Psalm 6

David is prostrated because of his foes. Yet there also seem to be some sin issues as well. He prays for the LORD not to rebuke him in wrath.

The one verse which sort of confuses me is: “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?”

Some scholars maintain that the clear idea of a heaven after death was not developed in the Old Testament. I have to disagree with this because of verses like Psalm 49:15:

“But God will redeem my life from the grave; He will surely take me to Himself.”

My guess is that David did believe in a heaven after death, but he is speaking out of unutterable grief in this psalm. Ultimately we must submit even our darkest moments to that “living hope”.

Psalm 5

The righteous are contrasted with the wicked!

The righteous:

• lay their requests before God in the morning and wait in eager expectation
• bow down in God’s house by His mercy
• look to Him for leading in righteousness
• take refuge, are blessed, are protected
• Rejoice and ever sing for joy!

The wicked:

• mouth of lies
• heart of destruction
• full of sin and rebellion
• will be destroyed by the LORD

The righteous are praying; the wicked are sinning. God is all-hearing, and the just will be rejoicing. 

Psalm 4

David in his distress cries out to God! He is frustrated by those who turn from God to idols and delusions – preferring to be satisfied with those things rather than the persevering walk with Jehovah.

David exhorts these men to:

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.

The pursuit of the LORD ends in soul-drenching JOY!

You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

What are you worshiping? Are you finding satisfaction in an empty idol (perhaps another person, a job, a pursuit etc.) rather than in the living God? Are you filled with joy and peace so that you can say:

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 3

David recognizes the sheer volume of his foes. They are many and powerful. He turns his attention away from them to God’s deliverance.

David declares God’s deliverance:

You are a shield around me

I cry…He answers

David acts in faith in God’s deliverance

I lie down and sleep; I awake again because the LORD sustains me

David prays against his enemies

Strike all my enemies on the jaw

David praises God for deliverance

From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

Who are your enemies today? Are they physical, spiritual or your own sin issues? Ultimately we are reminded in Ephesians that we don’t struggle against other people, but against demonic forces (Eph 4:12). Only in the LORD is there truly deliverance!

Psalm 2

The messianic intent of this psalm under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is so clear that it seems to almost totally eclipse the original Davidic meaning!

Why do the nations conspire and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against His annointed One.

Rebellion against the Most High is the basic function of sinful humanity. While enslaved by their own lusts, they imagine that God is the enslaver (3)!

God responds! He…

Laughs (4)

Scoffs (4)

Rebukes (4)

Terrifies (5)

Declares – “I have installed my King!”

The LORD’s Decree to the Annointed:

You are my Son 

I am your Father

Ask Me and I’ll give You the world to rule

The Ultimatum to Sinful Humanity

Serve the LORD; Rejoice with trembling (true service is a joyful fear); Kiss the Son; Take refuge in Him and be blessed!

Psalm 1

So familiar is this psalm and so often repeated and memorized that I fear we often forget its terse and vital message. This psalm, more like a proverb, creates a word picture comparing the righteous and the wicked. The wicked are like chaff – light and worthless. The righteous are like mighty trees, fortified by their reliance on the Word of God.

When the wind of God’s judgment blows across the face of humanity, the wicked will not stand. The righteous will stand though because the LORD watches over them. Therefore the caution is: Do not walk, stand or sit in the wicked way!

Of course every one of us is by nature a ‘child of wrath’, blinded by the ‘god of this world’ and naturally not seeking after God. The righteousness we must stand in therefore, is the righteousness of Christ imparted to us through faith in salvation. Only when we are clothed in His perfection can we stand before God in the judgment.

The Word of God part 3

“For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.” Psalm 33:9 (NIV)

God’s ‘Word’ can refer to three different things – His spoken word, His written word, and His incarnate word – Jesus Christ. Psalm 33:9 is concerned with His spoken word.

The spoken word of God appears a few times in Scripture. Of course the most obvious is in the creation account. With His voice God is able to create something out of nothing – a power none of us can even imagine. We must only worship in adoration and awe.

Occasionally men heard the spoken word of God. When Moses came down from the mountain he’d been talking with God for 40 days and nights. The experience was so intense that he hadn’t eaten or drank anything and his face was glowing so radiantly that the people in the camp couldn’t look at him (Exodus 35:29).

Isaiah was ushered into God’s court, and immediately his heart melts as he realizes his own utter sinfulness. A word from God at that time might have instantly killed him were it not for the angel who purified his unclean lips with a coal (Isaiah 6). After his sins were atoned for, he was able to speak with God.

Despite the incredible experience speaking with God or hearing His voice must have been – not all were changed by it. Some of the crowd in John 12 who heard a direct voice from heaven affirming Christ’s words brushed it off as ‘thunder’ (12:29).

God’s spoken word, although rare in occurrence, had a similar effect as His written word. For those with hearts that are willing – it is the mode of experiencing incredible fellowship with Him. For those who are unbelieving and hardened, even the inspired word, like a voice from heaven won’t be enough to crack their blockades of rebellion.

 

The Word of God part 2

A diversion to hear from the incredible master – Charles Spurgeon:

This volume is the writing of the living God; each letter was penned with an Almighty finger; each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips; each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit. Albeit, that Moses was employed to write his histories with his fiery pen, God guided that pen. It may be that David touched his harp, and let sweet Psalms of melody drop from his fingers; but God moved his hands over the living strings of his golden harp. It may be that Solomon sang canticles of love, or gave forth words of consummate wisdom, but God directed his lips, and made the preacher eloquent. If I follow the thundering Nahum, when his horses plough the waters, or Habakkuk, when he sees the tents of Cushan in affliction; if I read Malachi, when the earth is burning like an oven; if I turn to the smooth page of John, who tells of love, or the rugged, fiery chapters of Peter, who speaks of fire devouring God’s enemies; if I turn to Jude, who launches forth anathemas upon the foes of God, everywhere I find God speaking; it is God’s voice, not man’s; the words are God’s words, the words of the Eternal, the Invisible, the Almighty, the Jehovah of this earth. This Bible is God’s Bible, and when I see it, I seem to hear a voice springing up from it, saying, “I am the book of God; man, read me. I am God’s writing; open my leaf, for I was penned by God; read it, for he is my author, and you will see him visible and manifest everywhere.” “I have written to him the great things of my law.” – Spurgeon http://www.reformedsermonarchives.com/sp14.htm

The Word of the LORD part 1

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:23-25 (NIV)

These three sentences carry incredible power. For me this power is absolutely comforting; God’s word is imperishable. The older we grow, the more obvious the transient nature of existence becomes. This has been particularly true for me in the last year or so.

At 22, already I feel the presence of an irresistible fast moving current that dominates and changes my life – time. Time has taken away my childhood friends. Time has ripped down buildings that were once familiar to me, snatched up relatives that I thought would live forever, crushed dreams and distanced me from good memories. Before I can even enjoy something – it is gone…except for God’s word.

In a world of change and swirling emptiness – God’s word stands an unchangeable tier. It points straight toward heaven, the kingdom which cannot be shaken. Time will not be victorious – Christ shall.

Psalm 147 part 5

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call…He sends His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down His hail like pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast? He sends His word and melts them; He stirs up His breezes, and the waters flow. Psalm 147:7-9; 15-18 (NIV)

Modern man arrogantly presumes that he controls the world, until natural disaster strikes. Hurricane Katrina was one such calamity. Claiming almost two thousand lives and $81 billion in damages (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina), Katrina demonstrated that in the face of nature, man is still a scurrying ant.

God controls nature. The psalmist emphasizes the fact that sometimes God’s control is that of the beneficial provider of needed rain and growth (He supplies the earth with rain and makes the grass grow). Other times, He sees fit to hurl “His hail like pebbles”. We ought not praise God for the rain and curse Him for the hail, but rather recognize His Sovereign control over both – in humility.