Burunche’s Blog

 Prayer for Israel’s Restoration

To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” A Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Your strength, and come and save us! Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!

O Lord God of hosts, how long will You be angry against the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in great measure. You have made us a strife to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. You prepared room for it, and caused it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with its shadow, and the mighty cedars with its boughs. She sent out her boughs to the Sea, and her branches to the River. Why have You broken down her hedges, so that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit? The boar out of the woods uproots it, and the wild beast of the field devours it.

Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; look down from heaven and see, and visit this vine and the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, and the branch that You made strong for Yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!”

Once more, the Sons of Asaph have produced a heart-wrenching psalm. Jerusalem has fallen, and the Babylonians have completely destroyed the temple, leaving only the structure which will later be known as the Wailing Wall or Western Wall. The walls of Jerusalem are broken and the gates burned, symbolizing the destruction of Jerusalem as a corporate entity. The psalmist is not defending the Israelites for their sins; instead, he is begging for God to deliver them for His Name’s sake. The writer realizes that arguments based on the virtues of the Israelites will be worthless, for the Israelites have invited these attacks upon themselves by whole-heartedly worshiping idols and reducing the worship of the God Who has established them as a nation to meaningless rituals.

As the psalmist calls on God to deliver and restore the Israelites, he also begs God to raise up a Godly leader. The psalmist risks divine credibility, promising that if God will give Godly leadership and revive the Israelites, they will turn back to Him. At this point, God might be excused if His reaction is “Show me!”

For generations, the citizens of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms have taken God for granted, despite pointed warnings by innumerable prophets. It is safe to assume that the prophecies recorded in the Bible represent only a small fraction of the warnings God has actually sent to His people. Repeatedly, God has warned His people that He knows every hill and every green tree where they have established heathen shrines, Asherah poles, and other monuments. God knows every rooftop in Jerusalem on which His people have made offerings to the sun, moon, and stars. Even when the prophet Ezekiel has been carried off into Babylon, God has shown him visions of the idolatry still being practiced by those remaining in Jerusalem.

The One True Living God is omniscient and omnipotent, all-knowing and all-powerful; yet, somehow these people think they’ve successfully hidden their sins from God. The Hebrew term for “crazy” is “meshuga” from which we get the Yiddish term “meshugenneh.” This is only one of many spellings, but no matter how you spell it, someone who is meshuga is totally crazy. If we think we can hide from God, we are truly meshugenneh! (Yiddish is a wonderfully expressive language. For a fascinating introduction, check out Leo Rosten’s book The Joys of Yiddish. This book gives Yiddish words with English explanations and is highly entertaining as well as informative.)

“Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; look down from heaven and see, and visit this vine and the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, and the branch that You made strong for Yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!”

The psalmist is begging desperately for God’s intervention. Realizing that God alone can deliver Israel, the psalmist also realizes that without revival and restoration, God’s blessings will be useless because the Israelites will simply repeat all the mistakes of the past.

APPLICATION: Sometimes people speak of scheduling revival meetings as if the Holy Spirit can be organized; yet, revival really depends on us. How can we guarantee revival? First, we need to recognize that we are sinners and that nothing we can do will free us from our sins. Second, we must be willing to confess those sins to God and beg His forgiveness. Next, we should copy the psalmist and ask for revival and restoration. Finally, we should trust that God will answer us, sending us His Holy Spirit.

How will we know when the Holy Spirit shows up? We will experience light and joy and peace such as we have never known before. And we will feel clean inside, completely clean.

“God, if You’re really there, God if this guy isn’t lying and if You will really send Your Holy Spirit, then do it!” It was April 15, 1978. I was sitting alone in my bedroom praying a desperate prayer. Details don’t matter, but my life was in a shambles and I was in total despair. I had spent all day reading books about men and women who had taken a step of faith, only to have God move mightily in their lives. The last book I read was Prison to Praise by Merlin Carruthers. Carruthers was a Methodist army chaplain who was ready to give up on the ministry because he wasn’t seeing any evidence of God’s power. When Carruthers received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he watched his entire life and ministry change beyond belief.

In that book, Carruthers described praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and advised that one might not feel anything but that there would be little syllables forming in one’s mind. If the person praying would begin speaking those syllables, then God would take over and the Holy Spirit would come. I felt like a complete fool; four years of college, four years of medical school, and two years of surgery residency had not prepared me to babble in my bedroom; however, I observed that if I made a damn fool of myself, nobody else would ever know. (That’s a direct quote.) I prayed, and God showed up big-time! I began speaking in a beautiful flowing language and I could literally feel God scrubbing away all the crud and filling me with life and joy and peace. I could have stopped at any time, but I didn’t want to.

That experience transformed my life and set me on a course that I continue to follow today. You don’t have to wait for a special church service or even for someone else to pray for you; you can pray for yourself. How God will manifest Himself is up to Him; however, God is a good Father who doesn’t play charades with his children. Try asking God for the Holy Spirit. What do you have to lose, apart from despair?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have made complete messes of our lives. Please cleanse us, restore us, and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

 A Dirge and a Prayer for Israel, Destroyed by Enemies

A Psalm of Asaph.

O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps. The dead bodies of Your servants they have given as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.

We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those who are around us. How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, and on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.

Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your name’s sake! Why should the nations say
“Where is their God?”

Let there be known among the nations in our sight the avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed. Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; according to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are appointed to die; and return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord. So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations.”

Even before the Israelites entered Canaan, God warned them that if they rejected Him, He would reject them. Deuteronomy 32 contains the Song of Moses, God’s specific warnings to the Israelites if they would prove to be unfaithful.

“They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; they have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell; it shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

‘I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them. They shall be wasted with hunger, devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction; I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword shall destroy outside; there shall be terror within for the young man and virgin, the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.”
(Deuteronomy 32:21-25)

God gave Moses that song, commanding it to be taught to all succeeding generations, but the Israelites failed. Subsequently, God repeatedly sent prophets, many of whom were ignored or even murdered by those who should have been listening. Now the day of reckoning has arrived and suddenly the Israelites are trying to blame God for their problems. Jerusalem has been attacked and the temple sacked and destroyed. The streets are littered with rotting corpses. Educated people who could lead a rebellion have been slaughtered. Survivors have been dragged off into captivity in chains.

This psalm was undoubtedly penned by one of the sons of Asaph who lived well after the time of David. Throughout all generations, God has always had a remnant of true-hearted followers, and this writer is undoubtedly one of them. Notice what the writer does not say: He does not attempt to defend the actions of the majority of the citizens of Jerusalem. While Solomon started the problem by building shrines to pagan gods throughout Jerusalem, succeeding generations have compounded the problem, setting up Asherah poles and other shrines throughout the country, burning children to Molech, and generally honoring every demon going.

“Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your name’s sake! Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”  The psalmist appeals to God on the basis of God’s nature, His mercies, and His great Name, not holding brief for the actions of the Israelites.

If you study Bible history, you know that eventually Cyrus King of Persia put out a call for Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. But for seventy years, those exiled in Babylon got a first-hand look at the workings of a totally pagan society in which idol worship was freely practiced. The Israelites had wanted to enjoy the benefits of a society based on God’s commands while playing with demons in addition; however, light and darkness can’t mix.

The psalm ends with the writer promising that if God will deliver the Israelites, they will praise Him forever. Only God knows the human heart, so only God knows if succeeding generations have fulfilled this promise.

APPLICATION: “Actions have consequences” is a maxim every good parent teaches to their children. But it’s shocking how many people feel such a strong sense of entitlement that they believe they can behave badly and not reap the results. One horrible example is the health consequences of smoking e-cigarettes. Shortly after vaping became a phenomenon, health care providers began seeing young people with horrific lung damage, much of it irreversible. One friend working as a school secretary reported students hiding paraphernalia in their clothing so they could sneak off to the toilets to vape. Sadly, numbers of people are still indulging in this dangerous practice in a form of health roulette, betting that they will be among the lucky ones who will escape with normal lungs.

God’s promises and His warnings hold true today just as they always have. Are we paying attention or are we hoping that somehow God hasn’t really meant His commandments? God promises in Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, ‘Destroy!’  Why should we repeat the mistakes of the ancient Israelites? Why not follow God whole-heartedly so that He can protect and guide us?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives so that You may bless us as only You can. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

God’s Kindness to Rebellious Israel

A Contemplation of Asaph.

“Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known,
and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them. Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters stand up like a heap. In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink in abundance like the depths. He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

But they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy. Yes, they spoke against God: they said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Behold, He struck the rock, so that the waters gushed out,
and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?” Therefore the Lord heard this and was furious; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel, because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation.

Yet He had commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven, had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.

He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens; and by His power He brought in the south wind. He also rained meat on them like the dust, feathered fowl like the sand of the seas; and He let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not deprived of their craving; but while their food was still in their mouths, the wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choice men of Israel.

In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works. Therefore their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear. When He slew them, then they sought Him; and they returned and sought earnestly for God. Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer. Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, and they lied to Him with their tongue; for their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant.

But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath; for He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again.

How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power: the day when He redeemed them from the enemy, when He worked His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan; turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, that they could not drink. He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them. He also gave their crops to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.
He also gave up their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to fiery lightning. He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending angels of destruction among them. He made a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death,  but gave their life over to the plague, and destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, the first of their strength in the tents of Ham.

But He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock; and He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And He brought them to His holy border, this mountain which His right hand had acquired. He also drove out the nations before them, allotted them an inheritance by survey, and made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, and did not keep His testimonies, but turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; they were turned aside like a deceitful bow. For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, and moved Him to jealousy with their carved images. When God heard this, He was furious, and greatly abhorred Israel, so that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had placed among men, and delivered Hs strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy’s hand.
He also gave His people over to the sword, and was furious with His inheritance. The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not given in marriage. Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation. Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a mighty man who shouts because of wine. And He beat back His enemies; He put them to a perpetual reproach. Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He has established forever.

He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”

This is a long psalm and picking it apart verse by verse would be tedious. The psalmist begins by reminding his listeners of God’s commands to teach succeeding generations of the great things God has done for the Israelites and the wonders He has performed. Next, the psalmist laments the fact that the Israelites have failed miserably in this regard and begins listing graphic examples.

1. “The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them. Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.” When the Israelites were crossing into Canaan, they had to swear a mutual oath of protection; if any tribe was under attack, the other tribes had to swiftly come to their aid. But the Ephraimites, who were fully armed and presumably prepared, chose to stay home, failing their fellow Israelites and violating a sacred oath sworn before the Living God. If cell phones had existed, the Ephraimites would all have been absorbed in their phones.
2. Next the psalmist summarizes the plagues God sent on the Egyptians to convince them to free the Israelites from slavery, loading them with precious possessions and sending them away.
3. The psalmist reminds listeners of the miraculous ways God delivered His people, first at the Red Sea and then repeatedly in the wilderness, providing food and water for millions.
4. The psalmist then describes God’s fulfillment of His promises by bringing the Israelites into the Promised Land, giving them land and allowing them to dwell safely in their tents.
5. “Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, and did not keep His testimonies, but turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; they were turned aside like a deceitful bow. For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, and moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.” The ungrateful Israelites refused to worship God but instead plunged into idolatry, serving the very demons previously worshiped by the Canaanites. This covenant breaking caused  God to abandon His people to repeated enemy attacks.
6. Because of the ingratitude and unfaithfulness of Ephraim, God rejected those tribes and instead chose the tribe of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, rejecting Shiloh, where the Tent of Meeting was first pitched.
7. “He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”  Instead of Saul, who was from the tribe of Benjamin, God chose David, a faithful man from the tribe of Judah, to be king over His people.

APPLICATION: Our lives hang by fragile threads. All of us depend on God’s mercy and God’s grace. Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” 

How grateful are we? A friend spent Thanksgiving Eve watching her beloved husband be sent by helicopter to a major hospital after he suffered a catastrophic stroke. As I am writing, things are improving; however, nobody knows how much this man will recover. At this point, my friend is thankful for her life and the life of her husband. This stroke was unprecedented; the man was totally healthy prior to this incident. Another friend tells me that her husband may be facing complicated heart surgery within the next few days. Yesterday in our mission hospital a seven-year-old boy died with pneumonia only 24 hours after falling sick.

Psalm 78 can teach us several things:

1. Be grateful for all God’s gifts.
2. Tell all those around you, especially your children, about the great things God has done in your lives.
3. If you have covenanted to help someone, do it, even if it means you are risking your own life.
4. Never reject God in favor of any idol.

We have just celebrated Thanksgiving, a time in which to be very grateful. One hundred people set off from Plymouth, England; however 47 of those people died before the first Thanksgiving was ever celebrated in 1621. Those pilgrims remaining were grateful simply to be alive and felt that God had performed incredible miracles for them to survive. But what about the ancient Israelites?

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt with no hope of escape when God began working through Moses and Aaron. God not only delivered the Israelites but terrorized the Egyptians so much that they practically forced their prize possessions on the Israelites to convince the Israelites to leave so God would stop attacking the Egyptians. God commanded the Israelites to teach succeeding generations about this deliverance and about the ways in which He led them and provided for them in the wilderness. The Israelites failed completely.

Not only did the Israelites fail to honor their promises to God, but they also failed to honor their mutual aid agreement. Big strong warriors sat home polishing their armor while their fellow Israelites were under attack. Worse, the Israelites rejected the God who had saved them, rushing off to worship demons instead. It was David’s ascent to the throne that brought revival.

Practice gratitude! Some people like to keep gratitude journals. Others use blessing jars, writing their blessings on slips of paper and dropping them into a jar so that later they can pull out some of the slips and remind themselves of how God has blessed them. Others use post-it notes. But no matter how you do it, practicing gratitude improves your outlook and brightens your day.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be grateful for all Your blessings, both large and small. And help us to teach our children to be grateful as well. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Consoling Memory of God’s Redemptive Works

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

“I cried out to God with my voice—To God with my voice; and He gave ear to me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah

You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.

Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.

Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid; the depths also trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; Your arrows also flashed about. The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known. You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

 “I cried out to God with my voice—To God with my voice; and He gave ear to me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah” Ever spend a sleepless night worrying about your situation? Welcome to the club! There are times when we are so worried we don’t know what to do. We feel as if God has abandoned us, and we wonder if He will ever act in our lives again.

“You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.” Sometimes we torment ourselves, beating ourselves up mentally for our failures and searching our hearts to determine where we have gone wrong. Far better then, if we ask God to give us His mind about ourselves and to open our eyes to anything we should confess. Once we have done that, we can be confident that God will fulfill His perfect will and that we can rest in His Love.

“Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah” Sometimes we might feel as if God has abandoned us, but that is never the case. God knows the things we need to train our souls and to perfect us. Unfortunately, that process is frequently painful, but necessary.

“And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.” Rather than concentrating on our misery, it’s much better to remind ourselves of all the good things God has done in our lives. Gratitude can lift us out of despair.

“Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah”  When we look at the nation of Israel, we are reminded  of the number of times God has redeemed the Jews. Even now, as the entire world seems to be against Israel, God is still redeeming them.

“The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid; the depths also trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; Your arrows also flashed about. The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known. You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”  These verses refer to God leading the Israelites through the Red Sea, allowing them to escape from Pharaoh’s army. While that deliverance was a miraculous one, since then there have been multiple times when God has delivered the Jews.

APPLICATION: Belatedly, several different authors have recently written about the benefits of practicing mindfulness and gratitude. Mindfulness simply refers to noticing things around us and appreciating them while gratitude involves a decision to remain grateful for all the good things that surround us. Sometimes we must struggle to be grateful. The story is told of Saint Teresa of Avila, a Spanish saint, who was quite close to God. Once while traveling, Teresa’s ox cart became mired in deep mud. Teresa is said to have looked heavenward and remonstrated with God, saying, “If this is the way You treat Your friends, no wonder you have so few of them!”

Scripture advises us to praise God even during difficulties, for when we do so, our minds are released from bitterness. Romans 8:28 says, “ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” 

Brother Lawrence was a Christian monk living in the 17^th century whose life became an inspiration for all around him. Lawrence advised, “Do not pray for relief from pain, but pray for strength to suffer with courage, humility and love.” It was also Lawrence who said, “The most holy and important practice in the spiritual life is the presence of God – that is, every moment to take great pleasure that God is with you.” Even if we feel that God might have abandoned us, we can remind ourselves that God is with us and that He loves us.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You for always being with us, whether or not we feel Your presence. Help us to continually remember that fact and to praise You even when things are difficult. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Majesty of God in Judgment

To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

“In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. There He broke the arrows of the bow, the shield and sword of  battle. Selah

You are more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. The stouthearted were plundered; they have sunk into their sleep; and none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands. At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

You, Yourself, are to be feared; and who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry? You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah

Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; with the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself. Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them; let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.”

“In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. There He broke the arrows of the bow, the shield and sword of  battle. Selah” The psalmist begins by acknowledging God’s greatness, the One True Living God who can destroy any instruments of warfare.

“You are more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. The stouthearted were plundered; they have sunk into their sleep; and none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands. At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.” Many times, the mountains of Israel have consumed more enemy soldiers than have the Israelite armies. But God is far more powerful than that rugged terrain. Many times, God has turned back huge enemy armies, causing them to either die in their tents or flee in terror, leaving their equipment behind them. Although wars are no longer fought with horses and chariots, God is still far more powerful than rockets, cluster bombs, or any other weapon men can devise.

“You, Yourself, are to be feared; and who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry? You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah”  No matter how national leaders might vaunt themselves, God is more powerful and will ultimately judge them.

“Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; with the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself. Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them; let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.”  How can the “wrath of man” praise God? God will be praised, no matter what men do. The powerful of the earth need to acknowledge God’s greatness and power while they have the chance; otherwise, God will eventually destroy them.

APPLICATION: As I am writing this, Hamas is still attacking Israel while trying to play the victim. Mr. Putin is still attacking Ukraine while mouthing all kinds of slogans. North Korea and Iran are muttering threats. But is God impressed with any of these people? Are you kidding?

The less we consider God’s majesty and His power, the more we will worry about terrorist threats and all the other stresses we are facing. How can we lift ourselves out of the doldrums? Worship God! Read the psalms. Remember everything that God has already done in your life and thank Him for it.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember Your glory and Your majesty rather than worrying about our situations. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

God’s Righteous Judgment

(Romans 2:1-16; Jude 1:3-16)For the choirmaster: To the tune of “Do not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A song.

“We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, for Your Name is near. The people declare Your wondrous works. “When I choose a time, I will judge fairly. When the earth and all its dwellers quake, it is I who bear up its pillars. Selah

I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn. Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’” For exaltation comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another. For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down it to the dregs.

But I will proclaim Him forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. “All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”

“We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, for Your Name is near. The people declare Your wondrous works.” Remember our description of yesterday-The writer might be the original Asaph who directed music during David’s reign, or one of his descendants, or a group of Asaph’s descendants. God is close and deserves our praise.   

“When I choose a time, I will judge fairly. When the earth and all its dwellers quake, it is I who bear up its pillars.” Here God is speaking. No matter what is happening, even with catastrophes such earthquakes, God remains sovereign and in total control.

“I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn. Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’” Again, God is the One speaking. The prophet Samuel told King Saul that rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft; since then, nothing has changed. How can anybody rebel against an almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing Being? But yet, many people do just that.

“For exaltation (promotion) comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another. For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down it to the dregs.” No matter how hard we might struggle to advance ourselves, God is really the One who promotes us. God is the One who judges and who determines the fate of the righteous and the wicked.

“But I will proclaim Him forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. “All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”  The term “horns” here are symbols of power. God is the one who elevates the righteous and puts down the wicked. No matter how crafty the wicked might be, God knows the end from the beginning.

APPLICATION: Are you stuck in a situation where you are at the mercy of someone who takes credit for your work while doing as little as possible? Do you feel frustrated, wondering if you will ever progress in your profession? This psalm is for you.

You might not get a promotion in your present situation, but God is fully capable of moving you up or even out to somewhere else where you can work effectively. But be aware that sometimes God leaves us in very difficult circumstances so that we will pray for all those involved.

“But I will proclaim Him forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. “All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.” Whether we are waiting for promotion or you have already been promoted, we can always praise God. Praising God helps us get our focus off ourselves and our problems and placing our focus where it belongs, on the only One who can help us. We can trust God to settle things for us in ways only He knows.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help those of us who are waiting impatiently for promotion to exercise patience, knowing that You are the One who engineers our situations. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Why Have You Rejected Us Forever? (Psalm 79:1-13; Jeremiah 52:1-11)

A Maskil of Asaph.

“Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—Mount Zion where You dwell.

Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed. Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs, like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees and smashing all the carved work with hatchets and picks. They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.

They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land. There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.

How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever? Why do You withdraw Your hand? Stretch out Your right hand and destroy them! Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth. You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun. You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter.

Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name. Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever. Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name. Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long. Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.”

“Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—Mount Zion where You dwell.”  

When was this psalm composed? David Guzik in his Enduring Word commentary says this: “This psalm is titled A Contemplation of Asaph. It is a plea and a prayer in great sorrow from the destruction of the sanctuary (Psalm 74:3, 7). The majority of commentators believe this psalm followed the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians. Some argue that it is even later, following the desecration of the temple in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes. If these later dates are true, this Asaph is not the great singer and musician of David and Solomon’s era, unless Asaph composed this psalm prophetically, which was possible according to 1 Chronicles 25:1 and 2 Chronicles 29:30.

James Montgomery Boice explains the thinking of a later Asaph: “Either this is a later Asaph, which is not unlikely since the name might have been perpetuated among the temple musicians, or, more likely, the name was affixed to many psalms produced by this body of musicians. We know that the ‘descendants of Asaph’ were functioning as late as the reign of Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:15).”

There is another option: the Asaph of David and Solomon’s time composed this psalm on the occasion or the memory of the destruction of the tabernacle in Shiloh (1 Samuel 4). The word sanctuary used in Psalm 74:3, 7 is also used of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8; Leviticus 12:4, 21:12; Numbers 10:21, 18:1).”

Whether or not this psalm is prophetic, the destruction it depicts is quite accurate. When the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem, they stripped the temple of everything valuable and burned the rest. That is why in the story of Daniel, the Babylonian king and his court were misusing the silver and gold vessels from the temple to drink wine at their last feast. It was this act of gross sacrilege that occasioned God to write on the wall, indicating that their kingdom was about to fall. Even as that feast continued, the enemies were already entering the city.

The saddest part is that the ancient Israelites have brought this destruction on themselves by turning away from the One True Living God to worship demons. Before Moses died, God had him teach the Israelites a song they were to teach to their children for all generations. That song warned the Israelites that if they rejected God and His commandments, they would be destroyed. Then God repeatedly sent prophets to warn both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, but very few people listened. Now the day of reckoning has arrived, and everything good and wholesome is being destroyed.  

“Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name. Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever. Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name. Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long. Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.” Ironically, the Babylonians left many of the poor and needy in the land, carrying off the upper classes who could have fomented rebellion. It was the rich and the rulers who either were slaughtered or blinded after watching their sons being killed. This cruel practice ensured that the last images these people would ever see were their sons dying.

APPLICATION: God doesn’t send people to hell; people choose to go there. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  God has not changed. God had wonderful plans for the nation of Israel; however, the Israelites insisted on going into idolatry, bringing destruction upon themselves. After generations of warnings, God finally removed His hand of protection. The Assyrians destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel while the Babylonians eventually destroyed the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

The question for us is this: What are we doing with the time God has given us? Are we serving God, or are we postponing that decision, promising that we will repent some day? Accidents, cataclysmic events, and health crises may strike at any moment. We are not guaranteed a certain life span. The only time we have is today. There’s an old Gospel song that says, “It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” According to the Bible, Noah worked on the ark for centuries while his idol-worshiping neighbors mocked him. Had those people repented at any point, the flood might not have been necessary; however, they persisted in idolatry until the day they all drowned.

The Bible tells us that today is the day of salvation. Please turn away from your sins and follow God.

PRAYER: Father God, we confess that we are sinners and that nothing we do will be good enough to free us from our sins. By ourselves, we deserve only destruction. But You have sent Your Son Jesus to die as a blood sacrifice for our sins. Forgive us our sins. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives so that when we die, we will be with You in heaven forever. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Surely God Is Good to Israel

A Psalm of Asaph.

“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed. They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men.

Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence covers them. From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild. They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth. So their people return to this place and drink up waters in abundance. The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?” Behold, these are the wicked—always carefree as they increase their wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands. For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning. If I had said, “I will speak this way,” then I would have betrayed Your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was troublesome in my sight until I entered God’s sanctuary; then I discerned their end. Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors! Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord awaken and despise their form.

When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those far from You will surely perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, it is good to draw near to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may proclaim all Your works.”

“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed. They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men.” It’s an age-old question: why does God allow the wicked to prosper at all, let alone as much as they do? The problem for the righteous is that when they obsess over the evil of the wicked, they will stop focusing on God.

“Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence covers them. From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild. They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth. So their people return to this place and drink up waters in abundance. The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?” Behold, these are the wicked—always carefree as they increase their wealth.” Drug lords, those running human trafficking rings, crime bosses, crooked politicians-all these people operate by terror and corruption.

“Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands. For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning. If I had said, “I will speak this way,” then I would have betrayed Your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was troublesome in my sight until I entered God’s sanctuary; then I discerned their end. Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors! Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord awaken and despise their form.”  When we are suffering, it’s really tempting to become bitter; this is why it’s so important for us to keep our eyes on God and not on other people. But we must remember that God keeps score and God knows exactly what is happening. God may give people the chance to repent, but when evil-doers fail to repent, they will pay for their wickedness.

“When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.”  When we allow ourselves to become grieved, we can become confused. We need to remind ourselves that God is always with us and will keep us and guide us.

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those far from You will surely perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, it is good to draw near to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may proclaim all Your works.”  God is our only safe refuge; we have nobody else whom we can trust.

APPLICATION: Evidently, Asaph is a righteous man caught in an unrighteous situation. We don’t know what Asaph’s situation is but Asaph feels that he has nearly slipped over the brink of irreversible bitterness.

Those of us who have worked in several different organizations have stories about the wicked among us. It’s not uncommon to find that some groups reward those who flatter and curry favor while ignoring or even abusing the truly competent.

During my searches for information, I encountered one testimony entitled “Psalm 73 Saved My Life.” Why would anybody think such a thing? Bitterness and self-pity can dig us ever-deeper holes. Proverbs 23 tells us that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” If we obsess about the unfairness of our situation, we will become increasingly unable to think positively. Such thinking is reminiscent of walking along a seashore assuming that the sand is solid, only to find yourself mired in deep mud.

When we find ourselves in the same situation as Asaph, we need to copy his pattern-reach out to God, make God your refuge, grab and hold on!  

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to focus on You and not on the wicked around us. Thank You for delivering us from bitterness and envy. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign

A Psalm of Solomon.

“Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor.

They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth.

In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him. For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight.

And He shall live; and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised. There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, on the top of the mountains; its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; and those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

Who is really writing this psalm, Solomon or David? Most authorities agree that Psalm 72 is one of two psalms written by Solomon, with the second being Psalm 127. Evidently, Solomon has been compiling the psalms, and this psalm is the last one in Book Two, a book that contains many of David’s psalms.

“Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice. Whose reign is Solomon describing? Psalms work on many different levels, including some that the original author might not have intended. Solomon might be describing David’s reign as a tribute to David, or he might be describing his own reign. Humility has rarely been one of Solomon’s failings, and in an earlier age, we might have said that “Solomon is stuck on himself.” But as Solomon is writing, we begin to glimpse foretastes of the reign of the coming Messiah.

“The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor.” How can land bring peace to people? When Messiah comes, the whole earth will be full of His righteousness, peace, deliverance, and justice. There will be no more room for wickedness in any location or in any form.

“They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth.”  When Messiah comes, all the people of the earth will fear Him forever. Messiah will come in gentleness and power. Harsh rains that beat on crops destroy them and cause soil erosion; Messiah’s presence will be as refreshing as a lovely soaking rain that causes grass to flourish so that it will be ready for mowing. The grass mentioned here is hay to be harvested, not the grass on a modern lawn. The more lush the hay is, the more nutrition it will provide for the animals eating it.

“In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”  Abundance of peace! What a wonderful idea! As I am writing this, the Ukrainian situation is still bad and Hamas and Israel are locked in combat. Peace is a very scarce commodity. The River referred to here is likely the Euphrates, but the idea is that Messiah will reign over the entire earth.

“Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him. For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight.” Why will all the rulers of the earth bow before Messiah and why will His enemies lick the dust? When Messiah comes, He will have so much power and authority that nobody will be able to resist Him. Those who love righteousness will adore Him and those who hate righteousness will find themselves licking dust because they cannot help themselves. Messiah will deliver all the poor and needy, no matter where they are.

“And He shall live; and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised. There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, on the top of the mountains; its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; and those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.” Clearly, these verses describe the Messiah. But why mention an abundance of grain on mountaintops? Generally mountaintops are bleak windswept places where practically nothing can grow. But when Messiah comes, the land will become so productive that even the bare mountaintops will yield the same kind of crops as the most productive fields in Lebanon.

“His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed.” Messiah will live and reign forever, and all the nations of the earth shall bless Him.

“Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” Here Solomon endeavors to complete and sum up the psalms of his father David. Even though Solomon is incredibly gifted, he realizes that his achievements pale in comparison with those of David. Singer, song-writer, victorious warrior, wise leader, steadfast worshiper of God-David has been the complete package. Now it’s Solomon’s turn.

APPLICATION: Even though Solomon knows he has been chosen by God, still succeeding David is daunting. Evidently, David has attempted to train Solomon; however, it’s one thing when the leadership problems are merely theoretical and a different matter when you’re actually tasked with solving them. Little wonder if many proverbs, a type of composition David hasn’t tackled.

The wonderful thing about this psalm is the description of the Kingdom of the Messiah. Righteousness, justice, peace, protection for the poor and deprived, the land renewed so that even the mountaintops bear grain abundantly-these are the marks of the Messiah’s Kingdom.

Who among us does not long for the peace of God to water our souls like a gentle rain? Who among us does not long for a forever Father and Brother to whom we are precious?

How can you use this psalm? Before you read it, ask God to reveal Himself to you. Ask God to give you an understanding heart and mind. Then read the psalm to yourself, stopping when the words no longer make sense. You will know when to stop because you will begin to feel the words overwhelming you. Go back to the last phrases that were making sense. That’s God’s message for you at that point. You might get most of the way through the psalm, or you might stop on one of the first verses. It’s not the quantity of scripture that you read; it’s the message of God that’s important.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to learn how to let You speak to us through Your Word. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

God the Rock of Salvation

“In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You. I have become as a wonder to many, but You are my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails. For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”

O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt.

But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. Also with the lute I will praise You—and Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, and my soul, which You have redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; for they are confounded, for they are brought to shame who seek my hurt.”

“In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.” We don’t know exactly when David wrote this psalm, but it’s obvious that David feels he’s under attack and only God can save him.

“Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.” Remember that David was the youngest and smallest son in a family of macho men. While David’s brothers were hanging around, posing, and admiring themselves, David was risking his life in the wilderness herding sheep and fending off wild animals. Only God knew the number of times He saved David from destruction.

“Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails. For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.” Old age isn’t for sissies; sometimes simply getting out of bed in the morning requires a great deal of effort as every joint in your body checks in to let you know it HURTS! While ageism may be a real problem in many professions, there’s no such problem in the Kingdom of God. The elderly are just as valuable to God as are the young. One advantage of aging is that you no longer think you know everything; you’ve had some of the spots knocked off and hopefully are more humble than you were in your youth. On the other hand, there may be those who are hoping to attack you because you are old.

“But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.” Even as David is aging, he continues to hope in God and praise Him.

“O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?”  David can feel his body failing him. By the time David was dying, he was probably in cardiac failure. When David can’t get warm, a lovely young lady is chosen to lie next to David in bed to keep him warm. But David is still praising God even though he can’t sing or play as well as he used to.

“You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.” If David is writing this psalm in his old age, he already realizes that some of his sons are scheming to seize the kingdom. Eventually, Bathsheba must come to David and beg him to proclaim Solomon king because one of David’s other sons is already proclaiming his own rule.

“My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; for they are confounded, for they are brought to shame who seek my hurt.” When power is up for grabs, David knows that God is the only One on whom he can rely. Eventually, the request made in this verse does come true; those attempting to hurt David wind up in disgrace.

APPLICATION: Aging is not for sissies but it beats the alternative, i.e., death. We live and work in a small village in northeastern Ghana. Traditionally, Africans have always respected elders; however, in urban areas, that belief is disintegrating. When several generations live together in one compound, children learn to respect elders; however, children raised in isolation from the elderly may fail to realize just what a blessing they can be.

Older people have time for children and hopefully also patience. And the elderly are not surprised or shocked at problems because they have already weathered many of those same challenges. We always loved visiting with my late stepmother Mary. Mary raised five great kids and became a nationally awarded newspaper journalist under very difficult conditions. Mary was a voice of sanity amid chaos. No matter how difficult things were, no matter how grim our circumstances, Mary always offered encouragement and hope. When Mary died in January 2021, we lost a wonderful friend.

My late mother used to say that when we grow old, we are just what we always have been, only more so. There are few things less attractive than a bitter old person. My constant prayer as I age is that I will be as sweet as Aunt Dale. My mother’s Aunt Dale was a retired primary school teacher who exuded love and grace wherever she went. Aunt Dale was always positive and encouraging; the only problem was that if Aunt Dale came to visit, we had to stop everything else, lest she feel she was a bother and leave. To the very end of Aunt Dale’s life, she was a comfort and a joy to all those around her.  

Do you feel worn out and exhausted? Follow David’s example: ask God for help and guidance. God wants to use us to bless others as long as we live. An old Gospel song says, “Make me a blessing to someone today.” As we age, let that be our prayer.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust in You more each day than we did the day before. And make us blessings to all those around us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.