Psalm 38
of David
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
2 For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.
9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception.
13 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth;
14 I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”
17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good.
21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.
22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.

As I read this psalm which is title “A Psalm of David to bring to remembrance” I cannot help think back to the story of David’s affair with Bathsheba. As I study God’s Word, I see how God’s way is so easy and yet religion and man tries to make it seem so difficult. We can speculate about the events that led up to the events that lead David to take Uriah’s wife Bathsheba and have an affair with her, however we know it happened. We can give suggestions and create books on how to live a blameless life that will keep us from falling into sinful situations; however, the bottom line is this we do fail every once in a while. And when we do this is the psalm that we must bring to remembrance.

Jesus message was simple. In Matthew 11:29 he stated, “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”. This psalm gives us the steps of putting on this yoke. First David realized his sinful folly, and the guilt that overcame him. We too must realize this in our life and not to try to cover up our sinfulness. David tried this with Bathsheba’s pregnancy and brought Uriah home from the battle to sleep with his wife; however, this did not work. So, to protect Bathsheba as well as himself he sacrificed his own friend and arranged Uriah’s death in battle.

Lesson one from God’s Word: as soon as you are in the wrong, confess your sin and ask for forgiveness. Do not try to cover it up or make excuses for it. If you do it will lead to greater sins and greater cover-ups which will lead to damage to others. Your relationship with God will also come to a stand-still. It is only as David writes about in verse eighteen “I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin” that we can renew our relationship back to God.

Lesson two from God’s Word is that there are consequences for our actions. David could not take back the pregnancy, he could not give life back to Uriah, and he could not defend his actions to his enemies. Yes, the last consequence of living with our life with the knowledge that our sinful actions are known to everyone. That we are just as evil as the next person, or even worst we are much more evil then those around us. There was a song we use to sing when I was young that had this phase in it “anything you can do I can do better”. That phase is still true today in the world we are living in. Most of the people all around us are comparing themselves to others and attempting to justify why they are better. The problem that mankind faces is “we have all sinned and came short of the glory of God”. However, mankind likes to judge and usually our known sins makes us less good than those around us. However, when we commit a sin like this of David’s then our enemies will use this knowledge to slander us and cause us to be hated by many. No matter how much we try to make things right there will always be those who will continue to slander us and use the sin to destroy us.

Lesson three from God’s Word is that he is the one we need to turn to when we have sinned. It is He who can help us. James puts it this way in James 4:7-10:
Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Therefore, confess your sins to God, accept the consequences that will come about because of sin, and wait on God to answer your prayer of forgiveness.

Psalm 37
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish: The Lord’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish-vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.
23 If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;
33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

This psalm is a psalm that readers turn to when they face difficult times in their life. These times are not just trouble times, but usually a time when the only one a person can turn to is God. However, it is also a time when God has also seemed to have forsaken them. It was this psalm that I turned to at one of the most difficult times in my life. It is a time when the wickedness of the someone who at one time was very close to me turned and tried to destroy everything in my life. It was a time like Joseph faced when his own brothers sold him as a slave. It was a time in my life that I learned how to pray thy will be done instead of my will be done. Verses four and five gave me at that time an insight on how to pray. Three things on my part were required: delight myself in the Lord, commit my ways to the Lord, and trust in the Lord; by following these three simple steps the Lord will give to me the desires of my heart.

I now realize that these principles become clearer as one ages and applies life experiences to the scriptures. It is in the example that God gave me from the life of Joseph that I can see how these principles governed his life. He was only seventeen when his own brothers sold him into slavery. However, instead of trying to gain his freedom and taking vengeance on his brothers for this act he accepted the place where the Lord placed him and committed his ways to the Lord. The phase “but the Lord was with Joseph” characterized his life. Joseph learned to apply the principles of trust and obey in his life and knew that God would be with him, both in the hard times as well as the good times. He was a slave and a prisoner of the state for thirteen years, yet he still followed the principles of committing your ways to the Lord and trusting in Him (trust and obey). It was at the time of Jacob’s death that we truly see how these principles played out in Joseph’s life. As I read Genesis chapter fifty, I realized Joseph’s brothers had not ask for forgiven yet for their treatment of Joseph at age seventeen. This selfish act on their part not only effected Joseph life, but also had a profound effect on Jacob his father and Benjamin his brother. It took thirty-nine years, the death of their father, and the fear that Joseph would pay them back in full for all the wrong they did to him before they tried to patch up the incident with Joseph. And even in this process they did not want to address the real issues which was the fact of their own sinfulness in the way they handed Joseph over into slavery. Joseph weep when they spoke, because he had already forgiven them, but he saw how they lived in fear because they could not face the truth of forgiveness. Joseph answer to them reveals his trust on the Lord to guide his life. When you are following these principles then you like Joseph can say “for I am in God’s place”. When walking with God in this world we will face times in our life when people (even our own family) do evil things against us. However, if we wait on the Lord and keep his ways then we will see the desire of our hearts fulfilled and will be able to say, “therefore what you meant for evil against me, God meant it for good”.

“The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip” the righteous will not fall. As we see the fruit of wicked schemes of greed and corruption around us fall, we must realize that God is our stronghold the one we take refuge in these times of trouble. So, when the topic about the economic failures and other events of disaster from around the world come about in your conversation you can take comfort in these verses. Live by these phases and know that God is our refuge. Then let the world see God’s law alive in your life so that the light of his law will reflect God to them. These phases are:
Do not fret (3 times)
Do not be envious of those who do wrong
Trust in the Lord (2 times)
Delight yourself in the Lord
Commit your ways to the Lord
Be still before the Lord
Wait patiently for him (2 times)
Refrain from anger
Turn from wrath
Hope in the Lord
Give generously
Turn from evil and do good
Utters wisdom and speak what is just
Keep the Lord way
Consider the blameless
Observe the upright
Seek refuge in the Lord

Verse 25 “I was young and now I am old” lets us know that this psalm was written when David was old. This psalm reflects David’s beliefs and pattern of life that as a king and a father he wanted to pass on to others. In Psalm 51:12,13 he writes “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.” His desire was to live by God’s ways and teach others of the joy of living in God’s ways. Ecclesiastes is another example of scripture that was written by an old man. However, this was written by Solomon who at the end of his life was told that the kingdom that God had given his father and when to him would not be passed to his son. Why? Because he forsook God’s ways and served another God’s. It is interesting to see his words in Ecclesiastes: 12:8-14 “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Therefore, heed the words of David in this psalm so that in your old age you will not have to write as Solomon did in Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come and the years draw nigh, when thou shall say I have no pleasure in them.”

Psalm 36
Of David
1 An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.
5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
10 Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 See how the evildoers lie fallen thrown down, not able to rise!

I. Sinfulness of the wicked
no fear of God
he flatters himself
Does not detect or hate his sin
his mouth is wicked and deceitful
he has ceased to be wise and to do good
Even on his bed he plots evil
he commits himself to a sinful course
does not reject what is wrong

II. Lord’s provisions
your love reaches to the heavens
your faithfulness reaches to the skies
your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
your justice like the great deep
you preserve both man and beast
your unfailing love is priceless
your wings provide refuge for men both high and low
they feast on the abundance of your house
they drink from your river of delights
with you is the fountain of life
in your light we see light

III. Summary
Continue your love to those who know you
your righteousness to the upright in heart
may the foot of the proud not come against me
may the hand of the wicked not drive me away
the evildoers lie fallen thrown down, not able to rise!

This psalm was written by David as an oracle (any utterance made or received as authoritative, extremely wise, or infallible) concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. For us the study of the sinfulness of man begins in Genesis chapter three with the temptation in the Garden. The three individuals involved were Adam, Eve and the serpent. It involved a simple decision to follow a command, “If you eat or touch the fruit of tree which is in the middle of the garden, you will die”. They did break the command and when they did their eyes where open and they saw their nakedness and attempted to cover it with fig leaves. They now became like God knowing good and evil. The outcome of breaking God’s command was death, however, God delayed death and made provisions for Adam and Eve to live. Yes, there were curses, but there were also provisions. As a believer makes his or her daily walk in this world probably the biggest challenge that he or she will face along their path is the same challenge that Eve faced. This challenge can be found in the simple word “but”. Just as Satan challenge Eve trust in God those around us challenge our faith in God today. It is this challenge that those around us question our understanding of God and present the “but” questions to challenge our understanding of God’s way. It seems that the more we walk with God the more we have to defend our relationship to him to those around us. In this Psalm we see the sinfulness of the wicked those who oppose God and has let pride become their necklace. However, in this Psalm we also see the Lord’s provisions to those who know Him. One of the main challenges we seem to face from the world is the belief that God takes care of those who take care of themselves. The problem with this belief is that it is a path for man to flatter himself on the way he follows God, which leads him to the point of not seeing our sinfulness. This leads to a path of reasoning about all issues of life which places man in charge of our life which leads to a course of sin and this soon leads to the rejection of the Lord and His provisions. The escape from this path is to know the Lord and to walk in his righteousness. For the believer this means being more Christ-like.

How the free will of an individual and the will of God interact is a mystery that mankind battles with daily. However, this weekend as I was studying C. S. Lewis’s book Mere Christianity his statements that atheism was “too simple” and “Christianity” ,water down faith, could not explain the world in which we live. The battle of Good verses Bad was also the wrong approach to take in looking at the world in which we live. After reading his writings his weekend I realized that the true battle is the rebellion of Satan and the evil forces here on earth against God and that we as Christians are really “living in enemy territory”. If this is the case, then verses two through four would describe the enemy” For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.” If this is the case, then how important is it for believers to live in the shadow of God’s wings. To better understand the free will of an individual and how the individual will interact with God’s will we must turn to the creator of both who is God.

As I was studying the book The Battle is the Lord’s by Tony Evans this oracle speaks loudly not only of the sinful man, but also the sinfulness of Satan. As I study this book, I ask myself the question “why did not God just destroy Satan as soon as Satan rebelled against God?”. If he had done that then Satan could not have tempted Eve and she would not have offered the fruit to Adam. But we know that this did not happen. There is a reason why God has chosen the path of dealing with Satan as well as the sin of mankind. The more I understand this battle the more I understand the battles in my own life.

As I read and study the Psalms, I realize that living a Christ-like life is easy until I have to put down the Bible and move into the real world and face your daily routines. It is only when we as believers take God’s written Word and make it God’s living Word in our hearts that we can answer the “but” questions from those around us with an affirmative answer just as Christ did to Satan “But it is written”.

Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation.
10 My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; attackers gathered against me when I was unaware. They slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me.
17 O Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my life from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.
19 Let not those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; let not those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.
20 They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They gape at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 O LORD, you have seen this; be not silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord.
23 Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, O LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
28 My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.

The more I read the psalms the more I see Jesus. As I am studying the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry on this earth (starting in Jericho and making the fourteen-mile trip to Jerusalem) I can see Jesus praying to God this psalm. Knowing that this trip would end in his death Jesus still made the journey. To set the stage for this journey we see Christ in Matthew chapter nineteen giving us the true meaning of a relationship with God which is different than being religious. The first was in reply to the Pharisees question “is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”. Marriage is the foundation of the most basic building block of our society (the family). Therefore, I believe the question they ask challenged Jesus to give a black or white answer on this issue. Christ answer was simple. He answered them by using Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24 and stating have not you read “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh”. He finished his answer with this phase ” Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”.
But this answer did not address the issue that the Pharisee’s wanted answered. Their next question to him was really a challenge to God on why God’s purpose was changed. This is seen in their reply to his answer. “Why then, did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” In other words, Moses had to make provisions so that if a marriage did not work out the relationship could be ended. Man had to intervene, because God’s way did not always work. However, Jesus replied the problem was not God, but man. He stated, “Moses permitted divorce because your heart was hard, but that was not the way from the beginning.” which not only revealed issues about divorce, but all areas of living in society. The way of the Pharisee’s differed from the way of the Lord as pictured in Psalms 1 because of their harden hearts. We need to be careful therefore when asking the “Why then” questions concerning the basic truth’s found in God’s Word. As we study and look deeper into the issues of all the questions, we have we will usually find the answer to be in our own hardness of our hearts.

The second example that was given to us in Matthew chapter nineteen that help picture the true meaning of a relationship with God was that of a little child. Children trust their parents and depend upon them completely. This stands in contrast to the old saying “God takes care of those who take care of themselves”. It seems today that a lot of believers have traded their trust and dependence on God in for the trust and dependence on their own abilities. When reading a Psalm like this I realize that to be Christ-like is to surrender all your burdens and worries to Him. Like a child looks to their parents to take care of everything so must we look to God to take care of all our issues.

The third example that was given to us in Matthew chapter nineteen that help picture the true meaning of a relationship with God was that of the rich young man. The question was simple “Teacher what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”. The rich man was living a good life, but still felt he was missing or lacking something. That something was following God. Sometimes it hard to give up everything to follow God. It is only after you lose what you considered the most precious thing to you that you learn that the most precious thing to you is your relationship to God. Once you realize this then the words of the song Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus “and things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace” will start to take place in your life. You will then become one of those who in verse twenty-seven of this psalm will delight in God’s vindication and shout for joy and gladness; we will always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.

Psalm 34

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.
¹ I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
² My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
¹² Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
¹³ keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
¹⁹ A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
²⁰ he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
²¹ Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²² The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

It is amazing how as we grow older in this life of ours, we try to find purpose. One of the goals we strive for is a life that seems to have everything in place with no problems surrounding us and everyone seems to get along together in a peaceful manner. However, as David states in verse 19 a righteous man may have many troubles and they seem to come when we seem to have everything going in the right direction. Yet we are promised that God will deliver us from them all. I love verse 22 which states no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him. On that great day in Heaven when I stand before the throne of God my song will be Jesus paid it all.

One of the themes that I see happening in the Christian circles today and one that I write about in my daily devotionals is living a purpose driven life. As I daily read and study the Psalms and the book of Proverbs, I have realized that the purpose driven life is simply a matter of trust and obey. I trust in the Lord and obey his teachings to me. As David writes in verse eleven, “Come my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Therefore, my simple purpose for living is to live a blameless life before men and trust in the Lord to meet ALL my daily needs.

It been a few years since I wrote the words above, but as I go back and reflect on the Psalms again and how they played an important role in helping me find my simple purpose of living I cannot help to think about others who were on this same path and left it for another path. My love for good devotionals books takes me to several thrift stores in hope of finding a good bargain. One of the books I that I see so many copies of at these stores is “The Purpose Driven Life”. Gods’ way is narrow, but it is rewarding. The peace that God gives to those that follow him is amazing. So, seek Him with your whole heart and do not abandon this path for the ways of the world.

Psalm 33

¹ Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
² Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
³ Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
⁴ For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
⁵ The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
⁶ By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
¹⁰ The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
¹¹ But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
¹³ From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
¹⁴ from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-
¹⁵ he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
¹⁸ But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
¹⁹ to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
²⁰ We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
²² May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

Question: What does a man who fears God do when the nation he loves and is proud to be called am American turns away from God? In verse eight it states, “let all the earth fear God, let all the people of the world revere him”. As we look at the world today, we see a world that can be compared to Sodom and Gomorrah. Are we like Lot and look at this world as our home or are we like Abraham and look for a new heaven and a new earth? What does a man who fears God do? He waits in hope for the Lord.

I was blessed by having great Bible teachers early in my life. One of these teachers taught me the important lesson of understanding the importance of carefully studying lessons on living given to us in the scriptures. One of these lessons is found in Genesis chapter thirteen. Both Abram and Lot were blessed greatly by the Lord which caused issues over who was going to use the best grazing land. To address this issue Abram gave Lot the chose of moving left (south) or right (north) and then he would move to the other direction. However, Lot looked to the east toward the plains of the Jordan, where he pitched his tent toward Sodom.

In Genesis 13:13 we read “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” which was probably the reason why Abram did not offer this chose to Lot. It was not long later we see that Lot moved not only toward Sodom, but dwell there. II Peter 2:7,8 reads “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” This is why John writes in I John 2:15,16 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

As I study verse fifteen “he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do”, I have a better understanding of the relationship that man has with God. God, who forms the hearts of all, the God who is the creator of all the universe has created in us a heart that can make choices. Man does have a free will to choose the way in which he walks on this earth. Why we were created with a free will to choose I cannot answer; however, I know we have the ability to decide the way in which we walk. Do we walk toward Sodom (the way of the world) or dwell in the plains that the Lord has set before us?

Psalm 29

of David.

¹ Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
³ The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
¹⁰ The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
¹¹ The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

As I read this psalm, I guess my life is not really “All about me”. In reality it is really all about my relationship to God and others. This relationship could be understood and illustrated by studying the relationship the Sun has with the Moon, and the Earth. Of these three the sun is the only source of power; the moon and the earth only receive their energy from the Sun. Our relationship with God can be seen as the same relationship that the Moon and the Earth has with the Sun. My relationship to the people around me should be like the relationship that the moon has to the earth. The light of the moon is nonexistence. It has no light of its own. It only reflects the light of the Sun. Its presence can sometimes be seeming dimly in the daytime when its darkness is revealed in the light of the day. But the glory of the moon is really revealing at night when it is reflecting the light of the Sun in the darkness that surrounds the Earth at that time. It is the position of the Moon in its relationship to the Earth and the Sun that determines the brightness of the moon.

This is also true of the believer. It is our relationship with God and the world that determines how bright our light shines for Him. A Christian’s walk that is worldly can be compared to the moon when it is barely visible during the day and its present is usually not noticed at all. However, it is in the darkness that sin brings into this world that God uses those who are in the right relationship with Him to reflect his glory and give light to a dark world. As Christ reminded us of in Matthew 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shine unto all that are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”. Yes, my life is really “All about Him” and He should receive all the glory. So, the question I must ask myself daily is “Do I really live my life so that others see God working in my life, or do I try to take this glory and heap it on myself?”.