An Army of Angels
Psalms 34-36
I began a series of studies last night as part of our Wednesday night electives at church. The theme of the series is angels and what the Bible teaches about them. Some of us might remember Billy Graham's classic book on angels published back in the 70s and reprinted many times since. We remember Frank Peretti's book, This Present Darkness, a work of fiction that unfortunately spawned some incorrect ideas that Peretti regretted. It was, after all, fiction. And who can forget the more recent television series Touched By An Angel whose reruns are still out there on classic TV. The New Age movement is littered with ideas about angels that don't coincide with what the Scriptures teach.
Angels are everywhere—the fictitious and the factual.
Several people in the group came to me afterward to share their stories about encounters with angels. One even asked if she could come early next week to share with me a dream her husband has had about angels that he wants interpreted—beyond my giftedness, to be sure!
In spite of the misconceptions and the misinformation out there about angels, there is no doubt that God's heavenly army is an active part of history. It was interesting that angels appeared in my devotional reading this morning as sort of a postscript to last night's opening study session.
Psalm 34:6, 7 (NIV): "The angel is the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them." This protective wall is a more passive role that the one described in the Psalm 35 where David says about his enemies: "May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angels of the Lord driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them" (6, 7).
One of the many things we noted last night was the picture of God's angels not as sweet, gentle creatures, but as an army, as military figures fighting on behalf of God and his children. The role of angels in defense and offense is clearly shown in just a few verses.
What reassurance that brings to us in the daily struggles of living in a damaged world. Small wonder the psalmist proclaims: "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him" —Psalm 34:8 NIV.
I began a series of studies last night as part of our Wednesday night electives at church. The theme of the series is angels and what the Bible teaches about them. Some of us might remember Billy Graham's classic book on angels published back in the 70s and reprinted many times since. We remember Frank Peretti's book, This Present Darkness, a work of fiction that unfortunately spawned some incorrect ideas that Peretti regretted. It was, after all, fiction. And who can forget the more recent television series Touched By An Angel whose reruns are still out there on classic TV. The New Age movement is littered with ideas about angels that don't coincide with what the Scriptures teach.
Angels are everywhere—the fictitious and the factual.
Several people in the group came to me afterward to share their stories about encounters with angels. One even asked if she could come early next week to share with me a dream her husband has had about angels that he wants interpreted—beyond my giftedness, to be sure!
In spite of the misconceptions and the misinformation out there about angels, there is no doubt that God's heavenly army is an active part of history. It was interesting that angels appeared in my devotional reading this morning as sort of a postscript to last night's opening study session.
Psalm 34:6, 7 (NIV): "The angel is the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them." This protective wall is a more passive role that the one described in the Psalm 35 where David says about his enemies: "May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angels of the Lord driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them" (6, 7).
One of the many things we noted last night was the picture of God's angels not as sweet, gentle creatures, but as an army, as military figures fighting on behalf of God and his children. The role of angels in defense and offense is clearly shown in just a few verses.
What reassurance that brings to us in the daily struggles of living in a damaged world. Small wonder the psalmist proclaims: "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him" —Psalm 34:8 NIV.
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ReplyDeleteI needed this one today, thank you! I have read, Billy Graham's book a long time ago, think I will pull out of the book shelves and read it again! It is an amazing book! Hugs, Rita