SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
6/14/2012 6:54:51 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm
94 PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Psalm 94:8-23
Message
of the verses: We will continue to
look at the 94th Psalm in today’s SD. I want to repeat what Dr. Wiersbe wrote at
the end of his introduction so that we will realize where we are going as we
study this psalm: “When it comes to
dealing with injustices in society, the psalm teaches us that the righteous have
four responsibilities.” We looked at the
first responsibility in yesterday’s SD.
Warning
the Wicked of Their Danger (vv. 8-11): “8
Pay heed, you senseless among the people; And when will you understand, stupid
ones? 9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does
He not see? 10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke, Even He who
teaches man knowledge? 11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are a
mere breath.”
At the end of the last section of
this psalm we learned that those who were doing harm to God’s people thought
that God was sleeping on the job and did not realize that He was watching for
the psalmist is telling them that God is the one who formed the ears of people
and thus He can hear well, God is the One who formed the eyes and thus He can
see. God is in control of all the
nations and will rebuke them when He desires to do so, for God is the One who
teaches man knowledge. God is everywhere
and has all knowledge and thus He knows what a man is thinking, and God knows
that mans time on earth is but a breath.
It is wonderful to see the attributes of God as we read through the book
of Psalms, for by understanding the attributes of God we will begin to know Him
better. Paul wrote to the Philippians
these words, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Paul had been a believer for a long time when
he wrote those words, but his desire after all his time as a believer was to
know God better. We must also realize
that Paul was the man who was the most like Christ before he died than any
other person who has lived since him.
“8 Understand, ye brutish among the
people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?”
This is Psalm 94:8 and we want to look at the word “brutish” which was
also in Psalm 49:10 and 92:6. The word
means that a person is acting like an animal.
Let’s look at a couple of NT verses where we will see this too: “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as
creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no
knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,”
(2Peter 2:12). “But these speak evil of
those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute
beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.” (Jude 10-AV)
One more thought before we move on
and that is about the word “thought” that is found in verse eleven. This word means inventions, schemes or plans
and we will see verse eleven in 1Corinthians 3:20 as the Apostle Paul uses it
when writing to the Corinthians to show their church leaders not to use the
wisdom of the world in trying to lead the church.
One of the problems that I seen in
the Church today is that many churches try to use the world’s wisdom in the
church in order to make it grow. I
believe that the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is the One who gifts the
church with people to move it in the direction that He wants it to move. Some of the things that I have seen in
different churches are that they try a plan to bring people into their church
and it is somewhat successful, so then we see another church do the same
thing. Now if it was the leading of the
Holy Spirit in the first church to do what it did that does not mean that it
was to be done in the other church. I
felt it necessary to leave a church that I had attended for over 32 years
because the leaders were trying to make the church so worldly in order to
attract people out of the world. The
movement is called “Seeker Churches.” We
are salt and light is how Jesus put it and that makes us different, different
so that people can see the difference in us in order to have a desire for that
difference in us, and worldly wisdom does not make us different.
Accepting
God’s Discipline (vv. 12-15): “12
Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD, And whom You teach out of Your
law; 13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity, Until a pit
is dug for the wicked. 14 For the LORD will not abandon His people, Nor will He
forsake His inheritance. 15 For judgment will again be righteous, And all the
upright in heart will follow it.” “
12
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your law, 13
to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the LORD will not forsake his
people; He will not abandon His heritage; 15
for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart
will follow it.” (ESV)
The
word “tempt” and “Test” are the same Greek Word and it was up to those who
translate the Word of God to put it in the right way. 1Corinthinans 10:13 says, “There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (KJV)
The word temptation could also mean test. I bring this up because when trouble comes
our way it is either a test from the Lord or a temptation for the evil
one. The psalmist writes that the one whom the Lord chastens
will be taught from His law. God
allows us to go through these trials to build us up in the Lord, to make us
stronger, for if we got our way all of the time we would become spoiled
brats. Satan tempts us for evil reasons
while God tests us for our growth, and sometimes discipline is involved “For
whom the Lord loves he chastens, and whips every son whom he receives.” (Heb.
12:6)
As
believers in Jesus Christ we know that there is coming a time when all those
who have done evil and not repented and turned to Christ will face
judgment. God does not judge because He is vindictive, but because
He is holy. “11 Then I saw a
great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and
heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the
great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and
another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged
from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the
dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to
their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is
the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of
life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Here we find some sobering thoughts in
Revelations 20:11-15. Ponder on verse
15.
Working with God
for Justice (vv. 16-23): “16 Who will stand up for me against
evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness? 17
If the LORD had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of
silence. 18 If I should say, "My foot has slipped," Your
lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. 19 When my anxious thoughts multiply
within me, Your consolations delight my soul. 20 Can a throne of destruction be
allied with You, One which devises mischief by decree? 21 They band themselves
together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death. 22
But the LORD has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He
has brought back their wickedness upon them And will destroy them in their
evil; The LORD our God will destroy them.”
“16
Who will protect me from the wicked? Who
will stand up for me against evildoers? 17 Unless the LORD had helped me, I
would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. 18 I cried out, “I am
slipping!’’ but your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me. 19 When doubts
filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. 20 Can unjust
leaders claim that God is on their side- leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
21 They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22 But
the LORD is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide. 23 God will
turn the sins of evil people back on them.
He will destroy them for their sins.
The LORD our God will destroy them.”
(NLT)
Dr.
Wiersbe writes these words as he ends his commentary on Psalm 94: “In evil days, we give thanks that we have
the Lord as our refuge and fortress. But
we hide in Him, not that we may escape responsibility, but that we might be
equipped to go forth and fight the enemy.
As the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-16),
God’s people should do all they can to encourage justice in this world. As Edmund Burke said, ‘It is necessary only
for the good man to do nothing for evil to triumph.’ But in the end, it is the Lord who knows the
hearts of people and who will judge justly.”
Spiritual meaning for my life
today: Trusting the Lord is something that the
psalmist did as he went through this difficult time, for he knew that the Lord
will never change, and the things that He said He will do including judging the
wicked.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
Just as the psalmist realized that the Lord was his Stronghold, and was
the Rock of his refuge I desire to be abide in the Vine who is the Lord Jesus
Christ. I desire to abide in the Vine to
accomplish the works that He has planned for me to accomplish, thus bringing
glory to my Lord.
Memory
verse for the week: 2Peter 1:1: “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of
Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith
of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus
Christ:”
6/14/2012
8:13:01 AM
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