deliverance

Thanksgiving

“Offer unto God thanksgiving…whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:14,23). In these verses, the same word is translated as thanksgiving and praise. The Hebrew word tôwdâh (to – daw´) is properly translated as “an extension of the hand” and is usually associated with adoration (8462). When a person is offering praise to God, he is lifting his hands toward heaven in an expression of adoration.

The Israelite thanksgiving offering was a type of peace offering that was made when a person was delivered from trouble or distress. A situation that causes us distress is one that involves psychological or spiritual pain. In a sense, it can be like torture because it is outside our control and affects us deeply within our soul.

The nightmares I experienced after I was raped are an example of distress that God has delivered me from. Sometimes I didn’t want to fall asleep because of the terror I experienced in my dreams. I would wake up afterwards in a state of panic and sometimes feel the presence of demonic beings.

I think the reason the thanksgiving offering was linked with peace was because being delivered from distress results in peace and it produces a great deal of appreciation, and likewise adoration of God. I believe the key to understanding thanksgiving is first hand experience with the feelings associated with distress and knowing what trouble is really about.

The word translated trouble, tsârâh (tsar – raw´) means tight (6869) and is derived from the word tsar (tsawr) which means a tight place (6862). The idea behind both of these words is that of being stuck or unable to escape. “Tsar is a general designation for ‘enemy'” (6862), so the word implies being trapped by an enemy and unable to escape. Although there is clearly an enemy involved in the act of rape, the feeling of being trapped usually occurs afterward when the memory of what happened gets stuck in your brain and causes you psychological pain many years later.

Deliverance is typically something that only God can do. In essence, an act of deliverance is a miracle because it is an impossible situation that is turned around or made right. In order to truly deliver someone from distress, you have to eliminate the psychological and spiritual pain she is experiencing, which usually involves the elimination of memory.

There are many ways that God’s salvation can be manifested. In the same way that he is able to remove our sin and make it as if it never happened, God can remove memories and make it as if certain events or experiences have never happened. If you have received his salvation, then thank God, and praise him with your hands lifted high this Thanksgiving.

Who is like unto thee…Jesus

It is a mistake for Believers to assume there will be no judgment of them in the afterlife. Christians do not escape judgment, they are judged like everyone else, but anyone that has received salvation will be pronounced innocent when the verdict is rendered.

David knew that he would face judgment in the afterlife and believed he would be found innocent. He said in Psalm 17, “Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal. Thou hast proved my heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing” (Psalm 17:2-3).

In addition to the final judgment, David understood that each person would be judged according to his behavior and would receive rewards in this life and for those who had received salvation, rewards in heaven. David asked for deliverance from the wicked who he describes as “men of the world, which have their portion in his life” (Psalm 17:14).

Another word for portion is inheritance. People that do not have salvation receive the only inheritance they will ever get during their lives on earth. Believers have an eternal inheritance that they will receive after they die.

David concludes Psalm 17 by saying, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). David is describing the transformation that would occur when he arrived in heaven. One of the disadvantages that Believers had before Jesus died on the cross was that they could not be regenerated or have their sins forgiven until after that event. When David died, he did not immediately go to heaven to be with the LORD. It wasn’t until righteousness became available that David was able to enter into his presence and be transformed into his image.

In Psalm 35, David talks about salvation as a future event. He said, “And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: It shall rejoice in his salvation” (Psalm 35:9 emphasis mine) because it had not happened yet. The word translated salvation, yeshû‘âh (yesh – oo´ – ah) means something saved. Jesus is a Greek form of the word yeshu‘ah (3444).

David knew that he was involved in two wars while he was living among the Philistines. The battle over the Promised Land was obvious. It had been an ongoing struggle for hundreds of years for the Israelites to gain control of the land God had given them. The battle that David was more concerned about was the battle for his soul. David is describing spiritual warfare in Psalm 35:4-5 when he says, “Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: Let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Let them be as chaff before the wind: And let the angel of the LORD chase them.”

In spite of the disadvantage David had in not being able to overcome his sin, he lived with a victorious mindset. David was able to exercise great faith and believed that his salvation was certain. When David said, “who is like unto thee,” (Psalm 35:10) he was not asking a question, he was making a statement, actually declaring that there was no question about it, no one is like Jeshu‘ah…Jesus our deliverance!

In God we trust

Trust is very closely tied to expectations. As we get to know people, we develop expectations of them. Expectations are not just things we make up, they are based on experience and have logical reasoning behind them. Although expectations are often associated with circumstances, the main reason we think certain things will happen is because someone has caused them to happen and expectations help us to prepare for what that person is going to do.

The primary person we develop expectations of is God. Even people that do not believe in God still have a concept of God and therefore, have some expectation of what he will do. I think most people that do not believe in God believe he punishes people for doing bad things, and because everyone does bad things, they expect him to punish them. The choose not to believe in him to avoid punishment.

On the other hand, I think most people that say they trust God believe he rewards people for doing good things. They choose to trust him because they expect to get a reward someday. I don’t think it is possible to trust anyone unless you have some positive expectation of him or her.

David said in Psalm 56:3-4, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee, in God I will I praise his word, in God have I put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” David knew from experience that when he was in a scary situation, God was with him. David developed an expectation of being delivered from dangerous situations because he had been delivered from dangerous situations in the past. Over time, David began to trust that God would always be with him and would deliver him from every danger that threatened his life.

The reason David recorded his personal experiences with God is because he knew that what was true for him was true for every Believer. God did not take care of David any differently after he was anointed to be king than when he was a shepherd tending his father’s flock. David learned that if he needed help, all he had to do was call out to God and he would take care of it.

When I cry unto thee, then shall my enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. (Psalm 56:9)

When

The moment of truth

Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah…And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering a town that hath gates and bars. (1 Samuel 23:2, 7)

The moment of truth in every Christians’ life comes when we put our trust in the LORD and he delivers us into the hand of our enemy. For most people, this kind of crisis is more than they can handle, but the seasoned Christian that is used to handling adversity will walk away with a renewed resolve to press on and finish the race they have been called to run.

Paul expresses it perfectly when he writes from prison “But I would have ye understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel” (Phil 1:12). Paul goes on in his letter to the Philippians to explain why we must press on when things turn out as we expect them to. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14).

The word translated mark, skopos means to watch as in a sentry or scout (4649). After David saved the inhabitants of Keilah,, he kept seeking the LORD for guidance because he “knew that Saul secretly practiced mischief against him” (1 Samuel 23:9). It was revealed to David that Saul was on his way to Keilah and the People of Keilah would deliver him into the hand of Saul, so David and his men fled from the city and once again escaped Saul’s army.

Whose side are you on?

Spiritual warfare is a constant activity that is rarely detected by the average Christian. It’s signs are subtle. In order to detect its existence, one must pay attention to things like fear, anger, and irrational behavior. One way to know for sure you are under attack is that you want to run, to get away from whatever circumstances are causing the attack.

“And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath” (1 Samuel 21:10). The problem with running when you come under spiritual attack is that you can’t see the real enemy, Satan, and will likely end up in a worst circumstance than the one you started with.

And the servants of Achish said unto him, is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. (1 Samuel 21:11-12).

In order to escape Achish, David changed his behavior “and feigned himself mad in their hands” (1 Samuel 21:13). David’s reputation as a valiant warrior was something he should have been proud of and yet when he found himself in a situation where he was alone and at the mercy of his enemy, he decided to trash his reputation and make himself out to be a crazy person. In one sense, it may seem as if David was being shrewd and that his ability to disguise himself as a madman was a great way to avoid being killed, but when you look at it from a spiritual perspective, David was running away from his responsibility and trying to avoid his calling to be king of Israel.

As a result of David’s action, the enemy, Satan gained ground and launched an all out attack on God’s consecrated servants by inciting king Saul to seek revenge on Ahimelech because he helped David escape. “And the king said to Doeg, Turn then, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear the linen ephod” (1 Samuel 22:18).

David learned the hard way that the consequences of his wrong actions did not always end up harming him, but doing damage to God’s kingdom. When he hears what has happened to the priests, he takes responsibility and acknowledges that he is being guarded by the LORD’s army.

And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard. (1 Samuel 22:22-23)

God is on my side

The feeling that someone is trying to ruin your life can be unsettling because it is a personal attack. David not only knew that Saul wanted to kill him, he knew why Saul wanted to kill him. Saul was upset because people were crediting David with slaying ten thousands of Philistines while only crediting Saul with slaying thousands. (1 Samuel 18:7). In a moment of jealous rage, Saul proclaimed, “what can he have more but the kingdom” (1Samuel 18:8).

The psalms David wrote during the time period between when he was anointed to be king and when he fled from Saul indicate David believed God would protect him from Saul. The question that comes to mind then is why did David run? Saul had set his mind on getting rid of David and was determined to hold on to his kingdom. By leaving, David made it clear that he did not intend to take the kingdom away from Saul. David was willing to let God handle it and was confident that God was able to bring about the conclusion he desired.

David’s description of the LORD reveals the intimacy he experienced in his personal relationship with Jehovah, the self-existent, eternal, creator of the universe.

The LORD is in his holy temple, The LORD’s throne is in heaven, His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men. (Psalm 11:4)

David believed the LORD could see everything that was going on and would justify his righteous servant.

Because of his faith in God, David was willing to wait to see what the outcome of his situation would be. David said, “Because of his strength will I wait upon him” (Psalm 59:9). The word translated wait, shâmar (shaw – mar´) means to hedge about or guard (8104). Shamar is also translated watchman, someone that is responsible for calling out when an attack is imminent. David was familiar with the role of the watchman and may have been referring to his anticipation of the LORD coming to his rescue. Waiting sometimes involves being on the look out for something that will change the situation. In David’s case, there was likely to be an attack from Saul and so David relied on God’s heavenly host to be a hedge of protection around him. David was waiting or watching for Saul so that he could call out for help and be rescued by God’s army.

God is faithful

The story of David and Goliath is one of the most well known of the Bible probably because it is taught in every Sunday school classroom and used as the primary example of courage in the Old Testament. David’s battle with Goliath was really not so much about courage as it was about faith. David believed that God would protect him if he went up against a giant because he had already been delivered from a lion’s mouth and had rescued a lamb from a bear that was about to eat it.

David’s explanation for defeating Goliath was that he had defied the armies of the living God. “David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with you” (1Samuel 17:37). The reason David was able to defeat Goliath was that the LORD was with him, but what is more important is that the LORD was with him because David was carrying out God’s will which was for the Israelites to drive out their enemies from the Promised Land.

The Philistines were hard core warriors and Goliath was not the only giant among them. When the Promised Land was spied out while the Israelites were still living in the desert, the giants in the land had caused the spies to give a bad report and basically caused the Israelites to have to spend 40 years wandering in the desert because of their lack of faith in God. Fear was the main thing that kept the Israelites from taking on the Philistines and Saul was just as reluctant as the rest of the people to face Goliath in a one on one encounter.

David’s defeat of Goliath not only made him famous, it made him courageous. After defeating Goliath with a sling and a stone, all the Philistines fled from David. The table had been turned and David was the one instilling fear in his enemies. The word defy or châraph (khaw – raf´) in Hebrew means to pull off and by implication to expose or defame (2778). When Goliath defied the armies of the living God, he exposed their fear, but he also exposed their lack of faith. David was the only Israelite who truly believed God was greater than any man that would stand against him. He not only was willing to put his life on the line, but David testified to God’s faithfulness before he took on Goliath so “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45).

An act of faith

The purpose of having a relationship with God is so that he can communicate his will to us. Most people don’t understand or choose to deny that God’s will is the force that governs our universe. When we align ourselves with God’s will, we have the benefit of his help. He is like the wind that drives a sailboat along its course. If we try to go against the wind we won’t get very far.

Many people struggle to determine God’s will as if it is a mystery or something that is counter intuitive. Determining God’s will is as simple as looking to see which way the wind is blowing. The problem is usually not that we don’t know God’s will, it’s that we don’t want to do it.

Saul’s son Jonathon understood that God wanted to deliver the Israelites from the tyranny of the Philistines and he was willing to do his part. Jonathon was looking for an opportunity to do God’s will. Rather than waiting for the Philistines to attack them, he wanted to take an offensive position even though the Philistine army far outnumbered the Israelites.

“And Jonathon said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6). Jonathon was familiar with God’s way of working and when he discovered an opportunity to attack, he did not struggle with the situation, he assumed God would help him defeat the Philistines.

In order to confirm his belief, Jonathon determined a way for God to show him if it was his will for Jonathon to go forward with his plan. The sign that Jonathon established for the LORD to reveal his will was an act of faith because it meant that Jonathon believed God could make the Philistines answer one way or another when they discovered Jonathon and his armourbearer outside their camp.

The interesting thing about the sign that Jonathon established was that if it was not God’s will for Jonathon to attack the Philistines, then he and his armourbearer would be killed by the Philistines. Jonathon was so confident that the LORD would use him to defeat the Philistines that he risked exposing himself to them before taking any action.

And the men of the garrison answered Jonathon and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. And Jonathon said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. (1 Samuel 14:12)

A two step process

When Samuel addresses the people of Israel, he refers to King Saul as the LORD’s anointed. The word translated anointed in 1 Samuel 12:3 & 5 is mâshîyach (maw – shee´ – akh). “The New Testament title of Christ is derived from the Greek Christos which is exactly equivalent to the Hebrew mashiyach” (4899). What King Saul and Jesus have in common is they were both anointed for a special role as God’s chosen one. The difference between the two is that King Saul was only able to save the Israelites from physical death at the hands of their enemies, Jesus delivers God’s people from a second death which is a spiritual death that results from sin.

I believe the reason why God gave the Israelites a savior to deliver them from their enemies in the Promised Land is because they needed to realize that being saved from physical death was not enough. The problem of sin was still there and had to be dealt with also. When God saved me from overdosing on sleeping pills, all my problems did not go away. My problem with sin still had to be dealt with in order for me to have eternal life and to be able to go to heaven when I die. The important thing about God saving me from the overdose is that it gave me a chance to hear the gospel and to give my life to Christ. Otherwise, I would have died in my sins and gone to hell for eternity.

I think salvation is a two step process. The first step usually goes unnoticed because in essence, nothing happens. We don’t die before we get to step two which is accepting Jesus as atonement for our sins. God keeps his children alive until they are secure in Christ. If King Saul had not been put in his position, it is possible the Israelites would have been wiped out by the Ammonites. After defeating them, Saul said, “to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel” (I Samuel 11:13). Just before Jesus died, he said “it is finished” (John 19:30).

A matter of the heart

The expression, he has a good heart is usually used to describe someone that is kind, thoughtful, and loving toward others. The heart is said to be the seat of emotions and it can be the source of motives, feelings, affections, and desires (3820). It is the heart that enables us to love, and hate, and develop a relationship with God When our heart is wounded, it affects our ability to connect with people and may cause us to turn away from God because we cannot related to him.

A characteristic that is connected to the heart is courage. In one sense, to be courageous means to be strong, whether in physical strength or something called fortitude which is the will to press forward or through with something. There are many accounts of people that have acted courageously and performed supernatural feats to rescue or protect someone that did not have the physical strength to do so.

I think most people assume Samson was a big, burly man that looked like a sumo wrestler or a professional weight lifter. The only thing recorded about Samson’s appearance is that he was a Nazarite from birth and therefore, he never cut his hair. The source of Samson’s strength was unknown to everyone except Samson and perhaps his parents. It is possible that Samson assumed his strength came from being a Nazarite, when in actuality, it was his relationship with God that enabled him to overpower the Philistines and perform mighty acts to defeat them.

To be a Nazarite means to be separated or consecrated to God. It is similar to the virginity of a woman in that virginity is a sign of purity and is intended to keep a woman separated or consecrated to her husband until they are married. In a way, you could say that a Nazarite’s heart belongs to God and he is not free to love anyone else but God during his time of consecration which in Samson’s case was his entire lifetime.

It says in Judges 16:4 that Samson “loved a woman, in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.” Delilah was a Philistine and she agreed to find out the source of Samson’s strength so that the Philistines could bind him and afflict him. “And Delilah said unto Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee” (Judges 16:6).

The word translated afflict, ‘ânâh (aw – naw´) means to be bowed down, be humbled. ‘Anah often expresses harsh and painful treatment” (6031). One of the ways the word ‘anah is used is to express the act of rape. “To take a woman sexually by force may be ‘to humble’ her” (6031) as was the case with Jacob’s daughter Dinah. It is believed that the Philistines sought revenge against Samson and intended to kill him after a prolonged period of torture. Delilah’s request to know the source of Samson’s strength so that he could be afflicted was a straight forward attempt to take advantage of his love for her and to determine if he was even willing to die for her.

Isaiah 53:3-4 says of the Messiah “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” Jesus also told his followers that they would be delivered up “to be afflicted” and would be hated by everyone in the world because they identified themselves with his name.

Not many people would agree that if you are a Christian, you should expect to be afflicted, to receive harsh and painful treatment for no reason other than you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Perhaps you have taken a vow of chastity and are being tormented by your friends because you won’t do what everyone else is, having sex outside of marriage. The most common group of women to be targeted by sexual predators is young virgins who will experience rape as their first sexual encounter with a man.

When Samson’s soul was vexed unto death by Delilah’s daily pleading and nagging, he finally “told her all his heart” (Judges 16:17). Immediately, Delilah called the Philistine leaders and told them Samson’s weakness had been revealed.

After Samson is imprisoned by the Philistines, he seeks one last opportunity to gain strength so that he can be avenged. He prays that God will remember him and strengthen him. Samson’s two-fold request indicates that he is no longer relying on his Nazarite vow for power. The interesting thing about Samson’s prayer is that the LORD didn’t answer it. It is believed that Samson was able to topple the house where three thousand Philistines were gathered because his hair had begun to grow back while he was in prison. But, I think it is more likely that Samson’s courage returned because he sought to restore his relationship with the LORD.

The word used for strength in Samson’s prayer, châzaq (khaw – zak´) is the same word that was used when the LORD said he would harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let his people go. Samson knew that he sinned by telling Delilah all that was in his heart. It says in Judges 16:20 that Samson thought he would be able to escape like he had at previous times, but “he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.” Samson was on his own when he suffered torture at the hands of the Philistines and his desire to be avenged had nothing to do with God’s plan to deliver the Israelites from Philistine rule. His heart was hardened after being afflicted and he thought the LORD had left him for good. He wanted to die because the sorrow and pain in his heart were too much for him to bare.

In the last moments of his life, Samson reached out to God and God was there, just not in the way Samson expected him to be. God didn’t harden Samson’s heart, he gave him courage. I think Samson believed he was forgiven and would be able to bring down the house with his bare hands. “And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein” (Judges 16:30).