Spurgeon's thoughts: "Not every worshiper will be thus privileged but those who dwell there, as Simeon and Anna dwelt in the temple. So there are some that abide in Christ, and his words abide in them. They live near God. They receive, therefore, choicer favors than those who only come and go. He who has learned to stand in the holy of holies, near the blood-sprinkled mercy seat, to whom prayer is a matter of constant privilege and enjoyment - he dwells in the 'secret place' (KJV). Such a man, living near to God, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
"When you walk with a friend in certain positions of the sun, your friend's shadow falls on you, but you cannot expect to have the shadow of your friend unless you are near him. We read in the Song of Solomon, 'I delight to sit in his shade' (2:3). There must be nearness to get under the shadow. So there must be great access to God - great familiarity with him."
Candy's thoughts: The word "shadow" seems to have a somewhat negative connotation these days. Here is the dictionary definition: "A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface. Also used in reference to proximity, ominous oppressiveness, or sadness and gloom."
I certainly think the Psalmist is referring more to Definition #1 than Definition #2. There is something to the concept of "a body coming between rays of light and a surface." Think of the Father as the "rays of light" and Jesus on the cross as the "body coming between" God and his people; this is the way he gives them the joy of abiding with the Almighty forever.
Why would we ever keep ourselves from the "choicer favors" that Spurgeon refers to, or keep our distance from the one who has drawn so near to us through the death of his son? May God increase our familiarity with him, and may we look forward with eagerness toward the coming of the perfect day of light when "shadows" will "flee" forever (Song of Solomon 4:6).
Yes, what a wonderful thought to have the shadow our Lord Jesus to shade us from the holy light of our heavenly Father who cannot look upon our sin. Holy Spirit keep us so close to Jesus in our everyday life, through having our noses in His word and our hearts in constant prayer with Him. Oh how I need this prayer request answered so I will sit more often and ask my Lord what it is I am to do, how to proceed, what to say, when to be quiet, how we need to make Jesus Lord over our lives. Such a powerful word picture to know that we can walk so closely to our Lord that we stand in His shadow.
ReplyDeleteGod bless us all. Debbi