Considering His Love

Psalm 107:43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.

Regardless of the situation we find ourselves in, we can consider God's love, and know that He wants to deliver us.

Psalm 107 is basically a series of scenarios. There is no specific historical connection for these scenarios so it's best to take them in a general, illustrative sense. A theme that runs through all these scenarios is that people found themselves in negative situations and God came to their aid. It is interesting to note that of the four situations mentioned, two of them came as a result of the people's own foolishness. In one case their negative situation came as a result of direct rebellion against God, yet God saved them when they cried out to Him. In the other, the rebellion is there but is more generalized, yet the deliverance is still the same. In fact, upon closer examination, verses 6, 13, 19, and 28 are almost exactly the same. I decided to look up those verses in the original Hebrew and discovered that aside from a slight variation in verse 28, they are exactly the same. All the key words are the same, the differences in the NIV came by way of translation. Therefore, the thought is quite clear. If you cry out to the LORD, He will deliver you from your distress.

This comes as great comfort to me because, like many people, I have things that distress me. Some of these things came as a result of my own rebellion, and some simply came upon me like a storm. Whatever the case, I can take heed to the things I read in Psalm 107 and consider God's great love for me that if I cry out to Him, He will deliver me from my distress.

Learning From the Past

Psalm 106:6 We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of others are destined to repeat them. That saying, in various forms has stuck in my mind for quite some time. So long, that I don't even remember the first time I heard it. However, that phrase could easily be the theme of Psalm 106. Like the previous psalm, this one gives some history of the Jewish people, but unlike Psalm 105, it focuses on the people's rebellion rather than on God's providence.

We, as human beings are prone to forget, and because of that forgetfulness we are also prone to wander from Him and His leading. As I was thinking about this concept the song "Prone to Wander" by Chris Rice came to mind. Some of the lyrics are as follows.

How can I be so prone to wander
So prone to leave You
So prone to die
And how can You be so full of mercy
You race to meet me and bring be back to life

As I was searching for those lyrics, I found the lyrics from a more familiar song which go:

O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above

I don't like wandering because I usually wander to places I should not be. If you feel the same way, the best way to keep from wandering is to learn from past mistakes; those of others, and those of ourselves.

Remember the Wonders

Psalm 105:5-6  ⁵ Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, ⁶ O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

Once again, the psalmist reminds us to remember.

As much as Psalm 104 was a natural psalm, Psalm 105 is a historical psalm. In this psalm, as in a previous psalm, the author uses history as a teaching tool. In this psalm, he retells some major historical points in Israel's history. He begins with Abraham and end with God's provision for His people in the wilderness following the exodus from Egypt.

The concept of retelling historical events resonates with me because I am somewhat of a history buff (one of my favorite channels is the History Channel), but this psalm is retelling history for a purpose other than just remembering facts. People tend to forget where they come from especially in regards to God's leading in their lives, and that is a tendency that needs to be broken. Along those lines, Ellen White wrote

"We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history." --Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, p. 196 (1902).

However, as we remember how God has led us in the past, we need to avoid the temptation to become nostalgic. John Eldredge had this thought on the matter,

"The most unredemptive kind of remembering is what many people call 'nostalgia.' How sad to visit elderly friends and relatives to find them sitting around listlessly, pining for 'the good old days.' They have no life in the present and little vision for the future, because they are locked in the past." --The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God, p. 207 (1997).

So as we take the time to remember our history, let us keep in mind that it is a place of reference, not a place of residence.

Rejoicing in His Works

Psalm 104:31-32  ³¹ May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works- ³² he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

God rejoices in His works, and so can we.

As I finished reading Psalm 104, I could not recall ever reading it before. The main reason for thinking that way is that verses 5-9 show that the author understood the proper concept of the world-wide flood. This passage shows me that the psalms were not written in a vacuum by some ignorant poet, but by someone with a intricate knowledge of biblical truth.

The psalm as a whole talks about the natural world, and more specifically, its dependence upon God. This thought is thought is, as they say, right up my alley because I am an avid student of nature. Now when I say "student" it doesn't mean that I sit around reading textbooks. I am more a student by way of observation, both directly (as in going outside) and indirectly (as in watching videos, etc. on the web). I am finding that if I am open, I can learn quite a bit from nature. Notice that I used the word "from" not "about" because "about" for me implies the technical aspects of nature like how many vertebrae are in a cat's spine. While it may be interesting to know such facts (and important if you intend to become a veterinarian), we lose out if our knowledge only goes that far.

There is a lot of things I could say on this subject, but by going into them I would lose sight of what the text is trying to say to me. The focus of the text is rejoicing. So as you go about your days, take the time to rejoice in God's works because in them we can see His glory.

Hearing the Groans

Psalm 102:18-20 ¹⁸ Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: ¹⁹ "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, ²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death."

Even though God is in heaven, He is not immune our suffering down here on earth.

Psalm 102 is and interesting psalm. The subtitle is "A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the LORD." It is a mixture of suffering and salvation. I'm focusing on my chosen passage mainly because the author of the psalm wanted people to remember the statement recorded there. It is much like a person today giving a speech and saying, "If you remember one thing, remember this." We are a people prone to forget, so I hope that by focusing on this text, we may remember it a little more easily.

The thought put forth is an important one, and one that is often forgotten when we are suffering. It is that the God in heaven is affected by our suffering here on earth. Not only does He hear the groans of those who are literally prisoners and condemned to die, but He also hears the groans of those who are prisoners of sin and condemned as a result. He has compassion upon us and will release us from our bondage.

God is not, as some people have said, a sort of heavenly watchmaker who wound up this world and left it to its own devices. He personally cares for each and everyone one of us down here. That fact alone should give us hope. That fact alone should give us peace. That fact alone should give us a reason to praise the Lord. We are not alone.

Blameless

Psalm 101:6  My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.

There is more to living a righteous life than simply not doing bad things.

The theme of Psalm 101 is living a righteous life, and in it David talks about all the things he will not do in order to be blameless. However, in the verse I'm focusing on today, he mentions things that he will do in order to accomplish that goal. That is a key point. So much of Christianity, esp. conservative Christianity, is focused on things that we should not do. Don't drink, don't smoke, don't go to wild parties, etc., etc. We should be focused as much, if not more, on the things that we should be doing. I read somewhere that actions and items are more enticing when they are forbidden. The more they are forbidden, the more enticing they become. I'm sure we all can think of something that was forbidden when we were growing up and how exciting it was to actually partake in that item or action.

My point here is not that we should say everything is allowable, and not condemn sin. My point is to say that sin should not be our focus. The more we focus on "the faithful in the land" the less power sin will have in our lives. As the song goes, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full into His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

Being a Sheep

Psalm 100 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. ² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Only by being His sheep can we truly find rest.

Even though I included the entire psalm, one verse stood out above the rest, and that is verse three. I recently did a little studying about sheep, as well as the concept of us being His sheep. The author lived in an area where sheep were an important part of the livelihood and economy, and therefore knew about sheep (esp. if the author was David, who was, in fact, a shepherd). The more I know about sheep, the less flattering the illustration becomes.

You see, sheep are definitely not the smartest animal out there. In fact, they are probably near the bottom of the intelligence scale. It's a little humbling as an intelligent human to be compared with such an animal, but the illustration fits when I compare myself to God. There are so many times when I haven't acted intelligently esp. where my spiritual life is concerned. I need to realize that I need God to take care of me as a shepherd would take care of his sheep. When I am in His pasture I have little to be concerned with because I know that I am under His care.

To be in His pasture, I must constantly surrender to His leading; something I am not inclined to do. I understood the concept of a general surrender to God, but more recently I have discovered that surrendering to God meant surrendering the little things of life. The process of surrendering is not the easiest thing to do, but it's the only way I can truly find the rest that comes from being the sheep of his pasture.

Balanced Forgiveness

Psalm 99:8  O LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds. 

There's more to God, and more to the Christian life, than just being forgiving.

In this psalm I find similar language to the previous one with the author exalting God for His positive traits. He also mentions great men of Israel's history such as Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. It is these people that are most likely referred to in verse eight as "them". However, the part that stood out to me was the second part of the verse. Here it describes how God was forgiving to the people of Israel, though He punished them for what they did wrong.

It's interesting that forgiveness and punishment are mentioned in the same thought. God could punish them while at the same time being a forgiving God. I think a lot of times we do God a disservice when we only focus on one aspect of His character, and I think we do ourselves a disservice when we only focus on one aspect of the Christian walk. We are taught so much the concept of turning the other cheek, and "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" that we have a tendency to be wimpy Christians. We can also be strong and be forgiving at the same time.

I talked about being strong first simply because I currently see more of an imbalance in that direction, but don't get me wrong, there are plenty of professed Christians who are imbalanced in the other direction. They focus more on the punishment/strength aspect than on the forgiveness aspect. What those in that camp don't understand is that it takes a lot of strength, perhaps even more strength, to forgive than to punish. It's easy to hurt someone for some wrong deed, but not always so easy to truly forgive them for that deed.

Help me Lord to exhibit all traits of your character, and not just the ones that I like best.

Proper Judgment

Psalm 98:8-9  ⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy; ⁹ let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

God is an example of how we should judge other people.

The bulk of this short psalm is about praise, and verse nine gives one of the reason for this praise. God judges righteously and equitably. This passage reminds me that I should do the same. Even well-meaning people with good intentions fall short of being equitable and righteous in our judgement (the word can be properly spelled with or without the "e"). We all have our biases. We all have our blind spots. 

I read recently about how even the apostle Peter after his conversion still had some biases regarding the relationship of Jews and Gentiles, and had to be publicly confronted about them. It is not something that is overcome in a moment. It will take time, and that time frame is different for everyone. So as we go about our days, let us remember to be righteous and equitable in our judgement, and also to be patient with ourselves and others regarding overcoming this character defect.

Identifying Idols

Psalm 97:7 All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!

Idols can only be done away with if you know what they are.

This psalm starts out with much of the same language that are found in many other psalms. Verses 1-6 talk about His wonder, majesty, and power. Verses 8-12 talk about much of the same thing. Verse seven seems like an inserted statement to highlight the folly of worshiping images and idols. Images and idols are nothing in comparison to this great God Who rules the heavens.

Now in those days, it was probably quite easy to identify idols. They were erected in shrines and had prominent places in people's homes. These days, their identities are much more elusive. Idols are simply anything that comes in between me and a closer relationship with God. There are modern idols  that are more obvious than others, such as money and material things. However, idols can often masquerade as good things, such as national pride (are we more concerned with World Cup scores than studying the Bible?), or even Christian service (do we spend so much time doing the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the work?).

Lord help me to see what my idols are so that there is nothing between me and You.

Acknowledge Him

Psalm 95  ¹ Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. ² Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. ³ For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. ⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. ⁵ The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. ⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; ⁷ for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, ⁸ do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, ⁹ where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did. ¹⁰ For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways." ¹¹ So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."

In order to worship God we must first acknowledge, or, in many cases, remember who He is.

The act of worship is a powerful thing. It shows that the object of our worship is greater than us. When we get too full of ourselves, than our worship suffers. The psalmist here is reminding the reader/hearer exactly who God is. He is the greatest of all gods; the One who created and controls the natural world. It is only after stating those things is the concept of worship mentioned. We worship Him because He is our God, and we are under His care.

The psalmist then puts in a warning encouraging us not to be like those in the past who have hardened their hearts. He brings out a rather popular story from Jewish history found in Exodus 17:1-7 in which the people grumbled and complained due to the lack of water. They lost sight of the fact that God is in charge of the natural world, and the fact that He loved them enough to provide for their physical needs. The psalmist makes a direct correlation with this attitude and the fact that this complaining generation did not enter the rest of the Promised Land.

Help me Lord to truly and consistently acknowledge Who You are, and who I am, so that I may have an attitude of worship and not one of complaining.

Our Comforter

Psalm 94:18-19  ¹⁸ When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me. ¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

The role of God as Comforter is not simply a New Testament concept.

For the majority of Christianity, the concept of God being a comforter is one most often associated with the so called God of the New Testament. This is not without reason, because the Holy Spirit referred to by Jesus as the Comforter. However, passages like this one in Psalms show that the God of the Old Testament is just as comforting as He is in the New Testament.

I find that refreshing to know that God does not change. In today's ever-changing world it is, well, comforting to know that I can find stability with God. Knowing this encourages me to depend on Him even more. Someone once said that past performance is a good indicator of future performance. If that is true, than I have nothing to fear with God because He was the Comforter in Old Testament times, He was the Comforter in New Testament times, and He will continue to be my Comforter in the present time.

Thank you, God for always being there when we need you.

Mightier Than the Ocean

Psalm 93  The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.  The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.  Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.  The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.  Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.  Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD.

Sometimes we focus so much on God's love that we often overlook His power. The psalms are full of natural illustrations, and here the author used the most powerful one at his disposal; the sea. Simone and I have been blessed to live relatively close to the ocean (and if she had her way we would probably live much closer than we do). I think everyone at least once in their life should see the ocean up close. One can watch all the videos, and see all the pictures out there, but you don't completely appreciate it until you stand on the shore.

I picture the author sitting on the beach writing this psalm. As the breakers crash against the shore and the surrounding rocks, He got a picture of just how small in size and power he is in comparison. He got a sense of One even mightier than the mighty waves, but he was not afraid because this same Mighty One is also holy.

So many times we are tempted to become overwhelmed by the troubles we face in life. When that happens, we need to remember that God is mightier than the ocean, and certainly mightier than whatever problems we may face in life.

Senseless Men and Wicked Grass

Psalm 92:4-7 For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.

The Bible speaks many times about how things will end up for the wicked, and the Psalms are no exception. Here the author states that you would have to be a senseless, foolish person not to understand that concept. Those statements become even stronger when I remember that at the time the psalms were written that the amount of available scripture was very small. I can refer to many Bible texts talking about the final demise of the wicked, but many of those texts come from the New Testament. Even those texts in the Old Testament were centuries away from being written and publicized. So what I get from this is that one simply has to use common sense to figure this out.

Another layer is added when I consider the fact that, according to the subtitle, this psalm was written "For the Sabbath day." What better time to talk about evildoers flourishing than on the Sabbath day. Those who keep the Sabbath, especially those who grew up learning about the Sabbath, undoubtedly heard stories about how people were blessed financially, etc. by keeping that day holy. Observation of the world around us tends to run counter to that thought. The world is full of people who do not keep the Sabbath, yet are doing quite well financially. So quite possibly, the author wanted those who read and hear this psalm to remember that despite all this temporal prosperity, that in the end, the wicked will be "forever destroyed."

So as we go about our days, and especially the Sabbath day, let us remember that the prosperity of the wicked is temporary, and that their destruction is forever.

Resting in the Shadow

Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.

God is not out to get us. He wants to protect us. It is when we go outside of His will do we have the most problems. It is when we do not trust in His direction for us do we encounter the most trouble.

Living in a relatively hot and sunny area I have grown a greater appreciation for shadows. Even on days where it is not extremely hot, I still enjoy the occasional shade a tree or building provides. In this passage, the author states that those who dwell in God rest in His shadow. He too, saw the benefits of shade and shadow. The entirety of Psalm 91 talks about God's protection for those who take refuge in Him. Anytime we are tempted to doubt God's desire for our protection, we should read this psalm. This psalm runs totally counter the concept that God in the Old Testament is a vengeful God. He wants to protect us. So next time we find ourselves in a troubling situation, we should pause and remember to rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

A Different Kind of Education

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. (New Living Translation)

God can give us the education of a lifetime.

First off, I chose to use a different version of the Bible because the one I usually use (NIV) was actually a bit unclear. It stated, "Teach us to number our days aright . . ." and I had really no idea what that meant so I decided to check out the NLT and here we are. 

An interesting note about this psalm is that the subtitle states that it is "a prayer of Moses the man of God". If I had heard in the past the Moses had written a psalm I had well forgotten it by now, so it was a bit of a surprise to find his name associated with a psalm. Verse twelve isn't the first time he talks about the brevity of life, verses three through six compares mankind to passing dreams and grass that withers by the end of the day. That's all well and good, but how does knowing that help us to grow in wisdom?

The best that I can can come up with is that if one realizes that they have limited resources (whether it be money, food, etc.) they will often develop wisdom as to how to make the most out of those resources. If we allow God to teach us to realize that the brevity of our days, we will make the most of them. The first thing that comes to mind in making the most of my days is to severely limit the number of them I spend worrying, and spend the majority of them with a generally positive attitude. I'm sure you can think of many more ways to properly spend your days, but you get the point. Life is short, use it wisely.

Born in Zion

Psalm 87:4-6 "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.' " Indeed, of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her." The LORD will write in the register of the peoples: "This one was born in Zion." Selah

God uses a different kind of naturalization.

Yesterday I exercised my right, and privilege, to vote. I call it a privilege because not everybody can vote; only citizens of the country are allowed to do so. As many of you know there are basically two ways a person becomes a citizen; either be born in that country or go through the process of naturalization. There are a number of steps in that process, and I will not list them here, but needless to say, it is a process that takes some time to go through. However, in this psalm, the author outlines a very simple process in which one becomes a citizen of Zion. One has to simply acknowledge the ruler of this city, and all the right and privileges of a citizen are yours.

There is more to acknowledging God than simply believing in His existence because even demons do that, and they are not citizens. I need to acknowledge that He is my ruler and follow His instructions for my life. It is a simple step, but not always easy because my sinful nature often inhibits me from doing so. However, by God's grace I will acknowledge Him and continue to be considered as "born in Zion".

Help in Our Times of Trouble

Psalm 86:6-7 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.

God is there to help us when we need Him.

I/We can have confidence that God will help us when we need Him. I'm not simply talking about the major trouble that we sometimes encounter, such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, etc. I'm saying that every time we need help, He is there to help us. God is not one who is in need of a photo opportunity, a celebrity in need of some positive press, so He will be there in times when there is nobody else around. I find that to be very assuring.

Unusual Companions

Psalm 85:10  Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Certain aspects of Christianity go along better with each other than we may think.

In this text we have to sets of pairs, and in each set we have one supposedly weak or soft trait, and one that is considered stronger. We have to remember that the Christian life is all-or-nothing. We cannot chose which characteristics we want to exemplify while neglecting the others. For me the difficult pair has been righteousness and peace.

There have been times in my life that I have been so concerned about being righteous, that I completely neglected the concept of having peace. A big reason for that conflict is that I was being self-righteous, and being that way hardly ever brings true peace. So as we go through our Christian experience, we should ask God to help us grow in every area of our lives and not simply the ones that we prefer.

An Unfair Comparison

Psalm 84:10-11 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Spending time with God is so much better than anything else.

I have a better understanding of this passage than I used to. I remember that when I first heard this verse, I thought it was nice, but it was only an intellectual acknowledgement. Recently, I have been becoming more aware of what God's presence is like through experience, and how it can impact my everyday life. This is due, in part, to a book I was reading, and just finished yesterday, entitled Escape to God: A Desperate Search for His Presence. It challenged me to be more surrendered to God, and to spend more time with Him.

The psalmist knew, both intellectually and experientially, that God would take care of him. My hope is that all of us will have a greater sense of God's care for us, because when that happens, nothing else compares to it.

Defenders of the Weak

Psalm 82:1-4  God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the "gods": "How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Defending the weak is not a task that belongs solely to God.

Earlier I wrote about how God is our Ultimate Defender of the weak, but this psalm indicates that human beings have a part in that as well. According to the marginal reference in my Bible the "you" in verse two is plural. Most likely Asaph is referring to those "in the great assembly" the "gods", which as I found out in verses six and seven are actually men who hold high positions. In this psalm, Asaph is calling upon these leaders to stop showing favoritism towards the wicked and champion the cause of the weak.

Now how can we apply this verse to our everyday lives? Does this apply only to those in leadership positions, or is their a broader application? How far do we go in our defense of the weak? Who are the weak around us, and, for that matter, who are the wicked? Do we sometimes show favoritism to the wicked, if so, how do we do that? 

Because there are so many variables here, I will not give my answers to those questions. I will leave everyone to come to their own conclusions. However, I will say this, we do have a role to play in defending the weak, and we all need to discover exactly what that role is.