Holy Week Wednesday

On this fourth and mid-week day of Holy Week, we give unhidden and undaunted praise to our Risen Lord and King, Jesus Christ, whose appreciation and acceptance of our gifts, we celebrate. We continue to be held in humble thanksgiving and gratitude for His open, fearless, commitment to commend all who bring joy and happiness to His Heart. We admire how He stands up for a sinner, against His indignant disciples. They are saying that what she has done, in pouring out a flask of expensive, fragrant oil on Jesus, is a waste of money. Jesus promptly speaks on her behalf, confirming her sacrificial offering to Him.

Here is today’s Jesus Experience.

But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her. Matthew 26: 10 – 13 NKJV.

Holy Spirit, make me so completely thankful for our Lord’s saving grace that nothing will be too much or too expensive for me to offer my Jesus. Let my desire to offer my all to You, Jesus, not be hindered by enemies around, who have not tasted of Your selflessness in sacrificing Your life for sinners like me. Amen!

 This is fitting time to return to the Psalm and our text where gifts of praise are being poured out on the Lord. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. Psalm 8: 2

 We have already noted and do believe that David is speaking of God’s enemies. The text states, you have established a stronghold against your enemies. We know and believe however, that God’s enemies are our enemies and our enemies are His, for if we are in Christ, and He is in us, we will love what He loves and hate what He hates. In other words, we will be enemy to what He is enemy to. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12: 9 KJV.  We know that the Lord abhors evil. In addition, we remember what God announced to His children. I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. Exodus 23: 22b.

Crystal clear on this point, we move on to the point where David informs us of God’s doing. You have established a stronghold against your enemies. We know that God establishes whatsoever He wishes. We have no difficulty in the least bit, with Creator God as an Establisher. The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. Psalm 24: 1 - 2. KJV. Here, God has established a stronghold against His enemies and ours as well.

What is a stronghold? A stronghold is a well-fortified, well-secured place of survival. When God establishes a stronghold, it is never shaken, never penetrated, never infiltrated and never ever conquered. Repeat Psalm 18: 2 NKJV. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. This is what the Lord God has established against His enemies. This means that regardless of who or what the enemy is, regardless of numbers and augmentations; regardless of fierceness and tactics; regardless of long term planning or suddenness, the already established stronghold of the Lord is unconquerable.

The Stronghold

This has totally left me mesmerized, silenced and completely in awe of our Creator, Father God. Who is a God like Him? Who can stand against Him? Who is LORD, but our Lord? I stand in holy fear of God, for He is Holy. There is no way my pea brain can ever hope to understand or even begin to process this miracle.  Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies. Fixed in our hearts and minds is the fact that Sovereign, Creator God, established a stronghold through the praise of children and infants. This is so very impossible, unattainable and totally opposite to what our human ways are, in our highest, most intelligent and humanly tried ways that there is no way I can receive this word of myself. What about you? This is so unheard of, so never even attempted and never advised that I have to surrender all of me, die to all of my natural ways of thinking, seeing and speaking, to stand on the feet of faith. This is a BIG One! 

This conversation between Jesus and some of His enemies has come before us. The chief priests, scribes, teachers of the law and Pharisees were some of the religious hierarchy who could not stomach Jesus – neither in His ways, His words and His works – for He was too free and liberal for them. It is Holy Week back then, if you like, and Jesus is in the temple doing His wonderful, miraculous works without fear or prejudice. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! They were indignant and said to Him, Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise? Matthew 21: 15 – 16 NKJV.

Jesus is quoting the Psalms and once again, we marvel at how praise can be perfected in those who are unable to speak, reason and understand.

Thanks be to God for He still speaks for His own.