“Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it”(2 Kings 19:32).
Neither did Sennacherib molest the city. He had boasted loudly, but he could not carry out his threats. The LORD is able to stop the enemies of His people in the very act. When the lion has the lamb between his jaws, the great Shepherd of the sheep can rob him of his prey. Our extremity only provides an opportunity for a grander display of divine power and wisdom.
In the case before us, the terrible foe did not put in an appearance before the city which he thirsted to destroy. No annoying arrow could he shoot over the walls, and no besieging engines could- he put to work to batter down the castles, and no banks could he cast up to shut in the inhabitants. Perhaps in our case also the LORD will prevent our adversaries from doing us the least harm. Certainly He can alter their intentions or render their designs so abortive that they will gladly forego them. Let us trust in the LORD and keep His way, and He will take care of us. Yea, He will fill us with wondering praise as we see the perfection of His deliverance.
Let us not fear the enemy till he actually comes, and then let us trust in the LORD.
This cover if the Chainsmokers’ song brings me a specific joy as my son texted me today and complained that I had stuck this in his head this morning. 🙂
So for father’s day my son took me to the movies. We saw two movies. Godzilla king of the monsters.
And John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum
I’m going to discuss Godzilla first.
I’m not going to lie seeing Godzilla reminded me of when I watched the Saturday morning creature feature with my cereal bowl in my lap staring intensely at a guy in a rubber suit stomping through models. At that time I cared not at all what message the film maker was trying to say I was there for the destruction.
Unfortunately the halcyon days of youth can’t be reclaimed. There is a distinct theme running through the Godzilla movie. To sum it up it is that man has screwed up the ecosystem and the only way to return it to the natural balance is to let loose all these “Titans” ie: Rhodan, Mothra, etc.. let them destroy the cities and then via their unique radiation have nature renew itself and the earth be replenished. But of course there is a flaw in this plan and it has to do with the monster they’ve unleashed, Ghidra or Monster Zero.
In case you didn’t catch that let me say it clearer. In order to save the planet monsters have to men, and men’s cities. This is again a Malthusian economic system. We don’t have enough resources so we have to get rid of the excess consumers. Otherwise known as people.
Now if all you want to do is watch giant CGI monsters battle on the screen and care nothing about what the movie is saying about ecology and mankind. Then ignore the theme and enjoy the monsters.
John Wick 3 Parabellum takes place right after the events of John Wick 2. And if you sit down and think about this the entire John Wick series really has occurred in maybe two or three weeks time. So this is like three weeks of John Wick’s life, if you want to call this a life.
In this iteration John Wick is running for his life, he has been declared excommunicado by the mysterious organization that controls these assassins. As such he has no protection or resources to fall back on.
But that isn’t all, Winston the head of the Continental hotel in New York has come under the scrutiny of the “High Table” for how he handled the John Wick issue. And an adjudicator has come to administer “justice” and restore the High Table rule.
But John Wick has a plan, besides a high body count, and that is to get his excommunicato lifted by the person who is above the High Table. To do that he has to stay alive to find him and plead his case.
Now if you have seen any of the John Wick films you know that you are going to see both a lot of martial arts action and a lot of people being killed in a variety of ways. I think there is a YouTube video that lists the various martial arts being displayed in the John Wick movies. It is quite impressive. And if violence bothers you there are more than a few cringe worthy scenes that you will not want to see. So don’t go.
As a third movie in the series it does a good job living up to the other John Wick movies and the continuity of the three movies stays together. You know what kind of twisted world John Wick’s world really is, people are killed left and right and the bodies are piling up and ignored by the various inhabitants. At the train station steps, where two or three assassins are killed, nobody screams or shouts for the police. This tells you that this isn’t a real world. It maybe New York, but even New Yorkers aren’t that immune to violence.
Final review:
Godzilla king of the monsters three and a half stars out of five for the monster fights and making me remember my youth.
John Wick 3 Parabellum three stars out of five for the high intensity action and fighting.
Possess, Not Only Profess “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance” (Matthew 13:12).
When the LORD has given to a man much grace, He will give him more. A littlefaithis a nest egg; more faith will come to it. But then it must not be seeming faith, but real and true. What a necessity is laid upon us to make sure work in religion and not to profess much, and possess nothing! For one of these days the very profession will be taken from us, if that be all we have. The threatening is as true as the promise.
Blessed be the LORD, it is His way when He has once made a beginning to go on bestowing the graces of His Spirit, till He who had but little, and yet truly had that little, is made to have abundance. Oh, for that abundance! Abundance of grace is a thing to be coveted, It would be well to know much but better to love much. It would be delightful to have abundance of skill to serve God but better still to have abundance of faith to trust in the LORD for skill and everything.
LORD, since Thou hast given me a sense of sin, deepen my hatred of evil. Since Thou hast caused me to trust Jesus, raise my faith to full assurance. Since Thou hast made me to love Thee, cause me to be carried away with vehement affection for Thee!
A Trustworthy Name “I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the Name of the LORD” (Zephaniah 3:12).
When true religion is ready to die out among the wealthy it finds a home among the poor of this world, rich infaith. The LORD has even now His faithful remnant. Am I one of them?
Perhaps it is because men are afflicted and poor that they learn to trust in the name of the LORD. He that hath no money must try what he can do on trust. He whose own name is good for nothing in his own esteem, acts wisely to rest in another name, even that best of names, the name of Jehovah. God wilt always have a trusting people, and these will be an afflicted and poor people. Little as the world thinks of them, their being left in the midst of a nation is the channel of untold blessings to it. Here we have the conserving salt which keeps in check the corruption which is in the world through lust.
Again the question comes home to each one of us. Am I one of them? Am I afflicted by the sin within me and around me? Am I poor in spirit, poor spiritually in my own judgment? Do I trust in the LORD? This is the main business. Jesus reveals the name, the character, the person of God; am I trusting in Him? If so, I am left in this world for a purpose. LORD, help me to fulfill it.
For nom will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. (Nahum 1:13)
The Assyrian was allowed for a season to oppress the Lord’s people, but there came a time for his power to be broken. So, many a heart is held in bondage by Satan and frets sorely under the yoke. Oh, that to such prisoners of hope the word of the Lord may come at once, according to the text, “Now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder!”
See! The Lord promises a present deliverance. “Now will I break his yoke from off thee.” Believe for immediate freedom, and according to thyfaithso shall it be unto thee at this very hour. When God saith “now,” let no man say “tomorrow.”
See how complete the rescue is to be; for the yoke is not to be removed but broken; and the bonds are not to be untied but burst asunder. Here is a display of divine force which guarantees that the oppressor shall not return. His yoke is broken, we cannot again be bowed down by its weight. His bonds, are burst asunder, they can no longer hold us. Oh, to believe in Jesus for complete and everlasting emancipation! “If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Come, Lord, and set free Thy captives, according to Thy Word.
“Ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water”Exod. 23:25
What a promise is this! To serve God is in itself a high delight. But what an added privilege to have the blessing of the Lord resting upon us in all things! Our commonest things become blessed when we ourselves are consecrated to the Lord. Our Lord Jesus took bread and blessed it; behold, we also eat of blessed bread. Jesus blessed water and made it wine: the water which we drink is far better to us than any of the wine with which men make merry; every drop has a benediction in it. The divine blessing is on the man of God in everything, and it shall abide with him at every time.
What if we have only bread and water! Yet it is blessed bread and water. Bread and water we shall have. That is implied, for it must be there for God to bless it. “Thy bread shall be given thee, and thy waters shall be sure.” With God at our table, we not only ask a blessing, but we have one. It is not only at the altar but at the table that He blesses us. He serves those well who serve Him well. This table-blessing is not of debt, but of grace. Indeed, there is a troubled grace; He grants us grace to serve Him, by His grace feeds us with bread, and then in His grace blesses it.
We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Covenantal, Confessional, Baptistic - Meditations and Articles From A Reformed Baptist Perspective - A Ministry of ON THE WAY REFORMED BAPTIST CHURCH of OAK HILLS, CA, 9621 MACRON STREET, OAK HILLS, CA 92344 - CONTACT INFORMATION: Email - marcelle19@gmail.com - Phone - 760-261-0156
We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Covenantal, Confessional, Baptistic - Meditations and Articles From A Reformed Baptist Perspective - A Ministry of ON THE WAY REFORMED BAPTIST CHURCH of OAK HILLS, CA, 9621 MACRON STREET, OAK HILLS, CA 92344 - CONTACT INFORMATION: Email - marcelle19@gmail.com - Phone - 760-261-0156
