Psalms 95:1-7, 31:1-3, 8:1

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Isaiah 63. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in verses 9-10:*

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

The Spirit, through Isaiah, is remembering the Exodus (Isaiah 63:11-14 ). He looked upon His people and saw their affliction: “I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt” (Acts 7:34—Stephen, Christ’s first Christian martyr).

Along the still waters, my Shepherd spoke to me through His word. He saw their affliction! But more than that, “In all their affliction he was afflicted.” God was afflicted? Indeed! He was moved by their troubles, and set His shoulder under their burdens: “In his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9). Like His Father, the Son likewise looked upon the scattered sheep and lamented they were as “sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36), saw their hunger and fed them (Matthew 14:16-21), touched with the feeling of their infirmity (Hebrews 4:15), He touched their sickness and healed them (Matthew. 8:3). When we walk through seasons of affliction, we are not alone.

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, the Spirit reminded me of David’s words: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

And at the table, my Shepherd spoke to me concerning “the angel of his presence” that “saved them” (see Luke 5:17) against Whom “they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63:10). The Holy Ghost was and is the “angel of his presence.” To “vex” includes the idea of “carving,” that is, cutting (the heart), leaving the mark of a wound (Zechariah 13:6). They grieved the Holy Spirit and quenched Him, making an enemy of Him Who was given for their comfort and salvation: Isaiah 63:10—“Therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.”

Jesus’ Spirit was grieved when He reminded me of His warning to the church through Paul: “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (Romans 11:22).

I was moved by His Spirit to deep repentance as I felt after the wounds in His hands, my heart searching, pleading for His pity, to remember we who are the children of obedience, who are of the truth and not the lie, His remnant, the sheep of His pasture, and asked Him to call out His by the voice they will follow, and separate us from the goats before He lets loose His anger.

He said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me: (Luke 9:223). I understood!

Then He took His oil and anointed my head, took my cup and filled it, intermingling His grace, called goodness and mercy to escort me into His harvest, and to follow me in His fields, Jesus, my Shepherd, leading the way.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v7hgvmk-shepherds-pasture-dont-make-and-enemy-of-your-friend.html

[*The Spirit also deeply impressed my mind with the testimony of Isaiah in verses 7-8:

Isaiah 63:7 ¶ I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

Isaiah 63:8 For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

I’ve observed that God values honesty, humility, and holiness; these are qualities that attract Him to us. He saw something in Israel that He valued: “Children that will not lie” and this quality moved Him to become their Saviour. ]