When I awake
"As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness." (Psalms 17:15)
September 28, 2024
Dear friends,
Have you ever thought, "I want to wake up one morning and find all this gone"? Like... no more debts, no illness, no wars or rumors of wars, no mockery of God, no persecution, no strife and wickedness abounding in the world? Personally, I look forward to the day the "old me" is completely gone and the "new me" is fully present. As Christians we have one foot in the new creation, but still one foot in this age. We see God at work, but we long for completion of the work.
NOT ABANDONED. Psalm 16 was written by King David, being his prayer to the Lord for preservation, specifically from death. It's a beautiful psalm and there are many points that we as Christians relate to... We too take refuge in the Lord (v 1). We too confess him as Lord and know that he is our only good (v 2). We delight in the fellowship of the saints (v 3). We too have turned away from vain idols (v 4). We too find the Lord himself to be our portion and our beautiful inheritance (v 5-6). We also enjoy the late-night (or early morning) counsel of the Lord (v 7). The Lord is our ever-present Stabilizer (v 8). We are secure, even in death (v 9-10). And we are on our way to a world filled with life, joy, and pleasure in God's presence (v 11).
Verses 9 and 10 are cited by Peter in his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:25-28), and by Paul in his preaching (Acts 13:34-37), seen as a prophecy fulfilled in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. "For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption." The latter phrase can also be translated, "to undergo decay." David here speaks prophetically (like in Psalm 22) of his greater son, the Messiah, that he would not be left to rot in the grave. Jesus' bodily, physical resurrection is not just a matter of prophecy, but also of history. This happened. He was buried but not abandoned. The gospel says "...that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:4) George Bernard Shaw once wrote, "All roads end at the grave, which is the gate to nothingness." Not so, our Lord Jesus has demonstrated that this simply is not true.
WHEN I AWAKE. Psalm 17, also written by David, shares a number of themes with the previous psalm: taking refuge in the Lord, the goodness of the Lord's presence, his path(s), his counsel by night, and a man's "portion" (inheritance) being either in this life or eternally in the Lord. The last verse of each is similar in thought: eternal joy in the presence of the Lord, beholding his face. These are both psalms of "awakening." Psalm 16 prophesies that David's royal descendent, the Messiah, would not be abandoned to the grave, and Psalm 17 speaks of David waking up and seeing God's face.
But David awakes from what? Perhaps it means that he will wake up one morning and find the Lord has dealt with his current troubles. True enough. Perhaps it's more, that one day he will wake up from this life, where so much evil abounds, to see God's righteousness vindicated and established, along with everlasting joy. As in the previous psalm David, like his royal descendent, will not be finally abandoned to the grave but will arise to find evil vanished and to clearly see the smile of God towards him.
RISEN WITH HIM. Amazingly, all believers were included in Christ's resurrection. His death encompassed a multitude ("a ransom for many"), and his resurrection includes (and secures) the future resurrection of all his people. He is the "first fruits" of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:48-49), meaning the first of many more to come. Like Jesus we will not be abandoned to a dusty grave, buried and forgotten. "As was the man of dust [Adam], so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven [Jesus], so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:48-49)
We awaken first to the call of Christ in this life, and so begin our new life here and now (John 5:24-25). We see his wonderful work in creation and especially, in redemption. The cross and the empty tomb begin to make sense, as does the word of God, the Bible. We see, or better, glimpse his gracious countenance in things in and around us. But we see and feel and know and enjoy in part only. But one day, we shall be fully awake. The entirely-new-you and the entirely-new-me will rise and reign with Christ forever. Every tear wiped away. Every doubt gone. Even the memory of our sin will be gone. One day we shall be fully awake, with both feet firmly planted in the new creation.
MEANWHILE, we walk by faith, and we wait in hope. Sometimes it seems we will never fully wake up, or that life seems to end, abandoned in the grave. But we agree with what Cornelius Van Til wrote about healing, knowing that resurrection is the final healing: "Christ walks indeed a cosmic road. Far as the curse is found, so far his grace is given. The biblical miracles of healing point to the regeneration of all things. The healed souls of men require and will eventually receive healed bodies and a healed environment... While they actually expect Christ to return visibly on the clouds of heaven, they thank God for every sunny day." (From Christian Apologetics)
So, we give thanks to God for this day (sunny or not), and also, we pray for the coming of that Day when we shall be fully healed, fully awake. "Amen, come, Lord Jesus"!
MISCELLANEOUS.
-- Hear "When a Heart is Really Alive," by Malcolm Guite, about George MacDonald. Also, this is good: "The Fantastic Imagination" By George MacDonald.
-- A broken altar, repaired. A poem by George Herbert.
-- Are Christians obligated to vote? Is there a lesser of two evils? (WTS magazine)
-- Samaritan's Purse is receiving donations for Hurricane Helene relief.
FINAL QUOTE.
"Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend,
for Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end."
(John of Damascus, c. AD 675--754)
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.