Praise God from Day to Day and Generation to Generation (Ps. 145:1-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/6/2012 9:36:10 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Psalm 145 PT-1

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Psalm 145:1-7

 

            Message of the verses:  As we begin to look at Psalm 145 in Today’s Spiritual Diary we will do as we have been doing for most of the psalms and that is look at several introductions to the psalm by different Bible Commentators in order for us to better understand what the psalmist has written about and how we can learn from the psalm in order to apply it to our lives.

 

            “This psalm is rendered by Ainsworth "a hymn of David"; and the whole book of Psalms is from hence called "the Book of Hymns"; see #Eph 5:19; It seems to have been a psalm David took great delight in, and it may be that he often repeated and sung it, as it was made by him with great care and contrivance, in a very curious manner, as well as he was assisted in it by divine inspiration; for it is wrote in an alphabetical order, each verse: beginning with the letter of the alphabet in course, and goes through the whole, excepting one letter; and very probably it was composed in this form that it might be the more easily committed to memory, and retained in it. The Jews have a very high opinion of it; their Rabbins say, that whoever says this psalm thrice every day may be sure of being a child of the world to come. This is mentioned by Arama and Kimchi; and which the latter explains thus, not he that says it any way, but with his mouth, and with his heart, and with his tongue. It seems to have been written by David after the Lord had granted him all his requests put up in the preceding psalms, and had given him rest from all his enemies; and when he turned his prayers into praises; for this psalm is wholly praise from one end to the other; and so are all the five following ones; they begin and end with "hallelujah": nor is there a single petition in them, as I remember; so that it may in some sense be said, "here the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended". It no doubt, as Cocceius observes, belongs to the Messiah and his kingdom, which is everlasting, #Ps 145:13.”  (John Gill)

 

            “The five foregoing psalms were all of a piece, all full of prayers; this, and the five that follow it to the end of the book, are all of a piece too, all full of praises; and though only this is entitled David’s psalm yet we have no reason to think but that they were all his as well as all the foregoing prayers. And it is observable,

 

“1. That after five psalms of prayer follow six psalms of praise; for those that are much in prayer shall not want matter for praise, and those that have sped in prayer must abound in praise. Our thanksgivings for mercy, when we have received it, should even exceed our supplications for it when we were in pursuit of it. David, in the last of his begging psalms, had promised to praise God (#Ps 144:9), and here he performs his promise.

 

“2. That the book of Psalms concludes with psalms of praise, all praise, for praise, is the conclusion of the whole matter; it is that in which all the psalms centre. And it intimates that God’s people, towards the end of their life, should abound much in praise, and the rather because, at the end of their life, they hope to remove to the world of everlasting praise, and the nearer they come to heaven the more they should accustom themselves to the work of heaven. This is one of those psalms which are composed alphabetically (as Psalm 25 and 34, &c.), that it might be the more easily committed to memory, and kept in mind. The Jewish writers justly extol this psalm as a star of the first magnitude in this bright constellation; and some of them have an extravagant saying concerning it, not much unlike some of the popish superstitions, That whosoever will sing this psalm constantly three times a day shall certainly be happy in the world to come. In this psalm,

 

   “I. David engages himself and others to praise God,

 

#Ps 145:1,2,4-7,10-12.

 

    “II. He fastens upon those things that are proper matter for praise, God’s greatness (#Ps 145:3), his goodness (#Ps 145:8,9), the proofs of both in the administration of his kingdom (#Ps 145:13), the kingdom of providence (#Ps 145:14-16), the kingdom of grace (#Ps 145:17-20), and then he concludes with a resolution to continue praising God (#Ps 145:21) with which resolution our hearts must be filled, and in which they must be fixed, in singing this psalm.”  (Matthew Henry)

 

            “This is one of the alphabetical psalms, composed with much art, and, doubtless, so arranged that the memory might be aided. The Holy Spirit condescends to use even the more artificial methods of the poet, to secure attention, and impress the heart.

 

Title: David’s Psalm Of Praise. It is David’s, David’s very own, David’s favourite. It is David’s Praise just as another (#Ps 86:1-17) is David’s Prayer. It is altogether praise, and praise pitched in a high key. David had blessed God many a time in other psalms, but this he regarded as his peculiar, his crown jewel of praise. Certainly David’s praise is the best of praise, for it is that of a man of experience, of sincerity, of calm deliberation, and of intense warmth of the heart. It is not for any one of us to render David’s praise, for David only could do that, but we may take David’s psalm as a model, and aim at making our own personal adoration as much, like it as possible: we shall be long before we equal our model. Let each Christian reader present his own praise unto the Lord, and call it by his own name. What a wealth of varied praise will thus be presented through Christ Jesus!

 

Division: The psalm does not fall into any marked divisions, but is one and indivisible.  Our other translators have mapped out this song with considerable discernment. It is or a perfect arrangement, but it will suit our convenience in exposition. David praiseth God for his fame or glory (#Ps 145:1-7), for his goodness (#Ps 145:8-10), for his kingdom (#Ps 145:11-13), for his providence (#Ps 145:14-16), for his saving mercy (#Ps 145:17-21).”  (Charles H. Spurgeon)

 

            “This is the last psalm in the book attributed to David, and it is also an acrostic.  The Hebrew letter nun (our letter n) is missing at verse 14, although some early versions based on the Septuagint have a verse starting with nun.  See NIV marginal note.)  This is the only psalm called ‘A psalm of praise.’  David mentioned several attributes of God, among them His greatness (v.3), His grace, goodness and compassion (vv. 8-9), His glory and might (v.11), His righteousness and kindness (v. 17), and His providential care (v.20).  Who could not praise a God with these wonderful characteristics?  But along with telling us why we should praise the Lord David tells us when we should praise Him.”  (Warren Wiersbe)

 

            Praise God from Day to Day (vv. 1-2):  1 A Psalm of Praise, of David: I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.”

 

            David speaks of praising the Lord every day and also forever and forever.  As we look at how the universe works we see that the earth rotates around in 24 hours and as it is rotating around it is also rotating around the sun, which takes 365 days.  This is the way that God designed the universe to work.  Time began when God created the earth and we are to take time each day to praise the Lord, as we have much to praise Him for.  First of all we can praise Him for the Lord Jesus Christ who has provided salvation for those who have called upon His name to come into their lives and forgive them of their sins.  We certainly can praise the Lord for His Word, which we can read, study, memorize and meditate on.  We can praise Him for our lives, and the privilege of living on planet earth at this time in history.  We are told by the apostle Paul that we are to give thanks in everything for this is the will for us in Christ Jesus.  Giving thanks is surely a form of praising the Lord.  When we look at the book of Revelations and also the sixth chapter of Isaiah we see that in heaven God is being praised at every moment, and when we are taken to heaven we will have that privilege too.

 

            Praise God from Generation to Generation (vv. 3-7):  “3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. 6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness. 7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.”

 

            As I prepare in my mind the things that I believe God is prompting me to include in our Christmas letter, something that I try to do each year, I have been impressed by the Lord this morning before I got out of bed to write this letter about Christmas memories, memories from my childhood along with my wife’s childhood, and then memories from when our children were small and then move onto memories with our grandchildren.  I can say that God has been involved in all of my Christmas memories, even before I knew Him.

            As David writes this section of Psalm 145 he is writing about the memories that he has about how the Lord had worked in his life.  David wanted to take the time to praise the Lord for the things that He had done in his life.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “God is so great that the human mind cannot fathom Him, but the human heart can love Him and tell others how great He is.”  He later writes, “David was not writing only about theology; he was also writing about personal witness, what the Lord has done in our own lives.”  Psalm 34:11 states “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”  Paul writes to Timothy in 2Timothy 2:2 “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  We must remember that this was the last letter that is recorded in the Bible written by Paul, and when a person nears the end of his life they tell others what is most important to them.  As older believers in Jesus Christ we must tell younger believers the important things we have learned from following Jesus Christ.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have been thinking about memories today, and then I begin to read Psalm 145 and wouldn’t you know it the psalm has a portion about memories in it.  God is great!

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment, and to continue to encourage me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, and remember this is done by the Word of God.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-7

 

            1Out 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, An 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.

 

12/6/2012 10:46:20 AM

 

 

 

 

"The Mighty God Who Delivers Us Victoriously" and more from Psalm 144:5-15

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/5/2012 7:55:49 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                          Focus:  Psalm 144-2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference: Psalm 144:5-15

 

            Message of the verses:  We will continue to look at Psalm 144 in Today’s Spiritual Diary.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following at the end of his introductory commentary, “In this psalm, he gave witness to Jehovah, the God of Israel and reminded his people that their God was not like the gods of their neighbors.”  We saw yesterday that Israel’s God was a loving God who cared personally for all His children.

 

            The Mighty God Who Delivers Us Victoriously (vv. 5-11):  “5 Bow Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; Touch the mountains, that they may smoke. 6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Send out Your arrows and confuse them. 7 Stretch forth Your hand from on high; Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, Out of the hand of aliens 8 Whose mouths speak deceit, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.  9 I will sing a new song to You, O God; Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, 10 Who gives salvation to kings, Who rescues David His servant from the evil sword. 11 Rescue me and deliver me out of the hand of aliens, Whose mouth speaks deceit And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.”

 

            We went over a very brief history of David and how he ascended to the throne of Israel in yesterday’s SD, and we learned that this psalm was probably written during the time when David was just beginning his reign as king.  This helps us better understand the things that David is writing in this psalm.  David was a man of war as we also saw in yesterday’s SD; he was so much a man of war that God would not allow him to be the one to build His temple.  What David did was important to the nation of Israel, for God had promised Israel the Promised Land, and yet for many years they had not taken control of all of it, but because of their sin God would bring other nations against them until Israel would cry out to the Lord for help and then God would send a deliverer to deliver them, but soon they would fall into sin again and the whole cycle would begin again, but each time they would descend further down, and would not rise up as far.  David would be the man, a man after God’s own heart, who God would use to lead Israel into victory, and eventually give peace to Israel for a long period of time.  In this section David is asking the Lord for victory in the battles that he would be involved in, and he uses graphic language in his prayer to the Lord.  David knew the promises that God gave to Israel, and he took them very seriously and therefore would pray to the Lord for deliverance from the enemies of Israel who were also the enemies of God.  David knew that there were “aliens and foreigners” who wanted to destroy Israel, and therefore David wanted God to destroy them.  The language he uses in this psalm is similar to language from Psalm 18, and it also reminds us of what the Lord did on MT. Sinai. 

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section by writing “As he (David) contemplated God’s power and mercy, David sang a new song to the Lord (33:3), for he had experienced God’s help in a new way, learned afresh the wonderful character of the Lord, and was making a new beginning as king of the nation.  The plural ‘kings’ refers to David’s successors.”

 

            The Gracious God Who Blesses Us Abundantly (vv. 12-15):  “12 Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants, And our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace; 13 Let our garners be full, furnishing every kind of produce, And our flocks bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields; 14 Let our cattle bear Without mishap and without loss, Let there be no outcry in our streets! 15 How blessed are the people who are so situated; How blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!”

 

            I have heard some people say that they have a difficult time in reading the Old Testament because of all of the blood that is shed in it.  From the very first murder when Cain killed Abel we see much bloodshed as we read through the pages of the OT.  I suppose that some think that David enjoyed the battles that he fought and with that they would get the wrong perspective of who David was.  David was a man who loved his God, and who believed that the battles that he was involved in were battles for the Lord, and that is exactly what they were.  We see in this section that it was David’s desire to eventually have peace in the land, peace from the enemies of Israel and the enemies of God.  David talks about the things that happen when there is peace in the land, things that can only be given from the hand of God as He abundantly blesses His people.  David speaks of the young men and young women growing up when there is peace in the land and God giving blessings to the people through good crops and having their animals multiply without issue.  David ends the psalm with praising the Lord who has blessed His people, and are blessed because God is their Lord.

           

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  When we look back at the nation of Israel we see that God surely blessed them, yet they rebelled against God and eventually God removed them from their land.  We know that God is no respecter of people, for when people like David sin against the Lord then God will discipline them as He did when David sinned against the Lord. 

            When I think of what is going on in our nation today I think of a statement that was made by one of our founding fathers and was quoted by Warren Wiersbe, ““Over two centuries ago, the American patriot Thomas Jefferson wrote in his Notes on the State of Virginia, ‘Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.’  “Sober words for us to reflect on today.”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To continue to learn contentment, to continue to be transformed by the renewing of my mind through the Word of God in order to be more and more like my Lord and Savior.

 

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.

 

12/5/2012 9:01:38 AM

 

The Loving God Who Cares for Us Personally (Ps. 144:1-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/4/2012 8:34:36 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Psalm 144 PT-1

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Psalm 144:1-4

 

            Message of the verses:  In Today’s Spiritual we will begin to look at Psalm 144 by looking at several introductions to the psalm by several different Bible Commentators in order to learn more about the psalm so that we can better understand how to apply it to our lives.

 

            “The four preceding psalms seem to have been penned by David before his accession to the crown, when he was persecuted by Saul; this seems to have been penned afterwards, when he was still in trouble (for there is no condition in this world privileged with an exemption from trouble), the neighboring nations molesting him and giving him disturbance, especially the Philistines, #2Sa 5:17.  In this psalm,

 

   “I. He acknowledges, with triumph and thankfulness, the great goodness of God to him in advancing him to the government, #Ps 144:1-4.

 

   “II. He prays to God to help him against the enemies who threatened him, (#Ps 144:5-8 and again #Ps 144:11).

 

   “III. He rejoices in the assurance of victory over them, #Ps 144:9-10.

 

   “IV. He prays for the prosperity of his own kingdom, and pleases himself with the hopes of it, #Ps 144:12-15. In singing this psalm we may give God the glory of our spiritual privileges and advancements, and fetch in help from him against our spiritual enemies; we may pray for the prosperity of our souls, of our families, and of our land; and, in the opinion of some of the Jewish writers, we may refer the psalm to the Messiah and his kingdom.”  (Matthew Henry)

 

            “Albeit that this Psalm is in some measure very similar to #Ps 18:1-50, yet it is a new song, and in its latter portion it is strikingly so. Let the reader accept it as a new psalm, and not as a mere variation of an old one, or as two compositions roughly joined together. It is true that it would be a complete composition if the passage from #Ps 144:12-15 were dropped; but there are other parts, of David’s poems which might be equally self contained if certain verses were omitted; and the same might be said of many uninspired sonnets. It does not, therefore, follow that the latter part was added by another hand, nor even that the latter part was a fragment by the same author, appended to the first song merely with the view of preserving it. It seems to us to be highly probable that the Psalmist, remembering that he had trodden some of the same ground before, felt his mind moved to fresh thought, and that the Holy Spirit used this mood for his own high purposes. Assuredly the addendum is worthy of the greatest Hebrew poet, and it is so admirable in language, and so full of beautiful imagery, that persons of taste who were by no means overloaded with reverence have quoted it times without number, thus confessing its singular poetical excellence. To us the whole psalm appears to be perfect as it stands, and to exhibit such unity throughout that it would be a literary Vandalism, as well as a spiritual crime, to rend away one part from the other.

 

“TITLE: Its title is "Of David," and its language is of David, if ever language can belong to any man. As surely as we could say of any poem, this is of Tennyson, or of Longfellow, we may say, This is of David. Nothing but the disease which closes the eye to manifest fact and opens it to fancy, could have led learned critics to ascribe this song to anybody but David. Alexander well says, "The Davidic origin of this psalm is as marked as that of any in the Psalter."

 

      “It is to God the devout warrior sings when he extols him as his strength and stay (#Ps 144:1-2). Man he holds in small account, and wonders at the Lord’s regard for him (#Ps 144:3-4); but he turns in his hour of conflict to the Lord, who is declared to be "a man of war," whose triumphant interposition he implores (#Ps 144:5-8). He again extols and entreats in #Ps 144:9-11 and then closes with a delightful picture of the Lord’s work for his chosen people, who are congratulated upon having such a God to be their God.”  (Charles H. Spurgeon)  I wanted to pass on that Charles H. Spurgeon’s come from his commentary on the psalms entitled “Treasury of David,” and while looking for this book on the internet I found out that it contains over 5400 pages.

 

            “David wrote this psalm to ‘bless the Lord’ (vv. 1-5) and honor Him for making him a successful warrior and king, and to pray for His continued blessing of his people.  He was concerned about dangers around them (vv. 6-7, 11) and needs within the land (vv. 12-14).  In writing this psalm, he used material from Psalm 18, his great song of victory when he became king, so perhaps 144 was written about the same time (1Sam. 5, 8).  During his years of exile, David had learned much about himself and about the Lord.  In this psalm, he gave witness to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and reminded his people that their God was not like the gods of their neighbors.  (Warren Wiersbe)

 

            The Loving God Who Cares for Us Personally (vv. 1-4):  “1 A Psalm of David: Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle; 2  My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer, My shield and He in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. 3 O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? 4 Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.”

 

            We know much of the background of David from other portions of Scripture, and other psalm, but it may be good to be reminded of a little bit of it.  David was the youngest of seven sons of Jessie and lived in Bethlehem, which is near Jerusalem.  The story of David actually goes back to the book of Ruth where we see more of the early background of David as he was the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth.  At an early age David was anointed king over Israel by the prophet Samuel because of the fact that Saul was a great disappointment in being king over Israel, and because God wanted a man after His own heart over the nation of Israel, and David was that man.  We know that when he was in his teens that he splayed Goliath and then was working for Saul who eventually became jealous of David and so David had to flee from the presence of Saul and was on the run for over ten years before Saul would die at the hands of the Philistines.  David wrote many of his psalms while running from Saul, as the Lord was preparing him to be king in similar ways that He had prepared Abraham, Moses, and Joseph.  God does the same for his children today, as He prepares His children to do the works that He has called us to do in eternity past (Eph. 2:10).  David was then king of Judah for seven and a half years before becoming king over all of Israel.  It was probably during this time that David wrote this psalm to the Lord.

            Let us look at some of the different images that David uses in this psalm to speak of God.  We see the image of God as a Rock, shield, fortress, and deliverer in Psalm 18:2, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  Psalm 3:3 also speaks of God as a Shield, “But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.”  We see these images in this section of Psalm 144 as were in Psalm 18.  Dr. Wiersbe writes that “the associating of love and war is unusual, but ‘You who love the Lord, hate evil’ (Psalm 97:10).”  We must remember that one of the attributes of God is Justice and as we read through the Bible, especially the OT, we find a very bloody book.  We know that there are both physical and spiritual battles that go on all over the world every day for Satan does not stop doing evil, which causes many of the wars that have been fought physically over the years of human history.  The greatest battle ever to take place was at the cross as Satan tried many, many times to stop Jesus from going to the cross, from even being born and then to be killed before His time, yet the victory belonged to the Lord as He triumphed over death and now reigns in heaven awaiting the coming of His bride to be with Him forever, and then the last seven years of history as we know it will be the most bloody in all of human history where a great deal of humans will die terrible deaths.  This war will end with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returning to planet earth to set up His kingdom for 1000 year as He reigns from Jerusalem while Satan is in chains for those 1000 years.

            We know that David was a humble man and his position did not go to his head for when the Lord told David through Nathan that He would build a dynasty for him that Messiah would come through David said “Who am I that God should do this for me?” 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes about a word that is translated as “breath” in verse four as it refers to how short men’s lives are. He states “The Hebrew word translated ‘breath’ is habel, the name of one of Adam’s sons (Abel), and the word translated ‘vanity’ thirty-eight times in Ecclesiastes.  The ‘shadow’ image is found in 102:11, 109:23, Job 8:9, and 14:2, and Ecclesiastes 6:12 and 8:13.  How helpless we are without God.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to take up on that last statement from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary and say that it is a good thing to realize that we are helpless without God, for when we think that we can do things on our own we will surely fall, and be humbled by the Lord.  I continue to think of how I am to be a hose that the Lord uses to send “living water” through in order to tell others about the Lord as Jesus told the woman at the well in John chapter four.  The Lord will receive the glory as He should for He has paid it all for me and now I want to live for Him.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:   Learning contentment and being transformed by the Word of God.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-7

 

            1 Out of the depths I have 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 watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7  O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.   

12/4/2012 9:45:32 AM

 

           

"Answer Me"-Wait for the Answer in Expectation (Ps. 143:7-12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/3/2012 10:08:32 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Psalm 143-PT-2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                           Reference:  Psalm 143:7-12

 

            Message of the verses:  We will continue looking at the last five verses from Psalm 143 in Today’s Spiritual Diary.  I want to quote from the introduction of the commentary that Dr. Wiersbe wrote on this psalm:  “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.”  We looked at “Hear me” in yesterdays SD, and now we will look at “Answer me” in today’s SD.

 

            “Answer Me”—Wait for the Answer in Expectation (vv. 7-12):  “7 Answer me quickly, O LORD, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will become like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. 9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; I take refuge in You. 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. 12 And in Your lovingkindness, cut off my enemies And destroy all those who afflict my soul, For I am Your servant.”

 

            What were the answers that David was looking for from the Lord?  Well in verse seven David prays something that all true believers pray and that is to see God’s face.  I am reminded of the answer that Jesus gave to Philip in John 14:8-9 “Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ’Show us the Father’?”  There are days when I think about how it would have been to be alive when Jesus walked on the earth, to go where He went, to sit and talk to Him and see His face, and then I remember what Jesus said to Thomas after He had risen from the dead, “Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.’”  We as believers can talk to our Lord at any time and any place and although we do not see His face at this time we are blessed because we have believed without seeing His face, and yet one day all believers will see the face of Jesus.

           

            There is a song that the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sang a few years back that speaks of a person who had died and went to heaven and he was being shown around heaven meeting all the people that he had heard and read about and then the person says that “I want to see Jesus, for He is the One who died for me.” Yes heaven will be the place where we will see the face of Jesus and that is what David wanted to experience.  David knew the truth of Numbers 6:22-27, “22 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ’Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 25  The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26  The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ 27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.’”  David also knew that if the Lord was displeased with Israel that He would hide His face from them, “Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1).”  “How long will You hide Your face from me? (Psalm 13:1).”  “And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; answer me quickly (Psalm 69:17).”  “Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; Incline Your ear to me; In the day when I call answer me quickly (Psalm 102:2).”

            Dr. Wiersbe points out, “To know the shining of His face means to walk in the light of His countenance and enjoy the smile of God upon our lives, but the absence of that blessing was like a living death, ‘1 A Psalm of David: To You, O LORD, I call; My rock, do not be deaf to me, For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit (Psalm 28:1).’”

            The next thing that David prayed for and we also pray for is found in verse eight, “8 Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.”  Hearing God’s Word gave David strength, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).”  This verse in Romans is one we usually think about it being a verse that is used to witness to someone, and it surely is, but it also speaks to the believers so that are faith will be lifted up as we read the Word of God, for the Word of God is, “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).”

           

            Next we see in verse nine, “9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; I take refuge in You.”   David wanted protection from His enemies and David knew that God was able to keep him safe from those who were trying to harm him.  The LORD was David’s Rock, and like the song sates David wanted to hide himself in the LORD, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.” 

           

            I will finish this portion of Today’s SD by quoting Dr. Wiersbe, “Another answer we receive from the Lord is a knowledge of the will of God (v.10).  His good Spirit (Neh. 9:20) teaches us from the Word and shows us the path we should take (Psalm 119:105).  A Knowledge of God’s will gives us confidence in the difficulties of life; it keeps us going when the going gets tough.  Finally, God answers prayer by helping us bring glory to His great name (vv. 11-12).  ‘For thy name’s sake’ was the great motivation of David’s life and ministry (1Sam. 17:26, 36, 45-47).  ‘Hallowed be Thy name’ is the first request in the Lord’s Prayer, and it ought to be the motivation of all our prayers.  David knew that he had a great work to do for the Lord, and he depended on the Lord to help him accomplish it and bring honor to His name.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is wonderful how the Lord works out certain details in my life.  As I have been studying many of the psalms that David wrote our Pastor has just began a series that he says will take up to ten months to complete and it is on the life of David.  David is my favorite character in the OT and I truly enjoy studying about his life, so it looks like it will continue for a while.  David’s life is an inspiration to me and I hope to others as they look at my Spiritual Diaries.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  For many days I have put contentment into this portion of my SD, and the reason is from what I have learned from Phil. 4:11b, “for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”  Paul states that he had learned to be content, something that is difficult to learn, and yet possible to learn as Paul states it here, and the reason he learned this is because of the troubles that God sent him through, and as he went through those troubles he learned to rely on the Lord to sustain him.  Paul was like David in many ways and that is why Paul is my favorite NT character. 

            I have also been putting the word “transformed” in this section, a word that means to change from the inside out.  We get the word “metamorphous” from the Greek word that is translated “transformed.”  Romans 12:2 states that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and the only way that this will happen is from the Word of God, which is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword as we saw earlier in Hebrews 4:12.  Memorizing and mediating on the Word of God will transform our minds from the inside out, it will give us the strength we need to go through difficult situations because we will have the mind of Christ, “’For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16).’”

 

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.

 

12/3/2012 11:48:48 AM

 

           

"Hear Me"--Tell God Your Situation (Ps. 143:1-6)

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   

           

The Lord Knows Our Circumstances and More from (Ps. 142:3-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/1/2012 8:32:38 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Psalm 142 PT-2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Psalm 142:3-7

 

            Message of the verses:  We will continue to look at the 142^nd Psalm in Today’s SD.  Dr. Wiersbe wrote the following at the end of his introductory commentary, “He (David) knew very little about Saul and his plans, but he did know about Jehovah and His great promises, and because of his faith in these assurances, he triumphed over his feelings and his foes.”

 

            The Lord Knows Our Circumstances (vv. 3-4):  “3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul.”

            It is believed that David was being hunted by Saul so that Saul might kill him, and that is the background for Psalm 142.  David was down, but not out for David had great faith in the Lord.  In verse one David uses the pronoun Him, but now in verse three he speaks of the Lord in a more personal way by calling Him “You” and states that God knew his path.  I wrote about this truth in yesterday’s SD, as I know that God knows me intimately, and He knows my circumstances, and will care for me by using my circumstances for His glory, and for my good (Romans 8:28).  Dr. Wiersbe writes “what life does to us depend on what life finds in us, and David was a man with faith in his heart.”  That statement means a lot for what life finds in us depends on our relationship with the Lord.  Memorizing the Word of God along with listening to it, and reading it and meditating on it helps us to be ready for the things in life that our difficult.  This is what Paul writes about to the Romans in the 12^th chapter when he writes about giving ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice and then having our minds transformed by the Word of God so that we will be ready to face what life brings to us.  Dr. Wiersbe concludes this section with this statement “No matter the circumstances around us or the feelings within us, God cares for us.”  “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you (1Pe. 5:7).”

 

 

            The Lord Meets Our Needs (vv. 5-7):  “5  I cried out to You, O LORD; I said, "You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6  "Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. 7  "Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.’”

            After the terrorist attacks that came to America on September 11, 2001 the churches were filled in our country and one of the main themes that was used for the text of many sermons was the following, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3  Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah (Psalm 46:1-3).”  Now we see in verse five of Psalm 142 that David is calling God His refuge. 

 

The following is the commentary that Charles H. Spurgeon offers on the first verse of Psalm 46:  “Ver. 1. God is our refuge and strength.  Not our armies, or our fortresses.  Israel’s boast is in Jehovah, the only living and true God.  Others vaunt their impregnable castles, placed on inaccessible rocks, and secured with gates of iron, but God is a far better refuge from distress than all these: and when the time comes to carry the war into the enemy’s territories, the Lord stands his people in better stead than all the valor of legions or the boasted strength of chariot and horse.  Soldiers of the cross, remember this, and count yourselves safe, and make yourselves strong in God.  Forget not the personal possessive word our;  make sure each one of your portion in God, that you may say, "He is my refuge and strength." Neither forget the fact that God is our refuge just now, in the immediate present, as truly as when David penned the word.  God alone is our all in all.  All other refuges are refuges of lies, all other strength is weakness, for power belongeth unto God: but as God is all sufficient, our defense and might are equal to all emergencies.”   I believe that this statement will help us better understand how important it is to have God as our refuge.

The Lord had provided a cave for David to live in so that he would be protected by it, but David knew that the Lord was meeting his need by being David’s refuge. 

David trusted the Lord to deliver him from the problems that he was in and would one day give praise to the Lord for delivering him from the terrible situation that he found himself in.  David looked forward to the day when the people of Israel would surround him when he became king, and so he could praise the Lord along with the people.

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  To realize that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for my life gives comfort to me.  My purpose in life is not what God had for David’s life, but it is important to me because it is what God has chosen for me to do and I can learn from the life of David how faithfulness to the Lord no matter what circumstance I find myself in is something I can hold on to.  I believe that when we look at Ephesians 2:10 we see that God has a plan for my life and all believer’s lives that was ordained by Him in eternity past, and so this give me confidence in the Lord to use me to accomplish the things He has planned for me through the power of the Holy Spirit and trusting in the Word that He uses to guide me through the plans He has for me.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to learn contentment and to continue to read and study the Word of God so that the Word will transform me into the image of Jesus Christ.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 130:1-6

 

            1 Out of the debts I cried to You, O LORD.  2 Lord, hear my voice!  Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.  3 If You, LORD should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  4 But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.

             5  I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His Word do I hope.  6 My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchman for the morning; Indeed more than the watchman for the morning.

 

12/1/2012 9:33:23 AM