"The Lifter Up Of Mine Head"

by David Smith, Ayr, UK | Category: General | Mar 1986

Family life, as bound together with the natural ties of parents and children, constitutes a divine arrangement which God has designed as a source of blessing and joy for mankind - Through the advent 6f the Christ into the family of Joseph and Mary, He has sanctified family life for all time - Having thus originated with God the family unit has always been a prime target of attack by the evil one.

The prevalent breakdown of family life in our day is but an evidence of the "grievous times" existing in the last days, when men will be "disobedient to parents", "without natural affection" and "implacable". Surely the agony and grief caused through family separations and broken homes can hardly be overstated. Row significant it is that the ministry of the coming Elijah, before the great and terrible day of the Lord, commences at family level, for "he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:6).

The Scriptures provide some of the saddest incidents of family contention and discord, beginning with Cain, the first man born into the world who, because his works were evil and his brother's righteous, slew his brother Abel. And we recall the strife that existed between Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, and not least the saga of tragedy in David's household, which began when Tamar was humiliated by her brother Amnon, who in turn was subtly slain by Absalom as a first step in his iniquitous ambition to gain the throne for himself. Soon he was to steal the hearts of the people away from his father David.

The human heart has always been prone to contest for possession. Powerful, forces are at work in our day 'to influence the hearts and minds of men, and to gain their interest and affection. Such pressure is keenly felt by all who love the Lord Jesus Christ and whose resolve is to follow and serve Him. By many ingenious ways the world and the adversary are poised to steal the hearts of God's people away from their true king, David's greater Son. The inducements offered are often promising and enticing, but the end result will be spiritual loss and disruption of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). Surely He whose grace has touched our hearts, and whose Spirit dwells in us, is fully deserving of all the love and devotion that we can ever yield to His glory. Row appropriate to us all, the older and mature as well as the young, are the words of the wise king, "My son keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:20).

Having lost the affection and loyalty of many of the people, David entered on one of the saddest epochs of his life, when with the few who remained faithful to him he was forced to flee from Jerusalem. Together they passed over the brook Kidron toward the way of the wilderness and "David went up by the ascent of the mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered" (2 Samuel 15:30). It is not mere emotion that stirs our hearts as we read those solemn words. Knowing what David didn't know, and seeing it all in its true context, we bow before Him, the lord's Anointed. For one dark night more than a thousand years later, He crossed the same Kidron, not only as the rejected king of Israel, but with a burdened soul, on His way to Calvary, there to take away the sin of the world and so reconcile us to God. It was however at this particular time that David wrote the moving words of Psalm 3.

At which time of the day the great psalmist penned the deep meditation of his soul we may never know, whether in the morning as the sun cast its light on the mountain top, or in the darkness of the night as he lay encompassed by his faithful guardsmen keeping vigil- Intertwined with the burden of his heart and the sadness of his circumstances is a glowing faith that ascends far above the throne of Israel and above the top of the ascent of the mount of Olives, for a living faith takes men into the presence of the living God, and provides contact with heaven.

However many robust men guarded David in that dangerous situation, he saw beyond their circle, for he saw the Lord "a shield about me"; therefore he could lay him down and sleep (Psalm 3:5). What a blessed experience when faith gives the vision, and in conditions dark and unyielding we each see the Lord "about me". The glory and the throne had been David's and his head had been drenched with anointing oil. He had borne the crown, not only his own but also that of his enemies as well (2 Samuel 12:30). Now that head is covered and bowed to the ground, sadness and shame had displaced the crown and glory. As David's eyes gaze on the dry gravel beneath his feet and the once fearless warrior watches the earth absorb his tears, what impels him to say, "Thou, 0 LORD, art a shield about me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head" (Psa. 3:3)? Surely a personal assurance that the God he has known and proved in the past is with him and will remain with him. The Lord will provide the necessary strength and solace equal to all his circumstances, bearing him forth to another day, a day of victory and revelation of the unfailing faithfulness of God. He had what it requires in a time of crisis and mounting trouble, a strong and positive faith to perceive the hand of God and to interpret the thoughts of love in His heart. It was just such a faith which enabled Moses in his day to endure "as seeing Rim who is invisible".

It isn't always easy in times of personal difficulty to realize that God's purpose for each of His own extends far beyond "our light affliction, which is for the moment", to a height of permanent glory far above our circumstances. The proof of this being that He who went up to Calvary bleeding, with a crown of thorns on His head, who fulfilled all the shadows of the past, has ably procured all things for God. As the author of our salvation He stands at the head of a great multitude which Re will assuredly bring to a destination of eternal blessing. And what a consolation to know that our times are in His hands, even now as we journey through this wilderness world.

David Smith, Ayr, UK | Mar 1986
General