Psalm 25

written by David.
¹ To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
² in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
³ No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
⁴ Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
⁵ guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
⁶ Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.
⁸ Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
⁹ He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
¹⁰ All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
¹¹ For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
¹² Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
¹³ He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
¹⁴ The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
¹⁸ Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
¹⁹ See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!
²⁰ Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
²¹ May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

²² Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

When I was in the third grade, I had a teacher who share his belief about God with the entire class.  He told us we needed to grow up and take control of our life and leave the notion that we are special before God behind.  God gave us a brain and we should rely on thinking abilities to make our decisions since the notion of a personal God was a myth.  However, my fourth-grade teacher believed in a personal God in which you could have a personal relationship with and her life reflected that relationship.  As I look back to these two teachers I realize that one of the first steps in understanding the book of Psalms is knowing that the loving God of the universe has not only reached out to mankind; but he has reached out to each individual to have this personal relationship that was reflected in Mrs. Wilson’s life.  So, as we study this psalm we need to focus on David’s actions and the request that he is requesting from his personal Lord.

Actions:

• I lift up my soul
• I trust in God
• I desire honor not shame
• I desire victory over my enemies
• I hope in the Lord
• I desire to be a student of the Lord’s ways
• I desire to be guided into truth by the Lord
• I desire redemption from my rebellious ways
• I desire to keep our ways
• I take refuge in the Lord

We can also see some of God’s attributes in this psalm:

• God honors those who hope in him
• The Lord has great mercy and love
• The Lord is good and upright
• The Lord guides and instruct the humble
• All the Lord’s ways are loving and faithful for those who keeps the demand of his covenant
• The Lord confides in those who fear him
• The Lord makes known his covenant to those who know him
• Only the Lord can release me from the snares of the wicked

Now the real focus of this psalm “David’s request before the Lord”

• Do not let me be put to shame
• Do not let my enemies triumph over me
• Show me your ways
• Teach me your paths
• Guide me in your truth and teach me
• Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways
• Forgive me my iniquities
• Release me from the snares of the wicked
• Lord turn to me and be gracious to me
• Free me from the anguish of my troubles
• Guard my life and rescue me
• May your integrity and uprightness protect me, since my hope is in you.
• Redeem Israel (USA) from all their troubles

Is your God a God that just lives way up there and looks down at the world and treats each of us as if we were but ants on an anthill; or is your God a God that knows your name and knows the count of every hair on your head?

As I read Psalms twenty-one through twenty-five today and relate it to the events happening in our nation today, I gain a new apprehension for President Bush.  Stephen Mansfield wrote in his book The Faith of George W. Bush:

“The great undeniable change in George W. Bush is revealed in his total commitment to help his country preserve freedom’s blessing, to feel compassion for those who suffer, his love for God, his faith, and his desire for peace around the world.” (page 163)

“George W. Bush shared his belief that Jesus Christ is the greatest example of principled living and the person he most admires.” (page 164)

I am afraid that is not the position that our current President Obama has in his running of our nation.  In a recent article I read by Senator Jim DeMint titled We the People vs I Won he wrote:

It is too early to draw conclusions about President Obama and his administration.  But so far, nothing so encapsulates the president’s approach to executive leadership than his famous rebuke to stimulus critics: “I won.”

In a press conference in Turkey (April 6 2009) President Obama remarked:

“I think that where — where there’s the most promise of building stronger U.S.-Turkish relations is in the recognition that Turkey and the United States can build a model partnership in which a predominantly Christian nation and a predominantly Muslim nation, a Western nation and a nation that straddles two continents — that we can create a modern international community that is respectful, that is secure, that is prosperous; that there are not tensions, inevitable tensions, between cultures, which I think is extraordinarily important.

That’s something that’s very important to me. And I’ve said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is — although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.

I think Turkey was — modern Turkey was founded with a similar set of principles, and yet what we’re seeing is in both countries that promise of a secular country that is respectful of religious freedom, respectful of rule of law, respectful of freedom, upholding these values and being willing to stand up for them in the international stage. If we are joined together in delivering that message, East and West, to — to the world, then I think that we can have an extraordinary impact. And I’m very much looking forward to that partnership in the days to come.”

President Bush like David shared his personal faith in God and Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; however, President Obama like Saul look to himself as the chief administration who does not have to answer to God.  I pray that he realizes that there is a warning in Psalm 2:10-12 for all rulers:

“Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.   Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

As I observe the events around me, I must realize that all things are in the Lord’s hands.  Even when the rulers of this earth do not realize the Lord we can be like the seven thousand who have not bowed down to the gods of this world, but who remain faithful to God.  So, as I read Psalms twenty-one through twenty-five today I will chose to make my God a personal God and follow after Mrs. Wilson’s example instead of a third grade teacher’s example who by the way his name I have long forgotten.

Psalm 24

Of David.

¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
² for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
³ Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.
⁵ He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah
⁷ Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty he is the King of glory. Selah

How would you answer the following questions?

• Who is he this King of Glory in your life?
• Are you watching for his coming?
• How do you react to the news in today’s media?
• Do your reactions to this news reflect your desire to see Christ coming?
• Is he the king of your life?
• Have you open the doors to your heart to this King?
• Are you ready to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in his holy place?

You really only have two chooses: The Lord or the idol of the god you have created.

Psalm 23

of David.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

This is one of the first psalms that many young people memorize and place in their heart.  It is a simple psalm yet rich in meaning.  The relationships are simple.  The Lord is the shepherd, and we are his sheep.  He leads and we follow.  He takes care of us and we enjoy the life he gives us.  Our companions are goodness and love and they will be with us along the entire journey.  Our dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.

I could go deeper with this psalm as many other writers have in the past.  However, this is a personal psalm, a psalm of a personal relationship between the Lord (shepherd) and the believer (sheep).  Once you know the Lord and walk with Him then these words will have a special meaning to you.  You will recall times in your past walks that he gave you rest, times in the past that he had to restore you, times in the past when everything seem too far gone to be save and yet he rescued you, times that he blessed you as your enemies were watching and observing how great God rewarded you, times when the peace of God that passes all understanding came over you and finally you truly realized that this world is not your home but heaven is and you enjoy your life on this as a journey with friends and family.  If you don’t know the Lord and you are going about this journey on earth alone, then you are missing the most precious relationship that you could have on this earth.

As I read this Psalm, I realized that it is a Psalm that I have hidden in my heart.  As I journey daily on this life, I must realize that this shepherd in Psalms twenty-three is also the one who opens and closes the doors of opportunity for me as I continue on this journey of life on this earth.  Verse six which states “surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life” should be the goal we pursue daily.  It is easy for us to want more.  I remember a picture of four cows divided into four pastures with each cow reaching between the barbwire into the pasture of the other cow.  The words underneath this picture was “The grass is greener on the other side”.   Ask yourself this question today, “are you happy to be in the green pastures that the Lord makes you lie down in today”?  Remember it is the shepherd that leads you in the path of life.  Stay on the path and Goodness and Mercy will follow you all the days of your life.

Psalm 21

of David.

¹ O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give!
² You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
³ You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
⁴ He asked you for life, and you gave it to him – length of days, forever and ever.
⁵ Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
⁶ Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.
⁸ Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.
⁹ At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the LORD will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them.
¹⁰ You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind.
¹¹ Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;
¹² for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.
¹³ Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.

As I study this psalm, I cannot help but see this as a psalm that refers to David’s reign as well as the coming reign of Christ.  As I read the first six verses, I can picture David’s kingdom as it become one of the most powerful nations on the earth during this period of history.  However, the last seven verses seem to point to a coming King, one who will destroy the enemies of God.  This King is Christ.  In Deuteronomy 17 we are given instructions for a King to follow.  Verses eighteen through twenty reads:

And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites: and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.

As we study these verses, we realized that knowledge of the law of the Lord and the fear of the Lord are key to how a king rule.

As I read verse ten of this Psalm, I must reflect on Peters words concerning the latter days (the times that we are living in today).   Verse ten states “you will destroy their descendants from the earth”.  In studying the scripture, I realized that this had already happened once before in the history of mankind.  The Great Flood of Genesis.  In II Peter chapter three Peter writes about the last days in which men deny that this great flood ever happened.  He gives us two characteristics of the mockers that Christians will face during these times.

The first characteristic is they walk after their own lust.  As I reflect on the phrase “walking after one’s own lust” I ask myself “why is this an issue?”. Peter wrote this epistle to stir up the minds on the believers.  He wrote this epistle to remind them of the message of the gospel.  In fact, in verses fifteen and sixteen of chapter three he reminds them that Paul wrote to them in words that were sometimes hard to understand the salvation of the Lord.  As I reflect on Paul’s writings about the gospel, the resurrection of Christ and our future resurrection I gain a new perceptive of the message of the gospel.   Paul states in I Corinthians 15:12-19

Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain.  Yea, we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.

In other words, if the message of the gospel was just to make the world a better place to live in and that this life we are living really is all there is then I am preaching the wrong message.  If my message does not focus on gaining eternal life with God, but just on how to make the world a better place to live; then why would people give up walking after their own lust?  They would not.  If all I had was hope in this life, then I would be the Lord of my life and live my life for my pleasures only.  So, until a man looks at the eternal value of their life the message of the gospel really has no meaning to him.

The second characteristic is they deny the Word of God.  They question the Word and the promises found in the Word.  They deny the creation, the flood, the call of Abraham, the law, the prophets and the ministry of Christ.  What is so sad about questioning God’s Word is that most believers do not even read it.  Yes, it is true that the Word of God is often abused by many and twisted to support their own personal belief system; however, that does not justify holding the Word of God out of your life.  You have the same freedom as others to study the Word.  You have as much access to the Word of God as anyone else.  So, as I look at the second characteristic of the latter days, I must ask the question “what do you think of God’s Word?”.  Do you stand on the Word of God?  And what do you think about God’s son the King (Christ) in relationship to how you live your life?  Read Psalms 22 and study how He suffered for us when he came the first time to earth and then read Psalms 2 to see how he will reign the second time he comes to the earth.

As I read this Psalm this morning, I thought of King David and his son Solomon.  David walk in life was before the Lord and on the integrity of heart and walking in a righteous manner before man.  However, we see in Ecclesiastes that Solomon gave his heart to seek and search out wisdom concerning all things that all under heaven.  Two kings, a father and a son, however two different walks.  A young shepherd that learned of God at an early age, who seek to know the way of God and not to stray from this way.  A young prince of one of the greatest kingdoms on earth at his time who focus was really on himself.  Read Ecclesiastes and circle all the Is in the Book.  As I read the account of Solomon’s turn from God in I Kings 11:1-13 I see how God offered his mercy to Solomon, but Solomon refused to turn back to God.  Unlike David his father who repented and turned back to God after the prophet Nathan stated to David “Thou art the man”, Solomon in all his wisdom decided to go the way of the world and not God’s way.  Why are I writing this paragraph?  Because someone who use to be very close to me wrote me to state that peace could not be found in this world and that religion did not have the answer.  Like Solomon he was searching everywhere for answers but refused to consider the right way (God’s way).  The shepherd king of Israel found God by finding God’s Word in his heart.  This was David’s true foundation believing in the Word of God.  This is the secret of my faith and the peace I have every day.  Believing this first that God can be found only in his Word.  This is the preaching of the Cross that Paul strived daily to achieve and may all who see me also see my Savior life in me.  Salvation can come by no other means than by believing on the message of the death, burial, and the resurrection on Christ.

Psalm 16

David.
¹ Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
³ As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
⁴ The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.
⁵ LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
¹¹ You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

As I look at verse five, I cannot help but look back to the Luke 22: 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done”. Are we able to pray the same prayer as our Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane? We can, once we realized that God has made our lot secure. As I travel this journey that the Lord has prepared for me, I must look to these verses as coming from the heart and life of King David. For as he wrote of Christ in his psalms, he also wrote words that can help us develop a closer walk with God.

This psalm helps us realized that God is our refuge and our delight. He does assign to us our portion in life and the cup we are to bear. Again, we are warned in this psalm not to follow after other Gods, or those who seek fellowship with those who follow other gods. God counsels us and instructs us day and night. As long as we seek him in his word, we will know he will lead us in the right path. Surely the grave is not our destiny but being in his presence with eternal pleasures.

As you read this psalm take a look at your epistemology. Ask yourself this question “What is knowledge?”. Verse eleven points out the fact that the psalmist realized that his knowledge came from God and it is God who has made known to him the path of life. This is the knowledge that the psalmist describes in Psalm One. When one start studying epistemology the first two questions that must be answered are: what knowledge is and how is knowledge acquired. To the psalmist (as we will see in Psalm nineteen) knowledge is the work of God’s hand. By studying nature knowledge is revealed to us. However, to acquire knowledge God has given to us his written Word (law, statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances) to understand his creation.

Verse ten “because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay” was used by Peter in Act 2:27 in his message on the day of Pentecost as verses that David referred to the suffering and resurrection of Christ.

In verse eleven David writes “You have made known to me the path of life”. As I grow in my faith daily, I realize that it is God who seeks after me and not me seeking God. We have a way of wanting to stray away from God, but in his loving kindness he brings us back to him. As we travel along on our journey here on earth, we like the Psalmist must realize that God is the shepherd that guides us along this path of life. As we walk along this path, we can have joy, but this joy is in knowing that God’s presence is with us. This psalm illustrates our walk on earth with God. Let each verse speak to you as it did to David. Remember each person’s walk with God is unique, however they all share the characteristics of the walk that this psalm describes.

As I was reading this week The Faith of George W. Bush by Stephen Mansfield, I could not help but see verse eleven play out in his life. Stephen Mansfield gives us the great foundations of George W Bush’s faith by devoting the first two chapters on the faith of his parents and grandparents. Just as Paul praises the unfeigned faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and then in your mother Eunice Stephen Mansfield gives the same praise to George W Bush’s parents and grandparents. Yet his way of living his faith was different. His statement at the end of chapter two about how George W Bush’s faith was acquired reveals a lot about how he lives out his faith.

“But the day will come when all of the faith that has been planted in him – from childhood prayers to Presbyterian creeds, from small-town Christian culture to the Christ known in an Episcopal service – will flower to become the ruling principle of his life. But it is the desert he will know before this flowering that will make it all the sweeter when it comes.”

As we study the psalms as well as the lives of the great heroes of faith both from the Bible and those that have lived from early church history to the present, we can see a common thread that they all have shared. That thread is a desert experience, a time when their faith was tested, and God did not seem to be present. It is in times like these that all believers must pray a psalm like this psalm to give us strength to get through our desert experience.