Praising God for Deliverance

(Psalm 34:1-10, 18-22)

Lesson 8 -- third quarter 1996
July 21, 1996

by Mark Roth
© Copyright 1996, Christian Light Publications

"The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." What a blessing and assurance we have often received in knowing that the Lord's angels stand guard over us. What encouragement we have derived from the assurance that these messengers of the Lord stand by His people to minister to them. I have counted on this promise many times, both for myself and for others.

I would like to show you some verses that have broadened and deepened the blessing, encouragement and assurance for me. I think it will do the same for you. (I will use boldface to help make my point.)

"And the angel of the LORD said unto her.... And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?" (Genesis 16:10,13).
"And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven.... [T]hou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me" (Genesis 22:11,12).
"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.... And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush..." (Exodus 3:2,4).
"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee.... And the LORD looked upon him, and said, ...have not I sent thee?" (Judges 6:12,14).

Do you see it! In the Old Testament, the expression the angel of the Lord is often used to identify Jehovah Himself. Therefore, we can deduce that Psalm 34:7 may well be assuring us that the Lord Jesus Himself personally watches over His children!

I want to testify again to the deliverance of the Lord. I referred to the Internet earlier. What a dark place it has become! So much moral trash and corruption is readily available on that electronic medium. I've had frequent access to pornography on the Internet. The devil and my own lustful, curious flesh have frequently tempted me to look...just once. My fear of the Lord prompted me to covenant the following with some brethren in my home congregation:

I purpose before God and my Brothers to never use my modem to intentionally download or view any file (text or graphic) that is sexual, pornographic, obscene, immoral and/or lustful in nature. I also purpose to avoid newsgroups and mailing lists which disseminate similar material. By signing this covenant of brotherhood accountability, I give my co-signing Brothers the privilege and responsibility of checking up on my faithfulness in this area.

I remember this covenant when the temptations and opportunities come. The covenant itself does not give me power to overcome. But the covenant is one expression of the fear of the Lord. And "the angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." He does indeed deliver. Praise the Lord!

In this life we will always face danger and temptation. The Lord does not lead us into temptation, but He will lead us through it. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations" (2 Peter 2:9).

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