Psalm 88

A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;

3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draws nigh unto the grave.

4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:

5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou remembers no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.

6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

7 Thy wrath lies hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.

8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.

9 Mine eye mourns by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.

11 Shall thy loving-kindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?

12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

14 Lord, why casts thou off my soul? why hides thou thy face from me?

15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

16 Thy fierce wrath goes over me; thy terrors have cut me off.

17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.

18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness. (KJV)

This is probably one of the hardest psalms to understand. Marshall H. Lewis wrote about this psalm “Psalm 88 is like no other psalm. There is nothing like it in the Psalter, nothing like it in the rest of the Bible, nothing like it among Israelite and Judean non-canonical psalms, nothing like it among Babylonian and Egyptian psalms. It is unique in its utter hopelessness, its complete lack of praise, its unmitigated blame of God. Brueggemann goes so far as to call it “an embarrassment to conventional faith.” Not even the Book of Job is as dark. At least God responds to Job; here, the cry of the psalmist disappears into the void. God is invoked, but remains absent. This is the challenge in interpreting Psalm 88.”

I believe that this psalm can be understood best as a psalm for those that rejects God’s provisional way of salvation. Reading this psalm after you have read Luke 16:19-27 and place the rich man of Luke 16 in the subject role of this psalm. Notice that this psalm does not mention anything about repentance. Now read Romans chapter one, then reread Luke 16:19-27 and then reread this psalm. Unless you seek God and the righteousness found in the work of His son this will become your psalm after your death.

Reading this psalm, I realized how much this gift of salvation really means to me. Now for the hard question, does my life reflect how important it is in my life to share God’s Word and his message of salvation from the pit, the grave, the place of darkness, the land of oblivion with others? In Luke 16:26 where Abraham tells the rich man that there is a great gulf fixed between us and that none can pass either way makes me realize how important God’s Word is in this world. When the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his brothers Abraham stated, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rise from the dead”. It is not my lifestyle that leads other to Christ, but my lifestyle that can leads them to the source of my salvation which is Christ. Christ became the living Word. The song Let the Lower Lights Be Burning by Philip P Bless was written to encourage believers of their responsibilities to be the light on this earth to point others to the greater light so that they to might make it safely into the harbor.

1. Refrain:
   Let the lower lights be burning!
   Send a gleam across the wave!
   Some poor fainting, struggling seaman.
   You may rescue, you may save.

As you read verse eighteen “You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend” remember David’s words from Psalm 51:10-13:

• Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

Remember it is your relationship with God that makes you shine, not the relationship you have with others. Strive to renew your relationship with God and he will make your light shine and hopefully your light will point them to the greater light.

I was presented another view of this psalm the other day that opens up another side of looking at these verses that I have not considered. As I study the ministry of Christ, I realize that during his ministry he knew it would end not only with his death on the cross, but also a separation from God. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:8-16:

Wherefore he said, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men. (Now this, He ascended, what is it but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ; from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in due measure of each several part, make the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.

The portion of these verses “Now this, He ascended, what is it but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.” refers to Christ fulfilling all things. So, could this Psalm represent a prayer that the Lord prayed during his earthly ministry? If so, we may never truly realize the price that Christ had to pay for our salvation. If you do a quick search of the word suffer in the Bible, you will find one hundred and fifty reference the word suffer in the New International Version: http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=suffer&searchtype=all&version1=31&spanbegin=1&spanend=73

and one hundred and nineteen reference to the word suffer in the New American Standard Version: http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=suffer&searchtype=all&version1=49&spanbegin=1&spanend=73

I Peter alone has seventeen references to the word suffer or suffering:

1. 1 Peter 1:6
   In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
2. 1 Peter 1:11
   trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
3. 1 Peter 2:19
   For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
4. 1 Peter 2:20
   But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
5. 1 Peter 2:21
   To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
6. 1 Peter 2:23
   When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
7. 1 Peter 3:14
   But even if you shouldsuffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear ; do not be frightened.”
8. 1 Peter 3:17
   It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
9. 1 Peter 4:1
   Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
10. 1 Peter 4:12
    Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
11. 1 Peter 4:13
    But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
12. 1 Peter 4:15
    If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.
13. 1 Peter 4:16
    However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
14. 1 Peter 4:19
    So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
15. 1 Peter 5:1
    To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:
16. 1 Peter 5:9
    Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
17. 1 Peter 5:10
    And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Committing yourself to suffering according to God’s will (as Christ suffered for our sins) is a difficult task for the believer. It is only by dying daily to His will and not ours that we can live the life that is found in the writings of Peter and the other apostles.

Psalm 87

1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.

2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.

5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.

6 The Lord shall count, when he writes up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.

7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee. (KJV)

As I read the psalms there are some, I seem to read over to jump to the next and Psalm eighty-seven is one of these Psalms. However, as I read this Psalm, I reflect upon the verses found in Revelation chapter twenty-one.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

The phrase “those who acknowledge me” means more than just stating that there is a possibility that God could existed. The meaning of the word acknowledge is “to admit being real or true; recognize the existence, truth, or fact of” which is more than recognizing God, it is accepting Him. Not only is it accepting Him, but it is also accepting His way. Knowing God is more just becoming religious. Oswald Chambers stated in his devotional The Mystery of Believing “Many people begin coming to God once they stop being religious, because there is only one master of the human heart— Jesus Christ, not religion.” To truly acknowledge God, we must make Him the master of our heart.

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

1 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusts in thee.

3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

6 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

10 For thou art great, and does wondrous things: thou art God alone.

11 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me. (KJV)

There is an old hymn of the faith called “Tell Me the Story of Jesus” written by Frances J. Cosby that I am reminded of when I read verse eleven. The refrain of this song:

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard

reminds me of the way of God that David wrote about in all his psalms. David look forwarded to the Savior, but we are so much more richer since we now have the story of Jesus in your life. David’s desire was to walk in God’s way and to walk in his truth. We should have the same love in sharing the story of Jesus that David had for studying God’s way. By sharing the story of Jesus to those around us, we will be more inclined to live this type of a blameless walk that David wrote about in Psalm 15. Paul’s writings also encouraged us to make our walk blameless before others:

1 Corinthians 1:8 “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 1:4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

Ephesians 5:27 “and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Philippians 1:10 “so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ”

Philippians 2:15 “so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe”

1 Thessalonians 2:10 “You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.”

1 Thessalonians 3:13 “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In this psalm David also refers to himself as your servant. As someone who is truly devoted to God we must become a servant to God just as David refers to in verse two. To gain a better understanding of the concept of this type of servant see my comments to Psalm 40. By being a servant of God two things will occur, God’s presence will be in your life and the wicked will stand against you.

In the daily reading of the Psalms today we start the devotional time with this Psalm and end with Psalm 90. In Psalm 86 David wrote “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” These words bring to life the key to living a Christian life which is found in Psalms one. This fact is also found in Psalms 90:12 as Moses wrote “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. Teach me God is a prayer that we need to pray more in our daily walk.

Psalm 85

1 Lord, thou hast been favorable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

7 Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.

8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps. (KJV)

Love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. As I read these two verses, I see a beautiful picture of the gospel. God in his righteousness looked down from heaven and send his son into the world to give us hope. Now with hope we look to heaven with faithfulness knowing that Christ will come again and restore all things to himself. This hope gives us peace. We no longer need to worry about today or tomorrow for the Lord will indeed give what is good to us.

Yet, this is not the hope of those who know not the Lord. Those who know not the Lord look to this hope as foolishness and a weakness to those who believe in this hope. I realized that their eyes are indeed blinded to this hope. Why this blindness? Is it because of the desires for the things of this life (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life) that is ever portrait before them by Satan? As I look back on my walk with the Lord, I realize the hardships that were part of my path, the many failures I had; however, I realize also that through it all God was there with me. The more I travel down this path with the Lord the more I realized I do not deserve these blessings from the Lord, and yet I come to a peace about this relationship because I realize that His nature is slowly being reflected by me to others.

As I started today’s journey in the psalms, I started it off this morning by sharing with a friend the first verse of Psalm 81 as a song of joy. Verse one of Psalm 81 states “Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!” In this psalm the psalmist writes “The LORDwill indeed give what is good, andour land will yield its harvest”. As I read these Psalms 81 through 85, I see a picture of the believer’s journey in this world. This walk is a walk of trust and obey. By leaving the worries of this world behind me and focusing more on my daily fellowship with God; the care for the things of this earth will grow strangely dim as I look for the coming return of my Lord to this earth.

Psalm 84

1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

2 My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.

4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also fills the pools.

7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appears before God.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in thee. (KJV)

This psalm can picture the walk of the believer on their pilgrimage to heaven. As you read this psalm ask yourself this one question “Am I living my daily walk for gaining thing for this world or enjoying the things in this world as I make my way to heaven?”. As I pray that God will use me in his service verse eleven makes me realize how useless for me to search for God’s purpose in my life. The more I study God’s Word the more I realize that to walk in God’s way is to have a walk that is blameless. The word blameless can be found fifteen times in the Psalms, fourteen times referring to the type of walk we should have:

Psalm 15:2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
Psalm 18:23I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
Psalm 18:25To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
Psalm 19:13Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
Psalm 26:1Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Psalm 26:11 But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me.
Psalm 37:18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
Psalm 37:37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
Psalm 101:2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart.
Psalm 101:6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
Psalm 119:1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.
Psalm 119:80 May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.

My purpose then should be to stay in God’s Word, look for God to reveal himself in my relationships with others and to keep myself unspotted by the world. As Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 2:20, 21 ” Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the master’s use, prepared unto every good work.”.

Psalm 83
This is the last of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

1 O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”

5 With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Byblos, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them to reinforce Lot’s descendants.

9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession of the pasture lands of God.”

13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.
16 Cover their faces with shame, Lord, so that they will seek your name.

17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace.
18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. (KJV)

Charles Spurgeon in his work The Treasury of David writes about the historical background on this psalm. One of the interesting points in his commentary about this historical background was his comment on why the Lord keeps silent. He gives three examples from scripture on this subject. The first example was from Matthew chapter eight, Mark chapter four and Luke eight. This was the incident when the Lord was asleep during the storm. This silent was one that test our faith. The next example was from Isaiah fifty-nine were God is silent in the times when his people are experiencing trouble times. This type of silent test the uprightness of men’s heart. The third example he gives is a type of silent that we usually do not consider and is found in this Psalm. We seem to focus most of our attention on God and his relationship with the righteous. In this psalm God seems be silent in dealing with the wicked. This is a time of silent in which God gives the wicked a chance to turn from their wicked way. However, in Matthew 25:31-46 our Lord gives an example when this silent will end. In verse forty-one his judgment is this: depart from me accursed ones into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels. This is when verses seventeen and eighteen of this psalm will come to pass.

As I examine this Psalm considering the third example of God’s silent and consider the direction in which the societies of the whole are drifting, I cannot help but consider the words from II Peter chapter three. In this chapter Peter states his purpose of writing to them was to give them a reminder to stimulate them to wholesome thinking. He reminds them that this wholesome thinking starts with an understanding of God’s Word. The failure of wholesome thinking starts with a denial of the Lord’s return and the denial of the Flood. With this denial comes a denial of God’s Word. But God is patient. Why? Here in II Peter chapter three we are told that it is because the Lord does not want anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance. So how do we as believers pursue a lifestyle during these times when the wickedness of the world seems to surround us on every side? The answer is simple but is hard to understand. Peter writes that we should look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. As we wait, we should make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and have the peace of God within us. However, in verse sixteen Peter describes the state in which Christians are in today. They find the scriptures hard to understand and distort them to fit their lifestyles. This description of the church is also found in Revelation chapter three of the church of Laodicea where Christ is pictured outside of the church. So, as we watch the direction in which the world is drifting read II Peter chapter three, grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and look for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ to usher in the home of the righteousness.

As I read the last psalm ascribed to Asaph, I am remained again of the seven thousand that God let Elijah know that had not bowed knees to Baal (I Kings 19:18). These seven thousand lived during the reign of Ahab and his wife Jezebel at a time in which the world around them worshiped other Gods. Not only did the nations around them worship other gods, but Jezebel even cut off the prophets of Jehovah and tried to silent their voice. During this time, we see Elijah as the only one taking an active stand for God. Not even the incident of Elijah calling fire down on the burnt offering on Mt Carmel and the power of God being magnified could turn the nation back to God. Soon after this show of God’s might and power Elijah was running with fear from Jezebel. I Kings 18 gives us the example of people like Obadiah who feared God and remained faithful to God, in the quietness of doing his assigned work assigned to him as head of Ahab’s household. In this position he was able to protect and take care of a hundred of the Lord’s prophets. Here we see two examples of how Godly men react to the events in a troubling time. As we too are living in times when the movement of our social is moving against the ways of God, we have the examples found in I Kings chapters eighteen and nineteen. Yes, God will raise up powerful evangelists such as Elijah to stand in the way, yet at the same time he will reserve a remnant that will not be a part of this world. Therefore, do not be discourage when it seems like the enemies of God have the upward hand. God did not seem present during the time of Elijah, but he was. God might not seem present now, but he is and is just silent for a while.

Psalm 82

of Asaph.

This is the eleventh of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty; he judges among the gods.

2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.

3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. (KJV)

This is the psalm that Christ referred to in John 10:34. It was on this discourse that the Jews ask him this question “How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.” Christ answer was simple “I told you and you believed not.” He ended by saying “I and the Father are one.” To this the Jews took up stones to stone him and answer him “we stone you not for your good works, but because thou being a man make thyself God.” Then Jesus referred them to this psalm. The theme of John chapter ten is the good shepherd and his flock. In this discourse Christ pictured himself as the good shepherd who took care of his sheep and did not act as a hireling who did not care for the sheep, but for his own personal needs. The good shepherd cares for the sheep, but the hireling only cares for himself. The rulers of the Jews who were to guide the weak and needy, the fatherless and the poor, forsook their duty and focused on making their lives better at the expense of the ones that were entrusted to protect. As I was studying A.W. Tozer’s book Knowledge Of The Holy this week I realized that the religious as well as the political leaders at the time of Christ did not have right view of God. The same can also be said about the religious and political leaders of today. As I study the truths in his book, I realized how much of our daily activities does not include the realization God in our decisions. After studying the chapter on God Incomprehensible, I realized how thankful I am for Christ. By trusting in Christ, I can get a glimpse of God. As John writes in I John 1:3 “that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ.” I can now fellowship with my creator. He also states in chapter 3 verses one and two that we are the sons of God.

Psalm 81

Of Asaph.

This is the tenth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

1 Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

5 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

6 I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.

7 Thou called in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

15 The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured forever.

16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee. (KJV)

At the start of my journey of reading five psalms a day the purpose of this journey was to help me improve my prayer life. During this journey I also discovered the writings of Oswald Chambers. In his October 17 devotional The Key of the Greater Work, he makes this statement about prayer “Prayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God’s work”. As I reflect upon this statement I am reminded of the Paul’s references to prayer:

Ephesians 6:18 – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

I Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.

Philippians 1:4 – Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.

It is prayer and worship then that must play an important part in our daily spiritual walk. As I consider the first four verses of this chapter, I see the importance of daily worship. Do I have a song of praise in my daily walk? Do I thank the Lord for my daily needs that have been met? Do I take moments from my daily walk to devote to prayer? Do I consider prayer as asking God for something, or is it a request that we present before God? A great example of prayer from the business world would be that of a budget request. We put together our budget and then submit it to our manager and hope it gets approve. Prayer is the process of submitting our request to God. In verse ten we see God wanting us to open our mouth wide and he will fill it. However, we have not listened to God. Our prayers (budget request) are not in line with what is needed. We ask for things outside the requirements of God’s will. Verse seven gives us an example of what prayer is like “in your distress you called, and I rescued you, I answered you and I tested you”. The two parts of prayer are seen in this verse. I called and God rescued me. I ask and he fulfilled my requested desires.

The second part is the testing God gives to each believer after he has answered their request. This testing by the waters of Meribah comes when God has already answered our prayers, however we are again in a place that we need God’s help again. In Exodus 17 this place is called both Massah (which means testing) and Meribah (which means quarreling). Question yourself and considered if your request before God is either testing God or quarreling with God? Sometimes during our journey on this earth, we get hungry and thirsty for spiritual things in our life. However, instead of asking God to meet these needs we start to complaint about how God has just deserted us. We let our hearts become stubborn like Israel and stop listening to God and stop following his ways. To succeed in this time of testing we must practice the principle of trust and obey and know that God is God.

Psalm 80
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” Of Asaph.
This is the ninth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leads Joseph like a flock; thou that dwells between the cherubims, shine forth.

2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.

3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

5 Thou feeds them with the bread of tears; and gives them tears to drink in great measure.

6 Thou makes us a strife unto our neighbors: and our enemies laugh among themselves.

7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

9 Thou prepares room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.

11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.

12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?

13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;

15 And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou made strong for thyself.

16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou made strong for thyself.

18 So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

19 Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. (KJV)

This psalm written by Asaph is a prayer to the Shepherd of Israel. It is a prayer to come and save us. It is also a prayer to restore them so that His former glory is upon them. Yet at this time God is making them struggle in everything that they attempt to pursue. As I read this psalm, I realize a simple truth that we sometimes seem to forget in our pursue of growing closer to God. That truth is our incomplete nature without God, the void that we feel when we are not in God’s presence. In verses four through thirteen Asaph writes how God anger smolders against them, how God has provided them with things of sorrow, and made them a source of contention to their neighbors. If my friends or even my family turns and treats me like this then I would probably discontinue my relationship and live life without them. However, in my pursuing a relationship with God the truth is that these events should bring me closer to Him. The impulse to pursue God must come from a desire to fulfill that missing relationship I have in my life for God. Therefore, the impulse not to purse God must come from a desire to fulfill this missing relationship with the things of this world.

As I look at verse seventeen, I am reminded that the phase Son of Man was a title that the Lord used refer to himself. This title is used 80 times in the New Testament by the Lord. When we consider the phase “son of man” we must also consider these verses found in Daniel 7:13,14: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”. This son of man is also my savior and the savior to all who believe. The riches of our relationship to our savior can never been measured to the fullest upon the day we shall see him face to face.

Psalm 79

A psalm of Asaph.

This is the eighth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

1 O god, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.

4 We are become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.

5 How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?

6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.

8 O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.

9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.

10 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.

11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

12 And render unto our neighbors seven-fold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations. (KJV)

Most of the psalms written by Asaph focus on national issues of the nation of Israel. Israel is God’s chosen nation. As Asaph writes this psalm he portraits a nation that has been defeated and is the controlled by them. He portraits God as being angry against Israel. As Daniel his prayer in this psalm is for God to remember not their former iniquities and redeem them from their enemies. Asaph is probably asking God to remember the promises that God made to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. This was a promise that God made to Abram that pertain to God’s relationship nations in the past as well as to the nations today. It is a promise to a nation that supports Israel to be blessed and to a nation that rejects Israel will be cursed. This psalm reflects a time when God was punishing Israel for their sins and unbelief; however, there will be a time when God will restore Israel as His beloved nation. As we approach the last days God will be bringing the nation of Israel back into the picture of his coming.

Reflecting on the words of Christ found from Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come.” I realize that the gospel is not only a message to individuals but also to the nations. As I read verse six of this psalm “Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;” the words of Matthew 24:14 makes me more aware of the importance of the preaching of the gospel in the world today. Matthew 24:14 does not reflect upon the acceptance of the gospel, but the fact that it is preached to all the nations as a witness to the nations. After this is the end.

There are many signs that we can point to that we are living in the latter days, however in Matthew 24:14 I realize that the gospel has been preached to all nations. When I was attending college over fifty years ago one of the big focus of the school was to train students to be missionaries to spread the Word to very nation of the world. This was before the internet and the wireless systems that we have in the world today. With the existing technology today I believe that this verse is very close to or has already been fulfilled now. With the preaching of the gospel world wide and seeing how nations are at war against each other the end could be very near. Just as Asaph focus upon the nation instead of the individuals, so did Christ focus of the nations in Matthew chapter twenty-four. National view reflects the direction of the individuals within the nation. As I witness the way the nations are abandoning the way of the righteous to the way of the ungodly I realize that the gospel is being rejected by the world.

Reading this psalm, I realize that the preaching of the gospel is not only to the individual, but also to the nations. And this gospel is to be a witness against the nations. I am not sure how God will judge these nations; however, judgment will come. As I study history, I realize how blessed the USA has been blessed in the past. This psalm points to a time when Israel turned from God to follow their own desires and the judgment of God fell upon Israel, this same judgment will happen to us as the nation abandons God and His way and follow after whatsoever their hearts desire.