Sunday Bulletin – 26 January 2025

Reverend Wilfred Lim | Jan 26, 2025

Dear worshipers of the Most High,

The context here is Abimelech, the king of Gerar, who wanted to take Abraham’s wife Sarah as his own. He was doing that without the knowledge that Abraham and Sarah were one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Abraham had earlier told him, “She is my sister”; and Sarah herself said to him, “he is my brother” (Genesis 20:5). If not for God, who graciously intervened and revealed the whole matter in a dream to Abimelech, he would have sinned against God. Why did God intervene here? Or more importantly, how can I have God intervene for me too? How to have this great mercy and grace that He would withhold us from sinning against Him? In the case of king Hezekiah, the Lord did not withhold him from his folly, instead God withdrew from him (2 Chronicles 31)! And king Hezekiah suffered grievously (Isaiah 39:6-7).

Psalms 18:24 reads, “Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. NLT – “The LORD rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.” Amplified Bible – “Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity), according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.” ISV – “So the LORD restored me according to my righteousness, because my hands were clean in his sight.“ Here lies the answer, the need for “righteousness”, “doing right”, “innocence”, “moral character and spiritual integrity” and “cleanness of hands”.

King Abimelech demonstrated that. He brought his defence to God, “In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this” (Genesis 20:4). God accepted his case, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her (Genesis 20:6). And when he responded obediently to God’s instructions, God “recompensed”, “rewarded” and “restored” him accordingly.

Psalms 18:25-26 continue, “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.” Indeed, the Lord will recompense us according to our hands. Therefore, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Genesis 6:7). “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him” (Isaiah 3:10-11).

Beloved saints, as we keep our hands clean, and our hearts pure, may God withhold you and I together with our household from sinning against Him in this year of Anointing with Character (DLCC’s theme for the Year 2025).

Shalom,
Rev. Wilfred Lim