In the Old Testament the church is presented as having a host of enemies. For a long time all the members of the church of God lived in a small section of this earth, namely, the land of Canaan. Today the church is scattered over all the earth in every nation, tongue, and tribe. It pleases our God to gather the members of the body of Christ, His church, from far and wide, from all types of people. Whereas in the old dispensation the church was limited mostly to the Jewish race, now it is gathered from every color, race, and nationality. Even as our bodies have different kinds of members, and need different kinds of members, so the church has different kinds of people from a physical point of view.
Even though the church has only a handful of people, compared with the millions upon millions of those outside that church, we have a very comforting truth concerning us in Deuteronomy 33:28 . There we find Moses stating, as God's mouthpiece, "Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon the land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew."
We do well to take note of the fact that the church shall dwell in safety alone, and that its members shall have all that which we need. That corn, wine, and dew must be taken figuratively. These literally will not be in the new Jerusalem that is coming when Christ returns.
What we have here is that word of comfort which God gives His church. She is safe. We do correctly sing, "Safe in the arms of Jesus." The church has that calling which we considered yesterday. She has a host of enemies, a number greater than we can count. But all is well. And as we approach the days of the Antichrist, as pictured in Revelation 13 , we need not fear. The almighty God is our protector and savior. God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of need, and trouble ( Psalm 46 ).
Read: Deuteronomy 33:26-29
Daily Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
****
Daniel 6:1-28
2 Peter 3:1-18
Psalm 119:129-152
Proverbs 28:21-22
Quote for Reflection:
“Those who are truly humbled in their hearts, and brought to place their confidence in God, shall experience how much care he has for his children, and how well he provides for their necessities… after he has afflicted and tried us, he does not forsake us; but after he has molded and trained us by the cross to humility and meekness, he still shows himself to be a wise and provident father in guiding and directing us through life.” ~ John Calvin
Additional Info
- Date: 29-November
