SOAP 12/17/2015; Psalm 146:9

Today's reading: 2 Peter 1, 2, 3; John 1*

S) "⁹ The Lord protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked."

Psalm 146:9 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Psalm 146

O) There are four people mentioned in this verse, and the LORD looks quite different to the one, than to the other three. God protecting the stranger can also be translated "keeps the sojourner." This is a very common concept that God continually brought up with His people. They were, since the days of Abraham, strangers in another people's land. This is why the Promised Land was such a big deal to them, to have a country of their own. Of course, that is also allegorical, because believers are not of this world, sojourners in this creation, as we await the new heavens and new earth. The support He gives to the fatherless, has direct impact on every human in existence, because all of us have failures for fathers. Even the best dads will have serious shortcomings, because we are all sin-corrupted people. However, this is also why it is so vital that we recognize God as Father, because He will restore what is lost there. The same is true in the widow analogy. Jesus, being the perfect bridegroom to the church, is taking up the cause of people who's covenant was broken by death. All three of these people groups are, in their own ways, representative of the church. And then there is the wicked. Thank God, that He thwarts their ways. In the end, we know that God will bring every evil to a just ending, but even in the meantime, there are unseen evils that God frustrates. There are wicked plans that never come to fruition, for no other reason than that God intervenes.

A) This verse immediately reminded me of the Third Day song, "Alien" which I loved so much in high school (and now, for that matter). This verse is a strong reminder, if I meditate on it, of the deep and varied ways God has treated me with grace beyond compare. In a very real way, growing up (and even now), I was practically fatherless. So, I learned that I needed God to be my Father. The practical impact in my life is hard to define sometimes, but that lifelong learning process has been worth it. God is everything I could ever need, or want, in a dad. As a stranger (sojourner or alien), this verse reminds me not to get attached to this world. This is not my home, so I should not be rooted to the things of this world. I seek a different home, a heavenly home, an eternal home. As a widow... this one is the hardest for me to conceptualize (because I'm a husband according to the flesh?). But, when I remember that marriage itself, is really a type or shadow of the covenant that God has with His church, I begin to see it more clearly. The point is that I had no one to take up my cause. No one to be eternally vested in my wellbeing. I was a dependent being with no one to depend on. God changed all of this for me. And, how did He do it? By thwarting my wicked ways in the first place. These are all the reasons I could ever need, to fully devote myself to Him.

P) Father, I was the alien, the fatherless, and the widow. I was a stranger, waiting to find my true home. I was an orphan, without a dad to raise me and guide me. I was a widow, with no benefactor, no partner, no one to support me. I was the wicked man, with plans for evil. But, in Your amazing grace, You thwarted my plans. You brought me into a covenant. You became my Father. You gave me citizenship in Your kingdom. God, this is so good, and I praise You for this grace. Thank You for being everything I needed You to me. I needed mercy, and You gave it. I needed rescue, and You delivered. I needed provision, and You sustained me. I needed relationship, and You loved me. You are glorious in Your goodness. Thank You God. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.