1/8/2012 8:36:08 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 19 Pt. 3
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 19: 12-14
Message of the verses: In today’s SD we will look at the last three verses of this wonderful psalm, a psalm that has blessed the hearts of many people for many years.
The Witness Within Us—God the Redeemer (vv. 12-14): “12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”
As I began to study Psalm 19 I read in different places that it was a psalm that was to be read during the Christmas season. As we look back at what happened to the Magi that is recorded in Matthew’s gospel we see that they started their journey by looking up at God’s creation and saw God’s special star that would lead them to where the new King was. Then next consulted with the Scriptures to find out where He was to be born, and then they went to Bethlehem and worshiped the King. I know that when we look at a nativity set we often see the Magi there, but they probably did not get there until the baby was older perhaps even two years old, but the story of them seems to always be around the birth of Jesus.
I want to quote a section from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary to show that when we study creation with the Bible open you will see Jesus Christ: “He is seen in the vine (John 15), the sun (John 8:12; Mal. 4:2), the stars (Num. 24:17), the lambs (John 1:29), the apple trees and lilies (Song of Solomon 2:3, 16; 6:3), the seed planted in the ground (John 12:23-24), and the bread on the table (John 6:35). The Word in the hand is fine; the Word in the head is better; but the Word in the heart is what transforms us and matures us in Christ (Ps. 119:11; Col. 3:16-17).” We can look at Hebrews 4:12 to understand how the Word of God works in a person’s life: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (KJV) James 1:22-25 show us that the Word of God is mirror: “22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”
As we look at these different verses from the Scriptures that show us about the functions of the Word of God and how we are suppose to study the Word, we are to read the Word, and we are to hide it in our hearts so we can meditate upon it then that is a big part of me taking time every day to put onto my computer things that I have learned from the study of God’s Word. I then desire to share these thoughts with other so that they can see how very important it is to stay in God’s Word and then they too can pass it on to others and so on so.
Psalm 139:23-24 are verses that I often quote or write down in my Spiritual Diary to remind me that I need to have the Holy Spirit convict me of any unconfessed sin. We see in Psalm 19:12-13 that David asks who can “can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me.” I believe that the answer to that question is actually in two parts, for we have seen the power of God’s word to do this in Hebrews 4:12 and we know that it is the Holy Spirit who uses the Word of God to do this in our lives: “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” This is a wonderful prayer to pray when we are concerned that there is some sin in our lives that we may have committed and do not remember and so we ask the Holy Spirit to show that to us so we can then again get back into a wonderful fellowship with the Lord.
We see the word acceptable in the last verse of Psalm 19 and Dr. Wiersbe writes the following about that word: “The word translated ‘acceptable’ refers to the priest’s examination of the sacrifices to make sure they were without blemish. If the sacrifice wasn’t acceptable to the Lord, the worshipper was not accepted by the Lord (Lev. 1:1-9; 22:17-25; Mal. 1:6-8). The words we speak begin with the thoughts in our heart (Matt. 12:33-37), so it’s important that we meditate on God’s Word and God’s works, the first two themes of Psalm 19. If we delight in God’s Words, we will naturally meditate on it and give expression of His truth with our lips, and this will help to keep us from sin. The usage here refers to the ‘kinsman redeemer’ (goel= ‘one who has the right to redeem’) who could rescue a relative from difficult situations as seen in the book of Ruth. Jesus is our Redeemer and He became our ‘kinsman’ when He came in sinless human flesh to die for us on the cross. He is both Rock and Redeemer, for He not only paid the price to set us free, but He also keeps us free.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: As I read these words from Dr. Wiersbe I am convicted that perhaps I do not praise the Lord as much as I should for the fact that He is my kinsman redeemer who took my sin upon Himself and then gave me His righteousness so that I can one day stand before God clothed in the righteousness of my Savior.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. As I prepare to go and worship the Lord at church this morning I pray that the Holy Spirit has already empowered our Pastor with the words that He wants him to speak and that the Spirit will use these words from our Pastor to equip me to do the work that God has called me to do.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
1/8/2012 9:32:33 AM
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