SEEING DEEP
with Denise Pass
BIBLE READING PLAN
When God is Our Portion
There’s a word this year that has stood out to me again and again. Portion. We can want someone else’s portion, but it will not satisfy us as much as what God has for us. And more importantly, nothing will satisfy us like God being our portion. When God is our portion, we are satisfied more than any other portion this world affords.
Bible Reading: Rev. 11-15, Psalms 142-144, Songs 3-4, Acts 23-24
We are going to be covering some ground today from the reading over the weekend and today’s reading. I am going to start with the Psalms
Psalm 142
“1 I cry aloud to the Lord; I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I reveal my trouble to him. 3 Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way. Along this path I travel, they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me.
5 I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Listen to my cry, for I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. 7 Free me from prison so that I can praise your name. The righteous will gather around me because you deal generously with me.”
When God is Our Portion
When God is our portion, we have an inheritance.
The Hebrew word for portion is Hay-leck “cheleq”. It means an allotment, a share, a part. We have a part in the Kingdom of God. We get to share in a relationship with the One Who is overall. He loves us. He chose us. Don’t let this inheritance be something we easily dismiss. It is the greatest portion we will ever have. This word occurs sixty-two times. It is used as a synonym for “lot” (gôrāl) when it is a share of booty divided among the victors (Gen 14:24) or of offerings among the priests (Lev 6:10). More commonly it refers to a ‘share in an inheritance.’
We aren’t forgotten. We have a portion with the God of this universe. And part of that portion is revelation that God gives us. If you remember Deuteronomy 29:29, “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.”
The Psalmist first reveals his troubles and his sin – he confesses his sin to find God’s forgiveness. And God reveals to the Psalmist and to us.
When God is Our Portion—We Belong
When God is our Portion belong to Him.
Psalm 143: 8-10
“Let me experience your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go because I appeal to you. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I come to you for protection. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground.”
When God is our portion, we are also His. We belong to Him. We don’t have to worry about what the future brings. Our God is already there. This means we don’t have to worry about all that we see about the end times in the book of Revelation.
When God is Our Portion—We Do Not Fear
In our reading from the book of Revelation 11-15, God sends two witnesses to call out the sins of the people. “John does not tell us who these two witnesses are. Many Bible teachers say that these men are Moses and Elijah. Some teachers say that they are Enoch and Elijah. But we cannot be sure who they are” (Easy English Bible Commentary).
According to Gotquestions.org, “in Revelation chapter 12, John sees a vision of a woman “clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Revelation 12:1). Note the similarity between this description and the description that Joseph gave of his father Jacob (Israel) and his mother and their children (Genesis 37:9-11). The twelve stars refer to the twelve tribes of Israel. So the woman in Revelation 12 is Israel.”
When God is Our Portion—He is Our Deliverer
“Additional evidence for this interpretation is that Revelation 12:2-5 speaks of the woman being with child and giving birth. While it is true that Mary gave birth to Jesus, it is also true that Jesus, the son of David from the tribe of Judah, came from Israel. In a sense, Israel gave birth—or brought forth—Christ Jesus. Verse 5 says that the woman’s child was “a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” Clearly, this is describing Jesus. Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11) and will one day establish His kingdom on earth (Revelation 20:4-6), and He will rule it with perfect judgment (the “rod of iron”; see Psalm 2:7-9).”
“The woman’s flight into the wilderness for 1,260 days refers to the future time called the Great Tribulation. During the future tribulation period, the world will be ruled by a godless man presiding over an evil governmental system. We see this beast in Revelation 13. The Bible associates this end-times ruler with a terrible beast in Revelation and in Daniel.”
“In Revelation 13 John sees a nightmarish vision of a dragon and two beasts. The first beast comes out of the sea and receives power from the dragon, or Satan. In Revelation, the term beast refers to two related entities. Sometimes “the beast” refers to the end-times’ empire. The seven heads and ten horns indicate that the beast will be a coalition of nations that rises to power to subdue the earth under Satan’s control. Later references to “the beast” in Revelation picture an individual—the man who is the political leader and head of the beastly empire.”
The book of Revelation is an impetus for us to be busy spreading the gospel. The end times are coming. We who know Jesus need to help others escape the coming punishment.
When God is Our Portion—We Will Be Persecuted
Today’s reading is from the book of Acts 23-24. If we could all express at the end of our life what Paul did at the beginning of Acts 23:1, we would be blessed.
“Paul looked at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience to this day.”
Notice Paul said this to the Sanhedrin. These were not buddies, but religious leaders who persecuted Paul.
When God is Our Portion—We Will Be Rescued
Acts 23:10-11
“10 When the dispute became violent, the commander feared that Paul might be torn apart by them and ordered the troops to go down, take him away from them, and bring him into the barracks. 11 The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.”
The LORD Himself comforted Paul. God is our rescue when we run to Him as our portion rather than anything else in the world.
Scripture of the Day: Acts 24:15-16
“I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection, both of the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 I always strive to have a clear conscience toward God and men.”
Application
- When God is our portion, we must share that portion with others.
- We who have hope in Christ have got to live well so others can find and know Christ, too.
𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘁 12 𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗧.
Day #346-349: Rev. 11-15, Psalms 142-144, Songs 3-4, Acts 23-24
𝒱𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒟𝒶𝓎: Acts 24:15-16
“I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection, both of the righteous and the unrighteous.”
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