Who Is On The Lord’s Side?

Way back in the book of Exodus

A question to a people was posed

“Who is on the Lord’s side?”

Was the Moses’ conducted poll.

In a matter of forty days

Things had really changed

And when he came down from the mount

He met a people most deranged.

All the way from wretched Egypt

He had led them through the Red Sea

Now just “the man” is all he is

In their present controversy.

He had been called up to the mount

To receive instructions from Almighty God

That would direct these chosen people

And protect them from Satan the fraud.

But on retuning he had found out

That they had made a golden calf

And the number that worshipped this idol

Was certainly more than half.

As a result he conducted a poll

To ascertain who was on the Lord’s side,

Consequently there was God’s judgment

And there was no place to hide.

No place to hide for the dissenters,

About three thousand were put to the sword,

For the priestly tribe of Levi

Did according to God’s word.

And so let us now fast forward

Thousands of years to the present

Cognizant of the reality

That we have a similar lament.

The difference, however, is critical

Since the sides have made a change

In the exodus it was the Lord’s side

But our anthem has had this rearranged.

  

“The Lord has been the people’s guide

For past three hundred years,

With Him still on the people’s side

We have no doubts or fears.”

The first stanza you would recall

Spoke to our fore fathers’ achievement,

The second stanza introduces God

But on the “people’s side” is the intent.

The emphasis is now changed

As it propositions the people’s side,

It is no longer we who must take focus

But God who must now decide.

That may not have been the intent

But it surely comes over that way,

God may have been the people’s guide

But it is the people that hold full sway.

With “the people on the Lord’s side”

Would have been a better demarcation,

Since God has no need to choose a side,

His is an eternal position.

He does not have to make amendments

He is the one that changes not,

We are the ones that are dependent

And without God we would simply rot.

It is not uncommon these days to hear

When seeking to win an argument,

“I know the Lord is on my side”

To put down the other person’s dissent.

So God must choose; so we declare

And He had better choose our side:

“Command ye me,” the Lord has said,

Isaiah 45:11 cannot be denied.

Taken out of context as in so many cases

We use God’s word for our own ends,

And so He is on the people’s side

It’s on the people that He depends.

We had better get our theology right

As we respond to Moses’ question,

“Who is on the Lord’s side?” Note!

And not the affirmation of our anthem.

For in the final analysis

Only them on Lord’s side will be saved,

It doesn’t matter your golden calf

Or how much you rant and rave.

Jesus makes it particularly clear

In Luke chapter 11 and verse 23

Concerning the matter pertaining to sides

“He that is not with me is against me.”

So who is on the Lord’s side?

Stand up today and be reckoned,

Bear in mind there is still His amnesty

And to one and all he beckons.

Stewart Russell © July 2017

The Bible in Poetry: The Exodus

Extracted from the Bible In Poetry

From Genesis to Revelation

The Exodus

Then another Pharoah who knew not Joseph rose,

Mistreating all of Israel whom he viciously opposed;

The work he gave was hard and the hours too were long,

There was not a joyous moment not even a single song.

But not far in the river Nile hidden among the reeds,

There was a special baby found to meet their needs;

His mother fearing for his life hid him in the Nile,

While Miriam kept up vigil watching all the while.

As Moses' name suggested he was 'taken from the water',

Right where he was discovered by the Pharoah’s daughter;

Growing up in the palace he was treated as royalty,

Soon this very family would become his sworn enemy.

Defending a Hebrew slave, he killed a man one day,

And so to far off Midian he was forced to run away;

Not long after he arrived he saw a marvelous light,

Bush burning, not consumed, what a wondrous sight!

"Take off your shoes," the voice of God had sound,

"For the place where you are standing is holy ground."

Moses did not hesitate but hastened to obey,

God was bringing deliverance, beginning from that day.

He was told, "Go!" Command Pharoah to let My people go."

Pharoah laughed and wondered who would dare to tell him so.

“I'm the only God in Egypt and even your God should know,

So dear old Moses go back and tell him Pharoah said no."

Pharoah was up against it though he was not aware,

God is greater that any Pharaoh; that was made very clear.

He lost face rapidly as God displayed His power,

No refuge for Egyptians, not even in the strongest tower.

On that dreaded night the loudest of screams was heard

As Pharoah learnt a lesson about the power of God’s word;

Every first born perished where the blood was not applied,

Pharoah’s house was no different, his first born had also died.

Just as was expected, Pharoah forced to eat his word,

Commanded all Israel to leave but they’d already heard;

The Egyptians tried one last time to stop the Hebrew’s flight,

But drowned in the Red Sea; that was a horrible plight!

 

But in the same Red Sea over the smoothened stones,

The Israelites walked securely carrying Joseph’s bones;

God had proven once again His promises he will keep,

Even when they look delayed, our God does not sleep.

Wilderness Wanderings

And so began the wandering of Israel the Bible tells,

Of the Hebrew children so unruly they started to rebel;

They argued oft with Moses his word they often spurned,

And they yearned the more for Egypt, even longing to return.

What should’ve been a journey of just eleven days,

Became as many as forty years as the wilderness became a maze;

They wandered and they wandered from one place to another,

And Moses had a troubled time just keeping them together.

They grumbled and they fret, they quarreled and complained,

God sent then fiery serpents that caused them death and pain;

“Make a brazen serpent, Moses, suspend it from a pole,”

And as those bitten beheld it, they were made completely whole.

Of those who were in Egypt none would enter Canaan land,

Except for Joshua and Caleb, there was not another man;

All the others would pass away because of their unbelief,

And so their life in the wilderness was one of torturous grief.

Even Moses, the view he had was from Pisgah’s Mountain

Because in anger struck the rock as to create a fountain;

He should have spoken as instructed but rather gave it a lash,

And so he was was forbidden entry for being this rash.

Eventually they had arrived at the foot of the Mount Sinai,

God had warned them keep away unless they want to die;

He beckoned Moses up the mount so he could meet with Him,

And Joshua also went along part way up the mountain.

When Moses returned what he saw made him mad,

There and then he threw a tantrum just like a little lad;

The law, slammed to the ground simply broke apart,

And up the mountain again Moses made a fresh start.

The Decalogue

And finally the commandments to the Israelites were given,

They were only ten in all, just one short of eleven;

But the children of Israel broke them time and time again,

And often they were punished suffering much unneeded pain.

The first commandment was to have no other gods but me

Second, make no graven image in the sky on land or sea;

Third, never take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,

The seventh day remember, was the fourth law in the chain.

First commandment with promise, honour father and mother,

The sixth commandment instructs do not commit a murder;

The seventh commandment states do not commit adultery,

The eighth commands us not to steal, today it’s larceny.

Do not bear false witness is commandment number nine,

Covet not the neighbour’s own, from this you should decline.

Ten commandments in all was the Decalogue comprised,

Given to the nation Israel to teach them how to thrive.

In the Promised Land

Eventually the time did come and they crossed over Jordan,

With Joshua at the head they entered the land of Canaan;

They overthrew great Jericho and so the conquering began,

All who had come against them were defeated or just ran.

 

But then they made a slip that caused an awful mess,

Defeated by an army whose numbers had been less;

Achan was the one that caused it, his heart on sin was bent,

He took of the accursed thing then hid it in his tent.

Joshua went before the Lord, so saddened by disgrace,

That Israel had turned in flight before the enemy’s face;

Achan was arrested and was sentenced to be stoned

Along with his whole household, so he did not die alone.

The land was then divided just as God had prescribed,

All received their portion except for the Levite tribe;

To them a tenth was given of all the other’s wealth,

Though caring for the temple, they still enjoyed good health.

Stewart Russell © 2013