Isa. 63:9

9 In all their affliction [tsarah] he was afflicted [tsar], and the angel [mal'ak] of his presence [paniym] saved [yasha`] them: in his love ['ahabah] and in his pity [chemlah] he redeemed [ga'al] them; and he bare [natal] them, and carried [nasa'] them all the days [yowm] of old [`owlam]. KJV-Interlinear

9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them; And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. NASB

The delivered remnant recalls their past. In the next several verses the history of the Israelites will be reviewed.

Some cultures like to recall their own past and then feel sorry for themselves, because their history was filled with persecution, misery, abuse, and so forth. Because of that unfair life of their ancestors, then they feel like the world owes them some attention, some reimbursement, some payback, as it were.

It is really a clever little way of trying to get something for nothing, by placing guilt on others.

Not so with this remnant who has just endured the entire period of the Tribulation. There will be no poor me attitudes, no bitterness, no attitude that the world somehow owes them for all of its actions against them, no blaming of anyone for what has happened to them personally, nor even to their ancestors.

Instead, this remnant will look to God and see their own faults, and therefore the reasons behind the miseries that they, and their ancestors have suffered.

The only reason why anyone suffers is because they, first of all, live in this devils world. Second, they are the recipient of Gods testing. And God only tests faith that exists. God never tests faith that does not exist. Or third, because they have been unfaithful to God. This last part if the biggest cause of all suffering.

There is no such thing in life as unjust suffering.

Now think about that last line for just a moment.

Jesus Christ controls history. And, if that is really true, then your suffering exists for a reason. What do you suppose that reason might be?

Have you been faithful to Gods mandates? Do you perform in your role in life as God expects you to? Are you responsible, accountable, in fellowship consistently? Do you spend your time evaluating yourself, or do you spend your time criticizing others? Are you a blessings to your family, to your job, to society in general, or are you an annoying, gossiping, complaining pain in their backside? Do you expect perfection out of others when you yourself are far from perfect?

The Israelites were in slavery for four-hundred years. Why?

Because they turned away from God.

Did God put them into slavery? No. Did God afflict them while they were in slavery? No. Could He have removed their slavery at anytime? Yes, but He did not. And Why? Because He loved them too much. They had to learn a lesson and so God allowed them to suffer as a result of their own decisions.

A parent, who loves their child, will let he child grow up. He instructs them of course, and protects them as much as possible, but the child sooner or later has to fly on their own. Mistakes are inevitable. A stubborn child, one who refused to listen to instruction, will not go back to the parents for help. A remorseful child, one who has been disobedient, will repent, remember his instruction, and return to the parents for help.

The parent can see the suffering and might try to help, but when a child is stubborn and refuses to listen, then there isn t much more that a parent can do. The parent, inside their own heart, will suffer right along with the child.

So too, God suffered with those He cares for the most. Those who have believed in Him.

God perseveres and waits with great patience, until the stubbornness goes away, then He can help again.

The angel of His presence is literally, The angel of His face. The one who stands before Him continually. This is a reference to the Lord Himself. Often referred to as the Angel of the Lord. This is a reference to the second person of the Trinity, or Jesus Christ Himself.

Jesus Christ controls history. It was He, who created the angels. It was He, who created the universe. It was He who created man. It was He who delivered the Israelites out of slavery and carried their burdens into the desert.

The days of old refers to both the exodus generation specifically, and to all of human history in general.

Christ carries us all through our burdens. For some, this life is a constant burden simply because we do not get with our daily study. For some, this life is much easier to cope with because we have God on which to rest our burdens.

Deut. 32:10

10 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. NASB

Ex. 19:4

4 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. NASB

To God, the believer is the apple of Gods eye, His favored pupil, His adopted son. He treats each one of us as a first-born child, the heir apparent, the crown prince or princess as it were. We have much to look forward to, and we have many potential advantages in life. Unfortunately far too many just do not believe this to be.

Those who ignore God, of course do not recognize their advantages. Life hits them from every direction and they again have the opportunity to recognize their failures and turn back to God, or they can complain that they are not to blame, that the world owes them something.

Then there are those who see life for what it really is. They won t complain about all of the inequities and imperfections in the world, and especially in people, and they will take life as it comes, all the while continually placing their trust in God to help them through life regardless of their circumstances.

The Israelites lived in the desert for forty years. They had no discernable geographical borders. They had no economy to speak of. They had no industry, no military, and no government. Yet they ate everyday, their clothes and shoes never wore out, and they as a nation survived in an environment, which was not very hospitable.

We too, live in the devils world. This is our desert. God still provides for each one of us on a daily basis. We all eat two or three meals a day. We pay our rent, go to work, have enough to help us get by from month to month, and more important, we all have the time to engage in a Bible study everyday. We can always find excuses, but none of them are really legitimate. If we wanted to go on a vacation, or to the movies, or to a concert, or shopping, or to something that really interested us, we would find the time.

So, find time for doctrine in your life and begin taking advantage of the blessings that God has for you, rather than simply absorbing the misery blows, the world throws at you, and finding some excuse as to why they aren t your fault.

Now is the time to post a prayer.