"Position yourselves"
2 Chronicles 20:17
Day Two in my look at positions in the Bible. It's really sort of a word study. My train of thought is on a journey, and you're invited! Take a seat! Or, you know, stand, if you'd prefer.
Yesterday I shared my finding on verses that talk about sitting. The next position I looked at was standing. So here's what I found...
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Standing is generally more, well, active than sitting,
but more than that, it seems to somehow
carry a feeling of responsibility.
That it is expected of us to do something, or be something:
There are verses like Exodus 3:5 ~ "Then He said, 'Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
... and Joshua 5:15 ~ "Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.' And Joshua did so."
... and Romans 14:10 ~ "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ."
Each of these verses seem to require the listener ~ Moses, Joshua, and us ~ to do nothing more than stand, but it's standing with with purpose. Standing with awareness. Standing with awe, and an appropriate fear of the Lord.
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Similar to these:
2 Chronicles 29:11 ~ "My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him"
Luke 21:26 ~ "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Stand ready.
~
The next kind of standing I saw is found
in the following collection of verses:
1 Chronicles 23:30 ~ "stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening"
Nehemiah 9:5 ~ "Stand up and bless the Lord your God Forever and ever! 'Blessed be your glorious name, Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!' "
Acts 5:20 ~ "Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life."
Mark 11:25 ~ "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."
In other words, don't just stand there, praise Him! Thank Him! Bless Him! Exalt Him! Pray to Him! And bless others by preaching, sharing, and forgiving.
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And
if you're worried that any of that sounds like too much work,
then you
either need to skip back a day
and read the post on sitting,
or you need
to look at the following verses:
Deuteronomy 11:25 ~ "No man shall be able to stand
against you; the Lord your God will put the dread of you and the fear of
you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you."
Romans 11:20 ~ "Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith."
Romans 14:4 ~ "Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand"
1 Corinthians 16:13 ~ "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong."
These verses are on strength. On His promise that we will prevail in Him; in our faith. So if you feel like you just want to hang around that collection of verses on sitting, get up! Stand up! You're stronger than you feel!
(If you like these verses, there are more like them at Galatians 5:1, Ephesians 6 and Philippians 4:1)
Romans 11:20 ~ "Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith."
Romans 14:4 ~ "Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand"
1 Corinthians 16:13 ~ "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong."
These verses are on strength. On His promise that we will prevail in Him; in our faith. So if you feel like you just want to hang around that collection of verses on sitting, get up! Stand up! You're stronger than you feel!
(If you like these verses, there are more like them at Galatians 5:1, Ephesians 6 and Philippians 4:1)
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And finally, my favorites of this collection...
1 Samuel 12:16 ~ “Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes"
2 Chronicles 20:17 ~ "You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
Job 37:14 ~ “Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God."
Beautiful, aren't they? Nothing to do. Just stand, and watch in awe.
Beautiful, aren't they? Nothing to do. Just stand, and watch in awe.
~
~ "Rise and stand on your
feet,
for I have appeared to you for this purpose,
to make you a
minister and a witness
both of the things which you have seen,
and of
the things which I will yet reveal to you." ~
Acts 26:16
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An excellent and thorough post.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, I have been thinking of this poem during the past few days:
On His Blindness
WHEN I consider how my light is spent
E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide,
Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, least he returning chide,
Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd,
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts, who best
Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o're Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and waite.
--John Milton, 1608–1674
Nice addition. I never knew whence that famous line came from! Thank you!
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