Loadeth us-- bear our burdens-- carry us-- lay it on us-- this is certainly an active involvement of God, the Creator, with His creation.  Nor is it an off again on again working of His grace-- but daily, day by day, on-going and abundant, He both carries us, and our burdens, plus laying on us those blessing/benefits which meet every need, and demonstrate yet again that He is our saving God.
        We find a happening recorded in 2 Kings 25:27-30, which serves as a parable for us, with a tremendous message of hope.  Under the disciplinary action of God, Jehoiachin, king of Judah, was placed into captivity for 37 years. (And you thought your processing was going on a long time?) But in time the Lord did work a process of deliverance and victory for him, and he was brought out of prison and given "a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life." Not only a provision unending, but ministered in such a way that it can be LIVED, USED, ENJOYED moment by moment.  "Of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." (John 1:16).  Fulness is wonderful-­but it must then be applied to each need, step by step, moment by moment, a daily rate.  Note the word "rate" from the Hebrew "dabar", meaning: a word. "For ever, O Lord, YOUR WORD (dabar) is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89).  There is a DAILY WORD, a present truth, an ever-fresh quickening that is continuous-- never stale, never old, it shall sustain through all ages.
        "After this manner therefore pray ... Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:9, 11).  Whether we read it from the Old Testament, or the New, the point is the same, it is a day by day dependency upon our Lord.  God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help-- in time of need, yes, but also in times when the sun shines warm, the dew lies moist on our land, and our cup runs over with joy and praise to our God.
       The Psalmist did not hesitate to speak of "the dark side" of happenings in his life-- saying, "I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears, Mine eye is consumed because of grief." (Psalm 6:6-7).  He often cried out for the God of victories to intervene and turn his life around, and then he would speak of the positive mercy of the Lord as freely as he had spoken of the negatives.  The sorrow would not last-- "In His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5).  "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: You maintain my lot.  The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yes, I have a goodly heritage.  I will bless the Lord, Who has given me counsel." (Psalm 16:5-7).  He knew that all the "swimming in tears" would give way to the shouts of rejoicing because his God was the God of victories, and "Salvation belongs unto the Lord." (Psalm 3:8).  Praise His wonderful name!
        Yes, He is the God of salvation/victory-- our saving God!  Furthermore, "He is the propitiation (the mercyseat) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2).  When we speak of our saving God it needs to be in the context of "for the whole world." His is not a partial victory, but it will ultimately reach every man-- for "In Christ shall all be made alive.  But every man in his own order." (1 Cor. 15:22-23).  There are dimensions of victory in Him beyond comprehension.
        Marvelous indeed are the mercies of our God!  But the discrimination, the intolerance, the bigotry of religion is appalling.  How often do men pray, "Lord, bless those that are a part of our group, our family, our favored few." Furthermore, if they are not a part of our denomination, etc. just let hell enlarge her borders and take them in, while God reserves a place in heaven for us, His chosen ones.  But in contrast to this selfish view, we find that Jesus said we are to be like our heavenly Father, for He "is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." And we need to be "merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (Luke 6:36).  "He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." (Matthew 5:45).  Full well He knows how the evil man will react to this sun and rain-- it only causes the weeds, thorns, briers to grow yet the more, for the time being.  But He sends His blessings just the same, knowing that in due time He will deal "BY FIRE" with this negative realm, and thus, purging the evil from man, He will see a positive response brought forth to His glory and praise.
        How precious are the words of the Psalmist, "You have received gifts for men." (Psalm 68:18).  No wonder He can "daily load us with benefits." He is freely fulfilling the will of His Father, and "God gives not the Spirit by measure unto Him. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand." (John 3:34-35).  He knows the will of the Father, He is merciful as His Father.  Without partiality shares the gifts which He has received from the Father-- and opens His arms ever wider to draw to Himself His groaning creation. So let us shout aloud with the Psalmist, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." (Ps. 103:2).
        Then there is a startling statement given-- Not only has He received gifts for men, but they are "for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them." (Psalm 68:18).  The list is getting longer-- He reaches out to include the evil, the unjust, the unthankful, AND THE REBELLIOUS.  It is an outreach of love that HE would give gifts to the rebellious, change their lives, purify and cleanse, so that He would be able to dwell with them.  Who but such a merciful God would declare "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (2 Cor. 6:16).  Yes, there must, and will be holiness.  But the bottom line of truth here is that our God is a saving God.  And whatever processings are necessary, He is more than equal to the challenge-- He has gifts that will transform, change from glory to glory-- do whatever He must to reconcile all men, and bring forth a new creation in righteousness.
        Paul spoke of his life before Christ came in, as being a time when he "was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, - And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." Furthermore, he added, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:13-15).  When it comes to the mercy and grace of God, there is no limit in Him who is a God of victories.  Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound, and HE is ever ready to share His gifts with the chiefest of sinners.
        "For the rebellious also." one of the main Hebrew words translated as "rebellious" is "meri" meaning; to be bitter, bespeaking of a very negative attitude, unpleasant, stubbornly resistant.  While the Hebrew word used in Psalm 68:18 is "sarar" meaning: to turn aside or away, a casting off all restraint, unruly, obstinate.  "We have turned every one to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6).  Israel was a stiffnecked and stubborn people, that sought to go their own way.  In turning away from the Lord, their rebellion took them down a very negative path.  How often have men turned aside from the will of God, and yet found that God had plans for them also, and His goodness abounds toward them, ultimately to totally transform them into His image.
        "The word of the Lord came unto Jonah," to take a message to the city of Nineveh, "and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before Me." "But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." (Jonah 1:1-3).  How quickly Jonah was ready to turn aside from the will of God because he did not approve of God being kind to this exceedingly wicked city.  It took a heavy hand of discipline to bring Jonah to the place where he would accept mercy and grace for Nineveh, but finally he was able to say "Salvation is of the Lord," (Jonah 2:9), and embrace the fact that God's grace is "For the rebellious also."
        Interesting that the Hebrew word "sarar, rebellious," is  used of an untamed cow.  "For Israel slides back as a backsliding heifer."  (Hosea 4:16).
        Deuteronomy uses it of a rebellious son who refuses to submit to his parents. (Deut. 21:18).
        The Psalmist desired that "They might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God." (Psalm 78:8).
        Jeremiah said, "But this people have a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone." (Jer. 5:23).
        Proverbs 7:11 refers to a woman who has cast off restraint, and indulges in lusts.  "She is loud and stubborn; her feet abides not in her house."
        Many and varied are the portrayals of the rebellious.  But our God, who is a saving God, has gifts for even these, and He gives and gives-- O, what a foreshadowing of grace.  And, for sure, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not." (Lam. 3:22).
        Then, one other point comes loud and clear in this scripture.  "He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death." (Psalm 68:20).  The issues, literally, "the out-goings." Here is salvation, deliverance, that staggers the mind.  To go into death is one thing-- but to come out is quite another matter.  When David's child died, he said, "Can I bring him back again?  I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:23).  This has long been the prevalent attitude among men-- we can go into death, but where are the out-goings?  "Unto God the Lord belong the issues from death." Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10).
        Jesus challenged Martha with the statement, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26).
        The timing is solely in the hand of our God, our Saviour.  We need not take unto ourselves the responsibility for the "out-goings from death." Suffice it to know that betimes we feel we are on the edge of THIS VICTORY-- and we shall emerge out of the death realm, and into His more abundant life.  Need we think it strange that there could be more and more raising from the dead and being clothed with His life?  '"O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? - But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 15:55, 57).
        Unto God belong the issues from death.  What more can we say?  In the hour of midnight darkness there is little hope for life and light, but when the sun's rays begin to illumine the eastern sky, we rejoice in the new day that draws near.  Praise God, there is a new day on the horizon!

My beloved is coming to meet with me, as deep calls unto deep,
And He rides through the heavens in majesty, this rendezvous to keep.
The wheels of His chariot so silently turn, the mortal cannot hear,
But praise the Lord, by the Spirit I know,He must be very near.
Now the long night is o'er and the shadows flee,
the morn is breaking fair,
O, arouse from thy slumber and hasten now,
His coming to prepare.
He's the One whom my heart has been waiting for,
This One with thorn­scarred brow,
And praise the Lord, by the Spirit I know,
before Him all shall bow.
Now lift up your heads, O ye gates, and the King of glory shall come in, Lo,
He bringeth salvation for every man, to put away all sin.
The hope of the ages is manifest in Jesus Christ our King,
And the transformation shall be complete, by the grace that He doth bring.

        There were some vital questions asked of Job, as God challenged him, probing deep into his unconscious realm of memory, and while we have neither space nor time to examine all the questions, in line with our subject here we note this one-- "Have the gates of death been opened unto you? or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death." (Job 38:17).  As we have already noted, mankind is prone to view the gates of death as only opening one way, namely that we go into the death realm, but few think in terms of the gates opening up to release the prisoners of death on the other side of the gate.  Our God of victories, God of salvation, is able to say, "I am He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell (Hades) and of death." (Revelation 1:18).  Once death came as an enemy, but we see that IN CHRIST, through Christ, our God makes death overcome itself, and give way to life.  Only God could do something as marvelous as this!  And through the death that was wrought in Christ we see that HE conquered, and has the KEY to the gate, and when He swings it open, none can close it.  When He closes it, none can open it.  To Job it was a difficult question-- "Have the gates of death been opened unto you?" But with the Spirit of illumination the Psalmist says, "Unto God the Lord belong the issues of death." There is an OUT-GOING.  Jesus Christ has led captivity captive-- the whole creation now belongs to Him, and any time He opens the gate, none can restrain from issuing forth that which HE declares is released.  And none can hold back that which He determines must dwell for a time in the land of the shadow of death.
        "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined." (Isaiah 9:2).  How bold is this prophetic message-- the God of victories controls the out-goings from death, and He is invading the darkness, the land of the shadow of death, "To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." (Isaiah 42:7).  Without a doubt this is fulfilled in Christ, HE IS THE LIGHT that penetrates the darkness, He holds the key to the unlocking of the prison house.  He is the God of our salvation!  And amazing and far beyond our comprehension, He extends this promise to include a people whom He has redeemed, and states, "I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles (nations), that you may be My salvation unto the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6).  Brought into union with Him, to be overcomers in Him, there is coming a day when life shall flow through His people, and with Him they shall share in the release of HIS LIFE until the world shall question-- What manner of men are these, His life-givers?
        Again we hear from the Psalmist, "Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, You that lift me up from the gates of death." (Psalm 9:13).  His eye was on the One that could lift him up from the gates of death.  And betimes people are still lifted up from the gates of death-- preserved, kept by the power of God, and for this we truly praise Him.  But an even greater victory goes beyond an escape from death-- to live on a few more years-- and that is the resurrection life that we shall experience-- entering into His total salvation.  Praise God!
        What Jesus Christ experienced in Himself, He now purposes to make experiential in every man.  He shall reign until all enemies are under His feet, and every man individually delivered from death, and brought forth into the newness of His life.  His overcoming shall be our overcoming as He brings forth the victory, and works it into us, to His glory and praise.
        Jesus brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel.  Here is a fact seldom considered-- Incorruption makes death an impossibility!  The wages of sin is death, but if there be no sin, there are no wages to be reaped.  It is self-evident that whatever cannot be corrupted cannot die.  Paul writes that Christ is made unto us "righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." (1 Cor. 1:30).  Thus when we are clothed with HIS HOLINESS to be pure as He is pure, we shall know the joy of incorruption.  We shall find that the gates of death are truly opened unto us.  We find that the word "opened" used in Job 38:17, is the Hebrew word "galah" meaning: to be revealed, discovered, uncovered.  There are some tremendous revelations to be received by God's people, as He DISCOVERS for us the very foundations, and thus UNCOVERS those things which have been kept secret for so long.
        Heretofore our prayer has always been for deliverance BACK from the gates of death.  But God would show us the way through, as an open gate, into the fulness of His life that yet awaits us.  Deliverance ministries, as they have been called, sought to bring back from death those that were about to die.  "They draw near unto the gates of death.  Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saves them out of their distresses.  He sent His Word and healed them." (Psalm 107:19-20).  Thank God for any respite from pain and suffering--"He heals all your dis-eases." (Psalm 103:3).  But the time comes when we begin to ponder something more.  Is God only going to heal and patch up the old creation, or bring us into the NEW?  We do thank the Lord for "cures today and tomorrow," (Luke 13:32), for we cannot go through all these trials and tribulations which are appointed for our processing, if we are physically dead.  He has appointed a time of travail "to be exercised in it," (Eccl. 3:10), but not to live for ever in this corruptible body.  Rather, He will "change our vile body (i.e. body of humiliation), that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body." (Philippians 3:21).
        To be IN CHRIST a new creation means that old things will pass away, and in His time and purpose all things will become new.  We cannot bring that hour to ourselves, but He can bring us to that hour!  We would not ask for a rapturous escapism, but we would have the gates of death uncovered, walk through them, and come out on the other side to live in the very fulness of His life, complete in Him.  Do not be mistaken, one does not get rid of death just by taking "a positive attitude" that doesn't talk about death.  Mental ignoring is not overcoming it.  But remember, "our God is the God of salvation," and He has the KEY, and He will hold us steady until He has finished His inworking in us, and then what glories shall be ours.
        The battle of life and death is going on in our minds these days.  How easy it is to compromise our thoughts, and how difficult it is betimes to bring every thought into obedience of the truth.  Yet Jesus conquered this battle, and now, HE IN US is conquering again.  Not by the might and power of the flesh, but BY HIS SPIRIT we shall emerge overcomers in Him.
        Truly we are in preparation for His making all things new, and there will be an uncovering of the gates of death, that we might become partakers of His more abundant life.  This changing process will be consummated at the climactic appearing of Jesus Christ, for HE has the KEY, and will bring to light our new life and incorruptibility.  All of the processings of present time, with their travail, their birth-pangs, are being used to bring us to that hour.  And if so be that this is not the time He has appointed, and we do go into the grave, then we rest in the surety of that out-resurrection, for "them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him," (1 Thess. 4:14).  There shall be a resurrection OUT FROM AMONG THE DEAD.  They shall emerge with Him, to see His kingdom established in righteousness upon the earth.  May these truths continue to be quickened within.  "He will swallow up death in victory." (Isaiah 25:8).  Our God is a God of victories! 

It was by grace that He did taste of death for every man.
It was by grace that He laid waste the prince of evil's clan.
The gates of death so long concealed, Christ Jesus has the key
To open wide the way revealed, deliver you and me.
To be in Christ a creature new, old things shall pass away,
Out of the tomb, as fresh as dew, to live in His new day.
The end of darkness is the light, forever it shall shine,
So also, ending death's black night, is His true life divine.
As He arose, so we shall rise, and share the Father's throne,
To overcome-- receive the prize prepared for us, His own.
The shadows flee, He opes the gate, lift up your head and sing,
So long we've lingered, had to wait, till He this joy will bring.