I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.  In the day when I cried thou answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul.  All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth.  Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.  Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.  The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.  (KJV)

We are living in the age where people are seeking for a purpose in life, a reason for their being here on this earth.  However, as I read this psalm I realize that it is not me that must fulfill my purpose for God, but God fulfilling his purpose in me.  As I study the Pauline epistles as well as the other general epistles I realize that my purpose to God is to present myself to Him as a holy living sacrifice that has been transformed from the old man to the new man (Romans 12:1,2;  Colossians 3;  I John 3;  Philippians 2; and II Timothy 2:21). In I Corinthians 2:2 Paul states “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified”.  If we follow Paul’s example we can become a vessel of honor, holy and acceptable for the Lord’s use.  My prayer is the same then as David’s “Your love O Lord endures forever do not abandon (me) the works of your hand.   In his daily devotional for January 26 Oswald Chambers writes the simplicity of this process of God fulfilling his purpose in me.  He writes “By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life become amazingly simple.”

As I read and study verse seven of this psalm I realize that the reality of living a quiet life without problems and issues in this world does not exist.  This psalms likes many of David’s psalms brings out the importance of praising God.  Even in the midst of trouble we are to praise God.  How do I make discussions of how to react to the issues in my life and at the same time let God fulfill his purpose for me?  One way that I have realized is to look at the examples that God has given us of David’s life as well as the life of Christ found in the scriptures.  When looking at finding purpose in my life I must always go back and reflect on the experience that Christ faced at Gethsemane.  His prayer found in Luke 22: 41-44:

And he was parted from them about a stone’s cast; and he kneeled down and prayed,  saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but your will, be done.  And there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground.

This too must be our prayer.  As I have been studying the Bible for over forty years the question that I have not been able to fully comprehend is “What was the true purpose of the Cross and why did it have to be this cruel death”.  Yes, I know his death was the price for the sins of this world.  But why this type of death?”   It was truly the only way to provide salvation to a lost and dying world.  But again why this type of death?  And yet as I have face Gethsemane moments in my life I have grown to realize that even the ones close to me, just as the Lord’s disciples were close to him, cannot truly know the reason behind the purpose of praying “nevertheless not my will, but your will, be done”.  The secret in being able to say this prayer is one’s knowledge that God is truly God.  I have realized that getting to the place in your life were you can really have the trust and obey relationship with God is not easy.  This relationship only comes when you arrive at the place in your life that you can truly pray “nevertheless not my will, but your will, be done”.   This relationship is your commitment to be total dependence upon God for everything.  This relationship can only come by walking daily with Him and knowing that you are the work of his hands.

Verse six states that God looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.  Success has a way of putting distant between us and God.  It seems that the more successful we become the more likely we are to forget about the way of God.  That is why the Lord stated to his disciples “that he that is the greatest among you, let him be the servant to all”.   Instead of being the bottom man on the totem pole, the lowly is really the rock on that supports the low man on the totem pole.  To cover the roughness of the rock they place rich dirt and manure on top of this rock to plant flowers.  In other words the lowly are usually completely unseen, yet supports entire totem pole. Unseen, perhaps by most except for the Lord.

Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, and let my cry come unto thee.  Hide not thy face from me in the day of my distress: Incline thine ear unto me; In the day when I call answer me speedily  For my days consume away like smoke, And my bones are burned as a firebrand.  My heart is smitten like grass, and withered; for I forget to eat my bread.  By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my flesh.  I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am become as an owl of the waste places.  I watch, and am become like a sparrow that is alone upon the house-top.  Mine enemies reproach me all the day; they that are mad against me do curse by me.  For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,  Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: For thou hast taken me up, and cast me away.  My days are like a shadow that declineth; And I am withered like grass but thou, O Jehovah, wilt abide forever; And thy memorial name unto all generations.  Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; For it is time to have pity upon her, Yea, the set time is come.  For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and have pity upon her dust.  So the nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.  For Jehovah hath built up Zion; He hath appeared in his glory.  He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute, and hath not despised their prayer.  This shall be written for the generation to come; And a people who shall be created shall praise Jehovah.  For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; From heaven did Jehovah behold the earth;  To hear the sighing of the prisoner; To loose those that are appointed to death;  That men may declare the name of Jehovah in Zion, And his praise in Jerusalem;  When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve Jehovah.  He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: Thy years are throughout all generations.  Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of thy hands.  They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:  But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.  The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee. (ASV)

When I read verses 1-11 I am reminded of the opening verses of Job.  These could have been the words of Job after Satan put forth his hand against him.   When these events happened Job’s wife said to him “Then said his wife unto him, dost thou still hold fast your integrity? Renounce God, and die.”  His answer to her was similar to verses 12-28 of this psalm “Thou speak as one of the foolish women speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?”  Job’s view of God was solid which caused him to be blameless in the eyes of the Lord “In all this did not Job sin with his lips”.

How does a person measure their relationship with God?  The answer to this question varies on your beliefs about the character and attributes of God.   Over the past several years that I start my journey of reading five psalms a day to help my prayer life I have seem that both my beliefs about God’s character and his attributes change.  This is because my relationship with Him has changed.  God is now not someone who I turn to in my time of need, but is now someone who I desire to fellowship with daily.  The events in my life are not always characterized by the first opening verses of this psalm; however, I have learned that God’s character is unchanging.  Verse twelve states that the Lord sit enthroned forever, his renown endures through all generations.  God will always be God.  By staying daily in the psalms I have realized that my knowledge of God grows daily and with this my relationship with him becomes deeper.  To those who state that you cannot know God, fail to heed Christ’s words found in Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”.

Verses 25 through 27 are used by the author of the opening chapter of the book of Hebrews in verses 10-12.   Verse eighteen “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD” points to the coming salvation from God that is available through work of Christ.

The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.  A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory  Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O Lord. For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. (KJV)

As I researched the phase “righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne” this morning I realized that righteousness and justice have very different meanings to a wide vary of people.  The more I researched the more complicated the definitions of righteousness and justice became.  Righteousness is simply defined as an attribute that implies one’s actions are justified.   It is a term in theology that is used to describe a person who is in a right relationship with God.  Justice is simply defined as the concept of moral rightness.   However, in my research I quickly came to the realization that the definition of moral rightness is really based upon the person’s view in which you are having a conversation with at the time.  Of course the definition of moral righteousness would change with every conversation.  However, the book of the Psalms makes it clear who defines righteousness and that is the LORD.

As we go about the process of living in this world we seem to have a misunderstanding of the order in which we place your priorities.   It is His righteousness that should be the main priority that we seek and not our daily needs.  In Matthew 6:33 the Lord states “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you”.  As we consider our daily conversations with friends and family the topic of the problems in the daily events in our live usually rise to the surface and can become the major part of the conversation.    Yet we must realize that this topic should not really be a concern for the believer.  If we seek God’s righteous and justice then all the things we need will be provided to us.  Therefore our priority in life should be living a blameless life seeking the kingdom of God, and not worrying about tomorrow.

As I look at the opening statement of this psalm it reads “The Lord reigns” I am reminded of the song I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day and recall some of the words of this song that Henry Longfellow wrote during the time of the Civil War:

And in despair I bowed my head “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth, good will to men.”

As I look around me with all the wars and evils in this world today I can see why people can ask “with so much evil how could God be in control?”  Yet one hundred and forty-five years ago Henry Longfellow had the answer.  His answer “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail”.  The foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice.  Paul declares this righteousness of God as a righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  We need never to forget this important fact of God’s righteousness.  He did not just forgive our sins because he felt sorry for us; our sins were forgive because they were atoned by the cross.  Oswald Chambers writes about this forgiveness of God in his November 20 devotional:

“Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.”

We must not forget that even though the foundation of God’s throne is righteousness that justice had to be satisfied.  It took the cross to make our unrighteousness right before God.  This cost of this price to God can never be fully understood by us, but we can delight in it and I believe that this delight brings pleasure to God.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:  To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.  For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.  O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep.   A brutish man knows not; neither doth a fool understand this.  When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed forever:  But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.  For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.  But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.  Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.  (KJV)

As I was studying the last week of Christ’s ministry on this earth this week the phase from Matthew 27:46 stood out “My God, my God why have you forsaken me”.  Why did God forsake him?  I believe because of the sin of the human race was upon Christ at this time.  Paul wrote of this in Philippians 2:5-8 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross!”   And yet as Christ took on the form of human likeness we can now take on the form of a son of God in this world.  This should be the purpose of all believers today.  In I John 3:2-3 “now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”

In the years that has passed since my son’s death I reflected back to the voids that his death has left in my life.  Yet as all the voids in one’s life (especially those that comes about because of the death of a love one) usually start to be filled over time by the demands placed upon us by life itself, there does comes moments when these voids open up again.  When these times come I try to reflect upon songs from the past.   As I reflected back on my experiences at church as a young person, I realize how much music was a big part of these experiences.  The songs that I memorized and placed in my heart as a young men has help me get through some of the most difficult times in my life.  The opening statement of this psalm “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name” reveals the type of relationship a person needs to have with the Lord.  Verse four “For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands” enlightens us on the themes the songs.  The song It is Well With My Soul is one such song.  However, it is the history behind the story that help gives the peace to the one that sings it.

His foundation is in the holy mountains.  The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.   Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.  I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.   And of Zion it shall be said, this and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.  The Lord shall count, when he writes up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.  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 of them that I seem to read over quickly to jump to the next Psalm.  Psalm eighty seven is one of these Psalms.  Charles Spurgeon gives this short introduction to this Psalm:

The song is in honour of Zion, or Jerusalem, and it treats of God’s favour to that city among the mountains, the prophecies which made it illustrious, and the honour of being a native of it. Many conceive that it was written at the founding of David’s city of Zion, but does not the mention of Babylon imply a later date? It would seem to have been written after Jerusalem and the Temple had been built, and had enjoyed a history, of which glorious things could be spoken. Among other marvels of God’s love in its later history, it had been untouched by Sennacherib when other cities of Israel and Judah had fallen victims to his cruelty. It was in Hezekiah’s reign that Babylon became prominent, when the ambassadors came to congratulate the king concerning his recovery, at that time also Tyre would be more famous than at any period in David’s day. But as we have no information, and the point is not important, we may leave it, and proceed to meditate upon the Psalm itself. We have no need to divide so brief a song.

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 to be 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.

God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.  How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.  Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.  They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.  I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.  But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.  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 included 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.

So think about the quote from this psalm “ye are Gods” in relationship to John’s writings in I John chapter three.  Christ the son of God came to earth as the son of Man and was manifested to take away sins so that one day we too will be like him.  Therefore, everyone that has this hope in Christ purifies himself even as Christ is pure.   Ask yourself this question today “where is your hope for eternity found?”  Does your daily activities center on the pursuit of the knowledge of the holy, eternal, and incomprehensible God?

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.  When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.  I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. Selah You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.   I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.   My heart mused and my spirit inquired: “Will the Lord reject forever?  Will he never show his favor again?  Has his unfailing love vanished forever?  Has his promise failed for all time?  Has God forgotten to be merciful?  Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”  Selah Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.”  I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.  With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.  Selah The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.  The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.  Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.  Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.  You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.  (NIV)

What actions do you take when everything around you seems to be falling apart?  In this psalm Asaph cries out to the Lord.  Whatever the situation might have been it seemed to him that the Lord had abandon him.  Look at the questions he states in his prayer:

Will the Lord reject forever?

Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever?

Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has he in anger withheld his compassion?

I have also asked these questions before God.  One thing I have realized as I have age is that there will be hard and difficult times in life.  Many of us will face issues that many of the Old Testament saints faced in their life.  This psalm gives us the answers to these times and to the questions above.  The first step is to mediate on the things God has done “Then I thought”.  In this mediation we must make our appeals directly to God “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High”.  I must remember the deeds of the Lord.  I look back and the focus usually starts with how God has been moving in my life.

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

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.  But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.  For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.  They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.  Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.  From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.  They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.  Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”  This is what the wicked are like always carefree, they increase in wealth.  Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.  All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.  If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.  When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.  Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.  How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!  As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.  When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.  Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.  Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.  But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (NIV)

My purpose in life is found in verse 28.

This is the second of twelve Psalms that bears the name of Asaph and is probably one of the Psalms that has had the most material written about it.

In this psalm Asaph tackles several difficult questions that believers will face in life.  The first question he addresses is the question is why a sovereign God permits evil and why this evil behavior seems to prosper.  Below is some of the reasons that Asaph gives to address this issue.

Verse 1.  Stated as a fact: ^“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.”

Psalm 15 gives the characteristics of this type of person:

• walk is blameless
• does what is righteous
• who speaks the truth from his heart
• has no slander on his tongue
• does his neighbor no wrong
• casts no slur on his fellowman
• despises a vile man
• honors those who fear the LORD
• keeps his oath even when it hurts
• lends his money without usury
• does not accept a bribe against the innocent

He who does these things will never be shaken

Verses 2 and 3: The problem is stated as “I almost slipped”.  Why? Because I envied the arrogant.  I saw their prosperity and desired it.

Verses 4 thru 12 Characteristics of the Arrogant:

They have no struggles

Their bodies are healthy and strong

They are free from the burdens common to man

They are not plagued by human ills.

They wear pride is their necklace

They clothe themselves with violence.

Their callous hearts are full of iniquity

The evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

They scoff, and speak with malice

In their arrogance they threaten oppression.

Their mouths lay claim to heaven

Their tongues take possession of the earth.

Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.

They say, “How can God know?”

They say “Does the Most High have knowledge?”

This is what the wicked are like always carefree

They increase in wealth.

Verses 13 -16 The reasons I almost slipped (I saw their earthly treasures and desired them):

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure.  In vain have I washed my hands in innocence.  All day long I have been plagued I have been punished every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.             When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me

Verses 17 thru 20 The answer to my question:

When I entered the sanctuary of God

I understood their final destiny             Surely you place them on slippery ground

You cast them down to ruin             How suddenly are they destroyed

They are completely swept away by terrors!    As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

Verses 21, 22 How the knowledge of God’s way has an effect me:

When my heart was grieved

My spirit embittered,            I was senseless and ignorant

I was a brute beast before you

Verses 23 thru 28 My relationship with God:

I am always with you

You hold me by my right hand            You guide me with your counsel

Afterward you will take me into glory            Whom have I in heaven but you

And earth has nothing I desire besides you            My flesh and my heart may fail

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever            It is good to be near God

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge

I will tell of all your deeds.

Verses 18, 19, 20, 27 The Ungodly relationship with God:

Surely you place them on slippery ground

You cast them down to ruin.           How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors?

Those who are far from you will perish

You destroy all who are unfaithful to you

        You will despise them as fantasies

This sentence from Oswald Chambers’ book My Utmost for His Highest from the reading on March 13 “ The consequences and circumstances resulting from our surrender will never even enter our mind, because our life will be totally consumed with Him”   This is what I believe the psalmist is trying to portrait in this psalm.  There is the way in which we should walk daily.  However, we see many that live life-styles we envy even through their walk is not in truth.  We then begin to question our walk with God.  The life of surrendering to God is a day by day actively.  Some days it seems to be a moment by moment actively where we must constantly go back to him for strength.  As I watched the Lord of the Rings, I marveled at the job that J.R. Tolkien did of portraying the Christian’s journey through life through the character of Frodo Baggins.  This journey is full of good times, bad times, times of failure, times of success, times of friendship, times of betrayal, but the journey does continue.  We can give up or go on.  However, if we are totally consumed to Christ as Frodo was to his mission we will keep moving forward in the task that is ahead of us.  Frodo could have just given up, but he did not.  The greatest purpose that a believer can have in his or her life is to grow into a closer relationship to God.  However, as in any great relationship such as a marriage this takes years.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. (NIV)

I really did not know where to begin as I study this Psalm.  This is a simple Psalm with a simple message “may God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us”.   Yet it was this simple prayer that Moses (Numbers 6:22-27) instructed Aaron and his sons to use to bless Israel.  This benediction recognizes that God is the source of all good blessings in a person’s life.

Verse two presents two request for knowledge from the writer of this Psalm to God.  First that His ways may be known on the earth.  The second was that his salvation might be known among all nations.  The interesting issue in this verse is the focus on the whole earth, not just the nation of Israel.  We have the tendency just focus on the issues around us, but in this verse the author of this Psalm makes us realized that the knowledge of God and his salvation is for the whole world.

The last two verses are the realization of the results that can come from following God’s ways.  The land will yield it harvest, we will be blessed of God, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. As I reflect upon these verses I am reminded of the great Christmas hymn “I Hear the Bells on Christmas Day” by Henry Longfellow and the words of this song:

And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said;  “For hate is strong,     And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail,  The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Yes these verses might not seem possible today; yet, one day soon Christ will return, there will be a new heaven and a new earth and man will enjoy a new relationship with God. The barrier of our sinful nature removed forever by the blood of Christ. Then the people of the earth will praise God.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down this leaning wall, this tottering fence? They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Selah Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.  (NIV)

As I read this psalm today it shed a lot of light on the verse found in Matthew:13:23 “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.”   What is the seed? It is the word of God. Therefore the harvest that is spoken here is not lost souls, or works that one does for the Lord; but your own personal growth in God’s word. Verse eight in this psalm points to three areas that a Christian needs to focus on: walk in faith and lean not on your own understanding (trust Him), a life devoted to prayer (pour out your heart to Him), and applying Romans 12:19 in your life “Dear friends never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.” so make God your refuge.   Ask these questions to yourself today: did I let God’s word grow in me today? Did I surrender to sinful acts or ways or did I look to God’s Word for direction in my decision-making today? And last of all did I really believe his word even when I read a sentence like verse twelve in this psalm “Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.”

This sentence from Oswald Chambers’ book My Utmost for His Highest from the reading on December 9 “It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence and self-assertiveness, and this is where the battle has to be fought” reflects the life that we must live.   The last part of verse twelve reads “Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done” points to the direction we must live our life as we go about our day by day activities.   Are we living our life for the rewards that the world heaps upon us or are we heeding the words of I John 2:15, 16 ” Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”.   Going back to the Psalm one we must realize that there are only two directions in which we walk; the way of the righteous or the way of the wicked. Therefore, if we are reward for what we do let’s look at this chapter in light of this verse.

1. My soul finds rest in God alone. This verse points to our faith. Do we trust God and lean not on our own understanding?
2. My salvation comes from Him, I cannot earn it and do I deserve this salvation.
3. I should never be shaken because I trust in him.