May I please the Lord to bless
us together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let us
turn to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 33, and we'll read the
last verse, verse 29. The book of Deuteronomy, chapter
33, and reading verse 29. Happy art thou, O Israel, Who is like unto thee, O people
saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help? And who is the sword
of thy excellency? And thine enemies shall be found
liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places. Here we have in these words,
the concluding words of Moses. Having written so many words
in the first five books of the Bible, and here we come down
to the end of Deuteronomy, the end of the book written by him.
And here we have then this wonderful concluding statement. He's spoken
to the tribes of Israel and now he comes down and as it were
he brings everything together and he speaks in these beautiful
words happy art thou O Israel and so it was and so it is today
to spiritual Israel there is no doubt and if we are spiritual
Israel then our lot is a happy one. It is a wonderful one. It is an amazing favor to be
numbered amongst the true Church of God, the Israel of God. Israel were a small nation by
comparison. The people of God today are a
small company by comparison with the multitudes existing in the
world. But the word still is true today
to the living Church of God. They are a happy people. We don't always ponder it like
that, do we? We don't always look at it from
that perspective. We sometimes look at ourselves
and the difficulties and the trials and the temptations which
are surrounding us virtually continually and yet what a blessing
if God gives us that grace to look above all these things to
see the eternal happiness which is the lot of the people of God
and therefore to be able to come within the compass of these words
and to realize that they do have an application to the whole church
of God that they are happy really in this life, and of course eternally
happy. It's something which is really
too great for us to fully comprehend. And what does it indicate to
us? It indicates to us the wonderful
love of God. We should not be happy, we should
never be happy. but for the wonderful love of
God to such unworthy sinners. Surely what is the underlying
cause and the underlying reason why the Church of God are happy? It's because of that which God
has done for them. It's because of what the Lord
Jesus Christ has accomplished through His death upon that cross
at Calvary and therefore to recognize that this great work was completed
for the whole Church of God and what a wonderful thing it is
then tonight if we have a good hope that we have the evidence
that we are amongst those whom the Lord has saved because it's
just what the servant of God, Moses, goes on to say. Happy
art thou, Israel, who is like unto thee, O people, saved by
the Lord. It puts it very fairly and squarely,
doesn't it? That our salvation is not of
ourself. Our salvation is of the Lord. And what reason to rejoice? What
reason to be thankful if we do have the good hope of that salvation? A good hope that we have been
saved? Saved from ourselves? Saved from
our sins? What a mercy to think of that
and we can perhaps try and think of Israel in their journey and
how they'd rebelled many, many times and how they'd suffered
for it many, many times. And if we're honest, we ought
to look at ourselves perhaps and see how we've rebelled against
God. You may say, well, I'm not really
sure of that. Well, you know, just look into our hearts and
see if we've really followed the Lord like Caleb. What was said of him? He wholly
followed the Lord. It's a wonderful statement, isn't
it? A wonderful thing for you and me today. If the Lord influences
us to such an extent that we are able to wholly follow the
Lord. To realise what a blessing it
is and what a favour it is. And therefore, to realise that
it's through the Lord's goodness to us that we have been a follower
of Him. and that it's through that that we have the evidence
that we are saved by the Lord. Not saved by our own works, but
saved by that which Christ has done. Now then, with such a view,
with such a favoured direction and leading by the Spirit of
God, as we are able to view the great work of God in our soul,
and we do need to be able to trace it out and find there is
the work of the Lord in our soul. And not to discount it, and not
say, well, I don't think there's anything really there. You know,
the devil would always try and discourage us. The devil would
always try and cast doubt upon the word and upon the work of
God. He always has done. Right from
when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, That's his great
ploy and it still is today. And his voice says, has God said? And it casts doubt in our mind
and we think, well, perhaps God hasn't said. Well, what a blessing
if the Spirit of God shows to us that the Lord has indeed come
to us The Lord has delivered us from that course which we
were pursuing, the course of nature, the course which was
of darkness, where there was no true spiritual light, and
has brought us in to the great and glorious light of the gospel.
And let us remember, that light shines forth in no other way
than in the face of Jesus Christ. What does it mean? It means that
the Lord Jesus Christ means something to us now, which at one time
he did not. And it means something to us
because of his great salvation. It means something to us because
of his wonderful mercy that sought us out sought us out you know
there's millions of people in this world millions of people
in our nation aren't there and to think that God sought us out
when a stranger wandering from the fold of God Yes, to think the Lord seeks
out his people and he saves his people. And what a favour for
us today to be able to trace out the great and glorious, which
it is, work of God. There's many things perhaps in
our lives which we're pleased about We may be happy about certain
things, but there's no greater blessing, and there's nothing
that can make us more happy than to have the evidence that we
are saved by the Lord. Well, I wonder tonight if we're
happy because of God's great salvation toward us. As I say,
don't be surprised if there are many temptations The devil will
say, well of course I didn't do that, and of course that's
not worth anything, and of course take no notice of that. Don't
forget that the Lord Jesus Christ, when tempted by Satan after he
was baptized, how did he respond to the devil? He quoted the word
of God. So when the devil says, well,
that which you possess isn't worth anything, you can respond
and tell him, A little that a righteous man hath is better than the treasures
of many wicked. It is not a great vast experience
of hot air. It is a blessed work of the Spirit
of God. And as I've said a few times
recently, it's like Elijah received when he fled away into the wilderness,
and to the mountains, and into that cave, and what touched his
heart, what moved him? The still, small voice of God. It was no amazing, natural demonstration. It was amazing. It was an amazing
demonstration of the power of God, and therefore we are not
to despise the day of small things. We are to grasp them and to thank
God for them. And the evidence of such things
surely will make us happy. And we come within the words
here, happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee, O people
saved by the Lord. Well, tonight, what a blessing
if you and I can trace out in our little experience God's mercy
toward us. When we think of the words of
the hymn writer, He saw me. It's always personal. He saw
me ruined, lost, ruined in the fall, that fall which was brought
about by Satan in the Garden of Eden. He saw me ruined in
the fall, yet loved me, notwithstanding all. And how humbling for you
and me tonight to think that almighty God has loved us. And as Jeremiah tells us, yea,
he loved us, he loved me. We're never lost in love, and
therefore we love in kindness as he drawn us. And you see,
the love of Christ has a good and a real effect. It doesn't
leave us untouched. The love of God moves our heart. And we're drawn to Him in a way
which you and I could never do ourselves. And what is it? It's the powerful work of the
eternal Spirit of God. Now then, When the Spirit then
reveals to us that it is His work, what does it do? Surely it brings happiness into
our souls. And we're able to understand
the truth of these words that Moses wrote, Happy art thou,
O Israel. It's a happiness. which may perhaps
fade in its effect, but it will never be eradicated, it will
never be lost, because it is an eternal blessing. When the
Spirit of God works in our heart, it is not something which just
disappears. Yes, the work of God, my friends,
once begun, it goes on, it goes on. Perhaps there were times of little
or apparently no action, but it's still there. And the Lord's
work is still there to realize. Yes, it's that which God has
done. Oh, what a favor it is to be
able to rejoice in God's work and not to rejoice in our work. It was necessary, was it not,
in Joshua's day, You know, he didn't have an easy path to follow,
did he, from Moses? But he was able to encourage
the people. He was able to encourage the
people in this way. He said unto them, Fear not,
nor be dismayed. Be strong and of a good courage,
for thus shall the Lord do. to all your enemies against whom
ye fight." And we can be thankful today to know that such a word
is still appropriate for us. You know, we may fear, we shall
fear probably, we may fear that we've been deceived. We may fear
that perhaps we've mistaken the road. Well, let hear these words,
fear not, nor be dismayed be strong and of a good courage
for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom
you fight and there will be that constant fight against Satan
and all his evil angels constant battle well to think here Joshua
knew the need to be strong Joshua knew the need there was to be
able to come in this way and to have his confidence in his
God and to rejoice in what God had done. Who is like unto thee,
O people saved by the Lord. Saved by the Lord. The evidence
of that saving. Sometimes we don't always appreciate
what the Lord has done. Sometimes we just need to come
and to sit before the Lord and to ask the Lord to show us what
He's done for us, how He's been with us, how He's instructed
us, how He's brought us perhaps out of darkness into the marvellous
light In the everlasting gospel, what a blessing if the Holy Spirit
of God brings us into that position so that we're able then to recognize
our happy state. Our happy state. Be sure that
the devil doesn't want you and me to be happy. He wants us to
be unhappy so that we'll turn to the poor things in this world
which will never bring real happiness. There are happy things, of course,
that the Lord has granted for us to be able to do and to enjoy,
but they are all passing. But the happiness of God's blessing
is something which will not fade, it will not pass away. It is
a wonderful blessing and it is eternal. You know, the psalmist
in so many places speaks of the blessing of the Lord and the
favour of the Lord. and how wonderful it is. And in the 144th Psalm,
David speaks of precisely this position. He says, happy is that
people that is in such a state, yea, happy is that people whose
God is the Lord. Well, if the Spirit of God has
directed us and brought us to believe and to understand that
our God is the Lord, the one who made all things, the one
who rules and reigns today. It is a very humbling realization
that Almighty God has touched our hearts. Almighty God has
visited our souls. We have not been left We have
not been forsaken, and we did not deserve any favor from God. I'm quite sure that the work
of the Spirit of God, when it comes into our hearts, we recognize
how unworthy we are. And we come and say, why me? Oh, blessed Lord, why such a
wretch as I? who must forever lie in hell
were not salvation free. Happy is that people. Well, David
had a difficult pathway, didn't he? Many, many ups and downs. As you read in Samuel, how much
opposition David had, how many battles he had. And yet you see
when he comes to be able to pen the great truth of God. He tells
us these words in the first words in this psalm, tell us, blessed
is the Lord, my strength, which teaches my hands to war and my
fingers to fight. Now, that no doubt had a physical
reference, but it also had a spiritual reference. And may you and I
read the word of God with spiritual eyes and be able to recognize
the wonder of it. This Lord, blessed, we can say,
I hope we can say, blessed be the Lord. My strength, because
He's given me that strength to do His will. He's the Lord that's
been with me. He's the Lord that's helped me.
And because of that, you see, the God's servant is able to
come down to this final statement. happy is that people that is
in such a place a happy is that people whose God is the Lord. Well, may we all come within
such a word as this tonight. We all need to come within such
a word as this tonight. We don't want to pass it by and
say, well, that was just David. No, it was David, but it's the
whole church of God. I brought to this situation and
unable to realize They are a happy people. They are a happy people
who are saved by the Lord. Happy art thou, O Israel, who
is like unto thee, O people, saved by the Lord. And it's a wonderful thing, is
it not, to think of this great work of God's salvation. How powerful it is. How merciful it is to think that
God, in His love to our souls, sent his only begotten son into
this world to suffer so much that we might receive this great
and glorious happiness which is to be found in Christ alone. Isaiah, he tells us this. He says, and in the 12th chapter,
and in that day, thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee. thou thou wast angry with me
thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me behold God
is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord
Jehovah is my strength and my song he also is become my salvation
well quite clearly here Isaiah is pointing to that change. The change when God meets his
people, met Isaiah and he says, behold God is my salvation I
will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength
and my song he also is become my salvation. You see the change
in our spiritual life from darkness to light will bring us to this
position So that through the glory of God, we can come and
say, yes, He has become my salvation. There is all my hope. My hope
is based on what Christ has done. What does Isaiah continue with? Therefore with joy shall we draw
water out of the wells of salvation. Yes. and what water this is,
the water of life and how we do draw water from it and what
an encouragement it is to us and he says and in that day shall
ye say praise the Lord call upon his name declare his doings among
the people make mention that his name is exalted sing unto
the Lord For he hath done excellent things, this is known in all
the earth." What a favour it is if the Spirit of God has come
into our hearts and shown us some of the great things that
he has done for us in that work of salvation. And you know, Isaiah
concludes his little chapter, it's only six verses, the twelfth
chapter, and he says, cry out and shout Thou inhabitant of Zion, for
great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." Well,
that's a true statement, isn't it? And what a favour it is when
the Church of God are moved by the Holy Spirit because of His
love, because of His mercy, because of His infinite favour to come
to this situation and be found here Like Isaiah, when he exhorts
the people, cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, he's
speaking here about those who are of the church of God, those
who are of true Israel, those who are, according to this word,
happy art thou, O Israel, those who are the inhabitants of Zion,
part of the living church of God. Well, my friends, tonight,
Have we then the evidence of that great and glorious work
of God in our hearts, so that we have, perhaps deep
down, perhaps rising up to the surface now, this desire that
we might indeed cry out and shout, for great is the Holy One of
Israel in the midst of thee. Because of what He's done in
redeeming our souls. What a favor, isn't it, to be
redeemed? Nothing greater than that, is there? Redeemed, and
how are we redeemed? We're redeemed with the precious
ballad of Christ. It's the only place you and I
will find redemption. And Isaiah tells us, he says
in the 45th chapter, a very beautiful chapter, he says, but Israel,
Remember, the Church of God. But Israel shall be saved, how? In the Lord, with an everlasting
salvation. You see, such words are of tremendous
comfort to the Church of God. It's not something which, you
know, just fades away. If God has commenced that great
and glorious work in our soul, He will complete it. That's why
we're happy. to realize that he will not leave
us. He said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Therefore we can boldly say,
the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man should
do unto me. How often we are fearful of what
man thinks and what man does. Oh, to be blessed only with the
fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. What a blessing
that is. What an eternal favor. surely
if we've been blessed with that we're happy are we not and so he says and ye shall not
be ashamed nor confounded world without end he asked us we shan't
be ashamed because it's god's work what a favor then to be
blessed with this wonderful evidence of god's work in our heart And
Isaiah goes on to say, for thus saith the Lord that created the
heavens, God himself that formed the earth and made it, he hath
established it. He created it not in vain. He
formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord and there is none
else. I have not spoken in secret in
a dark place of the earth. I said not unto the seed of Jacob,
Seek ye me in vain. I, the Lord, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right. So how encouraging it should
be for us to realize the words here. Seek ye. We will not seek
the Lord in vain. Those that seek shall find. Perhaps we hear tonight longing
that we might be able to Join in with such a verse as this
and be numbered amongst those who are truly happy. And yet perhaps we seem to not
have the favour of God, the assurance of God, the encouragement from
His word. Well, let's remember the word
of God. Ask and you shall receive. Knock and it shall be opened
unto you. There's every encouragement for
the people of God. to come unto the Lord, come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest
unto your souls." And again in this same verse that we've, chapter
rather, that we've referred to, 45th of Isaiah, we come down
to verse 22 where Isaiah speaks by the Spirit of God and the
words of these Where are we to look? Where are you and I to
look? Look unto me. Look unto the Lord
God. Don't look around elsewhere.
Look unto me and be saved. All the ends of the earth for
I am God and there is none else. Well, Moses knew, did he not? There was none else. He was blessed
with that wonderful faith and that wonderful evidence of God's
work in his heart and how he proved the direction of God and
how happy he was now able to say this after all that travel
for the wilderness, remember, 120 years old, God had been with
him, God hadn't forsaken him, and therefore he's able to come
and say like this, happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto
thee O people saved by the Lord and he tells them then he says
the shield of thy help and who is the sword of thy excellency
and thine enemies shall be found liars or thy enemies shall be
subdued unto thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places."
Now, it indicates quite clearly here that there were still battles
for Israel to fight, and of course we know there were. Yes, when
they came into Canaan there were many battles still to fight,
but the encouragement was that God was their shield, and the
shield of thy help. That means that the Lord was
with them to help them continually in their warfare that they would
have to face. And spiritually, what a blessing
it is to realize today, God is our shield. What a mercy to think
that we have such a God. We will need a shield, but it's
not a natural shield. This is a shield which God gives,
which is able to subdue all the fiery dark to the wicked. Yes,
the shield of faith. And God gives that shield to
his people. May we indeed be able to take
it up. You know, it's part of the whole
armor of God. And what a favor it is that here we have this
shield, the shield of thy help. Grant we may know the support
of it. And as we are able to take it
up, to realize God does help us, and what should that do?
Does it not make us happy in the realisation that God's not
failing us, God is with us, God's helping us, God's strengthening
us, God's directing us, and also not only the sword of thy help,
but is the sword of thy excellency. Well again, we must really go
to the whole armour of God and the sword of the Spirit is the
Word of God. I said earlier, you know, the
way to defeat the devil is to quote the Word of God, the sword
of the Spirit, and to pray the Lord will bring those necessary
texts to our minds, which may be a support to us and a strength
to us, that the devil may indeed be defeated. It says here, the
sword of thy excellency, The Word of God is excellent, is
it not? The Word of God contains everything that you and I need
for our spiritual battle of life. And we know then that with this
sword of the Spirit, which is so excellent, then all our enemies
will be subdued. They will be subdued. They won't be subdued without
a battle. You see, the Lord brings us into
these battles so that we rely upon our God. What do we do? We're told this. I will go in
the strength of the Lord God. I will make mention of thy righteousness,
even of thine only. And what does that do? It brings
honor and glory to our God. And as the Lord gives us that
grace to gain His strength like that, and to realize that that
strength is because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done in
redeeming our souls, then how encouraging it is to bring us
to that position that we are happy. Happy to realize that
that work of our salvation will not fail because it's finished.
It's complete. The Lord Jesus Christ, the gracious,
almighty Son of God condescending to come into this sinful world
to save our souls. Yes, O people, saved by the Lord. And let us never underestimate
the great cost of our salvation. And as we think of the suffering
Saviour, suffering all incarnate God could bear, with strength
enough and none to spare. Oh, may our hearts be drawn to
the Saviour in love and affection for all that He's done and desire
indeed to come and exhort His name. As we read, come and let
us exhort His name together. He is worthy of all honour. He
is worthy of all praise and I'm quite sure of this. when the
Church of God join together in exaltation of the name of the
Lord because of what He's done. They are indeed a happy people. Happy art thou, O Israel, who
is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord. And you see, as
I've said, this goes beyond our life. goes into eternity we are eternally
blessed because one day therefore by his grace we shall be in that
holy happy place where sin no more defiles but jesus shows
his lovely face and looks and loves and smiles is that not
a happy scene to look forward to when we've done with all the
sinful things of this poor world, when the battle's finished, no
more warfare, peace, eternal peace. Join together with that
heavenly throng and praise God from whom all blessings flow. Well, may we be encouraged by
the word of God. and thankful that in the providence
of God, Moses was ordained to write such words, not only for
Israel as they traveled into Canaan, but for the whole church
of God. And what a blessing if it's for
you and me today to be able to come in with these words and
join together and say, happy art thou, O Israel, who is like
unto thee, O people, saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help,
and who is the sword of thy excellency, and thine enemies shall be found
subdued unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places. Amen.