"It's Good to Look Back" (Ps. 44:1-8)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY 2/14/2012 10:02:18 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                       Focus:  “It’s Good to Look Back”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Psalm 44:1-8

 

            Message of the verses:  We look at Psalm 44 in today’s SD and I will begin with the introduction of this psalm by Charles H. Spurgeon, and he will break down the psalm in a similar way that Warren Wiersbe does, and that will be the way we look at it.  “Title:  To the Chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil.” “The title is similar to the forty-second, and although this is no proof that it is by the same author it makes it highly probable.  No other writer should be sought for to father any of the Psalms when David will suffice, and therefore we are loathe to ascribe this sacred song to any but the great psalmist, yet as we hardly know any period of his life which it would fairly describe, we feel compelled to look elsewhere.  Some Israelitish patriot fallen on evil times, sings in mingled faith and sorrow, his country’s ancient glory and her present griefs, her traditions of former favour and her experience of pressing ills.  By Christians it can best be understood if put into the mouth of the church when persecution is peculiarly severe.  The last verses remind us of Milton’s famous lines on the massacre of the Protestants among the mountains of Piedmont.”

 

            The song before us is fitted for the voices of the saved by grace, the sons of Korah, and is to them and to all others full of teaching, hence the title Maschil.

 

            “Division. From #Ps 44:1-3, the Lord’s mighty works for Israel are rehearsed, and in remembrance of them faith in the Lord is expressed #Ps 44:4-8.  Then the notes of complaint are heard #Ps 44:9-16, the fidelity of the people to their God is aroused, #Ps 44:17-22, and the Lord is entreated to interpose, #Ps 44:23-26.”

 

            It is interesting that some of the commentaries written by men a long time age mention that Psalm 44 was written for the Church.  The reason that they say this is because of all of the troubles that the Church has gone through since its beginning in Acts chapter two.  Those of us who have been privileged enough to live in countries where the Church has not been persecuted may not truly understand why these early writers and preachers would say this.  I am told and have read that in the age that we now live in there are 1000 people every day who die for the cause of Jesus Christ, and unless you do some research you may never hear of this.  Voice of the Martyrs has a website that tells of this. 

 

            In my John MacArthur Study Bible I find these words of introduction to help me understand this psalm.  “Psalm 44 is a national lament following some great but historically unidentifiable defeat in battle.  Throughout this psalm there are subtle shifts between speakers of the first person plural and the first person singular.  This may indicate that the psalm was originally sung antiphonally with alterations coming from both the beaten king-general and his defeated nation.  The prayer of vv. 23-26 may have been offered in unison as a climax.  By employing 3 historical centers in psalm 44, the psalmist tries to understand and deal with a national tragedy. “"Antiphonally" is an adverb that describes something done in a way that involves alternate responses, like singing or reciting in alternation. It refers to a style where two groups of singers or musicians alternate performing parts of a piece, creating a call-and-response effect.”

I.                    Focus on Past History:  The Shock of This National Tragedy (44:1-8)

II.                Focus on Current History:  The Inscrutability of This National Tragedy (44:9-26)

III.             Focus on Future History:  A Prayer for an End of This Nations Tragedy (44:23-26)”

 

            In Dr. Wiersbe’s introduction to this psalm I have found similar things written, but I wish to quote the following words:  “Perhaps this psalm was used at a national ‘day of prayer’ with a worship leader speaking the ‘I/my’ verses and the people the ‘we/our’ verses.  The four stanzas that make up this psalm reveal four different attitudes on the part of the people.” 

 

            Boasting in God:  “You Have Helped Us” (vv. 1-8):  “1 For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah: O God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us The work that You did in their days, In the days of old. 2 You with Your own hand drove out the nations; Then You planted them; You afflicted the peoples, Then You spread them abroad. 3 For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them. 4 You are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob. 5 Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me. 7 But You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us. 8 In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.”

           

            In Deuteronomy chapter six we find a very interesting passage that instructs the parents to tell their children of all that happened to them when the Lord destroyed the nation of Egypt so that the children of Israel could leave Egypt and march into the Promised Land that God was going to give them.  The meaning of Deuteronomy means “The Renewing of the Law,” and the reason for the book is that after the Law was given to Israel at Mt. Sinai the children of Israel sinned against the Lord by not believing that God could cause them to conquer the people in the Promised Land and so everyone who was twenty years old and older would die in the wilderness as they marched for forty years in the wilderness.  Now that older generation was all dead Moses reinstructs the next generation, thus we have the book of Deuteronomy.  The psalmist looks back to the time when God enabled the children of Israel to conquer those who were in the Promised Land.  Now before we think that this was not a “just” thing for God to do we need to look back at Genesis 15 at the words that God told to Abraham (Abram) in making a covenant with him and the nation of Israel which would come from Abraham and Sarah.  “12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14 “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15 “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."  We know that God had a great love for Israel, but we also know that God had a plan for the nation of Israel and the brining of the Messiah into the world was a major part of that plan.  We see that from this Genesis passage that Egypt would suppress the children of Israel for four hundred years and then God would bring them out of Egypt and take them into the Promised Land and in the process destroy some very sinful nations in the process.  It would take these nations four hundred years of sinning until God would use the nation of Israel to destroy them.  In four hundred years of God’s patient these nations never turned to the Lord for salvation.

           

            The psalmist is looking back at this reminding his readers of the greatness of God and bringing glory to God in the process.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “The psalmist affirmed that Jehovah was still King (v. 4; 10:16; 29:10; 47:6; 74:12) and could easily command (decree) victories for His people.  The nation wanted no glory for itself; they wanted the Lord to receive all the glory.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that it is good to look back at what the Lord has done for me and to praise His name for the wonderful things that He has done for me.  I am so thankful for that January day in 1974 when the Lord saved me and changed my life and my destination forever by giving me eternal life.  I am thankful for my wife and my children whom the Lord has given to me along with seven grandchildren.  I am thankful for the salvation of my two children and their spouses and their desire to do as Moses wrote in Deuteronomy chapter six that is to tell them about the Lord and His wonderful salvation.

            The Bible teaches us to give thanks for everything in 1Thes. And as I look back there have been some difficult things for me to give thanks for, and yet it was those things that God has used to cause me to grow in His grace and my walk with my Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      1Th 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

2.      Psalm 139:23-24.

3.      Romans 12:1-2.

4.      Phil. 4:11b.

5.      Eph. 6:10-18.

 

2/14/2012 11:11:59 AM

           

 

“God’s Word Penetrating the Heart” (Psalm 42:6-43:5)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/13/2012 10:36:11 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  “God’s Word Penetrating the Heart” 

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Psalm 42:6-43:5

 

            Message of the verses:  In yesterday’s SD we began to look at Psalm 42 and because Dr. Wiersbe believes that Psalms 42-43 were once one psalm he has put them together in his commentary so that is the way we will look at them.  At the end of his introduction to these two psalms he writes “We see him” (the author of these two psalms) “passing through three stages before he comes to victory and peace.”  We looked at the first stage yesterday and will begin with the second stage this morning.

 

            Remembering God (42:6-11):  “6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God my rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”

           

            In yesterday’s SD I stated that different commentators that I had read had a difference of opinion of who wrote Psalm 42 and at that time I did not have an opinion of my own, but after reading this portion of the psalm a number of times I find it hard to believe that David wrote this psalm because I cannot remember any time in the life of David that he was captured like it seems the author as it seems that he was in this portion of the psalm. 

           

            In this section we see the psalmist remembering God unlike in the earlier portion of the psalm when he was remembering the “good old days.”  The scene has changed from a drought to a storm which pictures the despair that he is going through at this time.  The Jordan River begins in the mountains of Hermon and in the spring there would be waterfalls coming from the melting snow which would make the psalmist seem small and that is the meaning of the word “Mizar.”  Because the psalmist was now trusting in the Lord the waves and waterfalls were not something that he would fear, which is unlike the disciples who were in the boat with Jesus when He went to sleep.  The psalmist realized that God was in control, something that I also have to realize when troubles come into my life. 

           

            When trouble comes God will give us songs in the night, and that is what the psalmist is saying in verse eight.  There is a program that originated from Moody Church in Chicago that is called “Songs in the Night,” and is aired on the Moody radio stations.  I believe that this program began when Warren Wiersbe was the Pastor at Moody Church and if my memory is correct that is where he got his material for his book “The Bumps are what we Climb on,” which is one of my favorite books for it was in the last chapter of that book that I began to learn about learning to be content.

           

            We see the name of God used in verse eight as Jehovah while all of the other mentions of God in these two psalms were Elohim, and this was the turning point in the psalmist difficult experience.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “Jehovah is the God of the covenant, the faithful God who cares for His people.  He is the God who showers His people with lovingkindness, gives them promises they can claim when they pray, and hears them when they praise and worship.  The writer didn’t have to go to Jerusalem to worship; he could worship God right where he was!  The hand of God was with him in the day time and the song of the Lord in the long hours of the night.  Everything might be changing, but the Lord was still his Rock—stable, strong, and unchanging.  (See 18:2, 31, 46; Ex. 33:22; Deut. 32:4; 1Samuel 2:2).”

 

            Trusting God (Psalm 43:1-5):  “1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! 2 For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God. 5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”

           

            Again we see the landscape change again from the desert to the storm and now to the dawn and the dawn announce the morning and reminds the psalmist of God’s light and truth as seen in verse three.  The psalmist must have been remembering when the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and in the day He provided a pillar of cloud to protect them from the heat and at night a pillar of fire to keep them warm and so this light or faithfulness would bring the psalmist back to Jerusalem.  The holy hill that the psalmist refers to in verse three is Mt. Zion where God’s sanctuary was located, the dwelling place of God.  This is the hill where Abraham was willing to offer Isaac up as a burnt offering and was the hill where David offered burnt offerings in order to stop the plague that was caused by his sin of numbering the people, and was the same hill where David’s son Solomon would construct the temple of God.

           

            The psalmist praise was not just because of God delivering him from his enemies, but also for the privilege of coming to God at His sanctuary and also to offer sacrifices to the Lord there.  The psalmist began as Dr. Wiersbe writes, “He had made great progress since he watched the hind seeking for water.  The ‘living God’ (42:2) became ‘the God of my life’ (42:8), and now He is ‘God my exceeding joy…God, my God (43:8).  His focus is no longer on himself, his disappointments, or his circumstances, but on the Lord his God, and that makes all the difference.”  Dr Wiersbe is now talking about the word ‘help’ found in verse five, which is the refrain of these two psalms, “The word ‘help’ can be translated ‘health.’  When by faith we see the face of God smiling upon us (Nu. 6:22-27), our own countenance brightens up and becomes spiritually healthy.  We know God is for us, that God will set us free and guide us to His holy city, where we shall worship Him and sing His praises.  Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning’ (30: NKJV).”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I see in these two psalms the psalmist taking the Word of God from his mind to his heart where it will do the work that God desires it to do.  The Word of God is so important to us as we seek to walk with the Lord and to grow in His grace.  Colossians 2:6 states, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” and verse seven states “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”  We receive the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9) and if we walk in Him that way we will be as Col. 2:7 explains, and it is then that we will be able to have the Word of God go from our head to our heart.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Follow the path that the psalmist took in psalms 42-43.

2.      May the Word of God penetrate my heart so that my walk with Him will be how it should be.

3.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

2/13/2012 11:54:15 AM

              

"Trusting God" (Psalms 42-43)

 

SPIRITURAL DIARY FOR 2/12/2012 7:26:53 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                       Focus:  “Trusting God”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Psalm 42-43

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we begin book two in the book of Psalms, as there are five different books totaling 150 Psalms in all.  In book one we saw most of the psalms written by David, but that is not the case in some of the other books as they have different authors as is the case of Psalms 42 & 43.  In his introduction to these two Psalms Dr. Wiersbe points out that he believes that these two psalms were at one time just one psalm, but does not know why they were separated.

           

            Korah was a grandson of Kohath and he was killed in a rebellion against the Lord which is found in Numbers chapter 16.  His sons escaped the judgment (Numbers 16:11) and became worship leaders in the sanctuary as seen in 1 Chronicles 9:19 and following; and also 26:1-19.  We see them also named in the titles of Psalms 44-49, 84 and 87-88, and they were also mentioned in the introduction to Psalm 39.

           

            John MacArthur writes in his introductory commentary these words, “These people are probably better regarded as the Levitical performers, rather than the authors of these psalm (i.e., ‘For the sons of Korah’).”  Some commentators that I have read believe that David was the author of this psalm and the background was again when Absalom was rebelling against David.  In Dr. Wiersbe introduction he writes, “Some associate these psalms with Absalom’s rebellion, but the geography in verse 6 seems to put the setting too far north for that, since David camped over the Jordan at Mahanaim.  The author was evidently a Levite exiled among Gentiles (43:1) who oppressed him and questioned his faith (42:3, 10; 43:2).  He was a worship leader who had led groups of pilgrims to Jerusalem for the assigned festivals (84:7; Ex. 23:14-17; 34:18-26; Deu. 16:1-17).  It was time for such a journey but he wasn’t able to go, and this grieved his heart because he felt that the Lord had forgotten him (42:9; 43:2).

           

            I want to also look at what Charles H. Spurgeon wrote in his introduction to Psalm 42:  “Subject. It is the cry of a man far removed from the outward ordinances and worship of God, sighing for the long loved house of his God; and at the same time it is the voice of a spiritual believer, under depressions, longing for the renewal of the divine presence, struggling with doubts and fears, but yet holding his ground by faith in the living God.  Most of the Lord’s family have sailed on the sea which is here so graphically described.  It is probable that David’s flight from Absalom may have been the occasion for composing this Maschil.”

           

            There is a wonderful song that was written from verse one of Psalm 42 that I want to put into this SD since it is one of my favorite songs and the reason for that is that it is a song from Scripture: 

           

Lyrics:

As the deer panteth for the water So my soul longeth after thee You alone are my hearts desire And I long to worship thee Chorus You alone are my strength my shield To You alone may my spirit yield You alone are my hearts desire And I long to worship thee You're my friend and You are my brother, Even though you are a king. I love you more than any other, So much more than anything. I want You more than gold or silver, Only You can satisfy. You alone are the real joy Giver, And the apple of my eye.

At the end of his introduction to these Psalm’s 42-43 Dr. Wiersbe writes “The psalms are intensely personal, containing over fifty personal pronouns; and the writer fluctuated between faith and despair as he wrestled with the Lord.  He questions the Lord eleven times as he wonders why God doesn’t do something for him.  We see him passing through three stages before he comes to victory and peace.”

 

Longing for God (42:1-5):  “1 For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah: As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.”

 

As I read the different commentaries and found out the disagreement with who they believe authored this psalm and when in the history of Israel that it was written I have come to no conclusions of my own at this time, but perhaps after studying these psalms I will have formed an opinion of my own, however I know that this was inspired by God’s Holy Spirit as he inspired all Scripture, and because it is part of God’s Word I can learn from it and hopefully grow in my faith because of the study from these two psalms.

 

One of the things that I have always remembered about Psalm 42 was the first verse and how I see a person longing for the Lord and describe it as he may have seen a deer panting for water because it could not find any.  The writer describes his longing for the living Lord, the Lord he desires to serve, and yet he is in a place where he cannot fulfill that desire.  He is in a place where he is being treated badly because of his faith, perhaps living in a Gentile nation.  The writer is thirsting for the Lord and asks the Lord when will He appear to him, for his prayers are not being answered.  He remembers the times when he led people up to Jerusalem for the feasts and longs to do that again, and yet he cannot do it because of the circumstances that he finds himself in. 

 

His mood changes as seen in verse five when he remembers that there is no reason to be in despair because God is on the throne and because of that He is always in control so we see that his faith in the Lord is increased by remembering the Lord is in control.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have been in the place where the author of this psalm was and there are times when troubles come into my life that I too forget that the Lord has a plan for my life and that God is still on His throne.  Life is sometimes hard, but I remember that as Dr. Wiersbe has written that life is full of tests and it is how we handle those tests that can help to build our character, or they can drag us down and cause us to have our circumstances overwhelm us and that is why we need to remember another thing that Dr. Wiersbe has written in many of his books:  “The successful Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.     Continue to trust the Lord knowing that He is always on His throne and in control of all things.

2.     Continue to seed the Lord’s help and direction as I go through the circumstances of life seeking to learn contentment.

 

 

2/12/2012 8:29:59 AM

PT-2 "Psalm 41" (Psalm 41:5-13)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/11/2012 9:37:05 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                             Focus:  PT-2 Ps. 41

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  Psalm 41:5-13

 

            Message of the verses:  “When we find ourselves in difficulty, we may use this psalm to take an inventory of our spiritual condition by asking and answering four questions.”  In yesterday’s SD we looked at the first question that Dr. Wiersbe asked and today we will look at the next three questions.

 

            Treachery:  How Do Others Treat Us (vv. 5-9)?  “5 My enemies speak evil against me, "When will he die, and his name perish?" 6 And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood; His heart gathers wickedness to itself; When he goes outside, he tells it. 7 All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt, saying, 8 “A wicked thing is poured out upon him, That when he lies down, he will not rise up again." 9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”

           

            It is the belief of Dr. Wiersbe that this Psalm was written around the time when Absalom was plotting against David and was trying to take over the kingdom.  The history of this goes back to David’s sin with Bathsheba and the discipline from the Lord that followed.  There were many sins involved in David’s adultery with Bathsheba including the murder of her husband who as one of David’s mighty men and loyal to David.  Bathsheba’s grandfather was a counselor of David and he sided with Absalom during his uprising and because of what David did to Bathsheba and her husband Ahithophel he hated David.  Now the Lord had promised to David that there would always be one of his descendants who would sit on the throne of Judah and Absalom did not have any children and so if Absalom was successful then the plans for David would stop, but God was not going to allow this to happen.

           

            David was sick during this time, probably sick over what was happening and his friends and family may have wished him well, but David knew better for even this close friend who he trusted and ate with David turned against him.  Verse nine is the verse that is quoted for what Judas did to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

           

            I want to go back to the story of David and Bathsheba and talk about the great love that the Lord had for their son Solomon.  God has a special love for Solomon as seen in 2 Samuel 12:24-25 “Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved him and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the LORD’S sake.”  As I looked back at my SD on September 25, 2010 I had some trouble understanding this special love that God had for Solomon.  John Gill helps to explain this name Jedidiah, “and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord: that is, David also called him by this name, because of the love of the Lord unto him; for Jedidiah signifies "the beloved of the Lord"; a name and character which well agrees with the Messiah, Solomon’s antitype, #Mt 3:17 17:5.”  Matthew 3:17 says, “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’”

           

            I don’t want to get too far off the track here but God’s special love for Solomon was kind of hard for me to understand for a long time and yet it all has to do with the grace of God.  When you think of the background of how Solomon came into the world one could think that there could be a problem here, but God’s love reaches to places where we would never think it could reach and it is all because the grace of God.  God’s grace is truly an amazing grace.

           

            One more thing about verse nine and that is that when we look at this verse and how it is repeated in John 13:18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ’HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’”  The words “in whom I trusted” is not seen in the verse from John 13:18, and Dr. Wiersbe explains this:  “Note that our Lord didn’t quote the phrase “whom I trusted” from verse 9, for He knew that Judas had no saving faith (John 6:70-71).  This psalm opens with a statement about the poor, and Judas tried to identify himself with the poor (John 12:4-6; 13:26-30).  David’s enemies wanted the king’s name to perish, but it was Judas who destroyed a good name—‘Judah’ which means ‘praise.’  We call our sons David but we would never call a son Judas (See 2 Samuel 16:15-17; 23 for Ahitophel’s part in the rebellion.)  The phrase ‘lifted up his heel’ pictures a deceptive and underhanded attack, but see Joshua 10:4 and Romans 16:20.”

 

            Mercy: How Does God Treat Us (vv. 10-12)?  “10 But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up, That I may repay them. 11 By this I know that You are pleased with me, Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. 12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You set me in Your presence forever.”

           

            The answer to this question for a believer is that God in His mercy doesn’t give us what we do deserve, and God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve, and the reason that God can do this is because of the death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for sin for all those who believe in Him. 

           

            We see in this section the words “That I may repay them,” and perhaps we wonder about that statement, thinking that David is vindictive.  David was the anointed king of Israel, anointed of the Lord and was given the promise of having his descendants following him in reigning over that nation with the Lord Jesus Christ, the greater son of David coming to reign over all the earth and David did not want to see his enemies destroy this promise from God as stated earlier.

           

            David wielded the sword of justice in Israel at that time and we can see this same principle in Romans 12:1-4, “1Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

           

            The thing that drove David was his desire to please the Lord and once again we can go back to the passage that tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart.

 

            Glory:  How Do We Treat God (v.13)?  “13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.”

           

            In order to understand what this verse teaches I think it necessary to quote from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary:  “This verse was probably added later by an editor to mark the end of book one of the Psalms.  Each of the first four books ends with a similar doxology (72:18-20; 89:52; 106:48), and Book Five ends with a praise psalm (150).  But the verse reminds us that the main thing in our lives must be the eternal praise and glory of the Lord.  ‘Hallowed be thy name’ is the first request in the Disciple’s Prayer (Matt.6:9), and it governs all the other requests.  God answers prayer, not to make His people more comfortable, but to bring glory to His name.  The Lord still had more work for David to do, particularly the preparation for the building of the temple, and His glory would one day move into that holy sanctuary (1 Kings 8:1-11).

           

            “Can we honestly say ‘Amen and amen!’ to the prayer in verse 13?”

           

            I wish to make a short comment on the highlighted section from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary and it has to do with how we end most of our prayers “in Jesus’ name Amen.”  In John 15 we read "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  This is where we get the ending of most of our prayers, and saying in Jesus name is not going to necessarily get be the results that is seen in the verse seven from John 15.  Dr. Wiersbe has the right thing to say about God answering prayer, and asking in Jesus’ name means that our prayers will bring glory to the Lord and would be the thing that He wants accomplished.  John MacArthur write the following statement as he comments on John 15:7-10, “True believers obey the Lord’s commands, submitting to His Word (14:21, 23).  Because of their commitment to God’s Word, they are devoted to His will, thus their prayers are fruitful (14:13, 14), which puts God’s glory on display as He answers.”  

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Whenever I sin it is hard for me to get my arms wrapped around the fact that God still loves me.  God’s love does not change for me when I sin, but He does want me to agree with Him that what I have done is sin, just like David has done in these last two psalms that we have looked at.  Understanding the love of God is a difficult thing to do, yet I know that God’s love for me is truly awesome.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.     Trust in the love of God.

2.     Continue to trust the Lord to teach me contentment.

3.     Pray those prayers that will bring glory to the Lord and would be what Jesus Christ wants for me in my life.

 

2/11/2012 11:57:57 AM

           

           

PT-1 "Help from David" (Ps. 41:1-4)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/10/2012 9:11:47 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                 Focus:  “Help from David”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Psalm 41:1-4

 

            Message of the verses:  “Title.  To the Chief Musician.  A Psalm of David: This title has frequently been seen before in other Psalms written by David. It serves to remind us of the value of the Psalm, seeing that it was committed to no mean songster; and also to inform us as to the author who has made his own experience the basis of a prophetic song, in which a far greater than David is set forth.  How wide a range of experience David had!  What power it gave him to edify future ages!  And how full a type of our Lord did he become!  What was bitterness to him has proved to be a fountain of unfailing sweetness to many generations of the faithful.

 

   “Jesus Christ betrayed by Judas Iscariot is evidently the great theme of this Psalm, but perhaps not exclusively.  He is the antitype of David, and all his people are in their measure like him; hence words suitable to the Great Representative are most applicable to those who are in him.  Such as receive a vile return for long kindness to others, may read this song with much comfort, for they will see that it is alas! Too common for the best of men, to be rewarded for their holy charity with cruelty and scorn; and when they have been humbled by falling into sin, advantage has been taken of their low estate, their good deeds have been forgotten and the vilest spite has been vented upon them.

 

“Division. The psalmist in #Ps 41:1-3, describes the mercies which are promised to such as consider the poor, and this he uses as a preface to his own personal plea for succour: from #Ps 41:4-9 he states his own case, proceeds to prayer in #Ps 41:10, and closes with thanksgiving, #Ps 41:11-13.”   (Introduction to Psalm 41 by Charles H. Spurgeon)

 

            Note from John MacArthur’s Study Bible:  “The words of this psalm are general and apply to anyone who might be considered ‘down.’  The most painful and specific factor addressed here is the insult which is being added to the psalmist’s injury (cf. Pss. 6, 38; and portions of Job and Jeremiah).  While the form and structure of Ps. 41 is quite complex, ‘blessed’ serves as bookends in vv. 1, 13.  Within these, others elements include 1) confidence (vv. 1b-3, 11, 12), 2) prayers (vv. 4, 10), and 3) lament (vv. 5-9), with moments of wisdom and praise.  David’s message in Ps 41 speaks of God’s tender, loving care in the critical care unit of life.”

 

            In the ending sentence of Dr. Wiersbe’s introduction he writes:  “When we find ourselves in difficulty, we may use this psalm to take an inventory of our spiritual condition by asking and answering four questions.”

 

            Integrity:  How Do We Treat Others (vv.1-4)?  “1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David: How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. 3 The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health. 4 As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.’”

            Before getting started on the commentary of this section from Psalm 41 I want to say a word about why I put the introductions from different sources at the beginning of the psalms and why it was not there before.  I began to look at different sources in order to help understand the psalms better.  I use a program called “Online Bible,” and have used it in my devotions since the 1980’s to help me to understand the Scriptures better.  In that program are many different Bible translations, notes, and books along with many other things.  The program also has the “Strongs” numbers so one can look up all of the different words in the Scriptures.  For instance if you wanted to look up the word “blessed” from verse one all you have to do is click on the word and the Hebrew word that was translated “blessed” into English will come up and give the meaning.  “0835 רשׁא ‘esher eh’ sher

from 0833; n m; {See TWOT on 183 @@ "183a"}

AV-blessed 27, happy 18; 45

1) happiness, blessedness

1a) often used as interjection

1b) blessed are”

           

            The Online Bible program also has notes from different people such as John Gill, Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry and others which can be read to help understand a verse or even a chapter and that is where I got the note from Spurgeon.  The reason that I choose the note from Spurgeon is because of this statement: “How wide a range of experience David had!  What power it gave him to edify future ages!”  I think that this statement helps me to understand why David had to go through some of the difficult circumstances he went through, and because he went through them and wrote about them all who read them can be blessed.  I go through difficult circumstances and need to be encouraged by what David has written.

 

            When I look at the first section of this psalm it again reminds me of the book of Proverbs, for in this section we see a scenario in which if David did something (to help the poor) then the Lord would bless him for this action.  Where did David get this information from?  The OT Law that God had given through Moses had things in it that told how to care for the poor.  Jesus said in the gospels when Mary poured oil over him to prepare for His burial and Judas complained about using the money for the poor “You will always have the poor with you, but I will not always be here.”  Jesus was stating that there will always be opportunity to help the poor for they will always be in the world.  David knew this and while king we can be sure that David helped the poor like the Law had told about.  I believe that David also helped the poor because he was a compassionate man, and had the heart to help them.  Again we go back to the statement that David was a man after God’s own heart, and we know that God has compassion on those who He created.  The coming of Jesus Christ shows the compassion of God.

           

            “ For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”  (2 Thes. 3:10)  The Apostle Paul gave this order to those who lived in Thessalonica and I think that it is something that can help a person decide whether or not they are going to help someone or not. 

           

            David knew who it was that he was to help and he helped them and therefore he had a clear conscience before the Lord as he wrote the words in this section of Psalm 41. 

            We see again that David admits that he is a sinner, and as for the background of Psalm 41, and the occasion that he sinned we do not know, but what we see is the willingness of David to admit to God that he had sinned.  The word “confess” actually means to agree with so when a person confesses his sins to the Lord he is agreeing with the Lord that he has sinned.

           

            As we have stated many times that David was a man after God’s own heart it comes up here because David knew that when he sinned it was sin, and this is unlike Saul who would argue with Samuel when he sinned not wanting to admit it.  It was the people of Israel who wanted a king to rule over them and so God gave them Saul, a man that the people wanted, for he was tall and handsome so the people wanted a man like him, while David was small and not as good looking like Saul, but David’s heart was right with the Lord and that means that God had chosen him.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  When a person is down the best place for him is to be is in the book of Psalms, and to see the times when the authors of the Psalms were also down and what they did about it.  This is the case for me today, and I am grateful for this psalm.  

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Trust the Lord to see me through a difficult time.

2.      Continue to trust the Lord to teach me contentment.

 

2/10/2012 10:30:32 AM