All God’s Saints Are in His Hand
“And he said: ‘The LORD came from Sinai and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand came a fiery law for them. Yes, He loves the people; all His saints are in Your hand; they sit down at Your feet; everyone receives Your words’” (Deut. 33:2-3).
“All His saints are in Your hand.” Wait, that puts saints in the Old Testament! In Psalms alone there are twenty references to “saints.” Saints are not unique to the second covenant. Saints are God’s special and holy people, set apart in any age. These people are not simply the nation of Israel, but saints are God’s redeemed people. Jesus died to redeem sinners in past, present, and future. “He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance” (Heb.9:15). The entire host of saints from both the Old and New Testament are together in his hand! Abraham, Paul, David, Peter, Enoch, and more, along with you and me!
Some of “His saints” are Jews, others are Gentiles. Previously, godly Jews served the Lord differently than godly Gentiles. They were under different laws and worshipped in different manners. Melchizedek and Aaron both served God, but under different arrangements. Jesus changed that! He removed the “wall of separation” between Jew and Gentile (Eph.2:14). Both are able to meet God through Jesus. “And other sheep I have (Gentiles) which are not of this fold (Jews), them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). By Jesus’ blood, the redeemed Jews and Gentiles are both “one man” in Christ (Eph. 2:15). Each one is a saint!
Many of “His saints” are dead. No matter! There are not two flocks. The living and the dead are both considered together. No one is excluded from the saints, nor evicted from the church, because He died. The church is still made up of the saved from all ages, from all nations, from both living and dead. All the righteous dead are in “Abraham’s bosom.” All are still His saints.
The last part of the scripture states, “…all are in Your hand.” Saints are scattered over the face of the whole earth. They are often far from family and friends and often “out of touch” with people they know. Not so with God! Wherever saints are, they are in the hand of God. They are never far from God. Remember: “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers...” (1st Peter 3:12).
Jonah was a slow learner, thinking it convenient to flee “the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:2). Jacob was surprised to find God present in the desert (Gen. 28:16). The psalmist said, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me” (Psa. 139:7). His presence is not dreadful; He is ever present for the benefit of His saints!
Whatever the crisis may be for saints, they are always in the hand of God. Where better could they be? Who better could they trust? They easily sleep at night even in the midst of life’s storms. They are in the hand of God! Someone once said, “Go on to sleep; turn it all over to God. He is going to be up all night anyway! No point in both of you staying awake.”
If we understand and really believe in God’s expansive wisdom and unimaginable power, and really believe we are in His hands, why worry? If we are “in the hand of God,” there should be no fretting or anxiety (Mt. 6:25-33). In His hand is tranquility and peace! Even in death, saints are in the hand of God. He never casts them out!
When we consider death, we contemplate the grave. Oh, what a dreadful image! Yet how different it is for those who “die in the Lord” (Rev. 14:13). Paul saw it and said, “For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better…” (Phil. 1:23). At home with the Lord! Still in his hand! Amen!
|
