Tag: Psalms

Stream of Consciousness or Connected Thoughts?

Sometimes when we read the Bible is seems like we get whiplash! We’re following along in the flow when all of a sudden we are ambushed from out of nowhere by something we never expected and seemingly totally unrelated. A lot of teachers seem content to say, “Well, I guess the author just wanted to make two radically unconnected points and so just sort of did!” To be perfectly blunt, I find this supremely unsatisfying. Sometimes the connective tissue between multiple thoughts is easy, but other times you need to dig a little deeper. And honestly, digging deeper and unifying seemingly unconnected thoughts brings a better, deeper understanding to the Word of God.

Psalm 127 is a simple but effective illustration of this. It is short enough that I have included its entire text for reference.

If the Lord does not build a house, then those who build it work in vain. If the Lord does not guard a city, then the watchman stands guard in vain. It is vain for you to rise early, come home late, and work so hard for your food. Yes, he provides for those whom he loves even when they sleep. Yes, sons are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Sons born during one’s youth are like arrows in a warrior’s hand. How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them. They will not be put to shame when they confront enemies at the city gate.
Psalm 127 (NET)

Solomon starts off talking about how if we want anything we are working on to be of lasting value or really matter the Lord needs to be a part of it. Is is truly He who provide, which is why our efforts to do it ourselves is vanity, emptiness, worthless. Then he affirms this assessment twice.

YES, he provides even when we sleep. This statement serve to underscore that God is the one who does things and anything we think we have manufactured for ourselves is an illusion. The product of His common grace at best¹ and the product of God’s active hand at worst²!

YES, sons are a gift from the Lord, like arrows that will protect him from shame…. What?! How does this further the case that God provides? Since when are children like weapons of war? And how are they print us from being shamed in court?? Perhaps my framing has helped you to already see how these things are connected. Children themselves are a gift from God. And once we have moved past the prime of our lives, they will be in the prime of theirs and they will take care of us in the same way we took care of them. And because the children are a gift from God, even their care of us is from Him. Because that’s how He designed families!

“Best” meaning the most charitable possible interpretation that gives the human the greatest possible amount of credit. ↩︎
“Worst” meaning the least charitable possible interpretation that gives the human the least possible amount of credit. ↩︎

Can God Still Work Through Me If I Suck?

I’ll just say it, I find David’s orders to his son to kill Joab and Shimei to be deeply troubling. If Joab had done something worthy of death, then David should have killed him. But David did not, likely because Joab provided an incredible amount of utility to him. Then There’s Shimei, who had cursed David, but then changed his tune and came around to serve David. Combine that with the fact that David promised Shimei that he would not kill him, and the command to Solomon to do so comes off even worse! And these are part of the keys to the kingdom that David gives to his son! It’s no wonder then that Solomon also kills his own brother for a presumed coup (that is, asking to marry a girl who had “helped keep David warm”) and then dismisses the high priest — Abiathar — who had supported Adonaijah’s presumed ascent to the throne. This all seems much more like revenge and consolidation of power than it does one Godly king passing the throne to another.

It’s not until AFTER this that Solomon asks God for wisdom to lead well. Solomon’s actions in his personal life would lead him away from God, and his son would ultimately divide the kingdom of Israel. Solomon is a case study in the utter folly of human wisdom. And while David gets a lot of credit for being super awesome, that’s not what I see. I see a man who was deeply flawed, a poor father, a poor husband, a middling king, and a great military leader. The only thing David really had going for him was that — despite is glaring flaws — his heart was genuine and earnest in it’s longing for God.

What made David great in history? That God used him. What made Solomon great in history? That God used him. And if God can use these two exceptionally flawed men, He can use you! No matter how bad you THINK you are, God can use you! Do you really believe that God is so weak that He can only use perfect vessels?! His power is made perfect in weakness!

Think about this: God worked through Pharaoh! God worked through Balaam. God worked through Balaam’s donkey! The Bible is rife with examples of even people who HATED God being used by Him to accomplish His purposes. Now, salvation is a separate issue. I think we would all rather be a flawed-but-saved David than a used-but-damned Pharaoh. But the point remains…

You’re never too flawed to be used by God!

What is the Wrath of God?

When we think of or hear about the ‘wrath of God’, the temptation is strong to imagine a vengeful God having a fit of rage and throwing fistfuls of lightning bolts down on a wicked populace to strike them dead. This idea comes from the capricious human-like gods popularized in Greek and Roman mythology, this is not the God of the Bible.

“Nice try, cowboy!” I hear some retort, “If God is not wrathful like Zeus or Jupiter, then explain Lot’s Wife (Genesis 19:26), Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:6-7), and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) !”

These are all examples of disobedience stemming from lack of proper respect for God. Lot’s wife looked back when she was explicitly told not to do so. Uzzah reached out to touch the Ark of the Covenant when that was expressly forbidden (after choosing to transport the Ark in a way OTHER than what God’ had instructed), and Ananias and Sapphira lied to the church and withheld God’s portion from Him. So God met out the ultimate punishment for this after rescuing her family (Lot’s Wife), restoring glory to Israel (Uzzah), and raising the church (Ananias & Sapphira).

This was not some reckless decision based on a whim. These were consequences for actions taken in defiance of God. And as I read today’s Psalms of Asaph, I noticed a trend…

In Psalm 80 Asaph feels like God is blessing another nation due to Israel’s disobedience. But is this the case? Was God blessing Israel’s oppressor? Or was Israel a decidedly weak nation being propped up by Yahweh? Was God blessing ANOTHER nation, or did He simply remove His hedge of protection from Israel and allow the attacks of their enemies to proceed unencumbered? This is the wrath of God.

Is Psalm 81 we see that God WANTS to rescue us, He loves us! His sincere desire is that none should perish, but that all would come to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. However, He will not override our free will. God has chosen to restrain Himself so that only those who freely choose Him will draw near to Him, and those same people will be saved. So what happens to the rest? That is the wrath of God.

In Psalm 82 we see a scenario where God sits in judgement of all the other gods and warns them of the folly of their wickedness. Of course those gods do not exist (except in the minds of the people who created them), so the people who “follow” them are the ones who will bear the responsibility for the actions of their “gods”. This is the path of destruction. This is the wrath of God.

The worker earns his wages (1 Timothy 5:18). And the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This is the wrath of God. It’s really not that complicated.

Hidden in the Familiar

Psalm 78:2-3a says, “I will sing a song that imparts wisdom; I will make insightful observations about the past. What we have heard and learned (NET)” And I was struck by how often that happens to me. I will read a well-trodden, often discussed, and much taught passage, say… John 3:16, and think “I have heard and read this so many times! I would rather read some obscure passage and get the meat off of that bone rather than chewing on this meat-stripped this bone AGAIN!”

Ha!

That’s when God shows me some connection I had previous missed. Some truth that I had never noticed before. God’s Word is like an iceberg. There is so much more below the surface that to plumb the depths to exhaustion is nigh impossible. And what’s more? Sometimes you and I are not READY to see the next insight or peel back another layer of depth. Our hearts are not ready. Or our minds are not ready. In these cases, there is more that we need to understand in order to gain a more complete grasp of the depth of the words of Scripture.

So, when you come to God’s Word, come asking the Lord to open your eyes, mind, and heart. Come EXPECTING that the Lord will continue to unfold the fullness of His glorious truth!

He will. Amen.

Are You Serious? You Should Be.

It is clear that — even in under the old covenant — God was calling all nations to Himself. He had a great many rules about the foreigners who lived among His chosen people. Rahab of Jericho AND Ruth of Moab are both in the line of David and of Jesus! Psalm 50 highlights this truth yet again, we are told in no uncertain terms that God has called ALL OF HUMANITY to Himself. Those who refuse to heed the call and instead stand at enmity with God as enemies will suffer destruction.

And we can get SO caught up with rites and rituals that we forget that God is looking at our hearts! Even in the OLD TESTAMENT! The thief on the cross beside Jesus didn’t have time to sacrifice ANYTHING as a sin offering for purification, but he ca humbly to Jesus and acknowledge Him as Lord. And he was saved. He. Was. Saved! No rites or rituals, no pomp or circumstance. We do this things from the overflow of an obedient heart. Not as fire insurance!

God will destroy the pretenders the same way he will destroy the insolent. So don’t pretend for His sake! God is not fooled and God is not mocked. If you aren’t serious, you’ve chosen destruction. You might as well try to enjoy the gift of common grace on this earth before it is withdrawn for eternity, rather than pretend to be something you aren’t.

And the inverse is equally true. If you want God’s salvation, you can’t trick God into giving it to you. He sees you. He sees THROUGH you. He knows everything. So give Him your heart. For real. I promise you won’t regret it. You won’t miss anything from your old life and you will never have known so much peace and contentment. That’s how it was for me.

The Saddest Psalm

There are many “Psalms of Lament” but Psalm 88 stands out for being unrelenting. In fact, while the book of Psalms has a reputation for being soul salve, this one might leave you feeling worse after you finish it than you felt before you started!

Yet, I believe that even this should be encouraging for us. Why? Because sometimes the circumstances we find ourselves in are overwhelming. Sometimes the grief is so deep that genuine praise eludes us. And that’s okay. Remember, like I said yesterday, God already knows what you are going through. You don’t need to pretend you feel better than you do. Be honest with the Lord. Trust Him with your real feelings. Being raw and honest with God doesn’t mean you don’t trust him, it means you can trust Him enough to be real.

So long as you still — like the Psalmist — recognize that God is in control, that God is our hope, you can have every confidence that God wants you to come to Him as you are. So do that. Bring it to Him whether you are smiling or crying, joyful or grieving.

What Does Omniscience Mean?

Psalm 139 has David talking about how God sees everything he does (sitting, standing, laying, speaking!) and even knows his motives. This is exactly what omniscience means (“Omni” being “all” and “science” being “knowledge”); God has all knowledge. There are two things we can take away from the fact that God knows everything.

We can take comfort in the fact that God can see us and is with us anywhere and everywhere we might go. He can always lead us and guide us.
We can take caution in the fact that God knows all our sins. There is nothing hidden from us. He watched us commit them!
God knows how many days you have left, and when your last day on this earth is.

So then, in terms of definition omniscience means all-knowing… but in terms of implication it means that God cannot be fooled, He knows literally everything. Everything we have ever done and will ever do. And what does that mean? Look at David’s request toward the end of the Psalm. David asks God to help him avoid becoming an enemy of the Lord. We should do the same. Sin can lead any of us astray. And God knows that, He knows where we are weak, and He knows where we are being attacked, and He WANTS to help us, but He is not going to go against our will to do so.

If God already knows our failings, let’s embrace that all-knowing-ness and ask him to help us deal with them.

Emotions Can Make Us Inconsistent

Reading through the Psalms, it’s hard to NOT notice that David swings wildly between God being faithful and just and wonderful and gracious to abandoning him in the dirt. Psalm 109 is MOSTLY David talking about his enemies plans and prayer to do him in. 108 has David asking the Lord if He has abandoned not merely David, but also the nation of Israel… just a few SENTENCES after praising God’s faithfulness!

I guess the point here is that HOW we call on God will change with our circumstances. When we feel like we are being blessed, we will naturally praise God for His blessings. But when we are in trouble, we will naturally tend to ask God why He seems far away. Note, though that David continually comes back to acknowledging God’s faithfulness, and we should do the same. So Job said, “though you slay me, I will trust you, Lord.”

Prophecy or Poem?

Psalm 68 has some interesting features. The earth shakes before God (v8). God rescues from death (v20). And the good news is delivered by women (v11). Note the similarities with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Some commenters point out that women celebrating the victory of the king is commonplace (Ex 15:20, 1 Sa 18:6, Jg 11:34), but in each of these cases, the women are greeting the warriors who are returning home. In Psalm 68 the women are sharing the good news THEN the kings run away.

In the same way, the women who went to the tomb were the first people EVER to share the news of the risen Lord!

So was this just poetic language, or was God prompting David’s pen to hint at things to come?

Quick Thoughts

David recognizes that — even as king — he rules and reigns under the King of Kings. Any of us who hold any position of authority should keep that in mind. All authority is the Lord’s and it’s only on loan to us. We need to be mindful how we use it. Thinking of your realms of authority as realms of responsibility can help with this.

We should look neither to common people, nor to the power, but only to God. Not only is He the sole source of hope for us, but He is also the ONLY one who can answer prayer. It’s no wonder then that our trust should be in Him alone.

Psalm 66:18 says, “If I had harbored sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” What sins are we harbouring in our hearts that are hindering our prayers? Don’t let sin control you, don’t give it a seat at the table. Rather confess it to God (and possibly to a brother/sister) and get that obstruction out of the way!