Today, Monday January 30
Our Angelic Protection
Psalm 34:4-8
“I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
David just barely escaped from the Philistines at Gath, he is fleeing from the wrath of King Saul who is determined to kill him, he is hiding in a cave with 400 outlaws and what does he do? He says, “I will bless the LORD at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (v. 1). The first thing David did was “Bless the LORD” (vv. 1-3). The second thing he did was “seek the LORD” (vv. 4-8). That’s what we talked about yesterday.
Today, I want to take a little more time to think about the blessings of seeking the LORD and especially concerning how “the angel of the LORD encamps all round those who fear Him and delivers them” (v. 7). I believe that the Bible teaches angels are created beings and that they were created before the seventh day of creation. The Bible teaches this in Genesis 2:1: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts”. The phrase "all their hosts" probably refers to the angels.
Another passage that is explicit about what God created in the six days is found in the Book of Exodus 20:11: “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy”.
Some Bible students believe “that angelic existence dates back before the creation of humans. How far back no one knows. They seem to have been in existence when the earth was created. Scripture indicates the angels sang and shouted at God's creation of the earth - possibly before any material thing was made. They were definitely created before humanity. Beyond this, there is not enough information to be more specific.”
David was convinced that the “angel of LORD surrounds those who fear Him”. There are so many stories of the work and ministry of angels in the Bible, but one that stands out in my mind is found in 2 Kings 6. The king of Syria had been sending his armies into Israel to set up ambushes. But each time they were somehow exposed to the king of Israel, and he was able to avoid them. Finally the king of Syria found out that it was the prophet Elisha who was telling the king of Israel of his secret plans. So he sent his army to capture Elisha in the village of Dothan. We read about this in 2 Kings 6:14-17.
“Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
I was wondering if Elisha had been meditating on Psalm 34 the night before and believed what he read. Jesus warned us not to offend or despise children because their angels were beholding the face of the Father (Matthew 18:6-10). Hebrews 1:13-14 teaches that angels are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation.”
My friend, if you are trusting in the LORD and you are one of His children you can be assured of this great promise of angelic protection! I have personally experienced this wonderful and miraculous protection many times throughout my life! I trust you can recall some of these heavenly encounters also!
God bless!