Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to
live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning.
It is Wednesday, January twenty four, twenty twenty four. Hello,
my name is Elle David Harris. I am your host, and this is
your Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today
is no exception. We are continuing in our lesson study through the Book of
Psalms, and our caption for today is Defender and Deliverer. Defender and Deliverer
Is God your defender? Is He your deliverer? I know he wishes to
be and it's really up to you to accept it. We'll get into it
in just a moment, but first I like to say welcome to everyone joining
us, especially those joining us for the very first time. I'm asking you
to please go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please join our online
community and pick up the Your Daily Portion book. Let us also know where
you are in the world at your Daily Portion dot com. This is our
way of continuing to build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray and
then we will get underway. Father and Heaven, thank you for giving us
this new day and for the privilege that you have entrusted to us to come
into your presence with thanksgiving. Father, please help us to accept you as
our defender and our deliverer. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen and
a man again. Okay, So the question again is do you accepite God
as your defender and your deliverer? Yeah? There are times that we take
in hand aspects of our own lives that really are in God's hands, you
see. Okay, So vengeance is mine Seth the Lord. Do you remember
hearing anything like that before? I will repay. There are times that people
seek reprisals and vengeance and revenge because maybe they feel like there was some injustice
that happened to their family. Somebody did something to you, and maybe you
want to go back and do something to them. Somebody did something to a
family member, you want to go back and do something to them or their
family member. Or you understand where I'm going, Yeah, tit for tat
Well, God is saying I'm the one that defends you. There are times
that you're having arguments and discussions unfortunately, or people come to you with things
that happen not to be true in regard to your character. Is it at
work, is it at church? Is it at play somewhere else? And
some other relationship that you have and you feel like I need to defend myself.
Well, maybe there are times that you need to speak up no disrespect
like there may be times, but there are times that we go into full
defense mode and God said, I am your defender. Yeah, I wish
I had the time. Let's go to an extreme example. I'm calling it
that. Maybe it's not an extreme example of God being a defender and a
deliverer for his people. So we're going into the Book of Psalms, chapter
one hundred and fourteen. Have you ever read that chapter before? Something to
think about. We're going to begin at verse one the Book of Psalms,
chapter one hundred and fourteen and verse one. The Bible reads, when Israel
went out of Egypt the house of Jacob from a people of a strange language.
Judah was his sanctuary and Israel was his dominion. The sea saw it
and fled. Jordan was driven back. So clearly we're talking about Joshua is
the one who is leading God's people by this time, and God is showing,
just like he did that first generation of freed slaves out of Egypt,
that he is still on their side, he is able to deliver them,
and as he parted the Red Sea, he is parting the Jordan. Okay,
the Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the
little hills like lambs? What ailed thee Oh, thou see that thou Fledtest
thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains that ye skipped like
rams, and ye little hills like lambs, tremble thou earth at the presence
of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. What which
turned the rock into standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters?
And so it's really interesting that God would use this imagery. The Jordan was
driven back. I'm reading now from the Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume
three. The miraculous providences were seen at both the beginning and the ending of
God's people's journey from Egypt to Canaan. When I was young, we did
play this game on Sabbath evenings Friday nights, called Egypt to Canaan. We
can take courage in the fact that the same God who let us out of
Egypt or Egyptian bondage of sin, will conduct us safely through Jordan's stormy billows
to the land of Promise on the farther shore. And so the writer here
is saying that in the same way that God delivered his people from Egypt originally
passed through the Red Sea on dry ground, the same way at the time
that they were entering earthly Canaan, and the Jordan River and all other obstacles
stood in their way, and he parted the Jordan River, he had Jericho's
walls come down. He took down those walls in the same way that He
delivered his people in that way. In the end, at the end of
time, God will ultimately deliver his people so that we will enter into the
heavenly Promise. And then, of course the earth made new. I'm thankful
that God has given us these these small bites throughout scripture to show that He
listens to and then delivers his people. Now, Paul had something to say
about this under inspiration in the book of First Corinthians, chapter ten, And
so we're going to read First Corinthians chapter ten and begin at verse one.
The Bible reads, moreover, brethren, moreover, brethren, I would not
that ye be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud and
passed through the sea, and we're all baptized into Moses in the cloud and
in the sea. So now we're seeing that there is a spiritual implication not
only that God is a deliverer, not only is God our defender, but
he is the one that transforms our lives. You see, Baptism is not
just that we go into the water, wet a water and get wet and
then come back out of the water wet, like go into the water as
a wet sinner, come back out as a wet sinner. No, no,
no, no, no no. What God is saying is that when
we enter into right relationship with God and we are baptized, it is that
we have already made a decision to serve God. We've already made the decision
that God indeed is our defender, He is indeed our deliverer, and that
we agree with him, and that we are yielding our will to God.
And then we signify that by going down into the water. Now we are
going down into the water signifying our death to sin. Yes, And then
coming out of the water, not as if the water transforms us. Ah,
But now in symbol we are saying we are dead to sin, and
now coming out of the water, alive to God, dead to sin,
alive to God. No longer a sinner, but now a sinner saved by
grace, better known as a sink. Okay. And then the Bible continues
verse two, And we're all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the
sea. And did all eat the same spiritual meat, so the manna was
more their daily portion? Did you hear that their daily portion was more than
what went down in their belly? And did all drink the same spiritual drink?
Some of you will catch up in a second here, Ah, For
they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.
And so God is giving us another view from Paul's perspective in the New
Testament era, to say that the manner that they got in the wilderness was
really Jesus being provided to them as their daily bread. And then being in
the waters, passing through the waters and coming out on the other shore without
it being wet at all, passing through on dry land was God giving them
deliverance into right relationship with Him. And so we see all throughout God's people's
history that He has never left them, he has never forsaken them. And
in all times, in all places, the pathway to Jerusalem was fraught with
trials, but God always wins. A wonderful day, Peace. Thanks for
joining us listening. Friends, Always remember we cannot live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been
your daily portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,