Psalm 58
This Psalm, a miktam of David is entitled God Who Judges the Earth. It is supposed to be God who is the judge, not man. Yet so many people put themselves in His place and condemn, punish, and kill as if they have the right, as if they have never sinned. Leaders make sweeping decisions for people and someone is always hurt by their choices. If they swear to uphold group a, group b is forgotten and vice versa. But they are never trampled by their own rulings. They always reap the gain from the people’s loss. Verses 1-2 read, “Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.” The people who make themselves judge by doling out slanted justice elevate themselves to a false position of god. They think they have a right to magistrate. But they can’t hand out justice properly, they can’t judge uprightly, because their hearts are flawed. They like all of us are born sinners. We all plan evil. We all scheme selfishly. And those who elevate themselves to be judge, dispense a skewed justice. They become murderers. They take vengeance on themselves and somehow think it is their right to spew their false piety, anger, hate, and viciousness over everyone. We are all born sinners. None of us has the right to allocate justice while we ourselves are unjust. None of us has the right to judge because we deserve judgment. Verses 3-5 read, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.” We are all born imperfect and capable of evil. But we don’t have to stay that way. The Father calls us to Him. Jesus can give us His righteousness. The Holy Spirit can conform us to Christ’s image. But some people can’t make The Lord their God, because they have raised themselves up to be their own gods. They think they are in charge of their own lives, but these gods are slaves to Satan, the prince of this world. They spread their poison like deadly snakes who kill with one bite. And like the adder those lethal serpents keep spreading their poisonous lies. Their own agenda is fragile and can’t stand up to arguments. Their pride makes them deaf. They refuse to hear anyone for fear that their image will be destroyed. But they like everyone on this earth will be judged by the One God Elohim. He is our Creator and Judge. Only He has the authority to avenge, judge, condemn, or absolve. Verses 6-7 describe the punishment the wicked judges will receive. “O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord! 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.” God breaks their teeth making them harmless. They can’t rip apart their prey or even wound without their teeth. And though in the worldly sense they may cause the believer pain and suffering, they have no real power to wound us. They are like their haughty prince, the devil, whom Peter described as a prowling lion. He encouraged believers not to freak out and fear him, but to remain calm and act. 1 Peter 5:6-11 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” The devil is like a roaring lion, but he has no teeth when it comes to followers of Jesus Christ. Whatever pains he might cause are temporary. We can resist him because of our faith in Our Awesome God, The Lion of Judah who is worthy and conquered the devil. Revelation 5:1-5 reads, “Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” It is God, Elohim, who judges. Only He is worthy. Vengeance is His. (Deuteronomy 32:35-36). His Judgment will bring eternal punishment and death to the wicked. It will be as if they never existed. Verses 8-9 read, “Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. 9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!” But for us who make Jesus our Lord and are credited with His righteousness judgement brings eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. He gives it to us now before Judgement Day so that we can glorify Him and so that the lost can be found and declare Jesus is Lord. Verses 10-11 read, “The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.” Who is your God? Is He Elohim? Is Jesus your righteousness? Are you indwelled with God’s Awesome Holy Spirit? Or are you your own god judging the world with an unworthy and sinful heart. With Jesus as our Lord and The Holy Spirit within us we are given the authority to forgive, and to bless. (John 20:21-23). But we leave judgement up to Jesus. We may discern sin and error in a fellow believer and help him back, but this is not the judgement of God who judges finally and completely with all authority. (John 5:25-29, James 4:10-12). Psalm 57
What is glory? What does glorified mean? To glorify God is to honor Him through our sanctification, our transformation to become perfect in His image. Imagine that glory is a mirror we hold up. We glorify God by reflecting His image to the world and back to Him. It is a pleasing worship for us to praise Him through our lives as we respond with godliness, with the fruit of the Spirit. To glorify God is to act with Love because God is Love. (1 John 4:8). It is to speak and act with Truth because Jesus is the Truth. (John 14:6). It is to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, because that is the nature of The Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23). How is The Lord glorified? Is He glorified when we suffer and moan? Or is it when we suffer and sing His Praises that He is glorified? Is He glorified when our enemies hate us and we curse them? Or is He glorified when our enemies try and trample us and we bless them and pray for them? In this Miktam titled Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth, David expressed his anguish over his enemies to The Lord. But through his distress, he glorified the Lord. Verses 1-4 read, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! 4 My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts-- the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! 6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah” David praised God for His mercy. Mercy is God’s loving kindness, his compassion in knowing we are fallible, yet showing us favor regardless. God shows us His mercy in many ways in this verse, God showed David His mercy by letting David take refuge in Him, by being a shield from the furor of his enemies’ attacks and the evil they tried to inflict upon him. God is our refuge through everything. No matter what our enemies do to us, we know our future, we know that God is with us and that nothing the enemy does to us can succeed. (Isaiah 54:17). David, a man after God’s own heart showed mercy to Saul. He could have killed him when Saul came entered the cave where David was hiding. But instead he bowed down to King Saul and declared he wouldn’t kill him even though he could have. (1 Samuel 24). David was hiding in a cave from Saul who was desperate to kill him. God surrounded and protected David like the mountain. David was even able to sleep knowing Almighty God was His refuge and that God had anointed Him to be the next king of Israel. He trusted God to sustain him and keep him alive so that he could be the king God called him to be. Believer, you have been anointed to a royal and magnificent calling, a great purpose, and an eternal hope. God is your shield in order to fulfill your purpose for His glory. David glorified the Lord by showing mercy to Saul, by trusting God to be His refuge, and praising God and giving Him the credit for his safety instead of taking that acclaim for himself. David didn’t keep God’s great work to himself. He told people, wrote a song, sang and danced, and he praised The Lord. Verses 7-11 read, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” David didn’t only praise the Lord when things were going well for him. He didn’t only pray when things were going poorly. He praised and prayed constantly. His faith in God didn’t waver. He wasn’t tossed around like a buoy on a tumultuous sea. God is steadfast. His love is steadfast. His commitment to us is steadfast. We glorify God with that same steadfast faith in Him. When we manifest God’s character toward Him and to the world we glorify Him. The world can’t help but take notice. It isn’t the Christianese t-shirt or bumper sticker that says we are followers of Christ. It is our love. It is not a patronizing pretentious piety that says we are royal heirs with Jesus. It is our active and intentional love. It is walking in the Spirit and so demonstrating His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control which glorifies God. John 13:31-35 in The Message says it this way, “When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him, God’s glory will be on display. In glorifying him, he himself is glorified—glory all around! 33 “Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I’m telling you: ‘Where I go, you are not able to come.’ 34-35 “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” Psalm 55
Who or what do you put your faith in? Do you put your faith into yourself, trusting your instincts ad emotions to lead you? Our feelings do not always guide us with wisdom. David had been betrayed by a friend. He was greatly wounded and in his distress he wrote this poem, a prayer to The Lord. Verses 1-8 read, “Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! 2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, 3 because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me. 4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. 6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; 7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah 8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.” David’s emotions lied to him. He felt like God wasn’t hearing his prayers. He was suffering and afraid. Those feelings made him want to fly away from it all and seek refuge in a tent in the wilderness. He wanted to escape his suffering rather than go through it. But we know that God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5). Although our emotions, our flesh leads us to cower and escape torment, troubles, and trials, God calls us to let him be our refuge. Romans 8:5-8 puts it this way, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Our emotions (our flesh) do not always lead us properly, but the Spirit always does. The Spirit carries us through the difficulties we experience and conforms us to Jesus’ beautiful likeness through them. Romans 8:26-29 reads, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” David was hurting over the betrayal of a friend. He put his trust in this friend and the friend helped those who sought to kill David. Putting our faith in people isn’t a great idea. People are fallible. We are not all-powerful, perfect, and holy like our Lord God. We fail. We fall short of the mark. Only God almighty is worthy of our faith. Jesus lived the only perfect life ever. We trust Him and when people let us down, as they undoubtedly will or when we let others down as we undoubtedly will, God is still with us strengthening, leading, and perfecting us. David was deeply hurt by the person he had once called friend. He cried out to God to punish him. Verses 9-15 record his passionate plea. “Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city. 10 Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; 11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace. 12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me-- then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me-- then I could hide from him. 13 But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. 14 We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng. 15 Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.” Have you ever felt so hurt that you like David asked God to kill someone? The deep emotions David felt prompted his injured soul to hate the betrayer. I know that I have experienced that sort of hate when someone hurt me. Those feelings are tantamount to murder. Seriously, we are not perfect. We all sin grievously. In Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus spoke about our anger and thought life this way, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” David’s personal Judas deserved punishment, but so did David. Our enemies deserve punishment, but so do we. God is graceful and merciful. He loves us enough to give us Jesus. He loves us enough to count Jesus perfect love and life as our own just for the asking. He loves us enough to reform us as new creatures whose nature align with His own. When we depend on God, His love, mercy and grace become ours too and we can extend it to even the vilest of persons. We realize we were that despicable too. If God forgave us, shouldn’t we also forgive others? Verses 16-21 read, “But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. 17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. 18 He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. 19 God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah because they do not change and do not fear God. 20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. 21 His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.” People will hurt us. People can lie, they can feign sincerity. We want to believe them. David wanted to believe his one-time friend. Hoping the best of someone is not a sin. Wanting people to be sincere is not wrong. But putting out faith in them instead of God is a sin. If we trust God, then when we are hurt by people we can extend His grace, mercy, and love to them too. It won’t mean we aren’t hurt, but it lessens that wound and brings healing to us and maybe even to the one who hurt us. When you are hurt don’t lash out at the person who wronged you, call out to The Lord, give Him your pain and sorrow and let Him make it beautiful. Trust that those who wronged you will be dealt with by your Lord, your Father, your Savior, and your Peace. Verses 22-23 read, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. 23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.” Do you put your trust in your feelings? Do you allow circumstances to rule you? Do you put your faith in people including yourself? Put your faith and trust in God. He is able. He is worthy. He is God The LORD. Psalm 54
Where do you turn in difficult times? Where do you turn when you are in danger? Often we turn to ourselves, the police, the army, or some other people for protection and rescue. In this Psalm, David reminds us it is God to whom we should turn first. It is God who will save us. Verses 1-2 read, “O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. 2 O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.” David could trust God, because He knew Him and He knew God’s character. He knew God is faithful, steadfast, and almighty. He knew what God had done for Him and for Israel in the past. David called The Lord Elohim in these first four verses. Elohim, God the Creator, a plural name which refers to God The Father, Son, and Spirit reminds us that we belong to The Lord. He made us, He bought with His blood, and He indwells us as His Holy Temple. Because we are His, God doesn’t take kindly to our enemies. He protects and cares for His children. He avenges us. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-8 says, “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” Verses 3-5 read, “For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah 4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. 5 He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them.” In Verse 4 David refers to the Lord by the names Adonai and my Helper, the Upholder of my life. Adonai means Lord and Master. He has Authority over us, He has sovereignty over us and so we can lean on Him and allow Him to take care of our needs including protection. It is interesting to note that Adonai is also a plural name once again alluding to our three-fold God, Father, Son, and Spirit. David knew God and trusted Him to not only hear his prayer but protect Him, deliver him, and keep him alive even as Saul sought desperately to kill him, even as people (The Ziphites) who should have helped him betrayed him. (1 Samuel 23). In the midst of David’s turmoil with the same breath he used to ask the Lord for Help, he thanked God and told Him he would give a freewill offering of thanksgiving. Verses 6-7 read, “With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.” The name David used in verse 6 is Jehovah, or Yahweh. This name is unique to The One True God. It is His ultimate supreme name, the name He calls Himself. It refers to His eternal divinity. David knew that with the Lord, He was triumphant. He knew God had anointed him for a purpose. He was the rightful King of Israel. He had a great purpose. You and I, fellow Believers are also anointed for a great purpose, we are royalty, and we are the bride of Christ. We can trust The Lord created us, chose us, protects us, avenges us, and exalts us. We do not have to turn to people to help us. People are fallible, they can fail us. But The LORD will never fail us or forsake us. He leads and we follow. He uses people to help us. He uses people to encourage us. We can let Him be God for us and He will send help our way. We chase God, not help. He is our Creator, our Master, and The One True Living Eternal God. Psalm 53
There is more than one kind of fool. It There is the fool who is too selfish to open his eyes and learn the truth. There is the fool who has opened his eyes but refuses to acknowledge the truth. And there is the fool who just ignorantly believes other fools instead of asking for wisdom to see the truth. The most foolish and selfish pronouncement any man can make is that there is no God. The Lord God put His signature all over Creation. He put His imprint on men’s souls. Studies reveal about 2% of Americans state they are atheists and studies guess that 2%-8% of the world population is atheist. Even people who do not believe in The God of Abraham believe in some supreme being, god, or gods. Paul described the foolishness and futility of ignoring the evidence of God. Romans 1:18-23 read, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” People, especially the most outspoken who refuse to acknowledge the soul’s assertion of God do so in order to be their own god. They do not want to be moral. They want freedom to sin. They don’t want to answer to right and wrong. They don’t know that in their pursuit of freedom they have made themselves slaves to sin. They don’t want to be told they are bad. They say we’re all good and good and evil are what each individual claims it to be. Verses 1-2 say, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” As believers we know there is good and there is evil. We know that no one has the power to be good on his own power. There is no ranking of sins, a lie is just as wrong as murder. All sin keeps us separated from God. The Lord desires a relationship with each of us. He searches for the person who is searching for Him, who in answer to his soul’s cry seeks the truth. He will gladly answer the questioning heart. But we are flesh, we are sons of Adam and so we seek sin and few seek the Lord. David put it this way in verses 3-4, “They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 4 Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?” It is instinctive for us to recognize God and seek Him. But that instinct fights with the desires of the flesh. The devil gladly amplifies the desires of the flesh to drown out the need for The Lord. The enemy twists that drive to one of where people choose to be their own god and authority. They’re blinded to the truth that their ruler is Satan. They fear no repercussions, but one day they will come face to face with the Truth. There is judgement and for those who don’t submit to Jesus’ authority there is condemnation to Hell. Verses 5-6 read, “There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.” Not one single person has to be lost to the pits of Hell. Jesus died for everyone. All a person has to do is acknowledge they can’t be good on their own and submit to Him as God. The enemy, the devil can no longer touch a believer. He is beaten. But all those who reject God will go down with him. Jesus is our Salvation and He wants to be theirs too. Jesus gives us reason to rejoice and praise. So many foolishly seek to be their own god. But God loves them and wants them to know Him. He wants them to experience the indescribably joy, security, peace, and love of the only I Am. Psalm 52
As believers there are often times when we deal with people who think our beliefs are foolish. Some of those people can be downright cruel. The cruelest can be people who grew up in church or gave church a try and were wounded there. In their defensive stance they lash out at us, they mock us, and they mock The Lord. What could have been a passionate love for God becomes a fiery hate for Him and His followers. King Saul was like that. He had been chosen by The Lord to be Israel’s first king. He was anointed with The Holy Spirit and prophesied. He relished the music and songs of God. But he never fully committed to love God with all his heart. He loved himself. He envisioned himself as great and mighty and assumed his legacy would be his descendants as kings. Because God anointed David to be Saul’s successor over his son Jonathon Saul selfishness, pride, and resentment turned to wrath against God and David. He did some wicked things trying to murder David. David wrote this Psalm after he found out that Saul had ordered his guards to kill Ahimelech and the other priests at Nob for helping David and his men by feeding them the showbread and giving David Goliath’s sword.(1 Samuel 21 and 22). It was a horrific act done in a rage of hatred. Verses 1-4 read, “Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. 2 Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. 3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah 4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.” David was dismayed by Saul’s evil. Saul couldn’t see God’s love for him. Saul had become obsessed with the idea of killing David. This pursuit was eating him alive and he was blind to it. David was sickened by the idea that Saul could commit this ghastly evil when all he had to do was trust The Lord God who loved him and wanted good for him, who had anointed and gifted him so well. David didn’t have to plot against Saul. We do not have to plot against God’s enemies either. We know that God will deal with them. He is the King, and Judge. He is the ultimate Avenger. We know what god can do and we appreciate His might. We understand that God is holding His wrath, but he doesn’t have to restrain it. Verses 5-7 read, “But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah 6 The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, 7 “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!” Saul was hurting but instead of taking refuge in The Lord, he hunted David with a violent hatred. David on the other hand took refuge in The Lord. He obeyed, trusted, and followed Almighty God. He didn’t hate Saul because God didn’t hate Saul, he pitied him. He shook his head at Saul’s ignorance. Think about those people you come across who seem to hate God so vehemently, who say nasty things about Christians and Christ, and who feel justified in malicious acts against God and His children. They may hate us and hate God, but God loves them. He loves them as much as He loves us. They call us fools, but it is they who have been blinded and become irrational. We like David can rest in God. We are a contrast to the people who worship themselves and therefore depend on themselves. We can live our lives with peace of spirit. We know God takes care of us, nourishes us, teaches us and molds us. David said it this way in verses 8-9, “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. 9 I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.” Do not hate those who hate you. Feel sorry for them. They don’t know what they’re doing. Be compassionate. Remember mercy. Keep your faith rooted in Jesus Christ. Be still and know He is The Lord. Don’t reciprocate the hate. Respond with love. In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus told us, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Psalm 51
I was talking to a young friend the other day. This six year old girl was very proud of her goodness. She loves being a “good girl.” It makes her happy when people appreciate her good behavior. She asked me why some people were bad and did bad things. I shared with her that everyone has done bad things, we have all lied, had mean thoughts, and other things. I told her only Jesus had never done anything wrong. She considered this and told me a secret she had kept, a lie she had told to someone. I could see this lie had weighed on her sweet heart. She was sad to have done it and she was so happy that I didn’t end my friendship with her over her misbehavior. I think that like my little friend, many of us want to think we are “good” and other people are “bad.” But the truth is we are all sinners, we are imperfect. King David thought he was a really good guy, until Nathan the prophet pointed his sin out to him. He had sinned horrifically. The sins he committed would make the headlines of every trash rag out there. He lusted after a married woman, got her pregnant, and murdered her husband. But when Nathan showed him his sinfulness, he responded with remorse. You can read all about it in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. He wrote this psalm in response to his great sin. Verses 1-6 read, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart” We are all sinners because we are broken and imperfect. We were born sinners because that is the nature of man. But we do not have to remain in that faulty state. Like David, we can turn to our God, He is merciful. He doesn’t have to be merciful and forgiving. He chooses to be merciful and forgiving because He loves us unconditionally. Only God can make us righteous. Only He can remove the stain of sin from our souls. Giving all our money to the poor won’t make us good. Healing a million lepers won’t make us righteous. It is God who we have sinned against. Any hurt we have done to any person is a sin against the Lord. He loves that person we hurt. He created that person. If we love God, we show it by loving the people He loves. No one else can judge us, no one else can condemn us, and no one else can forgive us. Because everyone has sinned. Everyone has missed the mark of the image and nature of God, except God, our Savior Jesus the Christ. But by Jesus’ blood we are made clean, we are made righteous. Verses 7-12 read, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Hyssop was the plant used to sprinkle blood on the penitent who offered sin offerings and burnt offerings to The Lord. When God covers us with Jesus’ blood we are washed whiter than snow, no blemish, no blot of sin, just a pure clean new soul. God promises to make us as pure as snow is white. It is a gift, not a wage. We can’t earn it, we accept it. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Not only does God completely remove our sin no matter how awful, from us and create a new heart that wants what God wants within us, He chooses never to bring our sins to mind. They do not exist to God. David was a man after God’s own heart. He had a friendship with The Lord. He was gifted by God in so many ways. He worshipped with abandon. He wrote amazing songs and poems to the Lord. He prophesied. He was anointed with The Holy Spirit. He truly was a friend of God’s. When he sinned with Bathsheba, God didn’t end their relationship. He didn’t say, “I gotta stop hangin’ with ya, Dude. I’m taking my Holy Spirit and leavin’ ya.” He disciplined David. And because of that discipline, David became a better king, closer to God than before. And though his son died, God gave him another son, a son who would become king after him, who would be wise and who would build the Temple of the Lord. God gave David his son Solomon who would be a great legacy. Believer, God doesn’t leave you when you sin. Can you imagine having to get re-saved whenever you sinned? You’d have to get saved a hundred times on some days. God doesn’t restore our salvation, He restores our joy over His salvation. When we sin and realize it, it hurts us to know we erred. When we repent and realize that God loves us enough to forgive every transgression we are overjoyed and grateful. That joy shows in our lives. That love cannot be contained. We are compelled to tell people about the love of The Father, the goodness of Jesus, and the jubilation of The Holy Spirit. Verses 13-15 say it this way, “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” We want to tell everyone who they are missing out on. God doesn’t want lemmings who follow rules. He doesn’t want us to blindly follow the rituals or mindlessly utter prayers. He wants each of His beautiful children to know the exultation of life with Him. He wants us to see we are missing Him and need His wonderful mercy and magnificent grace. He wants us to know Him. Verses 16-19 say, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.” Jesus is not fire insurance. He lived for us, He died for us, and He rose from the dead for us. The only thig it takes to have a relationship with Him is our repentance (remorse and sorrow for our sins) and our submission to His authority over our lives. No thoughtlessly spoken or heedlessly repeated prayer will save anyone. God doesn’t want that. It is our broken and contrite heart that makes us cry out to Jesus for salvation that He wants. And when we give Him our broken heart, He makes it beautiful and clean. He aligns it with His. It is not the ritual that God wants, it is the love and gratitude behind the ritual that He appreciates. He doesn’t care if we look religious, good, or bad to the world. He cares about our soul, the truth of who we are in the heart. Psalm 49
This Psalm of the Sons of Korah is titled, “Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?” That is a good question. Why should we fear? What is it we have to fear? How can anything cause us fear when we are children of The LORD? If we put our trust in Him than surely there is nothing and no one that can shake us or hurt us. We can tell the world we are secure. We can tell those who try and hurt us that there is nothing they can do to us. And we can tell those who have been injured by the powerful that they have hope. Verses 1-4 read, “Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor together! 3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.” Everyone needs to know that God can be their salvation. Everyone whether powerful or weak, rich or poor, needs The Lord. It is in wisdom and love we share the gospel through the Holy Spirit and with prayer. When we praise God we share the secret of salvation and give hope to the lost. Don’t keep your praise private. People need to know the beautiful truth. People do not want to admit they are weak and unable to do something. We like to rely on ourselves. We cheer the self-sufficient. It isn’t the self-sufficient man who is saved. It is the man who admits he can’t do it himself. It is the man who concedes his sin and weakness and acknowledges he needs Jesus who is saved. Verses 5-9 say, “Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, 6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? 7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, 8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, 9 that he should live on forever and never see the pit.” We can’t rely on our wisdom, our strength, our money, or our authority. The smartest man can still go to the pits of hell. The bravest man can still perish forever separated from God. The richest man cannot buy salvation. The cost is too high for any man to pay himself. Only Jesus can pay the price. Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Only Jesus can pay the price of salvation and He doesn’t require us to pay a thing, he freely gives us eternal life. That is awesome. That is great news that every person should get the chance to hear. No one can be good enough, wise enough, or powerful enough to earn eternal life. Verses 10-12 read, “For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. 12 Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.” Those people who proudly depend on themselves and who cannot humble themselves to confess they are sinners incapable of perfection will die and go to Hell. It is a fact we need to remember. We don’t remember it so we can argue a person into faith in Jesus. We don’t remember it so we can laugh at them. We remember so we can be grateful and humble ourselves and love others enough to share the gospel. So when we boast, we boast in Christ and not ourselves. We boast in our weakness and so glorify Christ to all those who witness our lives. Paul said it this way in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” It is not our own power, wealth, intelligence or wisdom which glorifies Christ. It is His strength exercised through our weaknesses which glorifies Him and testifies to the world how awesome He is. Verses 13-15 describe the route of the prideful man, “This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah 14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. 15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah” When we admit our weakness, our poverty, and our sin Jesus ransoms us. He pays the price and gives us the gift of eternal life. We may not have the strength to fight, but The Father does. We may not have the power to overthrow evil, but Jesus does. We may not have the discernment to handle any situation, but The Holy Spirit does. He generously gives us His strength, power, discernment, and righteousness. There is nothing for us to fear. If God is for us who can be against us? Verses 16-20 encourage us. “Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. 17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. 18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself-- 19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. 20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.” Romans 8:31-39 sums it up so much better than I ever could, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Psalm 48
This Psalm of the Sons of Korah is titled Zion, the City of Our God. The psalmist wrote about Jerusalem, but he prophetically wrote about New Jerusalem, God’s eternal city. Verses 1-3 read, “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.” Jerusalem was not great because of her people or her buildings. She was great because God resided there in the Ark of the Covenant. Later the Temple would be built and the Ark would be placed there. Now you and I are the city of God and He indwells us. One day New Jerusalem will come down from Heaven and it will be truly awesome. God will be there in every way. Revelation 21:2-4 describe our future home. “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Jerusalem was a joy to the world because that is where Jesus was arrested and just outside the city walls He was crucified in order to give us a way to friendship with God. In New Jerusalem, Jesus will be our light, we will have no need of a sun or moon because Jesus is there. Revelation 21:22-27 reads, “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.” The people of Jerusalem felt completely safe from her enemies. God fought for her against them and until He chose to let Jerusalem be taken it was a fortress of a city. The victory being celebrated in this Psalm was one against the Assyrians, in which the Holy Spirit visited the Assyrian camp and suddenly killed 185,000 men. God protected that city from her enemies. He fought for His people then, and He fights for us now. No one can hurt us. He is our Avenger and Protector. Verses 4-8 say, “For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together. 5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight. 6 Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor. 7 By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah” New Jerusalem will be the city established forever. Jerusalem was thought to completely safe, it was because God protected it. But, because The Lord had to discipline His people He did eventually allow Jerusalem to be taken by enemies. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took the city and she sat empty and desolate for seventy years until King Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return and rebuild. (2 Chronicles 36:17-21, Ezra 1:1-40). New Jerusalem will be absolutely impenetrable by the enemy. God will not only protect us in that city, He will be there with us. Revelation 21:9-14 describes the walls and beauty of Zion, our wedding gift from The Lord this way, “Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” After the Assyrians ran home in defeat, the people of Jerusalem worshipped and praised God. God saved His people from the enemy. He saved us from the enemy as well. God’s enemy is defeated. We praise Him all day long for our salvation. He loves us immeasurably. New Jerusalem is for us from Him. It is literally, Heaven on Earth. It is not for anyone who can’t appreciate the goodness, greatness, and holiness of The Lord. It is for His children. We will worship our Mighty God forever. Verses 8-11 read, “We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. 10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 11 Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments!” After their victory the citizens of Jerusalem acknowledged it was God who had saved them as they looked at their beautiful city, the city of God. They gave Him the glory and they remembered so they could teach each generation after them. Verses 12-14 read, “Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, 13 consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation 14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.” We haven’t seen New Jerusalem, but we can imagine what she will be like. We have the Spirit of God to give us a foretaste. We have descriptions like those in Revelation 21. It will be stunning but its real beauty will come not from the pearl gates or jewel adornments. It will come from the presence of God. Its safety won’t come from its walls made of gold, but from The Lord. It is not a secret to be kept, but a promise to be shared. Envision the magnificence of God with us, not only in Spirit but in totality, face to face. The love, the joy, and the peace of God forever and ever. |
Donna CampbellAs I read the Bible every day, I take what God teaches me, what He says, and write it out. I then share that with you. It gives me a deeper understanding of the Word and I hope that it will encourage you as it does me, to put your love and faith into action. Archives
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