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The days in which we live differ in some ways from O.T.
times, but they are comparable to those of Habakkuk, when
there was no evident intervention, when there was often no
apparent answer to prayer, when `the just' indeed must `live by
his faith' (Hab. 1:1-4; 2:1-4). Even so, we still have His `Word',
our hearts can still `trust' in Him, and we rejoice, as no other
people on earth can, in His `condescension' which has indeed
made us `great', for such a text is written large across the epistle
to the Ephesians.
` O Israel, trust thou in the LORD : He is their help and their shield' (Psa.
115:9).
` O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: He is their help and their shield'
(Psa. 115:10).
` Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: He is their help and their
shield' (Psa. 115:11).
` Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked' (Eph. 6:16).
12.
`The hidden ones' (Psa. 83:3).
` They have ... consulted against Thy hidden ones' (Psa. 83:3).
` Your life is hid with Christ in God' (Col. 3:3).
It is clear from these two passages that the title `hidden ones'
is appropriate both for Israel and for the Church. To some the
idea of `hiding' may suggest cowardice, but just as it is
foolhardy to expose oneself to the danger of high explosives
unless the demands of humanity justify the risk, so, when facing
spiritual wickedness, it is wise and right to remember that the
shield, the helmet, and the breastplate are as much a part of the