"PT-1Worship" (Ps. 75:1-5)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/17/2012 10:01:01 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                          Focus:  PT-1Worship

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference: PT-1Psalm 75

           

            Message of the verses:  Today we will begin the 75^th Psalm as we will be half way through the book of Psalms at the completion of this study in Psalm 75.  We will begin by looking at several introductions to this psalm by different commentators.

 

            “In this psalm, the believing community asserts that, in spite of physical, moral, and societal turmoil, God never loses control of the universe.  He gives stability to earthly life, and He will judge the wicked at the appropriate time.  Structurally, the psalm revolves around 3 metaphors; pillars of the earth (v.3); horns (vv. 5, 6, 11); and God’s cup of wrath (v.8).”  (The John MacArthur Study Bible)

 

            “This psalm by Asaph may be read as the ‘digest’ of a worship service called to thank the Lord for what He had done for His people.  Because of the warning against boasting (vv. 4-7), some students associate the psalm with King Hezekiah and Jerusalem’s deliverance from the Assyrian invaders (Isa. 36:3-7).  They also associate 76, 77, and 78 with that great event.  Sennacherib’s officers certainly boasted about their achievements, but when the right time came, God destroyed the Assyrian army encamped around Mt. Zion.  The tune ‘Destroy Not’ is used with 57, 58, and 59.  Now let’s go to the worship service.”  (Dr. Warren Wiersbe)

 

            I realize that when I look at different commentators that there will sometimes be a difference of opinion as to what is in that particular portion of Scripture, but this is not really a problem to me because I think that it is good to look at different points of view as long as that point of view does not go against the most important things that the Bible teaches about, like salvation, the trinity, and other important things like that.  I do not read any commentators who would go against these important teachings of the Bible.

 

            We Begin with an Invocation of Praise (v. 1):  “1 For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song: We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, For Your name is near; Men declare Your wondrous works.”

           

            When we desire to worship the Lord we must remember that true worship always centers on the Lord and never centers on us, on our personal problems, or even our felt needs.  When we praise the Lord we must have an understanding of His attributes, for to know the attributes of God is to better know God.  In Chip Ingram’s book entitled “God as He Longs for You to See Him,” he writes about the goodness of God, the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, the wisdom of God, the Justice of God, the love of God, and the faithfulness of God.  This is not an exhaustive list of His attributes, but it does help in understanding who God is and that is most important when it comes to worshiping God.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “Though God wants us to bring our burdens to Him and seek His help; worship begins with getting our eyes of faith off the circumstances of life and focusing them on the Lord God Almighty.”  God knows all about our circumstances, but the better that we know God the more we understand about God the more we will realize that God knows and understands our circumstances perfectly and will handle them in a way that will be good for us and bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

            We Hear the Lord’s Message (vv. 2-5):  “2 “When I select an appointed time, It is I who judge with equity. 3 “The earth and all who dwell in it melt; It is I who have firmly set its pillars. Selah. 4 “I said to the boastful, ’Do not boast,’ And to the wicked, ’Do not lift up the horn; 5 Do not lift up your horn on high, Do not speak with insolent pride.’”

2 “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. 3 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah 4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; 5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.”’  (ESV)

 

We must hear the message of the Lord, either given to us in word, song or hearing His Word preached to us in order for the Lord to hear our praises given to Him.  We see in these four verses two messages given from the Lord, one to the believers and one to those who are not believers, who are wicked and proud.

 

We see in verses two and three a message of encouragement to those who belong to the Lord, for in them He affirms to them that He is in control and that He is always on time even though there are times when we think that He is late.  One of the things that I love about reading the stories of when Jesus was on planet earth is to see that He was never in a hurry, but that He was never late.  I think of the story of Lazarus who became very sick and his sisters sent for Jesus so that He may heal him.  Jesus deliberately waited until Lazarus had died before He came to him and his sisters, but He was not late, He was on time to fulfill what He had planned to do for Lazarus and for those who saw it and for those who still read about it.  It was in the plan of God to raise Lazarus from the dead after being dead for a number of days, he was in the grave so long that his sisters told Jesus that there will be a bad smell coming from his decaying body when they opened the grave, but still Jesus was right on time.  Jesus told Mary and Martha that He was the resurrection and the life and then He raised Lazarus from the dead, something that would happen to Him in a few short days, and something that will happen to all who name the name of Jesus as their Lord when He comes in the clouds at what is called the rapture.  Yes Jesus will be on time when He comes to the clouds in the skies and a trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will be raised and we who are alive at that time will be changed on the way up to meet Jesus and will be with Him forever.

 

The psalmist has a message to those who are filled with pride, those who are lifted up and are boastful.  His message is not to be filled with pride, for pride comes before a fall.  Last night in my journey through the Scriptures this year I was listening to the book of Esther, and in that book there is a very proud man, and his great pride came right before his fall, a fall in which he was lifted up on a gallows where his dead body was hanged for all to see.  Haman was a man who was doing something that God had promised to Abraham a very long time ago not to do.  God told Abraham that He would bless those who bless him, and those who would curse him He would curse.  Haman hated Mordecai because he was a Jew and had planned to kill all of the Jews just because they were Jews.  He came into the king’s palace to ask the king if he could hang Mordecai on the gallows he had made and found out that the king had been reading about the good deed that Mordecai had done for the king a while ago and now the king wanted to show his appreciation to him for that deed. Haman thought that the king was speaking about him and told the king that he should have this man be put on the kings horse and someone lead the horse around the city telling others that this is what the king did for those he liked.  The problem (pride) was that Haman had to lead Mordecia around the city and then a few hours later in this story Haman would be hanged on the gallows he had made for Mordecai.  God hates pride, for when we are prideful we are dishonoring Him and lifting ourselves up.

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to remember that God is always on time and that I am to worship the Lord by praising who He is, and knowing who He is can be found in His Word by looking at His attributes.  Pride is something I am not to have.

 

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  Worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth.  Trust the Lord to care for me and never be late, even though at times I think He is late.  Continue to learn contentment.

 

4/17/2012 11:35:02 AM

“Remember Who is in control!” (Ps. 74:12-23)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/16/2012 9:02:48 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  “Remember Who is in control!”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                   Reference:  Psalm 74:12-23

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will begin to look at the rest of Psalm 74, remembering that the psalm is a psalm by Asaph and the subject is the destruction of the temple of God in Jerusalem by the Babylonians.  How he deals with this is what this psalm is about and in the first eleven verses we saw that Asaph thought that the Lord had rejected Israel.

 

            The Throne:  “The Lord Reigns!” (vv. 12-17):  “12 Yet God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth. 13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. 15 You broke open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams. 16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun. 17 You have established all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter.”

            “12 Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. 15 You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams. 16 Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. 17 You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.”  (ESV)

           

            We can picture Asaph standing in the ruins of Jerusalem as it burns and is smoldering and he wonders who is still in charge, and then a turning point comes and he remembers that the Lord is still on His throne and in control of what is happening on the earth.  Asaph remembers that God brings salvation to those on the earth and he probably was speaking of not only the salvation of humans from sin but the salvation that God would provide for the nation of Israel in caring for them.  Asaph then goes back to the Exodus, remembering how the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt by dividing the sea and the he is probably speaking of the Egyptians when he talks about the sea monsters, for God killed all the Egyptians who had followed Israel into the sea.  In verse 15 Asaph speaks of God giving water to Israel in the wilderness and then even goes back to the creation in verse 16 as he speaks about the creation of the day and night and the sun.  Verse 17 continues speaking of creation speaking of how God set the boundaries for the seas and dry land.  It was good for Asaph to remember these things at such a difficult time.

 

            The Covenant:  “The Lord Remembers Us!” (vv.18-23):  “18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name. 19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. 20 Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. 21 Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name. 22 Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! 23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!”  (ESV)

           

            Psalm 89:14 says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.”  Since this is true then Asaph could now move on in his mind to the covenant that God had made with Israel.  The covenant is found in Lev. 26 and also in Deu. 28-30. The covenant says that if Israel obeys the Lord then He will bless them and if they disobey Him God would chasten them.  God had sent prophets to speak to the people and the kings of Israel, but they would not listen to them.  In this paragraph we see that Asaph is talking about how the Babylonians are mocking God and this is a concern to him.  In the world we live in today we have seen leaders of nations mock God, but rest assured those who have done this and not confessed it and are now in the grave are not mocking God anymore.  We must remember the story that the Lord Jesus told in Luke’s gospel about the rich man and Lazarus.  In that story the rich man died and was in the flames and looked across a great divide to see Abraham and Lazarus asking Abraham to send Lazarus back to tell his brothers of what awaits them, but Abraham told them that they had the Word of God and even if a person came back from the dead to tell them to repent they would not do it.  I remind us of this story to show that death is final, and as John the Baptist said in John 3:36 there are only two kinds of people in this world:  “"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.’”  The wrath of God would come upon the Babylonians for their mocking of God (See Daniel 5). 

           

            Israel would repent of their sins (See Daniel 9, Ezra 9, and Nehemiah 9), and God would remember them as He promised that He would and bring them back into the land.  (See Jeremiah 25:11-12 and also 29:10) and when we look at chapters 44 & 45 of Isaiah we will even see that God had called Cyrus to send His people back to Israel. 

           

            Dr. Wiersbe writes about Asaph’s cause “It was God’s cause that was uppermost in his (Asaph) mind.  The prophet Jeremiah had preached about the dependability of God’s covenant (Jer. 33:19-20), and Asaph was asking God to fulfill His purposes for the nation.”

           

            “The nation had been ravaged, the city of Jerusalem had been wrecked, and the temple had been destroyed and burned—but the essentials had not been touched by the enemy! The nation still had Jehovah God as their God, His Word and His covenant had not been changed, and Jehovah was at work in the world!  God is at work in our world today, and we need not despair.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  “God is at work in our world today, and we need not despair.”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  remember that God is at work in our world today, and we need not despair.

 

4/16/2012 9:52:47 AM

 

“Has the Lord rejected us?” (PT-1 Ps. 74)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/15/2012 9:07:48 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                    Focus:  “Has the Lord rejected us?”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  PT-1 Psalm 74

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will begin to look at Psalm 74, another psalm of Asaph.  This is the second of ten psalms in a row that were written by Asaph and this is the second psalm in the third book or section of the psalms.  We will begin with several introductions from various commentators.

 

            “This community lament expresses the agony of the people in the midst of the most excruciating of circumstances.  It was bad enough that Israel’s enemies had destroyed the temple (cf. 2 Kings 25).  But even worse, it seemed to the psalmist that God had abandoned them.  In this prayer he reminds God of His bond with Israel, His past supernatural deeds in the protection of Israel, and begs God to save His covenant nation now (cf. Psalm 137 and Lamentations).”  (From The John MacArthur Study Bible)

 

            “Psalm 73 deals with a personal crisis of faith, but Psalm 74 moves to the national scene and focuses on the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B. C.  The author is obviously not the Asaph of David’s day but a namesake among his descendants.  Psalm 79 is a companion psalm, and you will find parallel passages in the book of Lamentations (4/2:6-7; 7/2:2; 9/2:6, 9) and Jeremiah 6-7/10:25; 1, 13/23:1).  Even through the prophets had warned that judgment was coming (2 Chron. 36:15-21), the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple were catastrophic events that shook the people’s faith.  As he surveyed the situation, Asaph moved from despair to confidence and in the end affirmed that all was not lost.”  (Warren Wiersbe)

 

            The Sanctuary:  “The Lord Has Rejected Us!” (vv. 1-11):  “1 A Maskil of Asaph: O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? 2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt. 3 Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary. 4 Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; They have set up their own standards for signs. 5 It seems as if one had lifted up His axe in a forest of trees. 6 And now all its carved work They smash with hatchet and hammers. 7 They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name. 8 They said in their heart, "Let us completely subdue them." They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land. 9 We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet, Nor is there any among us who knows how long. 10 How long, O God, will the adversary revile, And the enemy spurn Your name forever? 11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? From within Your bosom, destroy them!”

           

            Before we get started on these verses I want to continue the point that was made earlier that God had stated through His prophets that one day this would all come about, that is that Israel would be removed from their land and be taken to another country because they would not follow the Lord.  This goes back to the writings of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy where God through Moses told the children of Israel that they would go into their land and then they would disobey the Lord and He would remove them from their land but then would bring them back to the land where they would disobey Him again and then the Lord would remove them again and they would offer themselves as slaves, but no one would buy them.  This happened in 70 A. D. when Titus who lead the Roman army against Israel and defeated them, tore down the temple (the second temple) and then because there were so many slaves on the slave market at that time people would not even buy the children of Israel as slaves.  Deuteronomy 28 which is called the “Palestinian Covenant” tells about this.    4/15/2012 9:34:08 AM

4/15/2012 1:02:11 PM

 

            There are many promises that God gave to the nation of Israel, beginning with Abraham, that God would give the Promised Land to them, and of course after the destruction of the temple I am sure that there were many doubts in the minds of the people that God perhaps had changed His mind about having Israel stay in their land.  This was a logical conclusion, but faith does not always seem logical, for there were times when God had told His prophets to do something that would not seem logical and it turned out okay.  Elijah did some things by faith that from a human point of view seemed crazy.  When he was with the prophets of Baal they both made a sacrifice to their gods and Baal was suppose to burn up the sacrifice, but could not do it so Elijah then dug a pit around the sacrifice he was offering and then filled it with water along with pouring water over the sacrifice and God consumed the sacrifice with water.  This took faith on the part of Elijah to do something like this and it would also take faith on the part of the children of Israel who saw the city and the temple broken down, faith that God would restore it. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have mentioned something similar when commenting on other psalms, and that is that we can see in certain psalms that they start out with a problem, in the case of Psalm 74 it is the problem of wondering what it is that God is doing in allowing the city of Jerusalem and His temple to be destroyed, and then as the psalmist begins to work his way through the writing of the psalm we find that his faith in the Lord is increased and so he will believe that God has a plan to take care of this problem.  This is true in life as we go through life as a believer, we will see a problem and then we should begin to research in the Word of God on what He has to say about the problem and then this should increase our faith and we trust the Lord to take care of the problem.  Psalm 56:3-4 says “3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?”  It takes trust in the Lord to have the faith to believe that God will take care of our problems.  Where do we get our faith from?  “Faith come by hearing, hearing the Word of God.”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust that the Lord will continue to teach me contentment as I go through different issues that I am facing.

 

4/15/2012 3:02:55 PM

“Asaph Learned Contentment” (Ps. 73:15-28)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR4/14/2012 10:23:05 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  “Asaph Learned Contentment”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  PT-3 Psalm 73

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will look at the last two sections of Psalm 73, which is the first Psalm in Book III of the book of Psalms.  Dr. Wiersbe wrote the following at the end of his introduction to help us understand more about this Psalm.  “Asaph could not lead the people in divine worship if he had questions about the ways of the Lord, but he found in that worship the answer to his problems.  Note five stages in his experience.

 

            The Worshiper:  Seeing the Bigger Picture (vv. 15-22):  “15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. 16 When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight 17 Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. 18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! 20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.  21 When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, 22 Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.”

            “15 If I had really spoken this way to others,  I would have been a traitor to your people. 16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.  But what a difficult task it is! 17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. 18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. 19 In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. 20 When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.  21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. 22 I was so foolish and ignorant- I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.” (NLT)

 

            I think that the NLT helps me understand what it is that Asaph is saying to the Lord and I have to be honest that I am going through something that is similar to what he is talking about here.  Although it is not exactly the same, it is similar and to read the words that are here is kind of like reading my own mind and I suppose that is good.  Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”  After reading this section of Psalm 73 I am even more convinced of the truth of Hebrews 4:12.

           

            Asaph was one of three main song leaders in Judah that lead the music in the temple of God.  We know that Asaph loved the Lord, but he was having this problem as to why the wicked prosper (see verse 16).  To his credit he decided to stop and consider what the Lord had to say about this and so he went into the sanctuary of God and while he was there he understood better what God was eventually going to do to the wicked and thus he felt a bit foolish about feeling the way that he was feeling. 

           

            All believers today are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Once Jesus died on the cross the curtain that was between the holy place and the Holy of Holies was torn down from the top to the bottom thus all believers now have entrance into the presence of God.  Read the 9^th chapter of the book of Hebrews to better understand this. As believers today we do not have to go into a sanctuary in order to talk to the Lord, because we have the Holy Spirit in us we can talk directly to the Lord at any time and we can intercede for others, Peter says that we are priests of the Lord. 

           

            Because we live on the other side of the cross we have an easier time in accessing the Lord, but what we can learn from this section is that Asaph took his problems to the Lord and then he received the answer to his problem.  Asaph was content that someday the Lord would take care of all of the wicked, and though they were prospering now it would end.

           

            In his commentary Dr. Wiersbe writes “Jehovah isn’t a problem to wrestle with but a gracious Person to love and worship—especially when you are perplexed by what he is doing.  God is awesome in His sanctuary (68:35, NIV), and when we commune with Him, we see the things of this world in their right perspective.”

 

            The Conqueror:  Rejoicing over God’s Goodness (vv. 23-28):  “23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. 24 With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. 28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

            “23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you?  I desire you more than anything on earth. 26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. 27 Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. 28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!  I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.”

 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “The psalm opened with ‘Truly God is good to Israel,’ but Asaph wasn’t sure what the word ‘good’ really meant. (See Matt. 19:16-17,)  Is the ‘good life’ one of wealth and authority, pomp and pleasure?  Surely not!  The contrast is striking between Asaph’s picture of the godless life in verses 4-12 and the godly life in verses 23-28.  The ungodly impress each other and attract admirers, but they don’t have God’s presence with them.  The Lord upholds the righteous but casts down the wicked (v18).  The righteous are guided by God’s truth (v.24) but the ungodly are deluded by their own fantasies.  The destiny of the true believer is glory (v.24), but the destiny of the unbelievers is destruction (vv. 19, 27).”

           

            He goes on to say “The possessions of the ungodly are but idols that take the place of the Lord, and idolatry is harlotry (Ex. 34:15-16; 1 Chron. 5:25).  Even death cannot separate God’s people from His blessing, for the spirit goes to heaven to be with the Lord, and the body waits in the earth for resurrection (vv. 25-26; 2Cor. 5:1-8; 1Thes. 4:13-18).”

 

            Asaph’s problems are similar to the problems that believers face especially those who are under persecution from the evil people of the world.  The world is made up of two kinds of people, those who know the Lord and those who don’t "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  (John 3:36)  I believe that there are times when the Lord uses the purposes of the evil to bring the believers closer to the Lord “2Co 3:18.  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”   We are assured by the Word of God that in the end God will destroy the wicked and will take the believers to heaven to be with Him forever.  “Re 19:20  And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. Re 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Re 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Re 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev. 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I know that on most every day that I write something about my struggle to be content and I believe that Asaph was struggling to be content with the problem that he was facing and the way that he solved that problem was to go into the house of the Lord and talk to Him about it and then he became content with the plan that the Lord had in dealing with the wicked.  This is a pattern for me to follow and I am thankful for it.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to learn contentment by trusting the Lord and the plan that He not only has for my life, but the plan that He has for the entire world, even the universe.  Peter says the following words in 2 Peter 3:10-12 “10  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,12  looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!”

 

4/14/2012 1:02:35 PM

           

           

           

“Be not Envious of the Rich” (PT-2 Ps. 73)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR4/13/2012 8:34:21 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus: “Be not Envious of the Rich”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Psalm 73 PT-2

 

            Message of the verses:  We began looking at Psalm 73 in yesterday’s SD and we will continue to look at it in today’s SD.  Dr. Wiersbe wrote the following at the end of his introduction for Psalm 73: “Asaph could not lead the people in divine worship if he had questions about the ways of the Lord, but he found in that worship the answer to his problems.  Note five stages in his experience.”  We looked at the first experience yesterday.

 

            The Doubter:  Slipping from Where He Is Standing (vv. 2-3):  “2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

           

            The use of the word “but” means that the psalmist is changing direction from what he had already said.  We can also see this in verse twenty-eight.  This change of direction is a sharp contrast.  The change of direction or sharp change of direction is part of Hebrew poetry.

           

            We see in verse two that the more that the psalmist began to look at the ways of those who were wicked and prosperous the more he began to slip from the firm foundation he had been built on.  Jesus spoke of this in a parable about two men; one built their house upon the sand and one on the rock.  The foundation of the rock is surely more secure, but even though the psalmist was building his “house” “life” upon the rock he still began to slip, but we will see that he will not completely fall.  At this point in his life he began to doubt God and be envious of those who were prospering.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “Doubt comes from a struggling mind, while unbelief comes from a stubborn will that refuses surrender to God (v. 7).  The unbelieving person will not believe while the doubting person struggles to believe but cannot.  ‘Prosperity’ in verse 3 is the familiar Hebrew word shalom.  It’s an act of disobedience to envy the wicked (37:1; Prov. 3:31; 23:17; 24:1, 19).” “Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.”  (Proverbs 23:17)

 

            The Wrestler:  Struggling with What He Sees and Feels (vv. 4-14):  “4 For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. 5 They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. 7 Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. 8 They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. 9 They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth. 10 Therefore his people return to this place, And waters of abundance are drunk by them. 11 They say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?" 12 Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. 13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; 14 For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

           

            Asaph was struggling with the things that he saw, for what he was seeing was the prospering of the wicked, and what he was feeling was that they were doing okay and he was not.  When we studied the book of Job we saw in the first two chapters of that book that Satan was telling God that the only reason that Job was worshiping God was because He had given him much prosperity and when Satan took that away and Job still worshipped God Satan was saying that the only reason that Job was worshiping God was because of his health, and so Satan was allowed to take that away too, and Job still worshipped God.  The point is that we as believers have to take the good that the Lord gives us along with what looks like bad and still be able to worship the Lord.  The “health and prosperity gospel” is not what the Gospel is all about.  When we look at the book of Ephesians we can see all of our “true” riches, riches that cannot ever be taken away from us for they are given to us from the Lord.  I have mentioned earlier that life is a series of tests to determine what our role will be in the next life.  Our life here on earth is brief, very brief, and we cannot get bogged down by being envious or jealous of wicked people who are rich and living the “good life” here on earth.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “But the greatest tragedy is that many of God’s people don’t seem to know any better but follow their bad example and enjoy their friendship (v.10).”  He is of course speaking of the wicked and how they got their riches.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  What I can take from this section is that I am not to be jealous of anyone, and the reason for this is that like all believers I am unique, like the song says “I am one of a kind,” and the reason for this is that God made me that way and in eternity past He gave me works to accomplish, and when I became a believer in Jesus Christ He gave me gifts so that I could do the work that He planned for me to do in eternity past.  I have to follow the Lord, worship Him, and continue to seek to do these works that He has called me to do.  There is no reason to brag about these works that I accomplish for God called me to do them and equipped me to do them and because of this He will receive that glory for them.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord in showing me what He wants me to do and continue to trust the Lord to give me the strength to go through what He has challenged me with to go through.  In doing this I will continue to learn contentment.

 

4/13/2012 9:24:55 AM

“God is Good” (Intro to Ps. 73)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/12/2012 9:00:46 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                        Focus:  “God is Good”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                          Reference:  Psalm 73:1

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we begin looking at the 73^rd Psalm, which is the first psalm in the third book of Psalms.  The book of Psalms is divided into four books and we have completed the first two and have two more to go.  We will begin by looking at several introductions to the 73^rd Psalm.

 

“TITLE: A Psalm of Asaph.”  This is the second Psalm ascribed to Asaph, and the first of eleven consecutive Psalms bearing the name of this eminent singer. Some writers are not sure that Asaph wrote them, but incline to the belief that David was the author, and Asaph the person to whom they were dedicated, that he might sing them when in his turn he became the chief musician. But though our own heart turns in the same direction, facts must be heard; and we find in #2Ch 29:30, that Hezekiah commanded the Levites to sing "the words of David and of Asaph the seer;" and, moreover, in #Ne 12:46, David and Asaph are mentioned together, as distinct from "the chief of the singers," and as it would seem, as joint authors of psalmody. We may, therefore, admit Asaph to be the author of some, if not all, of the twelve Psalms ascribed to him. Often a great star which seems to be but one to the eyes of ordinary observers, turns out upon closer inspection to be of a binary character; so here the Psalms of David are those of Asaph too. The great sun of David has a satellite in the moon of Asaph. By reading our notes on Psalm Fifty, in Volume 2, the reader will glean a little more concerning this man of God.

 

SUBJECT: Curiously enough this Seventy-third Psalm corresponds in subject with the Thirty-seventh: it will help the memory of the young to notice the reversed figures. The theme is that ancient stumbling block of good men, which Job’s friends could not get over; viz.—the present prosperity of wicked men and the sorrows of the godly. Heathen philosophers have puzzled themselves about this, while to believers it has too often been a temptation.

 

DIVISIONS: In #Ps 73:1 the psalmist declares his confidence in God, and, as it were, plants his foot on a rock while he recounts his inward conflict. From #Ps 73:2-14 he states his temptation; then, from #Ps 73:15-17 he is embarrassed as how to act, but ultimately finds deliverance from his dilemma. He describes with awe the fate of the ungodly in #Ps 73:18-20, condemns his own folly and adores the grace of God, #Ps 73:21-24, and concludes by renewing his allegiance to his God, whom he takes afresh to be his portion and delight.”  (Charles H. Spurgeon)

 

            “Asaph, Heman, and Ethan (Jeduthun) were Levites, who served as musicians and worship leaders at the sanctuary during David’s reign (1Chron. 15:16-19; 16:4-7, 37-42; 2Chron. 5:12-14; 29:13; 35:15).  Apparently the established ‘guilds’ for their sons and other musicians so they might carry on the worship tradition.  Twelve psalms are attributed to Asaph (5, 73-83).  This one deals with the age-old problem of why the righteous suffer while the ungodly seem to prosper (37; 49; Job 21; Jer. 12; Hab. 1:13ff).  Asaph could not lead the people in divine worship if he had questions about the ways of the Lord, but he found in that worship the answer to his problems.  Note five stages in his experience.”  (Warren Wiersbe “Be Worshipful’)

            The Believer:  Standing on What He Knows (v.1):  “1 A Psalm of Asaph: Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!”

 

            Charles H. Spurgeon says this about the goodness of God:  “He is only good, nothing else but good to his own covenanted ones. He cannot act unjustly or unkindly to them; his goodness to them is beyond dispute, and without mixture.”

 

“The French mystic Madame Guyon wrote, ‘In the commencement of spiritual life, our hardest task is to bear with our neighbor; in its progress, with ourselves; and in the end with God.’”  (Quotation from Be Worshipful)

 

Dr. Wiersbe says that Asaph had some problems and because he was a believer he had problems with God and I suppose that all believers from time to time have problems with God especially when something bad happens to them and they turn around as see a person who is not a believer having all kinds of fun and life is good for them.  Asaph says that God is good to those who have a pure heart and Jesus said “"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’”  Asaph is not speaking about a person who was sinless but a person who was totally committed to God.  When a person is born from above, born into the family of God by this new birth they are given a new heart, a heart that always wants to please the Lord.  However all believers still have the old nature, a nature that does not want to do right and opposes the Lord.  I am saying this to say that I believe that both Asaph and the Lord Jesus are speaking of true believers.  In Psalm 73 verse 27 Asaph writes the following about those who are not true believers: “ For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.

 

Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “When pondering the mysteries of life, hold on to what you know for sure, and never doubt in the darkness what God has taught you in the light.”  Asaph knew that God was good to those who were His own, and so did Job, but there are times when believers go through some tough times, while we see those who are not believers prospering.  One thing to remember is that as believers we are in “school” and how we do in this school of life will determine our rewards we receive when we get to heaven and also will determine what we will be doing in our next life.  We will be serving the Lord during the Millennial kingdom is some capacity and then when the world is destroyed at the end of that 1000 years we will be serving the Lord in the new heavens and earth where the new Jerusalem will be.  I have heard it said that our life down here is just a lap around the track in preparation to the real race and we will be with our Lord throughout eternity.

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Trust that the Lord will see me through all the trials and tribulations that I face on planet earth and prepare me to serve Him here and in the future when I will be with my Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to learn contentment in my life on this earth, and trust the Lord to give me a desire to bring glory to Him.

 

4/12/2012 10:13:16 AM