SPIRIRUAL DIARY
FOR 11/25/2012 8:39:02 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 140
PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 140:1-5
Message of
the verses: Today we will begin to look at the 140th
Psalm by looking at several introductions to the psalm by different Bible
Commentators.
“This Psalm is in its proper place, and so fitly
follows 139 that you might almost read right on, and make no break between the
two. Serious injury would follow to the whole Book of Psalms if the order
should be interfered with as certain wiseacres propose. It is The Cry Of A
Hunted Soul the supplication of a believer incessantly persecuted and beset by
cunning enemies, who hungered for his destruction. David was hunted like a
partridge upon the mountains, and seldom obtained a moment’s rest. This is his
pathetic appeal to Jehovah for protection, an appeal which gradually
intensifies into a denunciation of his bitter foes. With this sacrifice of
prayer he offers the salt of faith; for in a very marked and emphatic manner he
expresses his personal confidence in the Lord as the Protector of the
oppressed, and as his own God and Defender. Few short Psalms are so rich in the
jewellery of precious faith.
“To the Chief Musician: The writer
wished this experimental hymn to be under the care of the chief master of song,
that it might neither be left unsung, nor chanted in a slovenly manner. Such
trials and such rescues deserved to be had in remembrance, and to be set up
among the choicest memorials of the Lord’s goodness. We, too, have our songs
which are of no ordinary kind, and these must be sung with our best powers of
heart and tongue. We will offer them to the Lord by no other hand than that of
‘the Chief Musician.’
“A Psalm of David: The life of David
wherein he comes in contact with Saul and Doeg is the best explanation of this
Psalm; and surely there can be no reasonable doubt that David wrote it, and
wrote it in the time of his exile and peril. The tremendous outburst at the end
has in it the warmth which was so natural to David, who was never lukewarm in
anything; yet it is to be noticed that concerning his enemies he was often hot
in language through indignation, and yet he was cool in action, for he was not revengeful.
His was no petty malice, but a righteous anger: he foresaw, foretold, and even desired the just
vengeance of God upon the proud and wicked, and yet he would not avail himself of opportunities to
revenge himself upon those who had done him wrong. It may be that his
appeals to the great King cooled his anger, and enabled him to leave his wrongs
unredressed by any personal act of violence. ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord’; and David
when most wounded by undeserved persecution and wicked falsehood was glad to
leave his matters at the foot of the throne, where they would be safe with the
King of kings.” (Charles H.
Spurgeon)
“It seems likely that the
circumstances behind this psalm occurred during David’s years as a member of
King Saul’s official staff, when Saul’s envy and paranoia were developing. In their attempt to please the king some of
Saul’s officers spread lies about young David and even tried to set traps to
make him look bad. God’s people face
similar situations today, for Satan is a murderer (John 8:44), a slanderer and
accuser (Rev. 12:10), and a deceiver (2Cor. 11:3). We learn four lessons from this psalm that
encourage us to trust God and be faithful when Satan’s servants oppose
us.” (Dr. Warren Wiersbe)
What Sinners Do to God’s People (vv.
1-5): “1 For the choir director. A Psalm
of David: Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men 2 Who
devise evil things in their hearts; They continually stir up wars. 3 They
sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips.
Selah. 4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from
violent men Who have purposed to trip up my feet. 5 The proud have hidden a
trap for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set
snares for me. Selah.”
David was living in the house of
Saul, and David was a godly man, but the men who surrounded Saul were evil as
verse one states. Light is something
those who live in the darkness do not want anything to do with unless they
allow the light to penetrate into their darkness so that they hear the truth
and become a believer in the Lord. I
cannot say if Saul was a believer or not, there are some who think that he was,
and others who do not think that he was.
At best he was a back-sliding believer.
After all we would not know about Lot being a believer if Peter had not
written about it in his letter.
David was living in the midst of
evil men who would have like nothing better than to have him killed. David is asking the Lord for wisdom to deal
with the situation that he found himself in and it would not be too long before
he would be on the run from Saul for ten years, and yet David when he had two
opportunities to kill Saul would not raise his hand against the Lord’s
anointed.
David describes the wickedness of
these men and Paul takes up part of verse three in the third chapter of
Romans. Paul is teaching that all men
without the Lord do wrong and in that third chapter of Romans Paul uses quotes
from the OT kind of like a machine gun shooting many bullets to prove his
point, and then at the end of that chapter states that all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Paul is
describing the depravity of man, which means that man is not necessarily as bad
as he can be, but all mankind is as bad off as then can be.
Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary
on this section with these words: “As
God’s people in an evil world, we must expect the opposition of the enemy and
trust the Lord to enable us to overcome (John 16:33) ‘”These things I have
spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have
tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: Just as
David needed wisdom to live in an evil world I need that same wisdom. I am not living with the threat of death over
me like David was at the time of this psalm, but I still need God’s wisdom to
live out my Christian life in order to bring honor and glory to the Lord.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To continue
to learn contentment and to continue to be transformed by the renewing of my
mind through the Word of God.
Memory verses for the
week: Psalm 130:1-6
1 Out of the debts I cried to You, O
LORD. 2 Lord hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my
supplications. 3 If You, Lord should
mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul does
wait, and in His Word do I hope. My soul
waits for the Lord more than the watchman for the morning; Indeed more than the
watchman of the morning.
11/25/2012 9:45:17 AM
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