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Devotionals
"You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions." Psalm 45:7
The writer of Hebrews says that these words were spoken of the coming Messiah, but do they actually describe the One who came? As we walk through the Gospels do we see Jesus as one who was "anointed with the oil of gladness"? Isn't He considered to be the "Man of Sorrows"? Wasn't it on the muddy banks of the Jordan that He was anointed for a ministry of great suffering and pain? Wasn't the inaugural address given by the Baptist - "Behold the Lamb of God!" - a foreshadowing of Jesus' sacrificial work? Yes. So, are we now to change our view of Him from the man of sorrows into a man of joy? Are we to no longer see Him as the One who was so marred by the hands of man that He didn't even look like a man, and begin now to see Him as One who is distinguished from all the men around Him by His perpetual, powerful gladness? If such is the case then it would indeed be a tremendous transformation of thinking.
"Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." Exodus 33:15
This has to be one of the most unbelievable and amazing prayers in all of the Bible. It is not a prayer to be ushered into the Promise Land. As a matter of fact, it is a prayer asking not to get there except under a very specific condition. These wilderness wanderers had been guilty of idolatry. They had invited the anger of God and as a result God had withdrawn His presence from them. No longer would He be their personal guide. No longer would He manifest Himself in their midst. Sure, He would follow through on His promise and bring them into the land of Canaan, but He wouldn't be the One to lead them there. He would send somebody else to be their guide.
