The “All Directions” God
“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.” Deuteronomy 32:10 NASB
Encircled– What good is a fence in the wilderness if it isn’t closed around the camp! Just so, if God doesn’t surround every part of your life, then you are still vulnerable. The beasts still get in. So God finds us, frightened and defenseless, and He surrounds us with His care, just as He found Adam in the Garden with a voice from all directions. Of course, Adam found that frightening. We probably do too.
But that’s only the beginning.
sābab, a Hebrew verb that means “to go around” has another interesting nuance. It is also used to describe the act of changing your mind (Ecclesiastes 7:25) and of transforming one thing into another (2 Samuel 14:20). If you want God’s encircling protection, you need to let Him change your direction. That’s what repentance is: turning around and going another way. God invites us to come inside the camp and find safety and in the process change who we are.
The Eagles got it right.
“Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses? Come down from your fences, open the gate. It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you.
You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late.”
And if you don’t like the Eagles, then you can have Jethro Tull:
“He hears the silence howling—catches angels as they fall . . . . The train won’t stop going—no way to slow down.”
We are a strange breed. God looks for us in our waste places while we run screaming to the concrete city. God offers us protection and care while we fight to stay on the open range. God loves us while we hate Him. Yes, the world is backwards. God’s heaven on earth looks nothing like our earthly havens. We need to change direction.
Where are you? Out riding fences? Where are you? On the train that won’t slow down? It’s not heaven on earth, is it?
“Better let somebody love you, before it’s too late.”
Topical Index: heaven, fences, wasteland, Deuteronomy 32:10, encircled, sābab
Skip, I was thinking this morning of one of the ways you have helped me read the Bible. Take the word “name”. In the Bible, “name” refers to the character. I used to read “the name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runs into it and is safe” (Prov. 18:10). I would wonder how I was supposed to run into that tower, and what exactly it was? I needed very much to be safe! But put the word “character” into that verse, and it makes sense. The “righteous” describes the person who “runs” (acts out) the character (love) of God. This keeps them safe.
I had an encounter yesterday with a person who tried to act tough; I, on the other hand, acted friendly and shared. We parted on friendly terms, with a way set up to meet again profitably. I thought as I left how desperately lonely that person had to be to act that way, and how hard he was having to try to disguise the probability that his encounter with me may have been the friendliest thing that had happened to him in a while. “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good”. This is what keeps us safe. I was able to allay this person’s fears and suspicions by being open and staying in good terms on my end. I got a promise from him not to shoot me next time I showed up. Win win.
Laurita, Have you ever watched the movie “Get Low”? Your story reminds me of Duvall’s leading-role character and the young man who works hard to understand him.
One of the most exciting, yet holiest days the year is coming. Even twofold the completion of the Passover and the resurrection of our King simultaneously together. The two eyes of one man seeing a multifaceted play unfolding before his eyes. That was written before the beginning of creation. Yet someone comes along in the Faith who is struggling, oh boy oh, I didn’t know where this would lead me. There are situations and people in our life it’s a topsy-turvy world. The current revelation of the Lord is so important in times like these. Easier to push forward oh, then it is 2 come back from falling backward. I would like to add lyrics to a song here.
From the turtles, so happy together I remember you and me, it has to be, no matter how you toss the dice it was meant to be, so happy together. It’s truly a wedding song I have accepted the invitation to be his bride, so he must cleanse me with the washing of the water through his word. Come on. Everyone in the world must be disconnecting from me. This is not meant to be loneliness. Although it seems that way meant to be together this building up the best relationship in the world even in the entire universe.! Earthly things, bright colors, in love noises, and even to the loved ones around me., being saddened, or hurt distract me. Then back on Focus Hallelujah the glory train everyone get on board….. Hallelujah Deuteronomy 22:20 just came to mind. Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build Siege works against the city that makes war with you until it fails. We must always keep our guard up, we singular, and we plural.
I submit that God not only encircles; He encompasses…comprehensively including us in the expression of all that He is.