Burunche’s Blog

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.

Prayer for Relief from Adversaries

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.

“Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord! Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my life; let them be turned back and confused who desire my hurt.

Let them be turned back because of their shame, who say, “Aha, aha!” Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!”

But I am poor and needy; make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.”

Once more, David is in trouble and feels there’s no way out; only God can save and help him. And David needs help NOW! All of us have days like this, times when you feel completely helpless.

One of the reasons the Psalms remain so popular is that they describe real situations. And because these are real situations, we can use these prayers as our own.

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!”  Notice this does NOT say, “Let all those who are having a good day rejoice and be glad.” All that needs to happen is that we are seeking God; once we are seeking God’s help, we qualify for it.

APPLICATION: There are times when things are so difficult that you want to pray, you need to pray, but you simply can’t! You feel as if the words are sticking in your throat. That’s when psalms like this one can become your prayer lifeline.

When we first came to our current assignment thirty years ago, I had lots of people eager to tell lies about me to anyone who would listen. It took the advent of a tribal war and the expansion of our services to include operations and transfusions before the critics backed off. Many times, these psalms helped save my sanity, reminding me that thousands of years ago, David was enduring similar problems.

Are you struggling right now, even though you know God has called you to do what you are doing? Hang on! Stay the course! Trust God. If God has brought you to this situation, He will bring you through it.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all who read these words to take courage from You and to trust for You to save them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble

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

“Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.

Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully; though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it. O God, You know my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from You. Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.

Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother’s children; because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, that became my reproach. I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate speak against me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the truth of Your salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.

Let not the floodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth on me. Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. And do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in trouble; hear me speedily. Draw near to my soul, and redeem it; deliver me because of my enemies.

You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor; my adversaries are all before You. Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Let their table become a snare before them, and their well-being a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; and make their loins shake continually. Pour out Your indignation upon them, and let Your wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents. For they persecute the ones You have struck, and talk of the grief of those You have wounded.

Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not come into Your righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

But I am poor and sorrowful; let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull, which has horns and hooves. The humble shall see this and be glad; and you who seek God, your hearts shall live. For the Lord hears the poor, and does not despise His prisoners.

Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion
and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His name shall dwell in it.”

“Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.” Once more David is in crisis mode and has penned a psalm for the rest of us. There’s a saying that “When you are up to your rear end in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp.” David feels as if he is drowning in trouble, sinking in mud while water comes up to his chin.

“Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully; though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it.” It’s bad enough when you have actually messed up, but when multitudes of people you don’t know are hating you for no reason, it can destroy you.

…because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”  When Jesus drives the money changers out of the temple in Jerusalem, his disciples apply these verses to him.

“Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” While David is describing his own suffering, these verses have also been applied to Jesus’s suffering on the cross at Calvary.

“But I am poor and sorrowful; let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Even in the middle of suffering, David persists in praising God.

“Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion
and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His name shall dwell in it.” David stops focusing on his own problems long enough to express his hopes for God’s salvation.

APPLICATION: There are days when everything seems to go completely wrong, everybody is against you, and you just want to quit! It’s extremely disheartening to do everything right and still get attacked, particularly when your attackers coming at you from all directions.

Obviously, faithfulness to God does not guarantee we will be free from attack; in fact, you might find yourself under more attack because of your stand for righteousness.

But even when David is in the depths of despair, he continues to praise God and to trust Him. It’s easy to trust God when everything is going well; however, the real test of our faith comes when things are falling apart.

Today, you might identify with David. You feel as if you are sinking in quicksand and you’re about to drown! Don’t despair. God is still on the throne, and He will bring you through.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You even when things are falling apart. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

An Invocation and a Doxology

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

“God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth. Selah

Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.”

“God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” This psalm is one of those short but memorable ones. If God is not merciful, He will not bless us because we don’t deserve either mercy or blessing by ourselves. When God blesses a people, He demonstrates His power to all the surrounding nations.

“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth. Selah” Follow current events for even a few minutes and you realize that righteous leadership is in short supply around the world. Nothing is more frightening than laboring under unrighteous leadership, fearing that terrible things might happen at any moment.

“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.” We are wrong when we assume that the earth is inanimate and cannot respond to the spirits influencing the people who are occupying it. George Otis Jr. and the Sentinel Organization have repeatedly demonstrated that when God heals a land spiritually, the land becomes productive. Streams fill with fish. Crops flourish. Why should the ends of the earth fear God? When God does miracles, the news spreads around the world.

Romans 4:17 describes the Kingdom of God. “For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. “ Many people long for just those things in their lives. When God blesses us and all the ends of the earth fear Him, the Kingdom of God has truly arrived.

APPLICATION: It’s tempting to read this psalm and wonder why it is not already being fulfilled. There are lots of believers around the world begging God to bring peace to their countries. Why hasn’t God fulfilled those requests already?

Our problem is that we have a limited view of things. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect. No matter how intelligently we try to interpret political events, only God knows the end from the beginning.

There is an old hymn that says, “God is working His Purpose Out.

 1 God is working this purpose out, as year succeeds to year;
God is working this purpose out, and the time is drawing near;
nearer and nearer draws the time, the time that shall surely be:
when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

2 From utmost east to utmost west, where human feet have trod,
by the mouth of many messengers goes forth the voice of God:
“Give ear to me, ye continents, ye isles, give ear to me,
that the earth may be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.”

3 Let us go forth in the strength of God, with the banner of Christ unfurled,
that the light of the glorious gospel of truth may shine throughout the world.
Let us all fight with sorrow and sin to set the captives free,
that the earth may be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

4 All we can do is nothing worth unless God blesses the deed.
Vainly we hope for the harvest-tide till God gives life to the seed.
Yet nearer and nearer draws the time, the time that shall surely be,
when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust that You ARE working out Your purposes and that the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Make a Joyful Noise

(Psalm 100:1-5)For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm.

“Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You. All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.”

Selah

Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him. He rules forever by His power; His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

Praise our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard. He preserves our lives and keeps our feet from slipping. For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver. You led us into the net; You laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.

I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—the vows that my lips promised and my mouth spoke in my distress. I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth and praised Him with my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld from me His loving devotion!”

“Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You. All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.” Selah When it comes to praise songs, David is still one of the greatest song writers of all times. Here we are not glimpsing David the king but David the shepherd boy who has witnessed thousands of sunrises and sunsets and has seen the light of God illuminating the hills and everything in them.

“Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him. He rules forever by His power; His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah” Here David is referring to the miraculous deliverance of Moses and the Israelites as they crossed the Red Sea on dry land, only for the entire Egyptian army to be wiped out when the water surged back, covering that path. A God who can defeat the strongest army in the world is certainly a God of power. 

“Praise our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard. He preserves our lives and keeps our feet from slipping. For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver. You led us into the net; You laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water,

but You brought us into abundance.” At no point has God ever promised any of His people that they would remain free from suffering and trials. The ancient process of refinement means that the silver is heated repeatedly until all the impurities are gone and the refiner can see his reflection in the silver.

“You led us INTO the net?” Does God allow us to become entrapped? To bear burdens on our backs? To let men ride over our heads? To go through fire and water? Yes to all these things. Sometimes God sends us through hellish experiences BUT He can also bring us into abundance. I’ve said it before, but it’s still true: In the middle of a trial, I don’t want to hear comments from anybody who has not earned his/her PhD. in suffering. Those who have never suffered are the very ones who will smugly give glib advice from the depths of their ignorance. Those who have endured hardships are the ones who can give true encouragement. As an example, experienced parents will never give pat answers to other parents struggling with disobedient teens; they’ve made too many mistakes themselves.

“I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—the vows that my lips promised and my mouth spoke in my distress. I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah” We read these words and think “burning flesh-EWW!” But for David and his people, offering the most perfect animals they could find is a very big sacrifice; after all, these are the best breeding animals and these animals will have the choicest meat. Sacrifices that don’t cost you anything are a sham.

“Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth and praised Him with my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld from me His loving devotion!”  God wants us to come to Him, but He doesn’t want us to come with ulterior motives. God is not a vending machine nor a computer; He cannot be manipulated. When we come to God purely to worship Him, He knows. And when we come hoping to trick God into giving us things, He knows that also.

APPLICATION: If you’ve ever heard seagulls, you know their cries are anything but melodic; in fact, a flock of seagulls can raise enough noise to wake the dead. So why has someone used a photo of a seagull to illustrate making a joyful noise to the Lord? Face it; some of us produce more melodic results than others. Attend enough services in small churches and you’ll find that some worship leaders are much more talented than others. Some worship efforts can set the hearers’ teeth on edge as the musicians hit one wrong note after another. But what does God hear?

Several years ago, when I was living in West Virginia, there was a Christian blue grass music group whose program aired on Sunday mornings. Possessing a keen sense of pitch, I could scarcely stand to listen to those folks, until the morning God stopped me as I was about to change radio stations. “I want you to hear what I hear,” God said. So I listened. There were still just as many sour notes and quavering chords, but now I heard the love those folks had for the Lord.

None of us praise God the way we should or as much as we should. But God is a Divine Parent who loves his children’s efforts, even when they are far less than perfect. Parents posting their children’s art work on their refrigerators aren’t worried about that those drawings aren’t masterpieces. When a child creates something and gives it to you in love, you accept it and show the child how thrilled you are. In the same manner, God accepts our praises. Some of us are better musicians than others. Some of us can’t carry a tune in a bucket if someone gives us a bucket. But when we praise God from our hearts, God receives our praise gladly. And the praise we give when we are under struggling is particularly precious to God. Remember, “It’s not a sacrifice of praise until you’re pushing it out through clenched teeth.” (Quote from the late Harold Hill, How to Live Like a King’s Kid.)

If you can’t make music, don’t worry. You can still share the thoughts of your heart and God will hear your love for Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to praise You with everything that is in us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.