SPIRITUAL DIARY
FOR 12/2/2012 8:22:13 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 143 PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 143:1-6
Message of
the verses: Today we will begin to look at Psalm 143 by
looking at several introductions from different Bible Commentators in order to
help us better understand what this psalm is about.
“It is so much like other Davidic psalms that we
accept the title without a moment’s hesitation. David’s history illustrates it,
and his spirit breathes in it. Why it has been set down as one of the seven
Penitential Psalms we can hardly tell; for it is rather a vindication of his
own integrity, and an indignant prayer against his slanderers, than a
confession of fault. It is true the second verse proves that he never dreamed
of justifying himself before the Lord; but even in it there is scarcely the brokenness
of penitence. It seems to us rather martial than penitential, rather a
supplication for deliverance from trouble than a weeping acknowledgment of
transgression. We suppose that seven penitentials were needed by ecclesiastical
rabbis, and therefore this was impressed into the service. In truth, it is a
mingled strain, a box of ointment composed of divers ingredients, sweet and
bitter, pungent and precious. It is the outcry of an overwhelmed spirit, unable
to abide in the highest state of spiritual prayer, again and again descending
to bewail its deep temporal distress; yet evermore struggling to rise to the
best things. The singer moans at intervals; the petitioner for mercy cannot
withhold his cries for vindication. His hands are outstretched to heaven, but
at his girdle hangs a sharp sword, which rattles in its scabbard as he closes
his psalm.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
“This is the seventh and last of the ‘penitential
psalms.’ It is included primarily
because David felt he needed to confess sins that were keeping him from
enjoying God’s help and blessing (vv. 1-2).
He had concluded that the suffering he was experiencing from the attacks
of the enemy were actually God’s chastening, so he asked God for mercy. It is true that the Lord can use painful circumstances and difficult
people to bring us to repentance, but sometimes those very things are God’s
‘tools’ to polish and mature us, not to punish us. In this psalm, David presents many requests
to the Lord, all of which may be summarized in two prayers: ‘Hear me’ (vv. 1-6) and ‘Answer me’ (vv.
7-12). This kind of praying is a good
example for us to follow.” (Warren
Wiersbe)
“Hear Me”—Tell God Your Situation (vv. 1-6): “1 A Psalm of David: Hear my prayer, O LORD,
Give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness! 2 And do
not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no man living is righteous. 3
For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He
has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead. 4
Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart is appalled within me. 5
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work
of Your hands. 6 I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a
parched land. Selah.”
We see first of all in this psalm that David pleads with
the Lord on the basis of His character, for God is faithful and God is
righteous and because David believes that God is both righteous and faithful he
can claim these promises of God in forgiving any sin. 1John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” David knew the
principles of this verse long before John penned it. We see from verse two that David calls himself
a servant of the Lord, affirming that he is a son of the covenant and therefore
could plead on the basis of the Word of God.
Now David moves on to tell the Lord the things that he is
going through because of his enemies.
Some have said that this psalm was written when Absalom was trying to
take over the nation of Israel, but most say that it was when David was young
and Saul was in relentless pursuit and persecution of David, and thus gives
such a vivid description of what he is going through that we can almost feel
the pain that David is experiencing.
There as those in today’s world and I suppose in days
gone by that would say that true believers cannot go through dark days and
difficult situations, and so it would be good for those to ponder what David is
writing here in order to have their minds changed to the truth of
Scripture. Paul speaks of some of the
hardships that he went through in his service for the Lord: “24 Five times I received from the Jews
thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,
three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I
have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers,
dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city,
dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27
I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and
thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure (2Cor. 11:24-27).”
In verses five and six we see that David remembers the
“good old days,” but what days is David thinking about? When David was younger and tending his
father’s flocks he had to kill both bears and lions, so that was not such a
good day. He served in the court of Saul
and Saul tried to kill him, and now he was on the run from Saul. It seems that David may have been thinking
about things like the creation of the world, or the call of Abraham, or the
life of Joseph, or perhaps the Exodus from Egypt. David may be making up his own Hebrews 11
stories as he remembered the great things that God did and did through His
servants and this would cause David to begin to worship the Lord right in the
cave where he was living. That cave
became a sort of “holy of holies” for David.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: It is good to
remember the wonderful works of the Lord when times are not going well, and for
that matter it is good to remember them at all times. I have counseled different believers who were
going through difficult times to begin to read in the book of Psalms, for in
Psalms you will find help for your troubled soul for you will find people who
have already gone through similar situations that you are going through and
therefore find comfort.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Remember the
truths of God’s Word in order to find comfort and to continue to learn
contentment. Remembering and meditating
on these truth will transform my mind so that I can think more like the Lord.
Memory verses for the
week: Psalm 130:1-7
1 Out of the debts I cried to You, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my
supplications. 3 If You, LORD, should
mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His Word
do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than the watchman for the morning; Indeed more than the watchman for the
morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD;
For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, and with Him is abundant redemption.
12/2/2012 9:31:57 AM
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