Numbers of the Bible

Day 22 – I Am Thine

While I am certain there are other passages that could be found on this theme, here are ten passages I was able to find a few days ago (the last three are closely related).

1) Psalms 119:94 I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.

I have been studying out Psalm 119 last week, and one morning before work the first three words of verse 94 leaped out at me:

I am Thine…

How many times over the years have I read that Psalm and never focussed on those specific words? But reading that verse recently caused that phrase to hit my heart with tremendous force. Often we think of the Lord being ours, of our finding Him when we turn to Him for salvation – but here the emphasis is on us being the Lord’s. Those three words made an impact on me that, Lord willing, I will never forget.

I am Thine… What comfort and assurance!

2) Acts 27:22-25 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

The Apostle Paul faced shipwreck on the Mediterranean Sea, but the Lord sent an angel to give him courage in the midst of the danger that confronted him. He made a statement of simple fact, simple faith: God, whose I am, and whom I serve… The God whom I serve is able to protect me, and deliver me. The God whose I am loves me enough to look out for me in the midst of any trials or afflictions I may face.

The encouragement here to us is that, if you are a born again child of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the statement Paul made is also true of you. Just put yourself in his place, and apply these words to yourself: the God, whose I am. You are His!

3) John 10:14-15 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus’ sheep are those He laid His life down for on Calvary, and who have trusted Him alone for salvation. They are His! He knows each one of them personally!

We love to quote Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd. But how much do we meditate on the fact that we are His sheep?

4) 2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

The Lord knows all about us – everything about us – and still calls us His! That is one of the best exhortation we could find to live right. We are children of the King of Kings, so let’s live like it. We are Christians, so let’s live like ambassadors/representatives of Christ. The world cannot “see” our Lord (ie. physically), but it can see us – let’s live in such a manner that they can see our Saviour through us!

1 John 4:10-12 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

It is interesting how verse 12 above starts with the same phrase as John 1:18:

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

No man hath seen God at any time… Just as no one can see what the Father is like until they see Him manifested through Jesus Christ; even so, no one can see what our Heavenly Father is like until they see Him reflected through us, until they see Christ living in us (see Galatians 2:20).

5) Isaiah 43:1-2 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Thou art Mine…

God has called you by your name, and you are His! He will never leave you, nor forsake you – regardless of what trials may await you in the future. He is always there for you, looking out for His own. As Sis Kate has stated recently, we are His peculiar people – a people for His own possession. We are His!

Whenever I read the passage above and think about its promise for the future (ie. when thou passest through the waters… when thou walkest through the fire), I am always reminded of this verse from the Psalms that give us the same promise from a past perspective:

Psalms 66:12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

God was faithful and kept His promises! He was always with His people through the trials – He stood by His own!

6) Deuteronomy 32:9 For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

The word portion indicates “an allotment, an inheritance.” We are what the Lord has set apart for Himself, for His enjoyment, for His inheritance. We are what He looks forward to and takes enjoyment in!

Psalms 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

7) Malachi 3:16-17 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

This is an amazing promise – the Lord will remember and reward true believers when they fellowship together and meditate on Him! He will write it down for a memorial when we fear (ie. reverence) Him and speak to one another about Him, about His name, and what He has done in our lives. Then He states, they shall be Mine! He claims those who claim Him as their Lord and Saviour, and considers them as valuable jewels worth keeping and sparing from harm. Our Lord will delight in and rejoice over us, because we are His!

Isaiah 62:3-5 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

8) Song of Solomon 2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

This is the first of three similar references in the Song of Solomon. Like most new believers, the Shulamite (picturing believers and their walk with the Lord) rejoices in the fact that she has found the Lord (though, of course, it was the Lord looking for us first), and that Jesus is hers. My Beloved is mine – I have a firm grasp on Him… And I am His too – almost as an afterthought.

9) Song of Solomon 6:3 I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

Now she is maturing more, having walked with her Saviour a little longer, and she realizes that she is His first and foremost. She is still boasting about her hold upon Him, but that is nowhere near as important as His hold upon her.

10) Song of Solomon 7:10 I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.

Now see the difference in focus: she is no longer boasting about her claim on her Saviour, but rather in His claim on her! If she is anything like me (and she certainly pictures me in all other areas), she understands that she has failed and faltered so many times, and that her hold on the Lord is weak and fragile at times. But His hold on her never falters, never loosens, is never in danger of letting go! The fact that we are our Beloved’s is the primary focus – it doesn’t matter how weak and frail we may become at times, nothing can separate us from His love (see Romans 8:35, 37-39), nothing can pluck us out of His hand (see John 10:27-29), nothing can prevent our Saviour from keeping us by His power (see 1 Peter 1:5).

Lastly, notice how she focusses on His desire toward her. The word desire here means “in the original sense of stretching out after; a longing.” It also comes from a root word meaning “to run after.” As a young believer, she rejoiced in her desire towards her, now she just takes comfort and assurance in the knowledge that Jesus is the one delighting in her, that He is the one running after her for fellowship.

Song of Solomon 2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Psalms 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

I am my Beloved’s…

I am His…

I am Thine…

I Am Thine, O Lord
(Words: by Fanny Crosby; Music: W. Howard Doane)

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Chorus:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Preached on June 22nd/07
Written June 26th/07
Jerry Bouey