CrossPurposes 295 Have you thought like this? Psalm 32:8 The other day a friend sent me the text below as a word of encouragement. A word from The Lord for you today. ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.’ (Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬)‬‬‬‬‬‬ I was pretty amazed because it was the third time I’d had it on my screen in the last two weeks. I felt I should reply immediately. Here’s my response, slightly lengthened since. It’s my own peculiar confession of what I believe and teach. “Hey big fella, I have a question for you. I wonder if you can you see the ‘empty’ Jesus of Philippians 2 'taking on' this verse, as a personal call of the Father on his life? Can you imagine him still a boy, wondering about its meaning as he heard it read in the synagogue? Can you ‘see’ the Spirit bringing this text to mind when he was 12 years old as he discussed the scriptures with the elders in the Temple? Did he hear it as he cut and hammered in the carpenter’s shop? And was it repeated with impact on the eve of his Baptism by John in the Jordan River? And did the Spirit remind him of this text as he returned from his wilderness struggle with the tempter? ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.’ (Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬)‬‬‬‬‬‬ Can you follow him, through his entire ministry, on behalf of Israel and the world… always reachable, always teachable, always listening, always learning? Morning by morning, day by day, ever faithful to obey what he was taught and told. With amazing holy love, completing on Israel's behalf - and ours - what Israel never did do or could do. For surely, in his never-failing trust of this promise, he was fulfilling the first and greatest commandment: • I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods. • Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. • You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him. In the lived perfection of his trust and obedience, he fulfilled the law, the prophets, and the psalms, even when taught and instructed to go the way of the cross and the tomb! ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.’ (Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬)‬‬‬‬‬‬ The Messiah is my Saviour, my redeemer. His obedience to death brought to an end the covenant of Sinai. The law had achieved its purpose. His sacrificial death ended Satan’s dominion over death. The primary gift of the Cross, the forgiveness of sin, has destroyed Satan’s power to accuse and condemn. Christ’s obedience ushered in the New Covenant of grace and truth. This was all confirmed by his Resurrection! His steadfast obedience means there is a way for all of us where there had been no way! All of that means NOW that we also, embraced in Christ and with heavenly freedom, have the ears, the heart and the power to hear the speaking of the Lord, day by day, through his Word and through the Spirit. And, I declare again, none of it would be possible for us, or available to us, if he had not first lived the truth of it as Messiah. His text is now my text.We can follow hi and live it and trust this pomise, just as he did, but only because he did it first ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.’ May your walk with him be blessed as you go on his way.” Fred