Discerning our approach to our adversaries

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from violent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart
and stir up wars continually.
3 They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,
and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah

4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;
beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah

6 I say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7 O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah

9 As for the head of those who surround me,
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10 Let burning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!
11 Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and will execute justice for the needy.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall dwell in your presence.

- Psalm 140

In just 13 verses, David offers us a rich psalm of understanding our approach to our adversaries.  What exactly do I mean by that?  Take a moment right now and think about those in your life that may purposely want to harm you or your reputation.  In some ways, all of us have adversaries.  They creep up inside the church walls, school, and the workplace.  Tension and striving against our enemies is a direct result from our sin-stained world.  What do we do?  Do we lash back and attack?  Do we fight fire with fire?  I believe in this text, David offers us much needed wisdom.
 
David simply states the problem with his attackers (v.1-5) and seeks the Lord for protection and provision (v.6-13).  In other words, David doesn’t seek after the counsel of his friends or even his family.  In this text, he seeks the help and the mercy of our Sovereign Lord.  This beautiful picture of worship draws me daily to that approach.  Seeking the Lord for His provision in the midst of feeling attacks from others can offer you and I unspeakable joy.  Why would we turn to someone else?  We have the author, creator, sustainer, and ruler of life in our midst! 
 
Today, seek the Lord for His protection and provision for any attack you may be experiencing.  Don’t give in to the temptation of trusting in others.  His Word is good, His counsel is perfect, and His grace is sufficient!
 
-From one who seeks His wisdom in approaching and responding to my adversaries.

psalm 139

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain!
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!

- Psalm 139

the foundation of confidence

Psalm 138

Give Thanks to the LORD

Of David.

 ¹ I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
   before the gods I sing your praise;
²I bow down toward your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
   for you have exalted above all things
   your name and your word.
³On the day I called, you answered me;
   my strength of soul you increased.

 ⁴ All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
   for they have heard the words of your mouth,
⁵and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
   for great is the glory of the LORD.
⁶ For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
   but the haughty he knows from afar.

 ⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
   you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
   and your right hand delivers me.
⁸The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
    your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
   Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Psalm 138 is the first in a closing set of eight Davidic Psalms (which also means we’re getting close to the end of the book!). In reading this memorable Psalm I’m struck by the confident language David uses in verse 8, and reminded of one of the more arduous activities in my profession: grant-writing. In order to support our research, we write funding proposals that describe what we want to study, how we hope to do it, and how much money it will cost. Grants tend to be the lifeblood of the university (for better or worse), so I’ve been to plenty of courses and workshops on how to write better grants. One common piece of advice is to use confident language. Don’t write, “With this research we hope to learn if there is a relationship between X and Y,” the experts say. Instead, write, “With this research we will determine the relationship between X and Y.” Apparently, reviewers are more apt to give funds to researchers who are surer about what will happen.

Read verse 8. David does not write “The LORD might have a plan for me, and if all goes well, if all the pieces fall into place like I hope they might, then that plan might actually happen!” Instead, David states, simply and confidently, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.” This is faith. It is assurance of what will happen because if anyone is worthy of our trust, it’s God.

Don’t mistake David’s confidence for haughtiness or pride. Notice his testimony in verse 6 when he describes himself as “lowly”. All the “doing” in the psalm is done by God, not man. In fact, you could even interpret the whole of this psalm that we must be low in our own eyes for God to be able to work in us. And work He will!

psalm 137

1 By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!

7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you
with what you have done to us!
9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rock!

- Psalm 137

a glorious refrain

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

17 to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

- Psalm 136

psalm 135

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.

5 For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 who struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.

13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them!

19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!

- Psalm 135

the slave Guards

Come, Bless the Lord
A Song of Ascents.

1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

- Psalm 134

As I read this gorgeous hymn I am struck by the language of the first verse which describes those who are called to bless the Lord, (v.2) and who will be blessed by the Lord(v. 3).  There are two things in particular which call out.

First, those who are described are called servants (in the Hebrew literally slaves).  This language indicates one who has lost his will to another. In the Hebrew mind, the greatest slaves were those who stayed with their masters voluntarily during the year of jubilee, when they could have been freed.  We are to lose our will to God, not begrudgingly, but with joy and thanksgiving knowing that God will provide.

Second, it say they are slaves “who stand by night.”  The dualistic language of day and night often portray opposing positions of good and bad, easy and harsh, blessings and hardship.  This is incredible, for it brings to mind those who willingly remain in the house of the Lord, to serve Him, when things are tough.  When it is easier to forsake the Lord and follow the world, these servants stand in the house of the Lord.

Darkness is coming for the church. Ahead lies an era of persecution and hardship, that the servants of Christ have never seen in our country.  Are you prepared to stand? Will you rest joyfully in the service of the Lord, not forsaking Him for the easy way?  Will you lift up your hands to the Holy place and bless him?  Will you present yourself to be blessed by Him?

Precious Unity

Psalm 133

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

 ¹Behold, how good and pleasant it is
   when brothers dwell in unity!
²It is like the precious oil on the head,
   running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
   running down on the collar of his robes!
³It is like the dew of Hermon,
   which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
   life forevermore.

This is a short psalm about a single subject: unity. Unity is announced as good and pleasant in verse 1 and is referenced as “it” in the two examples that follow in verses 2 and 3. For anyone who has ever tried to rally a group of people for a cause, unity is a sweet word. Moreover, anyone who has been involved in church administration or planning understands that unity in a body of believers, if it’s in accordance with God’s will, is unstoppable. This psalm might have been composed for David’s coronation as king (2 Samuel 5:3), a time when unity would be apparent and precious.  

The word pictures given to describe unity are interesting. Oily heads and beards sound a bit unnerving now, but we must recognize their place in traditional recognition of priests and kings. Mount Hermon (verse 3) is still there today. It’s a 9,230 feet-tall mountain at the border of Syria and Lebanon. The image of verse 3 comes from the fact that snow melt from this mountain fed (and still feeds) the Jordan River, such that Mount Hermon is sometimes called “mountain of snow”.

Consider two observations about this mountain that speak to unity.

Matthew 16 and Mark 8 mention Jesus and His disciples traveling to Caesarea Philippi, which was at the base of Mount Hermon. There, Jesus spoke in startling terms about the days ahead of them, and made this memorable statement to Peter: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Oh, what a beautiful declaration of unity, the church built upon the Rock of Ages against which nothing can prevail. This is the power we have when we work together to seek God’s will. It is, as the Psalmist writes: good, pleasant, precious, life-giving, eternal.

Today, the summit of that same mountain is controlled by Syria, while parts of the slopes are in the Golan Heights region, controlled by Israel. The mountain itself is a modern symbol of perhaps the greatest disunity on Earth. What has the so-called “Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” brought the world in our age? Nothing  good, pleasant, precious, life-giving, or eternal.

Pray for unity among Christians and for a world that desperately needs the united message of eternal hope we could bring.

call upon the promises of God

A Song of Ascents.
1 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”

- Psalm 132

We see in this psalm a call to God to remember the suffering of His servant David. This plea is made by Solomon and he is counting on the covenant that was made between David and God. We know that God honors His covenants and He always remembers those that honor Him. He remembered Noah and calmed the floodwaters. He remembered Rachel and Hannah and sent them children. He remembered Abraham and delivered Lot from destruction in Sodom. It is because of this that Solomon can make his plea with confidence that God will remember His servant David.

We who are Christians should be emboldened by this psalm to call upon the promises of God made to His children who have trusted in His Son. For if God honored and remembered the covenants He made with men, how much more will He honor and remember the covenant made in the name of His Son?

If the afflictions that David suffered on behalf of God are worthy of an entreaty for provision, how much more worthy are the afflictions of Jesus? As the author of Hebrews writes: “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Heb 12:3). We have in Christ a promise that is based in His perfection and not in our striving. We do not grow weary because He bears our burdens for us.

So many times in scripture our faith is likened to a race. In a race it is easy to become discouraged because of the size of the task in front of us. Sometimes it becomes easy to doubt that we have the ability to complete the race. That is okay for Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith and it is He who has already won the race for us. If we can simply remember as Solomon did to call upon the promises of God and trust that He will remember His covenant we can have the confidence we often lack.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2)

embrace hope and find peace

A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.

- Psalm 131

What a simple and yet powerful challenge for us this morning! This psalm strikes at the tendency in all of us to be proud and arrogant in our thirst for knowledge of the Lord.  To love the knowledge we have obtained and strive to attain more so we can be built up. We are creatures that long for and strive after a knowledge of God and how He works in the world yet are often dissatisfied with the simplicity of resting in and enjoying His glorious presence.  It seems as though there is always more to pursue.  The psalmist uses the illustration of a child being weaned from it’s mother and draws our attention to how a calm and quited soul is like a child weaned of its dependence on its mother. 

The picture the psalmist paints is clear as day to me after the birth of my daughter.  My daughter is at the beginning stage of being weaned off of her mother. Slowly we are feeding her solid foods more, giving her a bottle on occasion, and having more times where it is just her and daddy in a room together. This can be difficult for her at times when she has been without mommy for a while.  She talks to slowly realize mommy is not there and begins become dissatisfied with the presence of daddy alone. And everytime mom walks into the room she immediately goes to her to be comforted by her.  Her dependence is on that nuturing care that mom has provided for her for months.  Yet, as she gets closer and closer to being weaned she becomes more and more content to rest and enjoy the time spent being in the presence of her daddy.

The psalmist compares this to our pursuit of things that are “too high.” Like a child that is not weaned so are we as we desire to know and understand the things of God.  We are not satisfied in merely sitting and enjoying His presence.  The knowledge is our mother and for us to find rest we need to be weaned of our dependence of it.  The challenge is simple, calm and quiet your soul and be satisfied in the presence of your ”Abba Father” (Romans 8:15).

The call of verse 3, to “hope in the Lord,” is a powerful refrain to be satisfied in the coming presence of our King.  Hope points to something that has not been revealed to us yet. Hope calls for us to fight our desire to understand everything and embrance the joy of pursuing the glorious presence of God. One day our hope will turn to sight!  One day we will be in the presence of our glorious King Jesus! For now let us calm and quiet our soul and hope in the Lord.

- one who is embracing hope

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