Burunche’s Blog

The LORD Has Chosen Zion A song of ascents.

“O LORD, remember on behalf of David all the hardships he endured, how he swore an oath to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool.

Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. May Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints shout for joy. For the sake of Your servant David, do not reject Your anointed one.

The LORD swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will set on your throne. If your sons keep My covenant and the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever and ever.”

For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home: “This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired this home. I will bless her with abundant provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will sing out in joy. There I will make a horn grow for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown upon him will gleam.”

What happened to the Ark of the Covenant? Why was David concerned about its location? The mishandling of the Ark was a matter of national shame. When the Israelites were fighting the Philistines in the time of Eli the priest, the Israelites insisted on carrying the Ark out to battle, treating it like a giant fetish object and thereby reducing God to the level of a local demon. The Philistines captured the Ark but soon realized that they were dealing with a divine Power far greater than anything they had previously experienced. The statue of the Philistine god Dagon fell before the Ark, shattering its hands. When the Philistines shifted the Ark from one city to the next, the citizens of each city developed what might have been bubonic plague.

Finally, the Philistines placed the Ark on a cart hitched to milk cows who had never previously been yoked and whose calves were left behind. Despite these hindrances, the cows hauled the cart straight to the Israelites, clearly demonstrating God’s will in the matter. The Ark wound up in the home of Abinadeb, a citizen of Kirjath Jearim, where it stayed for 20 years, during which time King Saul reigned and eventually died and David came of age, becoming a successful warrior and eventually becoming king. (I have omitted several fascinating details. For the full story, read 1 Samuel 4-7.)

2 Samuel 6 describes David’s first attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem as well as his subsequent successful one. David passionately loved the Lord and grieved that the Ark was not in Jerusalem where it belonged. Despite the clear instructions that God had given Moses concerning the handling of the Ark, David and the priests ignored those instructions the first time and some men paid with their lives. After careful study of the scriptures, David realized their mistakes and advised the priests to handle the Ark properly. This time everything went well, and the Ark entered Jerusalem accompanied by an earth-shaking celebration. (1 Chronicles 15 gives a detailed account.)

As the Ark was being settled in the Tent of Meeting in Jerusalem, David may have pronounced, “Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. May Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints shout for joy. For the sake of Your servant David, do not reject Your anointed one.” Certainly, these phrases sound like something David might have said and have entered the lexicon of the psalmists and pilgrims.  

This psalm details promises made to David and his descendants and to the Israelites; yet, we know that ultimately, the Assyrians and Babylonians conquered all of Israel, slaughtering most of its leaders and carrying off others into captivity. What happened? Simple. God kept His promises but the Israelites failed miserably. In the last several chapters of Deuteronomy, God warned the Israelites of the horrors they would suffer should they reject Him. God also ordered the Israelites to teach their children His Word so that succeeding generations would know of these consequences. The Israelites messed up; however, God kept His promise by sending His Son Jesus Christ, a descendant of David’s, who would occupy David’s spiritual throne. The crown of David gleams on the brow of the Lord Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION: “God, if you’ll just get me out of this problem, I promise I’ll serve you!” During World War II when many ground troops had to dig foxholes to shelter themselves, it was said that there were no atheists in foxholes. Read the story of Eddie Rickenbacker and his friends who wound up in a small life raft when their plane went down over the ocean in October 1942. God sent a seagull to land on Rickenbacker’s head, providing them with food as well as bait for fishing. Rickenbacker and his mates realized that God was saving them. For the rest of Rickenbacker’s life, he always fed seagulls whenever possible.  When we know we can die at any moment, we are far more willing to make promises; however, what happens when God delivers us? Most of us are no better than the ancient Israelites; we forget those promises as soon as the crisis has passed.

On reviewing his eventful life, Rickenbacker emphasized that God had saved him from death or injury on innumerable occasions. Many times, we fail to realize the depth of God’s mercy toward us. We take our health and well-being for granted. On Facebook, I follow the struggles of two different families, each with a son with a chronic disease that is progressing relentlessly. Despite all these trials, these families continue to praise God for every small victory, even if it is simply a momentary relief from a chronic problem.

God has promised to clothe His priests with salvation and for His saints to sing with joy. Salvation and joy-two gifts only God can give. There’s a popular chorus in Ghana that goes, “When I think what the Lord has done, He has done so much for me. I will give my life to Thee as a living sacrifice.” Let us give our lives to God as living sacrifices, trusting that He will give salvation and joy to all who truly ask.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to give ourselves to You as living sacrifices, trusting that You will give us salvation and joy. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

I Have Stilled My Soul A song of ascents. Of David.

“My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me. Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, both now and forevermore.”

We’re back out there with the pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem, with the heat and the cold and the dust, and the rocks and the flies. (Nothing is much nastier than following your neighbor’s donkey as he poops right in front of you.) Now some of our fellow pilgrims are becoming fractious, and the most common questions are, “How much further do we have to go? When will we get there?”

Actually, we’re not certain when we will arrive. We know we are getting closer; however, GPS doesn’t exist at this point and all those who have made the trip before can tell us is that it’s only a day or so more. Part of the problem is the pace at which we are moving. Due to the constant threat of bands of robbers swooping down on us, we must all stick together. We are forced to move at the same speed as the slowest and weakest of our pedestrians, lest we leave anyone behind to be attacked. There aren’t enough donkeys to convey everybody; donkeys are a luxury for many people. All we can do is to allow those who are truly faltering to switch between riding and walking. But how can we deny anybody their chance to see Jerusalem and to celebrate in the temple? For many of us, this will be a once in a lifetime event, something to be remembered and talked about for years to come.

Some of us have other concerns as well. The women are worrying about the households they have left behind. “Should I really have left Miriam in charge of the household? Will there be anything left by the time I return? Will she break all my cooking pots?” The men are worried about their crops, their animals, and perhaps their shops as well. “My nephew Ibrahim is really an idiot, but what can I do? My sons wanted to accompany me to Jerusalem, and this might be their only opportunity. Please, Yaweh, don’t let Ibrahim run off all the livestock and wreck the business in my absence!”

It’s paradoxical but true that the closer we get to Jerusalem, the more worried some of us are becoming. This pilgrimage that should bring us much closer to God is driving us to distraction. But now someone strikes up the chant. “My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me. Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, both now and forevermore.”

We join in the chant and then realize the words we are saying. We are the ones who must still and quiet our souls; nobody else can do that for us. And we forget our households, our shops, and our farms, and we sing on.

APPLICATION: The World Health Organization promotes exclusive breast feeding up to the age of 6 months, after which they recommend gradually introducing home foods. But WHO encourages some breast feeding up to the age of two years. When frightened or stressed, children long for something comforting; this is why so many children suck their thumbs as a substitute for sucking their mothers’ breasts. Children who have been successfully weaned still need close contact with their mothers, but they don’t need to nurse. It is enough if the mother of a fretful child will simply pick the child up and hug the child close to her body. (Even after he was weaned, one of my brothers used to employ one of his tee shirts in sucking his thumb. We used to find those thumb-sucking tee shirts all over our farm.)

This is a short psalm with a big message. “My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me. Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Many times, we are worrying about things far beyond our control. What good does such anxiety do? Only God can handle those events, so give them to Him and let Him worry about them. But we are the ones who must still and quiet our souls; nobody else can do it for us. If we allow events to overwhelm us, our thoughts will race like a poor little hamster caught on an exercise wheel with no escape. How can we accomplish this feat? Hope in the Lord! We don’t have to tackle our fears by ourselves. We can confess our fears to God and ask Him to help us trust in Him. Note that the weaned child remains snuggled next to the mother. Mothers do not abandon children once they have been weaned; that physical bond remains. Neither will God abandon us. Do what the psalmist advises. “O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, both now and forevermore.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to give all our fears and anxieties to You and to put our hope in You and nothing else. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Out of the Depths A song of ascents.

“Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD! O LORD, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.

If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.

I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning—more than watchmen wait for the morning.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance. And He will redeem Israel from all iniquity.”

“Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD! O LORD, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.” Talk about total despair, this writer knows it! We don’t know what the writer is facing; however, he is evidently caught in what St. John of God referred to as “the dark night of the soul.” We all know that feeling-you can’t go forward, you can’t go backward, and you see no way out of your predicament. All you can do is to scream to God for help.

“If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.” One of the hallmarks of a dark night of the soul is that all your sins and shortcomings come back to haunt you. Suddenly you realize the truth of all those old hymns that refer to men and women as worms, those hymns you used to make fun of, for that’s what you feel like. You feel like a small earthworm squirming under the incredibly bright light of God’s holiness. You realize that if God doesn’t forgive you, you will cease to exist. If God refuses to forgive you, you will evaporate into nothingness. That’s when you realize the power of the word “but.” “But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.” Praise God, He does forgive so that we may regard Him with the awe due Him. After all, what good are shriveled or vaporized earth worms?

“I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning—more than watchmen wait for the morning.” The glorious news is that God DOES forgive and that He DOES give us hope. Nobody can more earnestly desire the coming of the dawn than a watchman who has spent the night being vigilant to detect enemies. Years ago, my husband worked for a security company that had a contract to watch municipal garbage trucks in the most dangerous part of downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The neighborhood was a bad one, and my husband had to make regular rounds, throwing switches at several different sentinel posts so the company could be certain that he was actually doing his job and not merely sitting in one place. Many times, my husband could hear gunfire outside the compound, followed by the sound of sirens as police and ambulances reported to the scene. Nobody was more relieved to see the dawn than my husband at the end of his shift!  

“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance. And He will redeem Israel from all iniquity.”  God is truly a Redeemer, someone who takes all our sins that we confess to Him, forgives them, and turns those experiences into something that can glorify Him. In doing all this, God proves worthy of our hope. God is more than capable of redeeming all the inequities of a nation, if that nation will only confess its sins to God.

APPLICATION:  The college choir I sang in once performed a setting of this psalm written by Knut Nystedt, a Danish composer. But the music was unlike anything we had ever seen before. While ONE section after another would sing a melody line, the rest of us were encouraged to each pick our own tone, resulting in what the composer called “white noise.” The import of this was to emphasize the words and the confusion under which the psalmist was laboring when he wrote this psalm.( Somehow it worked, and you can check it out on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SkMPSjuOiM.)

Psalm 130 begins with the psalmist in despair and ends with hope, an enormous improvement. The term “Gospel” literally means “good news,” and this psalm brings the very best news. No matter how terrible our sins have been, we can still bring them to the Lord, confess them, and receive forgiveness. Nothing is too difficult for God as long as we hare soft repentant hearts.

Are you facing a “dark night of the soul?” Remember the prayer attributed to St. John of God: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Don’t underestimate this prayer! One man writing in Guideposts told of how he once had to do piece work in a factory line and how he began praying this prayer with every piece he handled. Before that job ended, he found himself interceding for all those around him and for those who would use the devices he was helping to create. God used that simple prayer to transform that man’s life; He can do the same for you.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on all of us sinners. Help us to remember that there is no night so dark that the light of Your love cannot pierce the darkness. We beg you to pierce the darkness for all who read this prayer, for them, their families, everybody they know, everybody in their towns, everybody in their tribes, for salvation and baptism in the Holy Spirit, for peace in their area, and for revival. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Cords of the Wicked   A song of ascents.

“Many a time they have persecuted me from my youth—let Israel now declare—many a time they have persecuted me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me. The plowmen plowed over my back; they made their furrows long.

The LORD is righteous; He has cut me from the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame. May they be like grass on the rooftops, which withers before it can grow, unable to fill the hands of the reaper, or the arms of the binder of sheaves. May none who pass by say to them, “The blessing of the LORD be on you; we bless you in the name of the LORD.”

“Many a time they have persecuted me from my youth—let Israel now declare—many a time they have persecuted me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me. The plowmen plowed over my back; they made their furrows long.” For many of us, life has been a struggle. Perhaps we have come from poor families or families whose members have medical problems. Perhaps we have had to work to support our advanced education. Perhaps we were orphans who fought to survive the foster care system. There are all kinds of struggles people might face, and many times we feel that we have been completely isolated in our struggles. We might even feel that we have scars so deep on our backs that it appears that someone has plowed over our backs as well.   

“The LORD is righteous; He has cut me from the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame. May they be like grass on the rooftops, which withers before it can grow, unable to fill the hands of the reaper, or the arms of the binder of sheaves. May none who pass by say to them, “The blessing of the LORD be on you; we bless you in the name of the LORD.” There’s a fascinating cultural tidbit here. Evidently, it was common for those passing farmers caring for their crops to say, “The blessing of the Lord be with you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.” How do we know this? Because the psalmist says that the wicked will be like grass on the rooftops that grows up and withers-in other words, worthless weeds that don’t result in a useful harvest.

“The Lord is righteous; He has cut me from the cords of the wicked.” God is truly our Deliverer, and He alone can save us from Satan’s schemes. Here the image is one of someone who has been tied up suddenly having their ropes that bind them cut away. Naturally, that person would leap and dance for joy.

Why does the psalmist lay curses on the wicked, indicating that they hate Zion? Zion is the place God has chosen for His temple and as a center of worship for the nation. Wickedness isn’t segmented. People aren’t merely wicked in one area and then righteous in another. No matter how wickedness manifests itself, it is ultimately rebellion against God and anything pertaining to Him. Wickedness invades every portion of a person’s life. Oswald Chambers refers to this phenomenon as “spiritual measles.” We might look all right in some spots but not in others. But the longer we practice evil, the more evil will come to dominate us.

APPLICATION: Few things are as disappointing as expecting someone to behave righteously, only for them to exhibit wickedness. This year is an election year in many countries and the politicians are already jockeying for position, each one making more fantastic promises than the last. But those promises frequently don’t last any longer than the grass on the rooftops described in this psalm, and they are just as fruitless. Many of those who would truly make the best rulers will never get the opportunity, for those running political parties want someone whom they can manipulate. We can only hope and pray that somehow despite all the wrangling in the back rooms, God will still promote those who can provide righteous leadership.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, You know all the elections in various countries this year. Raise up righteous God-fearing leadership that will bring the nations of the world into true revival. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.   

The Blessed Fear of the LORD   (Psalm 112:1-10)A song of ascents.

“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways! For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine flourishing within your house, your sons like olive shoots sitting around your table.

In this way indeed shall blessing come to the man who fears the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion, that you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life, that you may see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!”

This psalm is so simple it is self-explanatory. But that doesn’t mean that someone can’t choose to flout this advice. You might wonder why anybody would want to ignore God or disobey His commandments, but the world is full of people who do precisely that. Each of us carries a spiritual influence; either our spiritual influence is positive or negative.

“For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine flourishing within your house, your sons like olive shoots sitting around your table” When we fear God, we will receive the fruits of our labors, as well as blessings and prosperity. Your family will be a large one with plenty of sons to help carry on the family name and care for you in your old age.

“In this way indeed shall blessing come to the man who fears the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion, that you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life, that you may see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!”  We might wonder why our prosperity is tied to that of Jerusalem; however, Jerusalem is the center of worship as well as the seat of government. When the country prospers, its citizens also prosper. And in an age in which many people died in their thirties or forties, God is promising that those who fear Him will see their grandchildren.

APPLICATION: “My spirit doesn’t bear witness with his spirit.” We were discussing a pastor who had visited during a large funeral in our village. There was only one problem: this man made several of us extremely uncomfortable. When the visiting pastor wanted to utter prophecies about people, we became even more uncomfortable. While this man wanted to portray himself as a prophet, many of us worried that these prophecies were not coming from the Lord.

There are people who are close to the Lord and who truly do have the gift of prophecy. But most of those people are reluctant to say anything unless or until they have prayed extensively about any prophecy God might have given them. Those who are too eager are frequently operating from a desire to be special.

What should we do when we encounter someone who makes us feel uncomfortable spiritually? Pray! The mark of the Holy Spirit is peace; ask God to give you peace about that individual if they are truly a prophet. But if God does not give you peace, then move away from that person.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to pray whenever someone begins claiming to speak in Your name. Thank You for Your promises of blessing and prosperity for those who fear You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Children Are a Heritage from the LORD A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat—for He gives sleep to His beloved.

Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.”

This is one of the few psalms that might have been authored by King Solomon. While we might not approve of Solomon’s life style and his huge numbers of wives and concubines, it’s still a great psalm.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.” While this statement seems self-explanatory, we should still meditate on it a little. What gives you a sense of security? Do you feel secure because of wealth, or a great job, or a good family, or a strong security system at your house? Do you have closed circuit TV monitoring your house so you can identify anyone stealing your Amazon packages? Do you believe that your house is so well built that it might withstand any earthquake, fire, or flood?

In ancient times, some pagans would sacrifice children when they were starting city gates or building city walls. When Joshua was destroying the city of Jericho, he laid a curse such that anyone rebuilding the city would do so at the expense of his eldest son and his youngest son. This curse came true when Hiel of Bethel rebuilt the city. 1 Kings 16:34 tells us that it was under wicked King Ahab’s rule that Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho, but at a terrible cost: He ritually sacrificed his firstborn son Abiram at the laying of the foundation, and his youngest son Segub at the setting up of the gates. This psalm states that only God can serve as a firm foundation for any endeavor, whether it be building a house or a city.

In this age of cyber-terrorism, practically any form of surveillance can be out-flanked. Again, only God is big enough and strong enough to guarantee the security of a city.

“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat—for He gives sleep to His beloved.” The psalmist is not encouraging laziness, but neither is he encouraging us to live in constant dread. Such tension takes its toll on our bodies, rendering us less able to work effectively.

 “Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.” In Biblical times, large families were the rule, partially because infant mortality was extremely high. Fathering many children not only proved a man’s virility but also was a form of social insurance. Traditionally, children were to care for their elderly parents. At the same time, most social and business transactions were carried out at the city gates. For a man to be backed up by a number of sons was an enormous benefit, as well as a boost to his ego.

APPLICATION: You might wonder what the term “Gye Nyame” means and there is a Ghanaian adinkra symbol at the beginning of this Bible study. In Twi, “Gye Nyame” literally means “except God,” or “unless God.” The Gye Nyame symbol is one of the most popular adinkra symbols and indicates a reliance on God.

Psalm 127 is short but powerful. We must depend on God for everything in our lives, for unless God moves, nothing good can happen. While there is nothing wrong with being prudent, we still must trust God to care for us. Recent catastrophic events such as earthquakes and floods have graphically demonstrated that even the strongest buildings can crumble and collapse, given the right conditions. Parts of Southeast Asia remain devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

“Fine,” you say. “But what if I am childless? What then?” There are biological children and then there are children of your heart. Of the two, those whom you have helped may be closer to you in spirit than your biological children. We have friends in Mozambique who have a childless marriage but whose ministry is to orphans who are aging out of the orphanage system. These young people still need financial assistance, advice, and spiritual guidance. Our friends’ Facebook page is full of photos of these young people returning to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs, etc. Were we in Biblical times and were our friends sitting in the city gate, these children would be clustered around them.

What’s the take-home message from Psalm 127? Worry is useless! Trust God and work, knowing that He is the One who must handle the results. Don’t torment yourself by staying up late; you will only feel worse and be less productive. And trust God to bring you children, whether or not you have given physical birth to them. And remember: GYE NYAME!!!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help everyone who reads these words to trust You and to give You their worries. Thank You, that You are far more able to watch and to keep than we are. Let all who read these words trust You and stop agonizing in the night. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 126 Zion’s Captives Restored A song of ascents.

“When the LORD restored (bought back) the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers (or like those restored to health.) Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Restore our captives, O LORD, (Some translations say “restore our fortunes.) like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.“

For many of us, the last few years have brought even more struggles than before. Due to the COVID pandemic, many countries have  taken severe measures that have destroyed small businesses and educational enterprises. But unless you have endured the refugee experience, it is still difficult to identify with the writer of this psalm.  

“When the LORD restored (bought back) the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers (or like those restored to health.) Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”  First, the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, slaughtering many people and carrying the rest away to Assyria. Then Babylon conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah, carrying away many of its people as well. While those scattered throughout the Assyrian Empire never returned as a group, groups under Ezra and later under Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple after an edict by King Cyrus of Babylon.

Even though the captives of Zion returned to a city whose walls were broken down and whose gates had been burned, the very fact that God had moved a pagan king to order them to return was a huge miracle. Centuries later, the Zionist Movement encouraged Jews to return to Israel to rebuild it. After World War II, thousands more Jews fled Europe and the Soviet Union to Israel, spurred on by the horrors of the Holocaust. Today Israel is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.

“The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Restore our captives, O LORD, (Some translations say “restore our fortunes.) like streams in the Negev.”  What an encouragement! God does not play favorites. When we are faced with seemingly hopeless situations, we can appeal to the Lord to do great things for us. But what does the reference to streams in the Negev mean?

The Negev desert in southern Israel is relatively desolate for much of the year. But when the rains come, suddenly dry wadis will swell with water from rain in other places. The desert will suddenly blossom. Here the psalmist is begging God to take the dry desolate places of life and fill them with life-giving water, hope from the Holy Spirit.

“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.“ Why would anyone weep while sowing seed? Simple. That person might be sowing seed in fear, weeping because they cannot believe that anything will come from it. But when God gives a harvest, He gives so abundantly that all we can do is shout for joy. Those who have scattered seed in faith will gain an enormous harvest, far outstripping anything they can imagine.

APPLICATION: I love this psalm for the encouragement it brings. These last several months, we have seen ever-deepening poverty among our hospital patients. Our farming season was a disaster, but that has not prevented people from falling sick. Working with our hospital chaplain and some of the nurses, we find ourselves settling medical bills and disbursing money so patients and their care givers will not starve in the hospital.

We are not wealthy people and we depend totally on donors for assistance. We are sowing financial seeds into people’s lives, begging God to bring in the funds so that we may continue to help more people. At the same time, we also have witnessed results that cause us to laugh and shout. One seventeen-year-old Fulani boy was so ill that we despaired of his life; yet, God is healing him and he is doing extremely well. Another ten-year-old boy from an interior village 150 miles from us has recovered from typhoid and malaria and has now had his large groin hernia operated successfully. A long-time friend needed coronary artery stents, a procedure that is not normally performed in Ghana. Thanks to a team of visiting American doctors, our friend has been operated and is doing so well that she hopes to return to work in February. We paid for our friend’s procedure with donor money.

There are so many lessons to be gained from this short psalm. Here is one: Do not be afraid to step out in faith when God moves you to help others, even though you aren’t sure if your resources will stretch. One of the laws of the kingdom of God is that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. If you give generously and even sacrificially, you can trust God to provide for you when you are in need.

We have just returned from the capital city of Accra by way of the Volta and Oti Regions. It was essential for us to make the last ferry carrying vehicles across the Volta Lake, and God gave us passage on the ferry. After leaving the ferry, we needed a place to eat and a safe and inexpensive place to stay the night. God gave us both. The next morning, we needed breakfast and a petrol station from one of the major brands so that we could be sure of getting clean fuel. Again, God gave us all those things. God also allowed our fuel to last until we could reach that petrol station.

As long as you hold God’s provision lightly, prepared to give whenever He says so, God will give you more. But react in fear and begin clutching and you will find yourself lacking. Do not despise God’s provisions when they seem simple. The guest house in which we slept was quite basic, but the beds were good, the rooms were clean, and the security was adequate for our needs. Our breakfast consisted of fried egg sandwiches and tea or coffee at a roadside stand. But those were great sandwiches!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You all the days of our lives. Give us the courage to go out and sow, even if we are weeping as we do so. We praise You that You will bless those who sow, giving them an abundant harvest. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 125

The LORD Surrounds His People A song of ascents.

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.

For the scepter of the wicked will not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous will not put forth their hands to injustice.

Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to the upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

We are still trudging onwards toward Jerusalem. Our feet are a bit sore, and we are tired of eating the dust stirred up by others ahead of us. We still have a few hours to go before we can stop for the night, so we are singing to encourage ourselves and to remind God that we are out here in the wilderness and we need protection from bands of roving robbers. We fervently desire to be so established that we can never be diverted into wrong spiritual directions. We comfort ourselves with the thought of the mountains that surround Jerusalem.

“For the scepter of the wicked will not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous will not put forth their hands to injustice.” There is nothing to indicate that David has written this psalm, so this psalm might have been written later when things were sliding downhill spiritually and morally in Israel. This verse would then serve both as a reminder and a prayer for God to keep the righteous from falling into injustice.

“Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to the upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.” As pilgrims, we hope that we are among the upright in heart and we really need God’s goodness; otherwise, we will never make it to Jerusalem, let alone back to our home towns and villages. We are also praying fervently against the evil we see around us and begging for God’s perfect peace.

APPLICATION: I love this psalm, particularly the verse that says, “For the scepter of the wicked will not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous will not put forth their hands to injustice.” When people urge my husband and me to tell the complete story of our missionary careers, we just smile. Even now, there are many parts of our story containing sensitive information that cannot be made public.

We have worked with several different projects in Ghana and in each case, there have been times when we have had to beg God to remove the scepter of the wicked from the land allotted to the righteous. No hospital, no organization of any kind, can fulfill its God-given calling when top leadership fails to behave in a godly fashion. Lower-level workers watch leaders carefully, and as soon as a leader becomes corrupt, those at the lower levels take that as permission for them to behave corruptly as well.

Whistle blowers generally have a rough time and we have raised alarms about malfeasance on many occasions. Leo Rosten in one of his books quotes Maimonides as having said “Tell the truth and see the world.” Tell the truth and you are likely to be invited to work elsewhere! To quote Martin Luther, “This is most certainly true!”

But if we only focus on that verse, we ignore the rest of the psalm. “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.” When we trust in the Lord, He secures our position and He surrounds us forever. As soon as we trust in the Lord, we become part of His people and the Lord protects His people. We are still subject to attack, but we can rest in the confidence that God is with us, even in the attacks.

“Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to the upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.” We should always pray for those who despitefully use us; however, we should also pray for the good and the upright in heart, that they will persistently follow the Lord, despite all trials and obstacles. And we should pray the same prayer for ourselves. At one point, I was falsely accused of mishandling money donated by a long-time friend. My accusers had no details whatsoever; they simply hoped to collect as much of that money for themselves as possible. God gave me grace to go through some very harrowing meetings, the results of which completely absolved me of any wrong-doing. Ultimately, God gave us peace over the entire matter.

Today, you might be caught in a situation in which leaders are failing to behave righteously. You might feel you are the only one who sees the evil that is going on. Do not worry! Keep praying, particularly praying that the wicked will not rule over the land-or anything else-allotted to the righteous. God is still on the throne and God is still sovereign and in control. Your prayers ARE being heard and at the right time, God will act.

There is a point toward the end of the last section of the JRR Tolkien Ring Trilogy where all seems lost. Just then, the hero throws a ring bearing ultimate power into a volcano, destroying it, and breaking the evil spells that have allowed an empire of wickedness to flourish. Suddenly, everything in that empire dissolves and its grotesque warriors fade away to nothingness.

When we first came to Ghana, veteran missionaries told us stories of times when those bent on evil against them suddenly repented completely. God still can defeat the evil threatening the righteous. Trust Him and stand and see His salvation!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, let all those under attack for being righteous take courage from You and deliver them from the Evil One. We bless You that You always honor Your word, even above Your Name. Be our deliverer! Rout the forces of evil! And do not allow the scepter of wickedness to remain over the allotment of the righteous. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD 

A song of ascents. Of David.

“If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare—if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, then the floods would have engulfed us, then the torrent would have overwhelmed us, then the raging waters would have swept us away.

Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away. Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

David’s psalms are scattered throughout the Book of Psalms, and this is one the pilgrims are chanting on the way to Jerusalem. “If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare—if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, then the floods would have engulfed us, then the torrent would have overwhelmed us, then the raging waters would have swept us away.” When we remember David’s struggles while Saul was pursuing him, we realize that Saul nearly caught David on several occasions. At one point, David and his men had taken refuge in a cave, only for Saul to decide to take a nap in that same cave! David cut off a small piece of Saul’s robe while Saul was asleep and then woke Saul up and showed it to him.

Even after David became king, he still faced enormous challenges. There were probably many times when David felt as if he had been caught in a wadi with flood waters barreling down in a huge wave threatening to sweep him away. As the pilgrims continue on their journey, they are remembering all the times that God delivered them miraculously.   

 “Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away. Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Those who caught birds generally laid snares or nets that would then be triggered by the bird’s weight. As soon as the bird tripped the snare or the net, it would spring up, catching the bird and holding it fast. Here David is avowing that even when he has been caught in Satan’s snares, God has torn the spiritual netting, allowing him to escape. Only God can deliver in this fashion.

APPLICATION: How many of us can look back over our lives and see times when God has delivered us from our own stupidity? One Sunday afternoon when I was ten years old, I decided to see if I could escape from the second story of our old farm house in case there was a fire and I couldn’t get down the stairs. I climbed on out the front porch roof and jumped ten feet to the ground, landing on soft grass. Blessedly, I rolled when I jumped and I didn’t injure myself. God protected me from physical injury that day, but God has delivered me from many more dangerous situations since then. I must confess that most of the time, I have failed to recognize God’s deliverance until well after the danger has been thwarted. Has this kept me from further recklessness? Well, sometimes.

All of us are pilgrims passing through life. We need the Lord on our side to make it through successfully to heaven. Even if we don’t do stupid things that test God’s ability to deliver, none of us is good enough to make it to heaven on our own. All of us sin and fall short of God’s glory. Jesus Christ has come as a man and has died in his innocence so that he can serve as the blood sacrifice for our sins. But we must believe in Jesus and accept that sacrifice he has made.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help those who read these words to trust that Jesus has died for them, and that he has conquered death and the grave. Help them to trust You for the rest of their lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

I Lift Up My Eyes to You A song of ascents.

“I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven. As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy. Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt. We have endured much scorn from the arrogant, much contempt from the proud.”

There’s nothing new under the sun, and this psalm proves it. As the pilgrims are trudging toward Jerusalem, they are thinking about the problems they have left behind them. One of these problems is abuse from obnoxious people who are scornful, arrogant, and contemptuous. Who are these critics? Perhaps there are gossipy neighbors, or perhaps a young couple is saddled with in-laws who feel it is their mission in life to find as much fault as possible. Perhaps an apprentice or a servant has been struggling to satisfy a perfectionist master or mistress. One author has described this kind of mental abuse as “being stoned to death with popcorn.” It’s not the first complaint that hurts; it’s the repetitious reproaches that are repeated hourly and daily.

No matter how difficult the journey to Jerusalem, no matter how hot the sun or how cold the wind, or how painful the rocks are on sandaled feet, at least the pilgrims are free from the scorn….unless the scornful are in the same group on the same journey! At that point, this psalm would give the abused a subtle way to get back at their abusers as they appeal to God for mercy.

“As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.” At the time this psalm is being written, servants have no rights and must watch their masters and mistresses closely to make certain that they don’t miss any orders. Now the pilgrims  are avowing to God that they will watch Him just as closely, not only so that God will show them mercy, but also so that they will follow God’s will for their lives.

APPLICATION: The scornful and arrogant are everywhere. These days, cyber-bullying has become a huge problem, with many teen-agers committing suicide after suffering humiliating abuse. Just publish something on Facebook and watch the derogatory remarks roll in.

When I was in surgery residency, I once complained to my department chairman about the poor technique I had witnessed one surgeon using. My chairman listened as I vented and then said kindly, “Well, now you know how NOT to perform that operation.” While it is tempting to complain about the poor attitudes of others, we need to examine ourselves. Are we encouraging those around us, or are we driving them to pray prayers similar to this psalm? Are we pointing people the way to God, or are we frustrating them and pulling them down?

Jan Karon in her Mitford series quotes a proverb from the American South that says, “Everyone is trying to swallow something they can’t get down.” We never know how many problems others are facing. Jesus advised his disciples to “pray for those who despitefully use you.” This advice still works. Let’s make certain that we are not despitefully using others while we are complaining about those who abuse us!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we thank You for Your mercy. Help us to pray for those who despitefully use us, even as we watch closely for Your guidance. We ask this in the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.