PSALM 83:1-18 TEXT: v3 "THY HIDDEN ONES"
They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
There are many names given to the Lord's people/Bible
Some of them (as already used) are used to identify them in relation to whom they belong to:
We are the Lord's people or as Paul liked to put it:
The servants (bond slaves) of Jesus Christ:
The Lord whose I am, and whom I serve, (Acts 27:23)
Some of these titles describe what once we were:
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so - we were slaves of sin
Some of these names describe our characters - not for what they are in themselves (wretched) but what they are by grace:
Paul addresses his epistles to the saints (holy ones) in Philippi etc.,
Some of these titles describe our future hopes and aspirations
We are described as pilgrims looking for a city that hath foundations
There are a myriad of names out there - all instructive in themselves and every last one exceedingly precious
Here is another good title for the people of God: God's hidden ones
Wherein are the children of God, His hidden ones? 5 ways:
1) HIDDEN POSITIONALLY WITH CHRIST IN GOD:
A/ For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
When we speak about a man being in Christ (as in 2 Corinthians 5:17) we
mean that by faith he is in a spiritual union with Christ:
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)
There is a mystical union here - we are united to and in union with Christ
B/ Therefore, where Christ is - spiritually we are there with Him
[i] When He died upon the Cross - mystically we died with Him
We died to this present evil world (truth symbolised in baptism)
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ
from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world,
are ye subject to ordinances, (Colossians 2:20)
This world in its attractions and claims should have nothing upon us
When we "decided to follow Jesus" - there would be no turning back
We bid farewell to the world and it is a massive contradiction for us
to be worldly Christians - living perhaps as worldly minded as if
unsaved
Bible is more explicit:
We were crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)
[ii] When Christ rose again - mystically we rose in Him (Colossians 3:1)
Just a He conquered - we also conquer
[iii] Where is Christ now? Seated at God's RHS (Colossians 3:1)
This is where are also positionally in Jesus Christ:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6)
C/ This being the case i.e. our spiritual life is hidden with Christ in God,
Satan cannot get his loathsome hands upon our salvation
It is hidden (cryptic) - secretly deposited with Christ in God
Remember when Satan came into the presence of God? (Job 1/2)
The Lord was so confident about being able to keep Job safe, that he
openly paraded Job before the Great Malignant Spirit himself
Both revealed and hidden at one and the same time (Different ways)
What was revealed - Job's possessions and his bodily comforts
What was hidden: His soul
The LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. (Job 2:6)
What is true of Job is true of every last Christian:
And I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:28-29)
Note the hands - Christ's hands and God's hands - Hid/Christ in God
Therefore we are safe for all eternity
I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest
I'll sail the wide seas no more.
The tempest may sweep o'er the wild, stormy deep
In Jesus, I'm safe evermore. ...
Our life is hid with Christ in God
2) HIDDEN PRACTICALLY UNDER GOD'S PROTECTION:
A/ In the 83rd Psalm, there is much ado about the enemies/God
Historically this Psalm has been linked to the tumultuous times under
which Jehosaphat reigned - times when the Moabites etc., all
rallied together against the people of God
The aggression of the enemy is seen here in v4 (Q)
It was not hatred against the Jews per se but against their God:
v2 "They that hate thee…"
Christian…when you must bear reproach, even hatred, for being in
a Christian - it is not you…but Christ in you that they hate
Speaking to unbelievers:
The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. (John 7:7)
Let a man be true/loyal to his Christian faith…he will be hated
B/ Notice (v3) the cunning of the enemy: crafty counsel
Maybe the Believer - the Hidden One - feels outwitted
The might and brains of Hell is arrayed against him:
"The chief enemies of the church are
not the silly and simple sort of people, but the most subtle
politicians usually, whose heads are most fit for Satan's devices
against God's people." (David Dickson)
C/ Not mere scorn/slander but (as seen) a desire to cut us off from
being a people - to wipe us out/scatter us abroad so that the earth no
longer has its preserving salt nor the dark night its penetrating light
D/ Although it cannot be said that every single Christian has had their
physical life preserved (Antipas: Revelation 2:13) yet there has never
been any harm done to their soul nor to the work/God by these things
The Church often flourishes in the time of persecution and grows
The Pharisees etc., sought to wipe the infant church of the face/earth:
And believers were the more added/Lord, multitudes both of men and women. (Acts 5:14)
E/ Yet it is true that many of God's hidden ones were provided for
As regards to their physically safety - not always in comfort!
For it was so, when Jezebel cut off
the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and
hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water. (1
Kings 18:4)
What made Obadiah risk his life to do this i.e. hid the hidden ones?
God used him to that end - He was one of the Lord's servants
He was right under the very nose of Ahab and Jezebel and yet even there
he was protected/Divine Providence and able to save others also
He shall cover thee with his
feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy
shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4)
There is such a thing as Divine Providence where God steps into to physically protect His people
Seen very clearly in the Book/Esther in so many times/ways
Church history for the last 2,000 years provides many examples as well
F/ Must be said: even where such physical protection is not afforded:
The righteous perisheth, and no man
layeth it/heart: merciful men are taken away, none considering that the
righteous is taken away from the evil to come. (Isaiah 57:1)
At all times is the death/saint of God precious in His sight (Psalm 116:15)
3) HIDDEN BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE PLACE OF PRAYER:
A/ Jesus said: But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door,
pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in
secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6)
B/ There is room for corporate prayer in the NT (Acts 12:5/12)
By necessity, there are prayers that cannot/should not be offered here
(At least audibly) - Confession/sin could be the occasion of sin in others
Do not neglect: public prayer meeting with all its blessings/advantages
C/ But there is a better place again running alongside the corporate
prayer meeting: When you as an individual get alone with God
What pretence may be shed there! No praying for the sake/others
You may unburden your very soul there before the Lord
You can talk freely to God and confess sins into His ear
D/ The Devil hates a praying believer most of all
What power is gained from God in answer to prayer!
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)
The whole armour of God included a reference to prayer: (6:18)
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints;
But do not let the attacks of the Devil put you off!
Strive together (says Paul) in your prayers (Romans 15:30)
Do be a hidden one in prayer - power house/Christian experience
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3)
4) HIDDEN PERHAPS BY A LACK OF FAITH AND WEAKNESS
A/ I am thinking now of the likes of Joseph/Arimathea (secret disciple)
This is not a good type of hiding, but we do recognise it as existing
Joseph/Arimathea was a secret disciple because of the fear/Jews
Very easy for us in our day of civil/religious liberty to criticise him
It costs nothing for us to identify publicly with the cause of Christ
We can stand at the door of this church after church and freely chat
We can stand in the open air and sign our letters to the newspapers
There are no death squads hunting high and low for us
It is not so in many countries of the world even as I speak
B/ Sometimes there is no real reason why the saint should be discreet
and go into hiding - they are weak/immature in the faith
Without pressurising anyone…such a weak stand should not continue long
The Christian is not to shine his light under a bushel
He believes therefore he should speak - decidedly/publicly for the Lord
He should certainly be asking the Lord for boldness to do so
It seems Paul was always decided in his stand from early days:
And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. (Acts 9:20)
Yet even Paul, years later when writing to Ephesians, requested:
And for me, that utterance may be
given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the
mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that
therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:19-20)
C/ Comfortable thought: Even the weakest hidden ones are still His
The weakness is our state - the union/Christ is our standing
Our state will fluctuate/change - our standing is eternal/secure
5) HIDDEN PERHAPS BECAUSE OUR LABOURS FOR GOD DOES NOT ATTRACT MUCH ATTENTION:
A/ There are many big names in the Christian church and some are
rightly recognised as doing a good, solid work for God - Amen!
We mourn any who compromise/Bible just to get the world's praise
We rejoice in those who hold fast to their guns whatever the outcome
B/ But there are multitudes/faithful preachers, unknown/unpraised who
are happy enough to labour away faithfully for God out of sight
Only eyes for one "Well done" i.e. God's well done (Matthew 25:21)
Command of Jeremiah 45:5 Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: is not a hard one to bear
They are happy (under God) to let the day declare it (1 Corinthians 3:13)
Until then…they are here recognised by God as His hidden ones
May the Lord give us comfort from these words
THE END