Psalm 38
In this petition, David vividly describes the effects of sin. It is not clear to me if David is writing literally or figuratively but, regardless, it is clear that sin has devestating effects on the sinner. There are two issues: David's sickness at his own sin and his enemies' plots to take advantage of David's weakness. Twice in the opening section David states that "there is no health in my body." (v. 3, 7) and the rest of the psalm expands on that theme. It is clear that David believes that his current situation is a direct result of his sin (v. 5) and God's wrath in response to his sin. It is interesting to me that David would beg the very one who is causing his pain to bring relief. You might think that the human response would be to run and hide from the one who is bringing you pain but David recognizes that the Lord is the source of his strength and life and so, at the end of the psalm, he petitions the Lord to not forsake him and to come to his aid.
I don't often feel the weight of my sin like David does in this psalm. There have been too few times where I have been pierced with guilt, where the very strength has poured out of my body, because I have disobeyed Christ. The problem, of course, is that whether I feel it or not, the wounds of sin continue to fester and continue to rot my spirit like an unseen cancer rots a person's body. I am afraid that unless the Spirit makes my heart more sensitive to my sins that I will not deal with my sinfulness until it blows up all over the place. Just like I would rather deal with a cancer before it takes out some vital organs, I would rather deal with my sins before they destroy my family, discredit my ministry and bring shame to the name of Christ. Spirit of God, would you please show me those cherished sins that I have grown so accustomed to that I am no longer aware that they are sin and have been dulled to their insiduous work? Then, would you please give me the strength and the desire to allow you to root them out of my life?
Friday, September 24, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Fret Not!
Psalm 37
David writes this psalm like a series of proverbs around a common theme: the righteous will be blessed and the wicked will fail. This is a teaching psalm more than it is a psalm of praise, althout it definitely speaks of God's character: he values righteousness, faithfulness and is just. The main instruction is: do not fret, words which are repeated a few times in the psalm, when you see the wicked attaining success for their success will be short lived.
Perhaps David was concerned because he was seeing his people becoming so frustrated by the wicked that they were beginning to employ wicked means to stand against them. In any case, he warns them not to become like the wicked. He indicates that the beginning of wickedness is fretting because, I believe, it indicates a lack of trust in the Lord and the beginning of taking matters into our own hands.
This is one of the things I needed to be reminded of from this psalm. Do not fret - it leads only to evil. It means that I have lost trust in the Lord. The only conclusion to draw is that I am afraid that the Lord can't handle the situation. The other indication is that I am more worried about me, my reputation and my comfort than I am about the kingdom of heaven. In other words, I acknowledge that Jesus is in control but I fret about what that could mean for me. This means that I have become the center of my life or that I have lost confidence in the Lord's goodness.
The other thing that struck me from this psalm was the line, "those the Lord blesses will inherit the land" (v.22). This reminds me of the beatitudes in Christ's sermon on the mount: "blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." David is aware in a general way that inheritance of the land is at the perogative of the Lord. Jesus tells us the qualities he is looking for in those he wants to bless: meekness. I don't think I have a good understanding of this word. It conjures up ideas of humility, quietness, and submission. It has a bit of a negative connotation. In fact, dictionary.com defines it as overly compliant. It is clear that meekness is not necessarily something we value in our society and yet Jesus promises that those who are meek will be blessed.
So, my prayer from this psalm is two fold: one, that Christ would remind me that he is good and he is King so I do not fret. I want the Spirit to make me aware of those times when I am fretting and stressing and then move me to re-orient my thinking to recognize that Christ is still in control. Two, that the Spirit would make me meek even though it is not something that will be valued by this world. I long to want the affirmation of Christ more than the affirmation of this society and so, again, I acknowledge my dependence on the Spirit to re-orient my priorities and focus.
David writes this psalm like a series of proverbs around a common theme: the righteous will be blessed and the wicked will fail. This is a teaching psalm more than it is a psalm of praise, althout it definitely speaks of God's character: he values righteousness, faithfulness and is just. The main instruction is: do not fret, words which are repeated a few times in the psalm, when you see the wicked attaining success for their success will be short lived.
Perhaps David was concerned because he was seeing his people becoming so frustrated by the wicked that they were beginning to employ wicked means to stand against them. In any case, he warns them not to become like the wicked. He indicates that the beginning of wickedness is fretting because, I believe, it indicates a lack of trust in the Lord and the beginning of taking matters into our own hands.
This is one of the things I needed to be reminded of from this psalm. Do not fret - it leads only to evil. It means that I have lost trust in the Lord. The only conclusion to draw is that I am afraid that the Lord can't handle the situation. The other indication is that I am more worried about me, my reputation and my comfort than I am about the kingdom of heaven. In other words, I acknowledge that Jesus is in control but I fret about what that could mean for me. This means that I have become the center of my life or that I have lost confidence in the Lord's goodness.
The other thing that struck me from this psalm was the line, "those the Lord blesses will inherit the land" (v.22). This reminds me of the beatitudes in Christ's sermon on the mount: "blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." David is aware in a general way that inheritance of the land is at the perogative of the Lord. Jesus tells us the qualities he is looking for in those he wants to bless: meekness. I don't think I have a good understanding of this word. It conjures up ideas of humility, quietness, and submission. It has a bit of a negative connotation. In fact, dictionary.com defines it as overly compliant. It is clear that meekness is not necessarily something we value in our society and yet Jesus promises that those who are meek will be blessed.
So, my prayer from this psalm is two fold: one, that Christ would remind me that he is good and he is King so I do not fret. I want the Spirit to make me aware of those times when I am fretting and stressing and then move me to re-orient my thinking to recognize that Christ is still in control. Two, that the Spirit would make me meek even though it is not something that will be valued by this world. I long to want the affirmation of Christ more than the affirmation of this society and so, again, I acknowledge my dependence on the Spirit to re-orient my priorities and focus.
Friday, September 17, 2010
The Fountain of Life
Psalm 36
The psalm starts with a unique title: For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. I haven't seen this title so far in the Book of Psalms. I wonder if something happened to make David particularly humble in the writing of this psalm or I wonder if he establishing his credentials as someone who can speak a message from the Lord.
The message he has is concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. He focuses on what the wicked see (themselves) and what they say (wicked and deceitful words). The main message is that they are so focused on themselves that they are completely unaware that they are violating a standard of righteousness. They may even be unaware that such a standard exists.
The theme of the psalm abruptly switches to the character of the Lord. I think David is trying to show the contrast between the depravity of the wicked and the beauty of the Lord's character. Perhaps David's goal is to call the a group of people, perhaps the whole nation, to turn away from their wickedness and toward the Lord. In this capacity, David is acting as a prophet or servant of the Lord.
I need to be reminded of the beauty of the Lord's character. Like the wicked in this psalm, I get distracted and my focus shifts from the beauty of the Lord to the cheap substitutes that this world has to offer. I need to be reminded that the love of the Lord reaches to the heavens, his faithfulness reaches to the skies, his righteousness is like the highest mountains and his justice is like the mighty oceans. I need to be reminded that his love is precious. I know that I do not value who the Lord is to the extent that I should. I long to long for him.
The psalm starts with a unique title: For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. I haven't seen this title so far in the Book of Psalms. I wonder if something happened to make David particularly humble in the writing of this psalm or I wonder if he establishing his credentials as someone who can speak a message from the Lord.
The message he has is concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. He focuses on what the wicked see (themselves) and what they say (wicked and deceitful words). The main message is that they are so focused on themselves that they are completely unaware that they are violating a standard of righteousness. They may even be unaware that such a standard exists.
The theme of the psalm abruptly switches to the character of the Lord. I think David is trying to show the contrast between the depravity of the wicked and the beauty of the Lord's character. Perhaps David's goal is to call the a group of people, perhaps the whole nation, to turn away from their wickedness and toward the Lord. In this capacity, David is acting as a prophet or servant of the Lord.
I need to be reminded of the beauty of the Lord's character. Like the wicked in this psalm, I get distracted and my focus shifts from the beauty of the Lord to the cheap substitutes that this world has to offer. I need to be reminded that the love of the Lord reaches to the heavens, his faithfulness reaches to the skies, his righteousness is like the highest mountains and his justice is like the mighty oceans. I need to be reminded that his love is precious. I know that I do not value who the Lord is to the extent that I should. I long to long for him.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Contention
Psalm 35
This psalm of David is another imprecatory psalm, meaning that they contain prayers for his enemies destruction. David obviously had a strong sense of justice that bordered on revenge except that he left his vindication in the hands of the Lord, at least in the psalms. David gets right to the point in this psalm: Contend with those who contend with me. He then gives some history: they had laid a trap of some sort for him even though he had prayed and mourned for them when they were ill. David calls for the Lord to act on what he has seen, cursing those who delight in his destruction and blessing those who rejoice in his restoration. He ends with a pledge to praise the Lord that, while not explicit, seems a bit conditional.
I have definitely felt the same way as David about some people or circumstances in my life; my sense of justice and fairness have been offended. I think the difference between my reaction and David's reaction in the psalm is that I dream of taking personal revenge while David prays to the Lord. David definitely has desires for the destruction of his enemies but, at least in the psalm, he trusts the Lord to vindicate him. I do wonder that if David had an opportunity to take revenge if he would see that as the way the Lord has chosen to restore justice. In other words, I wonder how passive David really was.
The other difference between my reaction and David's reaction is that I am often looking for "justice" for my name's sake while David is looking for justice for the Lord's name sake. It is not explicit in this psalm but it definitely comes up in other psalms. This is the difference between having a self-centered life and a Christ-centered life. When my life is centered on Christ, all my passions, emotions and desires are rightly ordered and when I see injustice I immediately recognize how that reflects on Christ's character and I want his name to be "cleared" or glorified. Again, I may be overstating a little bit since most of David's imprecatory psalms are written in response to perceived injustice against himself and rarely because of injustice in another's life.
It is clear that the Lord values justice, that he is the King and Judge and that I can be confident that he will restore justice. My prayer is that I would have the heart of David in regards to justice, not just for my own life but for others as well. I pray that God would make me more aware of the principles and values of his kingdom and of when those values have been offended. I pray that God would assert himself as the King and Center of my life so that I can be more aware of the suffering and oppression of others.
This psalm of David is another imprecatory psalm, meaning that they contain prayers for his enemies destruction. David obviously had a strong sense of justice that bordered on revenge except that he left his vindication in the hands of the Lord, at least in the psalms. David gets right to the point in this psalm: Contend with those who contend with me. He then gives some history: they had laid a trap of some sort for him even though he had prayed and mourned for them when they were ill. David calls for the Lord to act on what he has seen, cursing those who delight in his destruction and blessing those who rejoice in his restoration. He ends with a pledge to praise the Lord that, while not explicit, seems a bit conditional.
I have definitely felt the same way as David about some people or circumstances in my life; my sense of justice and fairness have been offended. I think the difference between my reaction and David's reaction in the psalm is that I dream of taking personal revenge while David prays to the Lord. David definitely has desires for the destruction of his enemies but, at least in the psalm, he trusts the Lord to vindicate him. I do wonder that if David had an opportunity to take revenge if he would see that as the way the Lord has chosen to restore justice. In other words, I wonder how passive David really was.
The other difference between my reaction and David's reaction is that I am often looking for "justice" for my name's sake while David is looking for justice for the Lord's name sake. It is not explicit in this psalm but it definitely comes up in other psalms. This is the difference between having a self-centered life and a Christ-centered life. When my life is centered on Christ, all my passions, emotions and desires are rightly ordered and when I see injustice I immediately recognize how that reflects on Christ's character and I want his name to be "cleared" or glorified. Again, I may be overstating a little bit since most of David's imprecatory psalms are written in response to perceived injustice against himself and rarely because of injustice in another's life.
It is clear that the Lord values justice, that he is the King and Judge and that I can be confident that he will restore justice. My prayer is that I would have the heart of David in regards to justice, not just for my own life but for others as well. I pray that God would make me more aware of the principles and values of his kingdom and of when those values have been offended. I pray that God would assert himself as the King and Center of my life so that I can be more aware of the suffering and oppression of others.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Refuge of the Righteous
Psalm 34
This is a psalm of David written as a response to his deliverance from Abimelek. I can't help but here the ecstatic relief in the tone of the psalm. I would expect the psalm to be less focused because of the emotions David must have felt and yet it is incredibly disciplined: the text notes indicate that this was an acrostic poem.
There are a couple of themes in the psalm. The first is praise. David begins with a call to praise and then gives his reason for praise. It isn't long before David seizes this teachable moment to instruct the congregation. David's main point is that the Lord protects those who fear him. This theme is repeated through out the rest of the psalm with a brief pause to instruct his fellow worshipers in how to fear the Lord: turn from evil and do good.
It would be easy to read a formulaic faith in this psalm because David pretty much lays it out as a formula: turn from evil and do good and the Lord will hear your prayer and deliver you from trouble. The problem with this formula is that it doesn't work and adds pressure to me. If I am experiencing trouble the obvious conclusion is that the Lord is not hearing my prayer because I do not fear him enough or have not done enough good. Sometimes there is truth to this conclusion but sometimes there is not. Job would stand as a witness that this formula cannot be upheld 100% of the time. This is why I see this psalm as a sort of proverb: a general truth that has some exceptions. Sort of like the rule of thumb: it's right 9 times out of 10 (including this one... I'll leave you to do the math on that!). However, the formula is ultimately right. Ultimately the righteous will be delivered. Ultimately evil will be defeated. Ultimately those who fear the Lord will be vindicated.
This is what I like about the psalms: there are psalms that reflect almost every emotion and circumstance in my life. In times of victory and deliverance, I can sing this psalm with David. In times of brokeness and darkness, I know that even though I walk through the valley of the darkest shadow the Lord is with me. His rod and staff will bring me comfort. I do not have to fear any evil. He is with me in the present and I will take refuge in him until that day when he ultimately delivers me.
This is a psalm of David written as a response to his deliverance from Abimelek. I can't help but here the ecstatic relief in the tone of the psalm. I would expect the psalm to be less focused because of the emotions David must have felt and yet it is incredibly disciplined: the text notes indicate that this was an acrostic poem.
There are a couple of themes in the psalm. The first is praise. David begins with a call to praise and then gives his reason for praise. It isn't long before David seizes this teachable moment to instruct the congregation. David's main point is that the Lord protects those who fear him. This theme is repeated through out the rest of the psalm with a brief pause to instruct his fellow worshipers in how to fear the Lord: turn from evil and do good.
It would be easy to read a formulaic faith in this psalm because David pretty much lays it out as a formula: turn from evil and do good and the Lord will hear your prayer and deliver you from trouble. The problem with this formula is that it doesn't work and adds pressure to me. If I am experiencing trouble the obvious conclusion is that the Lord is not hearing my prayer because I do not fear him enough or have not done enough good. Sometimes there is truth to this conclusion but sometimes there is not. Job would stand as a witness that this formula cannot be upheld 100% of the time. This is why I see this psalm as a sort of proverb: a general truth that has some exceptions. Sort of like the rule of thumb: it's right 9 times out of 10 (including this one... I'll leave you to do the math on that!). However, the formula is ultimately right. Ultimately the righteous will be delivered. Ultimately evil will be defeated. Ultimately those who fear the Lord will be vindicated.
This is what I like about the psalms: there are psalms that reflect almost every emotion and circumstance in my life. In times of victory and deliverance, I can sing this psalm with David. In times of brokeness and darkness, I know that even though I walk through the valley of the darkest shadow the Lord is with me. His rod and staff will bring me comfort. I do not have to fear any evil. He is with me in the present and I will take refuge in him until that day when he ultimately delivers me.
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Vanity of Horses
Psalm 33
This psalm is without title and has no author attached to it. It is a psalm that encourages the congregation to sing praise to the Lord. The "word of the Lord" is a phrase and/or idea that appears repeatedly through out the psalm. The second stanza describes the quality of the word of the Lord as right and true and the third stanza describes the power of the word of the Lord in creation and sustaining his creation. The rest of the psalm draws its conclusion from the fact that the word of the Lord is powerful: therefore the plans of the wicked will be foiled, the nation who trusts in God is blessed even in the face of famine, war and death.
The section of the psalm that draws my attention is the second last and last stanzas. The psalmist recognizes that there is a power bigger than that of a large army, there is strength stronger than that of a mighty warrior on a war horse. Only those who fear the Lord and trust in his unfailing love will experience the full blessing and protection of the Lord. The conclusion of the psalm is that the nation will trust in and wait for God, with the plea: "please don't let us down."
I can certainly resonate with that last plea. It adds to the humanity of the psalm: Lord, I trust you completely... mostly. I know that I don't live with a complete trust in the Lord. At best he is my plan A but I am always working on plans B, C, and D just in case. The things I rely on are my own abilities, mostly my strategic planning and my communication skills. But there are other things I trust as well: do I need some money? I have credit cards or lines of credit to supply my need. And this is where I get confused: I recognize, most of the time, that God gave me certain abilities so when I use them to solve a problem am I trusting in my own ability or in the Lord? Would the psalmist have turned down a large army or mighty warriors on fighting horses saying that he trusted in the Lord to provide or would he have concluded that the army he had at his disposal was the Lord's provision? I don't think the psalmist is saying that he wouldn't use horses if he had them but is acknowleding that there is a power greater than that of the horse. So, I don't think it is wrong for me to use my abilities, skills and resources as long as I continue to recognize that those resources have been given to me by the Giver of all good things and that my skills in strategy are only a spark compared to the blazing intellect of the Lord, that my ability to communicate is overshadowed by the one whose very word is right and true, whose very ability to communicate didn't just create ideas or explain concepts but created the very world and universe. As long as my heart is rejoicing in him and not in my abilities, as long as I trust in his holy name and not my own skills I believe my heart is right.
This psalm is without title and has no author attached to it. It is a psalm that encourages the congregation to sing praise to the Lord. The "word of the Lord" is a phrase and/or idea that appears repeatedly through out the psalm. The second stanza describes the quality of the word of the Lord as right and true and the third stanza describes the power of the word of the Lord in creation and sustaining his creation. The rest of the psalm draws its conclusion from the fact that the word of the Lord is powerful: therefore the plans of the wicked will be foiled, the nation who trusts in God is blessed even in the face of famine, war and death.
The section of the psalm that draws my attention is the second last and last stanzas. The psalmist recognizes that there is a power bigger than that of a large army, there is strength stronger than that of a mighty warrior on a war horse. Only those who fear the Lord and trust in his unfailing love will experience the full blessing and protection of the Lord. The conclusion of the psalm is that the nation will trust in and wait for God, with the plea: "please don't let us down."
I can certainly resonate with that last plea. It adds to the humanity of the psalm: Lord, I trust you completely... mostly. I know that I don't live with a complete trust in the Lord. At best he is my plan A but I am always working on plans B, C, and D just in case. The things I rely on are my own abilities, mostly my strategic planning and my communication skills. But there are other things I trust as well: do I need some money? I have credit cards or lines of credit to supply my need. And this is where I get confused: I recognize, most of the time, that God gave me certain abilities so when I use them to solve a problem am I trusting in my own ability or in the Lord? Would the psalmist have turned down a large army or mighty warriors on fighting horses saying that he trusted in the Lord to provide or would he have concluded that the army he had at his disposal was the Lord's provision? I don't think the psalmist is saying that he wouldn't use horses if he had them but is acknowleding that there is a power greater than that of the horse. So, I don't think it is wrong for me to use my abilities, skills and resources as long as I continue to recognize that those resources have been given to me by the Giver of all good things and that my skills in strategy are only a spark compared to the blazing intellect of the Lord, that my ability to communicate is overshadowed by the one whose very word is right and true, whose very ability to communicate didn't just create ideas or explain concepts but created the very world and universe. As long as my heart is rejoicing in him and not in my abilities, as long as I trust in his holy name and not my own skills I believe my heart is right.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Forgiven
Psalm 32
David is recounting a time when he experienced the Lord's forgiveness for a sin that David wanted to keep hidden but eventually acknowledged and confessed. The pslam includes a section where it seems as if David is writing from God's perspective (v8-9) and ends with a section where David is instructing the congregation but the rest of the psalm is addressed to the Lord.. I think we've all heard prayers where the pray-er is instructing us more than she is talking to the Lord. There is definitely an element of that here as well.
The basic message of the psalm is that even though you are afraid to come before the Lord and acknowledge your sin, don't wait to be led like a horse on a bit and bridle. Come to the Lord, acknowledge your sin and you will experience the hilarity (to borrow a phrase form Marva Dawn) of God's forgiveness. You will be surrounded by songs of deliverance and unfailing love, not punishment or vengeance.
There is a phrase that strikes me right at the beginning of the psalm. I'm not sure how much theology we are to take at face value from the psalms because I believe we have to leave room for the artistic poetic language of the psalmist. However, having said that, David makes a comparison between being forgiven and having no deceit in my spirit. If I am interpretting this correctly, David is saying that when we confess our sin and the Lord forgives our sin, no longer counting it against us, we are not only forgiven but we are made clean. This meshes completely with the teaching of the NT, especially 1 John 1:9. However, I am not sure that I always believe this. I think I have a wrong concept of forgiveness because I believe, as seen through the way I act and relate to God, that I can be forgiven of my sins but still have to make amends somehow for my sinfulness. I believe that somehow God can overlook my sinful actions but that the stain remains on my soul and spirit. David says that this is not true. When I am forgiven by the Lord, there is no stain that remains. My spirit contains no deceit. I think this may be why I have not ever really experienced the fullness of Christ's forgiveness. First, I know my propensity to wander and believe whole-heartedly that I will fall into that sin again. I know that to some extent, I enjoy sin. Second, while Christ may have dealt with the particular sinful action, I don't believe that he has dealt with the fatal flaw itself and so I confess the symptom knowing that the root cause remains. Of course I know theologically that this is not true but I am not convicted or convinced of the truth of this and so I continue to live under the weight of my sinfulness. I long to know, to experience the full freedom of being not just forgiven (to split hairs) but cleansed and made new by Christ. Having said that, I also know that the pattern of my life has been to see Christ working gradually and inevitably rather than dramatically and spontaneously.
David is recounting a time when he experienced the Lord's forgiveness for a sin that David wanted to keep hidden but eventually acknowledged and confessed. The pslam includes a section where it seems as if David is writing from God's perspective (v8-9) and ends with a section where David is instructing the congregation but the rest of the psalm is addressed to the Lord.. I think we've all heard prayers where the pray-er is instructing us more than she is talking to the Lord. There is definitely an element of that here as well.
The basic message of the psalm is that even though you are afraid to come before the Lord and acknowledge your sin, don't wait to be led like a horse on a bit and bridle. Come to the Lord, acknowledge your sin and you will experience the hilarity (to borrow a phrase form Marva Dawn) of God's forgiveness. You will be surrounded by songs of deliverance and unfailing love, not punishment or vengeance.
There is a phrase that strikes me right at the beginning of the psalm. I'm not sure how much theology we are to take at face value from the psalms because I believe we have to leave room for the artistic poetic language of the psalmist. However, having said that, David makes a comparison between being forgiven and having no deceit in my spirit. If I am interpretting this correctly, David is saying that when we confess our sin and the Lord forgives our sin, no longer counting it against us, we are not only forgiven but we are made clean. This meshes completely with the teaching of the NT, especially 1 John 1:9. However, I am not sure that I always believe this. I think I have a wrong concept of forgiveness because I believe, as seen through the way I act and relate to God, that I can be forgiven of my sins but still have to make amends somehow for my sinfulness. I believe that somehow God can overlook my sinful actions but that the stain remains on my soul and spirit. David says that this is not true. When I am forgiven by the Lord, there is no stain that remains. My spirit contains no deceit. I think this may be why I have not ever really experienced the fullness of Christ's forgiveness. First, I know my propensity to wander and believe whole-heartedly that I will fall into that sin again. I know that to some extent, I enjoy sin. Second, while Christ may have dealt with the particular sinful action, I don't believe that he has dealt with the fatal flaw itself and so I confess the symptom knowing that the root cause remains. Of course I know theologically that this is not true but I am not convicted or convinced of the truth of this and so I continue to live under the weight of my sinfulness. I long to know, to experience the full freedom of being not just forgiven (to split hairs) but cleansed and made new by Christ. Having said that, I also know that the pattern of my life has been to see Christ working gradually and inevitably rather than dramatically and spontaneously.
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