, no stipulations, no “if you obey.”  This covenant rests entirely on God’s character.

What was this covenant promise?  We read it in verse 11.  God promised that He would never again destroy the whole earth, nor all living creatures (all flesh) with a flood.  This does not mean that there will be no local floods, as we see that in various places quite frequently.  And unfortunately there is sometimes loss of life then, as well.  However God promised that He would not destroy the whole earth, destroying all life, with another flood.  God ensured the world would remain intact until His redemptive plan is fulfilled.

Next, the Lord God gave man a sign that He would keep this covenant with them, and that is the sign of the rainbow (vs. 12-16).  People today have taken the rainbow and made it mean other things, but God gave the rainbow to be a sign in the sky that He would never flood the whole earth again.  The Hebrew word used is “qeset”, which is a bow used by archers for hunting or for war.  God hangs up His bow in the sky.  His weapon of judgment is set aside, with the bow pointing upwards towards heaven, not earth.  It is a symbol of peace.

The rainbow is not just a reminder for mankind.  God said that He will look upon it and remember His covenant.  That is not because if He doesn’t see it He will forget.  It means that the rainbow in the sky after a rain storm is a public, visible testimony of His faithfulness.  The rainbow is an eternal sign of God’s faithfulness.  It shows Him as a God who keeps His promises. Even after judgment, the Lord God binds Himself to mercy.

The rainbow also shows us that God is sovereign over all of creation.  He is the one who controls the weather, along with the changing seasons, and the stability of the whole earth.  When we see a rainbow, it is a testament to God’s ongoing governance of all of creation.

In closing, we read in the Bible of how God sent the Flood because of mankind’s wickedness.  The Flood was judgment for sin.  This unconditional promise, this covenant that God made with man, shows that we have a merciful and compassionate God, and His rainbow is a symbol of His mercy.  Since God keeps His covenant with the whole earth, He will keep His promises to His children.  Every rainbow is a sermon in the sky, reminding us that God is patient, faithful, and merciful.

Obey God Rather Than Man

Acts 5:17-32

If you have two conflicting orders or commands given to you, which one will you follow?  Generally one would follow the orders from the person higher in command.  If your job supervisor says one thing, but the owner of the company says another, you’d likely obey the owner of the company.  In the military one would obey the more senior officer’s command.  This holds true in our spiritual lives, as well.  If man tells us one thing, but God says something else, we would be wise to follow what God says!  This is a situation that some of the apostles had as we read our Scripture for today.

The events in our Scripture and that of Acts chapter 5, happened within several months to maybe a year or so after the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down upon the believers.  It was likely not more time than that.  In Acts 4 Peter and John had healed the crippled man in Jesus’ Name, and then both were arrested.  They were released and continued their ministry of preaching salvation and healing.  All of the apostles were performing many signs and wonders, and multitudes of men and women were being saved.  The religious leaders in Jerusalem were not liking this, as they felt that this threatened their authority and power over the population.

As our Scripture passage opens, the apostles had continued with preaching and healing, greatly upsetting the high priest and the Sadducees, so they decided to arrest them again (vs. 17-18).  Their motives were both theological and personal, as they were jealous of the apostles' popularity, proud, and feared of losing influence.  The Sadducees also did not like what the apostles were preaching, because they denied the resurrection, something that was paramount in the apostles’ messages.  This brought about their arrest and being treated like common criminals.  Sometimes Satan uses established religious systems to oppose the Gospel.  However, as we will see, God overrules human schemes.

God did not allow them to stay in jail for long.  That night He sent an angel to open the locked prison doors, and the angel brought them out, telling them to go back to the Temple and continue to preach God’s message, “the words of this life” (vs. 19-20).  The apostles were not freed for their own comfort, to go take a mini-vacation to relax and de-stress.  They were freed in order to go back to the mission the Lord had given them, that of preaching His Word.  They didn’t tell the angel no, as that had gotten them in trouble before, and that they were told by the authorities not to.  Their obedience to God’s Word was immediate, unquestioning, and bold (vs. 21).

This immediately attracted the attention of the religious leaders, who sent officers to apprehend them at the Temple (vs. 22-26).  The captains feared the people, which shows us that the apostles had more moral authority than the Sanhedrin.  The divine demonstration of their release from prison shows that God’s work cannot be contained, and that human authority is limited.  The Gospel will advance despite the opposition man seeks to bring against it.

The apostles were brought before the high priest and Sanhedrin again, where they were sternly questioned about why they were continuing to preach in the Name of Jesus (vs. 27-28).  They were accused of filling Jerusalem with this new doctrine, and bringing the Blood of Jesus upon them.  However, they were guilty of the death of Jesus, along with all of mankind’s sins, and it was true that the Gospel was spreading uncontrollably.  When God’s Church is Spirit-filled and obedient to His Word, the world cannot ignore it.

Then Peter and the other believers spoke up, telling the high priest and Sanhedrin that they were going to obey God rather than men (vs. 29).  They were not trying to be ornery or rebellious.  They were submitting to the highest authority - that of God Himself.  Peter proceeded to preach to them a short, concise Gospel message (vs. 30-32).  He preached that God raised Jesus from the dead, the same Jesus that they had executed, and that He was now exalted as Prince and Savior.  He preached that repentance and forgiveness are offered through Him, with the Holy Spirit bearing witness.

This Scripture passage teaches us that the priority of our obedience must be to God.  When human commands contradict what the Bible says, we as believers must obey God.  This is not optional.  This is a Biblical mandate.  We also see that God is sovereign over persecution.  Though He doesn’t always deliver His children from suffering at the hands of His enemies, God is in control.  Sometimes He will miraculously open prison doors.  No earthly authority can ever silence the Gospel.

We can expect opposition when we stand for God’s truth.  Faithfulness to the Bible will provoke hostility from both religious and secular systems alike.  However, as Christians, we must obey God even when it might cost us something, including our safety.  Believers must prioritize Scripture over cultural pressure, legal threats, or personal comfort.  We are not called to silence, compromise, or selective preaching.  The angel’s command is still our commission - boldly proclaim “all the words of this life.”