Chapter 49
PARABLE OF THE NET
Matthew 13:47-50
Before we begin this study, let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father please give us ears to hear, eyes to see and a heart to receive and accept your instruction. Lord God, please replace our doubts and unbelief with true saving and believing faith in You, in Your Son Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Your Word. We thank You Father God for hearing our prayer.
Amen
We begin our study by reading the “Parable of the Net” as recorded in,
[47] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, [48] which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. [49] So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, [50] and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
To help us understand this parable and its significance, we go to the events that Jesus was foretelling about. To do this we begin with
THE HARVEST FOR JUDGEMENT
The harvest or gatherings of people are those depicted in the above parable as every kind of fish. To read what will occur we go to,
[14] Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. [15] And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” [16] So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
The second gathering or separation of people are those who, as identified in the subject parable, the bad fish. To read what will occur with them let us now read from,
Revelation 14:17-19
[17] Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. [18] And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” [19] So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
To find out what will ultimately happen, let us read about
We first read about those who are righteous in God’s eyes, these are the good fish. To discover what will happen to them, let us read the following excerpt from the John’s vision of the new heaven and new earth in,
Revelation 21:1-7
[1] Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. [2] Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. [4] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” [5] Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”[6] And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. [7] He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Unfortunately, those who are not righteous in God’s eyes, these are those who are the bad fish and, as stated in the parable, will be thrown into the fire. This is recorded in,
[8] But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Given the seriousness of what we just read one should be left with the following question: “How does a person become righteous in God’s eyes, that is become the good fish?” To address this question we will:
1. See that in our natural state we have a problem. Specifically, we can never make ourselves righteous in God’s eyes.
2. See that unless we are born-again of the Holy Spirit we can never enter into God’s Kingdom.
3. Review the conditions that must be present to become born-again of the Holy Spirit
4. Discover that after we are born-again, our Lord asks us to be baptized in water.
5. Find that those who are true-born again believers in Jesus Christ are justified in God’s eyes, that is, they have received the righteousness that comes from God. Thus, these are the good fruit or good fish.
For us to become the good fruit or the good fish, we must first clearly understand and truly accept the fact that,
WE HAVE A PROBLEM
First of all, in God’s eyes
ALL HAVE SINNED
This truth is clearly spelled out for us in,
Romans 3:23
[23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Since we have all sinned, and are unrighteous,
THE WORKS WE DO TO TRY AND BE RIGHTEOUS ARE AS FILTHY RAGS
To see this let us read from,
Isaiah 64:6
[6] But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
Consequently,
NO ONE IS RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES
This unrighteous state of our natural self is revealed to us in Psalm 14:3, Psalm 53:2-3 and repeated again in,
Romans 3:10
[10] As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
This brings us to the following question: “Has God made a provision by which we can be made righteous and enter into His Kingdom?”
The answer to this question is YES! Specifically,
WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
So there is no doubt in our mind for the necessity to be born-again, let us begin our study by reading the conversation Jesus Christ once had with Nicodemus. As we read this conversation remember Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council, very learned in the Jewish faith and a respected teacher of the Holy Scriptures.
John 3:1-8
[1] There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [2] This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” [3] Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” [4] Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” [5] Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ [8] The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In reflecting upon the above conversation, one may ask (as Nicodemus did); “What does it mean to be born-again?” Jesus provides us the answer to this question in verse 6. Specifically, when we are physically born we receive the natural nature of humanity, which is Adam’s sin nature. As Jesus said, flesh begets flesh. However, when we are born-again, we receive the nature of God, that is, we receive the Holy Spirit. As Jesus told Nicodemus, the Spirit gives birth to the spirit.
Before we move on let us pay particular attention to what Jesus said to Nicodemus, as recorded in,
John 3:8
[8] The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In other words, Jesus is also teaching us that our new birth is a sovereign work of God! It is He who extends His Grace, that is, He extends to us unmerited favor and provides us the faith to be transformed. To see this more clearly, let us prayerfully consider,
Ephesians 2:4-9
[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9] not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Since the new birth is a sovereign work of God, we find that He deals with each one of us as He sees fit. Consequently, there is no precise formula or procedure for how, where and when we are born again. As Jesus told Nicodemus, it is like the blowing of the wind.
So we are not deceived by the evil one with a false or deceptive spiritual experience, God has provided us key conditions that must be present for the new birth to take place and be genuine.
CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR THE NEW BIRTH
In reading the New Testament we find that the following five conditions are necessary for the new birth to occur:
1. We must believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God.
2. We must recognize that we are sinners and incapable of saving ourselves, that is, we need a Savior.
3. We must believe that Jesus Christ came to save us, that is, He is our Savior.
4. We must believe that on the cross Jesus bore our sins and through His death and bodily resurrection He saved us from them.
5. We must exercise our belief and by faith call upon Jesus Christ to save us.
Even though the proceeding conditions are presented in a particular sequence, it is noted that this was out of editorial necessity. However, God is sovereign and chooses the order and circumstances by which He brings those whom He calls to the required beliefs and actions for their new birth.
The first condition necessary for our new birth is that we must believe,
JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD
To see this, let us read from,
John 3:16-17
[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
To expand upon this, let us read what Jesus said in,
John 8:23-24
[23] And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. [24] Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Jesus being the one and only begotten Son of the living God means that He is our Lord and God. To verify this truth, let us read the following encounter between Jesus and the Apostle Thomas. This occurred after Jesus’ death and resurrection and when He appeared to Thomas. To do this we go to,
John 20:26-29
[26] And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” [27] Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” [28] And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” [29] Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
As we read the Scriptures, we find that belief in itself is not enough. The reason for this is that the Bible reveals to us that even the demons believe in who Jesus is. For an example, let us read what the demons said before Jesus cast them out of two men and into a large herd of pigs.
Matthew 8:28-29
[28] When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. [29] And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
Notice, the demons clearly knew and believed that Jesus is the Son of God. Also notice, the demons knew when their day of judgment would come. Obviously, for our salvation and new birth, more is needed.
This brings us to the second condition necessary for our new birth,
AS SINNERS WE NEED GOD’S MERCY TO SAVE US
The importance of this truth is revealed in Jesus’ parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. To read this parable we go to,
Luke 18:9-14
[9] Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: [10] “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ [13] And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Let us notice the following verses,
11-12 … As mentioned earlier, the Pharisees were very learned men in the Jewish faith and had good head knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. In addition, they were extremely careful and diligent to observe all the ordinances and laws of the Temple and Temple services. Consequently, this Pharisee did not consider himself to be a sinner. Rather than humbly approaching God and asking for His Mercy, he was in effect boasting of his own righteousness.
13 … The tax collector, believing he was a sinner, asked God for mercy.
14 … It was only the tax collector who received God’s mercy.
This issue of recognizing that we are sinners is the whole reason why God, through Moses, gave us the Law, which is the Ten Commandments. To see this, consider what the Holy Spirit says to us in,
Romans 3:19-20
[19] Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. [20] Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Let us notice the following verses,
19 … The Law was not given so we might be able to justify ourselves through it. No, by showing us how short we fall before its demands, it was given to hold us accountable to God. Thus, it was given to expose our sin.
Therefore,
20 … No one will be declared righteous by observing the law. Instead, through the law we become aware of the sin in our lives. By the Law, we find out the things we have said, thought or did that were offensive to God.
As stated below, God’s ultimate purpose for this was to lead us to Christ.
Galatians 3:24
[24] Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
This leads us to the third condition required for our new birth. Specifically, we must believe and accept the fact that,
JESUS CHRIST IS OUR SAVIOR
Because of God's Love and Mercy Jesus came to this earth to save you and I from our deadly disease called sin. To see this, let us carefully consider what Jesus said, while having dinner in Matthew’s house, to the self righteous Pharisees. It is recorded in,
Matthew 9:10-13
[10] Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. [11] And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [12] When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
There are many lessons to be learned from this encounter. However, for this particular study, let us focus on the principle that we must consider ourselves deathly ill with a disease called sin and in need of the doctor, Jesus Christ. If we believe that all is well and we are righteous then, as Jesus implied, He is of no value to us. Also notice, Jesus did not say we are to get better before we come to Him. No, He said we are to come to Him and He will heal our disease that is save us from our sins. We must remember that it was for this very purpose that Jesus came. This is recorded in,
1 Timothy 1:15-16
[15] This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. [16] However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
This now brings us to the fourth condition necessary for our new birth or for the salvation of our souls. Specifically, we must believe that,
ON THE CROSS JESUS BORE OUR SINS
The Bible teaches us that we must believe that through Jesus’ death and resurrection He made the perfect atonement for you and me. His resurrection assures us that He is truly the Son of God, is alive and interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25). In addition, by His sacrifice He made the perfect and complete atonement, for the forgiveness of our sins and to be released from the bondage of Satan and sin. This is summarized for us in,
1 Peter 2:24
[24] who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
The fifth and last condition for our new birth is that,
BY FAITH WE MUST PRAY TO GOD FOR HELP
In other words, we must confess to God that we have transgressed against His commands and laws. We must be so sorry for this condition that we are not only to ask Jesus Christ to forgive us but also save us from the power that sin has over us. In other words, we are to be so fed up and horrified with our unrighteousness that we submit to Jesus Christ's lordship and ask Him for forgiveness and to save us from our sins.
When we do this, Jesus Christ will send the Holy Spirit to live and dwell inside us. This is the new birth, which is being born-again of the Holy Spirit. When this happens, we become a child of God and by His Grace and Mercy are saved. In fact, this is exactly what Jesus told the Jews during the great Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
John 7:37-39
[37] On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. [38] He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” [39] But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Let us notice the following verses,
37(a) … This is not the thirst for physical water but is the thirst for righteousness, holiness and for God.
If you thirst for these things, sincerely want to live a life away from your sins then,
37(b) … Go to Jesus and drink! Cry out to Him for this spiritual water.
38 … If we believe and have faith in Him and go to Him to quench our thirst for righteousness and holiness, Jesus will provide you streams of living water to flow from within you.
39 … This living water is not physical water but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, this is the new birth!
SUMMARY
As we carefully reflect upon the above conditions necessary for our new birth, we find they are beautifully summarized in,
Romans 10:9-13
[9] That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11] For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. [12] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. [13] For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Once we are born-again,
WE ARE TO BE BAPTIZED
To see this, let us read what Jesus told His disciples when He commissioned them to go and preach the good news of His arrival.
Mark 16:15-16
[15] And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. [17] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
With respect to water baptism, the following two points must be made: (1) It is by our faith and belief in Jesus Christ by which we are saved; not the mere act of baptism and (2) water baptism, with faith in Jesus Christ, plays an important role in our salvation and new birth.
The fact that we are saved by our faith and belief in Jesus Christ and not by the mere act of baptism is best illustrated by the conversation Jesus had with the thief on the cross.
Luke 23:39-43
[39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” [40] But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? [41] And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” [42] Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” [43] And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Let us notice the following verses,
40 … In this conversation, the thief had professed his reverent fear of God. In other words he had demonstrated his belief in God.
41 … Let us recall the reason Jesus Christ was being crucified was because He claimed to be the Son of God. The thief, when he stated that Jesus did no wrong, had proclaimed his belief and faith that Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God is true. Thus, the thief had proclaimed Jesus to be the Lord.
42 … The thief recognized Jesus had come from above and was not from this earth. Therefore, he called out to Jesus to save him.
43 … Jesus assured the thief he would be with Him in paradise. In other words, Jesus told the thief he would not be sent to the Lake of Fire; but, instead he would be with Him in Paradise. Obviously, the thief was not baptized.
The second point to be made is that baptism, with faith in Jesus Christ, is an important element of our new birth and the salvation of our souls. This is best illustrated by reading how the Apostle Peter related our baptism to Noah and the flood.
1 Peter 3:20-22
[20] who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. [21] There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, [22] who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
Perhaps the best way for us to receive a better understanding of what the Apostle Peter said is to read verse 21 as presented in, “The Amplified Bible.”
“[21] And baptism, which is a figure [of their deliverance], does now also save you [from inward questionings and fears], not by the removal of outward body filth (bathing), but by [providing you with] the answer of a good and clear conscience [inward cleanness and peace] before God, [because you are demonstrating what you believe to be yours] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
In other words, when we are baptized with faith in Jesus Christ, we are demonstrating that our old self (the one without the Holy Spirit) is dead in Christ. Thus, we bury it in the water of baptism. As we come through the water of baptism we demonstrate or proclaim that we are born-again with a new life. This new life is the one in which through faith in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit has come to live and dwell within us. To see this we go to,
Romans 6:3-4
[3] … do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? [4] Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
THE INCREDIBLE RESULT
By being born-again, that is by the Holy Spirit coming to live inside us, we become a new creature, a new and different being. To see this we go to,
2 Corinthians 5:17
[17]
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new.
As a new creature or new being, we find three profound miracles happened to us: (1) we became a child of God and our sins are forgiven, (2) we have been given spiritual power to overcome sin and (3) we have received the righteousness that comes from God.
WE ARE NOW A CHILD OF GOD
The fact that the born-again believer is a child of God is recorded in the following Scripture from the Gospel according to John,
John 1:12-13
[12] But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: [13] who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
To expand upon this a bit more let us read from,
1 John 3:1
[1] Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! ...
Thus a child of God, we have been given every spiritual blessing. To see this let us read from,
Ephesians 1:3-6
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, [4] just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, [5] having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, [6] to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Let us pay particular attention to the following verses,
3 … We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Note: These are spiritual and not earthy or carnal blessings.
4 … We have been chosen to be holy and blameless in His sight. In other words, in Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven and forgotten.
5 … Through Jesus Christ we have been adopted as God’s sons.
6 … Because of His glorious Grace and Mercy, He, through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, has freely given us these things. In other words, we cannot earn or work for these blessings. When we are born again they are bestowed upon us.
The second miraculous blessing of our new birth is, because God the Holy Spirit now lives within us,
WE HAVE THE SPIRITUAL POWER TO OVERCOME SIN
To see this, let us prayerfully consider the following,
2 Peter 1:3-4
[3] … His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, [4] by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Let us notice the following verses,
3 … He has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him. In other words, God the Holy Spirit now lives inside the born-again believer to give them the spiritual power to live a life worthy of their call to Him.
4 … By knowing God and trusting Him to fulfill His promises to us, we can escape the corruption that is in this world and participate in the divine nature.
The third miraculous blessing is that,
WE ARE NOW RIGHTEOUS OR JUSTIFIED IN GOD’S EYES; HENCE, A GOOD FISH
To see this let us the following passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans,
Romans 5:1-2
[1] Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, [2] through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
CLOSING
Let us now close this chapter by reading the following Psalm,
Psalm 32:1-7
"[1] Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. [2] Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. [3] When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. [4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah [5] Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah [6] Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. [7] You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."
Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen