holy God

Psalm 79

A Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Prayer for Help.

A Psalm of Asaph.

    ¹O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance;
         They have defiled Your holy temple;
         They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
    ²They have given the dead bodies of Your servants for food to the birds of the heavens,
         The flesh of Your godly ones to the beasts of the earth.
    ³They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem;
         And there was no one to bury them.
    ⁴We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
         A scoffing and derision to those around us.
    ⁵How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever?
         Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
    ⁶Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You,
         And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name.
    ⁷For they have devoured Jacob
         And laid waste his habitation.
    ⁸Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us;
         Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us,
         For we are brought very low.
    ⁹Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name;
         And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.
    ¹⁰Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
         Let there be known among the nations in our sight,
         Vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
    ¹¹Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
         According to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are doomed to die.
    ¹²And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom
         The reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
    ¹³So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture
         Will give thanks to You forever;
         To all generations we will tell of Your praise.

 

The Psalmist is in agony over the state of Jerusalem and the way that Israel is viewed among the other nations.  He sees and understands that how these unbelievers see Israel is a reflection upon how they see Israel’s God. The truth is, while Israel probably deserved what she had received, God did not deserve to be associated with her. However, God was in their midst (in His temple), and the sin of Israel which had brought about the nations defeat now caused others to see God in a negative light.

The church today is no different. With every scandal, with every moral failure, with each stain on the righteousness of God, not only does the world see the church negatively, they see at best an impotent god or worst, truth to the lie of atheism. Then the world gains a foothold into the church and the defilement of Gods holy temple begins. However, the failure is not monolithic or corporate alone. Corporate sin cannot grow apart from individual sin. So, believers must first address their personal holiness if there is to be a change in the holiness of the church. This stems from a proper understanding of God’s righteousness and, through our relationship to Christ, a desire to also be holy.

Additionally, the psalmist gives great insight into the fact that the change begins with the recognition that apart from God we are impotent to change (v.9 cf. Jn 15:5). Our lives are not about us; they are about how we glorify God, our Savior and Lord. If we do not know Him, we cannot glorify Him.  But for those who do, we must focus on His righteousness, and His glory, living in but apart from the world, so that the world may see who god really is.

Finally, we are to praise Him. We are to praise Him in worship of course, but also with every word and deed of each day of our lives. This happens only when we live what we believe with the legacy of righteous living and surrender to a holy God be passed down to future generations. Our friends and neighbors and children do not care what we believe if it does not affect how we live.

Are you living righteously? Would those outside the church know that you are a Christian by the way you live? Is your holiness obvious enough to glorify God?