11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Ptr. 2:11-12 (ESV)
We do not belong in this world. Our days here are numbered, and there are many perils which face the Christian. I am not speaking about the average church goer. No, I am speaking about the follower of Christ. Many things this world offers which seem to lead us down the right paths, but which turn out to be fleshly desires, because they are not honorable, and the do not lead people to glorify God. As a result scoffers and so called Christians will attack us.
Christ follower these attacks will be directed toward you as you attempt to avoid the desires of this world. It’s not a question of if, but when. The only remedy is to simply turn to Christ, living a life that glorifies God the father and and is usable by the Holy Spirit to draw more people to him. The days of strife are not over and we cannot forget we are merely foreigners here. Glorify God with your life and point people to Jesus.
Sing to the Lord a New Song
149:1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the Lord!
I hope that you have had a wonderful year and are excitedly expecting the New Year as I write this Christmas Eve. However, I know that many have had a year filled with trials and testing. As I read this Psalm, I cannot help but remember the trials and testing of Israel over the generations, yet, here the Psalmist proclaims a new song of praise to be sung unto the Lord.
Regardless of the trials you face and how dark times may occasionally seem, each day is a new day. Each day is a reason for celebration. Why, because Jesus ultimately is victorious. He has already won victory over our enemies, over the apostate nations, over everything including death. In that victory, He does not promise that we shall always be comfortable or that life will be easy; quite the opposite. However, He does promise that He will work out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called to His purpose. Now that is a reason for praise and Honor.
So, as we enter into the new year, remember to:
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
Praise the Lord!
My Rock and My Fortress
Of David.
144:1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
3 O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord! Wow what a statement, what a thought! David recognized that the Lord is sovereign, that He is steadfast and man is not. This is David’s Isaiah 6 moment (or at least one of them), he sees not only himself, but all men as so insignificant that it is amazing that God would even consider them, even think of them.
As we enter into this season of remembering the birth of our Lord, we must also remember what David understood. Our blessings, our provision, our sustenance does not come from this world or the work of our hand, but from the Lord. It is His sovereign grace, and the fact that He doesn’t just consider us but loves us, that provides all we need.
It is easy in this season and this day to get entwined with the world’s view that man is basically good and that everyone will eventually go to heaven because God loves us all. The truth is God does love us all, and for that fact, there will be some who are treated as foreigners, who God will separate us from, and who God will stretch out his hand against.
Praise God for his blessings. Praise God for His Son who died for us. Praise God for His justice which will separate us from the foreigners. Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him!!!
Come, Bless the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
134:1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!
3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!
As I read this gorgeous hymn I am struck by the language of the first verse which describes those who are called to bless the Lord, (v.2) and who will be blessed by the Lord(v. 3). There are two things in particular which call out.
First, those who are described are called servants (in the Hebrew literally slaves). This language indicates one who has lost his will to another. In the Hebrew mind, the greatest slaves were those who stayed with their masters voluntarily during the year of jubilee, when they could have been freed. We are to lose our will to God, not begrudgingly, but with joy and thanksgiving knowing that God will provide.
Second, it say they are slaves “who stand by night.” The dualistic language of day and night often portray opposing positions of good and bad, easy and harsh, blessings and hardship. This is incredible, for it brings to mind those who willingly remain in the house of the Lord, to serve Him, when things are tough. When it is easier to forsake the Lord and follow the world, these servants stand in the house of the Lord.
Darkness is coming for the church. Ahead lies an era of persecution and hardship, that the servants of Christ have never seen in our country. Are you prepared to stand? Will you rest joyfully in the service of the Lord, not forsaking Him for the easy way? Will you lift up your hands to the Holy place and bless him? Will you present yourself to be blessed by Him?
They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth
A Song of Ascents.
129:1 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
It is an amazing thing to think that God’s protection for His people is not arbitrary or based upon emotion or mood. I know that I am guilty of treating others based upon what they do for me or what I feel like at a specific time, but God is so different. His provision for Zion (now the Church) is based upon His righteousness, His unchanging character, not whims or emotions.
For those who do not know Him, through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ, this means that He is not going to bend or change His mind about the coming judgment. He is perfectly righteous and His holiness demands that sin be dealt with. He will not choose in the last minute to change His mind, because of love. Just the opposite, because of love, He will follow through to eternity with exactly what He said He would do, He will avenge the blood or the righteous and put to shame those who have afflicted the church.
For those who do know Him, His provision will continue throughout eternity. Just as judgment will not change, so provision and blessing will not change. What God has promised He will see through to completion. This is liberating, for while we may feel slighted, or struggle in the short term, we know who will prevail in the end.
God does not change, so His provisions and promises do not change. Read the praises of another psalmist, Martin Luther (A Mighty Fortress is our God – 1529, then spend time today thanking Him for the fact that He is trustworthy and capable of never failing:
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
2. Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.
3. And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
4. That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours,
thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.
Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
124:1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side-
let Israel now say-
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth
We have a tendency for self preservation. God made us that way. We will do whatever we have to do (most of the time) to make sure that we survive. Unfortunately, we also have a tendency, not placed there by God, to rely upon ourselves to make sure that we fulfill that need for self preservation. Instead, He desires that we place our faith in Him for our survival.
As a parent, I so often see times when my own children feel they are more capable than I to make the decisions necessary to make sure they survive. They make these decisions because they believe they are capable, not because they know they are capable. For, there is no way they could come to that conclusion, at least not yet. As the parent, I am capable, because I see the pitfalls of decisions that must be made, not because I am omniscient, but because I have been down the road before.
God, however, is omniscient. He knows exactly what we need, and He is the only one who is capable of actually providing it. The world will lead us astray, only to attack and “swallow us up alive.” As we seek to provide for ourselves we have a tendency to follow the world, because we have not seen everything that can go wrong. We only know what we want, and will follow down unwise paths to get it.
The Father will give us everything we need. He will protect us from the dangers of this world. He will not give us over to the predators, who seek to devour us. He can because He is maker of heaven and earth. He can because only He has made a way through Christ. He can because He is God and we are not.
Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God.
Aleph.
1 How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.
3 They also do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have ordained Your precepts,
That we should keep them diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be established
To keep Your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look upon all Your commandments.
7 I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly!
Beth.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
10 With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
11 Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O LORD;
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have told of
All the ordinances of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts
And regard Your ways.
16 I shall delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word.
Gimel.
17 Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
19 I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul is crushed with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed,
Who wander from Your commandments.
22 Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I observe Your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit and talk against me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies also are my delight;
They are my counselors.
Daleth.
25 My soul cleaves to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
26 I have told of my ways, and You have answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts,
So I will meditate on Your wonders.
28 My soul weeps because of grief;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
29 Remove the false way from me,
And graciously grant me Your law.
30 I have chosen the faithful way;
I have placed Your ordinances before me.
31 I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!
32 I shall run the way of Your commandments,
For You will enlarge my heart.
He.
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall observe it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law
And keep it with all my heart.
35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies
And not to dishonest gain.
37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,
And revive me in Your ways.
38 Establish Your word to Your servant,
As that which produces reverence for You.
39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your ordinances are good.
40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me through Your righteousness.
Vav.
41 May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O LORD,
Your salvation according to Your word;
42 So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.
43 And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I wait for Your ordinances.
44 So I will keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.
46 I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings
And shall not be ashamed.
47 I shall delight in Your commandments,
Which I love.
48 And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments,
Which I love;
And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Zayin.
49 Remember the word to Your servant,
In which You have made me hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word has revived me.
51 The arrogant utterly deride me,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.
52 I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O LORD,
And comfort myself.
53 Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked,
Who forsake Your law.
54 Your statutes are my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage.
55 O LORD, I remember Your name in the night,
And keep Your law.
56 This has become mine,
That I observe Your precepts.
Heth.
57 The LORD is my portion;
I have promised to keep Your words.
58 I sought Your favor with all my heart;
Be gracious to me according to Your word.
59 I considered my ways
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
60 I hastened and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.
61 The cords of the wicked have encircled me,
But I have not forgotten Your law.
62 At midnight I shall rise to give thanks to You
Because of Your righteous ordinances.
63 I am a companion of all those who fear You,
And of those who keep Your precepts.
64 The earth is full of Your lovingkindness, O LORD;
Teach me Your statutes.
Teth.
65 You have dealt well with Your servant,
O LORD, according to Your word.
66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge,
For I believe in Your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
68 You are good and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.
69 The arrogant have forged a lie against me;
With all my heart I will observe Your precepts.
70 Their heart is covered with fat,
But I delight in Your law.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
72 The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
Yodh.
73 Your hands made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74 May those who fear You see me and be glad,
Because I wait for Your word.
75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
76 O may Your lovingkindness comfort me,
According to Your word to Your servant.
77 May Your compassion come to me that I may live,
For Your law is my delight.
78 May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie;
But I shall meditate on Your precepts.
79 May those who fear You turn to me,
Even those who know Your testimonies.
80 May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,
So that I will not be ashamed.
Kaph.
81 My soul languishes for Your salvation;
I wait for Your word.
82 My eyes fail with longing for Your word,
While I say, “When will You comfort me?”
83 Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do not forget Your statutes.
84 How many are the days of Your servant?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me,
Men who are not in accord with Your law.
86 All Your commandments are faithful;
They have persecuted me with a lie; help me!
87 They almost destroyed me on earth,
But as for me, I did not forsake Your precepts.
88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
Lamedh.
89 Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations;
You established the earth, and it stands.
91 They stand this day according to Your ordinances,
For all things are Your servants.
92 If Your law had not been my delight,
Then I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have revived me.
94 I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me;
I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection;
Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
Mem.
97 O how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever mine.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged,
Because I have observed Your precepts.
101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
102 I have not turned aside from Your ordinances,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 From Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.
Nun.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106 I have sworn and I will confirm it,
That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
107 I am exceedingly afflicted;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.
108 O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,
And teach me Your ordinances.
109 My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts.
111 I have inherited Your testimonies forever,
For they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, even to the end.
Samekh.
113 I hate those who are double-minded,
But I love Your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I wait for Your word.
115 Depart from me, evildoers,
That I may observe the commandments of my God.
116 Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
117 Uphold me that I may be safe,
That I may have regard for Your statutes continually.
118 You have rejected all those who wander from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is useless.
119 You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross;
Therefore I love Your testimonies.
120 My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.
Ayin.
121 I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Be surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation
And for Your righteous word.
124 Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness
And teach me Your statutes.
125 I am Your servant; give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.
126 It is time for the LORD to act,
For they have broken Your law.
127 Therefore I love Your commandments
Above gold, yes, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything,
I hate every false way.
Pe.
129 Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul observes them.
130 The unfolding of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.
131 I opened my mouth wide and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
After Your manner with those who love Your name.
133 Establish my footsteps in Your word,
And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.
135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of water,
Because they do not keep Your law.
Tsadhe.
137 Righteous are You, O LORD,
And upright are Your judgments.
138 You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness
And exceeding faithfulness.
139 My zeal has consumed me,
Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.
140 Your word is very pure,
Therefore Your servant loves it.
141 I am small and despised,
Yet I do not forget Your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have come upon me,
Yet Your commandments are my delight.
144 Your testimonies are righteous forever;
Give me understanding that I may live.
Qoph.
145 I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD!
I will observe Your statutes.
146 I cried to You; save me
And I shall keep Your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I wait for Your words.
148 My eyes anticipate the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your ordinances.
150 Those who follow after wickedness draw near;
They are far from Your law.
151 You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.
152 Of old I have known from Your testimonies
That You have founded them forever.
Resh.
153 Look upon my affliction and rescue me,
For I do not forget Your law.
154 Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
156 Great are Your mercies, O LORD;
Revive me according to Your ordinances.
157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies.
158 I behold the treacherous and loathe them,
Because they do not keep Your word.
159 Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.
160 The sum of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
Shin.
161 Princes persecute me without cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your words.
162 I rejoice at Your word,
As one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and despise falsehood,
But I love Your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous ordinances.
165 Those who love Your law have great peace,
And nothing causes them to stumble.
166 I hope for Your salvation, O LORD,
And do Your commandments.
167 My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
168 I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.
Tav.
169 Let my cry come before You, O LORD;
Give me understanding according to Your word.
170 Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
171 Let my lips utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
172 Let my tongue sing of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
173 Let Your hand be ready to help me,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
174 I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
And Your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live that it may praise You,
And let Your ordinances help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.
Psalm 119 has a special place in God’s revelation, and among believers. It is known among the Germans as “The Christians’ golden A B C of the praise, love, power, and use of the Word of God.” Each portion of the Psalm begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first section (the first eight verses) begins with the letter aleph, the second with beth, the third with gimel, the fourth with daleth, and so on.
Charles Spurgeon says this psalm is a wonderful composition. Its expressions are many as the waves, but its testimony is one as the sea. It deals all along with one subject only; but although it consists of a considerable number of verses, some of which are very similar to others, yet throughout its one hundred and seventy-six stanzas the self-same thought is not repeated: there is always a shade of difference, even when the color of the thought appears to be the same.
It is varied and glorious, and it is a testament to the love of the author for the subject, but what subject could manifest such devotion? None exists but the Word of God. His statutes, His revelation, and His truth, so inspire the author that he wrote the single largest chapter in scripture. The author’s love for scripture is obvious, but more important is His love for truth and its affect on the lives of men.
It is obvious as one reads that for the Psalmist, the Word of God holds a primary place in the life of believers. God’s word is not only primary; it is the sole source of authority for the life of the believer. It leads all who read it to look into the face of their Creator, and realize who He is. This ultimately leads the reader to realize what the reader himself is not; namely Holy. Like a lost sheep, we have all gone astray, but His word is strong enough to reconcile even the lost to Him. It is the source of salvation and it is the sum of all truth.
Are you in love with His word? Do you know all its truths, its depths, its object? Ultimately, His Word points to Jesus, and when you get to Him, all joy exists. Do you know Him? Do you Love His Word?
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1O God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
2for wicked and deceitful men
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3With words of hatred they surround me;
they attack me without cause.
4In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.
5They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my friendship.
6Appoint an evil man to oppose him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayers condemn him.
8May his days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.
9May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven from their ruined homes.
11May a creditor seize all he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity on his fatherless children.
13May his descendants be cut off,
their names blotted out from the next generation.
14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15May their sins always remain before the Lord,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come on him;
he found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18He wore cursing as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,
into his bones like oil.
19May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil of me.
21But you, O Sovereign Lord,
deal well with me for your name’s sake;
out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23I fade away like an evening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24My knees give way from fasting;
my body is thin and gaunt.
25I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, O Lord my God;
save me in accordance with your love.
27Let them know that it is your hand,
that you, O Lord, have done it.
28They may curse, but you will bless;
when they attack they will be put to shame,
but your servant will rejoice.
29My accusers will be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng I will praise him.
31For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save his life from those who condemn him.
David spends a lot of time in this Psalm discussing the nature, character and general lousy disposition of his enemies. It seems that everything they do, everything they say, even every beat of their heart is to accuse, curse, and do evil against him. However, while David likely has the justification (especially if one argues wrongly that David is under OT law not grace), that he needs to turn on his enemies and to seek vengeance. Instead, David lays the situation at the foot of the throne of God. Why?
First, David has a proper understanding of who God is. In the very first verse, he gives praise to God. In verse 21 he recognizes God’s sovereignty. In verse 26, he demonstrates that he understands God is the source of help and sustenance. David sees God for who he is…God, sovereign, almighty, omnipotent, omniscient, and Holy.
Second, David realizes that he is NOT God. In fact, David understands that he is (at best) poor, needy, weak, thin and gaunt. In other words, David knows that he is incapable of dealing with those who persecute him. He (and we) would deal with them in an evil manner, rather than with justice. He/we would deal with them for our glory, not God’s.
Finally, David seeks for God to be glorified in the resolution. He understands that God will repay, for us out of His love for us, but more importantly for His name’s sake. As a result, in the end, David will extol the Lord, just as he did in the beginning; proclaiming the truth of the righteous one, the defender of the needy, and savior of the condemned.
God is God and we are not. Yet God chooses to protect and provide for those He loves through Jesus Christ. Do you understand that God loves and wants to have a relationship with you? The result of this relationship may, like David’s life, not result in immediate freedom from difficulties, but it will eventually deliver an eternal life of peace and protection. Have you realized that you are a sinner? That you need a savior? Are you willing to confess and praise His name?
Psalm 99
Praise to the LORD for His Fidelity to Israel.
1 The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble;
He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion,
And He is exalted above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name;
Holy is He.
4 The strength of the King loves justice;
You have established equity;
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the LORD our God
And worship at His footstool;
Holy is He.
6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called on His name;
They called upon the LORD and He answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
They kept His testimonies
And the statute that He gave them.
8 O LORD our God, You answered them;
You were a forgiving God to them,
And yet an avenger of their evil deeds.
9 Exalt the LORD our God
And worship at His holy hill,
For holy is the LORD our God.
God is so unlike us. In fact, He is utterly un-us. We are merely creation, fallible, and sinful. We stumble and grope through this life, wandering and searching for something more. Too often we end up worshiping (exalting) something so un-worthy (ourselves, our money, our jobs, etc).
God is solely worthy of our worship. Why? First, He is sovereign. He reigns. All creation sits at His feet. Second, He is Holy, wholly other, cut-off, sanctified. As a result, He is perfect in justice, righteousness, love, equity, and in every other characteristic people long for. Third, He is gracious. He forgives in spite of our “evil deeds.” When He has every right to exact revenge upon us, and to seek justice, He instead has provided grace to those who know (place the entirety of their faith in) and love him.
The call is for us to live Holy lives, worshipping Him in every aspect of our lives. We are to rejoice when the world cuts us off and we are to wait upon Him to avenge their evil deeds. We are called to a life of keeping His testimonies. If you know Him, you are part of a Holy Priesthood, but you are still a fallible sinner. Come to His footstool and be refreshed. Come and worship.
In his book, Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1971), D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes the statement “the moment you consider man’s real need, and also the nature of salvation announced and proclaimed in the Scriptures, you are driven to the conclusion that the primary task of the Church is to preach and to proclaim this, to show man’s real need, and to show the only remedy, the only cure.” In my own words, the primary mission of the church is to demonstrate from God’s word the sinful nature of man and to proclaim its only remedy, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, the church today seems to wrapped in self-help and social justice to fulfill its primary mission. Is it wrong to help people, to ensure that they have food, feel good, and are treated justly? Absolutely, this is wrong, when these things occur apart from the Gospel of Christ, or worse, in place of it. When Churches do this, they are treating symptoms of an illnes (a fatal illness) rather than treating the illness itself. Think of it this way. Is it wrong for an oncologist to prescribe pain medications for a patient dying of treatable cancer? Yes, if that is the only course of treatment. Otherwise, he is resigning the paitent to death, by making him comfortable.
People all around our churches are dying from sin (spiritually and physically. While the latter is temporary the former is eternal. Our churches are simply standing by and making them comfortable as they watch them die. Instead, they need to be proclaiming the truth of the Word of God, which describes man as a rebel both by birth and by choice. They must demonstrate the fatal nature of this condition, and offer the remedy.
Jesus came to reconcile man back to a perfect relationship with God the Father. He lived a sinless life, and died an unwarranted death, taking the punishment, bearing the wrath of God on man’s behalf. He died and three days later was raised from the dead, victorious over death and the grave, providing a means of perfect reconciliation. Do you know you are a sinner? Do you know that you can be saved through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and surrender to His lordship over your life? Christian, are you sharing the Gospel? Have you forgotten you are mearly a sinner saved by grace, and nothing more? HAve you fallen at the foot of the cross today and sought His will?