Burunche’s Blog

The Glory of God in Zion

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.

For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, they hastened away. Fear took hold of them there, and pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, as when You break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah

We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, in the midst of Your temple. According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgments.

Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers; mark well her bulwarks; consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following. For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.”

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.” Anyone who has ever visited Jerusalem knows that it is a very special and holy place. Jerusalem is full of churches, synagogues, and mosques. Many of the churches are built on sites mentioned in the Bible such as Calvary, the Garden Tomb, etc. But it is not the presence of these places of worship that sets Jerusalem apart; the city itself has a special appeal. Jerusalem is a place in which God has been working for thousands of years and continues to do so. Even though Jerusalem has been overrun several times in the past, God has always arranged for it to be rebuilt.

Jerusalem glows in the sunlight because its buildings are made of Jerusalem limestone. The Architectural Review says this about that stone: “Quarried from the hills surrounding the city, as well as from other nearby hills in Palestine’s central highlands, Jerusalem limestone has been the city’s primary building material since antiquity. It is at once the material that carries its structural skeleton and the flesh that grants the cityscape its golden hue.”

“For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, they hastened away. Fear took hold of them there, and pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, as when You break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah”  Most of us take the idea of the fear of God very lightly, forgetting that it is a very real phenomenon. Here the psalmist is likely referring to a well-known shipping tragedy on the Mediterranean Sea in which a fleet of merchant ships from Tarshish were driven onto rocks and wrecked due to a storm moving in from the east.

“We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, in the midst of Your temple. According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Your judgments.” When a ruler reigns in righteousness, those with true hearts can rejoice because they have nothing to fear.

“Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers; mark well her bulwarks; consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following. For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.” Throughout the Bible, God admonishes us to teach our children and grandchildren about Him. While buildings are important, they can be destroyed quickly. But the presence of God is indestructible.

APPLICATION: As I am writing this study, rockets are still being aimed at Jerusalem by Hamas. These terrorists are certain that if they can destroy buildings, they can destroy Israel, ignoring what God says about Jerusalem in the Bible. God has always had His hand on Israel and on Jerusalem and He is not about to remove it now. Does this mean that the Israelis are totally righteous? No. But God’s promises are sure and not dependent on us. If you are familiar with Biblical prophecy, you realize that there are prophecies indicating that at some point, parts of Jerusalem might be destroyed. But Jerusalem has flourished ever since the Jews returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple and the city. God is continuing to watch over Jerusalem.

What does this psalm mean for us personally? Life does not come with guarantees and we may suffer; however, we can still ask God to help us and be confident that He will do so. If God does not deliver us from our problems, He will help us endure them. Let us trust Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we pray for peace in the Middle East, not only in Jerusalem but throughout the Middle East. Father, we are trusting in Your Word that promises protection for Jerusalem. We also claim Your promises for our own lives. Give us the strength to carry out our daily tasks and to meet the challenges. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Praise to God, the Ruler of the Earth To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

“Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.

God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.”

“Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.” This psalm is a little gem, easily understood and readily used to praise God. The title includes the information that this psalm was written by the Sons of Korah and dedicated to the Chief Musician. Is the Chief Musician mentioned here human or are they referring to God, Who is the Author of all music? I like to think it is both.

Who were the “sons of Korah?” Wikipedia gives us this answer: “The Sons of Korah were the sons of Moses‘ cousin Korah. The story of Korah is found in Numbers 16. Korah led a revolt against Moses; he died, along with all his co-conspirators, when God caused “the earth to open her mouth and swallow him and all that appertained to them” (Numbers 16:31–33). Immediately after this event, the Lord’s anger burned and a plague struck killing another 14,700 Israelites. However, “the children of Korah died not” (Numbers 26:11). Several psalms are described in their opening verses as being by the Sons of Korah: numbers 42, 44–49, 84, 85, 87 and 88.[1]

Some of the Korahites were also “porters” of the temple (1 Chronicles 9:17–19); one of them was over “things that were made in the pans” (v31), i.e. the baking in pans for the meat-offering (Leviticus 2:5). According to the genealogies in 1 Chronicles, the prophet Samuel was descended from Korah.[2]”

Putting it bluntly, Korah and his followers messed up big time and paid the ultimate price in a gruesome fashion with the earth opening up and swallowing them. Given such a family heritage, Korah’s descendants might have felt too ashamed to be of any use in ministry; yet, God graciously preserved the Kohathites who were not involved in the rebellion and gave them special tasks in the temple, including serving as temple singers.

“He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah” Sometimes we might feel as if our lives are going nowhere with no positive goal; yet, if we will trust God, He will guide us into the right paths.

“God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.” It was customary that when the king entered the temple, worshipers should shout and blow trumpets to indicate the presence of the king. If these acts were done to honor an earthly king, how much more should they be done to honor the King of Kings?

But why admonish to “sing praises with understanding?” Many people can spew out verbiage without meaning any of it. Here the Sons of Krah are encouraging us to think as we praise so that our praises become more meaningful and less mechanical.

“God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.” In ancient times, victorious armies captured their enemies’ shields, rendering those enemies defenseless. Sometimes the shields could even be golden, as was the case of one group King David conquered. These verses assure us that God truly is on the throne and that He is victorious over all the earth.

APPLICATION: Every family has a few skeletons in their closets-family members who have tarnished the family name in some manner. Sometimes the sins of these forebears are so terrible that subsequent generations are ashamed to admit a relationship. But God is gracious and merciful. Even at the time that some of the Korahites were dying in a gruesome fashion, God was still preserving others whose descendants would occupy places of honor in the temple in Jerusalem. Some of the Korahites became singers and musicians while others helped prepare the ritual foods-both positions of extreme trust. While there are such things as spirits that plague successive generations in families, we don’t have to fall prey to these spirits. We can ask God to release us from generational bondage and He will do so.

Perhaps you know that your parents had shortcomings. Obsessive behaviors such alcoholism, drug abuse, overeating, excessive shopping, workaholism, gossiping, and gambling all are part of a spectrum. Unless you are healed from the root cause, you might abandon one abuse, only to substitute another. While some obsessive behaviors are more socially acceptable than others, they can still destroy relationships and marriages. But praise God, we don’t have to be stuck this way! We can beg God to choose our heritage for us and He will graciously do so.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, many of us feel trapped by the sins of our families. Our obsessive behaviors may be killing us or killing our marriages and our relationships with others. Lord, deliver us from these things that bind us! Help us to leave them behind completely and never return to them. Choose our heritage for us, for when You do so, we know that heritage will be glorious. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

God Is Our Refuge and Strength (2 Kings 18:13-16; 2 Chronicles 32:1-8; Psalm 47:1-9; Psalm 48:1-14)

For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas, though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Selah

There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns. Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts when He lifts His voice. The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth. He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas, though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Selah”  For centuries, this psalm has encouraged believers facing all kinds of problems. Reading the list of natural disasters, it is helpful to remember that Israel sits on earthquake faults. The same rift that has formed the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea continues all the way down into Africa as the Rift Valley. When the psalmist describes these events, he may have witnessed such catastrophes.

“There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.” The city mentioned here is Jerusalem. Which river is being referred to here? We don’t know; however, there are prophecies that when Messiah comes, a fountain will spring from the temple mount with part of it running to the Jordan while part will run to the Mediterranean Sea. These verses reassure us that God’s holy city cannot and will not be moved. No matter how many times Jerusalem is attacked, God is still protecting her.

“Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts when He lifts His voice. The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” No matter what political upheavals occur, God is still sovereign, the Commander of untold numbers of angel armies. And this Supreme Commander is on our side, Someone we can turn to in any crisis.

“Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth. He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.” No matter how impressive a nation’s weapons are, they are no match for God. God allows wars to take place, but He also stops wars. When God speaks, jet fighters, rockets, and all kinds of weapons fall useless.  

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.” One of the toughest things we can do is to quiet our minds and meditate on God. For most of us, as soon as we begin to attempt to meditate, our minds begin running like gerbils on wheels. Fortunately, we can ask God to help us center ourselves. When God gives a commandment, He will also give us the power to fulfill that commandment if we ask Him.

“The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” Incredible! The Lord God, King of the Universe, is with us. One of the names for Jesus is “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Many times, we forget that God is as close as our heartbeats. God is not sitting out in the universe somewhere; He really is WITH us, completely and forever.

APPLICATION: Of all the psalms, this is one of my favorites. Every single verse gives me encouragement. Years ago, I was running a mission hospital at which we preached to the patients on the verandah before beginning consultations. One morning, a disgruntled female worker chose to confront me on the verandah, physically threatening me. When I stood my ground, she eventually became fed up and left. That morning, I preached on Psalm 46, praising God that the situation had not degenerated into a physical fight. . (I had enough training in martial arts that I was already contemplating which disabling strike I was going to use and where I would use it. Such moves would have been disastrous.)

As I am writing this Bible study, I am dealing with a medical disaster. Someone has given a handsome eight-year-old boy an enema with lye, completely rotting his large intestine. We can’t tell whether this horrific act was done out of ignorance or spite, but the results are catastrophic. To complicate matters, the boy has a rare blood type, making it difficult to have sufficient blood to carry out a major bowel resection safely. Will the boy live or die? His life is in God’s hands, and all I can do is trust God to guide me.

Many times we find ourselves facing obstacles that seem impenetrable, immoveable, and impossible to deal with. What can we do in such situations? We can be still and KNOW that God is God and that He has answers beyond our comprehension. Exalt the Lord. Worship Him and see what He will do.

PRAYER: Father God, many of us are facing huge problems of every kind and wondering if You are still working. Calm our hearts and minds and help us to see that You are the One making everything happen behind the scenes. You are Redeemer, Deliverer, Counselor, and King. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Glories of the Messiah and His Bride

To the Chief Musician. Set to  “The Lilies.” A Contemplation of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.

“My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.

Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, with Your glory and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies; the peoples fall under You.

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; at Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him. And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the rich among the people will seek your favor.

The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; the virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You. With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the King’s palace.

Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth. I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.”

“My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.”

You might be excused for wondering how this particular psalm has made it into the Bible and has been venerated by Jews and Christians for centuries. The beginning of this psalm sounds suspiciously like something we would call a “puff piece, “a piece of flattery designed specifically to curry favor from a ruler. We might wonder what the writer is hoping to gain with all these compliments. According to this psalm, the king is incredibly handsome, a smooth talker, and blessed by God. As if these attributes weren’t enough, the writer also continues to describe the king’s might, glory, majesty, truth, humility, righteousness, and consummate victories. Whew! And then the psalmist goes on to describe the royal bride and how lucky she is to be marrying the king.

“Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him. And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the rich among the people will seek your favor.

The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; the virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You. With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the King’s palace.

Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth. I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.”

This certainly sounds like a royal wedding with the promise that the king will desire the bride’s beauty and that their sons will become princes. Because of the king’s magnificence, God will make his bride to be remembered and praised forever.

But wait! Is this writer describing a human king and his bride or the coming  Messiah and the Church? Many sources suggest the answer is “both.” Some sources feel this psalm was written in honor of the marriage between King Solomon and the daughter of Pharaoh, his first recorded wife, for whom he built a gorgeous palace. Others feel that the psalmist is using some other human king as a forerunner of the Messiah.

If you remember King Solomon’s career and his 700 wives and 300 concubines, you might be excused for rejecting the idea that this psalm refers to Solomon. (My personal reaction is “Yuck!” Maintaining a faithful loving relationship with one person is tough enough, let alone trying to do it with one thousand.) And most of the other Israelite kings weren’t much better. Even King David had several wives and at least ten concubines. But if we consider this psalm as a description of the Messiah, it becomes a wonderful prophecy.

The apostle John probably knew the human Jesus better than any of the other disciples, yet when John saw Jesus in the vision God gave him on the island of Patmos, John was struck dumb by Jesus’ majesty. “And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”   (Revelation 1:12-17)

If the first verses describe the Messiah, who is the bride referred to in the rest of the psalm? Again referring to Revelation, we find that God refers to believers in His Church as the Bride of the Messiah. This relationship will have nothing to do with sexual intercourse and everything to do with a magnificent love, one that will last through the ages.

APPLICATION: These days, many churches have developed praise services that have little to do with being awe-struck  in the presence of God. These services frequently involve noisy Christian rock band music with the congregation hopping up and down enthusiastically. We thoroughly enjoy Ghanaian praise services with lots of dancing; however, this psalm is one of quiet adoration, and awe. Sometimes it’s necessary to stop to consider God’s magnificence and His glory. When the psalmists write “Selah,” one interpretation of that word is “pause and calmly think on that.”

If the idea of a lecherous king eying a beautiful virgin is off-putting, forget the human interpretation and meditate on the spiritual one, the coming of the Messiah and his eventual marriage with His bride, the Church, “a glorious church without spot or wrinkle.”

For all those who are serving God, we must view things in the light of eternity. Some day Messiah will return to claim His kingdom, and when He does, we will be part of it. No matter what your reservations are, that news is something to celebrate.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to understand Your Word. May Your Word bring light and joy and peace into our hearts. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Redemption Remembered in Present Dishonor

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah.

“We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them. You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob.

Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever. Selah

But You have cast us off and put us to shame, and You do not go out with our armies. You make us turn back from the enemy, and those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. You have given us up like sheep intended for food, and have scattered us among the nations. You sell Your people for next to nothing, and are not enriched by selling them. You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to those all around us. You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

My dishonor is continually before me, and the shame of my face has covered me, because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, because of the enemy and the avenger. All this has come upon us; but we have not forgotten You, nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from Your way; but You have severely broken us in the place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

If we had forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. Why do You hide Your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to the ground. Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.”

Actions have consequences. At the time this psalm was written, the Israelites were under persecution from their enemies and the citizens of the Northern Kingdom had probably already been slaughtered or taken into exile in Assyria. God had Moses warn the Israelites of this possibility before they ever entered Canaan. In Deuteronomy 31, God is giving Moses his final orders and predicts that the Israelites will prove unfaithful and will reap the consequences.

Deuteronomy 31:16-19 says “And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods. “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.“

The song referred to here is the Song of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 32. The Israelites were to learn it and to teach it to their children; however it’s doubtful that teaching was repeated for more than one or two generations. Now the Israelites are reaping the effects of centuries of idolatry. Even though the psalmist himself appears to be a righteous man, he obviously is unaware of the Song of Moses; otherwise, he wouldn’t bring out these complaints as he is doing.

The psalmist begins by reminding God of all the great things He has done for Israel and avowing that the Israelites have continued to worship God.  Then the psalmist goes on to describe the shame, devastation and confusion resulting from repeated attacks by enemies. Although the psalmist is arguing that the Israelites have not abandoned God; in fact, he is wrong. Actions have consequences, and God has already warned what will happen if His people turn away from Him. When King Solomon marries a huge number of foreign women and begins building shrines to foreign gods throughout Jerusalem, he lays a spiritually rotten foundation that results in disaster. When the Northern Kingdom splits off from Judah, Jeroboam establishes his own religion with two huge shrines to prevent worshipers from going to Jerusalem as God has commanded. It’s possible that by the time this psalm is being written, the Northern Kingdom of Israel has already fallen and the Babylonians are besieging Judah.

The final plea from the psalmist is heart-rending. “Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. Why do You hide Your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to the ground. Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.” But God is NOT asleep, nor has He forgotten the afflictions and the oppression of His people. Even while this psalmist is writing a song of despair, God is beginning to stir in the heart of King Cyrus of Persia so that Cyrus will call for Jewish leaders to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple and the city walls.

APPLICATION: This psalm illustrates a problem: Sometimes we may be righteous but we may be stuck in an unrighteous situation. Either this psalmist is quite naïve or he is choosing to ignore the unrighteous behavior of his compatriots, but either way, he is wrong in arguing that the Israelites are virtuous. Were the ancient Israelites virtuous, God would never have removed His hand of protection from them. But this psalm is a good one because it illustrates the fact that even when we are righteous people caught in unrighteous situations, we may still appeal to God for deliverance. No matter how hard we try, our righteousness will never equal that of God’s. But we can appeal to God’s mercy, and this is the basis for this psalmist’s appeal.

Many times we may find ourselves mired in difficult situations through no fault of our own. In such times, we may readily call on God’s mercy and grace to help us. But we also must remember that if we are worshiping God, then He has the right to send us into such situations as witnesses to His holiness and His saving power. St. Julian of Norwich wrote in 1373, “He did not say ‘You shall not be tempest-tossed, you shall not be work-weary, you shall not be discomforted’. But he did say, ‘You shall not be overcome. ‘ God wants us to heed these words so that we shall always be strong in trust, both is sorrow and in joy.” (For more information about Julian, you can go to https://www.stjohnstimberhill.org/julians-revelations#:~:text=He%20did%20not%20say%20’You,is%20sorrow%20and%20in%20joy.)

Today you may find yourself battling family problems, health problems, job-related issues, and a host of other worries. In each of these settings, you have remained righteous; yet, things are just not working out as you have hoped and you are beginning to despair. DON’T DESPAIR!  God is still on the throne and He is still working. Your deliverance is on the way, but you must wait while God puts everything into place. When all is ready, deliverance may come in the blink of an eye. Old saints used to speak of “possessing your soul in peace.” This phrase means that you should stop fretting, trust God, and allow His peace to fill your heart, so there is no room for worry.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us can identify with the writer of this psalm. We have tried to do everything right and yet life appears to be nothing but a mess. Please enter the hearts of all those who read these words and give them Your peace, Your patience, Your understanding, and Your grace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Prayer to God in Time of Trouble

“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”

““Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” Once more David is enduring a hailstorm of criticism. This time, an entire nation has turned against him. We can’t be sure which crisis David is facing, but his lament sounds all too familiar. As David attempts to defend himself, he is demanding, “God, where are You? Why are You allowing this persecution to happen? Why don’t You force these people to stop?”

“Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.” David is sure that if God would send His light and His truth into the situation, these critics would be muzzled and David would be free to worship. David thinks he is in the right, but he’s astute enough to realize that he may have sinned unwittingly.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” If these phrases sound familiar, it’s because this is the same response that David wrote in Psalm 42. Once more, David is telling himself to buck up and remember who God is.

APPLICATION: It’s been said that if you want to be popular, sell ice cream. But anyone in leadership can tell you that the second you have to enforce a tough decision, your popularity rating will drop precipitously and the complaints will start. People will unfriend you on social media and they might even troll you. While David faced physical threats in his day, he never had to contend with a social media fire storm.

When we feel buried under a mountain of criticism, we can still beg God to send forth His light and His truth. There are many times when I ask God to give me His mind about a situation and not my own, to let me see people as He sees them. I also frequently ask God to help me die to my own imaginations so that He can give me His read on a problem. As 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us, our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect, but God is omniscient, understanding everything completely.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” When it’s difficult to remember who God is, let these phrases lift your spirits. God is still on the throne and He is STILL the help of your countenance and your God.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember who You are rather than focusing on our own shortcomings. Thank You, that You can lift us out of ourselves so that we can praise You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah.

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”

When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.

O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar. Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me.

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” It’s likely that David wrote this psalm while he was fleeing from King Saul, hiding in caves and separated from family and friends. Under such circumstances, worship becomes a tough proposition. When you’re trying to stay alive, it’s difficult to focus on anything else. David is not surrounded by believers but by people who mock his faith and criticize. “If your God is so great, why is He allowing you to suffer so much?

“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.” Being with other believers is energizing and exhilarating. David has always enjoyed corporate worship, but now he doesn’t dare appear in public for fear someone will report him and Saul will murder him.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” Despite all appearances, David continues to hope that someday things will be better.

“O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar. Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me.” During David’s wanderings, he has covered practically all of Israel. No matter where David goes, he continues to see evidence of God at work.

“The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Even though David is under continuous criticism for his faith, he continues to trust God. Those around David might be sneaking off to sacrifice to foreign gods, but David remains true.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”  David’s final conclusion is triumphant. David is confident that he WILL worship God again and that God will justify his faith.

PRAYER: It’s tempting to read these psalms and think, “Oh yeah, David, big deal! Things can’t really be as bad as you are asserting.” But if you read the accounts of David’s life in 1 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, you get an entirely different picture. The prophet Samuel anointed David as the next king of Israel, even though David’s own father thought so little of him that he failed to even present David to Samuel. David joined King Saul’s entourage as a musician, and things went well until David killed Goliath with his slingshot. When Saul realized that David was a threat and that he was becoming incredibly popular, Saul embarked on a long campaign to kill David, hounding him throughout most of Israel. At one point, David sent his family to a neighboring country for their safety. David and his men hid in caves and foraged, never being certain that the same people they were defending would not betray them to Saul in hopes of a reward. It was during these years that David wrote this psalm.

Perhaps you too feel oppressed and hounded. Your job supervisor wants you to do all his/her work while he/she denies you a well-deserved promotion. You wonder why you don’t simply quit; however, jobs are scarce and times are difficult. Perhaps your family is facing a stressful situation. A beloved parent has developed Alzheimer’s and you are agonizing over the cost of long-term care even as you struggle to keep that loved one from making fatal mistakes. Or perhaps a child who was previously a delight has entered the teen years and has turned into a snarling selfish monster. At such times, it’s easy to forget that God is still on the throne and that He has answers that we do not, even if the answers are difficult.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” No matter how bad things get, God is still sovereign and therefore we can remain hopeful. Harold Hill, a Christian businessman two generations ago was fond of saying that “It isn’t a sacrifice of praise until you are pushing it out through clenched teeth.” Sometimes we must praise God even when we don’t feel like it, but the results are worth it. Praise lifts us out of ourselves and refocuses our attention on God.

I endured five years of training in general surgery and four years of training in pediatric surgery. At one point, I was under such stress that I found myself chanting “Praise you Jesus! Praise you Jesus!” as I moved between general wards and the ICU. But that experience taught me the same lesson Harold Hill had learned; you CAN push praise out through clenched teeth and praising God gives you the strength to continue.

Follow David’s example. Trust God and praise Him, even if you have to push the praise out through clenched teeth to do it. It’s worth it.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many who read these words feel trapped in terrible circumstances beyond their control. But You are still the Lord of the universe and You are still our only Source of help. Send Your light and Your truth into hearts and give them Your hope. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Blessing and Suffering of the Godly

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

“Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.

I said, “Lord, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” My enemies speak evil of me: “When will he die, and his name perish?” And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; his heart gathers iniquity to itself; when he goes out, he tells it.

All who hate me whisper together against me; against me they devise my hurt. “An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.” Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them. By this I know that You are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me.

As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever.  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.

“Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.” Jesus told his disciples, “ Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”  There is a common saying that “What goes around, comes around.” No matter how you express it, the laws of God’s kingdom are simple: actions have consequences.

“I said, “Lord, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” My enemies speak evil of me: “When will he die, and his name perish?” And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; his heart gathers iniquity to itself; when he goes out, he tells it. All who hate me whisper together against me; against me they devise my hurt. “An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.” Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them. By this I know that You are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me.

” Whatever David has done, he is truly repentant; unfortunately, his enemies have gotten wind of his failure and are making capital of it. Even someone whom David has trusted has proven to be a traitor, sniffing out all the dirt he can find against David so he can run out and gossip about it. According to the rumors, David is suffering from some loathsome terminal disease from which he will die miserably. But David is trusting that his enemies will not triumph.

“As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever.  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.” David ends his psalm by praising God for continuing to favor him, despite the threats of his enemies.

APPLICATION: This psalm is short but very powerful. Look at the promises when we care for the poor and weak: God promises deliverance from trouble, preservation of our lives, blessings on the earth, deliverance from enemies, strength and sustenance when we are sick.  

But what about the innocents in the Middle East who are dying? What about refugees in Sudan? What about poor and needy throughout the world? Do these promises work in crisis situations?

Either God’s promises work all the time, or they are false. Yes, these promises work. But there is still a great deal of evil in the world, and good people may suffer at the hands of the wicked. In 1978 Edith Schaeffer published a book titled Afflication. At the time, Schaeffer’s famous husband Francis was suffering from the lymphoma that eventually killed him. The main point of this book was that in the end, we will find that the grace of God has been proven sufficient for any kind of problems. There are those who are miraculously healed or delivered, demonstrating that God is powerful enough to do these things. But there are also those who are not healed or delivered miraculously but who are given the strength and the courage to endure, demonstrating that God’s power is also sufficient for those situations as well.

Even though God delivered David on many occasions, when David sinned, God allowed him to suffer the consequences and his family was ripped apart when two different sons rebelled attempting to seize the throne.

A popular song years ago said, “I never promised you a rose garden.” God never promises us rose gardens, but He does promise that He will help us. As Edith Schaeffer avowed, God’s grace is sufficient for all occasions.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You even when things are difficult. Let all who trust in You never be ashamed. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Faith Persevering in Trial

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.

Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.”

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly.

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me! Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life; let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
who wish me evil. Let them be confounded because of their shame, who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!” But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.”

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”

The British reality TV show “Close Calls on Camera” has documented many occasions when unwary beach walkers in England have ventured out onto what they think is packed sand, only to find themselves mired, unable to move and in danger of drowning as the tide comes in. It’s easy to find yourself in trouble, even though you have taken every precaution. Sometimes we can find ourselves stuck in a horrible situation from which there appears no way out. Although we don’t know which crisis in David’s life has occasioned this psalm, we can certainly share his sentiments!

“Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” You can either trust God or other people, but you can’t trust both at the same time. The problem with proud and deceitful people is that they will throw you under the bus at the first sign of trouble. God will never betray you.

“I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know.” David has been careful to give God all the glory without boasting about it. It is very common for churches to give time for testimonies, and many of the testimonies are riveting. But there’s a fine line between giving God glory or boasting as if the person giving the testimony feels particularly favored by God.

“Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me.” During our missionary careers, we have found ourselves struggling to care for patients in the midst of a tribal war while we face shortages of medicines and supplies and indifference or even hostility from authorities. God has consistently delivered us; however, we definitely have felt our problems are more than the hairs of our heads.

“Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!” Reading this, you can feel David’s fear and anxiety. Will God deliver in time, or will disaster strike?

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!” But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.” David is continuing to reassure himself while beseeching God for help.

APPLICATION: Life can hand us all kinds of problems-catastrophic illnesses, job losses, family upheavals, natural disasters. Any one of these problems may leave us feeling as if we are sinking in miry clay with no hope. Reading David’s psalms, it’s as if David himself is reaching his hand out down through the centuries, encouraging us and reassuring us as fellow believers.

Psalms can be turned into prayers. You can pray this psalm, filling in the blanks with your problems and repeating it as many times as necessary during the day. God already knows all your struggles, but when you acknowledge your need for help, you are opening yourself up for God to move in your life.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel caught in miry clay type problems. Help all those in such situations to turn to you. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

“I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.” I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned.

Then I spoke with my tongue: “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them. “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish.

I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it. Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; surely every man is vapor. Selah

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more.”

 “I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.” I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned.”

There’s an old saying that “Silence is golden.” This psalm would bear that out. Throughout David’s long career as a warrior and king, many times he was surrounded by those who would readily report anything he said in hopes of gaining favor with those in authority or with those planning rebellion. Many of us might be able to identify with that problem!

“Then I spoke with my tongue: “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.”  No matter our position, we are all human and our lives are fleeting in comparison with an almighty eternal God.

“Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them. “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” There is a book entitled “Money Talks: It Says Good-bye!” Anyone who follows the stock market knows the truth of that statement. When we fix our hopes on anything or anybody other than God, we are fooling ourselves.

“I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it.” Sometimes God stops us when we are about to say something rash, keeping us from saying things we will later regret. One lady who had found the Lord realized that each time she was about to say something to her husband about her new-found faith, God stopped her. She said that God had put a golden zipper over her mouth. Eventually, her husband was so intrigued by the changes he saw in his wife that he abandoned his selfish lifestyle and began following Jesus as well. Had God not stopped this lady, she would have lectured her husband, driving him further away from God.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
“before I go away and am no more.” David is in despair, feeling that God is ignoring his pleas for help and perhaps even punishing him.

APPLICATION: One of the reasons the psalms are so popular is that the emotions expressed are real and not sugar-coated. Depending on which psalm you read, the writer may be praising God or shaking his fist in anger. In this psalm, David appears anxious and depressed, wanting to speak out but concerned that if he does so, he will be handing his head on a platter to his enemies. In such a state, David wonders if God is punishing him and begs God to remember that he, David, is only human and that his life is a vapor.

Remain in leadership long enough and you will find yourself identifying with practically every psalm. One of the challenges in leadership is a lack of discretion amongst subordinates who choose to leak sensitive information in hopes of gaining favor or influence with others. Under such circumstances, the only Person with whom you can really share your concerns is God; all those around you will repeat anything you say and possibly twist it while they are at it. When David says, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me,” you say, “Amen, brother!”

Shakespear once said, “Lonely lies the head that wears the crown.” Leadership is a lonely business, but praise God, we can always bring our concerns to Him, knowing that He hears and understands. Perhaps today you find yourself surrounded by people who are simply waiting for you to say the wrong thing so that they can use your words against you. Remember this: King David survived and so will you. God is still on the throne and He can give you perfect guidance and when necessary, “put a golden zipper over your mouth.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we beg You to hear the prayers of all those in leadership who feel beleaguered and set about with underlings ready to mis-report every word. Thank You for guiding these people and giving them Your wisdom and grace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.