THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

CXIV. Relying On God’s Institutional Sovereignty

(Psalm 114:1-8)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

We need help dealing with great deficiencies in a variety of human institutions:

(1) There was a tragic lack of physical protection at the July 13^th former President Trump rally: (a) “(O)ne former high-ranking FBI official told The Post . . . that from what they could tell, the Secret Service under (Director Kimberly) Cheatle completely blew it. ‘It was a total security breakdown from start to finish,’ said former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker.” (Dana Kennedy, “Calls for security big head to roll,” New York Post, July 15, 2024, p. 7) (b) On top of that, “A threat on Donald Trump’s life from Iran” had already “prompted additional security in the days before” the “rally . . . two U. S. officials said Tuesday.” (“Iran threat prompted more security at Trump rally in Pennsylvania,” Republican-American, July 17, 2024, p. 12B) With the security lapse that had occurred with even additional security so that an untrained, 20-year-old would-be assassin could nearly slay the former president, one only wonders what would have occurred had a military-trained Iranian sharpshooter fired from that roof!

(2) The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program that affects so many institutions has been exposed as a scam: (a) “(T)he consulting firm McKinsey announced in 2015 that it had ‘found a link between profits and executive racial and gender diversity,’ and “(w)ithin five years, there was a massive shift in how many companies hired and conducted their business . . . But the original pro-business justification has turned out to be a scam. According to The Wall Street Journal, ‘academics have tried to repeat McKinsey’s findings and failed, concluding that there is in fact no link between profitability and executive diversity.’” (Jarrett Stepman, “McKinsey study that spawned corporate DEI programs unravels,” Ibid., July 11, 2024, p. 8A) (b) Even worse, “(c)ritics claim (Secret Service Director Kimberly) Cheatle dropped the ball on security measures at (the July 13) Trump rally – saying she has been too focused on woke ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ policies . . . to take care of the agency’s more crucial business.” (Ibid., Kennedy)

(3) The dysfunction in the executive branch at the White House has been stunning: “(T)here have been clear signs throughout his term of Biden being increasingly stage-managed, with lists of talking points, names and questioners and drawings of where he should walk presented to him by aides. Ahead of closed-door Cabinet meetings that Biden attends, it is customary for Cabinet officials to submit questions and key talking points that they plan to present in front of Biden ahead of time to White House aides, two sources with direct knowledge told CNN. ‘The entire display is kind of an act,’ one of those sources told CNN.” (M. J. Lee, Jeff Zeleny, Kayla Tausche and Jamie Gangel, “Angry and stunned Democrats blame Biden’s closest advisers for shielding public from full extent of president’s decline,” CNN.com, July 11, cited in “Quotable,” Republican-American, July 15, 2024, p. 6A)

(4) Our national debt is not being adequately addressed by elected officials: “Noted historian Niall Ferguson remarked in a recent Bloomberg column that his studies have led him to conclude that all great powers that spend more on debt service than on defense soon lose their great power . . . The United States is already crossing this ominous line. This year alone, interest payments on the national debt will reach $892 billion, which is larger than defense base funding . . . Politicians . . . (on) both sides (of the political aisle) refuse to tackle the root causes of the debt crisis, a perfect storm of higher interest payments, and the looming insolvency of Social Security and Medicare.” (Veronique DeRugy, “Don’t be fooled by calm seas in uncharted fiscal waters,” Ibid., July 5, 2024, p. 6A)

Need: So, we ask, “How can we handle the deficiencies we face in many of our institutions?”

I. Psalm 114:1-8 praised God for His great power that was exercised when He sustained the institutions of the nation of Israel in bringing her from Egypt to the Promised Land. (Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 876)

II. That deliverance in Israel’s Exodus was poetically and briefly described in Psalm 114:1-4 (as follows):

A. In the Exodus, Judah became God’s sanctuary, for Genesis 49:10 foretold that Messiah would come through that tribe, and Israel became God’s domain through which Messiah would rule (Psa. 114:1-2; Isa. 11:1, 10).

B. Accordingly, the Red Sea opened up for Israel to cross in leaving Egypt (Psalm 114:3a; Exodus 14:1-31) and the Jordan River turned back at its flood stage for Israel to enter Canaan (Psalm 114:3b; Joshua 3:1-4:24).

C. The mountains and the hills skipped like rams and lambs respectively, a figurative reference to the violent earthquake that shook the granite rocks of Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law (Psalm 114:4; Exodus 19:10).

III. The Psalmist asked why these bodies of water and mountains and hills had moved so greatly, only to answer that God’s great power had produced these events, Psalm 114:5-7.

IV. The Psalmist added that God had turned the rock into a pool of water and the hard rock into springs when He supplied life-giving water for Israel in the wilderness (Psa. 114:8; Ex. 17:6; Num. 20:11).

V. Since the Psalmist mentioned God’s provision of water in the wilderness, we view other Scriptures that reveal His other life-sustaining provisions in other institutional realms for Israel during the Exodus:

A. God provided Israel freedom from bondage in servitude to the Egyptians in the Exodus, Exodus 13:14.

B. He rescued Israel from attack by the most powerful chariot army in that part of the world when He caused the Red Sea to close over and destroy Pharaoh’s chariot army when it pursued Israel, Exodus 14:21-31.

C. God provided Israel with clothing, silver and gold from the Egyptians in the Exodus, Exodus 12:35-36.

D. Throughout Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the barren wilderness, God provided Israel’s food every day in the form of manna, the bread from heaven, Exodus 16:35. (That’s 87.6 billion meals for 2 million people!)

E. God even sustained Israel’s health so that her people could walk for 40 years without infirmities, Deut. 8:3-4.

F. The Lord gave Israel victory in the wilderness when she was attacked by the Amalekites, Exodus 17:8-13.

G. God protected Israel from national collapse from internal division during Korah’s rebellion, Num. 16:1-17:13.

VI. Significantly, all of these provisions came in ways that are instructive for God’s people through the ages:

A. Each provision for Israel’s needs in the Exodus involved Israel’s need to trust in God to meet specific needs.

B. Each provision for Israel’s needs aligned with God’s unconditional Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 15:13-21 to deliver Israel out of Egypt and to bring her into the Promised Land.

Lesson: Israel’s institutional needs of national security, livelihood provisions, material wealth, health, and internal social and religious stability were met by God during His deliverance of Israel from Egypt. For each need, God required Israel to rely on Him to fulfill His Word regarding His addressing that respective need.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) Though we are not a theocratic nation as was ancient Israel, and we have OFTEN noted that God is allowing institutions in the world to deteriorate to direct INDIVIDUALS to trust in Him (Rev. 3:21; 7:17), we can trust God to meet our PERSONAL needs that we might fulfill His calling!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and provide additional guidance . . .)

Scripture encourages us to trust God to meet our personal needs on the issues of concern in our introduction, for God met the personal needs of believers in ancient Israel even when the nation was very ungodly (as follows):

(1) On the lack of law enforcement protection at the former President Trump political rally, 2 Kings 6:8-23 reports how God repeatedly informed His prophet Elisha on where the enemy Arameans were secretly planning to attack Israel. When the Aramean king then learned that Elisha was informing Israel’s king on his moves, he tried to capture Elisha, only to end up having his entire army helplessly surrounded by Israel’s forces! God can provide protection far beyond the ability of a nation’s intelligence institutions to do so if doing so fits His agenda!

(2) As for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion scam and its alleged fallout of hurting the Secret Service’s coverage of the Trump rally, 2 Timothy 3:13-17 encourages us that if we heed Scripture today, we will avoid such deceptions! For example, Proverbs 17:2 claims that a wise servant will have rule over a shameful son, sharing in the family inheritance by earning it regardless of his initial low estate! That promise counters the DEI philosophy that people of low estate need to be elevated to higher positions if they ever hope to enjoy upward mobility in life!

(3) As for the dysfunction in the executive branch at the White House, Jeremiah 39:1-10 reports how unwise and hapless king Zedekiah of Judah tried to flee the Babylonian invasion instead of heeding God’s prophet Jeremiah, only to be caught, tortured, and taken away to Babylon. Conversely, Jeremiah in Jeremiah 40:1-5 was treated well and given liberty by a Babylonian official! Thus, no matter how dysfunctional our leaders are, and regardless what occurs around us, we like Jeremiah can enjoy God’s blessing at the personal level if we perform His assignment!

(4) As for our national debt burden amid irresponsible elected officials, 2 Kings 8:1-6 reported that though God judged the nation Israel and her wicked king Joram with a seven-year famine for disobeying Him (cf. Deut. 28:15-18), God’s prophet Elisha told a godly Shunamite woman to live in a foreign land to escape the famine. When she returned after the famine, God arranged for Israel’s godless, irresponsible king Joram to assign an official to restore the woman’s land to her, and to give her all of her land’s produce of the previous seven years when she had been absent from her land! (Ibid., Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 552-553) Even if our leaders are godless and/or irresponsible, God will meet our personal livelihood needs if we obey Him so that we can fulfill His agenda for us!

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. May we then trust God to meet what institutional needs we have that we might do His will for us!