Psalm 14

Of David.
¹ The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
² The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any whounderstand, any who seek God.
³ All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
⁴ Will evildoers never learn those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD?
⁵ There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.
⁶ You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.
⁷ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

This is from a chain letter email I received recently.

Verse one makes the same statement as Romans chapter one does, and that the person described in these two sets of verses have one thing in common and that there is no God to them, which means that they are no longer accountable to God. They deny that all things were created by him and for him.

Subject: God vs. Science

> —–A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students; “Let me explain the problem science has with religion.” The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

> “You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?”

> “Yes sir,” the student says.

> “So, you believe in God?”

> “Absolutely.”

> “Is God good?”

> “Sure! God’s good.”

> “Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?”

> “Yes.”

> “Are you good or evil?”

> “The Bible says I’m evil.”

> The professor grins knowingly. “Aha! The Bible!” He considers for a moment. “Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?”

> “Yes sir, I would.”

> “So, you’re good…!”

> “I wouldn’t say that.”

> “But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.”

> The student does not answer, so the professor continues. “He doesn’t, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?”

> The student remains silent.

> “No, you can’t, can you?” the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

> “Let’s start again, young fellow. Is God good?”

> “Err…yes,” the student says.

> “Is Satan good?”

> The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. “No.”

> “Then where does Satan come from?”

> The student falters. “From God”

> “That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?”

> “Yes, sir.”

> “Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything, correct?”

> “Yes.”

> “So, who created evil?” The professor continued, “If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.”

> Again, the student has no answer. “Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?”

> The student squirms on his feet. “Yes.”

> “So, who created them?”

> The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. “Who created them?” There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. “Tell me,” he continues onto another student. “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?”

> The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. “Yes, professor, I do.”

> The old man stops pacing. “Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?”

> “No sir. I’ve never seen Him.”

> “Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?”

> “No, sir, I have not.”

> “Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?”

> “No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.”

> “Yet you still believe in him?”

> “Yes.”

> “According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?”

> “Nothing,” the student replies. “I only have my faith.”

> “Yes, faith,” the professor repeats. “And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.”

> The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of

> His own. “Professor, is there such thing as heat?”

> “Yes,” the professor replies. “There’s heat.”

> “And is there such a thing as cold?”

> “Yes, son, there’s cold too.”

> “No sir, there isn’t.”

> The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. “You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.”

> “Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.”

> Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom,

> sounding like a hammer.

> “What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?”

> “Yes,” the professor replies without hesitation. “What is night if it isn’t darkness?”

> “You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to define the word.”

> “In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?”

> The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. “So what point are you making, young man?”

“Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.”

> The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. “Flawed? Can you explain how?”

> “You are working on the premise of duality,” the student explains. “You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.” “It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.”

> “Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?”

> “If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.”

> “Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?”

> The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

> “Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?”

> The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion

> has subsided.

> “To continue the point, you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.”

> The student looks around the room. “Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor’s brain?”

The class breaks out into laughter.

> “Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt the professor’s brain, touched or smelt the professor’s brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.”

> “So, if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?”

> Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.

> Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. “I guess you’ll have to take them on faith.”

> “Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,” the student continues. “Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?”

> Now uncertain, the professor responds, “Of course, there is. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”

> To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”

> The professor sat down.

Psalm 13

of David.
¹ How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
³ Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
⁴ my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

As I read this psalm it reminds me of a time in my live where a “Great Sadness” almost as great as the one in the book “The Shack” came upon my life. As I study David’s life, I can see this happening twice in his life; the first time when he was fleeing and hiding from Saul and the second time fleeing from his own son Absalom. The reason a “Great Sadness” is difficult for us to handle is that we must grasp an understanding of it through God’s eyes. The words of verse two “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and everyday sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” should not be taken lightly. David was probably running and hiding from Saul for about seven years. During this time, he was also separated from his family including Micah his wife who loved him but, who was also the daughter of Saul the very person who was pursuing him. By studying David’s life during this time, we can see how the great hero of Israel became an enemy of Israel. The national hero became a criminal of the state. Yet at the same time we can get a glimpse of how a believer should wait on the Lord and trust God in times of trials.

So, if you are in a time of “Great Sadness” read this psalm and realize that this is a time that only God can provide the answer. Wrestle with your thoughts even when you cannot see God around you. However, never let your faith and trust in Him lapse. Stay in His Word and trust in His unfailing love. Just as David went through these times and in the process developed a much closer relationship with God, so will you if you search your heart and seek after Him. Having had a “Great Sadness” in my own personal life and realizing how the Lord gave me a wonderful peace about it; I now know that whatever lies ahead of me in the future that God will be there and will deliver once again.

As I reflect on the events of my “Great Sadness” I realized that once I gave it all to the Lord and surrender my desires and wishes to him my life had a new direction. However, this has happened more than once in my life. This is what happen to Joseph in the first crisis that he faced after he was sold as a slave to the Egyptians. He accepted the situation that the Lord had placed him in, and the Lord was with him and he prospered becoming the master of Potiphar’s household. Everything in his life was on the right track when the second crisis came when Potiphar’s wife accused him of improper behavior. He again accepted the situation that the Lord had placed him in, and the Lord showed his kindness to him and gave him favor with the keeper of the prison. This crisis however leads to his being placed before Pharaoh and interpreting his dreams. This then led to Joseph being made second only to Pharaoh. Joseph could not have planned this as his lifelong pursuit, only God could. So, when the crisis in your life seem like those that David and Joseph face then remember verse five “but I will trust in your unfailing love: my heart rejoices in your salvation. Heed not on your understanding but trust in God and He will cause great things to happen in your life.

Psalm 12

of David.
¹ Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.
² Everyone lies to his neighbor;their flattering lips speak with deception.
³ May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue
⁴ that says, “We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips who is our master?”
⁵ “Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
⁶ And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.
⁷ O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever.
⁸ The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.

The more I study the Psalms the more realize that David’s words were written in a political setting. So how do I apply these words to my daily living? The effects of the value system that are created in the political world will filter down to the world in which we live. As I look at the value system that is in place today, I see a system that is very corrupt. In verse two David writes that everyone lies to his neighbor and their flattering lips speak with deception. This too seems to be present in our political and business world today. In II Timothy 3:1-5 Paul warns Timothy about times like David was facing “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power”. As I study David’s life, I even see this deception happening in his own life as he tries to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba so that his child could seem to be Uriah’s son to cover up David’s sin. However when this did not work David arrange for Uriah’s death on the battlefield. Then, when Nathan confronted David with his sin and said to David “You are the man! David realized that he was guilty of the very principles that he tried to uphold. David’s repentance (see Psalm 51 and Psalm 32) is an example of the type of true repentance that we as believers must follow when we are confronted with our sin. However, today I believe we have departed from true repentance and are living in a culture were the wicked proudly strut about knowing that their actions are really honored in this society.

When studying the seven churches in Revelation two and three repentance plays an important part in the believer’s walk. These examples:

• To the church of Ephesus – Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
• To the church of Pergamum – Nevertheless, I have a few things against you. Repent therefore!
• To the church in Thyatira – Nevertheless, I have this against you I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling; so I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.
• To the church of Sardis – I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.
• To the church of Laodicea – I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

However, there are two churches that were not ask to repent: Smyrna “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!” and Philadelphia – “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name”. It is interest that II Samuel 11:1 starts out with these words “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.” This verse set the stage for David’s fall. David was not doing what he was supposed to be doing but left it to others. The churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia gives us examples what the church should be doing today. So, as we take a look at the value system of nation we should look and study the seven churches of Revelation. Is our value system that of Smyrna and Philadelphia or is it like the value of the other five churches?

Is there a difference between knowing God’s way and living in God’s way? Does living a righteous lifestyle before God guarantee a wonderful and bless life? Is living life and following God’s way simply a matter of if you do this then this will happen? As I study the Psalms and the life of David, I realize that the answers to life’s tough questions are not simple. This Psalm deals with living in an environment where the godly are no more. It is an environment where everyone lies to his neighbor, is deceitful, where what is vile and wicked is honored among men. As I study I Kings chapter twenty one I see a picture of Israel that reminds me of this type of an environment. To summarize this chapter, we see four main characters: Naboth, Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah. Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard to make himself a vegetable garden. Naboth told him no, this is my inheritance from my father, and I will not sell it to you. So, Ahab went home sad and angry. When Jezebel found out about this, she took matters in her own hands and set Naboth up with made-up charges and had him killed. She then gave his land to Ahab. When Ahab went to see his new possession, Elijah met him and proclaim God’s Word to him. Surprising Ahab humbled himself before God (something Jezebel would never did). To this God had mercy on him and did not bring the promise disaster during his lifetime. As I read this story the issues, we face today in our society are similar to the issues that Elijah faced during his time on this earth.

How then does this story answer the question “Is living life and following God’s way simply a matter of if you do this then this will happen?”? The answer can be found in reading I Peter. According to I Peter 5: 8-9 we are to be “self-controlled and alert”. Why? Because our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. How do we react to the devil? Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because we know that our brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. So, in evil times is your goal living a wonderful and bless life, or living a blameless lifestyle as a witness of God’s working in your life? Knowing that the evil in this world will take advantage of our living a blameless life before God.

Psalm 11

Of David.
¹ In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.
² For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
³ When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
⁴ The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.
⁵ The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.
⁶ On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.
⁷ For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

Question for the day, “who is God to you”?

This is the question that this psalm will answer for you.

Verse one gives us the answer to the question of who you place your faith in: God, man, or self. Here the psalmist tells the reader that his faith is in God so why should he flee from his problems. So, when the wicked attach the righteous and the very truths that the righteous base their faith upon are tested; what actions should the righteous take? Simply put your faith in God and purse a life of righteousness with God. This task is not as easy as it seems. Walking with the Lord and trusting in Him only is a difficult task for a worldly person. We must look at our walk of faith and compare it to a child learning how to walk. They stumble a lot along the way in this learning process. However, as the coffee table or couch provides the extra support a child needs in the process of learning how to walk, so must a young believer learn to hold on to the Word of God when times of temptations come into his life. Look to Matthew chapter four and see how this is the same principle that Christ applied when he was tempted (tested) by Satan in the wilderness. Having raised seven children and watching them learning how to walk I have noticed that the process that a child goes through to reach the goal of walking is like the process that a Christian goes through in learning how to live by faith. A child first learns to roll over, then the process of lifting up the head, followed by scooting, followed by crawling and then pulling themselves up to walk while holding on to something. However, once a child finally let’s go and start taking the first few steps he usually falls. Yet, these falls become fewer and fewer until the child can walk on his own. And finally, the walking becomes running and the child starts his process of exploring the world around him. Our walk of faith is also like this. The more we stay in God’s Word the more it we hid it in our heart. So, where the world questions your faith your reply to them can be just like Christ’s reply was to Satan “but it is written”.

Verse three ask a question which several Christians are asking today “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”. As I take a look at the culture in which we now live today I believe that Harry Ironside reference to the Lord’s second coming was correct in his Commentary of the seven churches of Revelation. The closing paragraph on his commentary of chapters two and three of Revelations summarizes the world in which we live in today:

And so, we have come down to the closing days of the present dispensation of grace. The Ephesus period passed away long ago, and the same is true of the Smyrna and Pergamos periods. Thyatira, which, as we have seen, speaks of Romanism, and began properly when the Pope was recognized as universal Bishop, is with us still, and will go on to the end. Sardis, which began centuries later, remains to the present time, and will remain till the Lord shall come. Philadelphia, thank God, is also here, and, though it has but a little strength, will also abide to the end. But Laodicea is more and more in evidence and seems to be almost swamping everything that is of God.
The next great event is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him. For this we wait, and our longing hearts cry, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

For me the answer to this question can be found in verse four of this Psalm: “He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them”. As I grow in my faith, I have now realized that I cannot change anything that the Lord does not wants to change. This is the same for both the believer and the unbeliever. With the theme of the election of 2008 being “Change”, more and more believers should stop and take refuge in the Lord. But waiting is hard. Sometimes it might mean that the Lord will take the most precious thing away from you to bring you closer to understanding his ways. I believe that change is happening in the world today, however this change is happening as a result of “His will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. As the Lord is standing outside the doors of the professing church of Laodicea and saying “Behold I stand at the door and knock” we must open the door to him. But this is an individual movement not an organized movement. For this verse continues “I will come into him and will sup with him, and he with me” and is speaking to individuals and not the church. Yes, the foundations of the church and the truths on which the church stand for are being destroyed, but the Lord still has reserve many that has not bowed down to the Gods of this world. What is my purpose then? I love Paul’s reply that is found in II Timothy 2: 19-22:

Howbeit the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his: Let everyone that names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. 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. Therefore, flee evil desires and pursue after righteousness, faith, love, pace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Therefore, the heart cry of the righteous should be, prepare me for Thy use O Lord.

Psalm 10

¹ Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
² In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
³ He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
⁴ In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
⁵ His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.
⁶ He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”
⁷ His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.
⁸ He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.
⁹ He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
¹⁰ His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.
¹¹ He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.”
¹² Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
¹³ Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?
¹⁴ But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.
¹⁶ The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.
¹⁷ You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
¹⁸ defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

This psalm starts out as a prayer to God asking why God does not take action against the wicked. The psalmist ask God why he hides himself in times of trouble. The psalmist then describes what he sees as the characteristics of the wicked.

Characteristics of the Wicked:

• full of pride
• they hunt down the weak
• devises evil schemes
• boastful against God
• seeks the cravings of his heart
• bless the greedy
• reviles God and does not seek him
• his ways seem prosperous
• he sneers at his enemies
• in his pride he is above God’s law
• in his pride nothing can shake him
• his mouth is full of cursing
• he tells lies and uses threats
• trouble and evil surround him
• he waits to ambush and destroy the innocent
• he waits to catch the helpless and drags them off.
• he believes God does not care and that he does not see
• God will not hold him accountable for his actions

This psalm ends with a plea for God to arise and take action against the wicked and evil man and call him into account for what he has done. Then this happens man who is on the earth will no longer live in terror. This day will come when the Lord returns. Why the delay? Peter answers this in II Peter chapter three “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. How should we live “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you”.

The way of the Lord is a mystery to the world. The world places itself above God. God really does not exist to them; their hearts are even callous to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. They have no need of God, since they have set themselves up as god. However, the one fact of life faces them as it does all man and that is death awaits us all. For the ungodly this is the end, but for the Christian death is the door for our new life. In I Corinthians 13:13 states “Three things will last forever Faith, Hope, and Love, but the greatest of these is Love. Faith will becomes sight, hope becomes the fulfillment of all God’s promises, and love is the wonderful relationship we have the will only grow greater the more we know our Lord.

Psalm 9

A psalm of David.
¹ I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.
² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to our name, O Most High.
³ My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.
⁴ For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.
⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
⁶ Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.
⁷ The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.
⁸ He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.
⁹ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
¹¹ Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.
¹² For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
¹³ O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
¹⁴ that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.
¹⁵ The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
¹⁶ The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah
¹⁷ The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.
¹⁸ But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.
¹⁹ Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.
²⁰ Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. Selah

As I read this psalm, I see a portrait of the reign of David written here. The opening verses reveal three characteristics that David had in his life as he strived daily to walk in the way of the Lord; which should also be the characteristics that we have in our life as well. These characteristics of praising the Lord with all our heart, telling of all his wonders, and being glad in the Lord and rejoicing in him should be the focus of our daily mediations.

This psalm not only portraits David’s rule but also the coming reign of Christ. The mystery of Christ is one that has consumed my quiet moments for most of my life. How can Christ be King of kings and at the same time be my Savior who I can have a personal relationship. This personal relationship is available to all who accept him as Lord and Savior. In Psalm eight David ask the question of “what hat is man that Thou are mindful of him”. In this psalm we see how man has taken the gifts that God has given to him and has used these gifts to set himself equal or above God.

This psalm has a promise for those who know him in verse ten: Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Knowing the Lord and then trusting him is a promise that all Christians should embrace. In the sixty plus years that I have known Him and placed my trust in Him as a young boy He has never forsaken me. Sometimes like the poem Footprints in the Sand thatrefers to a man that looks back on his walk with the Lord and sees several times when trouble was in his life there was only on set of footprints, I too have felt that way. But the more I trust Him the more I see how He has carried me. So, as you go along the journey of life trust in the Lord and lean not on our understand; but let the Spirit guide you in all understanding. He will if you let him. He is more loving than you can ever imagined.

Psalm 8

A psalm of David.
¹ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
² From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
⁵ You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
⁹ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

This was one of the first psalms I memorized as a child. As I read this Psalm I focus on three characters: the Lord, man, and the avenger. In the King James version verse two reads: “Out of the mouth of babes and suckling’s hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” How can I apply these words to my daily living? By living my life and making Christ the Lord of my life every moment of the day. The words from the devotion My Utmost for His Highest for March 9 , 2009 Oswald Chambers writes “All that is required is to live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.”

As I was studying Hebrews chapter two I realized how much we separate your religious beliefs from our daily living. Verse one starts out with a very bold statement “You have set your glory above the heavens”. I believe that this glory is explained in Hebrews 2:9 “But we behold him who hath been made a little lower that the angels, even Jesus because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man”. By looking at this psalm in relationship to Hebrews chapter two we realize that our Lord is Christ. How then do we live our daily life apart from our Lord? The answer for mankind is simple. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

As I read this Psalm I reflect upon what Christ said about this Psalm found Matthew 21:15-17. This reply came after Christ’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, his driving out the money changers from the temple area, and his healing of the blind and lame. As the children were shouting in the temple area “Hosanna to the Son of David” the chief priest and the teachers of the law became indignant. In his reply to them Christ stated “have you never read ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'” From Christ reply to the teachers of the Law from this simple Psalm we find answers to some of the great questions of philosophy. In his book PSICANICA: A Spiritual Philosophy Thomas Michael Powell writes “Since the beginning of thought, man has sought to understand the universe and his own existence. He has sought to explain them through myths, superstitions, and religions on one hand; and through science and philosophy on the other.” In his book he has put forth ten great questions of Philosophy:

1. What is the nature of the universe?
2. Is there a Supreme Being?
3. What is the place of man in the universe?
4. What is reality?
5. What determines the fate of each individual?
6. What is good and what is bad or evil?
7. Why are things the way they are?
8. What is the ideal relation between the individual and the state?
9. What is education?
10. What happens at death?

It is interesting that he places religion in the group of superstition and myth and not with science and philosophy. He states that “Religion proffers answers to many of these questions, but based on alleged divine revelation as interpreted by ecclesiastical “authorities”, and expressed in dogmatic —and often irrational— belief systems. Science and Philosophy eschew dogmatic belief and seek to answer them by reason and logic or through experience.” However, as I study the Psalms all the answers to these questions are made simple. Yes Religion (man made system for understanding the relationship between man and God “yes man seems to always want to be first”) does a poor job of answering these ten questions. But when man strives to understand these questions in the light of God’s Word as the Spirit reveals truth to him then he learn to praise God. Yes the more we learn about the nature of man, the nature of the enemy, and the nature of God the more we want to praise God.

This Psalm sets the foundation for our understanding. It does not start out trying to establish God, instead it starts out with the establish fact that God is and it is His glory that fills the heavens and the earth. So as I look at the ten questions above question one and two are answered in verse one of this Psalm. Yes there is a supreme being and the nature of the universe is his creation. Question three and seven are also answered in this Psalm. Man is a little lower than the angels made by God and cared by Him. He has made mankind the ruler over the works of His hands and to praise Him. Question nine can be answered in the phrase “when I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place” as the reference point for learning. Everything began with God. Take God out of education and then your education becomes godless and the results of your studies flawed. So as babes and children trust in the parents that care for them so must we return to this simple truth that it is God who watches over us and cares for us and our faith should be in him. Question ten, what happens at death, is an easy answer “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life”

Psalm 7

¹ O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
² or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
³ O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands-
⁴ if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe–
⁵ then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah
⁶ Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.
⁷ Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high;
⁸ let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.
⁹ O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.
¹⁰ My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.
¹¹ God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.
¹² If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.
¹³ He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.
¹⁴ He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.
¹⁵ He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.
¹⁶ The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.
¹⁷ I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

Verse nine is the theme of this psalm “O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.” It contains our acknowledgment of who God is and what should be the theme of our daily prayer. I Corinthians 2:11 states “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?” should be your guiding light when dealing with others. Stop and think how many times in course of your daily routine that you are quick to pass judgment on a person’s actions. Stop and think how many times in course of your daily routine that you hear others around you who are quick to pass judgment on a person’s actions. But in reality, do we really know what they are thinking? No, we can try to perceive their thoughts but only they know what they are really thinking. But God does know the thoughts and intents on the mind and the heart of all individuals. So, our prayers should be: God bring to an end the violence of the wick and make the righteous secure. I Corinthians 2:11, 12, 16 tells us how to have the mind of Christ; “In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” As you walk daily with Christ and study his word daily you should see a transformation in your own life of the striping away of the old self and the putting on the new man. God’s judgments are based on the thoughts and the intents of a man and not the actions of man as portrait in this psalm. I Corinthians 2:16 bring out an important reason to study God’s word “That we may understand what God has freely given us”. Surely goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I pray that this is the peace that you have with Christ tonight.

January 2, 2008

The Way of Our Walk

“And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?” – Genesis 50:19

As you go about your journey on this earth, do you have to be in control of the events in your life? Genesis 50 gives us a picture of how Joseph followed his father’s last wishes on his burial in the land on Canaan. Joseph took control and followed his father’s wishes and made everything happen the way Jacob wanted it to happen. However, after the funeral his brothers sent a message to him referring to Jacob’s request for the brothers to carry out concerning their past sin to Joseph. They were living in his presence however; since, they still had not confessed their sin and asked for his forgiveness, they probably did not have the close brotherly relationship with him as they should. Now with Jacob’s death they feared that Joseph would now carry out his our justice and give them the judgment that their sin desired. They were now at the mercy of Joseph who had the power to carry out judgment with his own hands.

Joseph’s reply was simple: “Fear not: for am I in the place of God?” Joseph knew the time, the place, and who was going to judge all men. The time is in God’s hand and he and he only knows it. The place is before him. And finally, it will be God who judges us. However, as you go about your journey on this earth you can partake of an attribute of God just as Joseph did. This attribute is our ability to forgive others. As Christ preached in Matthew 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” and then as Christ expanses on this in verse 14 “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you”. This was probably the thought that Joseph had then he reply to his brothers “I cannot judge you for your evil, however I can forgive you” and this is also the way in which we must walk.

Psalm 6

A psalm of David.
¹ O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
² Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.
³ My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?
⁴ Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
⁵ No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?
⁶ I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.
⁷ My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.
⁸ Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.
⁹ The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

In the devotional My Utmost for His Highest for April 2, 2009 Oswald Chambers writes “The lasting characteristic of a spiritual man is the ability to understand correctly the meaning of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life, and the ability to explain the purposes of God to others.” as the spiritual insight that we need to portray in our daily walk. This psalm is an example of those events that take place in our life in which we know God, but we cannot grasp an understanding on how God is using those events in our life at that moment to shape us for his purpose.

In this psalm David knows the Lord. He knows of God’s anger and discipline and he knows of his unfailing love. He had witness how God had used Saul to united Israel as a nation, but also witness how God had deserted Saul when he refused to obey God. He saw the pain and suffering that Saul went through when the Spirit of the Lord left Saul. He also saw the type of person that Saul became when he forsook the Lord’s way and pursued his own path. However, he also saw how much pain and suffering Saul could inflict on others. Events such as when Saul had Doeg the Edomite kill eighty-five members of the priest family were hard for David to grasp when it came to understanding God intervention in the affairs of man.

As I study the issues that David must have faced in this psalm and apply it to the issues that I face I realize that David is wrestling with gaining an understanding of the events surrounding him. The more I study the psalms the more I realize that David was writing his psalms to help him understand the nature and attributes of God. David knew that God was in control, however, he also realized that evil existed in the world and that this evil was godless. Godliness and godlessness cannot exist together. Therein lays the conflict that we see in the world today, those who walk in the way of the righteous and those who opposes the righteous way of God. The major issue that I see today is that many believers strive to make a stand against all unrighteous that they see exist all around them and take matters into their our hands, instead of leaving it to God. We should become like David and become obsessed with the pursue of knowing God and living a blameless life. If we truly believe like David; then we like him, will know that the four results of verses nine and ten will take place.

The LORD has heard my cry for mercy

the LORD accepts my prayer.
All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed

they will turn back in sudden disgrace

Living a blameless life is different than living a perfect life. One of the earliest struggles that I faced as a Christian was striving for human perfection. Paul also gives us an example of his struggle with living a life of perfection in Philippians chapter three. Paul purpose changed from striving to live a life of perfection to knowing God and the power of his resurrection. He sought the fellowship of Christ suffering and being made conformable unto God’s nature. Oswald Chambers summarizes Christian perfection in his devotional from December 2 as “Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life.” So as we go through times in our life that we cannot understand God’s leading look at them as a time that God is making us conformable unto His nature.

Thought for the day. Do I really know the ten commandments?

Thou shall have no other gods before me.
Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image.
Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shall not kill.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
Thou shall not steal.
Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shall not covet.

Psalm 5

¹ Give ear to my words, O LORD, considers my sighing.
² Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
³ In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
⁴ You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.
⁵ The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.
⁶ You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors.
⁷ But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.
⁸ Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies– make straight your way before me.
⁹ Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.
¹⁰ Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
¹² For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

As you read this chapter think back to the examples that God has given to us in the Old Testament as examples of righteousness and unrighteousness lifestyles. Also, as you reflect on the psalms remember that the writer and the readers did not have all the scripture that we have now. The Pentateuch (the writings of Moses) were the main writings that David or the writers of the other psalms were referring to as God’s Word or his Law. However, in this law they were given examples such as Cain and Abel, Isaac and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, and others as an illustration on how they should live their life on this earth.

This is a psalm related to prayer. The very reason I started my reading of the psalms several years ago was to help my prayer life. Prayer is the process of making request to God. As I have been studying the psalms in my quest to improve my prayer life, I have found out how important the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-15 is in a believer’s life. This prayer has five simple parts which are very important in guiding our prayer life.

1. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
2. Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
3. Give us today our daily bread.
4. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
5. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Simply put we look to God for our daily needs. Leave the future to him. In the past few years my prayer request has change from praying for things to a prayer of becoming more Christ-like in my daily walk. As I take a close look at this psalm, the Lord’s prayer and the life of Christ from the Gospels I realized that our daily prayer is a prayer for God to need our physical needs and a prayer to guide us in the activities of the coming day. That all! In this process the things that God has taken out of my life and the things He has brought into our life has richly blessed me. The psalmist stated better than I could in verses eleven and twelve of this psalm. So just take refuge in Christ, rest in the peace he gives you, and enjoy the blessings he brings your way.

One of the interesting facts about the Bible is that it is a great history book of the nation Israel. One interesting period of this history is the first one hundred and twenty years of nation under the three kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. If we looked at the first one hundred and twenty years in American history 1789 – 1909 we can see how much God has blessed this nation just like Israel was blessed. This time period in American history would represent the time period of the presidents from George Washington to William Howard Taft. During this time period our nation grew from the thirteen original states to forty-six states. It grew from the western boundaries of the nation being the Appalachian Mountains to the western boundaries being the Pacific coast. It grew from a colonial state that just gained its independence to one of the most powerful nation in the world. When we look at the history of Israel during these one hundred and twenty years, we must consider that the growth of the nation of Israel was also similar to the growth of the America during her first one hundred and twenty years. It grew from a group of disorganized tribes to the most powerful nation on earth at that time. When studying the psalms, the reader must realize that much of the history of this book was written during the latter part of Saul’s reign and the reign of David as king. By understanding the history of this time period and the relationship between Saul and David, as well as the relationships of David with his sons and other officials we can grasp a better understanding of the psalms.

As one grows daily in the Lord, we learn that the disappoints that come into our life are usually self-imposed or imposed upon us by others. Yet, we listen as the inexperience and immature believer question situations in their life as to “why God would let this happen to me?”. The simple reply to their question is “Have you turned your eyes upon Jesus?”. The words from Helen Howarth Lemmel song Turned Your Eyes upon Jesus remind us that when we do turn our eyes upon Jesus that the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

One of the greatest signs that a believer walk is mature is where his or her focus on life lies. Is it on the things that causes the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life or is the focus on walking with Christ.