DIVINE PROTECTION
Genesis 15:1-6; Acts 18:1-11; Revelation 21:9-12
I would like to speak about divine protection. God always protects what is precious to Himself and what is of Himself. He said to Abraham, “I am thy shield”. The shield conveys the thought of protection. You think of the Lord Jesus, when He came in as a Babe; you get the thought of protection. That is particularly so in Matthew’s gospel; the Lord was protected (see Matt.2:13-23). We read about the wings of the cherubim over the ark; that was divine protection (see Exod.25:20-22). God used Joseph and Mary to care for the Lord as a Child; He was protected under God’s hand. I think it is a principle with God, that in an adverse scene He protects His own. It would give us assurance and comfort to know that. In this passage in Genesis, what God said gave great assurance to Abraham, assurance of God’s support. He says to Abraham, “I am thy shield”. Where we read in Acts, the Lord says to Paul, “no one shall set upon thee to injure thee”: Paul was under divine protection in Corinth. Then there is the thought of the wall in Revelation, which protects what is precious, what is inside; the assembly which is so precious to divine Persons. I thought we might be encouraged through consideration of these scriptures.
The scripture in Genesis is particularly important, being the first time that “the word of Jehovah” is referred to. God spoke in relation to creation, and He spoke to Abraham earlier – God had commanded him to leave his land, his kindred and his father’s house (Gen.12:1). Abraham obeyed God’s commandment. But it is the “word of Jehovah” that is introduced here. It is not a command, it is God speaking to a man of faith, one whom He loved. The first thing that God says is, “Fear not”. How often that expression comes into the Scriptures, the words of divine Persons, words of assurance and comfort. The Lord says, “Let not your heart be troubled”, John 14:1. It was a word of assurance for those who were on the pathway of faith, when there was so much to cause fear among His people. The Lord said to John in Revelation, “Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the living one: and I became dead, and behold, I am living to the ages of ages, and have the keys of death and of hades” (chap.1:17). The Lord is in control of everything.
The next thing that God says is, “I am thy shield”. Abraham had been faithful. The king of Sodom had said to him, “Give me the souls, and take the property for thyself”, Gen.14:21. But Abraham was faithful, and refused to come under the influence of the world in any way: he was completely separate from the world. He was one who was in the pathway of faith, trusting God, and who received His word. God speaks of Himself, He does not give a command to Abraham, but He speaks of Himself and what He would be to Abraham. We often think of John 14, where the Lord speaks of His commandments, and then of His word. He says, “If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him” (v.23). What a very great suggestion, a great promise of knowing the Lord and the Father in nearness. I think that is what comes in here: “Fear not Abram; I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward”. It suggests that not only would Abraham come under divine protection, but that he would be able to enjoy divine company. The knowledge of God’s word, “I am … thy exceeding great reward” would exceed anything that the world can give. The king of Sodom had offered him the property, but Abraham was not interested in that, He had God Himself as his portion: “I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward”. The Holy Spirit in His language does not exaggerate. What He describes as “great” is truly great. It is interesting to think what that “reward” would be: it would be associated with God Himself. It is like what the tribe of the Levites enjoyed: God Himself was their inheritance (see Josh.18:7). The other tribes had portions of land as an inheritance, but for the Levites, God Himself was their portion. It has been said that they were the best provided for; everything was provided for them, including cities to dwell in; and they had God Himself for their enjoyment. The shield is for protection, but the reward has in view the enjoyment of our portion with divine Persons, and also our enjoyment of heavenly things with the saints.
The thought of the shield comes in also in Psalm 84, which is written by the sons of Korah in times of pressure: “Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (vv.9,10). God was the psalmist’s shield, so that he was able to enjoy what belonged to the house of God, with the saints. The courts of God would be where the saints are thronging:
‘Where the saints in glory thronging’ (Hymn 206)
Think of what can be enjoyed with one another! But God also gives assurance of His protection: that psalm goes on to say that “Jehovah Elohim is a sun and shield” (v.11). Think of the Lord Jesus, the One who is as the sun set in the heavens; think of the blessing that flows from Christ as the sun, as giving life and warmth, the source of life, and also as “the Sun of righteousness”, Mal.4:2. Think of all the benefit that flows from Christ as the sun, but then there is also the shield. We have spoken of the Lord being protected in Matthew’s gospel. The Lord is protected, but the Lord is also the sun there: “And his face shone as the sun” (Matt.17:2) on the mountain. There were those too who had the privilege of being with Him. Peter appreciated that, he speaks of “being with him on the holy mountain”, 2 Pet.1:18. The sun would also speak of rule. It speaks of the majesty of Christ. Then it says, “Jehovah will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psa.84:11). That is what Abraham was proving – the rich blessing that there is in God Himself. We find it all in Christ. Our hymn referred to some of the many titles that belong to Christ:
‘Our Lord, our Life, our Rest, our Shield,
our Rock, our Food, our Light’ (Hymn 151)
suggesting the great resource we have in Him – “Jehovah will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly”. That would remind us of Luke’s gospel: those who are affected by divine grace giving glory to God. What things we have to enjoy in Christ! As taking the pathway of faith, apart from the world, we can be assured of God’s care and protection, as Abraham proved.
As receiving this word of assurance from God, Abraham is encouraged to ask, saying: “Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me?”. How ready God is to give. Abraham asks for a son. God’s further word directed him to look towards the heavens. In chapter 13, God refers to the dust of the earth (v.16), but here it is the heavens and the stars. We are brought into that family of faith, and we can be assured of divine protection as those that are sons and daughters of Abraham. That also comes into Luke’s gospel: the Lord defended those who were faithful to Him – Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to His word (Luke 10:38-42); He defended her – the Lord was her shield, providing assurance that the good part that she had chosen would not be taken from her.
Thus we are brought into this great family of faith, the heavenly family. It is an encouragement to us to continue in the path of faith, as “those also who walk in the steps of the faith … of our father Abraham”, Rom.4:12. We can be assured that we will prove divine care and protection, and the special interest of divine Persons. God is “preserver of all men, specially of those that believe”, 1 Tim.4:10. Abraham is the great example in the Scriptures of someone that believed: “And he believed Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness”. That verse is quoted several times in the New Testament. It is a very important verse; Abraham believed Jehovah, he believed His word. What a favour to be receiving God’s word. It is not a commandment: the word is given to those that love Christ, and who desire to be near to Him. The word conveys God’s mind and makes known something of Himself for our encouragement and edification.
We read of Paul in Acts 18. Paul suffered, he suffered a great deal. When we read through this book, we see what Paul and those with him suffered, especially in Philippi: what fruit there was there for God. What a great work of God there was in Corinth, and God protected Paul: “And the Lord said by vision in the night to Paul, Fear not, but speak and be not silent; because I am with thee, and no one shall set upon thee to injure thee.” It was in Corinth that Paul’s teaching as to local assemblies was brought out. There was a Gentile local assembly in Antioch, but it was in Corinth in particular that Paul brought out teaching as to local assemblies, and the order that belongs to them. It shows how much God values local assemblies. Paul was protected; he was there in Corinth for “a year and six months, teaching among them the word of God”. Think of the value of these two epistles to the Corinthians. In them, Paul speaks of what he had received from the Lord. He had received instruction as to the Lord’s supper (see 1 Cor.11:23-28). I am sure there is divine pleasure in the Lord’s supper being maintained according to Paul’s teaching. It is remarkable that there has been recovery to the truth of the Lord’s supper, and we can have a part in it week by week. What a privilege it is. We can be assured of divine protection and care in its continuance, that it might be preserved in the manner in which Paul brought it to the Corinthians. We know that the Corinthians departed from it, but they were brought back to it.
Paul also speaks about having received the glad tidings in chapter 15 of the first epistle (see v.3): Paul says that he received the glad tidings, and delivered them to the Corinthians. He sets out the truth of the glad tidings, establishing the truth of resurrection. He also sets out the truth as to the order that is pleasing to God, what was to mark local assemblies in a public way. These truths were given to Paul, and he brought them out in Corinth. There was a distinct work of God there. The Lord said, “I have much people in this city”. Aquila and Priscilla are also mentioned in connection with Corinth. The Lord delights to see these truths being worked out in local assemblies, affording pleasure to divine Persons. We have the assurance of divine support as simply going on with what pleases God and holding fast to the truth as ministered by the apostle.
We read lastly in Revelation as to the wall. The wall speaks of fellowship. We have a description of the city speaking of the assembly in a millennial setting. There will be no need of the wall in eternity, because there will be no danger there. But in the present time when there is what is adverse there is need of protection of what is so precious to Christ – “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”. The passage describes the glory of the assembly, “having the glory of God”; we get the beauty of the assembly. Then it says, “having a great and high wall”. There is much said about the wall later. The wall is very attractive; it speaks of fellowship. Fellowship protects what is precious to Christ. Paul speaks of that in 1 Corinthians 10: he brings in the fellowship, the Lord’s table and the fellowship of His death, and our responsibility to maintain that in view of protecting what is precious. He brings in the Lord’s supper in chapter 11.
It has been said in ministry that 1 Corinthians 10 is separation, and chapter 11 is seclusion1, the seclusion of the Lord with His own. How precious that is to the Lord Jesus! We are favoured to have our part in it, but there needs to be protection. Fellowship, and faithfulness to the principles of fellowship, are needed to maintain and protect what is precious to Christ. It is the saints who are the wall. The wall is described: “And the building of its wall was jasper; and the city pure gold” (v.18). What value there is in what is divine; what is of God needs to be protected. It adds, “the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone” (v.19). It is the saints that are being referred to, the attractiveness of the saints. Fellowship is a very attractive thing; there is the negative side, in what is not allowed, but there is also the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, what by the Spirit can be enjoyed of spiritual and heavenly things, things which can be known in a living way as belonging to such a fellowship.
I thought this would be an encouragement for us, to have a part in protecting what is precious to God in a scene where things are adverse. The last verse of the chapter says, “And nothing common, nor that maketh an abomination and a lie, shall at all enter into it” (v.27). What is common relates to the first order, to man in the flesh; and an abomination would relate to idolatry. These things have no place in the assembly. It is the great and high wall that excludes these things. It is only what is of God and of the truth that belongs to the assembly.
The gates of course are to allow people to come in. The gates provided a means of entrance into the city. Later in Revelation we have, “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life, and that they should go in by the gates into the city”, Rev.22:14. It is those who use the water that is available in the death of Christ – they “have right to the tree of life”. What enjoyment is to be found in Christ. As the Tree of life there is perpetual freshness in Him, and there is also perpetual fruit for our enjoyment. The reference to washing our robes relates to our associations: such have right to the tree of life, that they should go in by the gates into the city, to enjoy the greatness of divine blessings and of divine thoughts. But then we also have a responsibility to keep the principles of fellowship to protect what is so precious to divine Persons.
I thought it would be for our encouragement to consider divine protection, having in view the enjoyment of the greatest blessings that are available to us in a scene where things are so much against the saints, against those who have faith. What decline there is publicly: we can all see that; but we can be assured of divine care and protection as we are faithful to the Lord.
May we be encouraged, for His name’s sake.
Address at Cullen
3 May 2025
Allan Grant