“God is Faithful to His Covenant—Trust Him” (Ps. 89:19-37)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/18/2012 8:20:57 AM

 

My Worship Time                                      Focus: “God is Faithful to His Covenant—Trust Him”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                  Reference:  Psalm 89:19-37

 

            Message of the verses:  In the last SD we began to look at Psalm 89 by looking at the first main point along with several introductions from different Bible Scholars including Warren Wiersbe who wrote the following at the end of his commentary: “The psalm gives us four assurances about the faithfulness of the Lord.” 

 

God Is Faithful to His Covenant—Trust Him (vv. 19-37):  “19 Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones, And said, "I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. 20 “I have found David My servant; With My holy oil I have anointed him, 21 With whom My hand will be established; My arm also will strengthen him. 22 “The enemy will not deceive him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. 23 “But I shall crush his adversaries before him, And strike those who hate him. 24 “My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him, And in My name his horn will be exalted. 25 “I shall also set his hand on the sea And his right hand on the rivers. 26 “He will cry to Me, ’You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’ 27 “I also shall make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. 28 “My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall be confirmed to him. 29 “So I will establish his descendants forever And his throne as the days of heaven. 30  "If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments, 31  If they violate My statutes And do not keep My commandments, 32  Then I will punish their transgression with the rod And their iniquity with stripes. 33 “But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. 34 “My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. 35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 “His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me. 37 “It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful." Selah.”

 

            God is speaking in this section of the psalm, and He is speaking about David and his reign, and how He chose David to rule over Israel.  I first want to go back to the end of the book of Genesis in order to see what Jacob had to say about his son Judah.  “10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”  (Genesis 49:10)  “Judah was the royal tribe of which the King of Kings would come from and so the description of the king of beasts(Lion) was a good one.  In the book of Revelations John describes Jesus as both a lion and also a lamb.  All of the kings of Judah came from the line of David to which God had given him a covenant that this would happen.”  (I wrote these words on 02/11/2008 in my SD commenting on Genesis 49:8-12)  As the Bible gives a line from the time that sin entered the universe through Adam and Eve to when the Lord Jesus would come to earth we see in Genesis 49:10 that the line goes through the tribe of Judah, and then in 2 Samuel 7 that the line then goes through David and will continue through the line of David until Jesus Christ is born.  In the book of Matthew we see the genealogy of Jesus Christ from His birth back to Abraham.  Many scholars believe that this is the line from David through Joseph who is the step father of Jesus Christ.  We also see another genealogy in the book of Luke and this goes all the way back to Adam, and there are many Bible scholars who believe that this is the genealogy from Mary back to another son of David, Nathan.  Matthews goes back to David’s son, Solomon.  There was a great sin committed by one of the kings that came from David through Solomon, and I must confess that I do not remember which one it was, but that sin was so awful that many believe that is why there are the two lines from the two Gospel accounts and Mary’s line comes through Nathan, while Joseph’s line comes through Solomon.

 

            God tells a short version of David’s calling and his rule in this section of Scripture and I want to briefly comment on some of these verses.  Dr. Wiersbe’s title for this main point is important for the covenant that God made with David was not broken at the time when Babylon captured Judah so they can trust the Lord to fulfill that covenant in spite of Judah being captives in Babylon.

 

            In verses 19-24 we see that God chose David to rule Israel and that He would be faithfulness will be with David.  I want to put in a note from Charles H. Spurgeon on verse 25 at this point: 

 

““Ver. 25. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall reach far beyond the little rivers which stand for boundaries in Palestine; he shall by his power embrace all lands from sea to sea. He shall have his hand in the ocean and his right hand in earth’s mightiest streams. As monarchs hold in their hands a globe to set forth their dominion over the earth, he shall grasp the far more unconquerable sea, and be Lord of all. This power is to be given him of the Lord, and is to be abiding; so we understand the words "I will set." The verse has in it a voice of good cheer concerning sailors, and all dwellers on the waters; the hand of Jesus is over them, and as he found his first apostles by the sea, so we trust he still finds earnest disciples there.

 

“EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.

 

“Ver. 25. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. That is, he should reign from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates; figuratively expressed by his left hand being extended to the sea, and his right hand to the rivers. A similar expression is used, according to Curtius, by the Scythian ambassadors to Alexander. "If," said they, "the gods had given thee a body as great as thy mind, the whole world would not be able to contain thee.  Thou wouldst reach with one hand to the east, and with the other to the west." —Kitto’s Pictorial Bible.

 

“Ver. 25. I will set his hand also in the sea and his right hand in the rivers. A certain artist was in the habit of saying that he should represent Alexander in such a manner, that in one hand he should hold a city and from the other pour a river. Christ is represented here as of immense stature, higher than all mountains, with one hand holding the earth, and the other the sea, while from Eastern sea to Western he extends his arms. —Le Blanc.”

 

            In verse 27 we see that although David was the eight son of Jessie he was the first born of the Lord, the highest king upon the earth.  David reigned from the Mediterranean Sea on the West to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers on the East.  (“"I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.’ (Exodus 23:31”). 

 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “It was David’s close relationship to the Lord and his desire to exalt the Lord along that made him a success (v. 26).”

 

            I think that in understanding verses 28-37 we need to understand that it is God who made this covenant with David and it would be up to God to make sure that this covenant was fulfilled.  In the Scriptures we see conditional covenants, and unconditional covenants that God makes.  The covenant that He made with Abraham was unconditional and so was this covenant that He made with David, and even though the offspring of David would sin, God would punish them for their sin, “But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. 34 “My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  What do all of these things have to do with me as I live in the year 2012?  I would say that they have a lot to do with me because it was from the offspring of David that Jesus Christ was born, and it is because of the birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and calling by the Holy Spirit to me that I have become a child of God.  It was all a part of God’s plan.  As I look at Romans 8:28 in view of the covenant that God made with David I can see that God used all things to work together for good in spite of sinful men.  I once heard John MacArthur say that the reason that God works with sinful men is because that is all that He has to chose from.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Praise the Lord for the unconditional covenant that He made with David.

 

5/18/2012 9:25:04 AM

“God is Faithful in His Character—Praise Him” (Ps.89:1-18)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/17/2012 8:16:35 AM

 

My Worship Time                                   Focus:  “God is Faithful in His Character—Praise Him”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  Psalm 89:1-18

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will begin to look at a very long psalm.  Psalm 89 is one of the longer chapters in the Scriptures and we will begin by looking at the introduction of the psalm quoting different Bible commentators so that we will have a better idea of what the psalm is all about and how we can apply some of the things that we learn to our lives so we pray as the psalmist did in the 119^th Psalm, “Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.”

 

            “Many psalms that begin with complaint and prayer end with joy and praise, but this begins with joy and praise and ends with sad complaints and petitions; for the psalmist first recounts God’s former favours, and then with the consideration of them aggravates the present grievances. It is uncertain when it was penned; only, in general, that it was at a time when the house of David was woefully eclipsed; some think it was at the time of the captivity of Babylon, when king Zedekiah was insulted over, and abused, by Nebuchadnezzar, and then they make the title to signify no more than that the psalm was set to the tune of a song of Ethan the son of Zerah, called Maschil; others suppose it to be penned by Ethan, who is mentioned in the story of Solomon, who, outliving that glorious prince, thus lamented the great disgrace done to the house of David in the next reign by the revolt of the ten tribes.”  (Matthew Henry)

 

            “We have now reached the majestic Covenant Psalm, which, according to the Jewish arrangement closes the third book of the Psalms. It is the utterance of a believer, in presence of great national disaster, pleading with his God, urging the grand argument of covenant engagements, and expecting deliverance and help, because of the faithfulness of Jehovah.

 

     “TITLE: — Maschil. This is most fitly called a Maschil, for it is most instructive. No subject is more important or is so fully the key to all theology as that of the covenant. He who is taught by the Holy Spirit to be clear upon the covenant of grace will be a scribe well instructed in the things of the kingdom; he whose doctrinal theory is a mingle mangle of works and grace is scarcely fit to be teacher of babes. Of Ethan the Ezrahite: perhaps the same person as Jeduthun, who was a musician in David’s reign; was noted for his wisdom in Solomon’s days, and probably survived till the troubles of Rehoboam’s period. If this be the man, he must have written this Psalm in his old age, when troubles were coming thick and heavy upon the dynasty of David and the land of Judah; this is not at all improbable, and there is much in the Psalm which looks that way.

 

      “DIVISIONS: — The sacred poet commences by affirming his belief in the faithfulness of the Lord to his covenant with the house of David, and makes his first pause at #Ps 89:4. He then praises and magnifies the name of the Lord for his power, justice, and mercy, #Ps 89:5-14. This leads him to sing of the happiness of the people who have such a God to be their glory and defense, #Ps 89:15-18. He rehearses the terms if the covenant at full length with evident delight, #Ps 89:19-37, and then mournfully pours out his complaint and petition, #Ps 89:38-51, closing the whole with a hearty benediction and a double Amen. May the Holy Spirit greatly bless to us the reading of this most precious Psalm of instruction.” (Charles H. Spurgeon) 

 

            “This psalm describes the author’s attempt to reconcile the seeming contradictions between his theology and the reality of his nations’ conditions.  Through the first 37 verses, he rehearses what he knows to be theologically accurate.  God has sovereignty chosen Israel to be His nation, and David’s descendants to rule.  The last third of the psalm reflects the psalmist’s chagrin that the nation had been ravaged and the Davidic monarchy had apparently come to a disgraceful end.  To his credit, the psalmist refuses to explain away his theology, but instead keeps the tension, hopefully to be resolved at a later time with the promised reestablishment of an earthly kingdom under one of David’s descendants (cf. 110, 132).”  (The John MacArthur Study Bible)

 

            “If the author is the wise man Ethan of Solomon’s reign (1Kings 4:31), then verses 39-45 describe the invasion of Shishak and the Egyptian army recorded in 1 Chronicles 12, which occurred during the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam.  But this invasion did not mean the end of the Davidic dynasty, which is the major theme of this psalm.  However, the invasion and captivity of Judah by the Babylonians did mean the end of the Davidic dynasty, so this psalm could have been written after the crisis by an unknown ‘Ethan.’  Young King Jehoiachin has already been taken captive to Babylon and Zedekiah his uncle, named king in his place (2 Kings 24), and Jeremiah had announced that none of Jehoiachin’s sons would ever sit on David’s throne (Jer. 22:24-29).  What then, becomes of God’s covenant that promised David a throne forever (vv. 3, 28, 34, 29), (and see 2 Sam. 7)?  Does Jehovah no longer keep His promises?  The faithfulness of the Lord is the major theme of this psalm (vv. 1, 2, 5, 8, 14, 33, 49).  Of course, God’s great promises to David has their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Luke 1:26-38, 68-79).  The psalm gives us four assurances about the faithfulness of the Lord.”  (Dr. Warren Wiersbe)

 

God Is Faithful in His Character—Praise Him (vv. 1-18):  “1 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite: I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever; To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. 2 For I have said, "Lovingkindness will be built up forever; In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness." 3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, 4 I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations." Selah.

    “5 The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD, 7 A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him? 8 O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. 9 You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them. 10 You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. 11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them. 12 The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name. 13 You have a strong arm; Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

    “15 How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. 16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, And by Your righteousness they are exalted. 17 For You are the glory of their strength, And by Your favor our horn is exalted. 18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.”

 

            I know that we have looked at the word “Maskil” in different psalms for the word is found in 13 psalms.  I thought it would be good to get a definition for this word although it seems that the meaning of it is not at all truly understood.  “Maschil, (Maskil).  A Heb. Term found in the title of 13 psalms (Ps. 32, 42, 44, 45, 52, 53, 54, 55, 74, 48, 88, 89, 142), indicating the type of psalm, I,e., a didactic poem.  The same Heb. Word is found in Ps. 47:7 where in the KJV it is translated ‘understanding’ (NASB, ‘a skillful psalm’).  It is probably based on a Heb. Verb meaning ‘to attend, to turn the mind to, to be understood or prudent.’  On the other hand, the term may indicate a special kind of musical performance.”  (Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia)

 

            After reading the different introductions on Psalm 89 I believe that this psalm was written after the fall of Jerusalem, and was written for the purpose of praising the Lord for His faithfulness even though I don’t see that the author has a total understanding of what God is going to do.  I sometimes have this going on in my mind when I read something in Scripture and don’t totally understand it, but I can say with confidence that the Lord understands it and it is there for a purpose that He may reveal to me or He may not reveal to me.  When we look at the 7^th chapter of 2 Samuel we see that it was the desire of David to build a temple for the Lord, but the Lord would not allow him to build that temple because he had shed much blood, but instead the Lord tells David that He would build a dynasty for David, which of course ended with the coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ to earth who reigns in heaven as King of Kings and will return to planet earth to set up a 1000 year kingdom that He will lead from Jerusalem.  The psalmist did not know all of these details because the Lord had not revealed them at that time, yet the psalmist is praising the Lord for His faithfulness for though he doesn’t understand all of what God is going to do he still puts his trust in the Lord and this can be seen in these beginning verses. 

 

            We see in these verses that the earth praises the Lord, and there are praises going on in heaven to the Lord.  We see a good example of this from Revelations 4-5.  We see in verse 9-13 that the psalmist speaks of things on earth that cause praise to the Lord.  Mt. Hermon is a high mountain where the headwaters of the Jordan River begin. 

 

            Israel is God’s chosen nation and if any people on earth have a right to praise the Lord it is them.  God had given them the holy land and a dynasty has sprung forth from David which will rule the earth, and they had the light of the holy law that God had given to them.  They had the special feast days to worship the Lord.  Yes God had given a lot to Israel and Israel has given a lot to all mankind, especially the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Word of God. 

 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes at the end of his commentary on this section these words, “In verse 18, ‘our shield’ (NASB, NIV refers to their king (84:9), now in captivity.  In many Jewish synagogues today, verses 15-18 are recited on their New Year’s Day after the blowing of the shofar.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Praising the Lord is a very important part of worship, and even when times are not what we would want them to be it is still time to praise the Lord, and we can see this from Psalm 89, for indeed the times were not the best, but the psalmist begins this psalm with praise and knows that God is faithful.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Knowing that God is faithful and worthy of my praise to Him teaches me to be content.

 

5/17/2012 9:55:47 AM

 

 

 

           

 

“Defend your cause before the Lord and wait for His Answer” (Ps. 88:10-18)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/16/2012 9:40:48 AM

 

My Worship Time            Focus: “Defend your cause before the Lord and wait for His Answer”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                   Reference:  Psalm 88:10-18

 

            Message of the verses:  Dr. Wiersbe wrote at the end of his introduction from Psalm 88 these words to help us better understand the contents of Psalm 88:  “No matter how we feel and no matter how impossible our circumstances, we can always come to the Lord with our burdens.” 

 

            Defend Your Cause Before the Lord (vv. 10-14):  “10 Will You perform wonders for the dead? Will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah. 11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12 Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But I, O LORD, have cried out to You for help, And in the morning my prayer comes before You. 14 O LORD, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?” 

“10 Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?  Do the dead rise up and praise you?  Interlude 11 Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?  Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction? 12 Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?  Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness? 13 O LORD, I cry out to you.  I will keep on pleading day by day. 14 O LORD, why do you reject me?  Why do you turn your face from me?  (NLT)

 

In my study of the book of Psalms I have read from David’s writings similar things that I see in this section of Psalm 88, and there are similar things from the book of Job also.  Heman is saying that he can be of no use to the Lord if he is dead, for those who die cannot do anything for those who are alive.  “9 “In the place of the dead there is excitement over your arrival. The spirits of world leaders and mighty kings long dead stand up to see you. 10 With one voice they all cry out, ’Now you are as weak as we are! 11 Your might and power were buried with you.  The sound of the harp in your palace has ceased. Now maggots are your sheet, and worms your blanket.’” (Isaiah 14:9-11)  Isaiah was speaking of a king in these verses, but it teaches us that the spirits of the dead will not arise in the world of the dead and do the Lord’s bidding.

 

In his commentary on this section Dr. Wiersbe quotes a Scottish minister who lived from 1600-1661 and suffered much for the Lord.  Samuel Rutherford wrote:  “It is faith’s work to claim and challenge lovingkindnesses out of all the roughest strokes of God.”  He also said:  “Why should I tremble at the plough of my Lord that maketh deep furrows in my soul?  I know He is no idle husbandman; He purposeth a crop.”  This surely fits in well with psalm 88.

 

Heman knew that he would be of no use to the Lord if he died, and so he wanted the Lord to answer his prayer so that he could continue on serving Him while alive.  His desire seems to be that he knew that there was still work for him to do for the Lord and he wanted to do that work.

I knew a very godly lady who served the Lord all of her life.  She was never married and worked at a mission’s agency with a reputation that was impeccable to all who knew her.  It was not long after she retired that she became ill and died.  She told me that she felt that there was more work for her to do for the Lord, but as I look back at her life I believe in my heart that she had finished her task and is now in a better place and will someday receive her reward from her Savior and Lord.  I believe all believers have certain work to do for the Lord and when that work is done there is no use in staying here on this earth.  See Ephesians 2:10.

 

Wait for the Lord’s Answer (vv. 15-18):  “15 I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome. 16 Your burning anger has passed over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. 17 They have surrounded me like water all day long; They have encompassed me altogether. 18 You have removed lover and friend far from me; My acquaintances are in darkness.” 

“15 I have been sick and close to death since my youth.  I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors. 16 Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.  Your terrors have paralyzed me. 17 They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.  They have engulfed me completely. 18 You have taken away my companions and loved ones.  Darkness is my closest friend.”  (NLT)

 

This is a very sad psalm, as we see that there seems like nothing in Heman’s life that was not difficult for him as he was sick from his youth.  I mentioned that the psalm seems to end without help, but I know that is not the case for Heman was a believer who had a tough row to hoe, yet it is comforting to know that he was a true believer in the Lord and would someday see the Lord face to face.   Job 13:5 reads a follows “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”  Psalm 27:13-14 reads as follows, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”  Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary with these words:  “The Lord always has the last word, and it will not be ‘darkness.’  We should never doubt in the darkness what God has taught us in the light.”

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I know that a lot of people quote Romans 8:28 and that is what I want to do here for I believe that it fits well after reading this psalm.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Believing God in the most difficult times of life takes faith, faith to realize that the Lord is in control of all things and His desire is for us to trust Him in every situation.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  It is the difficult times that the Lord uses to teach me contentment, and my desire is to be a teachable servant of the Lord.

 

5/16/2012 10:24:04 AM

“Troubles (Big Time)” (Ps. 88:1-9)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/15/2012 9:04:18 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  “Troubles (Big Time)”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Psalm 88:1-9

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will begin to look at Psalm 88 by first looking at several introductions from noted Bible Commentators in order to help us better understand what this psalm is about.  “This psalm is a lamentation, one of the most melancholy of all the psalms; and it does not conclude, as usually the melancholy psalms do, with the least intimation of comfort or joy, but, from first to last, it is mourning and woe. It is not upon a public account that the psalmist here complains (here is no mention of the afflictions of the church), but only upon a personal account, especially trouble of mind, and the grief impressed upon his spirits both by his outward afflictions and by the remembrance of his sins and the fear of God’s wrath. It is reckoned among the penitential psalms, and it is well when our fears are thus turned into the right channel, and we take occasion from our worldly grievances to sorrow after a godly sort.”  (Matthew Henry)

 

            “TITLE: — A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah. This sad complaint reads very little like a Song, nor can we conceive how it could be called by a name which denotes a song of praise or triumph; yet perhaps it was intentionally so called to show how faith "glories in tribulations also." Assuredly, if ever there was a song of sorrow and a Psalm of sadness, this is one. The sons of Korah, who had often united in chanting jubilant odes, are now bidden to take charge of this mournful dirge like hymn.  Servants and singers must not be choosers. To the chief Musician. He must superintend the singers and see that they do their duty well, for holy sorrow ought to be expressed with quite as much care as the most joyful praise; nothing should be slovenly in the Lord’s house. It is more difficult to express sorrow fitly than it is to pour forth notes of gladness. Upon Mahalath Leannoth. This is translated by Alexander, "concerning afflictive sickness," and if this be correct, it indicates the mental malady which occasioned this plaintive song. Maschil; This term has occurred many times before, and the reader will remember that it indicates an instructive or didactic Psalm: — the sorrows of one saint are lessons to others; experimental teaching is exceedingly valuable. Of Heman the Ezrahite. This, probably, informs us as to its authorship; it was written by Heman, but which Heman it would not be easy to determine, though it will not be a very serious mistake if we suppose it to be the man alluded to in #1Ki 4:31, as the brother of Ethan, and one of the five sons of Zerah (#1Ch 2:6), the son of Judah, and hence called "the Ezrahite": if this be the man, he was famous for his wisdom, and his being in Egypt during the time of Pharaoh’s oppression may help to account for the deep bass of his song, and for the antique form of many of the expressions, which are more after the manner of Job than David. There was, however, a Heman in David’s day who was one of the grand trio of chief musicians, "Heman, Asaph, and Ethan" (#1Ch 15:19), and no one can prove that this was not the composer. The point is of no consequence; whoever wrote the Psalm most have been a man of deep experience, who had done business on the great waters of soul trouble.”  (Charles H. Spurgeon)

 

            “This lament is unusual in that it does not end on a happy note.  The psalmist has been ill or injured since the days of his youth (v. 15) and bemoans God’s failure to hear his prayer for good health.  He assumes that God is angry with him, but like Job, he knows of no cause for that anger.  But through he does not understand God’s ways; the psalmist does turn to God, thus indicating an underlying trust.”  (The John MacArthur Study Bible)

 

            “Heman, the son of Joel, was a temple musician during the reign of David (1Chron. 6:33, 37; 16:41-42; 2 Chron. 33:15) and is the most likely candidate for the authorship of this psalm.  Second choice is Heman, the son of Mahol, one of the wise men during the reign of King Solomon (1Kings 4:31).  The Hebrew words Mahalath and Leannoth mean ‘sickness’ and ‘for singing’ or ‘for humbling.’  The first word probably refers to a sad melody to accompany this somber song, and the second might identify the purpose of the psalm, to bring us low before the Lord.  This is the last ‘sons of Korah’ psalm in the psalms and is perhaps the most plaintive song in the entire book.  In Hebrew text, the psalm ends with the word hoshek, ‘darkness,’ and there is no closing note of triumph as in other psalms that begin with pain and perplexity.  The psalm speaks of darkness (vv. 1, 6, 12, 18), life in the depts. (vv. 3-4, 6), the immanence of death (vv.5, 10-11), feeling of drowning (vv. 7, 16-17), loneliness (vv. 5, 8, 14, 18), and imprisonment why, yet he persisted in praying to God and did not abandon his faith.  Not all of life’s scripts have happy endings, but that does not mean that the Lord has forsaken us.  From Heman’s experience, as recorded in this psalm, we can discover four instructions to follow when life falls apart and our prayers seemingly are not answered.”  (Warren Wiersbe”)

 

            Last night as I was listening to this psalm and one of the things that I noticed was that at the end of the psalm there was seemingly no answer to the problems of the psalmist like in other psalms that I have read and now when I read these different introductions I find that it is one of the unique characteristics of the psalm.  Incidentally Warren Wiersbe has written a book entitled “When Life Falls Apart.” 

 

            Come to the Lord by Faith (vv. 1-2):  1 A Song: A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director; according to Mahalath Leannoth: A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite: O LORD, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You. 2 Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry!” 

           

            Although we are not sure of the authorship of this psalm we will call the author Heman for reasons seen in Dr. Wiersbe’s introduction.

           

            We can see as we got through the content of this psalm that life was difficult for Heman, but we will also see that he does not give up.  He uses Jehovah four times in this psalm as he speaks to and of the Lord.  Jehovah was the covenant name of God for the children of Israel and they would not even pronounce it for fear of breaking the forth commandment "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.’”  (Ex. 20:7)  In the psalm Heman also uses “Elohim” as God for this also is one of the names of God and this name emphasizes His power.  In verse one we read that Heman was a believer for he writes, “O LORD, the God of my Salvation.” 

 

            Dr. Wiersbe points out that three times in the psalm that Heman cries out to the Lord, “and three different words are used:  verse 1—‘a cry for help in great distress’; verse 2—‘a loud shout’; verse 13—‘a cry of anguish.’”  “All of this evidence of faith in Heman’s heart, even though he spoke as though he was ready to give up.  He prayed day and night (vv. 1, 9) and trusted that no obstacle would come between his prayers and the Lord (v. 2; 18:6; 22:24; 35:13; 66:20 79:11).  No matter how we feel and no matter how impossible our circumstances, we can always come to the Lord with our burdens.”   There is always hope in the Lord no matter what the circumstances.

 

            Tell the Lord How You Feel (vv. 3-9):  3 For my soul has had enough troubles, And my life has drawn near to Sheol. 4  I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit; I have become like a man without strength, 5  Forsaken among the dead, Like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom You remember no more, And they are cut off from Your hand. 6 You have put me in the lowest pit, In dark places, in the depths. 7 Your wrath has rested upon me, And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah. 8 You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an object of loathing to them; I am shut up and cannot go out. 9 My eye has wasted away because of affliction; I have called upon You every day, O LORD; I have spread out my hands to You.”  This surely reminds me of reading the book of Job. 

 

            “3 For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near. 4 I am as good as dead, like a strong man with no strength left. 5 They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave. I am forgotten, cut off from your care. 6 You have thrown me into the lowest pit, into the darkest depths. 7 Your anger weighs me down; with wave after wave you have engulfed me.  Interlude 8 You have driven my friends away by making me repulsive to them. I am in a trap with no way of escape. 9 My eyes are blinded by my tears. Each day I beg for your help, O LORD; I lift my hands to you for mercy.”  (NLT)

 

            As we read this section of the Psalm we must be reminded that during the Old Testament times the people did not have the full understanding of what happened when one died.  We as New Testament believers and having the New Testament to read, we understand more fully what happens to a person when they die.  Paul writes to the believers at Corinth “6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord- 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight- 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”  (2 Cor. 5:6-8)  There are indications of a resurrection from the book of Job and also from the book of Daniel.  Right before Jesus resurrected Lazarus from the dead we see an indication from his two sisters that they knew about the resurrection of the dead, but Jesus then told them that He was the resurrection and the life. 

 

            Daniel 12:2 says “"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” 

 

Job 19:25-27: “25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. 26 “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; 27 Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!’”

 

Dr. Wiersbe points out that Heman was actually blaming God for the trouble that he found himself in:  “But Heman also told the Lord that He was responsible for his servant’s troubles!  God’s hand put him into the pit (Sheol, the grave), and God’ anger was flowing over him like breakers from the sea (see 42:8).  Whatever sickness he had was caused by the Lord and made him so repulsive that his friends avoided him (see 31:1).  He was without health, without light, and without friends—and he felt like he was without God!  He was a prisoner and there was no way to escape.  Like Job, Heman wanted to know why all this suffering had come to him.”

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I mentioned above that this psalm is like reading different parts of the book of Job, and Job was a very difficult book for me to study because of all the troubles that Job went through and also because he did not realize the reason as to why all these things were happening to him.  It seems that Heman was in the same boat.  It is hard to face difficulties in life and not knowing why you are facing them.  If I cause a problem and face difficulties because of it then that is something, but if difficulties just come into my life without knowing why then it is more difficult.  1Corinthians 10:13 says “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”  The word “temptation” can also be translated as trial and knowing the truth of this verse helps in times of trials and temptations even though it still will probably be rough at least I know that God has a purpose and will provide a way to escape.

           

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  Even though when times are tough I must always believe that the Lord is in control and has a purpose for me when I go through troubles.

 

5/15/2012 10:50:26 AM

 

           

 

“The Inhabitants and Blessings of those who Live in Jerusalem” (Ps. 87:4-7)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/14/2012 9:05:02 AM

 

My Worship Time        Focus:  “The Inhabitants and Blessings of those who Live in Jerusalem”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Psalm 87:4-7

 

            Message of the verses:  In yesterday’s SD we began to look at Psalm 87 by looking at several introductions from different Bible Commentators, and then we looked at “The City Is Built by God” from verses 1-3.  Dr. Wiersbe writes these words at the end of his introduction “The psalmist shares three wonderful truths about the city of Jerusalem.”

 

The City Is Inhabited by His Children (vv. 4-6):  “4 I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me; Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia: ’This one was born there.’" 5 But of Zion it shall be said, "This one and that one were born in her"; And the Most High Himself will establish her. 6 The LORD will count when He registers the peoples, "This one was born there." Selah.” 

“4 I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me-also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia.  They have all become citizens of Jerusalem! 5 Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, “Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.’’ And the Most High will personally bless this city. 6 When the LORD registers the nations, he will say, “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.’’  Interlude” (NLT)

 

            This section of Psalm 87 is speaking of nations who will be part of the future glorious kingdom that will come after the seven years of tribulation when Christ will come and set up His kingdom from Jerusalem.  When we look at the list of these nations we will see that not only are they enemies of Israel, but they are also Gentile nations. In the NASB we see the word “Rahab”, but in the NLT the word is translated “Egypt.”  Dr. Wiersbe points out that Rahab is Egypt, and the word means “arrogant, boisterous.”  We know that Egypt enslaved Israel in the past and were their enemy to the South, and that Babylon captured Judah in 586 and were their enemy to the North.  As far as the other nations Philistia and Tyre and also Ethiopia they too were Israel’s enemies, but in the future will be a part of the future glorious kingdom that according to Revelations will last for one thousand years.  How will these people become citizens of this kingdom, and live in Jerusalem?  The same way that all believers today are citizens of the kingdom of God, and that is to be born again, through the new birth that Jesus talked about in John chapter three. 

 

            They’re many OT prophets who promised that believers from all the nations of the earth would be included in Messiah’s reign writes Dr. Wiersbe.  Here are some of the passages that are included in his commentary:  (Isa. 2:1-5; Mic. 4:1-5; Zech. 8:23; 14:16-20), and so did the psalmists (22:27; 46:10; 47:9; 57:5, 11; 98:2-3; and 99:2-3)  Hab. 2:14 reads as follows “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

 

The City Enjoys His Abundant Blessings (v.7):  “7 Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say, "All my springs of joy are in you.’” 

“7 The people will play flutes and sing, “The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!’’  (NLT)

            Most ancient cities were built on a river like Babylon was built on the Euphrates River and major cities in Egypt were built on the Nile River.  However Jerusalem was not built on a river and when sieges came it was difficult for the citizens of Jerusalem to get water.  King Hezekiah built a wonderful underground water system for Jerusalem during his reign.  This is found in 2 Kings 20 and also in 2 Chronicles 32:30.  Every time I read about King Hezekiah’s building of this water system for Jerusalem I remember a sermon that I heard many years ago from the book of Proverbs chapter three and verses five and six.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.”  The Pastor who gave the message from this section stated that the word “direct” is the same word that is used in describing how Hezekiah directed the underground water system for Jerusalem.  In that same way God will direct our path.

 

            In verse seven of Psalm 87 we see from the NASB version “All my springs of joy are in you.”  Dr. Wiersbe points out that this is speaking of “living water” and not regular H2O, the kind that we drink.  He goes on to write “A fountain or spring symbolizes the source of something, as Jacob is the ‘fountain’ from which the nation came (Deut. 33:28).  All blessings, especially spiritual blessings, will flow from the Lord who reigns in the City of David, just as today we draw upon the wealth found only in our exalted Lord.  (See Romans 2:4; 9:23; 11:33; Ephesians 1:3; 2:4-10; 3:8; Philippians 4:19; and Col. 1:27)   The image of a river of living water is found also in Psalm 36:8-9; 46:4; 89:6; Ezekiel 47; John 7:37:39; and Revelation 22:1-2.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In the fifteenth chapter of John’s Gospel we see that on the night when Jesus was going to go to the cross to die for my sins that He stopped and began to teach His disciples about the vine and the branches.  He said that He was the vine and they were the branches and in order for them to produce fruit they had to abide or remain in the vine.  By abiding or remaining in the vine they would be drawing power from the Vine so that they could produce the fruit that He desired for them to produce.  If you tie these verses in with Ephesians 2:10 and also to Proverbs 3:5-6 you will see that if in your life you abide or remain in the Vine then the Lord will direct your path to produce the fruit that He has called you to produce in eternity past that is written about in Ephesians 2:10. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To abide or remain in the Vine so that I can be directed by the Lord to produce the fruit that He has planned for me to produce in eternity past.

 

5/14/2012 9:54:15 AM

“Jerusalem” (Ps. 87:1-3)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/13/2012 7:17:48 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                             Focus:  “Jerusalem”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Psalm 87:1-3

 

            Message of the verses:  We will begin today’s SD by looking at several introductions to Psalm 87 by different Bible commentators in order to help us have a better understanding of what the psalm is about and we pray that the Holy Spirit of God will teach us what He has for us this day from this section of Scripture.

 

“INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 87

A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah:  Whether this psalm was composed by David, in a view of the temple to be built by his son Solomon; or whether by one that returned from the Babylonish captivity, who wrote it for the comfort of those that wept at the laying of the foundation of the second temple; it seems evident that the subject matter of it is the church of God in Gospel times, and especially in the latter day glory: the title in the Syriac version is, “concerning the redemption of Jerusalem.” (John Gill)

 

“This psalm describes the Lord’s love for Jerusalem and exalts this city as the religious center of the world in the coming messianic kingdom (cf. Psalm 48).  Though the nations of the world (even including some of Israel’s former enemies) will worship the Lord then, Israel will be the favored nation (cf. Isa. 2:2-4; 19:23-25; 45:22-25; 56:6-8; Zec. 8:20-23; 14:16-19)  (The John MacArthur Study Bible”

 

            “This is another psalm that extols the glory of Mount Zion (see 46-48, 76, 125, 129, 137).  The writer was not indulging in arrogant nationalism but only seeking to glorify the God of Israel and the blessings He bestows.  The psalm must be read on two levels.  It is a prophecy of the future kingdom when all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship (86:9; Isa 2:1-5), and it is also a picture of the heavenly Zion where the children of God have their spiritual citizenship (Luke 10:20; Gal. 4:21-31; Phil 3:20-21; Heb. 12:18-24).  God promised that Abraham would have an earthly family, like the sands of the sea, which is Israel, and a heavenly family like the stars of the heavens, which is the church (Gen. 13:16; 15:4-5).  The psalm was probably written in the time of King Hezekiah, after the Assyrian army had been defeated and Babylon was on the rise (Isa. 36-39).  Following this great victory, the neighboring nations, usually hostile to the Jews, honored Hezekiah and brought gifts to him as well as sacrifices to the Lord (2 Chron. 32:23). The psalmist shares three wonderful truths about the city of Jerusalem.  (Dr. Warren Wiersbe)

 

            The City Is Built by God (vv. 1-3):  “1 A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song: His foundation is in the holy mountains. 2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah.”

            “1 A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah: On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the LORD. 2 He loves the city of Jerusalem more than any other city in Israel. 3 O city of God, what glorious things are said of you!  Interlude” (NLT)            

In the 14^th chapter of the book of Genesis we see Abraham meeting the king-priest Melchizedek who was the king-priest of Salem, latter to become Jerusalem “city of peace.”  We know that according to Psalm 76:2 and Hebrews 7 that Melchizedek was a type of Jesus Christ who is our Priest-King who lives in heaven.  We will see three phases of Jerusalem as we read about in different parts of the Scriptures.  The Jerusalem that God chose to be His city and where Christ died for our sins, we see Jerusalem as the capital of the world in the Messianic Kingdom, and we see a “New Jerusalem” where the church will abide in the eternal kingdom.  Jerusalem is very important to God, the city that he has chosen, the city where His temple was built, the city where Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead, the city where the Gospel of Jesus Christ was sent out from, the city where Jesus Christ will reign for 1000 years when He returns from heaven, and the city that is being built by God that will come down out of heaven which is described in the later chapter of the book of Revelations.  It is no wonder that the Lord loves the city of Jerusalem.

 

            We see today that the city of Jerusalem is a city in turmoil, “Zec. 12:2  Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.”  It was in 1967 that Jerusalem became part of Israel for the first time in their hands since 586 BC.  The prophet Ezekiel spoke of this in chapters 36-37 and Israel became a nation again on May 15, 1948, and then in the seven day war Jerusalem went into the hands of Israel.  Many Bible Scholars of today believe that the stage is set for the return of Jesus Christ for His Church and then the beginning of the last seven years of history as we know it before the Lord Jesus Christ will again return to earth to set up His kingdom from the city of Jerusalem.  We read in Ezekiel 40-48 how the Lord will change the topology of Israel and set up His kingdom that will last for 1000 years.  Yes Jerusalem is important to God and much is written about it in His Word.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  After I became of believer in Jesus Christ in January of 1974 the Lord put into my heart a deep, deep love for the nation of Israel, and that is no wonder for Jesus Christ is a Jew, a descendant of King David.  I love Israel and one day, God willing, I will be able to go there to walk where Jesus walked and to see for myself the great city of Jerusalem.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust that the Lord will continue a work in my heart that He started last week in church.

 

5/13/2012 8:14:20 AM