Clean Transcript

The True Lord Protector

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• Open your Bibles, if you would, please, to Psalm 127, verse 1. I hope that many of you can quote this verse, Psalm 127, verse 1. I've quoted it many times while I've been preaching, but I want to expound upon it today. The name of the message is "The True Lord Protector." Notice Psalm 127 and verse 1: "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Oliver Cromwell assumed the title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England. He refused the crown. You remember there was a battle between Oliver Cromwell and Charles I of England. Cromwell was the leader of the Roundhead Army, while Charles I was commander of the Cavaliers. Now, Cromwell is indeed an unusual man.

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• He was never trained in war, but from the very beginning, like Stonewall Jackson, in one sense of the word, and like Nathan Bedford Forrest, he showed a consummate genius as a general. Cromwell understood that successful revolutions were always fought by the common man and especially local men. And so what Cromwell did was he gathered around himself a thousand hand-picked Puritans who were farmers, herdsmen, men who were acquainted with the outdoors and used to being in the field. His regiment was nicknamed Ironsides and was never beaten, not even one time, even though at times they were greatly outnumbered, sometimes three to one. Cromwell's troops would go into battle reciting the Westminster Confession or singing the Psalms of David, striking terror into the heart of the enemy. Cromwell's tactic, one of his main tactics, was to use his cavalry to, I'm going to use the word bust instead of burst, to bust right down through the middle of the oncoming soldiers. And as they would burst through those soldiers, then what they would do, they would come out the other side and circle either the left or right, forcing the soldiers into a mob and creating confusion.

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• And then the other troops would strike as well and, of course, literally destroy their enemy. Cromwell amassed a body of troops. He became their commander-in-chief and his troops were the only body of troops, as far as I know, that preached and prayed and fought, and there were fines in that army for profanity or for drunkenness. Usually, of course, the profanity, the drunkenness came from some who just simply had attached themselves to his troops and to his commands, but they would always charge into the enemy either quoting scripture or singing Psalms.

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• Now, Charles I invited an Irish Catholic army to aid him, an action which later he was tried for as high treason. He was found guilty and he was beheaded shortly after the war. Years later, Cromwell was offered the crown of England. He refused with these words: "I will not build Jericho again." Cromwell proposed the revival of the title Lord Protector, which had precedence going back to the 15th century. Under the terms of the Instrument of Government, executive power under Cromwell passed into the hands of an elected Lord Protector advised by a Council of State. So Cromwell was declared Lord Protector for life and formally installed at Westminster Hall on December the 16th, 1653. As you read through scripture, you will find that there is indeed a true Lord Protector, but it is not Cromwell.

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• It is the sovereign God of heaven and earth. And the truth that the Lord God of heaven and earth is indeed the true Lord Protector is given to us very plainly in Psalm 127 verse 1: "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." In Psalm 127 and verse 1 there are two parallel truths and each one teaches our absolute dependency upon the sovereign God. First of all, we read, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." Clearly, we understand that it is the Lord and the Lord alone who can build without failure, without diminishment, or without destruction.

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• Now the word "house" could refer to what you and I would call an ordinary dwelling. It could refer to the temple. It could refer to a church building, a place of worship, but it could also refer to a family. What you and I have failed to realize many times is that the word "house" does not necessarily have to reflect a physical structure. Let me give you a quote from Albert Barnes.

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• He said on verse 1 of Psalm 127: "The statement is universal. That is, 'Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' The statement is universal and is designed to indicate a universal dependence upon God in human undertakings. Though it is not improbable that there may have been an allusion when this psalm was composed to some building which was contemplated or commenced. If the psalm was a composition of David or Solomon, the allusion may have been to the temple about to be erected."

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• The language, however, is so general as to be applicable to any enterprise of that kind. Now, let me point out that when you read the word "house," "Except the Lord build the house," do not necessarily always think of a physical structure. Let me show you how the word "house" is used at times. Turn in your Bibles, hold Psalm 127, but look in Genesis 7 and verse 1.

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• Everyone knows the story of Noah and the ark. You remember how Noah, his wife, his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives entered into the ark, and then of course God sent the flood. Notice in Genesis 7 and verse 1 what God says: "And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark. For thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." Now when God told Noah to bring his house into the ark, he was not talking about a physical structure. He was talking about his sons and his daughter-in-laws and his wife. If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 1 and verse 21, and you also know the story, I hope, of Shiphrah and Puah, those are very difficult names, but those were the two midwives who refused to obey the king and murder the men children of Israel. Notice, if you would please, in Exodus chapter 1 and verse 21 the Bible says this: "And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God that he made them houses."

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• Now, does that mean He built them physical houses? Probably not. He may have allowed them to have physical houses, but it means that He gave them families.

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• Now, if you'll look back in your Bibles to Psalm 127, just showing you this in light of verse 1, "Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it," begin if you would please with verse 3: "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." So notice if you would here the context of this psalm when it talks about a house also talks about children. So we're not necessarily just talking about a church building, or a temple, or a physical structure. We're also talking about children.

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• It should take then only a moment of reflection for you and I to understand and realize why our country is in such turmoil, and why our families are in such destruction, and why there is so much degradation, chaos, and rebellion in the ordinary everyday home. What we have done is this: We have taken our children and we have tried to rear them and teach them apart from the sovereign power of God.

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• May I remind you of something? We may have used the means, but the means apart from the blessings of God are absolutely worthless and useless. Without the power of God and without the blessing of God, all is lost. Our labor is in vain. It does not matter concerning the level of our skill, the amount of our strength, the industry of our will, the height of our education, or the resources at our command. All will be in vain unless God sovereignly blesses our work and works in each heart.

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• Has it ever dawned upon you that you cannot convict your children? You cannot convert your children. You cannot save your children. I have tried, and you have tried in many ways and many times, but the truth is you cannot save your children. You cannot open their eyes. You cannot give them understanding. You've heard me say this before, and it's a little byline, but it's true. One man said that he could prove that light traveled faster than sound because the instruction and the counsel that he gave his children at 18, they never heard until they were 40. Well, you understand that. But the truth of the matter is this, folks.

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• "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." Unless the Lord blesses our efforts and our works and our use of the means, all is in vain. In other words, this is teaching us absolute dependence upon the Lord.

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• Now, I want you to understand something. Physical houses may be destroyed by fire. They may be destroyed by tornadoes, or by hurricanes, or by an earthquake, or by an assault of an enemy, unless God sovereignly protects them. But the same is true of our children. Unless God sovereignly works in their hearts, all of our teaching, all of our instruction is simply in vain.

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• Now, I want you to look at the second part of this verse. Here's the parallel truth. He said, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Now note, if you would, "Except the Lord keep the city." Again it's conveying an idea of dependence, this time in another illustration. The preservation of a city wholly depends upon God, regardless of the precaution that the inhabitants may use or may not use.

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• Now, by extension, you can readily see how this would be applied to a nation or to a country. The principle is the same. You can use the argument from the lesser to the greater. If a city is dependent upon the sovereignty of God for protection, how much more must a nation or a country be dependent upon the sovereignty of God? If it takes God to protect a small insignificant city, how much more does it take God to protect an entire country?

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• You remember what Benjamin Franklin said at the Constitutional Convention on June 28, 1787. Let me give it to you again. He said, "I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, 'Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain to build it.' I firmly believe this. And I also believe that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel."

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• "We shall be divided by our little partial local interest. Our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter this unfortunate instant despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, conquest. I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven and its blessing on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service."

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• So what was he saying at the founding of this country? If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without your heavenly Father, is it possible, is it probable that a nation can rise up without his aid? And the answer is no.

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• Now the Bible said, "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." In Bible times, most of your cities were surrounded by walls, sometimes double walls. And along those walls, they would place watchmen. Those watchmen were responsible to warn of approaching danger. Now I'm going to show you that the theme of the watchman runs basically throughout the Bible. The watchman had a responsibility to warn of danger. If he did not warn of danger, he was guilty. He was guilty of treason.

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• He was a traitor to his own people. However, if he warned and they refused to listen, then their blood was not on his hand. He delivered his soul. Look in your Bibles. Hold Psalm 127. But go, if you would, first of all, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 6 and look at verse 17. Jeremiah 6 and verse 17. I want you to note what is said. Then we're going to Ezekiel chapter 3. Jeremiah chapter 6 and verse 17, God says this: "Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken." That's what I said: watchmen. There was a trumpet. The trumpet was to be blown when there was danger. When you hear the trumpet being blown, you know there's danger. Listen to the trumpet. Listen to the watchman. But they said, "We will not hearken." Look in Ezekiel chapter 3. Ezekiel chapter 3 if you would please. And notice if you would please verse 17. Ezekiel 3 verse 17. God says to Ezekiel, "Son of man, I've made thee a watchman of the house of Israel.

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• Therefore, hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me." So God made Ezekiel a watchman. And he said, "You give them warning from me." Now turn to Ezekiel chapter 33. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 6. Notice what God says, and here's the principle. Ezekiel 33 verse 6.

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• Again, God has declared in this first part that the watchman was to have a trumpet. But He said in verse 6, "But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, if the sword come and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the hand of the watchman. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman in the house of Israel. Therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked man from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his wicked way, verse 9, to turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul."

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• So the watchman then had a responsibility to warn. If he did not warn, he was guilty. If he did warn, and the people just simply did not listen, then he delivered his own soul.

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• Now notice what the Bible says, "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Now when you read that verse, you tend to think that the watchman has gone to sleep on his post. But that's really not what that verse is saying. "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." The word "waketh" does not imply that the watchman was asleep. The word "waketh" actually means to be sleepless and then to watch. Just like in modern times, the watchman had a period of time for which he was responsible, usually four hours. It's very difficult for a man to really be on his toes more than four hours straight at a time watching, especially at night. And so if Phil's time to watch, I go and wake him out of his sleep. He is now sleepless. He is awakened. He takes his four-hour watch. So "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." In other words, it's not that the watchman is asleep. He's been awakened to go on his post.

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• He is watching. But unless the Lord keep the city, his watching does no good. Albert Barnes says this: "The allusion is to the watch or guard appointed to keep a city. And the idea is that whatever may be the diligence, the care, the fidelity of the one thus appointed to guard a city, its safekeeping must depend upon God alone. Fires may break out in spite of the watchman. A tempest may sweep over it. Bands of armed people may assail it. Or the pestilence may suddenly come into it."

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• "and spread desolation throughout its dwellings. There may have been an allusion to this to some immediate arrangement for guarding Jerusalem when this psalm was composed, but the remark is so general that it is not necessary to confine it to that. It is universally true that after all the care for their own preservation, which people can employ, their safety depends wholly upon God."

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• Now, let me be quick to point out that Psalm 127 and verse 1 is not a denial of personal responsibility. God is not saying, "No need to have watchmen." God is not saying, "No need to be on your toes." God is not saying, "Sit back and do nothing." God is not saying have a do-nothing attitude. No, no. God's not saying that. God is saying it doesn't matter how you fulfill your responsibility. It does not matter how eager you are, how alert you are.

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• Ultimately, safety is of the Lord. Let me tell you something, folks. God is not going to instantaneously make us proficient with arms if we have never fired, if we have never shot, if we know nothing about the weapons. God is not going to instantaneously make us a weapons expert. No, it is our responsibility to have weapons. It's our responsibility to know how to use them. It's our responsibility to know how to clean them, how to put them together, how to take them apart, how to service them. That's our responsibility. But no matter how many weapons you have, and no matter how well you are doing that, unless the Lord protects you, those weapons are absolutely useless. In other words, we have to fulfill our responsibility with complete dependence upon Him. If He does not keep us, if He does not bless us, if He does not use us, all is in vain.

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• I want you to listen to what Spurgeon said on this verse. This is beautiful. "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Around the wall the sentinel paces with constant step, and yet the city is betrayed unless the alert watcher is with them." The alert watcher, he's talking about God. "We are not safe because of watchmen if Jehovah refuses to watch over us. Even if the guards are wakeful and do their duty, still the place may be surprised if God is not there. 'I the Lord do keep it,' is better than an army of sleepless guards. Note that the psalmist does not bid the builder to cease from laboring, nor suggests that the watchman should neglect their duty, nor that men should show their trust in God by doing absolutely nothing."

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• "Nay, he supposes that they will do all that they can, and then he forbids them fixing their trust in what they have done, and assures them that all the creature effort will be in vain unless the Creator puts forth His power to render second causes effectual. Holy Scripture endorses the order of Cromwell: 'Trust in God and keep your powder dry.' Only here the sense is varied and we're told that the dried powder will not win the victory unless we trust in God. Happy is the man who hits the golden mean by so working as to believe in God and so believing in God as to work without fear." Isn't that amazing? Isn't that wonderful?

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• And so, Spurgeon is dead on. We have a responsibility. But in fulfilling that responsibility, we still have to trust absolutely in God. If He does not make the means effectual, all will be in vain.

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• Now, I want you to look at verse 1 again. He said in the latter portion, "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." The word "keep" in verse 1 means to guard, to protect, to keep, to watch. So unless the Lord, the great guard, and the great watchman, the great protector, the Lord Protector, unless He keeps the city, all is in vain. Now, I want you to think about this question. In fact, "Except the Lord keep the city," except the Lord guard and protect the city, "the watchman waketh but in vain." When I read that, a question came into my mind. Are there times that God does not keep cities, nations, and countries? Are there times that God purposefully and deliberately gives cities, nations, and countries into the hands of their enemies?

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• And the answer is yes. I want you to turn, if you would, first of all just to the book of Judges. Judges chapter 2. We're going to look at a number of other passages. But Judges chapter 2. And notice if you would verse 14, this will just give you a smattering of an answer. And then we're going to look at really some in-depth scriptures. But notice Judges chapter 2 and verse 14. Look what the Bible says. Talking about Israel now. Well, look in verse 13. You'll see why.

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• "And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies." Note, if you would, God sold them. God gave them into the hands of their enemies. What was the result? They could not stand before their enemies.

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• Look in Judges chapter 3 and verse 8. Again, the children of Israel have sinned against God. Verse 8, "Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. And the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years." Look in your Bibles to Judges 3 and verse 12. "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord." Wow.

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• Here's three simple verses that show clearly, undeniably, that oftentimes God will sell His people into the hands of their enemies because of their sin and their rebellion. In other words, God ceases to be the protector. Were watchmen still upon the walls of these cities? Yes. Did these cities still have arms? Yes. Did Judah and Jerusalem still have an army? Yes. Did it do any good? No. I want you to turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 13. In 2 Chronicles chapter 13 King Abijah and Judah are fighting against apostate Israel and King Jeroboam has set an ambush behind Judah. Look in 2 Chronicles chapter 13 and let's begin reading there with verse 14. 2 Chronicles chapter 13 and verse 14. King Jeroboam now has set an ambush. In fact, let's read verse 13, "But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come behind them, so that they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them." So Judah's got enemy in front and enemy behind. Now look what happens in verse 14, "And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind."

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• "And they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout, and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them, that is Israel, into their hand. And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter. So there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers." Now wait a minute. Was it Israel, the northern kingdom, professing to be God's people as well? Yes, they were. But they weren't.

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• They were serving the two golden calves in Dan and Bethel. And what God has done is He took little Judah and let her defeat a far greater nation. Why? Not only because Israel had sinned against God, but because Judah trusted in God.

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• Now, I want to show you something that is absolutely astounding to me. It's amazing. We are so fickle and so sinful. Do you realize it is possible to trust in God at one time and on one hand and for victory and later down the line to refuse to trust in God and trust in yourself? You know, it just seems to me if God sovereignly, powerfully, graciously, mercifully delivered you at one time, that should be sufficient to make you trust in Him at all times.

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• But, if you look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 14, and let's begin reading there verses 8 and 9 just so that you will see what King Asa of Judah was up against. 2 Chronicles chapter 14, verse 8, if you would. "And Asa had an army of men that bear targets and spears out of Judah, three hundred thousand out of Benjamin that bear shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand. All these were mighty men of valor." So, he's got 580,000 men. Watch verse 9. "And there came out against him Zerah the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand thousand, that's a million, and three hundred chariots, and came to Mareshah." So here, 580,000 are facing over a million.

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• Outnumbered 2 to 1, plus the man has 300 chariots. That would tend to upset you, I would think. Look at verse 11. "And Asa cried unto the Lord his God and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God, let not man prevail against Thee. So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar. And the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves." Watch!

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• "For they were destroyed before the Lord and before his host, and they carried away very much spoil." What did God do? God gave Asa a tremendous victory. 580,000 defeated over a million! Well, you would think that would be sufficient to establish a principle, that is, we trust in God. But look in 2 Chronicles 16, when King Asa was attacked by Baasha, king of Israel, instead of relying upon the same God who delivered him from the Ethiopians, he hired Syria to come and attack Israel.

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• To draw him off from Judah. How did he hire him? By taking not only the money out of his house, but taking also the money out of the house of God. Watch it. 2 Chronicles chapter 16, verse 1. "In the sixth and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and my father. Behold, I have sent thee silver and gold. Go, break thy league with Baasha, king of Israel, that he may depart from me. And Ben-Hadad hearkened to the king Asa, and he sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel."

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• "And they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. And it came to pass, when Baasha heard of it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease. Now watch. Then Asa the king took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof wherewith Baasha was building. And he built therewith Geba and Mizpah." So here's two cities built out of this timber. Watch. "And at that time, Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand." What? Watch, if you would, skip down to verse 9. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

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• He said, "Asa, what in the world has come over you? You trusted in God to defeat a huge army and you can't trust in Him to defeat a smaller army. You steal from God to get a man off your back. You don't like wars? Well, henceforth you're going to have them until you learn to trust in me and do what's right." Well, I want you to see something. I want you to see when a people sin against God, it doesn't take a great army to defeat them. You know, everybody in America talks about Russia, the bear, and China, and all the people in China. Well, Joash, the king of Judah, had sinned against the Lord and against Jehoiada the priest. Moreover, the princes of Judah, along with King Joash, had led the people into idolatry.

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• Look in 2 Chronicles, chapter 24. 2 Chronicles 24, and let's begin reading there with verse 17. 2 Chronicles 24, verse 17.

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• "Now, after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah and made obeisance to the king. And the king hearkened to them, and they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols. And the wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem, for this their trespass. Yet he, God, sent prophets to them to bring them again to the Lord. And they testified against them, but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress you the commandments of the Lord, that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has forsaken you. And they conspired against Him and stoned Him with stones at the commandment of the King in the court of the house of the Lord." So they murdered the high priest's son who was preaching against them. Verse 22, "Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son."

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• "And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it and require it. Now watch. And it came to pass at the end of the year that the host of Syria came up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them into the kingdom of Damascus. Look! For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers, so they executed judgment against Joash." A tiny little Syrian army took out Joash and Judah.

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• Let me tell you something. If you're not going to trust in God and obey Him, if you want to fear, you don't necessarily have to fear the Russians or the Chinese. You might as well fear Castro and little Cuba. Little Cuba could do to us what the Syrians did to Judah. If God's not protecting us, and if God's not watching over us, it doesn't take many to destroy a nation. God delivered a great nation into the hand of a very small army. So when God doesn't keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Now I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 28. I want you to see something that's very important. King Ahaz is here.

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• Notice if you would verse 1, "Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord like David his father. For he walked in the ways of the king of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover, he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burned incense in the high place on the hills and under every green tree. Wherefore, the LORD his God, watch, delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria, and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he also was delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter."

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• "For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand men in one day, which were all valiant men, here's why, because that they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers." One day, 120,000 men, you have to remember that was with bows and arrows and swords. That wasn't with tanks and missiles and grenades, and bombers, and fighter jets. I'm just simply pointing out, folks, when God doesn't protect a nation, it's not protected.

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• Look in 2 Chronicles 29 and verse 8. 2 Chronicles 29 verse 8.

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• 2 Chronicles 29 verse 8, "Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as you see with your eyes." And then he goes on to say, "Our fathers have fallen by the sword, our sons, our daughters, our wives are in captivity." What did God do? God delivered them over. I want to ask you another question, just so I can give you the answer. What would be the point in God delivering His people over into the hands of their enemies?

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• Now, I know that you're probably going to answer, well, judgment. They deserve it. Justice. I understand that. But there's another answer given to us in the Bible. I want you to look back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 12. 2 Chronicles chapter 12. And look if you would please at verse 8. God tells us here a reason why he delivers his people over to the hands of the enemies. He said, 2 Chronicles 12 verse 8, "Nevertheless they shall be his servants," that is the servants of the king who conquered them, "they shall be his servants, that they may know my service and the service

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• of the kingdoms of the countries." Now wait a minute. What does that mean? God says, "I've delivered them into the hands of their enemies that they may know My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries." What's He trying to teach those people that He delivered over? Well, go back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 28. Here's a little fuller explanation. Deuteronomy 28, and notice if you would please, beginning there with verse 47. Deuteronomy 28, verse 47. Get ready. Why does God deliver His people over?

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• Not just because they deserve it. Not just for justice. That's certainly part of it. But God said, "I'm going to send you into captivity. I'm going to let your enemies conquer you, that you may know my service and the service of these other countries." Now watch it. Here it is, Deuteronomy 28, verse 47. God says, "Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things. Therefore thou shalt serve thine enemies, which the Lord shall send against thee in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things. And he shall put a yoke of iron about thy neck, until he have destroyed thee." God said, "I'm going to let you learn something."

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• "I will let you learn the difference between my kingdom, and my law, and my love, and my grace, and man's law, and man's injustice. And when you serve these pagan countries, you will know that my kingdom and my love and my law are gracious indeed." Some folks only learn the hard way. And dear friend, this is the hard way. You see, the same God that delivers us out of the hands of our enemies is the same God that can deliver us into the hands of our enemies. He is our defense. He is our protector.

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• If He doesn't protect us, we are not protected. I want you to turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 32. 2 Chronicles 32. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, has come against Judah and Jerusalem. And at this time, there's a godly king, Hezekiah, there. And Hezekiah is encouraging the people, although they're greatly outnumbered. And Sennacherib has destroyed a multitude of cities and countries. Look what Hezekiah said in 2 Chronicles 32, verse 6, "And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street by the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, for all the multitude that is with him."

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• "For there is more with us than with him. Watch. With him is the arm of the flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah." Which means they trusted in the Lord. Now, here's the question. Hezekiah says to the people, "Don't worry. Yes, there's a multitude with him. There's more with him in numbers. But there's really and truly more with us because we have the Lord on our side." Did it work?

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• Well, look in 2 Chronicles 32, beginning there verse 21. "And the Lord sent an angel which cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains of the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his God, they that came forth of his own bow slew him there with a sword. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side." Did it work, trusting in the Lord? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Was Hezekiah and the people ready to fight? Yes. Did they have weapons? Yes. But their weapons were worthless without God's sovereign protection.

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• Let me make a couple of applications. First of all, no amount of preparation, weaponry, or alertness will help us unless God sovereignly protects us. Period. Proverbs 21 in verse 31 declares this: "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." The Scripture says in Psalm 33 and verse 17, "A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither shall he deliver any by his great strength." You could paraphrase that. You could say a tank is a vain thing for safety, or a naval vessel is a vain thing for safety. Neither will it deliver any by its great power or great strength.

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• The truth of the matter is this, folks. There is no safety, there is no protection outside of the Lord of glory. He is the sovereign God of heaven and earth. Should you have weapons? Yes. Should you know how to use them? Yes. But you don't trust in that weapon. You trust in the Lord to make it effectual and to use you and awaken you and to help you shoot straight. If God doesn't do it, you're not protected.

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• Secondly, David said in Psalm 4 and verse 8, and I love this verse, David said, "I will both lay me down and sleep in peace, for thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety." We have to understand that our personal safety, our family safety, our ecclesiastical safety, our national safety is of the Lord. I love the story about the widow woman who right after her husband died had trouble going to sleep. She was just so fearful that someone was going to break in the house, an attacker. And one night she was up late and she was reading her Bible and she came across that verse, "The Lord thy God that keepeth thee neither slumbereth nor sleepeth." When she read that she closed her Bible and said, "Well Lord, there's no need for both of us to stay awake." She said, "If you don't mind, I think I'll go to sleep." Well, that's true. The Lord God that keepeth thee neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. And often times you read in the Bible, "And the Lord gave them rest round about from

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• all their enemies." That's just simply God's sovereign protection. The last application is this. If you and I do not want to experience the service of man, we'd better devote ourselves to the service of the Lord. If we don't want to know what the kingdoms of the pagans are like, we better make sure that we give God the praise and the honor and the glory and the thankfulness in His kingdom. The Bible tells us in Joshua 21 in verse 44, "And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that He swore unto their fathers. And there stood not a man of all their enemies before them, the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands." If you want all your enemies delivered into your hands, you have to know that the path to victory is through obedience and faith. Proverbs 16, 7: "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." If we want safety and protection, we must trust in the Lord and obey Him.

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• He is the true Lord Protector. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your blessing and for your help. We ask, Father, that you would teach us to trust in Thee. Teach us, Lord, to use the means, and yet, Lord, at the same time, to not trust in those means, but to trust in Thee to make those means effectual. We ask for grace, Lord, that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy blessed and holy name we pray. Amen. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:48:59Z