Psalm 94
¹ O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth.
² Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.
³ How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant?
⁴ They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting.
⁵ They crush your people, O LORD; they oppress your inheritance.
⁶ They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless.
⁷ They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.”
⁸ Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?
⁹ Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?
¹⁰ Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?

¹¹ The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.
¹² Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law;
¹³ you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴ For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.
¹⁵ Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
¹⁷ Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
¹⁸ When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O LORD, supported me.

¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.
²⁰ Can a corrupt throne be allied with you one that brings on misery by its decrees?
²¹ They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.

²² But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
²³ He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the LORD our God will destroy them.

The cry for vengeance started back in Genesis 4:10 “The LORD said, ‘What have you done?’ Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” or as stated in Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead”. When studying the events in Genesis chapter four one will notice that when God did not look at favor on Cain’s offering that Cain became angry. However, God still came to him and offered him a way back. “If you do what is right will you not be accepted”.

But if Cain did not want to do that which was right when then God stated “but if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it However, Cain did let sin master him and in his angry killed his brother. Wickedness has a way of controlling us, but God has provided a way out and that is through Christ.

In I John 3: 11-12 “For this is the message which we heard from the beginning that we should love one another: “not as Cain was of the evil one and slew his brother. And therefore, slew he him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous” reveals the difference between the way Cain lived and the way Abel lived. This difference of the two ways has been with us from the beginning of time. The only difference between these two different ways or walks is their relationship with God. The ungodly way can be characterized as godless, in other word it is a way that does not include God at all. The godly way does include God. In this psalm we see examples of God’s judgment on both ways. In verse 23 God repays the wicked for sins by destroying them. In verse 12 the way of the righteous is blessed by God’s discipline which teaches them his law. Your walk then is determined by whether you include God in it or whether you chose to keep God out of it. This is your chose. However, the end of your walk and the reward that you will at the end of this walk will be determined by God. So, chose wisely.

Psalm 93
¹ The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
² Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
³ The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
⁴ Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea the LORD on high is mighty.
⁵ Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD.

The theme of this psalm is the majesty of the Lord. This week as I prepare to spend some time at the beach one of the things, I enjoy is watching the interaction of the sea with the land. This interaction goes on daily twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five (or sixty-six) days a year. Sometimes the sea is rough, sometimes it is as still as glass. The power of the surf during a storm can destroy an entire city. Yet the Lord is mightier than the great waters. So, the next time you are at the beach, stop and observe the power of the surf and realize that the Lord is mighty than the sea.

Reading God’s Word daily is as important as our daily meals. Just like the strength we gain from our daily meals to give us the energy to meet the physical challenges of our daily activities; we need the daily study of God’s Word to help strengthen us for our daily spiritual activities. In today’s reading the four simple words found in verse five, “your statutes stand firm” reveals to us the unchanging character of God. We can rest assure that God does not change that his ways are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

As I read the Psalms and study David’s life, I can see how the truths found in this Psalm was probably taught to him at an early age by his mother, his grandmother, and his great grandmother Ruth. I used to teach two and three year old’s a song with these words in them: “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there nothing my God cannot do”. This simple song proclaimed the same simple truths that are found in this Psalm. At an early age we are taught the simple truths about God. However, as we age many of us seem to forget these simple truths. It is these simple truths that helps us along the way as we take our journey along the paths of this world to the place that God has provided us in the new heaven and the new earth.

Psalm 92
¹ It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High,
² to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
³ to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.
⁵ How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts!
⁶ The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand,
⁷ that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.
⁸ But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.
⁹ For surely your enemies, O LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
¹⁰ You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me.
¹¹ My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
¹² The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
¹³ planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,
¹⁵ proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

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 year that has passed since my son’s death I reflected 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 again. When these times come, I try to reflect upon songs from the past. As I reflected 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 man 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 that have made these our 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.

Psalm 91
¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling even the LORD, who is my refuge
¹⁰ then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

As I read this psalm, I have a note in my Bible to also read Matthew chapter four where Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. It is amazing how much I have discovered of the way Christ led his life here on this earth by my daily reading of the Psalms. As one reads the psalm above the reader could refer both to the believer who is trusting completely in God or Christ himself when he dwelled on this earth. Note also in Matthew 4:11 “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” are the same angels found here in this psalm in verses eleven and twelve. These were the verses that the devil tried to misinterpret in Matthew 4:6. As we go about on journey on this earth the key to this journey is found in verse fourteen. Because I love God, God will rescue and protect me and because of my love I will acknowledge God before others. The love of God is much greater than that of a father or mother toward her their own child. And the love of the believer picture here is much greater than the love a son or daughter can have for their own parent. Just as the devil tried to misinterpret these verses to Christ in the desert; the sinful nature that is found in the world around us also tries to blinds us to these verses that reveals to us the truth about how close a relationship we can have with God.

The opening statement of this psalm ” he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High” sets the stage for all believers. One of the most precious teachings of Christianity is that of the priesthood of the believer. As Peter writes in his first epistle, we are not only priest, but a people of God’s own possession for the purpose to show forth the excellencies of God who call us out of darkness into his marvelous light. When we make God our refuge, our hiding place we place ourselves in his care and our faith grows. As this relationship of trusting in the Lord grew, we learn to love him more. We come to the realized of how important the first law of the Ten Commandments in our relationship with God. Having no other Gods before him truly means dwelling in his presence. This relationship with God is very important. By resting in the Lord, we become as a young chick who stays near the wings of the caring hen. We will not fear what will happen to us as we perform the daily routines that are in our lives and careers. For in the moment of danger we know we have the protection on the mother’s wings. The secret to living this type of life is giving up the pride we have in being able to do things my way instead of God’s way. Surrender to God’s shelter and his peace will be upon you with the long satisfy life he gives those who walk in his way.

Verse fourteen states “Because he loves me, says the Lord” is the focus point of our relationship with God. My relationship with God is not based upon the way I live my life, but with whom I chose to have fellowship and companionship. I might not force God on others; however, I will not deny him for as my God I will acknowledge him to all who inquires.

As I studied Luke 2:41-52 this morning I realized that this is the only glimpse of the boyhood of Christ in the scripture. We can see from these verses that there was a purpose that Jesus had in his life and that was to be about his Father’s business. As I read this Psalm, I can picture Christ in his early age as a boy, just as David was a boy that spent his time mediating on God’s Word. In this Psalm I can picture Christ reading this Psalm and seeing David as the subject of this Psalm placing himself as a lamb under the care of his shepherd. It is not how great and powerful the shepherd makes the lamb, but how the shepherd protects him. David realized that God was in control no matter had difficult the situation seems to be around him. This Psalm just as Christ’s life points to the secret of living a blameless life and that secret is a simple trust in the Most High. In Luke chapter two verse fifty-two the simple statement “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”, is an example of how we a believer must grow in our life. So instead of focusing on the glorification of self as Satan wanted Christ to do in Matthew chapter four, we need to be focusing on dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and growing in our love for Him.

Psalm 90
¹A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
² Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
³ You turn men back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.”
⁴ for a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
⁵ You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning
⁶ though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.
⁷ We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.
⁸ You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
⁹ All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.
¹⁰ The length of our days is seventy years or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
¹¹ Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
¹² Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
¹³ Relent, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.
¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.
¹⁶ May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us yes, establish the work of our hands.

This psalm was written by Moses and reveals several truths for us to consider. Remember that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch the first five books of the Bible. These first five books of the Old Testament set the framework that education should be based. As the first verse of Genesis state “In the beginning God” sets the stage for the Pentateuch so must we include God as the foundation for all of our sciences in every aspect of our studies. You are God is a truth that we must grasp and believe. And not even question. And yet when we question the events that happen in our life, we seem to forget about Romans 8:28 and how ALL things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purpose. Yes, God is God and he does as he pleases.

In this psalm Moses reveals to us the creator of the Universe. As I reflect on the teaching of science, history, math, and language arts in schools today I see how much we have left God out. Moses speaks of men’s short life on this earth and how God controls mankind’s future. It is interesting that in these verses he does not speak of the glory of man and the great achievements of mankind, but of their iniquities and secret sins. Moses and Israel were leaving all of this behind when they leave Egypt. Moses witness how much the Egyptians valued the glorification of themselves and their achievements, but he also witnesses their death. In fact, Moses himself was educated in all the wisdom of Egypt and was a man who probably value the glorification of his works and his achievements in his early days as one of the rulers of Egypt. However, it was probably in the second forty years of life in the quietness of the wilderness as a shepherd that he learned that God is God. This is a lesson that most people learn late in life. Solomon warned of this danger in the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes was probably written by him in the later years of his life after he had forsaken God and served the gods of his wives. He writes in chapter twelve: “Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when you shall say, I have no pleasure in them”. His final words in Ecclesiastes are:

Vanity of vanities said the Preacher; all is vanity. And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

So, as we live our lives on this earth let us remember the words of the son of David and remember our Creator in the days of our youth and carry this remembrance of Him on to our old age.

For a thousand years are like a day to you. Time is in God’s hand and yet we seem to worry about the shortness of life that we have on this earth. But Moses let us know we only have seventy or maybe eighty years on this earth and that these are full of trouble and sorrow. Moses knew God, I am afraid that our leaders today do not know God. When I refer to the leaders today, I am not only referring to the political leaders, but also to the religious leader, educational leaders and business leaders. It seems that the church is focused more on issues that would make this world a better place instead of spreading the message of the gospel of salvation. Today, we as the Egyptians want to glorify man and his achievements and leave God out. It is our kingdom that we seek to achieve and not the kingdom of our Lord’s. Verse seventeen is key to walking with God and that is understanding that it is his desire and not ours for the events that happens in our life. As one looks at the Lord’s prayer it starts out as Our Father who art in heaven holy is your name. Your kingdom come that will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Mediate upon Moses’ life of one hundred and twenty years and the trials that he went through as you read this psalm. Let verse twelve take places in your heart. “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. ” His first forty years were spent in the courts of Pharaoh learning the wisdom of Egypt and how to be a royal administrator. His second forty years were spent in the wilderness tending sheep. The last forty years he became the prophet who lead Israel to the Promise Land. Charles Swindoll reflected upon this truth of gaining a heart of wisdom in his book Wisdom for the Way. He wrote “Aging isn’t a choice. But our response to it is. In so many ways we ourselves determine how we shall grow old.” One of the greatest features that an elderly Christian shows the world is the gracefulness of growing old in the Lord. They have learned the secret of living and that is to quietly look to the Lord to meet their daily needs.

Psalm 89

A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
¹ I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
² I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
³ You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,
⁴ ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.‘ Selah
⁵ The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
⁶ For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?
⁷ In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.
⁸ O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
⁹ You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.
¹⁰ You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
¹¹ The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.
¹² You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
¹³ Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.
¹⁶ They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.
¹⁷ For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.
¹⁸ Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
¹⁹ Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: “I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people.
²⁰ I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
²¹ My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.
²² No enemy will subject him to tribute; no wicked man will oppress him.
²³ I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries.
²⁴ My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted.
²⁵ I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.
²⁶ He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’
²⁷ I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
²⁸ I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.
²⁹ I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.
³⁰ “If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,
³¹ if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,
³² I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;
³³ but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
³⁴ I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.
³⁵ Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness and I will not lie to David
³⁶ that his line will continue forever and his throne endures before me like the sun;
³⁷ it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
³⁸ But you have rejected, you have spurned, you have been very angry with your anointed one.
³⁹ You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.
⁴⁰ You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
⁴¹ All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
⁴² You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³ You have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle.
⁴⁴ You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵ You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame. Selah
⁴⁶ How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷ Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all men!
⁴⁸ What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave? Selah
⁴⁹ O Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
⁵⁰ Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
⁵¹ the taunts with which your enemies have mocked, O LORD , with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
⁵² Praise be to the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.

I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.  Does my life reflect the theme of verse one (God’s faithfulness)?  As I was walking the marsh this morning and studying how the monthly movement of the moon effect the tidal cycle, I realize that God’s faithfulness can be seen in every aspect of life.  The monthly cycle of the moon’s movement can be measure and forecast for anytime in the future because it is as dependable as the daily rising and setting of the sun.  The very basic understanding of science has to start with the creator of the universe.   If we leave God and His faithfulness out of our study and understanding of science we must substitute the start of everything to evolution.  To me it is easier to believe in God.  Therefore my songs will be songs of praises to God and His faithfulness to his creation. 

Psalm 88

A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

¹O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you.
² May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.
³ For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave.
⁴ I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength.
⁵ I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.
⁶ You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
⁷ Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah
⁸ You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;
⁹ my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O LORD , every day; I spread out my hands to you.
¹⁰ Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Selah
¹¹ Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction?
¹² Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
¹³ But I cry to you for help, O LORD ; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
¹⁴ Why, O LORD , do you reject me and hide your face from me?
¹⁵ From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.
¹⁶ Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.
¹⁷ All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me.
¹⁸ You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.

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 noncanonical 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. Read this psalm after you have read Luke 16:19-27. Put 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.

As I was 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 ask 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. Brightly beams our Father’s mercy,
   From His lighthouse evermore,
   But to us He gives the keeping
   Of the lights along the shore.
   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.
2. Dark the night of sin has settled,
   Loud the angry billows roar;
   Eager eyes are watching, longing,
   For the lights along the shore.
3. Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
   Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
   Trying now to make the harbor,
   In the darkness may be lost.

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 I believe 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 realized the price that Christ had to pay for our salvation. If your do a quick search of the word suffer in the Bible you will find one hundred and forty-five reference the the word suffer in the New International Version: http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=suffer&searchtype=all&version1=31&spanbegin=1&spanend=73

and ninety-six 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 nineteen 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 should suffer 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

Of the Sons of Korah..

¹ He has set his foundation on the holy mountain;

² the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
³ Glorious things are said of you, O city of God: Selah
⁴ “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.'”
⁵ Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”
⁶ The LORD will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” Selah
⁷ As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

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. 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 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
² Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
³ Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
⁴ Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
⁵ You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
⁶ Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.
⁷ In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
⁸ Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
¹⁰ For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD , and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
¹² I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
¹³ For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
¹⁴ The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life men without regard for you.
¹⁵ But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.
¹⁷ Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

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. 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.
2. Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
3. 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.
4. 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,
5. 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
6. 1 Thessalonians 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
7. 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.
8. 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. To truly be 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 You showed favor to your land, O LORD; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
² You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah
³ You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.
⁴ Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.
⁵ Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
⁶ Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
⁸ I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints but let them not return to folly.
⁹ Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰ Love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
¹² The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
¹³ Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps

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 him. 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 you 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 the relationship because I realize that His nature is slowly be 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 LORD will 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.