Nuyaka Baptist Church
Jehovah-Maginnenu, The LORD Our Defense
Locations & Times
2940 Lincoln Rd, Okmulgee, OK 74447, USA
Wednesday 7:00 PM
Jehovah-Maginnenu, The LORD Our Defense
Psalm 37:5-6- 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
1. Accusations
a. Illustration: Is this a true statement, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?”
i. Although words cannot break bones, words do hurt. Sometimes words hurt more than sticks and stones—emotional pain can be harder to bear than physical pain.
b. Words that Wound
i. Being called names, angry words, being made fun of, etc.
ii. False Accusation: being accused of something, but you are really innocent of the charge.
c. How do we often respond to hurtful statements and accusations?
i. With anger, try to work out truth with the other person, ignore it, etc.
ii. We can allow those hurtful statements or accusations to would us, or we can bring those feelings to God and trust Him to be our defense.
1. Our greatest accuser is Satan. Satan accuses us by telling us lies, such as God will not forgive you, you are no good, your sin is too great for God to forgive, God doesn’t care about you, etc.
a. The way to fight the lies of Satan is with truth, and luckily for us, there is One Who is Truth.
2. The LORD Our Defense
a. God is Jehovah-Maginnenu, The LORD Our Defense, and He will come to our aid when we trust in Him.
b. We have only to look at the life of Moses to find an instance of Jehovah-Maginnenu’s defense of one of His children.
i. Numbers 12:1-5- Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.2 And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.
1. Who are Miriam and Aaron to Moses? Is it easier to bear an attack from family than from a casual acquaintance?
ii. Numbers 12:6-9- 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.
1. Did Moses strike them down himself? No, he let the Lord defend him. God is not ignorant of our situations, He is El Roi, the God Who Sees.
iii. Numbers 12:10-14- 10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.”
c. Committing Your Way to God- God requires action from His people, which is evident in His promise in Psalm 37
i. Psalm 37:5-6- 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
1. The promise: God will act to defend the righteous
2. The condition: Trusting the Lord/Committing your way to Him
a. What does committing your way or trusting the Lord look like? Not worrying, not retaliating, but knowing God will set the record straight.
b. And remember, sometimes God does not rush to your defense immediately. Sometimes He proves over years of time that you acted righteously, or your cause is just. In 1 Samuel we find King Saul continually accuse David unjustly of disloyalty, to the extent that Saul persecuted David, sending soldiers to hunt and pursue David. Yet David acted in a righteous manner toward God’s anointed king, Saul, respecting him as God’s elect over Israel. In the end, David’s righteousness shone.
c. It is not wrong for us to speak in our defense, but we cannot trust in our own ability to defend ourselves, whether it be the brilliance of our arguments or the cleverness of our words, rather we should trust in God’s promise to defend us.
3. The Lord Will Vindicate His People
a. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he tells of opposition to his message by Alexander, the coppersmith, who did great harm to him. Let’s look at 2 Timothy to see the Lord’s response:
i. 2 Timothy 4:16-18- 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
1. Though Paul’s friends distanced themselves from him, Paul hopes their sin will not be held against them. He also felt no need to retaliate against Alexander, trusting fully in God. In response, God strengthened Paul and enabled him to continue to preach the Gospel of peace and forgiveness, causing Paul to praise God even more.
b. God’s defense is sure, as He has promised in Isaiah 54:
i. Isaiah 54:17- 17no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”
c. Jesus Defense:
i. Mark 15:1-5- And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
1. Did God vindicate Jesus?
a. God vindicated Jesus by raising Him from the dead and proving that Jesus is the Son of God.
b. At the end of the age, Jesus will be vindicated before the whole earth when every knee bows to Him and every tongue confesses that He is Lord
i. Philippians 2:10-11- 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
d. God’s Defense Against His Wrath
i. The most amazing thing about Jehovah-Maginnenu is what He does for the sinner.
1. God is Holy
2. A Holy God must punish sin
3. Man is sinful
4. Therefore, man is deserving of the wrath and punishment of God
5. Man is condemned
a. The greatest defense we need is defense against the very wrath of God. We are guilty sinners, condemned by our own sin, and deserving of eternal punishment.
b. What is Jehovah-Magninnenu’s response?
i. Romans 8:1-2- There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
ii. 1 Peter 3:18a- For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…
1. Who is the righteous? Jesus
2. Who is the unrighteous? Sinners
3. Jesus took our punishment on the cross to provide a defense against the wrath of God.
e. God Himself defends us from Himself, if we are trusting in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus paid the payment for our sins, and will defend us at the judgement. Our sin separates us from God and our sin condemns us. Jesus “the righteous” died for the sins of “the unrighteous.” Our hope for pardon is not that we are sinless or that we are “good enough;” we are sinful and utterly deserving of hell. Our hope—our defense against the wrath of God is that the “righteous died for the unrighteous.”
Questions
Genesis 12:3a- I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse
1. How does Genesis 12:3a help you to leave actions or words against you in God’s hands? What is hard about committing your way to the Lord? What sins get in the way?
2. Why is Satan called “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10)? What do you think Satan’s goal is in accusing the children of God? What can you do to fight against the lies of Satan?
3. Can we ever be good enough to earn our way to heaven? What must we do to solve the problem of our unrighteousness and how should it be lived out everyday?
Psalm 37:5-6- 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
1. Accusations
a. Illustration: Is this a true statement, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?”
i. Although words cannot break bones, words do hurt. Sometimes words hurt more than sticks and stones—emotional pain can be harder to bear than physical pain.
b. Words that Wound
i. Being called names, angry words, being made fun of, etc.
ii. False Accusation: being accused of something, but you are really innocent of the charge.
c. How do we often respond to hurtful statements and accusations?
i. With anger, try to work out truth with the other person, ignore it, etc.
ii. We can allow those hurtful statements or accusations to would us, or we can bring those feelings to God and trust Him to be our defense.
1. Our greatest accuser is Satan. Satan accuses us by telling us lies, such as God will not forgive you, you are no good, your sin is too great for God to forgive, God doesn’t care about you, etc.
a. The way to fight the lies of Satan is with truth, and luckily for us, there is One Who is Truth.
2. The LORD Our Defense
a. God is Jehovah-Maginnenu, The LORD Our Defense, and He will come to our aid when we trust in Him.
b. We have only to look at the life of Moses to find an instance of Jehovah-Maginnenu’s defense of one of His children.
i. Numbers 12:1-5- Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.2 And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.
1. Who are Miriam and Aaron to Moses? Is it easier to bear an attack from family than from a casual acquaintance?
ii. Numbers 12:6-9- 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.
1. Did Moses strike them down himself? No, he let the Lord defend him. God is not ignorant of our situations, He is El Roi, the God Who Sees.
iii. Numbers 12:10-14- 10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.”
c. Committing Your Way to God- God requires action from His people, which is evident in His promise in Psalm 37
i. Psalm 37:5-6- 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
1. The promise: God will act to defend the righteous
2. The condition: Trusting the Lord/Committing your way to Him
a. What does committing your way or trusting the Lord look like? Not worrying, not retaliating, but knowing God will set the record straight.
b. And remember, sometimes God does not rush to your defense immediately. Sometimes He proves over years of time that you acted righteously, or your cause is just. In 1 Samuel we find King Saul continually accuse David unjustly of disloyalty, to the extent that Saul persecuted David, sending soldiers to hunt and pursue David. Yet David acted in a righteous manner toward God’s anointed king, Saul, respecting him as God’s elect over Israel. In the end, David’s righteousness shone.
c. It is not wrong for us to speak in our defense, but we cannot trust in our own ability to defend ourselves, whether it be the brilliance of our arguments or the cleverness of our words, rather we should trust in God’s promise to defend us.
3. The Lord Will Vindicate His People
a. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he tells of opposition to his message by Alexander, the coppersmith, who did great harm to him. Let’s look at 2 Timothy to see the Lord’s response:
i. 2 Timothy 4:16-18- 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
1. Though Paul’s friends distanced themselves from him, Paul hopes their sin will not be held against them. He also felt no need to retaliate against Alexander, trusting fully in God. In response, God strengthened Paul and enabled him to continue to preach the Gospel of peace and forgiveness, causing Paul to praise God even more.
b. God’s defense is sure, as He has promised in Isaiah 54:
i. Isaiah 54:17- 17no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”
c. Jesus Defense:
i. Mark 15:1-5- And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
1. Did God vindicate Jesus?
a. God vindicated Jesus by raising Him from the dead and proving that Jesus is the Son of God.
b. At the end of the age, Jesus will be vindicated before the whole earth when every knee bows to Him and every tongue confesses that He is Lord
i. Philippians 2:10-11- 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
d. God’s Defense Against His Wrath
i. The most amazing thing about Jehovah-Maginnenu is what He does for the sinner.
1. God is Holy
2. A Holy God must punish sin
3. Man is sinful
4. Therefore, man is deserving of the wrath and punishment of God
5. Man is condemned
a. The greatest defense we need is defense against the very wrath of God. We are guilty sinners, condemned by our own sin, and deserving of eternal punishment.
b. What is Jehovah-Magninnenu’s response?
i. Romans 8:1-2- There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
ii. 1 Peter 3:18a- For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…
1. Who is the righteous? Jesus
2. Who is the unrighteous? Sinners
3. Jesus took our punishment on the cross to provide a defense against the wrath of God.
e. God Himself defends us from Himself, if we are trusting in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus paid the payment for our sins, and will defend us at the judgement. Our sin separates us from God and our sin condemns us. Jesus “the righteous” died for the sins of “the unrighteous.” Our hope for pardon is not that we are sinless or that we are “good enough;” we are sinful and utterly deserving of hell. Our hope—our defense against the wrath of God is that the “righteous died for the unrighteous.”
Questions
Genesis 12:3a- I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse
1. How does Genesis 12:3a help you to leave actions or words against you in God’s hands? What is hard about committing your way to the Lord? What sins get in the way?
2. Why is Satan called “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10)? What do you think Satan’s goal is in accusing the children of God? What can you do to fight against the lies of Satan?
3. Can we ever be good enough to earn our way to heaven? What must we do to solve the problem of our unrighteousness and how should it be lived out everyday?