Psalm 22

1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hear not; and in the night season and am not silent.

3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.

10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.

11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaved to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

18 They part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture.

19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog.

21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever.

27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.

29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

31 They shall come and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. (KJV)

As one reads and studies this psalm the main theme that should be considered in this psalm is the prophecy concerning the afflicted one.  This is the afflicted one that the eunuch, the official in charge of all the treasury of the queen of the Ethiopians, asks Philip about in Act chapter eight.  His question to Philip as he was reading Isaiah chapter fifty-three was if Isaiah was writing about himself or another.  Philip then began with that very passage of Scripture and told the Ethiopian eunuch the good news about Jesus.  I can see Philip also referring to Psalm 22 as he told the eunuch about Jesus.  This psalm of David from the past points to the future coming of the afflicted one and the promises of his future kingdom.  This chapter now points us to the past of the suffering one who ministry was recorded for us in the gospels.  This psalm outlines the gospels for us. However, when reading this psalm, we must remember that there is still the later part that must still be fulfilled.

After losing a loved one, the words of verse 26 “they who seek the LORD will praise him may your hearts live forever” and verse 29 “all who go down to the dust will kneel before him those who cannot keep themselves alive” bring extra comfort from reading this psalm. In a way the life that we live on this earth is also a life that seems to have a lot of things in common with this psalm as we walk in God’s ways.  For we also have Satan as our enemy, and the key to winning our daily battles is not in our strength, but our faith in our Lord.  As we study Ephesians six, we see that our struggles are not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  However, God has given us an armor to wear that we may stand against the evil one. This armor:

   the belt of truth buckled around your waist

     the breastplate of righteousness

the sandals of the gospel of peace which are fitted with the readiness to be presented to a world in need of the truth.

the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one

the helmet of salvation

the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

and a prayer life in the Spirit for the purpose of praying for all the saints

Therefore, as we walk on our journey through life, we must realize that we must be Christ-like in our walk.  And if we walk in this way, we will face some of the issues that David and Christ faced in his psalm.  Remembering this one theme as we journey through life that Christ came to save sinners and give them eternal life. Eternal life is not depended upon how I lived my life on this earth, but on what Christ did on Calvary for all who believed on him.  However, my walk should have one purpose in life and that is to be more Christ-like in everything I do.  This is the type of walk that should bring the people who meet me to a greater understanding of this psalm and a deeper understanding of Christ.  If this is not the purpose of my life, then I will become as one that at the time of my death my life would have been saved but will have my life’s works on this earth destroyed. 

I Corinthians 3:10-15

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,

his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

This passage from I Corinthians helps us understand and even comfort us when those who knows Christ but does not live a life that is worthy of him dies.  Our justification for our salvation rest in his works alone while the receiving of this justification from our sins in our faith in him alone.  As I John 5:12 puts it best “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”  Yes, their rewards will be lost, but they will be saved.  What a wonderful God.

As I study David’s life, I realize that God’s plan for us in much deeper than we can imagine.  In I Samuel 27 we are given a picture of David’s heart after his running from Saul for several years. In verse one we see a change in David’s desire for his future “And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so, shall I escape out of his hand.”  He was tired of running from Saul.  The words found in verses one through eighteen this psalm could have set the stage for David’s decision found in I Samuel 27:1. But God did not have this in his plans for David.   Read I Samuel 29:1-11 on how God intervene to keep David from fighting against Israel.  It is amazing how God used David (the one who Samuel anointed king) to write about the events in his life that would point to the events and sufferings of the future Anointed One (Christ).  It is also amazing how we can look at the events in David’s life to help us live a more Christ-like in our own lives. This is the principle that Paul puts forth for us to live by in Philippians chapter three.

As I study David’s life, I have a problem searching for events in his life where he made the wrong decision and because of that decision events happened that could have been prevent.  I base this belief on I King 15:4 “because David did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”  David was a man after God’s own heart, in other words his thoughts and actions where Godlike.  David realized the sinful nature within himself, but he also realized that all men had this sinful nature.  However, his knowledge went one step farther, and that he also knew the loving-kindness of the Lord and he reflected this in his actions to other.  He also knew that wickedness and evil came from a rejection of God’s kindness and forgiveness (grace) just as wickedness and evil comes from the rejection of our kindness and forgiven to others.  As I reflect upon the words of this Psalm, I can see how the life of David and Christ are reflective of the same type of scarifies that we must reflect in our life.  They left judgment to God and made their duty to proclaim the righteousness of God to their brothers.  This too is the life I must pursue.

Psalm 21

1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.

3 For thou prevent him with the blessings of goodness: thou set a crown of pure gold on his head.

4 He asked life of thee, and thou gave it him, even length of days for ever and ever.

5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

6 For thou hast made him most blessed forever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.

11 For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.

12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.

13 Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so, will we sing and praise thy power. (KJV)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Psalm 20

A Psalm of David

1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defends thee.

2 Send thee help from the sanctuary and strengthen thee out of Zion.

3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice, Selah.

4 Grant thee according to thine own heart and fulfil all thy counsel.

5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.

6 Now know I that the Lord saves his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.  (KJV)

Webster defines prayer as: an address (as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought, or an earnest request or wish. In this Psalm David makes seven requests for Israel:

May the LORD answer you when you are in distress.

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
May the LORD grant all your requests.

Answer us when we call.

He is praying but he is also trusting in the Lord’s name.

Verse four “may he give you the desire of your heart” is a verse that is difficult to understand. Reflect upon these questions:

What are your heart’s desires?

Are my desires good for me?

Are my desires godly desires?

Does God pick and choose the desires I receive?

This is a type of prayer that reminds me of the opening prayer of the Sunday morning service in a church.  It is a prayer that basically ask for the Lord to meet the daily needs of the believers.  It is also a prayer that states our belief and trust is in the Lord.  However, we need to take this Sunday prayer and make it a daily prayer.  These daily prayers should be prayers that help guide us in the direction to making our daily desires into the desires that come from a person who is a person after God’s own heart. 

Psalm 19

Of David

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handywork.

2 Day unto day uttered speech, and night unto night shows knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoices as a strong man to run a race.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they then gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.  (KJV)

Reading this psalm, I picture David as a young boy enjoying the pleasures of working out in the fields keeping watch over his father’s flocks with the other shepherds.  As he was out in the wilderness keeping these flocks he witnessed the greatness of the world around him.  He witnessed the sunrise and sunset every day.  He also witnessed the weather patterns and well as the marvels of the landscape surrounding him.  In the evening, he would probably set around the campfire and hears of the stories of Israel’s past history from the older shepherds.  It reminds me of the time when I was young working on the dairy farm in Indiana and witnessing the wonders of God in the world around me.  As we were milking the cows I can still recall the radio planning the song of Tell Me the Story of Jesus playing in the background from the gospel station.  These memories help build the stage for this psalm.

This psalm gives to us the ways that we can know God. First there is nature (natural Revelation) that declares God to us. The heavens declare his glory, the skies proclaim his work, night after night they display knowledge and by this knowledge, we can know God in an impersonal way. However, just observing the world around us scream that there must be a creator, one vastly greater than men.

Paul also writes in Romans chapter one about how the invisible things of God from the creation of the world can be clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even God’s eternal power.  

But we also have special written revelation of his written Word (law, statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances) which to the seeker of God is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. As I study this psalm, I realized the importance of staying in God’s word daily. His word revives my soul, it gives me wisdom, it gives me a joy and peace beyond understanding, and gives me light and direction for my daily life. By keeping them and meditating on them one can keep himself blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Yes, as we continue our journey in this life we will sometime slip and fall as we follow Christ, but as long as we stay in his word, we will not commit great transgressions.

Paul uses the argument of both natural revelation and the special written revelation as that there is no respect of person with God.  In Roman chapter one and two Paul writes “that as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without the law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.”  In these chapters he describes how the Gentiles which have not the law are without excuse when they do by nature the things contained in the law.  Not only do they know the judgment of God, that they which commit the things against nature but have pleasure in them.   This is why verse twelve is important for us to understand.  “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.”  Because we realize that there will be a day that God shall the secrets of men by Jesus according to my gospel as Paul write about in Roman 2:16.

Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

Job 19:25,26 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:  and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.

Mark 12:24,25 And Jesus answering said upon them, Do ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?  For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage: but are as the angels which are in heaven. 

I John 3:1,2 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:  therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that when he when he appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

In this psalm David was looking forward to the day of beholding the face of the Lord and being awaken to the Lord’s likeness.  Job writes about how even after his death when the worms have destroyed his flesh, he would be able in the flesh to see God.  And then we have in I John chapter three the promise of being the sons of God and being like Jesus when we look upon our Savior’s face. This is one of the promises of that I am looking forward to when my journey on this earth is complete.

As I study the scripture it is important apply these words to our heart and mediate on them day and night.  Sometimes the simple truths of the scripture are dismissed because we are told that our belief is only our opinion or our perspective.  A good example of this can be found in Mark chapter twelve as well as Matthew chapter twenty-two when Jesus answers the Sadducees (they say that there is no resurrection) about the resurrection.  They question Jesus’s teaching of the resurrection by asking him to answer their question concerning a woman who had been married to seven brothers.  They wanted to know to whom she would be married to in the resurrection.  Jesus answered them by telling them that they err in their belief since they did not know the scriptures or the power of God.  As I study God’s Word I must take heed of Jesus’s words to the Sadducees, I must study and know the scriptures and I must come to a realize that God’s power is unlimited.

However, in I John 3:3 we are told that this truth also has an affect on how we live on life as we travel this journey on the earth.  John informs us that everyone that has this hope in him lives a life that is pure.  Our goal in this life is to be more Christ-like.  By reading and studying I John chapter five you will realize that living this lifestyle on your journey through life will lead to a victorious life, you will have the witness of men and God in your life, as well as answer prayer.   And last of all heed John’s words in the I John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols”.  Love not the world or the things in this world but seek after God and his righteousness.

Psalm 16:8-11 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices: my flesh also shall rest in hope.  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (KJV)

When studying the Psalms I look for verses like these in the New Testament that points to Jesus.  These four verses were used by Peter on the day of Pentecost as proof that Jesus is the Lord and Messiah that the prophets had told us about in their writings.  Peter states in Acts 2:25 “For David speaketh concerning him” and then he speaks these words from Psalm 16:8-11.  At the end of his message on the day of Pentecost Peter gave the invitation in Act 2:38,39 of “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin and ye shall receive the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is unto you and your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” So here in Psalm 16:8-11 we see that David had foretold the message of Pentecost. 

I Corinthians chapter fifteen, the great resurrection chapter of the Bible, Paul speaks of the importance of the resurrection in the gospel message.  The preaching of the gospel is the message of how Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.  The more I study the Bible the more I realize how important the phase ‘according to the scriptures” can be in a person’s life.  The scriptures not only form the foundation of our faith, but the more we study and apply them to our life the greater our relationship with the Lord becomes as we travel this journey of ours on this earth.  Peter writes of the importance of the scriptures in II Peter 1:15-21 as he describes the event of the transfiguration he shared with John and James as Jesus talked with Moses and Elijah about his upcoming death.  In these verses he states that the more sure word of prophecy was a greater witness of the power of Christ then being an eyewitness of the Lord’s ministry. 

So, as we study the scriptures let the promise of the Holy Spirit fill your heart and open up the scriptures to enrich our hearts and transform us into a new creation, that seeks after the things that are above.  As Paul writes in Romans 12:1,2 that we might be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we might prove what is good and acceptable, and prefect will of God for our life.

Psalm 15

Of David

1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.

3 He that backbite not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.

4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honored them that fear the Lord. He that swears to his own hurt, and changes not.

5 He that puts not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. (KJV)

This psalm asks two simple questions: who may dwell in your tabernacle and who may live on your holy hill? The answer is simple also:

He whose

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

He who does these things will never be shaken

This psalm summaries the reading found in the five psalms today. The question for the day was “who is God to you?”. Reading the five psalms today, I pray that you realize that God is really the one that controls the events in our life if we walk in his ways. A crisis for the righteous then is just a turning point in our life that God uses to take us in a new direction. If I accept this realization than how should I live when facing a crisis? This psalm answer this with giving us several principles to live by and to make the focus of our desires to see God’s face. Proverbs 3:5 simply states this life as one that trust in the Lord with all your heart and lead not on our understanding.

As I was studying God’s Word and reflecting on his nature and the relationship that we have to him the phase “your heavenly father” kept coming to mind. It is amazing as we travel the path that God has for us on this earth how the view we have about our earthly father and our heavenly father both changes as we mature. As I look at how the child’s view of their father changes as they mature, I see these steps. First, he is daddy the strong arms that support you, the smiling face that looks upon you as you look at him. However, he soon becomes the one that tries to keep a child from going in the wrong direction when the child beings the process of exploring the world around him and starts the process of refusing to heed the father’s direction. This discipline from God is sometimes hard to understand and is something we might try to resist, just as a child resist an earthly father’s discipline. This is one of the first changes we go through in the way we view our earthly as well as our heavenly father as we mature. These views change with the circumstances that develop as we mature and take on new roles in life. As we mature, we in the right relationship with our earthly father we can look back and see how our life was shaped by his involvement in our life. At the same time our relationship to our father changes with these circumstances and new relationships. The one thing that does stay constant is this: we are the child, and he is the father.

One of the truths that I try teaching my children was the only thing they could give me were hugs and kisses since these truly came from hearts and are theirs to give away. These are precious to me since everything else I needed; I could provide for myself. This truth can also be seen in our relationship to God. He does not need anything from us since everything belongs to him already. However, our worship of our heavenly Father could be compared to the way that our kids give hugs and kisses to their earthly father. With this truth in mind, how can I worship God? The answer is simple. Follow the principles in this psalm and then give God the worship He desires, hugs and kisses from the heart from a child. Then God can make the same statement in the courts of Heaven about you as he did about Job. Job 1:8 “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschewed evil?”

Proverb chapter three provides a wonderful conclusion for today’s reading. As you read this Proverb remember that it was written to a son, an individual, about the real purpose of life. The purpose of this Proverb is not a “how to success in life”, but a “how to live a life pleasing to God”. Sometimes we forget that when we practice God’s way, we face opposition from the ungodly. We see this example in the first family with the death of Abel by the hands of Cain. As we study the scriptures and the issues that we face in life we realize that there is a battle between the way of God and the ways of the ungodly or the wicked. So, the decision my son is simple. Do you walk in the way of God, or follow the ways of the wicked?

Psalm 13

1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? forever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.

4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me. (KJV)

Reading 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.  This was a time of darkness that was cause in his life by others, yet God used it to develop David into a man after God’s own heart.

The second time was when he was fleeing from his own son Absalom.  This event was part of the prophecy that Nathan had declared that would happen to him as a result of his sin against killing Uriah the Hittite found in II Samuel 12:9-12. “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandments of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and has taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the Ammon.  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hitte to be thine wife.  Thus, saith the Lord, Behold I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house and I will take thy wives before thy eyes, and give them upon thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.  And thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.”  This second event in David’s life was an event that David must have realized that his sin was the reason for this time of darkness in his life.  Even when Absalom was killed and his rebellion against his father was put down, David wept for him.  It is in these times of great sadden in our life that was the result of our own sin that we must trust in the mercy of the Lord to get us peace in our heart.  

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. A great biblical example of this changing of direction in a person’s life is given to us in the story of Joseph.  The first crisis that he faced began 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 seems 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.