Solid by the Stream
(Psalm 1)
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields fruit in his season and its leaf does not wither.” (Psa. 1:3)
There is nothing more satisfying to a gardener than to see his hard work come to fruition…to look over the field of his labor, the sweat of his brow, the strain of his own hands to see a green field of corn, the flowering blossoms of beans, and the ripe fruits for his store. He stands satisfied as he gazes across the landscape of plow furrows, plants, and produce knowing that God gave the increase, but he gave the water.
Water is a vital ingredient in the existence of any flora because without the essential element of water there can be no strength. To constantly and nursingly give the life ingredient of hydrogen and oxygen to a plant is to have no doubt about the outcome of the harvest. There will be no disappointment when a seed is planted and given the proper nourishment. It will “yield its fruit in its season.” (Psa. 1:3). The stem will be strong, the growth will increase day by day, and the end thereof will be immensely rewarding.
Equally so, will be the way of the righteous. The righteous will refuse the mindset of the world, refuse the way of sinners, refuse the seat of pomp and pride because the upright soul only delights in the law of the Lord day and night. By soaking up the pure water of the Lord…the soul is constantly given the ingredients of eternal life. Through the ceaseless stream of the Most High God the tree of the soul flourishes and soars toward the heavens.
There is nothing more satisfying to our soul than to see our hard, spiritual work come to fruition…to look over our life lived, to remember the sweat of our brow, the strain of our labor and to see fruits worthy of repentance, blossoms of blessings, and other souls brought for God’s eternal store. We stand satisfied as we gaze across the landscape of Heaven, see the mansion that stands ready, and our fellow spirits waiting to praise the Lord for eternity…knowing that God gave the increase, but we drank the water.
Whilst we go through this life there are many streams and rivers we can choose to plant ourselves near. As David states, we could plant ourselves beside the counsel of the wicked, the river way of sinners, the stream of ridicule…but the only flow of water that gives us increase is the one that is found in God’s Word. The only stream that gives us strength to overcome and stand is the river that flows with inspiration from above: the Living Oracles of God.
Spiritual strength is stalled when our souls find other sources to drink from. Our soul’s stem becomes increasingly fragile and weak from the stagnant, reservoir waters of the world. “Therefore, the wicked will not stand in judgment…” (Psa. 1:5). “The Lord knows the way of the righteous.” Which stream are you drinking from? Lord, help us all to be planted by the Living Water of Your Word. Amen.
Picturesque Pottery
(Psalm 2)
“Why do the heathen rage; and the people imagine a vain thing?” (2:1).
Why do souls search for Christ everywhere else but in the place where God said He would be? So many times people restrict and confine God to what they think He is, or what they think He should say. The words and actions of men will come to nothing, but God’s words and actions will never return to Him void. Even if the whole of the pagan and heathen world were set at variance against Christ…the Lord would simply laugh at their foolishness and cause them to divide. If the united world were to turn against the only solitary, righteous soul on the earth…that single soul would overcome the world through the power of Christ.
Christ is King! He is crowned with many crowns, and all the nations of the earth shall flow unto Him. He will redeem His people! Christ was born of a woman, begotten of God (v.7), so that He might be the first-born of many to come in the future. The marvelous foretold purpose and the plan of God by the pen of David!
Not only is Jesus Christ the Savior, but He has been given the nations and “uttermost parts of the earth” as His present possession. He rules them, molds them, and dashes them to pieces like an Eternal Potter with earthly clay. Under the power and rule of Christ souls are to be transformed into picturesque pottery that the world sees as wonderful. God’s children aren’t merely lumps of unformed Christianity, but they are uniformly obedient pieces of His kingdom.
All Christians have their place in the true building of God. Stones out of the depths of sin…stones from Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth, stones snatched from the fires of hell itself! These stones, small and great, are shaped and changed so that they can be fashioned like the first. The Gospel cuts, slashes, and pricks and all the while the pillars of the kingdom of God can be seen rising and rising…each stone leaning wholly on the massive Cornerstone. Every stone depending on the blood sacrifice! Each stone finding strength and security in Christ! Ah! The picture God paints in Scripture of the building…the kingdom…the church…rising to meet the Lord (Rev. 21). How He speaks of how closely those stones are knit together as members (Eph. 2). How each brick, each stone, bears the burden of the other fulfilling the law of Christ. How the kingdom is joined together at the Cornerstone, and then each is bound to the next, and to the next, and to the next…until all the parts are made into one glorious habitation of God! The structure of Christ’s kingdom rises and rises and rises! The kingdom is the perfect plan of God. Hear Him. Trust Him.
Yet, David warns that iniquity will always be widespread, men will always rage against righteousness and set themselves in opposition to God. Yet, the world’s idea of righteousness and decency will only be a vain idea. God will laugh at their contempt and disrespect for His will: for God has set up His truth and His Christ, and against Him nothing will stand.
The answer to pleasing God always lies in our obedience to the Son. We are to know our duty! We are to do our duty! We are to serve the Lord with fear and joy “lest He be angry, and we perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.” (v. 12) The slightest lash of Christ’s rod of justice is enough to “dash to pieces” all the sin of the world. This is our solemn warning. Today is the day of salvation! Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not thy hearts!
Complaining With Confidence
(Psalm 3)
“Lord, how are they increased that trouble me!” (3:1)
There are swords that fly against you, blades that are unsheathed to cut you, and a son that is covetous of your throne. A son, a flesh and blood offspring, which now desires to come and take your very life! Comfort is absent from the day. Love flies away like a feather on the air! Trust is betrayed! Countless tears make your bed during the night, and immeasurable dejection is your only friend. Lightning bolts of sorrow begin to pierce the hours of darkness within your soul. Depressing floods and hammering rains seem to wash away all happiness and cheer. “LORD! How are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me! Many there be which say to my soul, ‘There is no help for him in God.’” (3:1)
How the times fly across our memory when we have been overwhelmed with fear, overcome with sorrow, or plagued by difficulties; when the distresses of living in this world have made us feel as if we were careening off course towards a bottomless pit of pain. Oh, the times of sadness and despair that we all have encountered along our yellow-brick roads of life. It may be that a son has turned his rebellious arm against you, as David’s own Absalom turned against him (II Sam. 15-17). Perchance the situation in life is due to trust being broken by friends, angry words being spoken by once caring lips; but no matter what the struggle there is always a God to “lift up mine head.” (3:3) No matter if obstacles come with the veracity of lions, regardless if they number as the sands of the sea or the stars of heaven…there is always a God who is our Shield (3:3). Whether standing in the stormy winds of life or in the calm eye of relief…the Lord is always our glory and admiration.
The Lord sustains His people! Though the cries of the entire world drown the air with despair and anguish…the Lord hears the still, small voice of your heart. While the thunders roll, while the earth quakes, while the world around us rages…the Lord lays us down to sleep and sustains us through the night (3:5). “I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people that have set against me round about.” (3:6) Though the angry surges roll…though the mightiest men in the mightiest lands come in the mightiest ways the Lord will hear my call: “Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God!” (3:7) And as the words of the wicked may pierce my ears, as their tongues continue to lash and mock, as their hands beat against my broken body…God smites the enemy “upon the cheekbone; and breaks all the teeth of the ungodly!” (3:7) The Lord sustains His people!
“Salvation is of the Lord: blessings belong to His people.” (3:8) Mark this: Salvation is of the Lord, and it will be found nowhere else! Deliverance comes from above…not from the feeble attempts of mortality and flesh. Showers of blessings fall from the Father of Lights to illuminate and applaud His children; for blessings are only found in God’s people. Lord, may we all be Thy people! Amen.
Safety in Slumber
(Psalm 4)
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psa. 4:1)
Hours of sleep bring little comfort if the soul awakes to find itself alone and without God. The refreshing sensation the body experiences after a night’s rest has little value unless the Lord is in the heart. How amazing it is to open our eyelids to another day and know that the Most High God walks before us each step of the way…knowing that with each passing instant we are closer than the last to seeing Him face to face. What a magnificent dream for some, but what a reality it is for those whose hearts have been captured by Christ and saved by grace. This truth is quickened by our gracious gift of being able to call out to the Father of heaven and earth.
The Lord needs to hear the cries of His children in the night! A mother will hearken to the whimper of her hungry child, and so will a heavenly Father answer the shout of His own children in distress. Nevertheless, the Father will only react when He hears an importunate voice. A father needs to hear, in the voice of His children, a trusting that is unfeigned and honest.
Time and again the plenteous field found in the ear of the Almighty One remains fallow and unturned by the plow of prayer. The bountiful bequests of God lay open for the taking! The harvest blessings from above are ripe for the reaping! The granaries and storehouses of the gifts heaven are open, and God waits for our call. We could be offering the most luscious fruits of our lips…the most celebrated “sacrifices of righteousness” by trusting the Lord, yet, frequently, we find ourselves in transgression against Him when we don’t stand in awe of His showering and sheltering strength.
God is good, is He not? He provides rain for the just and unjust. He makes the sun to shine of the good and the evil. Yet, “there be many that say, ‘Who will show us good?’” (4:6) And the answer comes by the pen of David: “Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance.” More than the times overflowing with corn and wine…more than all the blessings of the most bountiful harvest of the earth…more than all the riches of all the fields of the world, the Lord’s presence is the paramount prize! The countenance of God is the greatest “gladness in my heart.” (4:7)
A soul’s serenity comes not from the passing things of earth…a soul’s spiritual calm and quiet comes from being safely harbored in God’s tranquil, eternal waters. Peace is given when God silences the troubles of the day with His reassuring hand. Otherwise, the noisy echoes of sin drown out the tranquility of God’s truth. May we all “stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still;” for the Lord provides us with safety in slumber (4:4,8).
Now I lay me down to sleep…
A Morning Mercy
(Psalm 5)
The sun ascends upon the landscape of another day as its rays cover the floor of the earth like frost on an early winter’s morn. The leaves of the trees awake from their night’s slumber and the grasses open wide their blades to soak in the sun’s luminosity. The land starts to stir with life…the orchestra of the morning begins to rise with the low tones and bellows of the breeze through the tops of the forest. The sweet tenor of the lark’s voice, the percussion of insects as they beat their wings all create the hum of nature brought about by the morning glow.
Regardless of how grand the wake of nature might be…however beautiful the music of the earth…there is a voice heard in the morning that is exceedingly greater: the voice of prayer. “My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (5:3) Though all the utterances of nature were to chant together the praises of God…those voices could never be as striking as the voices of God’s children. A loyal Christian’s voice is like Paul’s Epaphroditus to God; “a sweet smelling sacrifice, acceptable and well pleasing.” (Phi. 4:18) “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness…” (5:4)
Infinitely more than the sun will burn an object that comes into its presence, so the Lord will “destroy them that speak falsely; for the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.” (5:6) As the sun rages with devastating heat, so does the hand of the Lord toward the “workers of iniquity.” (5:5) BEHOLD THE GOODNESS AND SEVERITY OF GOD! The sun provides life and verve for the planet, but its power is never to be trifled with; for even at a vast distance its rays scorch and singe. Likewise, God’s power is never to be disbelieved, “for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7) The foolishly impenitent and fickle will never stand in the face of the Lord’s preeminence. “Let them fall by their own counsel…for they have rebelled against Thee.” (5:10).
“But as for me, I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy; and in Thy fear will I worship…” (5:7) To be able to understand that each breath inhaled and exhaled…that each passing moment felt…that every instant of life is graciously granted by the power of God is to dreamily comprehend the immensity of His worship. Souls that grasp this logic will never be absent from the worship of the Almighty God; for in His house there are multitudes of mercy that are to be found nowhere else besides. Countless souls fail to remember that blessings come from the presence of God, and if souls never draw close to the Lord in reverence and adoration…then mercies cannot be imparted. “In thy fear will I worship...lead me, O Lord, in Thy righteousness…make Thy way straight before my face.” (5:8)
In the presence of the Lord there is righteousness…away from the Lord there is not. “The Lord will bless the righteous!” (5:12) The Lord “defends” those who trust in Him. (5:11) He surrounds them, as Elisha of old, with His mighty heavenly hosts and chariots of fire. The righteous are hedged round about like Job, and there are none like them: “…with favor wilt Thou compass him as with a shield.” (5:12)
For the righteous…mercy comes with each morn.
Divine Displeasure and Deliverance
(Psalm 6)
To the son that fractures a father’s trust, there is no greater pain than having that same father’s hot eye of displeasure burning into his own. When confidence and trust have been betrayed…and actions have led to the gravest of disappointments; when a father’s heart is shattered by the disloyalty of his own flesh and blood…and the heart stings with deceit…David would plead with his Heavenly Father: “O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine hot anger, neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me…” (6:1-2a)
The anger of God…something a soul never wishes to think about nor ponder. The chastening rod of God’s hot displeasure…something a soul desires to vehemently avoid. Eternal, Omnipotent fury unleashed reminiscent of the flaming swords of Eden, the flood waters of old, the excruciating plagues of Egypt, or the raging waters of the Red Sea as they overwhelm the armies of Pharaoh…a form of God’s force that none wish to encounter nor suffer. “For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” (Dt. 4:24)
Nevertheless, the Lord has compassion upon His exhaustedly disobedient children, if they will but move toward Him. Can God refuse a blessing to His child who has saturated their pillow with penitent tears and prayers of sorrow? Will God renounce the face that has so long wept for forgiveness that its eyes have sunk into their sockets with anguish? Can God decline to have sympathy upon those who implore for Divine deliverance? “Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for Thy mercies sake! 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!” (6:4, 6-7) The Lord certainly hears the supplications of sinners, or He would hear none at all (6:9).
The delight of the sinner is forgiveness, and the wonder of the Lord is that He bestows it. The God of Heaven takes the weeping cheeks of His children and holds them close to His breast. He takes the drenched pillows of penitence and turns them into peace. He wipes tear-dimmed eyes and makes them again see the joy of His countenance. With His mighty arm unveiled He will not rage against the repentantly sinful, but He will resuscitate their souls and revive them again unto Himself. “The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.” (6:9)
While souls are weak, God is strong. “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (II Cor. 12:10) “Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.” (6:8) Replacing the thorns of Christ’s crown with the diamonds of sinner’s tears… producing strength out of difficulties… administering affection by grace when justified to slay…God may be displeased with our sins, but He will deliver us from evil.
Saving Swords and Bent Bows
(Psalm 7)
A breeze gently blows through the deadened grasses of an open countryside as a hunter crouches into position. A mammoth giant moves leisurely from the lining of the trees out into the open plain. With each step the creature makes…its awesome weight shifts back and forth flowing like liquid from one side to the other. The hunter takes aim as, all the while, the colossal bear has picked up his scent on the gentle breeze. The bullet sounds through the air and pierces the giant’s hide, but it’s not enough to bring down the magnificent beast. Thousands of pounds of tearing teeth and rending claws are now storming toward the hunter as he tries to reload his only hope of survival. Forty yards…thirty yards…twenty yards…there’s no time for another shot! Trust.
“O Lord my God, in Thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces...” (7:1-2) This is David’s epic battle as sin rears its hideous head on the plains of life, and he looks to God for rescue and release. Sin is upon him, and with every second of existence sin charges nearer and nearer to his heart. The bear of sin, the Devil, is dashing toward David with vicious teeth of torment and claws of corruption!
David knows the threat that is upon him: “O Lord my God, if I have done this; if there be any iniquity in my hands; if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me…let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honor to dust.” David knows that sin is treacherous and carnivorous towards the soul. He knows (as we must) that iniquity cannot be slain by any arrow of his own…but confidence in God must be behind the shot. “He hath also prepared for him the instrument of death; he ordained his arrows against the persecutors.” (7:13)
“My defense is of God!” (7:10) Who can rise above the massive strength of God’s arm? Who can penetrate His shield and shelter? Who can break the wing that harbors His children? Is any influence greater than God? “And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders.” (Dt. 26:8) “The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” (Isa. 52:10) “A mighty fortress is our GOD!”
Though tempest follow tempest, storm follow storm…though waves upon waves crash onto the beaten beaches of the heart until serenity soars away on a distant star…God will defend against the fall. When daylight fades and darkness comes into the soul…when the enemy advances at the weakest point of the spirit “God will whet His sword, He hath bent His bow and made it ready.” (7:12) God will plunge into the depths…God will save to the uttermost…God will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but His children must have confidence in His ammunition. “I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord the most high.” (7:17)
Standing in Awe of Adonai
(Psalm 8)
Stars move about the night sky in flawless flight as they spell out the Lord’s name in fiery glitter. Galaxies of heaven in all their vastness…innumerable stars in their furious motion are all mere mechanisms of the fingers of God. Within the cosmic coliseum of animation seen at each fall of the sun the tips of Adonai’s fingers begin to emerge on the dark tapestry of the firmament…guiding the spheres…stirring the moon…lighting the sky with brushing streaks of radiance. With each stroke of His divine touch the heavens declare, “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name!” (8:1)
Behold the magnificent energy that comes from the fingers of God! Nahum declares, “The clouds are the dust of His feet.” (Nah. 1:3) Job extols, “How can man be just with God…which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and all the rooms of the south?” (Job 9:1,9). David takes up the Divine query: “When I consider Thy heavens, and the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that Thou visitest him?” (8:3-4)
In the face of such starry splendor…in view of the grandeur of creation…in light of the beauty and brilliance of God’s lighted universe: What is man? What is man? Aware of the reality that man is mortal…that man is corruptible…why would a glorious God prize such lowly creature as these? The Lord says Himself, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:9) Adonai has crowned man with honor and privilege! Man, whom God “hast made a little lower than the angels,” now has dominion over the works of Jehovah’s mighty hand; “and hath put all things under his feet!” (8:5-6).
“O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!” (8:1)
Singing Praise to the Stronghold
(Psalm 9)
A colossal mass of swords and spears advance towards a stronghold hungry for flesh and blood…boldly they draw closer and closer to the gates of the fortress with fatal fury and weapons unsheathed. Again and again they assault and swarm, beat and batter…beat and batter, but each time the immense army is repelled by the broad walls. The foes are turned back like waves crashing against the rocks of the sea. The gates stand solid with each surge…the defenses hold, and the “enemies are turned back.” (9:3) The adversary cannot overcome the mammoth resistance which the barrier provides and they dash themselves to pieces. “They fall and perish at Thy presence.” (9:3)
“The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” (9:9) No other fortress is so mighty…no other wall is so great…no other refuge is so secure. Though torrential waves of persecution smash against it, though piercing arrows of accusations fly above it, though Satan himself unleash the armies of hell they could not conquer this Stronghold. As temptations may show their teeth, so the Lord will break them; as lust may beguile with pleasure and satisfaction, so the Lord will destroy their lure and charm. “Thou hast rebuked the heathen, Thou hast destroyed the wicked, Thou hast put out their name forever and ever.” (9:5).
Is there a soul in trouble? Is there a spirit in anguish? Go to the Stronghold! Journey to the Fortress of Heaven! Come before the Lord of Safety and cry out, “Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer from them that hate me, Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death. That I may shew forth Thy praise…” Sins may encompass thee…iniquities may lie in wait for thee…Satan’s evil may darken the day, but “the Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.” (9:16) Evil cannot overcome! Evil cannot overcome! “The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.” (9:15) Evil cannot overcome, for “the wicked shall be turned into hell, and the nations that forget God.” (9:17)
Find a lost pebble in the countless sands of the sea... discover the perfect shining star in the galaxies above…and so it is to find the glow of righteousness in this present world. To see the needy not forgotten, and the poor not perishing is to almost see a dream. To be able to see those that give praise with their whole heart (9:1), those who extol the Lord’s name in song (9:2), and put their complete trust in God (9:10) is uncommon indeed. To see God become the center of a nation’s prominence and power is almost fictional. “Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in Thy sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. ” (9:19-20)
“They that know Thy name will put their trust the Thee, for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.” (9:10)
The Malice of the Hardened Heart
(Psalm 10)
There he stands with the face of an angel…with the beauties and wonders of heaven opened to his eyes…with cherubim and seraphim opening their arms in welcome to his departing soul. Stones continually fall like raindrops upon his broken body as he falls to the earth, “and they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:59) There lay the mangled corpse upon the blood saturated ground…there lay the lifeless lips once filled with words of forgiveness and mercy…there lay the finest martyr save the Lord Himself. “Why standest Thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest Thou Thyself in times of trouble?” (10:1)
Through the blood and broken bones of life…through thunderstorms and tempests that overwhelm the soul…God watches and remembers; “for Thou beholdest mischief and spite to requite it with Thy hand…” (10:14) When “the wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor,” when “the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth,” when “his mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and fraud; and under his tongue is mischief and vanity” the Lord commits these things to His memory (10:2-3,7). Though the earth stands for millennia upon millennia, and though age follows age…the fiendish, impenitent evil committed on the first day will be remembered upon the last. The Lord will never forget! He will “break the arm of the wicked and the evil man…till He find none. The Lord is King forever…” (10:15-16a)
“Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart, Thou wilt cause Thine ear to hear.” (10:17) The plea of the humbly righteous will extract a quick answer from the Divine lips of God. The soul that implores before Jehovah’s throne in simple, heart-wrenching appeals can by no means be rejected. The Divine reaction will be delivered in His time, and the “heathen will perish out of His land.” (10:16)
Wicked Arrows upon the Wind
(Psalm 11)
Danger lurks behind…before…and beside, as fiendish arrows fly above my troubled soul. “O safe to the Rock let me fly!” Let me find my Shelter…my Haven…my Rest from the entrapments of this wicked world. Let me “flee as a bird to Your mountain. For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, and make ready the string!” (11:1-2) Lord, be my Sanctuary…be my Shield from the barrage of Satan’s darts besieging my soul. Keep my feet firm on the upright path, and set me upon Thy righteous foundations that I may praise Thee before Thy throne. Be ever present in each stride and step…each heart beat and breath…let my soul sing of Thy guiding hand and gracious relief!
“The Lord is in His holy temple” (11:4) where safety resides…where the arrows of the wicked are broken by the intensity of God’s glorious presence. “The Lord is in His holy temple,” and I will neither be fearful nor anxious; for I am in the company of a Power beyond comparison…a Love beyond thought…and a Righteousness beyond man. “The Lord is in His holy temple,” thus I will rest in awe…I will sleep in peace…and I will praise His marvelous Spirit with each morning breath imparted to my feeble body.
As He looks upon my soul with eyes of mercy, He condemningly melts away the wicked with rains of “snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest.” (11:6) His eyelids flash, and the entirety of the world is judged in an instant. With fury unrivalled He takes His vengeance on rebellious hearts who defy His words. He will purge and cleanse “the wicked and him that loveth violence” with eternal fires of unparalleled degree. Their arrows of unkindness…their spears of immorality…their sharpened tongues of persecution will pierce their own flesh forever. “This shall be the portion of their cup.” (11:5)
“For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness: His countenance doth behold the upright.” (11:7) Ah! To see the Lord…to behold Him face to face…to be blessed with the sight of perfection is wonderful indeed. Yet, this wonder is reserved for the upright, and the upright alone. “The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” (1:5). On the Lord’s mount the birds of obedience abide. The righteous fly to the throne of Mount Zion, and there they adore the One who gives life and keeps it.
Silver Words and Sighs
(Psalm 12)
The monstrous waters churn and roll...churn and roll…and with devastating force wave after wave surges over the massive rocks on the verge of the sea. Boulders (that appear as if they could stand until the heavens pass away) slowly deteriorate and fall into the deep. Gradually the water assaults their foundations with almost undetected precision. Those massively fortified stones are no match for the relentless attacks of time.
“Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” (12:1) With assault after assault upon the foundation of a righteous soul…there are some foundations that fail. As each wave of temptation surges, a minute (almost unseen) amount of the base crumbles away. In the midst of each passing attack more of the support collapses, as the danger of falling into the depths of sin grows. The fallacy of self-assurance brings a sense of false peace and serenity…all the while iniquity is working death through the waters of time.
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.” (12:5) While the most forcible of tempests is severe, the Lord’s shield is greater to protect. Although persecutions may last for years…the Lord’s blessings are greater at the last, but safety is only afforded when souls cry out. While waves of temptations can be frustrated by the power of God, their sway is only thwarted when God hears pious appeals. “Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.” (12:7)
God avows deliverance for the oppressed; “for the words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace of the earth, purified seven times.” (12:6) Though the wicked walk on every side and the vilest men are exalted, “the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.” (12:3) Jehovah will avenge the oppressed and cover the honest, but the wicked He will purge in His time.
Singing Sorrow Graciously
(Psalm 13)
Is God like the clouds that rush across the azure blue…untouchable, yet glorious to behold? Is He like the wind gliding gently along our faces like an unseen hand of comfort? Can He reach down from the heavens with His mighty hand to encourage the weakened soul? Does He ever overlook the cries of His own? “How long wilt Thou forget me, O Lord? Forever? How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?” (13:1)
Picture a Deity so perfectly pure…so uncontaminated by sin…One not tainted by fleshly lusts or evil iniquities; ponder on the subject of flawlessness… infinite righteousness…a goodness so immaculate that perfection does not define. Can such a Divinity even bear to gaze upon immorality and vice? Can such an Eye ever be focused on the iniquitous? “How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?” (13:1) How long can perfection bear to look at imperfection? Can infinite purity and light abide in the presence of pollution and darkness? Never! A web consisting of darkness and light cannot exist! There can be no latticework of both perfection and imperfection; for the composition will either be conclusively perfect or utterly deficient. A soul lives and thrives in the radiant presence of God, or a soul declines and dies while serving the father of darkness.
“How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?” (13:2) The eclipse of the soul by sin may darken a heart for scores of years, and even though the clouds of contravention seem to prevail during those moments…the Light can still come to wash away the shades of sin. “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death…” (13:3)
Though the eyes may dim, though the darkness of death encompass, though “those that trouble…rejoice when I am moved” there is joy nonetheless. “I have trusted in Thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation.” (13:5) Rays of light are most resplendently observed out of the darkest depths. Beams of luminescence are most appreciated in the darkest nights.
The brightness of the Lord comes into a sin-filled, nocturnal humanity like an upsurge of generous grace. He comes with plenteous blessings…He comes to save His own…He comes with sword in hand, not to slay, but to save! With the skill of a surgeon’s scalpel, He cuts through the nightfall of iniquity, and makes the healing sun to rise upon the hearts of men. His breath chases away the death clouds of sin, and He brings about life and light once again. “I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me.” (13:6) Bountiful with His grace! Liberal with His mercy! Plenteous with His love! Frequent in His pardon! Copious in His good blessings imparted! Relief is coming…stay strong.
Shaming and Seeking God
(Psalm 14)
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (14:1) What do the eyes of the Lord fail to observe? Does Omniscience or Omnipresence ever leave an action or object undetected? “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy Presence? Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thoughts afar off.” (139:2,7) As measureless as the azure blue that stretches across the sky…so is the Lord’s gaze upon the expanse of mankind. The incalculable recesses of time, the most unfathomable of depths, the farthest reaches of human power and expertise are altogether taken in by a single glance of the all-seeing Jehovah God.
“The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” (14:2) The Lord’s grand gaze still absorbs every movement, word, and thought that proceeds from the children of men, and even now the reasoning behind His omniscience is unchanged: “to see if there are any that understand and seek God.” Jehovah looks upon the world with the wisest of eyes to see whether His Name is scorned or praised. He emerges into the congregations of His people to see if they are unified by faith or divided by strife. He looms in the streets as a common beggar to see if man understands compassion. He appears in every house and observes if the old proverb lives there: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Scores of souls claim to be Christian in nature…many profess to understand salvation and deliverance from sin by God. However, when God enters their hearts and minds does He find them seeking? Does He find compassion and mercy upon others being accomplished through benevolence? Does He find forgiveness in the face of ridicule and hate? Does He find love for all, even for enemies? “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy, there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (14:3) Is this the cry of the Lord today? Is this what bellows from heaven to earth? “Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up My people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord?” (14:4)
“Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!” (14:7) Oh that the iniquities of the world were passed away, and all things were new! Oh that God were to free His people from the shades of sin in eternal Radiance, and destroy the rebellious in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. Oh that His people were purified perpetually! Oh that His own were ceaselessly cleansed! Oh for “faith to be lost in sight,” and darkness to be lost in His Light…for such would be joy beyond compare, beauty beyond the stars, and grace beyond all degree. Praise the Lord!
Dwelling in the Holy Hill of God
(Psalm 15)
“Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?” (15:1) To reside in the presence of God…what a fine thought to consider! To “abide” in the Lord’s comfort! To “dwell” in His majesty! To be located in His mercies and loving-kindness! What glorious imaginations of the furthermost delight! But these pleasures do not exist in a distant land of far away myth or in an age of man not yet seen…these elated contemplations settle in them “that walketh uprightly, worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in heart.” (15:2)
How great are the promises which instill strength in the children of God! What euphoric words Jehovah speaks to them who are under His righteous wing: “He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” (15:5) The supreme forces of Father God surround His family like a great “cloud of witnesses.” The muscle of His arm upholds the upright, strengthens the weak, and gives shelter to the innocent. The Lord will not suffer His own to be moved! No man shall ever pluck them out of His hand! (John 10:28) His children that dwell in the holy hill shall stand longer than time…stand higher than the mountains…stand stronger than all the forces of the earth; for these stand with God!
“I shall not be moved!” (16:8) The Lord is the forefront and rearward…He is the east and the west! “I shall not be moved!” Though Satan incessantly hurls his “fiery darts of the wicked”…though “principalities and powers” threaten to extinguish life…though death ravages through every portion of family and body… “I SHALL NOT BE MOVED!” The Lord has grounded His chosen in love deeper than death! His Spirit has immersed them in mercy more intense than hell! His Son has submerged their sins in a limitless flow of blood, wider than the sins of the world. “I shall not be moved!”
Children of God, those that walk upright (“who take no reward against the innocent”)…rejoice; for thy dwelling-place is in the holy hill of God! Be glad in view of the fact that God encircles you with love, encloses you with grace, and besieges you with mercy. “Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?”
I will!
God’s Presence on the Righteous Path
(Psalm 16)
How can one define trust? What language can so inclusively grasp the sensation of voluntarily, yet absolutely, placing confidence in a person or ideal? What word can the human tongue offer to depict such an awesome feature? Webster may attempt to give definition, scholars may well seek the grandeur of its meaning…but ‘trust’ is better experienced than defined. Man’s words rise and fall like the shades of the day…his terms and phrases may perhaps invoke zeal and passion, but to be subjected to the spiritual emotions of a word like ‘trust’ is to completely take in the midnight oil of all written antiquity in a single instant. If the stars above could be changed into words…if the earth were wrapped with rays of sunlit parchment…if all men were learned in the most intellectual of prose, the pen would never suffice to define ‘trust.’ This word must be felt in order to be realized.
“Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust.” (16:1) Countless souls say that they trust in the Lord…many profess to have assurance in the promises of Jehovah, but how many souls can say they have lived trusting in God? How many say, “Thou art my Lord,” and commit their lives to His control (16:2)? How many parents give a “godly heritage” to their children above all else besides (16:6)? How many hearts have “set the Lord always before them” saying within themselves, “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup; Thou maintainest my lot.” (16:5)
To trust in the Lord with heart, soul, mind, and strength is more than a few confessed words…it’s more than shedding convicting tears of penitence. To trust in the Lord is to place family members in His care…it is to lift up the associations of friends to the throne-room of the Most High…it is to give each step of life to Him, each breath of air to Him, each beam of light that crosses the eye. It is to give God the glory and praise for every second of life given! It is to remember that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights…” (Jas. 1:18) It is to grasp the logic that the Lord (who clothes the lilies of the field with splendor greater than that of King Solomon and all his glory) walks beside His children every step of the way. “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” (16:9)
The greatest encouragement that is gained by the children of righteousness is not that God walks alongside them through the light of life…it is that God walks with them through the shadows of death. “For Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hades; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine holy one to see corruption.” (16:10). As Jesus was never left in the grave to suffer corruption, neither shall the righteous be forgotten by the Holy One of heaven. As the darkness of death will bind each body to the grave, so the pleasures of God will encircle the upright soul in eternal pleasures unknown to this physical world.
“Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (16:11) God awaits the hand of His children to stretch toward Him in eagerness, so that He can show them the pathway to take through life. He eagerly watches afar off at the gates of Paradise for His prodigal children to return. He is, even now, on His heavenly throne waiting for that moment (that He alone knows) when His family will be at His right side for ever. In the same way that words fall short in defining ‘trust,’ so do words lack in explaining the eternal reward of those who trust in Jehovah God. Heaven is better experienced than defined.
An Unfeigned Prayer for Protection
(Psalm 17)
“Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry; give ear to my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.” (17:1)
Genuine righteousness is hard to find indeed. To observe a person perform wonderful works and speak with flattering words in the public eye is an everyday occurrence…but to witness those same works and words being communicated in the privacy of the home or the solitude of the closet is certainly atypical. These days it appears as if sincerity in secret has been overshadowed by the glory of the limelight. For one to carry out a good deed there must be the satisfaction of a newspaper heading, or a camera flash, or a featured report on the six-o’clock news, or at least a pat on the back. Has the meaning of “unfeigned” been lost when it comes to things done or said in secret?
“Thou hast proved mine heart; Thou hast visited me in the night; Thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing [evil]: I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.” (17:3) This is a statement of the boldest kind! This is an avowal that only the “unfeigned” can speak without Divine reproach. These words are on the tongues of those that have been tested in the fires of the Almighty…those who have been purified with the flames of heaven’s furnace…those who have been searched within and without out…those who have been weighed by Omniscience and are not found wanting! Are there any of these courageous souls to be found…souls that can broadcast on the celestial bandwidths of heaven that “my mouth shall not transgress!” (17:3) Has any heart the boldness to say, “VISIT ME! VISIT ME, O GOD! TRY ME! PROVE ME! TEST ME! Whether Thou visit the chambers of my heart or the chambers of my house…it matters not; for all that I am and all that I do is for Thy glory!” Can any soul say these things without fear of Divine admonition? Only if that soul is “unfeigned” both civically and secretly.
“Hold up my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” (17:5) Being “unfeigned” comes not from self-righteousness, but from God’s righteousness. This authenticity can never come from self…for it is the operation of God (Col. 2:12). “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (51:10) When a child of God walks in the Lord’s path…that child’s footsteps will be firmly planted on the righteous road. Jehovah will keep them from the “wicked” and from the “deadly enemies who compass…about.” (17:9) God will incline His ear and hear their speech.
God’s protection surpasses all illustration, and yet David has exemplified this Divine defense in a way that all can capture: “Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of Thy wing.” (17:8) When an object moves toward the pupil of the eye…the eyelid almost instantaneously locks around the eye shielding it from danger. David prays that the Lord will be his eyelid (as he is the pupil), so that when peril comes…David will be gently shielded in the nurture of the Lord. This promise is also to us and our children.
“As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.” (17:15) A soul will by no means see God unless that soul is upright. A camel will sooner “pass through the eye of a needle” before the wicked are given Divine approval (Mt. 19:24). “Let my sentence come forth from Thy presence; let Thine eyes behold the things that are equal [upright].” (17:2) May all be found “unfeigned” before the great judgment seat, so that all may behold His face without fear.
The High Tower and the Horn
(Psalm 18)
The thanks that all men ought to express to the Lord should surpass the grandest compliment…exceed the greatest tribute…and be superior to any honor given in the whole of creation. As marvelous as the shades of the sunset may be…God is more. As beautiful as the mirrored treetops on the most tranquil of lakes may be…God is more. The most eloquent prose in the finest of romantic poems can never exceed the words that fall from the lips of man toward the Savior of the world. Even the honey-filled mouth of Apollos could never exact appreciation to God for all He has done and continues to do.
“I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the Horn of my salvation, and my High Tower. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” (18:1-3) Oh how inadequate the words to use in light of the glorious redemption of God, that even the pen of David cannot transport such beauty to the page. As fluent as the pen of Paul might have been, as great as the delivery of Peter…the trust…the deliverance…the grace…the adoration…all of these items fall short in the describing. All of these things are lost in mortal translation.
“The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God…and my cry came before Him, even into His ears.” (18:4-6) What a multitude of burdens throng the way of man! What sorrows pierce the soul! What snares are laid to discourage even the mightiest of spirits! Who can stop the arrows of maltreatment tipped with the poison of discouragement aimed towards the righteous heart? What can shelter the soul from raging storms of uncertainty and fear? How can any heart find the peaceful bay of God when the waves of apprehension and doubt drive the soul’s ship past the harbor? (Hb. 2:1) CRY OUT TO GOD! CRY OUT TO GOD! His ears wait to hear the distressing cry! He awaits the shout of the righteous!
“Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills were moved and shaken, because He was wroth. There went up smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under His feet.” (16:7-9) What answers come to the righteous in the times of distressing! How the Lord responds to the call of His children! What awesome protection! What tremendous fatherly love! He vanquishes the enemies of the upright…He bares the arm of His might…He scatters His righteous arrows of light into the darkness of despair…and at each breath of His nostrils the strong adversaries are conquered. God is able to save! He will “save to the uttermost” them that come to Him (Hb. 7:25)! He will draw His children out of the deepest waters of peril! He will deliver (18:19)!
“The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.” (18:20-21) “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7) To the merciful…they will reap mercy. To the upright…they will reap righteousness. To the pure…they will reap purity. To the perverse…they will reap perversion. Jehovah will “enlighten the darkness” of His people (18:28), but He will harden the wicked hearts in eternal stone to be crushed ‘neath the heaviness of the brimstone of hell. The Lord will “bring down” the high looks…He will strengthen the righteous, and make their path perfect.
“For by Thee I have run through a troop, and by my God have I leaped over a wall. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.” (18:29, 33) There is no evil so powerful that its hold cannot be broken! There is no snare of sin that is so entangling that God cannot unravel its web. No sinister, spiritual army is so immense that the Lord cannot destroy them. Darkness cannot conquer the Light! Day overcomes the night! By the Father’s hand His children have gained the unconquerable zeal found only in the trust of the Lord. He has given unto His sheep eternal life…but He has also given them consuming capabilities.
“I have pursued mine enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.” (18:37-39) Never will the Lord’s chosen be swept away…never will they lose the battle! God is at their side…in their swords…riding on every arrow…behind every crushing blow. His elect have been awarded the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod about with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit…and these things will constantly conquer the powers of darkness. “Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as dirt in the streets.” (18:42)
“Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto Thy name.” (18:49) The “God of my salvation” shall be exalted above all else! The Lord of my deliverance shall forever be extolled beyond all honor and admiration. With prayers of thanks known only to heaven itself…with devotion known only to the creatures of eternity will I worship the Lord with thanksgiving. Tears of gratitude that stream from my eyes continually fill the diamond-like sea that shimmers before the throne of God…and the tears that shine the brightest are the diamonds of my thanks. Thank you, Lord…thank you! May Thy name be forever on my tongue…may my life reflect my thankfulness to You each day…and may all know Your everlasting name!
The Handiwork and the Heavens
(Psalm 19)
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.” (19:1-2) The dazzling beauty amongst the celestial bodies of the heavens reveals one of the greatest attestations to the presence of Jehovah God. The brilliant glistening of the stars…the colossal collisions of reactive molecules…the cosmic nothingness too great to perceive with mortal intelligence…the countless uncharted galaxies that the rays of this sun have not yet touched are all preaching the same sermon: “God is alive and powerful!”
With each morning’s sun that rears its rays upon the earth…the same sermon is shouted from its blazing podium, “God controls me!” Every existing creature (clothed with beauty beyond compare) makes up the innumerable congregation of creation that declares, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being!” As the sun fades away into the west…the mystifying light beams from the moon repeat the proclamation: “God controls my path!” “There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard!” (19:3) There are no people…no kindred, nation, nor tongue (no matter how learned or advanced) that has ever looked upon the night heavens and concluded that man is superior to all else. “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (19:4) With each falling star…with each passing comet…with each twinkle and flicker on the dark face of night’s blanket…there comes a sermon that all comprehend: “TO GOD BE THE GLORY!” (19:1)
While the pathways of the planets are perfect, and the orbits of thousands of moons are fixed…so the “law of the Lord is perfect…the testimony of the Lord is sure…and the statutes of the Lord are right.” (19:7-8) As the celestial bodies above brighten the world…so the “commandments of the Lord…enlighten the eyes,” (19:8) making the darkness of sin vanish away. “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” (19:9) His decrees will forever stand, and His wisdom will forever be just.
How many souls long for the commandments of God? How many hearts (if truth be told) desire the law of the Lord beyond all else? “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” (19:10) Oh the preciousness of gold! How the mind imagines heaps upon heaps of coins…shining riches in locked chests…bars of reflecting metal stacked, one upon another, as far as the eye can see…immaculate over-layings…treasures of chains, rings, and bracelets! Oh the sweet and satisfying flavor of honey…how succulently one would savor those sugary droplets fresh from the comb! How magnificent the sight/taste would be if desire became reality! But the Christian is to desire (above all) the statutes of the Lord. There should be no riches great enough…no storehouses of treasure deep enough…no Rockefeller or Gates inheritance large enough to overpower the child of God’s desire to keep the Father’s will. “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever:” but moth and rust corrupts the pleasures of this world (19:9).
God sets His eyes upon the earth much like the sun’s rays cover it: “there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.” (19:6) The day illuminates the darkness…and God pierces the nightshades of secret sin. The Lord sees what drives the heart, and He “divides asunder the soul and spirit.” This is why David would cry (as we must), “Keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me…” For as the lines and orbits of the heavens must be followed…accordingly, the child of God must keep to the pattern of God’s words. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.” (19:14) “Go, and do thou likewise.”
Sending Strength
(Psalm 20)
“The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee.” (Psa. 20:1)
The last place a soul flies is the point from which it should have flown to first. When a heart is in hopelessness and a life is in anguish…the knees are an end result and not a beginning response. From the depths of a hellish descent into pain and darkness…a still, small plea from a famished soul is heard by the God of Heaven: “Send help from the sanctuary…” (20:2). Then, from the ethereal heights of perfection and enchantment…a hand of mercy and redemption is to be found descending toward a threadbare soul in the grips of spiritual death. With the embrace of a mother to a child, that spirit is encircled by warm, eternal arms of love that drive away the chill of pain, and relieve the exhausted heart. “We will rejoice in Thy salvation…” (20:5)
“Now know I that the Lord saveth His anointed, He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.” (20:6) Ah, what a joy it is to be one of the Lord’s anointed! To understand that the Hand which made the heavens…the Hand that parted the Red Sea of old…and the Hand nailed to the cross…is the Hand which attends to the poor in spirit and the pure in heart. What a thrill it is to know that the same Hand that raises the sun in the east…will raise the righteous out of their suffering. What bliss in brings a soul to know that the Hand that feeds the sparrow is the Hand that gives nourishment to the upright. By God’s hand the Lord’s chosen will rise above sin and sorrow…above all that this world has to offer.
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” (20:7) If all the treasures of the world could be attained, it would not be enough to buy the faith which the righteous have in the Almighty God…a faith that is immoveable and eternal in the heavens. Christians do not trust in physical effects, but the anointed of God trust in something far greater…“unseen” in the heavens. Whether there are wars to be fought, or peace to be enjoyed…the chosen of God look not at what the eyes behold or what the hand touches. No! Not at all! The righteous “remember the name of the Lord God.” There is no other name given among men whereby one must be saved! There is no greater name than that which was given the Lord, and there is no other faith to be had…than true faith in Him!
“Save, Lord, Save” (Psa. 20:9)
Power on the Path
(Psalm 21)
How hard it is indeed to give God the credit which He deserves for the numerous victories He has granted every blood-bought soul. More often than not the rule of the human heart is to credit self. People tend to bask in their own glory and say, “Look at the great things that I have accomplished with my own power,” much as the rich fool of Luke 12…when, all the while, it has been God that has bestowed so rich a blessing on their lives. The virtuous child of the Lord lives only to bask in the glory of God, and be found in Him. “In Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28). As it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” (I Cor. 2:9) God gives the strength for victory in any pressing battle which a life may encounter along the spiritual way. He is the One who ultimately defeats the vice of the devil…He is the One who protects from the Destroyer of souls. “The king shall joy in Thy strength, O Lord; and in Thy salvation how greatly shall He rejoice.” (21:1)
The path of the righteous is strewed with blessings of goodness…but these blessings are sometimes barriers to keep the foot from slipping off course. “For Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness…” (21:3). The Lord makes the pathway plain! He gives what is needful in order that the race can be run with confidence in the right direction. “For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.” (21:7) With this renewed assurance that the road traveled leads to the glory of God and the reward of His servants…each step taken on the pathway of life becomes passionately stronger than the last.
“Thine hand shall find out all Thine enemies: Thy right hand shall find those that hate Thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of Thine anger: The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them.” (21:8-9). As each hurdle is approached…as each temptation is confronted the Lord has already given a way of escape. His hand has already conquered the enemy! He has made them “turn their back, when He made ready His arrows upon His string…” (21:12). The Lord protects each step taken on the road to heaven…and even now His arrows are pointed at the struggling temptations and sins of your life. Just remember that in order to release those Divine arrows from the celestial bow of God…we must stay on the righteous path.
Poured Out In Pain
Psalm 22
“My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”
Disbelief and doubt hammer upon even the strongest wall of faith. When there is no oasis to be found in the desert of sorrow and sin…when the land of bliss is far from being seen because of the never-ending waters of turmoil there is always the inquiry of the soul, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” The heart begins to speculate, as David’s spirit roared from the depths, “O my God, I cry in the daytime, but Thou hearest not; and in the night season I am not silent.” (22:2)
There are to be moments in life when the anguished voice of the soul calls out to God for comfort, but the Divine time for the giving of that consolation will not yet have come. As the soul languishes with the contemplation that no instant heavenly assistance is to be found, there is another notion that pierces the mind and soul of the faithful: “But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel. Our fathers trusted in Thee: they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them.” (22:3-4). God will not forsake His own people. If they are in duress…He will deliver them from the threat. If they are at the point of being beaten down by the enemies of the world…He will raise them to victory. The child of God will watch as the Lord hurls immense stones that will crush all of the enemies of the cross (as he crushed the Amorites of old). The Lord delivered our fathers…will he not deliver you?
“Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.” (22:11). Divine help is the best help…Divine help is the only help when life has come to what may be its ending scene. For David…his body, soul, and spirit were at the point of being “poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, and Thou hast brought me into the dust of death.” (22:14-15). The bulls of persecution used their brutal strength to trample David’s courage into the ground. The raging and ravening mouths of spiteful and malicious men pursued him…and pursued him until his strength was as dry as the Red Sea floor which the Israelites walked clean across. “Be Thou not far from me, O Lord; O my Strength, haste Thee to help me…save me from the lion’s mouth.” (22:19,21a)
“Ye that fear the Lord, praise Him; all ye the seed of Jacob glorify Him; and fear Him all ye the seed of Israel. FOR HE HATH NOT DESPISED NOR ABHORRED THE AFFLICTION OF THE AFFLICTED; NEITHER HATH HE HID HIS FACE FROM HIM; BUT WHEN HE CRIED UNTO HIM…HE HEARD!” (22:23-24). In the most tremendous of trials…in the most dreadful of difficulties…NEVER, NEVER forget that the Lord knows your affliction! He has never hidden His face from you! He has never closed His ears to your prayers! Though we doubt and question…though we feel ourselves to be unworthy worms…though enemies encompass on every side with vicious mouths gaped wide for the slaughter… though we are brought to the dusts of death itself THE LORD DOES NOT LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US!
“I will declare Thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee.” (22:22)
The Soul’s Still Waters
(Psalm 23)
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (23:1). The world struggles to attain an unattainable physical flawlessness…people crave an unfeasible amount of wealth which is thought to be needed to be happy. Yet, the child of God does not crave such things for “the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” All the treasures of the world are as nothing in comparison to the blessing of being in the Shepherd’s shadow. In Him is where peace resides…in Him the storms of life are silent. He leads His sheep to the stilled waters of their souls…made calm by the sound of His own voice calling them to the green pastures of rest. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
“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.” (23:4) The darkest shades of death will never o’er shadow the brightness of the Shepherd’s love. The sound of His voice will never be dulled by sickness or pain…but it will continuously ring out, “I AM WITH THEE ALWAY!
I AM WITH THEE ALWAY!” (Mt. 28:20). His hand will perpetually be outstretched to the wayward and the lost…as long as time stands. Though His rod of correction has righted our paths many times…that same rod will be what goes before us in defense. “I will fear no evil” when the Lord is my Guide! “I will fear no evil!”
With confidence we can sit down at the table the Lord has prepared…with confidence we can look our enemy in the face without fear or trepidation. “I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me!” Their words cannot harm…their actions come to naught…their deceptions are revealed…their foot slips when the oil of the Lord is poured out! What greatness is promised to the Lord’s anointed ones! Protection…power…paths of righteousness…and the very presence of God the Shepherd through life and through death. Our cups surely run over…
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (23:6)
Clean Hands and Pure Hearts
(Psalm 24)
“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and all they that dwell therein.” (24:1) Most people buy, and sell, and get gain without ever acknowledging where that gain is acquired from. The majority of souls that wander this earth aimlessly go here and there devoid of godly purpose or principle. All the people of the planet walk on borrowed land, breathe borrowed air, and live within borrowed time. “The earth is the Lord’s!” From the massive mansions in Beverly Hills to the poor shacks of the third world…from the billion dollar skyscrapers to the grain bins of West Kentucky…everything belongs to Him, “the world and all they that dwell therein.”
“He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.” (24:2) “God said, ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered unto one place, and let the dry land appear:’ and it was so.” (Gen. 1:9) God has created all that man has…all that man can ever attain. He has determined the ages and the orders…he has lifted His hand to the waters and said, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” (Job 38:11) God is perfectly powerful over all men and all things!
As a result of the Lord’s flawless supremacy, the question is then asked: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in His holy place?” (24:3) And the answer cometh four-fold: One with “clean hands, and a pure heart…one who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” (24:4) Can vile hands worship the Lord? Is it possible for a fraudulent and corrupt heart to revere and love a perfectly righteous Lord? Never! There can never be an honest heart which pleases self before it pleases God! There can never be virtuous words spoken while the same tongue swears deceitfully. “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessings and cursings. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” (Jas. 3:10) Only those who have these four fruits “shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (24:5)
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates: and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in.” (24:7) Barriers…the love of the riches of the earth…the overwhelming desire to attain the praise and fame of mankind…the lust of the flesh…the pride of carnal minds…self-confident strength…ALL these things cause the Lord to be shut out of the soul. With arrogant words and proud looks (which the Lord hates) the gates and doors of the heart are closed to the presence of the Lord. With haughtiness and condescension we are all guilty of slighting the Lord…we are all guilty of shutting Him out. The call of the Psalmist is this: “…Be lifted up, ye everlasting doors!” Don’t fasten the lock of your soul when the Lord is waiting at the door! Unlatch the locks! Pull down the gates! Lift up your heads and witness the glory of the King! “The Lord is strong and mighty, the Lord is strong and mighty in battle! The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory!” (24:8,10) Let the Lord into your life, and bask in His glory!
Eyes Ever Toward the Lord
(Psalm 25)
How many souls have been beaten down with temptation and sin? How many hearts lay wounded and torn with transgressions against Jehovah God? In the war of spirit against flesh… countless saints have found the battle too great, and they fall into the earth overcome by their own desires. They defile their garments as they wallow in the mire of the world for a season. Yet, when convicted of immoral conduct by the living words of the Spirit… when the danger that one’s soul is in is found out…there is only one place to raise a cry: “Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in Thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.” (25:1-2)
“Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day.” (25:5) The experiences of this life will only teach so much…and then no more. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Mt. 4:4) The soul needs spiritual guidance that can only be obtained through learning the truths of God. However, these truths cannot be partially existent in life…the words of the Lord aren’t to be heeded one day and discarded the next, but God is to be waited upon “all the day.”
“What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him: and He will shew them His covenant.” (25:12, 14) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” (Pro. 1:7) Without God there is no knowledge that is worth attaining…without God there are no words that are worth the writing. Though a man gain the whole of universal knowledge, if that man does not come to have fear of the Lord…what does it profit? There is no peace for those who do not fear Him. There are no alleviation of burdens for those who refuse Him. But for those who worship and revere the God of all…“their soul shall dwell at ease; and their seed shall inherit the earth.” (25:13) THIS IS THE SECRET OF LIFE! God has exposed the riddle of all the ages: How do I attain true happiness? How can I live a blessed life? “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him: and He will shew them His covenant.” (25:14)
Therefore, “my eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.” (25:15) Even if the battle rages its worst…even if the soul is crushed by sin to the point of death “mine eyes are ever toward the Lord!” When the devil is walking to and fro through every day of life trying to discover weaknesses and flaws “my eyes are ever toward the Lord!” Though the darkest of sins that are committed in the darkest hours be exposed…the prayer of those that fear the Lord will be this: “look upon my affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.” (25:18)
“O keep my soul; and deliver me; let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in Thee.” (25:20)
Bold Integrity in the Midst of Bloody Men
(Psalm 26)
“Judge me, O Lord.” (26:1) What a powerful statement comes from the lips of mortal man! David stands before an endlessly perfect God, and with all confidence asks his Creator to judge his every action and motive! He asks that God investigate every portion of his life…every word…every thought. Oh, for a courage like this today! Man’s faith is oftentimes tossed by every uncertainty of life…every insecurity seems to make us more hesitant to go to the Comforter of Heaven for help. Yet, the Psalmist teaches us that this is all the more reason to go to God and have Him examine each aspect of our lives.
“Examine me, O Lord, and prove me: try my reins and my heart!” (26:2) Why?! Why, David, do you ask such things as this? It is torture to be scrutinized and dissected! To stand before a Judge such as the Lord God is terrifying! And David resoundingly responds, “No…it is not!” How can one man have such confidence in the face of an Almighty Lord? Not to tremble in dread…not to be frightened by the thought of exposing the inner life…how is this possible? “I have trusted in the Lord; therefore I will not slide. Thy loving-kindness is ever before mine eyes; and I have walked in Thy truth.” (26:1,3) When you know the pathway you’re on leads to God…you are not afraid; for He is what you seek and desire to know.
How well do we know inner selves? How much conviction do we really have? Can we say with David that we “have not sat down with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers…I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked…I wash my hands in innocency…” (26:4-6) More and more…conviction is less and less. The ability to stand for truth is being replaced by a complacency of mind that causes our swords to be dulled. With less conviction comes less confidence that the life you live….is the right life. The mark of the mature saint is the ability to stand the closest scrutiny of the soul…and (even when blemishes are found upon canvas of life) knowing that we are able to go to God for cleansing. “Redeem me, and be merciful unto me.” (26:11)
In the Lord is where life begins…flourishes…and ends. “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honor dwelleth. My foot standeth in an even [righteous] place: in the congregation will I bless the Lord.” (26:8,12). I hope we all delight to be where the Lord is praised…to see the name of the Lord glorified by the tongues of all nations and kindred…to be amongst the ranks of all those that have gone on before who have served and worshipped as we. Truly…search out your life and be certain that you love inhabiting the house of God. Make sure that each step taken is in praise of the One who gave the ability to make that step. Find a righteous regularity in the walk of life...and the Lord will not let your foot slide from it.
“Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.” (26:1)
Fear Is Far From Me
(Psalm 27)
“The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (27:1) Fear…it reeks havoc upon the body, mind, and soul. Fear debilitates…it hampers and hinders progress. Growth is stunted and frozen…even recoiled by a sudden onslaught of trepidation. Courage vanishes away like a cloud flying upon a mighty wind…and with each second that passes a darkness veils every happiness and joy. There is not one, single beam of light that fear cannot cause to cease…for it is the deepest of all shadows casting its victim into an almost ceaseless confusion. Fear…
However, there is a Light which casts away all fear. “The Lord is my Light…whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh…they stumbled and fell!” (27:1-2) Where is the demon…where is the dragon that will ever tear the Lord from my side? Where is the torture…where is the goliath that will ever remove this Divine Light from amidst my pathway? I laugh, nay, I challenge the principalities and powers of darkness to cause me to fear while I have such a Strength in the presence of the Lord! If Hell itself were given a mouth and brimstone were its words…I would have such a Shield in the Savior that even the most blistering flame would be turned to naught at His command. They will ALL stumble and fail!
“Though a host should encamp against me…my heart shall not fear!” (27:3) Bring against my soul the legions of Gehenna, and God will show me the hosts of Mahanaim (Gn. 32:2). Bring against me an unseen army of evil…filled with the vilest of devils with soul tearing swords ripe with the blood of many that have fallen before me and I WILL NOT TREMBLE IN TERROR! I will watch as the Rock of Ages crushes them all! I will watch in awe as the Lord makes His arm bare and strikes blow after blow of Light upon the hosts of darkness! “Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them!” (II Ki. 6:16) There will be no defeat…darkness will not prevail. My fear will driven down like a nail through which I will see my soul fitly joined together by the Lord’s Spirit. “Though war should rise against me…in this will I be confident!” (27:3)
“Now shall mine head be lifted up [in honor] above mine enemies round about me; therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.” (27:6) The victory is not achieved by physical influence…it is the triumphant hand of the Lord that gives the gain. Even if I were blessed with the strength of Samson, the wisdom of Solomon, and yea the courage of David…the victory could not be accomplished without the arm of the Lord. Therefore, I will praise the God of Heaven…I will sing of His power…I will make my voice ring out in tribute to the One who has made me more than a conqueror through Christ. “Hide not Thy face far from me…Thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.” (27:9)
“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” (27:14) “Lean not upon thine own understanding! (Pr. 3:5) His ways are higher than my ways…His thoughts are higher and more noble than my thoughts! “When my father and my mother forsake me…the Lord will take me up.”
The Shepherd Is Not Silent
(Psalm 28)
“Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord, my Rock; be not silent to me…” (28:1) Imagine the piercing scream of an abandoned child crying out for the arms of a father or mother’s embrace. Imagine the sting of loneliness and isolation that causes tears to flood from its eyes and fall to the ground…not knowing if consolation will ever come. With each moment that passes the childlike screams of anguish grow more and more deafening…as if the voice of that child could be used up and broken under the strain. “…if Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.” (28:1)
Can a corpse hear? Can bones in a sepulcher receive an answer? By no means! Those who are dead neither ask nor receive. The spiritless body has no life…it has no energy or animation, and such David becomes if he hears not the answer of the Lord. What a bond the Psalmist exemplifies for all today to follow! There is no life in the day where prayer is absent! There can be no joy without answer from above…without communion with the God of Heaven. No matter how brightly the sun flashes its rays across the world …there is no light without seeking first the Father of lights (Mt. 6:33).
“Blessed be the Lord, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications!” (28:6) I was once dead without His answer…but now I am made alive through His merciful response! I was as the broken bones of a carcass…but now all symptoms of sorrow are gone! The Lord has heard my prayer, and life has been restored to my lifeless spirit. Gather the nations together…let all the voices of the earth ring out in praise to Jehovah God! Lift up praise and worship to Him who giveth all in all: “The Lord is my Strength and my Shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped…” (28:7)
“…Therefore, my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song I will praise Him: The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed.” (28:7-8)
The Living Voice of the Lord
(Psalm 29)
Behold the furious lightning flash across the sky…observe the clouds as they burst open with driving wind and rain…stand in awe as claps of resonating thunder surge and break like mighty waves upon a shore. The trees bend and tremble…the beasts of the earth flee for safety…the sun veils its face with clouds. Listen to the Lord’s voice peal across heaven’s sky! What magnificent volume! What a piercing and strident sound, so much so, that all is made to shudder. “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters [clouds]: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon the many waters.” (29:3)
“The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.” (29:5) Men may boast of their grand inventions of power…they may have pride in what they can develop or destroy, but God needs no device to assist Him in creation or demolition. He needs no heavy machinery...He needs no mechanism to carry out His orders. All the Lord requires (for His will to be done) is His voice! Every power the Lord needs to sustain the countless creatures and almost infinite organisms on this spinning globe resides in His voice! He upholds all things by the WORD of His power! (Hb. 1:3) Out of the nothing the Lord SPOKE all things into existence. “Let there be light,” and there was light! “Let us make man,” and man was made! The voice of the Lord is truly powerful (29:4)
“The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.” (29:7) The voice of Jehovah God divides (literally “hews”) one lightning bolt from another. By simply speaking…the Lord is able to harness and control that which man can never dictate nor predict. There are over eight million lightning strikes per day/each day on the face of this earth. That means that there are almost one hundred lightning strikes every second of every day. Each individual lightning bolt travels at 60,000 miles per second, and is hotter than the surface of the sun. The electric power that a bolt of lightning produces could power the entire city of New York for more than an hour…and the Lord’s voice generates and controls over eight million of those flashes of light each day.
The Power that creates and guides the clouds of heaven…the Power that produces such brilliant luminosity across the night sky…is also the Power that gives strength. “The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” (29:11) So, as the next storm rages through the heavens…as the next clap of thunder disturbs the air…as the ether is set ablaze, and the skies pour out rain from never-ending black billows…just remember what powers them all. “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of [His] holiness.” (29:2)
Weeping in the Night: Joy in the Morning
(Psalm 30)
A man swims through the water with joy and ease, but his legs quickly become entangled in some underbrush…he begins to struggle. He violently chops at the water with his arms…he screams out in terror, but as fatigue sets in his efforts to save himself become sporadic and feeble. The water grows calm and mirrored except a few distant ripples caused by his fight for life. He sinks further and further into the deep as his legs can churn no more. He is at death’s door. He takes what seems to be his last breath before plunging into the gloomy depths, but just as he closes his eyes in acceptation of the end…a hand pulls him to safety. Deliverance…Rescue…Salvation.
“I will extol Thee, O Lord; for Thou hast lifted me up…Thou hast brought my soul from the grave: Thou hast kept me alive…” (30:1,3) Many times we find ourselves sinking into the mire of life...being slowly pulled under by the quicksands of sin. Souls continually stray off the righteous path, and are lost in the thick jungles of temptation and allure. And when we realize the present danger we are in…we cry out to God for deliverance…for rescue…for salvation. Sometimes the rescue arrives quickly…while on other occasions the deliverance is delayed. David said, “Lord, by Thy favor Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: [but] Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled.” (30:7) No matter what the state of the physical or spiritual affairs in your life…just remember: “His anger endureth but a moment; in His favor there is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (30:5)
“Thou hast turned…my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off the sackcloth of my mourning, and girded me with gladness.” (30:11). Out of the pits of the misery of life we cry…from the valleys and canyons of sadness we shout to the peaks of the heavens…we long for deliverance! We long for God’s hand to reach into our souls and rescue us from the darkness…we long for Him to save us from our sin! We want the pain to stop! “No chastening for the present seemeth joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised [trained] thereby.” (Hb. 12:11)
Difficulties may come so that “my soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent.” (30:12) When drowning…how can I remain silent? When danger is upon me….how can my lips remain shut? The answer: I cannot. I must cry out! I must yearn and crave for deliverance from the only place that salvation can be given…from God. David proclaims: “O Lord, my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever.” What about you?
My Times Are in Thy Hand
(Psalm 31)
“Into Thine hands I commit my spirit, for Thou hast redeemed me…” (31:5) The soothing comfort that is found within these words…the solace and the release of a spirit into the Lord’s hands is a security that is beyond all measure and price. Whether in distress or peace…whether in suffering or satisfaction…the place to where the spirit goes is far better than the place it has been. Nowhere else is the spirit safe…nowhere else is there eternal gratification and delight than in the hands of the Lord. Even Jesus, as He was in the clutch of Death on the merciless cross of Calvary, said with relief, “Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk. 23:46).
Yet, with this comfort comes the harsh reality of sin. “My life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.” (31:10) Life is shortened due to the grief that lies within it. Lives are affected by loss…mental heath is upset by anguish and unhappiness. Saddened circumstances of life can hasten death. Slanderous insults and comments can cause depression and the slow decline of the physical body to the point that “bones are consumed [wasted away to nothing].” (31:10b)
“But I trusted in Thee…My times are in Thy hand.” (31:14-15) When David’s pen of inspiration slid across the page of this Psalm…his mind reflected on his own sorrow. A great deal of his life was a grief to him because of his own sin. The decisions that he had made in the past weighed heavy on his heart. His enemies constantly pursued him, and even sought his life. Yet, even during all of this he used the best resource: "In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust." (31:1) He had no other refuge, but refuge in the Lord. If enemies insulted and tarnished his name…he didn’t throw insults back at them. If they wanted to take his life…he didn’t draw his own sword, but he calmly trusted in the only deliverance possible: God. He met all of their actions with one simple defense…trust in the Lord. “O, love the Lord, all ye His saints; for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that trust in the Lord.” (31:23-24) There will be times of sadness, O, how there will be times of grief. Times when loved ones will pass, times when anguish will bring the soul to the breaking point of frustration, times when eyes will look to the sky from the depths of overwhelming grief and scream like David, “Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; mine eye is consumed with grief, yea my soul and my belly.” And as we rise from the depths of despair…our spirits will forever rest in the comforting hands of the Lord.
Sin as a Summer Drought
(Psalm 32)
Sin…how it causes the soul to thirst…how it presses the spirit into endless pits of pain. Its eclipsing spiritual night shuts out the glow of God’s presence, and thus separates the Creator from the created. Oh, how transgression causes grief! Oh, how sin produces sorrow! Then again, “blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (32:1) What a passageway is made from perfection to imperfection…from corrupt to incorrupt! What an entryway has been made (by perfect, sacrificial blood) allowing sin-filled souls to come into the audience of God once more. “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (32:2)
Salvation from sin is an act only God can accomplish. There is no power in heaven or earth which is capable of purifying a soul…save for the power of God. Thus, to God all must go! Each day there must be a conduit between earth and heaven! Each day there must be communication between the living soul and the One who sustains it. Without this transmission of transgression there can be no forgiveness. “When I kept silent, my bones waxed [grew] old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.” (32:3-4) Seeking forgiveness from God is a spiritual necessity!
When water removed from the body…the body deteriorates and dies. Likewise, the soul without the water of God’s forgiveness is as a body in a summer drought: parched and seared by a sinful sun. Nevertheless, the well of the Lord remains open for all who will come and drink of the water of life freely. Jehovah stands ready (with all His infinite intensity) to bring up souls out of the desert of sin into the oasis of His mercy. “I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgression unto the Lord: and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” (32:5)
Therefore, songs of deliverance sound from every saved soul! Deliverance from the terrible punishment caused by sin…deliverance from the darkness of sin’s eternal night…deliverance from the hands of wicked one…FOREVER released into the refreshing waters of God’s Spirit. The Lord promises His children, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.” (32:8)
“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” (32:10-11) Are you forgiven? If so, REJOICE! Are you rescued and delivered? If so, SHOUT SONGS OF DELIVERANCE! Are you upright in heart? If so, BE GLAD…for great is your reward. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (32:1)
“By the Breath of His Mouth…”
(Psalm 33)
By the word of His mouth the heavens were made…and all the magnificence of the earth was brought about by His power. “All the hosts” hanging in the expanse of the skies were accomplished “by the breath of His mouth.” (33:6) The subtle (yet wonderful) movement of God’s lips…the minuscule operation of the tongue of Divinity manifested such an explosion of design…words can ne’er convey its force. “He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap; he layeth up the depths…” (33:7) What might does lie in the language of God! What splendor dwells within the walls of heaven when the vast sounds of Jehovah’s mouth resound and rebound like thunderclaps across the clouds! What a marvel it must be to hear the voice of God!
Yet, while surrounded by the excellence of heaven, He desires to hear imperfect mortal tongues “sing unto Him a new song.” (33:3) God wishes to hear the songs that WE create! Heaven opens its ears to the songs that WE write! More than the language of the angels in glory…more than the noise of the seraphim and cherubim…the Lord desires to hear man’s voice. Above the praise of those perfect creatures encircling the golden throne of the Lord of hosts…the Lord longs to hear the praise of ashes and dust. It is not perfection the Lord seeks in song…it is not flawless intonation from the purest of chords. Never believe that a quality of voice can be attained to impress the God of Omniscience. It’s not possible…and this is not what He seeks. “He loveth righteousness and justice…” (33:5) He loves when His flawed children praise Him in truth. “Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; for praise is comely for the upright.” (33:1)
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, and it was; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (33:8-9) “He spake and it was!” Instantaneous manifestation! No delay! No suspension of time! Thoughts spoken into existence…visions of radiance verbally formed as the Potter fashions the idea into reality. He thought. He spake…and it simply…was. What a marvel it must be to hear the voice of God!
“From the place of His habitation He looketh upon the inhabitants of the earth…He considereth all their works.” (33:15) There is nothing which heaven does not perceive. There is no voice so minor which the Lord cannot hear. There is no darkness so thick as to veil the eyes of the All-Seeing God. Every work is known…as well as every intent of the heart. God hears praise as well as profanity, for all the world stands open before Him as a book before its reader. Therefore, “let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.” (33:22) Help us. O Lord, to sing a new song…
Keeping Blessed Bones Unbroken
(Psalm 34)
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me…” (34:4) A grain of sand washing along the endless seas…a lone star among the billions of an almost eternal space…a single voice crying out from the vast wilderness of a sinful world. “He heard me…” God heard a lone voice crying in the desert of sorrow! God heard a beaten and wearied soul thirsting for deliverance! An ALL-POWERFUL Deity reached down from heaven’s perfection to comfort the imperfect…and He still does. “He…delivered me from all my fears.” (34:4)
“They that seek the Lord shall not want [lack] any good thing.” (34:10) Security…something that is lacking in this world of work and toil and work and toil. Everyone is busy here and there trying to protect their own interests, find financial sanctuary, or build safekeeping for their goods, all the while oblivious to the fact that what they have is not their own to begin with. Richness of life begin with the knowledge that what is owned by one man…is simply borrowed from the One true God. Once this reality is learned and infiltrated into life…all things begin to be seen with Unseen eyes. So, “taste and see that the Lord is good, for blessed is the man that trusts in Him.” (34:8)
“The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” (34:17) What man amongst the world has not had trouble? What soul has not found itself in pain…longing for relief? All have experienced the desire for rescue…all have needed to be taken from anguish to ease…all hearts have been broken. Blessed be the blow that fractures the heart…for “the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such that be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken.” (34:18)
“The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants: and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate.” (34:22) WHAT AN ASSURANCE! What a comfort to be able to know that the Lord will always provide…to understand that the hand of the Lord is always strong to defend His own...and to appreciate the awesome power of the God of heaven working in life. Amen.
Fight Against Them That Fight Against Me
(Psalm 35)
“Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive against me!” (35:1) Defend me with Thy Omniscience! Accept and assist me in my case, Lord! “Stand up for mine help.” (35:2) In Thee only do I find safety…in Thee will I find true recompense and judgment. “Take hold of shield and buckler…” and let it be known that I am protected by Thy Divine power. Let mine enemies know that to fear them is to fear nothing. Make Thine arm bare…show the strength that You have reserved for the righteous. “Draw out the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me…let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul; let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Let them be as chaff before the wind...” (35:4-5a)
“Say unto my soul, ‘I Am Thy salvation.’” (35:3) I implore Thee, O Lord of Hosts, to give me confidence when all around me is in disarray …to give me assurance when all around me brings grief. Let me realize the unceasing deliverance that You have always given me…the promises that You have afforded me…the constant care You have bestowed on all those that have walked with You. Let me know I am not alone! “Say unto my soul, ‘I Am thy salvation.”
In my foolish impatience and uncertainty of mind I question: “Lord, how long wilt Thou look on?” (35:17) Mine adversaries rejoice in my trouble! They gather themselves against me…they tear me to pieces…they cease not to cause me pain. How long must I travail? How long must I endure? How much more can I take, Lord? I wait for Your rescue, but my eyes grow dim…my mind grows weary…my heart aches from the plights of life. How much longer will the fight last before You take up my cause?
“Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Thy righteousness…” (35:24) Taste and see that my life has been sweet to Thee! My years have been given to glorify Thy name! My heart has been true to Thee! Help me! “Stir up Thyself, and awake to My judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.” (35:23) Plead my cause! Be not silent! Be not far from me, for my trouble is ever near!
“Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. And my tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness and of Thy praise all the day long.” (35:27b-28) He has taken up My fight! He has supported my case! He has defended the heart of the righteous, and broken through the ranks of the enemy. Thank you, Lord, for watching me…for keeping me…and for saving me. Therefore, I will extol Thee with all my heart, and never cease to glorify Thy name.
“In Thy Light We Shall See Light”
(Psalm 36)
It is truly an awful thing to realize that transgression has been committed…but it’s far worse to have knowledge of the offense and do nothing to correct it. The longer one remains in the state of sin…the more the heart begins to believe “that there is no fear of God.” (36:1) With each day of disobedience that passes…sin rules the soul to the point that the sinner “flattereth himself in his own eyes…and he hath left off to be [from being] wise, and to do good.” (36:3) The light becomes darkness, and evil occupies the soul.
Though the soul that sinneth shall surely die (Eze. 18:20)…though the wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23)…God is still longsuffering. “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” (36:5) If God was not merciful…the moment that sin entered into the heart would be the moment the heart ceased to beat. If the Lord was not faithful in His promises…each soul on this earth would suffer the wrathful vengeance of the consuming fire of Almighty God. Without God’s mercy...we shall surely die! Yet…
“How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.” (36:7) To know the condemnation that sin produces…and then to recognize the Refuge the Lord makes available forces an understanding of God’s kindness. The sight of the Calvary…the Savior’s blood that was shed…the Substitution that was given for sin brings the sinful soul to “rivers of pleasure” where the spirit is “abundantly satisfied.” (36:8) “For with Thee is the fountain of life!” (36:9)
With each day that dawns anew…with each morn the Lord blesses with sight the prayer of our soul should be as David’s: “Continue Thy loving-kindness unto them that know Thee; and Thy righteousness to the upright heart.” (36:10) Let us come to know the Lord more! Let us all appreciate the feast He has made at His table…a feast so great that all “shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of His house.” (36:8)
However, a warning is given for all that come to the house of the Lord: “Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.” (36:11) With the coming of these great blessings comes great responsibility! To him whom He has given much…much shall be required! Pride comes before the fall, and he who exalts himself shall be abased. The Lord, and the Lord alone, causes the soul to rise from darkness to light…from blindness to sight. The Lord lifts us up to eat at His table…He draws the water that we drink. Without him we are “cast down, and not able to rise.” (36:12).
The Steps of the Righteous Shall Not Slide
(Psalm 37)
“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.” (37:1) This world is so alluring with its glamour and fame….with its finances and fortunes! It’s an enticing and entrancing charm that some gaze upon with longing and lustful eyes. To see movie stars and their mansions…celebrities driving the finest cars and eating the finest foods invokes an emotion of greed. With these scenes seared upon their minds some begin to covet the life of those who do not know God, nor do they care to know. All have been tempted with the concept of having more in this life than one has…all have been guilty (in some category) of wishing for the lucrative and Godless life which the wicked live in luxury.
However, David says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way…for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.” (37:7&2) No matter how wealthy the world becomes…no matter how many millions of dollars are made by wicked ways… satisfaction is only attained through the spiritual riches found in Christ. “Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (37:4) “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.” (37:16) Only in the Lord do souls find fulfillment and contentment. Satisfaction cannot truly be found in the beauty of this life…but only in the magnificence of the next. Though a righteous man has little riches…he is richer than the world combined. The eye of sight that is given to man in this life will become dim….riches will come to naught, but the eye of faith that constantly focuses on the splendor of heaven’s shore will never be darkened...and the treasures laid there will never fade. “Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” (37:5)
David has tested these things, and found them to be reality! David knows that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord!” (37:23) David has witnessed (FIRST HAND) that though the righteous do fall, they “shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth…with His hand!” (37:24) David has seen it with his own aged eyes: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (37:25) The Lord provides for His people! Though the wickedness filling this world oppresses the righteous soul... “the arms of the wicked shall be broken.” (37:17)
“I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet, he passed away, and, lo, he was not: I sought him and he could not be found…the transgressor shall be destroyed.” (37:36-38) The wicked of this life pass away, and no one remembers them with honor. They are as a ripple in the stream of time whose memory ceases soon after it begins. Their end…is the beginning of torment. Yet, “mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace!” (37:37)
“The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them, because they trust in Him.” (37:40) May it be so with you.
Heavy Burdens and Weary Bones
(Psalm 38)
“There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.” (38:3) The weight of sin is too much for any one soul to bear. Just as the consequence of sin surpasses all emotion or pain, so the load of sin surpasses all human ability to carry it. Whether due to the guilt of the heart or agony of the physical body…the outcome of sin torments the spirit with unrest. The struggle is constant between the flesh and the spirit…almost resembling the battle within a body as it fights off a ruthless and awful fever. The body shakes…a cold sweat covers the skin and sends chills up the spine…there is little rest to be had until that fever breaks. “Because of my sin,” David says, “neither is there any rest in my bones. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” (38:3-4)
“I am feeble and sore broken, I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.” (38:8) The moans and sighs that have been uttered by David because of his sin make him sound like a wild animal. He roars like a mighty beast injured in the deepest wood. He cries out in agonizing grief as an animal without food or water in the desert plains looks toward the sky for relief! “My heart panteth, my strength faileth me; as for the light of mine eyes, it is also gone from me.” (38:10)
“My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore, and my kinsmen stand afar off.” (38:11). The end result of David’s sins left him with a “loathsome disease” within his loins (38:7). This infection made his body stink because of his wounds (38:5). Truth: with iniquity comes wages. And although the ultimate wage of sin is death…sin carries many more consequences that can be seen in the flesh. Some effects are seen unmistakably…some effects may not be seen for years, but as David’s life went on he realized that the spiritually sinful choices he had made were now inflicting pain upon his physical body.
“For I will declare mine iniquity: I will be sorry for my sin.” (38:18) This is the exemplified conclusion in the matter of sin. David confesses and declares the wrongs he has done…and godly sorrow “worketh repentance unto salvation.” (II Co. 7:10) David cried to God! David sought God! “O Lord, rebuke me not in the day of Thy wrath!” (38:1) “In Thee, O Lord, do I hope…” (38:15) “Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” (38:21-22) He knew that his actions had driven him away from the presence of God. He acknowledged that what he had done was truly sinful, but he also knew that the Lord would pardon his sin. He was not afraid to go to the Father…and neither should any soul be.
Voiceless Vanity
(Psalm 39)
“I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.” (39:1-2) The most vulnerable moment for fiery, wounding words is when a heart’s sorrow is stirred...when that dormant volcano of heartache is released. Whether it happens by conversation with friends or actions by enemies, when sorrow’s billowing smoke reveals the intense fire within…it reduces everything to ashes.
“My heart was hot within me; while I was musing [reflecting] the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.” (39:3) Angry words burst forth from a fiery heart…not knowing friend from foe, brother from enemy, good from evil. Furious expressions from a grief-sharpened tongue slash and cut through the hearts of others like a scalpel. So many heated remarks…so many words of anger…so many tears….so much regret! “Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (Jas. 3:5)
“Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” (39:4) Souls often ask, as David did, “How much longer do I have to hurt? Lord, measure the time of my grief! Tell me how much longer I will be walking in the frailty of this life.” Tumultuous days can sicken the soul even unto death. The intense fire of anguish that rages within sorrow-stricken bones slowly consumes the flesh that keeps them hidden. All is revealed in due time.
“Behold, Thou has made my days a handbreadth: and mine age is as nothing before Thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” (39:5) Life is that which appears for “a little time and then vanisheth away.” (Jas. 4:14) This corruptible will soon see corruption…this mortal body will soon return to the dust of the earth; for “it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (Psa. 90:10) The years do seem to fly as stars falling through the vast night sky. A flash of light! A line of brilliant particles set the heavens ablaze! Then…as swiftly as it came…it’s gone. As the life of a flower, so are the years of man. “Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Lk. 12:20)
“O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.” (39:13) The last request of any concerned soul, “Give me time…give me time to set things right.” This should be the appeal of every heart when the silver cord is about to be loosed and the raging waters of Jordan are heard: “Spare me, that I may recover strength.” Often is Hezekiah envied as the prophet warns, “Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live.” (II Ki. 20:1) What a blessing at the end of life to know the day of one’s death as the day of one’s birth, to have time to “set thine house in order,” to never meet death unprepared. O Lord, give us all time to recover our spiritual strength before we are no more.
Save My Feet from the Miry Clay
(Psalm 40)
“He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (40:2) David’s pit! The obscure, black hole of sin filled with the shadowy eyes of the Devil. In that “horrible pit” only the helpless voice of frustration and pain can be heard. There are no voices of comfort to soothe the ears of the woe-stricken, for there is nothing but the silence of sorrow. There is no struggle, for the heart has been caught in the miry clay of transgression, slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss. There are no brotherly hands reaching down in compassion, for this pit has camouflaged its prey in shades of night. It is here that the spirit has reached its lowest…it is here that the soul flies upward to the gates of Heaven in despair…it is here that we return to a child-like state of reaching out for our Father.
“For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.” (40:11) Looking through the sins we have committed in our lives…when we try to look up toward God it’s like trying to look “a glass, darkly.” It’s impossible to see Perfection whilst looking through imperfect eyes. David says, “I am not able to look up; they (my sins) are more than the hairs of mine head.” How much we have been guilty of! How much we have transgressed! “O Lord, make haste to help me.” (40:13)
“He heard my cry…He brought me up out of a horrible pit…He hath put a new song in my mouth.” (40:1-3) Be ye thankful, and rejoice! Extol and praise the Lord of lords for He has rescued the sinner from the “miry clay.” No longer do his sins submerge his spirit in darkness! No longer is the heart made black with the foul colors of sin! Christ has rescued the sinful from the darkest pit of hell! Out of the almost never-ending night of wrongdoing and guilt flows the most beautiful river of Light from the glorious throne of God…a river lighted with the crimson radiance of the blood of the Lamb slain for the sins of the world. No more is the song of my soul somber! No more is the day dreary and dismal! For “many, O LORD my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” (40:5)
“Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: let such as love Thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.” (40:16) The Lord thinks of thee! Why be saddened by any condition of life? The Lord cares for thee! Why be anxious? Surrender to the mercies of God! Know His compassionate hand is upon thy heart every day. Child of God, all things are for your good. Say continually, “The Lord be magnified!”
The Bed of Blessing
(Psalm 41)
“Blessed is he that considereth the poor…” (41:1) In this age of break neck deadlines and lunch-on-the go work days…in this life of fast food and fast cars it’s hard to stop and realize that there are other souls on the earth, besides the one that dwells in your tabernacle of the flesh. The whole lot of the world seems to be caught in a whirlwind of stress and strain. Little (if any) time is set aside for the strengthening of family ties or the daily praising God. Work seems to take the forefront of time and mind. Yet, David says, “Blessed is he that considereth the poor…”
Some in this life (including this author) have minds that don’t handle multi-tasking very well. In other words, if the mind has already been occupied with one thought…another thought cannot be given proper attention. For example, while driving to town there may be a house that you have passed by hundreds of times. It’s always been there…nothing has changed about it…it’s the same run down house that it was twenty years ago. Yet, because that house has never been considered…because it wasn’t taken into account that the old man living in that house may need help…it was constantly passed by without regard. Stop. Look. Care. “Blessed is he that considereth the poor…” Why?
“For the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.” (41:1b-2) It’s amazing how the Lord’s preserves his benevolent servants. No matter how far they go into the trouble of the day…whether famine or flood, disease or plague the Lord makes a safeguard around them. Those who are merciful towards others…God will be merciful towards them.
“The Lord will strengthen him upon his bed of languishing, Thou wilt make all his bed in sickness.” (41:3) The God of heaven reaches down to the compassionate soul and makes his sleep smooth. The work of the merciful man’s hands has not be done for himself…it has been accomplished for others. There is no tossing and turning in a merciful bed, for the Lord makes that bed soft and sweet. Even during illnesses and ailments of this body…the Lord gives the sleep of relief to the kindhearted.
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.” (41:13)
Thirsting Tears
(Psalm 42)
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.” (42:1) Water is the indispensable element of life! Without this precious resource there is only inevitable event pending...death. All people need water…all bodies need a time of refreshing…every muscle, limb, and vein needs hydration! This is an undeniable truth worthy of all acceptation: Without water we die.
Imagine the picture that David has been painting on many a page of inspiration. His enemies are constantly struggling to ensnare his life. There are traps laid in every direction…and even the most trusted of friends are now foes. The arrows of the wicked are flying past his weary head. David is the hart running for its life. David is the deer that is running….running….running. He hears the footsteps of those that would take his life gaining on him…closer…closer…and closer they come. He feels their very breath on the hairs of his neck. Then…the peaceful waters come across his fugitive path. The stream of the living water surging from the Throne Room of Heaven allows his escape. The guarding water of God where the Enemy cannot follow….where safety resides...where the refreshing stream covers him. Without these Divine waters…David would have died. Without this water…we all die.
Yet somehow, spiritually, the world has been deceived by the thought that a soul can live without that water of life which flows from the Throne of God. Most people that make up this great populous of earth believe that a holy and saved life can be attained and sustained without the vital ingredient of spiritual water. Consider how much time is spent in prayer…how much time is spent reading, studying, and meditating on the oracles of God…how much time is spent in praise…how many times we stop and think that all that is gained on earth has been borrowed from the rich storehouses of heaven. Nothing on this earth is to last forever! Is there any heart that can say with David, “My soul thirsteth for God, for the Living God?” (42:2)
“My tears have been my meat [food] day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?” (42:3) When was the last time your body buckled to the floor, and your despairing soul looked toward the heavens for release? When was the last time that the saltiness of a tear was all that your mouth could muster tasting due to the bitterness and gall of life? When was the last time the Great Destroyer was breathing down your neck driving you farther and farther away from the Waters of Light? Every tear of penitence and pain we shed makes a watery pathway back to God’s reservoir of life. Each tear is a beacon of light showing the way to the Father.
“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me; for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.” (42:4) As water rushes through a stream, so the pain of our spirit must be washed away by the living waters of Jehovah God. All rivers flow unto the sea…and all the tears of God’s children (no matter how hidden or small) are collected in the great tributaries of Jehovah’s mercy. Tears keep the righteous pathway sparkling for the next soul that may have lost its way. Remember God. He is the only Way to life. He is the only Place where a time of refreshing can be found and enjoyed. He is the “health of my countenance, and MY God.” (42:11)
Thy Light and Thy Truth
(Psalm 43)
“O, send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.” (43:3) Sometimes in the journey of life it’s hard to see which path is the right path. Judgment can be clouded by intense emotion… discretion can be cast to the wind in the heat of desire! Countless obsessions, objects, and fleshly lusts can obstruct the view of truth and right. As sin begins to beset the soul, the Divine sunlight that guides the way…fades…and falls away from our view; the words and truths that once directed every step are now silenced by the noise of another will…our own.
“Send out Thy light and Thy truth!” Help me to see Thy way. Let nothing hinder my upward strides toward Thy throne. Show me the path of uprightness. Comfort me with the knowledge of Thy presence. Though the way be hard…though the enemy be great and pressing…let Thy glorious Light overtake all darkness as I walk in Thy footsteps. “Send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me.” Let them bring me into Thy holy presence where I can praise Thee for Thy merciful loving-kindness.
“Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise Thee, O God my God.” (43:4) Even if the darkness of discouragement surrounds my soul…though rivers of anguish flow o’er my being…I will go to Thy altar with praise. There, I will give Thee thanks for the blessings afforded me. There, I will pour out my heart and soul as an offering to Thy majesty. There, I will sacrifice my own will and yield to Thy Divine hand. There, as I am bowed before the altar, I will find joy in the presence of my God.
Thy Right Hand and Thine Arm
(Psalm 44)
“We have heard with our eyes, O God, our fathers have told us what work Thou didst in their days, in times of old.” (44:1) How will a child learn the wonderful works of God? How will those who fill future ages be acquainted with Jehovah? Fathers must pass on the spiritual knowledge of the Lord to their children! Mothers must tell their daughters of the mercy of the Lord! Otherwise, the glorious wonders of God will lose their magnificence in the eyes of the next generation. The fantastic narratives of Deity must be passed down from the mouths of faithful parents. Never let a child grow without the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
“Through Thee will we push down our enemies: through Thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But Thou hast saved us from our enemies…” (44:5-7) Trust is made stronger when walking side by side with someone who has a similar confidence. When God says, “I will give thee the land…I will lay thine enemies waste,” and David lays his sword on the ground…what would you do? Would you do the same? Would you look on that scene in disbelief…assuming that defeat would come without human action? Or would you trust that God would keep His promise, even if an army of ten-thousand giants was on the march?
“In God we boast all the day long, and we praise Thy name forever. Selah” (44:8) If trust is not placed in God, then praise for His many mighty works can never be given. To confide in God is to praise God; for all good things come down from the Father of lights. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (Jn. 1:3) Without Him no tears of joy could pass through an eye. Without Him no laugh could ever come from the mouth of any child. God is the reason for all! Therefore, “in God we boast all the day long.”
Furthermore, when God’s presence is withdrawn due to transgression and disobedience “our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth to unto the earth.” (44:25). As God is the source of all happiness…so without God there is no joy to be found. “He knoweth the secrets of the heart!” (44:21) He knows whether trust is there! He knows if there is commitment! He knows when a soul falls! “Shall not God search this out!” So, with David we must plead, “Arise for our help, and redeem us for Thy mercies’ sake.” (44:26)
The Best of the Betrothed: A Psalm to Solomon and His Bride to Be
(Psalm 45)
“My heart is inditing a good matter: speak of the things which I have made touching the King: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” (45:1) This psalmist’s heart overflows with pleasing thoughts and themes as he addresses the king. The foundation of his Psalm begins with describing the king is the most handsome of all the sons of men…his lips speak gracious things…and God has blessed him (45:2). He rides victoriously in his majesty, full of righteousness and meekness (45:4). His arrows are sharp, and they easily pierce the heart of his enemies (45:5). The people flock to bow down to their magnificent ruler. Why?
“Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (45:6-7) As God’s throne is full of uprightness and glory, so shall this king rule in righteousness. As God has hated wickedness, so this king shall echo the same in his sovereignty. The scepter of his kingdom will be truth, and the oil of gladness will be on his head. With God guiding this king…there will be no days of sorrow…there will be no days of grief or despair! The oil of gladness will flow through the land like milk and honey. Goodness begets blessing.
“Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy lord; worship [revere] thou him.” (45:10-11) For every righteous action there is an equally righteous reaction, if love has generated the thought or deed. This king was full of goodness. Accordingly, his future wife was to revere him for it. This bride-to-be was to leave her father and mother, and cleave to her good husband. In turn…her husband would desire her more and more. With joy and gladness they both are led into the royal palace of the king…where the nations will praise them forever and ever. Action, then reaction.
This psalm has conveyed the right relationship between an upright man and a virtuous woman. The foundation of this bond rests solely upon God. God is the center and God is the key. This king had God’s blessings poured on him due to his meek ways. The princess revered her husband as lord, and (as a result of her actions) they were both blessed forever. With God at the core…any relationship between a man and a woman will last till death parts them. When God is not the nucleus of the husband and wife bond, troubles will soon escalate into what God hates. May God help us all to be the husbands and wives God loves to see.
Strength in the Midst of Swelling Seas
(Psalm 46)
I will not fear! I refuse to be anxious! When mountains of joy crumble under the power of a quaking temptation…when monstrous waves besiege the delight of life I will not fear! Though the angry surges roll…though the sea be filled with troublesome waves that threaten to capsize and condemn the soul, I will not fear “for Thou art with me: Thy rod and Thy staff; they comfort me.” (23:4).
“God is our Refuge and our Strength, a very present Help in trouble.” (46:1) No difficulty is present in life which He cannot overcome. There is no crisis that He is not able to alleviate. There is no ensnarement from which He cannot rescue. In every thing and every way He is to be found. In every raging tragedy and catastrophe, He patiently bears us through to calm waters. Through every intense and violent storm, He gently places His arms around us. He is truly our Refuge and our Strength!
“There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God…God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.” (46:5-6) When the life-giving waters of the Lord flow, it is there that the soul shall be blessed. To be able to drink of the fluid fountain of God’s safety is to be able to face every worry and concern “and that right early.” With the ever gracious river of the Lord washing our hearts of every fear…the world should easily be able to see the reflection of Christ in our lives. “The Lord of hosts is with us,” and His water of life flows from His throne to our souls (46:7)
“Come, behold the works of the Lord…He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth, He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder, He burneth the chariot in the fire.” (46:8-9) Kingdoms rise and fall at the command of the Lord of hosts, armies have victory or defeat at His choosing: for the Lord hath spoken it. God has control over which direction the arrow flies…as He has control over the path of every sparrow. If He has willed conquest or downfall, then no spear, no bow, and no chariot will be able to overcome His Word. “Come, behold the works of the Lord!”
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (46:10). Stand in awe of the God of heaven and earth….wonder at His mighty works… pause, and be amazed at His dominance…bow in admiration and praise! He will have praise from His people. He will see that the created pay tribute to the Creator. This is what the Potter demands from the clay! This is what God demands of you. “Be still, and know…”
Sing Praises to God! Sing Praises!
(Psalm 47)
“Shout unto God with the voice of triumph!” (47:1) Imagine being taken away into a strange land, being forced to serve strange masters, and losing more and more hope with each sun that rises. Decades pass away, each year filled with arduous labor, when finally the day of release comes. What emotions would be felt…what tears would be shed. No more would the whip of the strenuous slave-master slice the skin! No more would the nights be sad, nor the morning light dreaded! Freedom has come! An explosion of elation is ready to burst asunder when that day of liberty at last dawns! The day the veil of slavery is lifted…the day feeble hands finally rest…the day the skies are looked to with thanksgiving! Joy is restored! Unity abounds! God is praised! “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph!” (47:1)
“The Lord Most High is terrible [awesome]; He is a Great King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet” (47:2-3) The Lord is a jealous God, but that jealousy works towards the protection of His people. If any nation or land comes against His family, His jealousy produces wrath towards them that are without. When others curse, the Lord blesses. As the world will try to tear down the name of the Lord’s people, the Most High will be to His own as a Mighty Fortress. “He is King over all the earth.”
“Sing praises unto God, sing praises, sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.” (47:6-7) It is the duty and the honor of every righteous soul to praise the King of all the earth. A righteous mouth produces songs of praise! Righteous lips are covered with the fruitful juices of devotion! There is an obligation for every follower of God to fulfill, and that obligation is to glorify, exalt, and pay tribute to the Most High. “Sing praises!”
However, the Psalmist reveals the golden key to opening the door of the sweetest praise: understanding. There is more to praise than just sound! There is more to a hymn of praise than just four parts perfectly in tune! In devotion, the song and the soul meld together to form both understanding and praise, and there cannot be one without the other. Without understanding, even the sweetest of strains fall short of God’s throne. Without understanding, a song becomes as a tickle upon the ear, and not a pluck upon the heart. Moreover, a song cannot be understood unless it is vocalized. If there are no lips to sing, there is no praise to ring. All mouths must praise…not just the ones gifted with the greatest voice.
“Sing praises with understanding.” That which a soul is to praise is none other than the King of kings and Lord of lords. The voices of this congregation blend together in song to extol the God of heaven. And as our voices rise, we rise also…to heights which this world cannot reach…to mountains unseen by the eye of the unbeliever…we rise to the ethereal heights of heaven itself. “Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.”
As We Have Heard, So Have We Seen
(Psalm 48)
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.” (48:1) Have we not seen? Have we not read what the Lord our God has done for His people in the generations past? Have we not revisited the stories of old on the pages of Holy Writ which bear witness to the awesome acts of might which the Lord worked for the deliverance of His own? Doesn’t the cinema of our minds play out the Force with which the waters of the Red Sea were held back? Do we not see the drowning army of Pharaoh struggling for air as they are drowned by the hand of God? Do we not recall the hungry mouths of the fiercest lions being shut up to protect the Lord’s chosen servant Daniel? Can we not envision the torrents of rain washing over the entire earth in judgment upon the wicked, all the while working salvation upon the eight righteous souls within the ark? The celestial bodies that His Divine hand suspended upon nothing, the thundering Law of Mount Sinai, the Presence of God around the Ark of the Covenant, the sling of the psalmist David as it whirls in front of the giant Goliath, the great fish prepared for Jonah…all these examples demand glory to God.
“As we have heard, so have we seen…” (48:8) God has not lost His dominance or grandeur. He has not diminished in strength or might from one Testament to the other. The God that caused the earth to swallow up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in punishment for their sins is the same God that we serve today. The God that caused Elisha to be surrounded by unseen chariots of fire is the same God we lift up and praise today. Though His longsuffering is remarkable…the day will come when His wrath will be unleashed in measures unknown to this world. Though His people are slaughtered all the day long…though His church is ridiculed and blasphemed…though His very Son has been cast away and trodden under the foot of man…the day will come when His blood-bought church will be raised to heights of splendor untold. As we have heard, through faith, we will see.
“For this God is our God for ever and ever.” (48:14) The days of God are not numbered, neither are they counted. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He has been from before the foundations of this world. Time does not bind Him, and no being in the whole of spiritual and physical creation can ever overcome Him. God is our God for ever and ever!
“He will be our guide even unto death.” (48:14b) The darkness of death cannot overcome the light of eternal life which God sheds upon His followers. Death has no sting with God leading the way. The grave has no victory with our hands tightly in His. When God has joined our souls with His Spirit, what God as joined together NOTHING can put asunder. No height, no depth, no angel or principality, no power, nothing present, and nothing that is to come shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39) Great is the Lord, and greatly He is to be praised!
Beauty Consumed by the Grave
(Psalm 49)
“Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: both low and high, rich and poor together. They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him…that he should live forever, and not see corruption.” (49:1, 6-9)
What do we put our trust in? Do we depend upon swelling bank accounts and rising stock prices for security? Is it true that the only time we can rest is when our financial goals are being met? If so, God says unto you, “Thou fool! this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then, whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?” (Lk. 12:20) There is no trust in gainful riches that can go beyond the grave. There is no amount of wealth that can pay a ransom to God for the sins of a soul. No matter how much we leave to the church at death…no matter how much we donate to charitable causes…a soul cannot be redeemed by physical riches. “Wise men die, likewise the fool, and the brutish person perish, and they leave their wealth to others.” (49:10) Trust not in what is seen, for the things that are seen are temporal. Trust in what is not seen, for those things are eternal! (II Co. 4:18)
“Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.” (49:16-17) Never envy those that have more fortune than you! Obtaining the riches of all the world is nothing when death comes to take the physical life. No diamond or dollar can persuade Death to delay. There is no amount of wealth in this entire world that can buy even one day of life from the Creator. And when it comes our time to die…there are nothing but memories we take from this life to the next. Every accumulated thing in this life will be left behind “where moth and rust doth corrupt and thieves break through and steal.” (Mt. 6:19)
“But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for He shall receive me.” (49:15) The redemption of a soul is precious indeed…so precious that God gave His only-begotten Son to pay the price. Through that blood-sacrifice our souls have the hope of rising to worlds of glory, yet unknown. Through Christ, the grave has no victory and Death has no sting! Death is now a blessed thing for those who die in the Lord “that they may rest from their labors: and their works do follow them.” (Rev. 14:13) God will redeem us from the power of the grave, and we will live with Him forever within those gates of pearl.
The God of Salvation Hath Spoken
(Psalm 50)
“The Mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.” (50:1) What can we offer God that is not already His? He has made the heavens and all the stars that dwell therein. He has made the earth, on which we stand, with all its marvelous beauty and life. He has made the sun, the moon, and the stars. He has made every animal, every insect, and every microscopic organism which the eye cannot see. He commands the sun to rise and the earth to revolve. He orders the seasons to change, and the winds to blow or be at peace. His hand refuses to be absent from any place…and His power cannot go unnoticed even in the smallest workings. The very earth rings out in praise of God’s power, “and the heavens shall declare His righteousness, for God is Judge Himself.” (50:6)
Yet, what can we offer God that is not already His? Our thanks. “Offer unto God thanksgiving: and pay thy vows unto the Most High: and call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” (50:14-15) Gratitude is not something God can force or coerce from His children. Thanks must be voluntarily given. With God’s voice the heavens came into existence. With the words that came from His mouth He spoke forth the seas and the skies. He breathed life into man, and gave him an eternal spirit. Yet, even with the immeasurable strength of the Lord…He still gave man the choice of turning to Him, or turning away from Him. We are commanded to “offer unto God thanksgiving…”
“But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?” (50:16) If thanks is not given…if lives are not voluntarily sacrificed and sanctified, then what reward have we? If there is no fruit of our lips given to the Lord in the form of praise or thanks, then has God been glorified or disgraced? What right have we to partake in His blessings if we do not bless Him? What place is ours at His banquet table if we refuse to thank Him for the feast? “Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver [you]!” (50:22)
“Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.” (50:23) The words and hymns of praise we sing rise up to God as a sweet smelling savor. The pearly gates of heaven shake, and the streets of gold shine brighter and brighter as our voices ring out to glorify the King of kings and Lord of lords. The more we praise God, the more our lives are ordered by His words. With each note that is sung…with each prayer that is prayed…the salvation of God is to be realized more and more. We begin to know that with each moment that passes, we are that much closer to leaving this corruptible…for that which is incorruptible. And it is in that land of the incorruptible that our praise will be perfected by the shining Son of God.
Wash, Cleanse, Purge, and Create
(Psalm 51)
“Have mercy upon me, O God…blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” (51:1-3) When the burden of sin weighs so heavy upon the heart that the spiritual bones break and wax old…when the strain of that iniquitous load crushes the soul, then there is an acknowledgement that there is nowhere else to go but to the knees in prayer to God. “Have mercy upon me! Have mercy upon me according to Thy loving-kindness; according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies…” (51:1) The heart begs for relief…the soul pleads with the Lord to be purged and made clean! The heaviness of the grief and the guilt is too much to bear! Darkness is closing in…the searing, sinful night is coming on, as the soul is lost in waves of overwhelming shame and reproach. “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight.” (51:4) “Have mercy upon me, O God.'"
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.” (51:7-8) Take away the darkness from the eyes of my soul! Relieve the blindness of my sin-covered spirit. Take away that which causes Thee to be dissatisfied. Give me truth. Make me know Thy wisdom. Help me to discern what is lovely or what is appalling…help me to choose what brings Thee joy. My sin is ever before me, but the only hand that can remove it…is Divine.
“Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.” (51:11-12) The sin, which so easily besets, causes an eviction from the presence of God. The burden of offenses that is carried upon the back of the impenitent presses harder and harder upon the soul the farther the path is trodden away from the Lord. And there is a point in that path where the sinner has gone beyond all hope of redemption, beyond restoration, and beyond ever knowing the joy found in the salvation of God. That moment comes when the conscience is seared…when the road of perdition has been chosen…and the final destination of damnation is preferred over the praise of God.
“O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it; Thou desirest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” (51:15-17) Nothing we bring to the Lord can ever pay for the reproach we have brought upon His name. No sin can ever be paid for with physical wealth or spiritual honor. The sacrifice the Lord demands is to be found in a spirit that has been broken into pieces (crushed under the weight of sin). The offering the Lord desires is to be made up of a contrite and penitent soul. And as we bring our broken spirits before the Lord…He smiles as He reaches down from the heights of glory and creates a new heart (a clean heart), one with which we can praise the God of heaven for the salvation bestowed upon mortal men. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (51:10)
Doeg’s Prideful Demise
(Psalm 52)
King Saul had a passion that consumed all the energy of his life. This obsession…this addiction burned inside him until his bones were ablaze with fury and madness. This desire was to take the life of David, the servant of God. In this manslaughterous mission King Saul’s wickedness knew no bounds, and his sword knew no ceasing until David’s life was forfeited. He looked in caves and forests…he looked in hills and mountains, but he could not find his target.
Finally, after railing at his own men for betraying him and allowing the son of Jesse to escape, Doeg (the Edomite) answers Saul and says, “I saw the son of Jesse (David) coming to Nob, to Ahimilech, the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath, the Philistine.” (I Sam. 22:9)
With these words, King Saul’s blood ran cold with murderous intentions. He commands that the priest that helped David (Ahimilech) be brought before him. Ahimilech is examined and questioned about his dealings with David. King Saul angrily asks, “Why have ye conspired against me?” To which Ahimilech replies, “Who is so faithful among all thy servants as David?” (I Sam. 22:13-14) As these words rang out in the ears of the king, his blood began to boil with hatred…his muscles tense…his eyes slant as he yells, “Thou shalt surely die, Ahimilech, thou, and all thy father’s house!” (I Sam. 22:16)
However, Ahimilech and his sons were priests…they were men of God. So, when Saul turns to his soldiers and commands that they kill these priests with a sword…the soldiers refuse: “But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.” (I Sam. 22:17). One can only imagine what this does for the king’s countenance, which is already severe.
Though the king’s footmen would not consent to do this evil in the sight of God, Doeg, the Edomite, shows great interest in doing whatever King Saul desires. Saul looks at Doeg and says, “Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg, the Edomite, turned and fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five [85] persons that did where a linen ephod. And of Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings…” (I Sam. 22:18-19)
Thus David writes at the outset of Psalm 52: [To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.]
Application: “Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. (Psa. 52:1-5)
Is the Fool in Us?
(Psalm 53)
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…” (53:1) Gazing into the trees…there is life to be found on every branch, every leaf, even every bit of bark is crawling with creatures that make it their home. Listening to the numerous songs being piped by the beaks of countless birds…and knowing that each one is fed by a Divine hand, leaves one awestruck at the power it necessitates to maintain all life on this globe. Almost seven billion souls walk the face of this earth, and there is enough oxygen, water, and food to sustain every single one. What wonders have been created at the hand of an Almighty God! Who, but a fool, could say there is no God?
Yet, one doesn’t have to be an open atheist to be guilty of this process of thought. A soul that has learned of the greatness of the Lord…a heart that has been pricked by the Gospel of Christ…a mind that has studied the Scriptures daily can still live a life as if there were no God. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) How many times has a day of life passed without recognizing the power that created that day? How often has the time not been redeemed, and the Creator not been thanked? Frequently, we have let the hand of God go unnoticed in the blessings of life…in the happiness and in the sorrow. Over and over again the commonplace workings of life have led us away, and distracted us, from looking to the heavens in magnificent praise. So often, we don’t speak as the fool…but through forgetful and ungrateful lives we reveal by our actions what we dare not say: “There is no God.”
“Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge?” (53:4) Lack of knowledge has been the downfall of many a soul, and it will be the downfall of countless more in the future. The prophet Hosea long ago stated, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” and this history will no doubt repeat itself. (Hos. 4:6) Oh, the nightmares that will come if we refuse or reject the spiritual education that God requires of us. Dare we even discuss the punishment to come? Do we have the courage to face that eternally punishing image as we reflect and examine the iniquities of our own lives? We must! We must because without knowledge we are destroyed…without knowledge we don’t know how to call upon God for mercy! Even if the knowledge is hard and severe, that knowledge is to be absorbed and digested so that our iniquity can be made known, and forgiven.
God has revealed His word to man. By this word we are to learn the knowledge of God, and when the knowledge of God is used in every day life…it produces wisdom. Thus, with the knowledge of God being used (and wisdom being produced) every day God is seen and recognized….His hand is observed as the wind rustles the leaves of the trees, or when the birds sing their Maker’s song. By knowledge, we know that there is a God, but he that is without knowledge says in his heart, “There is no God.”
Save Me By Thy Strength
(Psalm 54)
“Save me, O God, by Thy name, and judge me by Thy strength.” (54:1) The overcoming power of man is futile, to say the least, when it comes to the realm of the spirit. Without the Lord…all man can do is but strain to see through a dark glass at an image that he cannot understand. When we are devoid of the agency of God…we lose our Refuge, our Strength, and our very present Help in time of trouble. With no words and no ways of wisdom from on high…we are lost! As Jeremiah would say, “it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps.” (Jer. 10:23)
However, with God all things are possible! With God it is possible to find the lost soul that has sank into the deepest pit of sinful mire. It’s possible, through His mercy, to wash away the iniquities of the most polluted soul…and to see that which is made pure and spotless by the blood of the Lamb. God can pull souls out the very fires of destruction. He can stop the downhill descent of spirits into the abyss of perdition. With God all things are possible, but salvation is never possible if we don’t ask for it! “Save me, O God, by Thy name, and judge me by thy strength.”
David has been running away from the vicious sword of Saul for what seems like ages. He’s hidden in fields and caves…he’s crossed miles of terrain and worn his sandals bare. But Saul has caught up! David now hides on one side of a mountain, and King Saul (with all his armed men) begin to charge up the other side. David has no way of escape from the bloodthirsty hand of Saul…he has no way of defeating the king’s army. Footsteps close in…the clanking of armor grows nearer and nearer…it looks like the end for David. “But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, ‘Haste thee, and come: for the Philistines have invaded the land.’” (I Sam. 23:27) David’s life is spared in the nick of Divinely appointed time!
“Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. I will freely sacrifice unto Thee: I will praise Thy name, O Lord, for it is good. For He hath delivered me out of all trouble, and mine eye hath seen His desire upon mine enemies.” (54:4, 6-7) Into the darkest corner we will be pressed…Satan will tempt us sore, and all his evil instruments will encompass our souls, BUT GOD WILL DELIVER! Though the army of a nation came against David…the Lord turned them aside. While the end of David’s life seemed inevitable (and the blade of Saul seemed to smell his blood) the Lord confounded the mighty and delivered the weary. Will He not do the same for us? Is He not the same God of yesterday that He is today? Does He not give ear to our prayer? Does He not hear the words of our mouth? He does! The Lord is the Helper of His people! I just hope that we can all say, as David did, “God is MINE helper…”
Betrayed By Friends: Avenged By God
(Psalm 55)
“It was not an enemy that reproached me: then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.” (55:12-14)
To be betrayed is evil enough, but to be betrayed by those whose friendship is loved and whose company is enjoyed, oh, there is no word to define the heart-misery such a vile thing excites. The hand of a brother raising a sword against brother brings to mind that piercing prose of Shakespeare, as the assassinating Brutus elevates his blade over his friend Julius Caesar, as the emperor cries: “Et tu Brute?” Betrayal is brutal…and David’s life tells of it all too well.
David’s kingship was counseled by several men, but no counsel was as treacherous as that of Ahithophel (I Chr. 27:33). Ahithophel, interestingly enough, was the grandfather of Bathsheba, David’s wife (II Sam. 23:34 cp. II Sam. 11:3). He was family! However, those closest in this life can injure the most. Ahithophel’s words and counsel were as if he was from heaven itself! His words were wise…his decisions were logical and deliberate…he was a clever old sage (II Sam. 16:23) However, his wisdom didn’t hold a candle to his wickedness.
Absalom, David’s son, had caused a rebellion throughout the kingdom of the Jews. The people were flocking to the ruggedly handsome Absalom, while David’s supporters were dwindling. Ahithophel sizes up the situation and, logically, seizes his chance to cross over to the more powerful and prestigious prince Absalom. David’s friend and confidant…the one to whom he went for advice had just betrayed him. “It was not an enemy that reproached me: then I could have borne it…but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance! We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company!” (55:12-14)
Enraged, wounded, gnashing his teeth on the pages of inspiration, David exclaims, “Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell…” (55:9, 15) He was deceived! He was cut by the blade of betrayal! How long, O Lord, will the wicked go unpunished?! How long will their actions go with judgment?! Will you allow, this, my betraying Judas, to prosper while I suffer?! “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords!” (55:21) Therefore, I cry to God! “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud!” (55:17) I will cry out to the God of heaven for justice! His hand will give mercy to the afflicted…and swift damnation to those who cause it! “God shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction,” and rightly so! (55:23)
Injurious judgment is something that is not prayed for much in this day of tolerance to sin and open-mindedness to every evil under the sun. It’s politically incorrect to condemn those whose sinful lives and actions are condemned by God Almighty. Justice is a dish that goes unserved in this country, but it will not be so for long. There will be a day…a day which every righteous soul longs for…a day in which the living and the dead will be judged by their deeds and their thoughts. It is in that day, that glorious day, sin will be eternally removed from sight…and we will “fly away and be at rest.” (55:6) Lord, come quickly! Amen.
Certain Confidence in Uncertain Situations
(Psalm 56)
“What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” (56:3) This is a bold statement for a disciple of the Almighty to make! How many of us lose sight of the heavenly when the earthly things of this life overwhelm the heart? How easily our trust in the Lord is lost in the midst of trouble! For the most part, in the face of pressing misery or sin’s allure, our eye of faith is dimmed…and instead of shouting to the Lord for deliverance, our voices are silenced by the shame, the sorrow, and the fear.
But these things ought not be so, brethren! Our conviction must be as bold as David’s…our confidence must be as his: “…in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me!” (56:4) Every day the world surrounds us with sin! Every day intense temptations encompass our physical lives! Every day the Evil One lays his snare and waits for us to lose our way. “They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.” (56:6) There are always going to be temptations! There are always uncertainties in the sore moments of life…there are always uncertainties and imperfections in our faith, but there is never, never uncertainty in God’s deliverance! “When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me!” (56:9) God will deliver His people! This He has promised!
“In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid what man can do to me.” (56:11) What is the foundation of such faith? What fuels such confidence? “Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto Thee.” (56:12) David had made a promise. His promise was given out of reason: “For Thou hast delivered my soul from death…” A man’s word might not mean much in this present age, but when a vow is made to God by the heart of a righteous man (such as David)…that vow is kept to the best of his ability.
Through God’s promises of deliverance and David’s vows of praise, a confidence was stirred within the Psalmist: “…wilt not Thou deliver my feet from falling, that I might walk before God in the light of the living.” (56:13) With experience of life comes firmer faith. David knew that his spiritual soul was safe in the Shelter of Heaven, therefore, he knew that His physical feet were safe from falling, and the Lord was walking with Him on His journey. Praise be to God that He is a God of deliverance.
Crying from the Cave
(Psalm 57)
“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings, will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” (57:1) King Saul (who seeks the Psalmist’s life) has taken 3,000 of the choicest Israelite warriors and pursues David through the caves and caverns of the wilderness of Engedi (I Sam. 24:1-2). At some point during the intense hunt…King Saul walks into one of these caves to “relieve himself.” Unbeknownst to Saul and his army, David and his men are hidden away in the recesses of the same cave which the king has now entered.
Imagination can only convey how fast the pulse of the body became as David saw the mighty king of Israel walk into the mouth of that cavern. What a rush of adrenaline! What a fearful game of hide and seek! Concealed in the shadows of the cave where Saul is resting resides the very prey he seeks to destroy! However, David knows that just outside the entrance of his hiding place lay thousands of trained soldiers whose minds are focused upon the thoughts of his death.
It’s no wonder that David writes: “My soul is among the lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” (57:4) The Psalmist is encircled by an army that seeks his life. The very king, whose anger seems to be kindled by the Devil himself, rests a short distance away from where David crouches in stealth! How those rocky walls would begin to shrink in a claustrophobic fright if I was in David’s place.
However, the man after God’s own heart sees the Lord at work even in the midst of a terrifying situation: “They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they have fallen themselves.” (57:6) David knows the danger…he knows the perilous situation that lies before him, but he also knows that He who is for him is more than they that are against him. The Lord will not allow his servant’s foot to be caught in the trap of the wicked! On the contrary! God has given David his way of escape!
As quietly and stealthily as possible, David makes his way to the skirt of Saul’s robe. Ever so carefully, David cuts away the royal fabric of king’s garment. When Saul retires from the rest of the cave and comes back to lead his troops, David emerges from the cave with an announcement: “Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee into mine hand…but mine eye spared thee! See the skirt of thy robe in mine hand!” (I Sam. 24:10-11) David could have taken the life of the anointed king, but he had mercy upon his enemy. To which Saul replied: “…the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.” (I Sam. 24:19)
“I will cry unto God most High, unto God that performeth all things for me.” (57:2) In times of turmoil…in times of danger and temptation, KNOW that the Lord has made a way of escape. There are many mental caverns we try to disappear into when things of life seem vastly overwhelming, but God gives us a way to break out of the darkness of despair into His peaceful light. But we must trust in the Lord! Even while among the lions of fear and worry…we must have confidence that the Lord is working for our good! So, “be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let Thy glory be above all the earth.” (57:11)
Snails Melt and Serpents Stop Their Ears
(Psalm 58)
“Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?” (58:1) The profession of good means nothing without the action of life following suit. We can indeed speak righteousness and sing the loudest praise, but unless those tones are blended with virtuous deeds…they are as a “sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” The noise of one voice can by no means produce an ensemble of uprightness unless that voice be blended with instruments of excellent manner and conduct.
How many that claim to be Christians…only claim that title with word and not with deed? How many are guilty of confessing Christ with the mouth and not with the hand? Acknowledge that Christ is Savior in public only to do all manner of evil in private? This should never be! Oh, if the veil of secrecy were to be lifted so that all could peer into our personal lives what shame would come upon some souls! Could it be said of you: “Yea, in heart ye work wickedness?” (58:2)
Confrontation of sin usually displays the character of the sinner (whether they are willing to repent or eager to refuse). Those who choose the road of impenitence close their hearts and clog their ears to the beckoning calls of the Lord. Their iniquity festers in their souls like a cancer…slowly...diligently eating away at any hope of return. Inside their hardened heart they have “poison like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; which will not hearken to her charmers, charming ever so wisely.” (58:4-5) Eventually, the wages of sin become death.
Therefore, the righteous do pray: “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth!” (58:6) Shatter the fangs of the serpents of sin, so that theirs poison can do no more harm! “Let them melt away as waters…as a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away!” Take away the wrongdoing! Take away the sin! Let us all stand justified in Thy sight according to Thy loving mercy and grace! “Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily He is a God that judgeth the earth.” (58:11)
Waiting for the Lord to Walk
(Psalm 59)
“Because of His strength will I wait upon Thee, for God is my Defense.” (59:9) More often than not, we find ourselves out of tune with the Divine…we realize that the pathway we have chosen, the strides that we have made, the road that we have selected is not in unison with the “narrow way” of the Lord. Our feet make fresh marks where God has not walked! Our course has led us into uncharted and unrighteous waters! Why? Why do we lose our righteous direction? Why do we walk away from the Lord’s precious footsteps?
The answer is found in a word we are seldom fond of hearing: ‘wait.’ Patience is a righteous fruit which has almost been lost in the hurry and haste of this microwave-ready world. Our society challenges us to be the first in everything. Promotions and presentations, grades and scholarships, sports and social standing…they are to be acquired as quickly and viciously as possible. We are to use every possible ounce of energy to climb the latter of self-advancement. However, in doing so we have stepped where God has not. We have not waited for the Lord to walk.
Waiting upon the Lord is a difficult thing since we’re so used to having what we want, when we want it. Food, clothes, gadgets, games…they all seem to fall into our laps without the slightest of long-suffering or discomfort. ATMs, gas pumps, oil changes…these are all parts of life that numb us to patience and fill our days with an accelerated rush. There seems to be no pause! There appears to be no time for an intermission! We (even as Christians) begin to be assimilated into this on-the-go, ‘give it to me now’ lifestyle. And, more often than not, we find ourselves hurriedly walking where God has not walked.
Just stop…stop and take a breath of air (which the Lord has blessed you with). Stop…and realize that the clouds that move across the sky, the grass in the yard, the children which have taken up most of time in the day…are all from God. Stop…stop and remember the memories of all those who have departed for Paradise. Stop…take a moment…take two…and see if you’re waiting for the Lord to walk.
Brethren, where God has stepped…we step! Where God has not stepped…we dare not go; for the “defense” of God is only given to those who follow the precious impressions found in His Holy Word. Trouble will find us, but the footsteps of God will lead us out. Dangers will lurk on every side, but the blood-stained path will lead us to safety. Therefore, “I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning: for Thou hast been my Defense and Refuge in the day of my trouble.” (59:16)
The Awful Wine of Astonishment
(Psalm 60)
“O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast scattered us, Thou hast been displeased…Thou hast made the earth to tremble; Thou hast broken it…” (60:1-2) There is a fearful balance to God’s character that most do not dare discuss, much less ponder. The Lord is more abundant than the raindrops held in the swelling clouds when it comes to His blessings…He covers His children with love like the sun’s rays cover the earth. God is good! God is awesomely compassionate and greatly merciful! However, with all things there is a balance…an equilibrium…and God is no different. God is good, but God is also hard: “Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God…” (Rom. 11:22)
“Thou hast showed Thy people hard things: Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.” (60:3) The battles fought in this life are vastly different from the blood-soaked spears and flashing swords of David’s day, but the One who gives the victory is ever unchanging. The Lord is the “same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hb. 13:8) The war of the Israelites in the ancient land of Canaan was won by the same God that is worshipped today. The God who gave victory to Elisha, even as he was surrounded by thousands of soldiers, is the same God we adore and praise today. However, the same God who chose to “cast off” the armies of David and show them “hard things”…is the same God who allows “hard things” to enter into the lives of His people.
The wine of astonishment is a bitter drink, but when those hard times come, when those painful sighs and cries echo off the walls…know that the same God who allowed such hardship is the One who stands ready to give comfort and relief. With everything there is a balance, and God is no different. The pain will be balanced by the peace…the frustration will be balanced by the satisfaction. “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that that which is planted…A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.” (Eccl. 3:1-2,6)
Therefore, “give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly…” (60:11-12) Bear in mind that there is no true victory without the Lord. In life, in death, in everything…the Lord holds the key. Man’s help will only endure for so long, but Divine support will survive the crossing of Jordan and beyond. Through God we will be victorious…but without Him we will fall.
Comfort in the Cover of Thy Wings
(Psalm 61)
“…When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” (61:2) O how small the faith which doesn’t search for the Rock…how weak the spirit which refuses to bow the knee in prayer. When overwhelmed…where do we go? When in distress…where do we look? Do our eyes peer through the great expanse of heaven in search of the all-seeing eye of God? Do our souls soar into the ethereal throne-room of the gracious Most High? Do we look to the “Rock that is higher than I?”
To the Rock! To the Rock let us fly! Let us not be trapped by worldly ideals and beliefs (as those who have no hope), but let us ascend to the plateau of God’s peace. It is on this Rock of Ages we will find rest and comfort. When the fiery darts of the wicked seem to surround us…fly to the Rock. As the overwhelming winds and waves of Satan’s stormy temptations pour out upon our souls…let us fly to the Rock. He will keep us safe. He will shield us till the storm passes over. “For Thou hast been a Shelter for me, and a strong Tower from the enemy.” (61:3)
“I will trust in the covert of Thy wings.” (61:4) As far as the east is from the west…as far as the brightest beam of light can travel…God’s protection proceeds further. The planets, with their moons, are but specs of sand upon the fingers of the Creator. The black, infinite breadth of space was simply spoken into existence by the breath of God. The depths of the seas and oceans of the world are as a raindrop compared to Deity. All the power contained within God…all the force and might in His hands help us in overwhelming times. The God that suspended the earth upon nothing is the God that puts an impenetrable wall between our soul and the Devil. The God who has dominion over the wind and clouds is the same God who looks down and forgives our trespasses. “So will I sing praise unto Thy name forever…” (61:8)
Trusting in the Time of God
(Psalm 62)
“He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” (62:2) An impenetrable Defense is the Almighty God! He is a Fortress unlike any other! Those who have taken salvation from His gracious hands know how firm the Rock of the Lord is planted for our spiritual security. God is a wall that cannot be breached by the powers of darkness, and as long as the soul has been housed within those heavenly fortifications…no destruction can come upon it. The soul’s safety is as unshakeable as the spiritual Rock in which it resides. “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.” (62:1)
“My soul, wait thou only upon God: for my expectation is from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation: He is my Defense; and I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the Rock of my strength and my refuge, is in God.” (62:5-7) All souls are indebted to God for the great sacrifice He gave for our salvation. The sacrificial act of love and mercy, which sent Christ to Calvary, should make all expectation and hope have its source in the Lord. Hope rests in the soul’s salvation, which comes not from the soul itself. Salvation comes from the heavenly, not the earthly. And when confidence is placed in the Rock and Defense of God’s salvation…when anticipation rests upon the Lord for deliverance…then glory awaits the soul.
“Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your hearts before Him: God is a refuge for us.” (62:8) “At all times” the Lord is near! “At all times” the soul can cry out to Him. “At all times” He keeps the spirits of those who trust in Him. Trust in Him with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (Pro. 3:5) Trust God! Through bodily trouble, through mental pain, through death and loss…the soul can find refuge in the God who created it. This is a comfort! This is a joy! We can pour our hearts out before the throne of God, and He will dip His Almighty finger in the salve of His grace and ease our suffering. “God is a refuge for us.”
“Also unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, for Thou renderest to every man according to his work.” (62:12) The truth of God’s judgment is amazing, for with judgment there are two outcomes: mercy or punishment. These two outcomes hinge upon the works done in the body “whether it be good or whether it be evil.” (Eccl. 12:14) Every soul will be judged by the same scale. Those who have lived this life trusting in the time of God will be given mercy, but those who have forsaken Him will be rendered “cursed” for eternity. God is a source of mercy to all those who come to Him through Christ. Make sure that you know His mercy, and not His wrath.
Longing for God in a Thirsty Land
(Psalm 63)
“O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and Thy glory…” (63:1-2a) When the first beams of light flood into the eyes…when ours eyes open to a new day, God is to be sought after. When the sun has not yet come up from behind the horizon, and the earth is still awaiting the light…God is to be sought after. From the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same; the Lord is to be sought after. He is to be wanted more than the rains in the dry season. He is to be wanted more than an oasis in a desert land. We are to need Him more than the air we breathe…He is to be needed more than the next heart-beat. He is our balm of Gilead! He is our salve of comfort! He is the oasis of our souls, and there is nowhere else that we can find satisfaction!
“My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate upon Thee in the night watches.” (63:5-6) Why would we ever feel obligated to remember God? What has He done for us? He only gave up His Son, so that we may live in eternal bliss. He only sent Him to the cross to shed His blood, so that our sins could be forgiven. He has only been our Help and our Strength through all of life’s trouble. I don’t know? Why would we ever want to seek after God? Why would we ever want to be under the shadow of His almighty and powerful wing? Why? because there is nowhere else that we can find satisfaction. Not on earth, not in riches or in wealth…not in anything that is seen.
Therefore, “my soul followeth hard after Thee; Thy right hand upholdeth me.” As a dog follows hard after its master, as a thirsting animal follows hard after the trail to water, as a young child follows hard after their father, so we are to follow HARD after the Lord. We are to put our soul’s proverbial nose to the grindstone. We are to stay hard on the trail of the righteousness of God. We are to be glued to His footsteps, and never stray from His path. He is what we desire more than anything this world has to offer: “Thy loving-kindness is better than life…thus, will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy name.” (63:3-4)
Evil Matters, Bitter Words, and God’s Bow
(Psalm 64)
“Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity.” (64:1-2) It takes a great amount of faith to desire to be separate from sin. When the crowd is urging and encouraging “in an evil matter,” it’s easy to become a part of the mob mentality (64:5). It’s easier to follow the crowd, and be swayed by those of influence, than to go against the grain. To speak out takes much more courage than to recline in sinful silence.
Nevertheless, there are many snares to be caught in while trying to accomplish the righteous things in life. Many a friend and family member will rebuke and reject those who stand up for the truth…those who arise with boldness of voice and declare, “I will not involve myself in sin and iniquity! I will not betray my Father in heaven, and do such things!” When truth is proclaimed to those who have not followed it, and when error is exposed by a single, minority voice…the small voice of righteousness becomes a target for those guilty of wrongdoing: “Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words.” (64:3) The mouths of those that shout from the mountain-tops, are the very mouths that the sinful “fear not” to shoot at.
“But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they shall be wounded. So shall they make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away!” (64:7-8) The Lord will not allow the persecution of the righteous go unpunished! Children of God are not to worry about what happens to the physical body, or the insults that are thrown at them…they are not to worry about how they are treated by men. Christians are to be concerned about God’s truth being proclaimed for God’s glory! “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt. 10:28)
Let others say what they will…let them whet the swords of their mouths…let them sharpen their tongues to the sharpest point…let them drive their arrows deep into the heart...and then behold, the power of the Lord! GOD SHALL SHOOT AT THEM! THEY SHALL BE WOUNDED! The truth will eternally prevail against them that work iniquity! Not one of them shall be left standing! “All men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of His doing.” (64:9)
Brethren, no one will ever “wisely consider” anything unless it is brought to their attention. Have courage to proclaim the right! Have boldness! Know that if you stand up for the truth and right…you will become a target. But thanks be to God that He has His Divine bow tightly aimed at those that wish to hush the message. “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord…” (64:10)
Greening the Grass and Growing the Corn
(Psalm 65)
“Praise waiteth for Thee, O God…and unto Thee shall the vow be performed… unto Thee shall all flesh come.” (65:1-2) Who else, but God, deserves praise? Who else, but God, should receive a sacrifice of praise from our lips? To what man, nation, or power are we to declare our heart’s full allegiance? The Almighty has said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me!” (Ex. 20:3) Glory belongs to God, and God alone! It is before God that all men shall come…it is before God all men shall stand and be judged! It is in the power of His presence that all shall tremble and gaze in amazement.
“By terrible [awesome] things in righteousness wilt Thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the Confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea.” (65:5) How is it that a soul begins to realize where its affection should lie? What tangible evidence is seen that would produce such a confidence in Jehovah as to be God over all? “By His strength, He setteth fast the mountains…” (65:6) He reached down, by the power of His might, and He caused the most magnificent terrain to be formed. With not even a moving of His finger…God caused the highest Everest to rise from the foundation of the earth. His voice “stilleth the noise of the seas, and the noise of their waves.” (65:7) With Divine and Omnipotent ease Jehovah God “visitest the earth and waterest it.” (65:9) He causes the springs of heaven to release from the clouds, and as those drops fall downward, downward to the terrain below they nourish the earth. “Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water.” (65:9)
“Thou preparest the corn…Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: Thou settest the furrows thereof: Thou makest it [the soil] soft with showers: Thou blessest the springing thereof.” (65:10) What does that seed breaking through the soil declare? The greening grass and the growing corn…what do they announce? What does the soft soil after the shower scream out? What does every mist after the storm proclaim? All these things make known the presence of God! It is through His power that the pasture drips with the fatness of cattle. It is through His good favor that the “pastures are clothed with flocks.” By God’s gracious and abundant nature “the valleys are covered over with corn.” All these things shout and sing of the wonderful God that we serve. Praise does indeed wait for Him.
Make God’s Praise Glorious
(Psalm 66)
“Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: sing forth the honor of His name: make His praise glorious.” (66:1-2) Behold! Lift up your eyes and see how the Lord has blessed the years. He has blessed the eyes with sight to read these words! He has blessed the mind with the ability to understand! He has blessed the past with memories of love and fellowship! He has blessed the future with a prepared place for His people! Oh, how we should honor His name every day. How we should bow before Him and weep tears of joy for what He has done and continues to do.
But how do we “make His praise glorious?” How do we “sing forth honor” to His great and mighty name? David says,“Say unto God, How terrible [impressive] Thy works! Through the greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee. Come and see the works of God. He is terrible [impressive] in His doing toward the children of men.” (66:3,5) We remember who God is, and what God can do. Every note we sing is to be filled with awe and reverence toward a God who is able to speak the universe into existence. We sing praises to a God who became flesh…a God who had compassion upon mankind…a God who washed our sins away with His own blood. Our voices should exhaust all their strength to lift up praise to such an awesome God!
And though we were not present to see the great exodus from Egypt, we know and believe that “He turned the sea into dry land.” (66:6) We see, through the eye of faith, God’s chosen people as “they went through the flood [of the Red Sea] on foot,” and we rejoice with them because God is mighty to save! Our voices praise a merciful God who is ever same!
“O bless our God, ye people, make the voice of His praise be heard! He holdeth our soul in life, and suffers not our feet to be moved!” (66:8-9) How can we ever fear what will be on the horizon with God walking beside us? What troubling tempest could ever blow so fierce as to break God’s strong arm of love and deliverance? God controls that wind! Jehovah leads us into that conflict! “Thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; Thou hast laid affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but THOU brought us into a wealthy place.” (6:10-12). God is in control. No matter what the fire…no matter what the storm…no matter how great the pain or sharp the sorrow…God stokes the furnace (as He wills) to cleanse the imperfect metal of our lives. He transforms the impure to the pure…the imperfect metal to that which is perfect.
Therefore, we sing! We lift up our voices through pain and anguish…we open our mouths and extol our great God in the face of suffering. We come to the house of God and we thank Him for the difficulties as well as the ease. We thank Him for the conflicts as well as the peace. Whether the sun be shining or the heavens be darkened…we shout and sing: “COME AND HEAR…WHAT HE HATH DONE FOR MY SOUL!” (66:16) We cry unto Him with our mouths, and we extol Him with our tongues! “Sing forth the honor of His name: make His praise glorious!” (66:2)
Let All the People Praise Thee
(Psalm 67)
“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all the nations.” (67:1-2) God’s good works are always seen through His people. The blessings that Jehovah showers upon His church are desired by those who are outside the camp. They see the fellowship of the saints…the forgiveness of the Lord…the eternal salvation…and they long to be a part of that blessing. The Lord’s face shines upon His church, and that glorious light beam guides souls into the harbor of Divine rest.
Jew and Gentile, bond and free, male and female…all can receive the “saving health” of God Almighty. The Lord of light (who is no respecter of persons) gives life to all those who will come to Him. There is no prejudice when it comes to salvation. It is simply those who choose to yield their lives to the Father. He will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy (Ro. 9:15). So, “let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy…” (67:3-4) We serve a God who is compassionate! We praise a God who is merciful to save! We love a God who loves us with an everlasting love! Thus, we cry again. “Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee.” (67:5)
“Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.” (67:6) God sustains the existence of every being. Whether it be the smallest gnat or the largest whale...God gives life and sustenance to every creature. But not only does the Lord bless the earth with life…He gives increase to those who trust in Him. “God shall bless us!” (67:7) He has promised to do so, but we have to look to Him for that blessing. Plant a seed into the earth, and by what power does it break through the surface and bring forth fruit? By God’s power! Bury the bulb of a flower, and by what power does it push through the ground and paint the landscape of the earth with its petals? By God’s power!
It is by no power of our own that life comes from the ground, and it is by no power of our own that we receive increase. God gives the increase! We must look to God for the increase, and the Lord will truly bless. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on…Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Do it yourself is not the Christian way. We serve a Father who knows what we need. Therefore, we take no thought for the morrow. We simply praise God for the blessings of today.
We Perish Without His Presence
(Psalm 68)
The Psalm drifts back to the days of the sacred Ark of the Covenant...the days when God’s presence was known and seen by all His people. They walked in courage and gladness, even in the face of opposition, as they looked to God for deliverance and safety. They would shout and sing with Moses: “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Thee flee…” (Psa. 68:1, Num. 10:35). And as they praised God…as they placed their trust in His hands…their enemies disappeared as smoke that is driven away by the wind: as wax melts before the flame, so did their foes “perish at the presence of God.” (68:2)
“Sing unto God, sing praises to His name: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His name, JAH, and rejoice before Him.” The greatness of the God of heaven cannot be stated by the mortal tongue. What He has given, and what He continues to do is impossible to define with human terms. He cares for the fatherless and the widows…He places the lonely into loving families. He bestows freedom to those who are enslaved by sin. He constantly watches over those souls that praise and extol His name as JAH. As the wicked perish before His presence, so the humble and obedient gain warmth from His Divine and love-filled flame.
“Thou wentest before Thy people…Thou didst march through the wilderness; the earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.” (68:7-8) God has always provided for His people. He has always led them in the righteous path. Even in the thundering sounds of Sinai, there was provision being made in the form of the Law. When the earth shook and the mountains trembled…the people knew that their Lord was there. His power (that was manifested by the thick, dark cloud that encompassed the mount) came like a blast of admiration Even in the hot sands of the wilderness wanderings, the Lord still nourished and fed His family. JAH sent a rainstorm of food in the form of manna and meat…He sent water out of a rock…He made provision for them. He went before them and behind them…for even in punishment the Lord is merciful. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits…” (68:19)
“Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth: O sing praises unto the Lord; to Him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, He doth send out His voice, and that a mighty voice. O God, Thou art terrible [awesome] out of Thy holy places…” (68:32-33, 35) We are in the presence of God in His church. We lift our voices and extol the God of all things, the Lord of the universe, the Self Existing One (JAH). There is power in His presence…and this presence affords the Christian comfort; for in His presence there is a mighty fortress of defense…there is a quiet place of rest. It is in His presence that the world melts away like wax. It is in His presence that the wicked perish, and the righteous are exalted. In His presence we are given power and strength; for “the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people.” (68:35)
Save Me, O God! Let Me Not Sink!
(Psalm 69)
“Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul! I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.” (69:1-3) O the gloomy depths of despair…the darkness of sad emotions into which David has plunged (and into which we all have sank): the waters of hopelessness begin to gradually rise up in our souls, as a dreary rain of woe falls upon our hearts. Higher and higher the waters rise! Farther and farther we sink into the melancholy clay. Our happiness is submerged under the rushing torrents of sighs and sorrows! Tears have fallen like raindrops falling from clouds…and our reservoirs are dry. Our weeping eyes have cried their last. “I am weary of crying! I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me! SAVE ME, O GOD; FOR THE WATERS ARE COME IN UNTO MY SOUL!”
“O God, Thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from Thee. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up…” (69:5, 14-15) O how many of us are trying to float in the waters of life…but, all the while, our troubles are clinging to us like a weight dragging us down into the deep. We struggle to hide our transgressions, but the more we try to conceal our sins the faster we sink into the mire. God knows our foolishness. God sees our sins. They are not hidden from Him! God sees the sinful cancer engulfing our souls, and He waits. He waits…He listens. His ear is ever attentive to His child’s call for help. Lower and lower we sink…until we cry out as David, “I AM IN TROUBLE…HEAR ME! Draw nigh unto my soul and redeem it: deliver me…” (69:17-18). And as quickly as our cry rises to His eternal, ethereal throne…His hand pulls us out of the mire.
“Mine adversaries are all before Thee…pour out Thine indignation upon them, and let Thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.” (69:19b, 24, 28) The waves of the wicked will never overwhelm the Rock of Ages in which we are hidden. Raging swells and stormy seas are stopped by the outstretched arm of the Lord which covers us like a mighty wing. His saving hand sets us up on high…far above the angry surges (69:29). Therefore, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” (69:30) The Lord will be praised for the deliverance He graciously bestows. Our hearts will love Him, our minds will examine Him, and our spirits will be made alive through Him. “Let the heaven and earth praise Him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein!” (69:34) God has saved me from the depths!
“Help Me! They Seek My Soul!”
(Psalm 70)
“Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.” (70:1) Closer and closer the danger comes…lurking behind every corner…waiting in every dark place. Snares of sin have been set by the Evil One and he patiently waits for the foot of the righteous to slide. The strait and narrow pathway sometimes becomes difficult to walk…and the ease of the paved pathway to destruction seems to tempt us to travel upon it. The brutal world beats on the brow of the child of God as a harsh a desert sun. How much farther till rest? Strength is failing! The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak! Slipping… falling… failing! “Make haste to help me, O Lord!” Deliver me from my sinful weaknesses and stand me up! All I can do, and all I will do is accomplished through Thy power. So, here on my knees I wait…I wait for Thy merciful hand to guide me through the treacherous times. I wait for Thy mighty arm to clear away my obstacles, so that I can keep in step with Thee. “Make haste, O God, to deliver me…”
“Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let such as love Thy salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified!’” (70:4) Seeking after riches…what riches do I have without the Lord? Searching for pleasure…what is pleasure without an eternity to enjoy it? Beauty, fame, more of this and that…how can the measure of any person rest in the abundance of things they possess. They are fleeting. Soon they will rust away…soon they will lose their luster and something else will be desired. It is only in the Lord that every desire is truly quenched and contented. Happiness is only found in God. The greatest of all delights come down from the Father of lights. Salvation… protection…deliverance…words which can classify, but never truly express the feeling; these are gifts from the hand of a loving Father. And these gifts cause us to cry out: “Let God be magnified!”
From Youth to the Time of Old Age
(Psalm 71)
“For Thou art my hope, O Lord God; Thou art my trust from my youth.” (71:5) The importance of molding a child’s mind after the precepts of God’s word cannot be stressed enough. The easily shaped clay of an adolescent mind must be carefully cast after the pattern set forth by Christ. They must know God, and know Him well. They must be read to…they must be prayed with…they must be exposed to what is good and lovely; for if they are not, when old age comes, the Lord will be far from them. Their actions will mimic that of the world…their shape will be conformed to sin and not to Christ. Make sure your children can say in years to come: “O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works.” (71:17)
“By Thee have I been holden up from the womb: Thou art He that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of Thee.” (71:6) It is the Lord who formed and made our physical shape and characters. It is the Lord who breathed life into us! It is the Lord who was there at our conception…nurturing us in our mother’s womb. And as the time came for our entrance into this life the Lord watched as we were held for the first time in our parents’ arms. The God of heaven has watched our every move, our every step, our every sin. He has answered many of the prayers of our parents to keep us safe and right. For this “my praise shall be continually of Thee.”
Yet, “cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” (71:9) Jehovah has kept us through the younger, strong years of life. The Lord has made our feet swift, our hearts vibrant, and our minds fresh. And as the older years approach, when the eyes grow dim and the limbs become feeble, does He forget us? Never! Will He forsake those who have given their lives to Him as their hair turns white and their joints ache with pain? Never! Our voices, though weakened with age, will still be made strong to proclaim His mercy and grace.
“When I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed Thy strength unto THIS generation, and Thy power TO EVERYONE that is to come!” (71:18) Listen to the voices of those who have lived years of toil on this earth…listen to their wisdom…hear their stories…learn from their adventures and their mistakes. God, who has brought them through many sore trials, makes them alive again. As each hair turns gray, the older generation increases in greatness, and God gives them comfort on every side (71:20-21). They have lived their lives…they have seen what we have not! Let their voices still teach! Let their praise ring out as we look up to them in honor. Their souls have toiled and tarried for the Lord on this earth, and before long they shall go to their reward. Let us listen to their lessons.
A Presidential Psalm: Characteristics of a Leader
(Psalm 72)
David is entering the final years of his reign as king. He hasn’t been perfect in his time of power, but God has been with him in all that he accomplished. He ruled with a righteous hand…a hand that wasn’t afraid to bow to God in prayer. And he wished nothing more than for his son, Solomon, to do the same. Like father, like son. Solomon wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps as a righteous ruler. Thus, he penned this presidential psalm stating some important traits of a good leader.
“He shall judge Thy people with righteousness and Thy poor with judgment.” (72:2) Righteousness must be the standard…it must be the rule by which all things are measured. Something is either right or wrong. There is no middle ground with the truth. It is either righteous or it is not. It is either fair, or it is not. A righteous leader is one who stands up for what is right and rebukes that which is wrong.
“He shall judge [give justice to] the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.” (72:4) A true leader knows the definition of justice. Justice isn’t a thing that’s only enjoyed by the rich, but with righteousness as the standard, all are treated equally and fairly. And with righteous judgment also comes care for those who cannot care for themselves. The “children of the needy” will be looked after…their condition will be brought into the light and dealt with in a caring manner. “He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath not helper…He shall redeem their soul [life] from deceit and violence; and precious shall be their blood in his sight.” (71:12,14)
"His name shall endure forever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.” (72:17) Great men and women of compassion will always be remembered. Those who sacrifice the most for those who have nothing will never be forgotten. Their names shall live on forever. Their stories will be told as long as the sun gives off light. And if their actions don’t receive publicity in this world, the Lord will not forget their good.
The Problem With the Prosperity of the Wicked
(Psalm 73)
With longing eyes we look into the diamond filled world with wonder and awe of its opportune riches and unfathomable wealth. We see the wicked and sinful prosper…we see them living in their mansions and hoarding up their wealth without a care in the world nor a worrisome thought. They travel down through life with ease, all the while gathering riches which could never be spent in multiple lifetimes.
“I was envious…when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Their strength was firm…they are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.” (73:3-7) Even David was vexed by seeing the sinful become richer and the righteous sore oppressed. He was plagued by this thought all day long (73:14). Why do the wicked prosper? Why do they increase, while the upright decrease? “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me…UNTIL I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end!” (73:16)
Sinful and wicked people may gather riches from their sinful transactions… they may increase until their treasures are as numerous as the sands of the sea, but there is something which a sinner can never buy with all the money in this world: salvation. David was struggling within his mind trying to gain understanding of this age old question, but it wasn’t until he stepped into God’s perspective that he truly understood. The wicked have no sanctuary. The impenitent sinner has no God to provide comfort and salvation. David had more riches than all the treasures of the world because he had God!
“Thus, my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins [pierced in my mind]. SO FOOLISH WAS I, AND IGNORANT: I was a beast before Thee. Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast holden me by my right hand.” (73:22-23) How foolish we are sometimes to desire the wealth of the world when we have the greatest wealth imaginable in our heavenly Father through Christ Jesus. Why do the wicked prosper? They don’t! Their wealth will be left behind for someone else to inherit. It will be eaten by moths and consumed by rust, and their soul will be none the better for having it. But we have a God in heaven who blesses beyond the fortunes and treasures which we see with our eyes. The God we serve has promised us an inheritance which is incorruptible, eternal in the heavens! “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.” (73:26)
“For, lo, they that are far from Thee shall perish…” (73:27) Whatever we set our eyes to see will never be greater than our God who is not seen. Whatever we set our mind and energy to do will never be greater than the energy we spend in service to the Lord. The storehouses of this life (the bank accounts, the retirement funds, the stocks and bonds) will never yield an eternal benefit. It is only through God that we will gain anything. As David concludes, so do we: “It is good for me to draw near to God!” (73:28)
A Christian Contemplation
(Psalm 74)
“O God, why hast Thou cast us off forever? Why doth Thine anger smoke against the sheep of Thy pasture?” (74:1) In my mind, I can still see my father’s furious eyes as he quickly unlatches his belt to punish me for disobeying him. Lash after lash land across my skin…every moment seeming like an eternity of pain and hurt. Then, after the penalty passes for my transgressions, he would put his strong hand around me to let me know that he loved me. He reassured me that he wasn’t forsaking me altogether…he was teaching me how much he loved me. He cared enough about me to correct my steps.
Faithful followers of God the Father will ask the question (as David did): “Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand…” (74:11) Why would God allow me, as His child, to suffer through this pain and misery? Where is He when I need Him? We cry out, “HOW LONG?! HOW LONG?!” (74:10) We plead with Him to remember “the congregation which Thou hast purchased of old!” We beg Him to keep in mind the people “which Thou hast redeemed!” (74:2) And as the pain continues and the trials keep coming like lash after lash of a father’s belt….each moment seems like an eternity. We contemplate and consider what we may have done, or what we are guilty of doing.
It is then, that the Father’s hand reaches down and reassures: “God is my King!” Through times of war and times of peace He is still the king. Through times of poverty and distress….through the fat years of plenty He still remains King! He is “working salvation in the midst of the earth. The day is Thine, the night also is Thine: Thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: Thou hast made summer and winter.” (74:12,16-17) It is God who has given us food to eat! It is God who has given the fountain and the flood! It is God who leads us in His sovereign ways, and He will not allow our feet to slide!
Though the rod of chastisement will come upon us all…He will never cast away the sheep of His own pasture. His hand will be raised against us…His hand will allow tragedy and tribulation in us…but His hand will never leave us. Whether in discipline or in comfort the Lord God will not forget the congregation of His people.
Down to the Dregs
(Psalm 75)
“Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto Thee do we give thanks: for Thy name is near and Thy wondrous works declare it.” (75:1) The smallest of activity helps to recount the wondrous works of the Lord in our minds. Our eyes opening and recognizing the beauty of creation…the morning meal which gives energy to our body throughout the daylight hours…even the restful sleep of the night reveals and declares the wondrous works of God in us. The slight breeze blowing through the shade tree sings of the Lord’s ever blessing Presence. The sounds of nature that fall upon our ears daily ring out a message through the skies…they proclaim and preach of the handiwork of our God and Creator.
And for all these blessings from the Father of lights above…we give thanks; for from these non-debatable, indestructible, and most logical truths we humbly fall down and praise the Designer of all things. We give thanks to Him for that which we have never deserved nor merited. We give thanks for the redeemable time, the present blessings, and even the present distresses. We give thanks for our friends who help us to stand, and our enemies which help us to fall down on our knees in prayer to the One who can deliver from all troubles. For all these things we will ever give thanks to Thee, O God.
“For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and He poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.” (75:8) To those who daily give thanks and praise to the Lord of heaven and earth…the contents of the vengeful cup of Jehovah will produce no fear. However, this cup of wrath is never held in vain. It has a purpose…and its substance is aimed at those who refuse to recognize the Lord as God. The cup of the righteous runneth over with blessing, but the cup of the sinful runneth over with furious and all consuming fire (Hb. 12:29).
The illustration which is given is humbling. God is pictured as holding a cup of mixed or foaming wine (which was given to criminals just prior to their gruesome executions-Jn. 19:28). Taking this cup, the Lord pours out the condemning mixture upon the wicked of the earth and they drink it down to the dregs (the crust which settles at the bottom of the container). The wicked then take the soggy dregs and wring out every last bit of Divine punishment.
The Lord is holding a cup of wrath, but to the child of God there is no fear of this. This cup is not for the Lord’s people, but only for those who refuse to follow Him. This is why “I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob…and the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.” (75:9-10)
“Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto Thee do we give thanks; for Thy name is near and Thy wondrous works declare it!” (75:1)
The Grace of Knowing God
(Psalm 76)
“In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel.” (76:1) How well do you know God? How often is He the object of your mind’s attention? Does His glorious name echo off the walls of your heart like a continuous and joyful noise? Do His wonderful works sculpt a masterful painting before your mind’s eye? The songs sung so loudly, the Bibles opened in study, the prayers prayed in times of distress…are they recalled from the memory banks of your life with delight? And do those precious memories lead you to the overwhelming conclusion: I…KNOW…GOD!?
How well do you know God? Do you know Him from the hours spent in prayer to Him? Do you know Him from the many times you have worshiped and praised Him? Do you know Him from your intense and daily meditations? Do you raise Him above the magnificent sights of the earth? Is His greatness incomprehensible to you? Is His power and might at the forefront of your thoughts, and ready to be proclaimed from the tip of your tongue? What leads you to the overwhelming conclusion: I…KNOW… GOD!?
“Thou, even Thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in Thy sight when once Thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still when God arose to judgment to save all the meek of the earth, Selah.” (76:7-9) It is a proven fact that you fear what you do not know. Fear comes from a sense of confusion…it comes from an anxiety about not knowing the outcome…it breeds when you don’t know what’s coming. This is why those who don’t know God…FEAR HIM. This is why the earth fears the Lord. This is why those nations of old who came against the Israelites (the people of God) stood still “when God arose in judgment.”
How well do you know God? For in answering this question, you answer where you are in relation to Him. If you know God, through His Son’s sacrifice, then there is no fear of His wrathful judgment…there is only a holy eagerness and expectancy to what great thing the Lord will do next with your life. How well you know the Lord is seen in every word, deed, and aspect of your life…because knowing Him means He changes you. How well do you know God?
My Voice! My Voice!
(Psalm 77)
“I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and He gave ear unto me. In the day of trouble I sought the Lord…” (77:1-2) The silence of a prayerful spirit amidst the shadows of an empty room is a sweet savor unto God…to humbly bow the knee in quiet and still meditation is something which every soul needs to survive. However, as in every requiem there is a silence of the rest and then a thunderous roar, so it is in the spiritual song of life. There is the quiet, inner contemplations which scarcely affect our outward, physical body, and then there are those uncontainable sobs and cries which not even the closest friend can console. It is in these days that our prayers rise from the recesses of our minds and gain strength as they shout through our mouths. The once gentle words of a grateful and gracious heart stir and change into vocal cries of child-like confusion and fear. The body can no more restrain the troubled spirit, which spills out its anguish…covers our faces with tears…and we are so troubled that we can scarcely speak. “Will the Lord cast me off forever? And will He be favorable to me no more? Is His mercy clean and gone forever? Doth his promise fail evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious?” (77:7-9a)
As the wave of distress passes…the soul is mysteriously cleansed. It’s as if a river has overflowed its banks, but in time recedes, only to leave precious nutrients behind to make the soil more fertile than ever before. It is with this fresh soil now deposited in the soul that the Lord scatters seeds of remembrance. “…I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord, surely I will remember Thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all Thy work, and talk of all Thy doings.” (77:10-12). Faith is then renewed. The overwhelmed spirit is now settled and eased. A fresh view of God begins to be seen through the eyes of faith which have been burned, salved, and then cleansed by the operation of God. The soul changes…changes…and it matures from the larvae of little faith to the increasing capacity of a next stage caterpillar. Slowly…the life of faith becomes fully grown, capable of withstanding the raging floods and foes. The spirit is now rooted…grounded upon the unshakeable foundation of Christ. All of this is accomplished in the children of Jehovah God.
“Thou art the God that doest wonders; Thou hast declared Thy strength among the people…the waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee; they were afraid: the depths were also troubled. The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound…the voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.” (77:14, 16-18)
Teaching the Children
(Psalm 78)
Many illustrations, truths, and values are still impressed upon my aging mind which my father engraved in my youth. His godly and righteous voice echoed in my brain like a chisel, ever working to mold and shape my youthful thoughts. His disciplining hand was always there to correct my course and right my path. And though the tongue lashes and physical lashes I received left no permanent, physical marks… the lessons which they taught are as fresh in my mind as the day that I learned them. These truths will be with me till I pass on from this life because my father took the time to teach them to me. That’s what fathers are to do…they are to teach their children to understand God’s righteousness and truth.
“Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.” (78:1-3) It’s interesting that some fathers have never told their children of the wonderful works which the Lord has done in times past. There has never been a story told at the close of the day, or a prayer as they fold their hands and bow their heads. Some children spend their entire lives without hearing one parable of God’s word spoken from the lips of their parents. And then, wonder of all wonders, they grow up and don’t know how to act godly. It’s because their “fathers have not told” them! They don’t have that example to guide their ways and their thoughts! There are no etchings of righteous words carved on the walls of their minds because their fathers have not shown them the way!
The Psalmist says: “WE WILL NOT hide them from the children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he COMMANDED our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born…that they might SET THEIR HOPE in God, and not forget the works of God…” (78:4-7)
All fathers and mothers need to step up and say, “I will not let my children forget God!” All parents have the responsibility to reveal the Lord to the next generation! By doing this, God is not only revealed to those children born to you, but also to those who will be born in the future when you’re gone. What you have the opportunity to teach your children now will impact their children long after this body has returned to the dust. You have the chance to set their hope in the Lord...to set their affections on things that are higher and nobler than the things of this world! Be a righteous father or mother to your children, and tell them of the wonderful works of God. Let them hear your voice!
Having Faith Even When Fowls Tear Flesh
(Psalm 79)
“O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance, Thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. The dead bodies of Thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heavens, the flesh of Thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water…” (79:1-3)
No more gruesome of a picture could be painted of a merciless slaughter than that which David has just told. Bodies, which have been slain, lie in decay through the once happy and blessed streets of Jerusalem...birds and beast alike feasting on the flesh of the dead; for there is none left to bury them (79:3). The pure and sacred temple of the Lord has been desecrated by the hands of idolatrous heathens, and the holy city of God has been laid to waste. The glorious capital of the lineage of David is now nothing but a mockery to those who are without its gates.
“How long, Lord? wilt Thou be angry forever? Shall Thy jealousy burn like fire?” (79:5) A question which every mind in this nightmare would dare to ask the God of heaven who swore a covenant with His people. How long will the blood of God’s servants soak into the earth without being avenged? How long will Jehovah’s hand be raised against His rebellious children?
Each moment that passes, without vengeance, causes the Lord’s people to call the more upon His name for mercy and justice. With every breath they breathe there is the request for retribution for the atrocities committed against the Holy Place of God. The flesh of the living cry out for the flesh of the dead: “JACOB HAS BEEN DEVOURED! THY DWELLING PLACE HAS BEEN LAID WASTE! POUR OUT THY WRATH UPON THE HEATHEN THAT HAVE NOT KNOWN THEE, AND UPON THE KINGDOMS THAT HAVE NOT CALLED UPON THY NAME!” (79:6-7)
Anger then subsides to humility. The shame for sins of the past are laid upon the altar to be sacrificed before God. Knees are bowed low, and the memory of transgressions committed bear heavy upon the hearts of the people: “O remember not against us former iniquities: let Thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins…” (79:8-9)
From the tearing of flesh and the ruins of the holy city…we have now come full circle to a place of forgiveness by the hand of the Almighty God. Through faith, even in time of providential torture, the people of God still raised their voices to the only One who could give relief. Faith has passed through blood soaked ground and decaying bodies…and has now arrived at the point of praise. So, too, should our faith say throughout life’s trouble: “…we will shew forth Thy praise to all generations.” (79:13).
The Shining and Saving of the Lord
(Psalm 80)
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth!” (80:1) How would it have been, if we could step into the lives of the priests of old, and stand within the veil of the Holy of Holies? There we would stand and behold the Presence of the Lord…filling that place as a thick smoke, covering every inch of space and time. What a sight to consider! What a feeling it would have brought to see the “glory of the Lord” appear before the congregation of Israel. It must have been a wondrous thing…an event which no words could ever describe (Num. 16:19).
Yet, how quickly such a glorious happening can be forgotten by the human mind. What caused awe one day…has now become the fodder for today’s folly. The light and glory of the Lord! How can such a thing be forgotten?! It’s such a magnificent appearing to wonder about! Such an unforgettable display of power and brilliance from the majesty of the Almighty God! How can one forget that light from between the cherubim? You can answer that, as well as I.
It’s easy for the once enlightened mind to be turned to darkness and shadows if God is not ever-present in thought. Our once cheerful and lighted pathway of life becomes dim and hard-pressed to travel because we have left God’s glorious light. And once we reach the point of the thickest shades of sin (into which we have chosen to walk) we begin to turn back. Our feet, that have many times traveled great distances away from the Father, now change direction and walk toward His light once more. “Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” (80:3)
The darkness of sin causes our spiritual life to fade; much like a vine which is left in the dark will begin to die. This impending death is only avoided when God’s light shines through in answer to our penitent cries: “Return, we beseech Thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold and visit THIS VINE!” (80:14) You don’t have to live in the dark. God’s light is but a call away.
Burdens Lifted by the Lord
(Psalm 81)
“Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.” (81:1) The heart of the Israelites of old had much to sing about. Their voices could fly to the heavens in blessed praise because of their deliverance from Egyptian oppression and bondage. They could shout out in thanks to God, for the burden of slavery was no longer theirs to bear. There were no more bricks to be made…no more the slave master’s whip would lash across their back! Thanks be to God THEY WERE FREE! “I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots. Thou calledst in trouble, and I answered thee…” (81:6-7)
Yet, how quickly the praise of the Lord becomes silent when the heart of man is distracted by this world. The joyful noise that should have rang out to the Lord in praise and adoration…becomes hushed. No more do the shouts of praise echo in the ears of the Father…no more voices cry aloud to laud the holy name of the Lord! God’s own people have forgotten Him…but not without warning: “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: OPEN THY MOUTH WIDE, and I will fill it!” (81:10)
“But My people would not hearken to My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So, I gave them up…” (88:11-12) How frustrating for a Father to see His own children continually living in stubborn disobedience. To have raised them up…to have loved them…to have disciplined them, and still they turn away in rebellion. How a father’s heart must break to see his own children resist his caring and compassionate hand. How would it feel to have a child give no word of thanks…have no appreciation for what has been given to them? “Oh, that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways.” (81:13)
We, as God’s people are to sing aloud His praises…we are to give Him the fruit of our lips in worship…we are to exalt His name above all else. But, all too often, our voices remain silent. Our hearts have become fixed on the blessings of this life, instead of being fixed on the One who gives the blessing. We are to give God the appreciation He deserves. We are to “sing aloud unto the God of our strength,” (81:1) for the more we open our mouths in tribute to the Lord…the more the Lord fills our lives with blessings. Give God the thanks for what you have been given.
God Will Give Justice
(Psalm 82)
“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods [rulers].” When in places of power and authority it’s easy to be controlled by the influences of others. Riches can begin to control the laws and decisions of those who have been personified as justice. And when the motivation for judgments that are passed is to please those who are wealthy…the rich abound and the poor are sore oppressed. Corruption comes so stealthily in positions of power, and more than that… corruption comes so often. But God sees! “How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Defend the poor and the fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked!” (82:2-4)
Once that position of power has been corrupted… fairness for the needy and the afflicted begins to fail. The poor are neglected, and the innocent are beaten down. And just once let a leader be trapped in the snare of politics and riches…and there is rarely a turning back to justice and righteousness. “They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.” (82:5) Injustice begins to rule the land, and the people who need the most…truly suffer the most. The nation will spin, recklessly, out of control into a downward spiral of deteriorating values and goodness. Within a time of corrupt judges the people will walk in darkness…a darkness that will last until that leader finally passes.
“But ye shall die [just] like men…” (82:7) Having authority and power in this life…does not pass on to the next. Unjust decisions made in life will be revealed and judged by the only just Lawgiver: Jehovah God. God sees when leaders of a land are corrupt in values and judgment. God sees when a country’s poor and afflicted are being helped or hindered by those in power. God hears the cry of the widow and the orphan…He sees the tears of the oppressed as they call out: “How long!” And His judgment will come quick, and be endless, upon those that inflict pain on the innocent. “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods.”
That Men May Know the Most High
(Psalm 83)
“Keep not Thou silence, O God: hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God!” (83:1) Most who follow the Lord, Most High, don’t have this type of boldness in their prayers. To confidently, and almost fearlessly, approach the Almighty God with such zeal for victory is unheard of! So is such a faith that is required to speak these words. It takes an immense amount of trust in God (and knowledge of God’s character) to pray such a powerful petition as this one. The author of these words must have intimately known (in heart and mind) how God abhors the evildoer. He must have faith that God ultimately wants His people to flourish among the evil heathens of the world. And it is only with such confidence in the nature of the Lord, that these words escape from the mouth or become lessons to us on the Holy Page. Surrounded by the enemies of righteousness…we hear this cry to Jehovah: “Hold not Thy peace…be not still!”
Followers of Jehovah God look back through the sands of time and see an Almighty hand in every grain which has fallen. There is not one battle of the righteous on which God has not placed His will…there is no loss or victory among the leaders of wars; for God has already seen the outcome, and how it will be worked for His glory.
There is no enemy of the upright that God will not set down and lay to waste. For this very thing the Psalmist implores…he begs…he pleads: “HOLD NOT THY PEACE!” He has revisited the past, and he knows how the Lord has worked for the good of those who love Him. He begs for the same mercy to be given to him and his people that had been given to his fathers before him.
Yet, not only does he call for the Lord to come to action and aid…he calls for their complete annihilation. God is a longsuffering God, but there is a time when His posture turns from open arms…to a clinched fist and drawn sword. He has longsuffering toward sinners, but when their actions cause persecution to come to the the faithful….His people begin to cry, “How long?” And as their prayers rise to His holy throne…His wrath begins to consume like fire: “O my God, make them like a wheel [whirling dust]; as the stubble before the wind! As a fire that burneth a forest, and as the flame setteth mountains on fire; so persecute them with Thy tempest, and make them afraid with Thy storm.” (83:13-16)
A storm of fire! A consuming wind of wrath! But all of these violent judgments are asked from God out of concern for the heathen nations. Why send fire upon them? Why release the Lord’s anger toward them? Not merely for spite or retribution…these judgments are called for out of reason: “Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek Thy name, O Lord…that men may know that Thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the Most High over all the earth.” (83:16-18) God’s wrath produces timely fruit from the tree of the wicked…as well as the tree of the righteous. With His power manifested to the wicked, they in turn acknowledge Jehovah as God, and with the righteous spared…His people praise Him all the more.
Desiring the Dwelling-Place of God
(Psalm 84)
“How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the Living God.” (84:1-2) In reflection of my time here on this earth, there have been only a few souls I have known that have had this intense of a desire to constantly be in the presence of the Lord of hosts. There are few that have truly manifested an extreme craving for the Lord’s fellowship. Most will say, if they are honest with themselves, that they could live in this world just fine without God. If we were all to be brutally truthful…there are times when we think we don’t need to worship, or pray, or give thanks…there are times in life when we don’t hunger for the heavenly manna of God…when we don’t pine for the light of Christ. Most hearts (even Christian hearts) can be guilty of seeking a satisfaction which is derived from the things of this life. What is seen with the eyes and tasted with the mouth quenches the thirst and pacifies the desire, so that bellies are filled and minds are put at ease. Self-satisfaction is an easy folly to fall into. Rarely can a person find a soul that only has their desire fulfilled in serving the Lord of hosts…in approaching His courts in praise and worship.
“Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will still be praising Thee. Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee…” (84:4-5) This psalm causes each heart that reads it to ponder how much they love their Lord…how much they love to be in His house…how much they love to praise and adore Him. Hearts need to be searched and asked: “What do I desire more than the Lord? What is better than serving and worshiping Him?” From the youngest, born again soul…to the most seasoned of Christian…all are forced to come face to face with our own desires. Those desires are to be weighed in the balances of eternity; for that which we have obtained in this life…is not what we should desire the most. Our yearning should always be for that which will last ‘beyond the rolling river.’
“For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand [elsewhere].” (84:10) Is the worship of the Lord desired above all else in your life? Can you say that just one day of communion with Him is far better than a thousand days spent elsewhere? The entertainments of this life are beyond counting…the amusements which we have made could keep us occupied for decades, but which would you rather be doing: 1) praising the Lord in His house with all your heart, or 2) being entertained…elsewhere. The Lord knows the true answer of your heart, just as you do. Ask Him to replace the selfish will of your heart, with His glorious and eternal will. Even so, Lord, come quickly. Amen.
Such a Sweet Word
(Psalm 85)
“Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy people, Thou hast covered all their sin. Thou hast taken away all Thy wrath: Thou hast turned Thyself from the fierceness of Thine anger.”(85:2-3) It is amazing how much weight is contained within one word of God’s Holy Book. Just one of these living and inspired expressions has the strength to release and relieve the heaviest of our burdens. Open the Bible and we find page after page of promised comfort…line after line of mercy and grace! And yet, the smallest of words can be overlooked: “Thou hast FORGIVEN!” So small…such a microscopic remark when looked at in the light of the thousands of words which surround it! Yet, within this one word, God has lifted away the intense weight of the iniquities which we have committed! As God’s child, we have been cleansed and made whole! The crushing remorse felt from the ungodly words we have uttered….the guilt suffered because of our unrighteous thoughts…ALL OF THAT has been borne away by the blood of the cross. “Thou hast forgiven” is one of the grandest of all truths to be found and known.
However, in order to claim the blessings of these words…this implies that we (at some time) have chosen to leave the light of the Lord and walk in darkness. “All we like sheep have gone astray…” (Isa. 53:6) We have all sought something else besides the Lord! We have all walked away from Him! We have all had other priorities which we have idolized before God! But in seeking forgiveness we acknowledge that we WERE on the wrong path, and we recognize that we need the Lord to “turn us.”(85:4).
Brethren, forgiveness begins with a contrite and broken heart! We MUST KNOW the need for it! Before we ever know forgiveness….we will feel the pain of Divine separation. Before we ever know forgiveness…we will know the despair of being dead in our trespasses and sins. As a branch without the vine withers, so we will know how it is to fade away into the sinful shadows before the forgiveness of God brings us to life again. David asks: “Wilt Thou not revive us again?” (85:6) Divine forgiveness reawakens our zeal for the Lord! Knowing that God has lifted our burdens…gives us the energy to do more and say more and give more. Forgiveness revitalizes the life of a Christian and the life of a church, but it all begins with a broken heart.
“Surely His salvation is nigh [unto] them that fear Him…” (85:9) God reserves the best of all gifts for His children. To the world He bestows life and creation...He sustains the earth and all things that dwell therein, but to His children He gives that which will last forever… forgiveness. He will NO MORE remember our transgressions (Hb. 10:17)! He has lifted them to a place where they are drowned in the depths of His love…the cross of Calvary. Praise be to God for His forgiveness! May He turn those who need turning, and may He strengthen the feet of those who walk in His steps. Even so, Lord, come quickly. Amen!
Ready to Forgive Those Who Call
(Psalm 86)
“For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.” (86:5) One of the most challenging aspects of a God-filled life is to have a heart that is ready to forgive. And what the Psalmist speaks of here isn’t just that a heart is willing to forgive, or even able to forgive…it’s a heart that is ready to forgive! Before the first word is said…before the first stone is cast there is an attitude present that says, “No matter what is done or said to me…if my offenders ask, I am ready to pardon them of their offenses.” That is challenging to any life of faith! To look up at those who are gnashing their teeth… smashing stones into your face, and still be able to say, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” (Acts 7:60) That is challenging to any life of faith! To be beaten, and then nailed to a cross by a mob of hate…to be spit upon and left to die, and then be able to mercifully say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Lk. 23:34). That is challenging to any life of faith!
Yet, the flawless Lord of all (who we gladly serve) perfectly exemplifies this ready forgiveness each day of our lives. Every day we are found guilty of being imperfect creatures before a perfect Creator…every day we go beyond the divinely set boundaries, and we need forgiveness. And before we ever get the throne-room of God with our humble prayers for pardon…He is already waiting for us to arrive. Before we ever make that journey to His feet, He has been watching for our return with open arms of forgiveness. The Lord is truly good, and ready to forgive all those that call upon Him.
“Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth…” (86:11) This rule of heart must remain the same for all those who call themselves Christians. God is the example…He is the pattern after which we shape and mold every decision. Lives must be guided by the ways of the Lord. Words must be spoken that reflect the truths of God. We must all walk in truth! Challenges to our faith will come, but we must never back down from the truth. Snares and traps will be hurled at us from every side, but we must remain true to the narrow way. The temptation will always be there to refuse forgiveness from those who have offended, but this is not God’s way. The Lord never withholds forgiveness from us, so we must never deny forgiveness to those who seek it. May we all sincerely pray: “Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth.” Amen.
Zion: The Church’s Roll Counted
(Psalm 87)
“The Lord loveth the gates of Zion…glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.” (87:2-3) In the ancient days, long ago passed, the people of God would come in and out of the beautiful city of Zion. With her glorious temple and her chosen people there would have been a great sense of encouragement to be surrounded by so many of like precious faith. It would have been a beautiful thing to have been amongst the crowds of one mind and one heart to serve the Lord. The impressive feast days held to remember the bounty of the Lord…the solemn sacrifices given for atonement…just to be in the same vicinity where the blood was to be shed by the priests…to be where purity was everywhere spoken, and the people stood in awe as they worshiped their God. It must have been an awesome experience to know that the city was God’s.
Is it any wonder, then, that the place where God’s stands today (the church) is referred to as the wonderful city of Zion. Great things could be said about the city of Jerusalem (throughout her famous history), but those things are matchless in comparison to the blessings which are found in the blood-bought church of our Lord. As time goes on, the church will still boldly shine as a beacon of light in a world of darkness. The church will never lose her luster, though all the nations may attack her at once. Those found within her walls will never be plucked from the Savior’s hand.
“And of Zion it shall be said, ‘This and that man was born in her’…the Lord shall count, when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there.” (87:5-6) Born again Christians are known by God individually. Each soul in the church has a name…and that name has been written by God in His Son’s blood. Each born again, believer’s name is known by God, and we will hear them echoing off the walls of heaven some day.
In the Darkness and in the Deeps
(Psalm 88)
“Let my prayer come before Thee: incline Thine ear unto my cry; for my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom Thou rememberest no more…Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.” (88:2-6)
Reaching down to the lowest hell of my life I could not go beyond these words. The frustrations and distresses which run through every syllable of this Psalm are hard to imagine, much less to bear. To cry out to God continually, day and night…day and night to scream out to the heavens for deliverance and feel that there is no deliverance coming. The crushing burden of the spirit weighing down upon the heart with so much force that it feels as if death has already come put me “in the grave.” To come to the belief that Father has been driven far…far away, and that His wrath is “hard upon me,” and that His afflictions are rolling over me like waves of sea is more than I ever wish to dream! To want to go a place of forgetfulness where I am remembered no more…to feel as if I am thrown down into the deepest pit and have no strength to climb…it is torture to even read.
“My soul is full of trouble…” (88:3) There is not one ounce of it left that has not been darkened by affliction…there is not one ray of light that can be seen! I have been shut up “and I cannot come forth!” (88:8) I am trapped in my own hellish night which seems to never end! I cry, and cry, and cry….tears stream down my face, but there is no repose from this bitter storm of strife. I battle within myself to gain a foothold on my thoughts, so that I don’t drown in despair! “Lord, I have called daily upon Thee! I have stretched out my hands unto Thee!” (88:9). Is there no help to found?! Is there no mercy to be given from Thy hand?! AM I AS THE DEAD! HAVE I BEEN FORGOTTEN! “Wilt Thou show wonders to the dead? Shall the dead rise and praise Thee? Shall Thy wonders be known in the dark? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?” (88:10-12)
“Lord, why castest Thou off my soul? Why hidest Thou Thy face from me? I am afflicted and ready to die…while I suffer Thy terrors I am distracted. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; Thy terrors have cut me off!” (88:15-16) To be at the brink of death and still there is no rescue! What a sadness! Still the shadows of the terrors of God refuse to let even a single ray of light shine! Like water…the vengeance of the Lord surrounds every part of my being! His wrath is pressing upon me like the winepresses of old…all the while the life is spilling out of my heart! I am afflicted to the point of distraction! I AM CUT OFF! I AM CUT OFF! “Lover and friend hast Thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.” (88:18)
Even though this Psalm is not related to a prophecy of Christ….the words, feelings, emotions, and pains which are spoken here can be easily seen in the cross. With the haunts of Calvary upon the mind of our Savior, He passed into Gethsemane to pray. As He cried out to God through the night, He sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground from His fevered brow. The anguish of His mind was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. It was not only His body that was bruised, but His spirit suffered more torture than we can presume to know, though we may live a lifetime.
Thank you, Lord, for bearing my sins in your body, and making me free!
The Power of the Lord is the Strength of the Saints
(Psalm 89)
“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.” (89:1) The mercies of the Lord toward man…who can count them? They are as countless as the molecules of water on the earth. They are as abundant as the hosts of stars which brighten the night sky. His mercies are like a line that knows no end and knows no beginning. Our voices could never sing out all the mercies of God; for when our voice would give way and tire of song…the glorious mercies of God would have just begun. These are fitting words that we should sing of these mercies ‘forever’ because they are as deep as the eternal depths of our Father’s love.
“O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto Thee?” (89:8) As His mercy goes, so goes His power. God has no void of energy! His capabilities are endless. His supremacy is always and eternally abundant. He dominates and dictates all things seen and unseen. The slightest lifting of His finger and the oceans erupt with waves, the highest ground shakes with violence, and the heavens hide their starry eyes behind clouds of darkening mist. The controlling of the rays of day and the shades of night are as much of an ease to Him as the shutting and opening of His eyes. “Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them. The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, Thou hast founded them.” (89:9,11)
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.” (89:7). The description of such a powerful being should send us to our knees in awe of His magnificence. We should fall with our faces to ground, and thank Him that we were ever worthy of praising His name. ‘Awe’ doesn’t capture how we should react to a God like this. Words of man fall short in the describing: ‘wonder,’ ‘admiration,’ ‘marvel’…all these words can be used to describe happenings of everyday life. But when we are gathered in the Presence of a God that has unlimited strength, infinite grace, boundless love, and unrestrained wrath toward the disobedient… “awe” just doesn’t seem to do justice.
“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For Thou art the glory of their strength…” (89:15-17) The Lord’s strength is our strength. The Lord’s song is our song. Where He leads we will follow, and where His words command to go, so we will go. The light of His countenance leads our pathway! His righteousness is our pillar of fire by night, and without Him there is no life or salvation. His words are a joyful sound in our ears because by them we are shown the way to life everlasting. “Blessed be the Lord evermore. Amen, and Amen.” (89:52)
A Thousand Years and Threescore
(Psalm 90)
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God…For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past…” (90:2,4) Can mortal language contain the definition of God’s existence? Man’s words, if you will, limit God’s majesty and glory. In the timeless light of God, terms like ‘everlasting’ and ‘eternal’ are such meager words when the ideas infused within them transcend all human imagination. A thousand years! What is that to God? It pales to even describe how miniscule those years are in relation to the Everlasting. It’s a blink of an eye. It’s a swift recollection of yesterday’s fleeting daylight. And even if we were to infinitely multiply a thousand years over and over again…those years would still be as brief, in the eyes of God, as a star shooting across the sky. God is “from everlasting TO everlasting!” No time can contain nor restrain Him. He is not limited by finite, universal space. He is not controlled by the pebbles of sand that remind us of our small vapors of life. Our lives are so transient and brief in view of our everlasting God.
“The days of our years are threescore and ten [70]; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years [80], yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (90:10) What weakness constrains our mortality! A thousand years are nothing for God to pass through. He exists through the eternal ages without diminishing, but human life doesn’t even average out to a century. And by the time we reach the latter years…our bodies deteriorate and fade from the strength of our youth. We are far, far removed from the vibrant vinegar we used to be. Bones seem to burn, muscles don’t react as they once did, and our reactions become slower and slower with each passing year.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. O satisfy us early with Thy mercy: that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (90:12) However fleeting our lives (which only appear for a little time and then vanish away)…we can still be filled with satisfaction. With the Lord filling our time with His mercy and wisdom…the years that swiftly pass can be filled with eternal joy. There is a part of every person that will not pass away. With wisdom and accumulation of truth we recognize that this earthly tabernacle only houses an eternal soul which will fly away to be with the Lord. This corrupt and decaying body will someday be raised to incorruption. This mortal will someday put on immortality, and we will finally understand what it means to be “everlasting.” So, if we live to be forty or we live to be ninety the end result for God’s children will ever be the same: ‘everlasting’ life!
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