Bible League: Living His Word You hem me in behind and before,and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. What does it mean to be hemmed in? It means to be surrounded and shut in by something. It is to be enclosed or confined by something so that one cannot move as long as that something is in place. David is saying that God hemmed him in behind and before so that he cannot go backward or forward. On the one hand, then, he cannot go back. He cannot go back to where he once was even if he tried. The Lord is preventing that from happening. The idea here should not be understood in a negative way. God has providential concern for David and He is preventing him from deviating from His plan. David might otherwise be tempted to leave the place he is at and go back to where he once was. On the other hand, he cannot go forward. He cannot go forward to some new place even if he tried. The Lord is also preventing that from happening. God's plan does not include him moving forward at this time and if He did not prevent that from happening David might be tempted to leave the place he is at and move forward. God's hand is upon David. This does not mean that David is "under God's thumb." It means that God is guiding David, holding him in place so that he doesn't make the mistake of moving backward or forward at the wrong time and to the wrong place. The why and the wherefore of God's guidance is beyond human comprehension. True, at times God gives us glimpses of what He is up to, but at bottom such knowledge is "too wonderful" and "too lofty" for us. God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). Our job is not to question God's guidance, but to trust Him that He has our best interests at heart. You may feel a little unsettled where you are today. You may be wondering if you should do something about it. Yet you do not sense the hand of God moving you forward or backward. Trust God. At the right time, He will move you where He wants you to be, and you will be at peace about it for having waited on Him. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingDeuteronomy 14, 15, 16 Deuteronomy 14 -- Eating Only Clean Animals; Tithes NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Deuteronomy 15 -- The Seventh Year: Debts to be Cancelled, Servants Freed NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Deuteronomy 16 -- The Feasts of Passover, Weeks and Tabernacles NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 13:14-37 Mark 13 -- Christ Foretells the Destruction of the Temple and His Return; Day and Hour Unknown NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion The LORD is like a father to his children,tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Insight We are fragile, but God's care is eternal. Too often we focus on God as Judge and Lawgiver, ignoring his compassion and concern for us. Challenge When God examines our lives, he remembers our human condition. Our weakness should never be used as a justification for sin. His mercy takes everything into account. God will deal with you compassionately. Trust him. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Romans 7:13 Sin ... exceeding sinful.Beware of light thoughts of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God. But alas! very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world: the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life, too pliant, too easily yielding. It is sadly true, that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once startled him does not alarm him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin. The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, "Is it not a little one?" Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a little ill; and then follows an unholy presumption: "We have not fallen into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the main. We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our conversation, it has been consistent." So we palliate sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names. Christian, beware how thou thinkest lightly of sin. Take heed lest thou fall by little and little. Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its deadliness? Sin, a little thing? Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes? Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not continual droppings wear away stones? Sin, a little thing? It girded the Redeemer's head with thorns, and pierced his heart! It made him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Saviour, and you will see it to be "exceeding sinful." Daily Light on the Daily Path Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you, and keep you;Proverbs 10:22 It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. Psalm 5:12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him with favor as with a shield. Psalm 121:3,5,7,8 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. • The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. • The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. • The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever. Isaiah 27:3 "I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water it every moment. So that no one will damage it, I guard it night and day. John 17:11,12 "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. • "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. 2 Timothy 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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