3/31/2012 9:24:21 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Blessings from God
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 67:1-2
Message of the verses: In today’s SD we will begin to look at the 67th Psalm. First we will look at several introductions to help us understand what the psalmist is writing.
“TITLE. To the Chief Musician. Who he was matters not, and who we may be is also of small consequence, so long as the Lord is glorified. On Neginoth, or upon stringed instruments. This is the fifth Psalm so entitled, and no doubt like the others was meant to be sung with the accompaniment of "harpers harping with their harps." No author’s name is given, but he would be a bold man who should attempt to prove that David did not write it. We will be hard pushed before we will look for any other author upon whom to father these anonymous odes which lie side by side with those ascribed to David, and wear a family likeness to them. A Psalm or Song. Solemnity and vivacity are here united. A Psalm is a song, but all songs are not Psalms: this is both one and the other.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
“This brief psalm develops two optimistic themes: the need and result of God’s mercy, and the future universal worship of God. The psalm reflects the promise to Abraham that God would bless his descendants, and in Abraham, ‘all the families of the earth’ (Genesis 12:1-3) (The John MacArthur Study Bible)
“Except for verses 1 and 6, each verse in this brief psalm mentions ‘all nations’ or ‘all peoples,’ and in that respect fits in with Psalms 65 and 66. It’s a psalm of praise to God for all His blessings, as well as a prayer to God that His blessings will flow out to the Gentiles, especially His salvation. This was part of God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). A blessing is a gift from God that glorifies His name, helps His people, and through them reaches out to help others who will glorify His name. God blesses us that we might be a blessing to others. The psalm describes the stages in this sequence.” (Warren Wiersbe’s Be Worshipful Psalms 1-89)
Israel Blesses the Nations (vv. 1-2): “1 ¶ «For the choir director; with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.» God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us- Selah. 2 That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.”
Dr. Wiersbe points out that this portion of Psalm 67 was adapted from the High Priestly Prayer that is found in Numbers 6:24-26. Let us look at these verses with a couple more included so that we can get the flavor of what the Lord is telling Moses. “22 ¶ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ’Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ 27 "So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them." The psalmist uses the word Elohim instead of Jehovah. We have mentioned Genesis 12:1-3 a couple of times and so let’s look at those verses too: “ 1 ¶ Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’” These wonderful verses go along with Psalm 67 and in them we see a promise from God to Abraham, and to his descendants. I have read and heard that one can see the raising and the falling of the worlds empires by how they treated the Jews (Israel), and that is what God promised to Abraham in verse three. What is being taught here is that one cannot treat a Jewish person badly just because they are Jewish or God will curse the one who does this or the nation who does this. We also see in this section that all of the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham. The apostle Paul writes the following in Romans 9:1-5: “1 ¶ I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” Paul is describing how God blesses all peoples through the nation of Israel, and we know that Abraham is the father of the nation of Israel.
Dr. Wiersbe brings up the glory of God which is seen in this passage from Romans, and was also seen in the history of the nation of Israel, and this is a very important part of the history of Israel and also a part of the true Church today. “To have the light of God’s countenance smile upon them was the height of Israel’s blessing, and to lose that glory meant judgment (1Sam. 4, especially vv. 21-22). The prophet Ezekiel watched the glory depart before the temple was destroyed (Eze. 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22-23). God’s people today have God’s glory within (1Cor. 6:19-20; 2Cor. 4:6), and in our good works, godly character, and loving ministry we should reveal that glory to the world (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16) In the same manner, Israel was to be a light and a blessing to the nations (Isa. 42:6;; 49:6-7; Acts 13:47). Israel gave us the knowledge of the true and living God, the Word of God and the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: “A blessing is a gift from God that glorifies His name, helps His people, and through them reaches out to help others who will glorify His name. God blesses us that we might be a blessing to others.” I want to be a blessing to others today.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I don’t want to think so much of me today, but be a blessing to others through the power of God. I want to continue to learn contentment.
3/31/2012 10:21:42 AM
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Jesus Calms A Storm (Mark 4:31-41)
3/29/2012 9:15:47 AM
Jesus Calms the Storm
Mark 4:35-41
This will be the last post from the fourth chapter of the book of Mark. My goal is to study a chapter every month until I am done with the book of Mark. I listen to the chapter every day that I am studying for that month and also listen to messages on that chapter throughout the month in order to be prepared to write the different posts. I also use the commentary written by Warren Wiersbe, which as always, is very helpful and informative, helping me to understand the truths of the Word of God. His style makes understand the Bible as I have written many times that Warren Wiersbe puts the cookies on the shelf where you can reach them and I like cookies.
While listening to a message from this section by John MacArthur I learned some very interesting facts about the “Sea of Galilee that I wish to pass on because it will make these verses more alive and more understandable, but first we need to do a short review on what we have covered on this forth chapter of Mark. I suppose that the word parable is the prominent theme in this chapter as we see some teaching done by our Lord using parables throughout most of chapter four. I wanted to mention before that chapter four and chapter thirteen are probably the most instructive chapters in the book of Mark as far as Jesus’ teaching. Mark does not include things like the “Sermon on the Mount” in his writings for his writing is like a newspaper article where there is a lot of fast moving facts. We have seen that his favorite word is immediately and he uses that word to speed up his writings.
We remember that at the end of chapter three that the Scribes and the Pharisees accused Jesus of doing His miracles through the power of Satan and then Jesus told them that they had just committed the unpardonable sin with that statement. This is a turning point in His Galilean ministry and so He began to hide the truth by using parables to teach the crowds and would then explain the meaning to his disciples and His apostles that He had just appointed. At the end of His day of teaching these parables to the people and explaining them to His own He instructed them to take Him across the lake and Jesus falls asleep in the boat on a cushion. It is at this point that I wish to speak of His tiredness and why teaching and preaching is so tiring. We can certainly see the humanness of Jesus in this section because of His being so tired and that is another important point we see in this section, but Jesus was so tired from preaching and teaching. In his message on this section John MacArthur tells of preaching for eight hours a day while in Russia and this caused so much exhaustion that he slept from Moscow to New York on the plane and then from New York to L. A. I am reading the autobiography of Billy Graham and during some of his long crusades he writes of being so tired that he can hardly speak. He also writes about losing a lot of weight during these long crusades. Jesus had the burden of telling people the truth and many people rejected it, and this was a great burden on Him, the same with those who teach and preach the truth today. This reminds me a bit about a couple of passages in the Bible, one from the OT and one from the NT about someone eating the Word of God, and it was sweet in their mouths and sour in their stomachs. The reason that this reminds me of being so tired is because of how the Word of God, the truth of the Word of God affects those who have the burden to teach it for it can be sweet in their mouths, but when others don’t understand it and then will be judged for not understanding it the one who tells the truth is actually getting them so upset that they can become ill (the sourness in their stomachs).
John MacArthur writes the following about the Sea of Galilee: It is the lowest fresh water lake on the planet. It is 682 feet below sea level. It isn’t as low as the Dead Sea but the Dead Sea is not fresh water, it is highly mineralized content and the salt in Dead Sea is so thck that you can float on the top of it rather easily. But this is the lowest fresh water lake in the world. And as a result of that, it has been much studied for its unique properties. It has a stratification of water. There literally three stratifications of water that go down a hundred and fifty feet and those stratifications have a lot to do with the surface of the lake at various times of the year. They have a lot to do with the content of algae which has a lot to do with the content of fish. In 1896, one fishing boat alone brought in 92 hundred pounds of fish. It is a prolific lake for the production of fish and having that kind of water and that kind of resource in Galilee was a great blessing to the people who live there.
“It is surrounded by mountains, essentially on the west and northwest, the mountains rise to 1,500 feet. On the northeast and east, they rise to three thousand feet, to the Golan Heights which runs 42 miles in length and the lake is only thirteen miles. So it goes far pass the lake. The lake is 13 by 8. So it sits in a bowl and the water that comes into the lake comes partly from some hot springs but primarily from the Jordan River which flows out of Mount Herman. Mount Herman is up in the north on the Lebanon border at 9,200 feet. So the water flows about ten thousand feet down to fill this lake in this bowl. It is such pristine fresh water that it provides even today about fifty percent of the water for the nation Israel. So it was a tremendous resource to them for water, as well as for fish.
“…What particularly makes it unique is the fact that it is subject to very, very severe winds. And both in the summer and the warm part of the year and in the winter in the cold part of the year, it experiences these kinds of winds. The winds that come in the summer are the Sirocco winds from the east. They’d be like our Santa Ana winds, only they typically come every day from noon to six o’clock. They’re pretty predictable. The winds come down hard off the Golan Heights and little north of that and it comes down it turns the lake into a boiling caldron and it’s pretty much the routine every day during the summer. These make it a very treacherous place to be in a boat at the wrong time.
“The winter is even worse because the winter winds are cold winds that come from the north and northwest. And when the cold air comes down and it hits the warm air that naturally sits in the bowl, it creates turmoil. The cold air goes through the warm air and causes tremendous turmoil on the lake.”
Now that we have the background of this lake we can proceed to talk about the spiritual aspect of this section of Scripture. John MacArthur in his message on this section breaks up this section of Scripture with four points.
1. “The Calm Before the Storm”
2. “The Calm During the Storm”
3. “The Calm After the Strom”
4. “The Storm After the Calm”
The Calm Before the Storm
Mark 4:35 ¶ On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, "Let us go over to the other side.’” 36 Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.”
In these two verses we see that after Jesus finished teaching all day that He wanted to go to the other side of the lake and so He got into a boat to cross over to the other side of the lake and some of His followers were in the other boats so that there were a number of boats going with Him. Luke tells us what happened when Jesus got into the boat: “23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep.” Luke tells us that Jesus fell asleep and he also tells us that the boats were sailing, which means that the disciples did not have to row the boat, but used the sail and the wind blew them across the lake. (Little did the know)
The Calm During the Storm
37 And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.”
This whole section that we are looking at has a great deal of meaning to me. I have mentioned in earlier SD’s that there was a time in my life when someone stole a great deal of money from me, money we were going to use to help out during our retirement. The very month this happened a Missionary friend of mine was preaching a sermon in which he entitle it “Blessings in the Storms of Life” and part of the text he used was this section from Mark. We will see in these three verses that the disciples and apostles of Jesus were actually being blessed in this great God ordained storm, and it was part of the teaching that Jesus was giving to these men whom He had chosen just a few days ago. These were the men whom was entrusted the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they may begin to fulfill the Great Commission. This was a test in the being given to them by the Master Teacher. I was given a similar test, and part of the blessings I received was leading or helping to lead eighteen people to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. These men would lead thousands of people to the Lord.
The divine wind that came down onto that lake was hurricane strength for that is what the word “gale” means here from the Greek. Many of the apostles who were with Jesus were season fishermen and they had seen many storms on this lake for it was where they made their living and so this storm was larger than any other they had seen. Here we see season fishermen calling on a Carpenter to save them for they had seen the power that was in Jesus and knew that He was their only hope. Now I want to quote some verses from the OT to help us understand some of the things that perhaps these men knew: “5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; 6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might; 7 Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.” (Psalm 65:5-7) “You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.” (Psalm 89:9) “23 ¶ Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; 24 They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. 25 For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. 27 They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. 29 He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed.” (Psalm 107:23-29) (WOW) We now see in verse 38 that they woke Jesus up! Jesus then calms the wind and the sea as seen in verse 39. Let’s look at Psalm 10:1 “Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” Then Psalm 44: 23 Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.”
The Calm After the Storm
“39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.” We saw the humanity of Jesus when He was tired and so much asleep that a great storm did not awake Him and now we see the Divine Jesus who speaks and the winds and the waves are calm. Now I want to go back to Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” It was through this gospel that Mark wrote and also the other three gospels that shows that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God and also that He is God the Son. This section helps demonstrate this truth.
The Storm After the Calm
40 And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”
We see that Jesus speaks to them about their lack of faith, for as long as they had been with them they were not demonstrating a lot of faith. These men should have known by this time that nothing was going to happen to Jesus or to them unless it was ordained by the Lord.
Now we see these men who had just been in a great storm which caused them to have great fear having more fear over having God in their boat than that storm outside the boat.
I want to look at a few Scriptures that speak of men who had a great fear of the Lord. Before we do this we need to realize why it was that these men had this great fear and so we will look at Isaiah 6:5 “Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’” Isaiah was in the presence of God and even though he was a believer at this time when He saw the Lord he saw his sin and when he saw his sin he knew he was sinful and wanted to get out of the presence of the Lord. Peter went through this experience when Jesus told him, while in the boat, to drop his nets on the other side of the boat and there were so many fish in them he could not bring them up. Peter told Jesus to leave him because he was a sinful man. Abraham, Daniel, John also went through this experience.
What can we learn from this section? The Holy Spirit can teach us what he desires to teach us from this and yours may be different than mine. King Solomon wrote that the fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom. The men who followed Jesus were beginning to learn wisdom and I hope that I am too.
Jesus Calms the Storm
Mark 4:35-41
This will be the last post from the fourth chapter of the book of Mark. My goal is to study a chapter every month until I am done with the book of Mark. I listen to the chapter every day that I am studying for that month and also listen to messages on that chapter throughout the month in order to be prepared to write the different posts. I also use the commentary written by Warren Wiersbe, which as always, is very helpful and informative, helping me to understand the truths of the Word of God. His style makes understand the Bible as I have written many times that Warren Wiersbe puts the cookies on the shelf where you can reach them and I like cookies.
While listening to a message from this section by John MacArthur I learned some very interesting facts about the “Sea of Galilee that I wish to pass on because it will make these verses more alive and more understandable, but first we need to do a short review on what we have covered on this forth chapter of Mark. I suppose that the word parable is the prominent theme in this chapter as we see some teaching done by our Lord using parables throughout most of chapter four. I wanted to mention before that chapter four and chapter thirteen are probably the most instructive chapters in the book of Mark as far as Jesus’ teaching. Mark does not include things like the “Sermon on the Mount” in his writings for his writing is like a newspaper article where there is a lot of fast moving facts. We have seen that his favorite word is immediately and he uses that word to speed up his writings.
We remember that at the end of chapter three that the Scribes and the Pharisees accused Jesus of doing His miracles through the power of Satan and then Jesus told them that they had just committed the unpardonable sin with that statement. This is a turning point in His Galilean ministry and so He began to hide the truth by using parables to teach the crowds and would then explain the meaning to his disciples and His apostles that He had just appointed. At the end of His day of teaching these parables to the people and explaining them to His own He instructed them to take Him across the lake and Jesus falls asleep in the boat on a cushion. It is at this point that I wish to speak of His tiredness and why teaching and preaching is so tiring. We can certainly see the humanness of Jesus in this section because of His being so tired and that is another important point we see in this section, but Jesus was so tired from preaching and teaching. In his message on this section John MacArthur tells of preaching for eight hours a day while in Russia and this caused so much exhaustion that he slept from Moscow to New York on the plane and then from New York to L. A. I am reading the autobiography of Billy Graham and during some of his long crusades he writes of being so tired that he can hardly speak. He also writes about losing a lot of weight during these long crusades. Jesus had the burden of telling people the truth and many people rejected it, and this was a great burden on Him, the same with those who teach and preach the truth today. This reminds me a bit about a couple of passages in the Bible, one from the OT and one from the NT about someone eating the Word of God, and it was sweet in their mouths and sour in their stomachs. The reason that this reminds me of being so tired is because of how the Word of God, the truth of the Word of God affects those who have the burden to teach it for it can be sweet in their mouths, but when others don’t understand it and then will be judged for not understanding it the one who tells the truth is actually getting them so upset that they can become ill (the sourness in their stomachs).
John MacArthur writes the following about the Sea of Galilee: It is the lowest fresh water lake on the planet. It is 682 feet below sea level. It isn’t as low as the Dead Sea but the Dead Sea is not fresh water, it is highly mineralized content and the salt in Dead Sea is so thck that you can float on the top of it rather easily. But this is the lowest fresh water lake in the world. And as a result of that, it has been much studied for its unique properties. It has a stratification of water. There literally three stratifications of water that go down a hundred and fifty feet and those stratifications have a lot to do with the surface of the lake at various times of the year. They have a lot to do with the content of algae which has a lot to do with the content of fish. In 1896, one fishing boat alone brought in 92 hundred pounds of fish. It is a prolific lake for the production of fish and having that kind of water and that kind of resource in Galilee was a great blessing to the people who live there.
“It is surrounded by mountains, essentially on the west and northwest, the mountains rise to 1,500 feet. On the northeast and east, they rise to three thousand feet, to the Golan Heights which runs 42 miles in length and the lake is only thirteen miles. So it goes far pass the lake. The lake is 13 by 8. So it sits in a bowl and the water that comes into the lake comes partly from some hot springs but primarily from the Jordan River which flows out of Mount Herman. Mount Herman is up in the north on the Lebanon border at 9,200 feet. So the water flows about ten thousand feet down to fill this lake in this bowl. It is such pristine fresh water that it provides even today about fifty percent of the water for the nation Israel. So it was a tremendous resource to them for water, as well as for fish.
“…What particularly makes it unique is the fact that it is subject to very, very severe winds. And both in the summer and the warm part of the year and in the winter in the cold part of the year, it experiences these kinds of winds. The winds that come in the summer are the Sirocco winds from the east. They’d be like our Santa Ana winds, only they typically come every day from noon to six o’clock. They’re pretty predictable. The winds come down hard off the Golan Heights and little north of that and it comes down it turns the lake into a boiling caldron and it’s pretty much the routine every day during the summer. These make it a very treacherous place to be in a boat at the wrong time.
“The winter is even worse because the winter winds are cold winds that come from the north and northwest. And when the cold air comes down and it hits the warm air that naturally sits in the bowl, it creates turmoil. The cold air goes through the warm air and causes tremendous turmoil on the lake.”
Now that we have the background of this lake we can proceed to talk about the spiritual aspect of this section of Scripture. John MacArthur in his message on this section breaks up this section of Scripture with four points.
1. “The Calm Before the Storm”
2. “The Calm During the Storm”
3. “The Calm After the Strom”
4. “The Storm After the Calm”
The Calm Before the Storm
Mark 4:35 ¶ On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, "Let us go over to the other side.’” 36 Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.”
In these two verses we see that after Jesus finished teaching all day that He wanted to go to the other side of the lake and so He got into a boat to cross over to the other side of the lake and some of His followers were in the other boats so that there were a number of boats going with Him. Luke tells us what happened when Jesus got into the boat: “23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep.” Luke tells us that Jesus fell asleep and he also tells us that the boats were sailing, which means that the disciples did not have to row the boat, but used the sail and the wind blew them across the lake. (Little did the know)
The Calm During the Storm
37 And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.”
This whole section that we are looking at has a great deal of meaning to me. I have mentioned in earlier SD’s that there was a time in my life when someone stole a great deal of money from me, money we were going to use to help out during our retirement. The very month this happened a Missionary friend of mine was preaching a sermon in which he entitle it “Blessings in the Storms of Life” and part of the text he used was this section from Mark. We will see in these three verses that the disciples and apostles of Jesus were actually being blessed in this great God ordained storm, and it was part of the teaching that Jesus was giving to these men whom He had chosen just a few days ago. These were the men whom was entrusted the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they may begin to fulfill the Great Commission. This was a test in the being given to them by the Master Teacher. I was given a similar test, and part of the blessings I received was leading or helping to lead eighteen people to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. These men would lead thousands of people to the Lord.
The divine wind that came down onto that lake was hurricane strength for that is what the word “gale” means here from the Greek. Many of the apostles who were with Jesus were season fishermen and they had seen many storms on this lake for it was where they made their living and so this storm was larger than any other they had seen. Here we see season fishermen calling on a Carpenter to save them for they had seen the power that was in Jesus and knew that He was their only hope. Now I want to quote some verses from the OT to help us understand some of the things that perhaps these men knew: “5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; 6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might; 7 Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.” (Psalm 65:5-7) “You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.” (Psalm 89:9) “23 ¶ Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; 24 They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. 25 For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. 27 They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. 29 He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed.” (Psalm 107:23-29) (WOW) We now see in verse 38 that they woke Jesus up! Jesus then calms the wind and the sea as seen in verse 39. Let’s look at Psalm 10:1 “Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” Then Psalm 44: 23 Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.”
The Calm After the Storm
“39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.” We saw the humanity of Jesus when He was tired and so much asleep that a great storm did not awake Him and now we see the Divine Jesus who speaks and the winds and the waves are calm. Now I want to go back to Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” It was through this gospel that Mark wrote and also the other three gospels that shows that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God and also that He is God the Son. This section helps demonstrate this truth.
The Storm After the Calm
40 And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”
We see that Jesus speaks to them about their lack of faith, for as long as they had been with them they were not demonstrating a lot of faith. These men should have known by this time that nothing was going to happen to Jesus or to them unless it was ordained by the Lord.
Now we see these men who had just been in a great storm which caused them to have great fear having more fear over having God in their boat than that storm outside the boat.
I want to look at a few Scriptures that speak of men who had a great fear of the Lord. Before we do this we need to realize why it was that these men had this great fear and so we will look at Isaiah 6:5 “Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’” Isaiah was in the presence of God and even though he was a believer at this time when He saw the Lord he saw his sin and when he saw his sin he knew he was sinful and wanted to get out of the presence of the Lord. Peter went through this experience when Jesus told him, while in the boat, to drop his nets on the other side of the boat and there were so many fish in them he could not bring them up. Peter told Jesus to leave him because he was a sinful man. Abraham, Daniel, John also went through this experience.
What can we learn from this section? The Holy Spirit can teach us what he desires to teach us from this and yours may be different than mine. King Solomon wrote that the fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom. The men who followed Jesus were beginning to learn wisdom and I hope that I am too.
Praise The Lord (Psalm 66:8-20)
3/30/2012 9:22:59 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus:
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 66:8-20
Message of the verses: Dr. Warren Wiersbe writes this at the end of his introduction on Psalm 66: “The exhortation to praise the Lord begins with the Gentile nations (vv. 1-7), moves to Israel (vv. 8-12), and concludes with the individual believers (vv. 13-20).”
A National Proclamation: “Israel, Praise the Lord!” (vv. 8-12): “8 ¶ Bless our God, O peoples, And sound His praise abroad, 9 Who keeps us in life And does not allow our feet to slip. 10 For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11 You brought us into the net; You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins. 12 You made men ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.”
“8 ¶ Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. 9 Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling. 10 You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. 11 You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs. 12 Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.” (NLT)
The psalmist wants all Israel to praise the name of the Lord, and if there is any nation that should praise the Lord it is Israel. All one has to do is look back into history to see how the Lord brought about the nation of Israel, as it began with a 100 year old man and his 90 year old wife who gives birth to a promised child and from there we see this family expand into a nation as when God sent them into Egypt there were 70 in this miracle family and 400 years later there were millions of people in this family when God brought them out of their slavery and eventually into the Promised Land. God gave them His law, His sanctuary, and His priests and prophets, and would bless them with all they needed. God had to discipline them many times for their unfaithfulness, but this was done out of love for them as He moved them to the point where eventually the Messiah would be born to one of them, the Messiah who would pay for the sins of the world. The apostle Paul writes that Israel has been set aside at this point, but one day God will again be dealing with Israel bringing His Kingdom to earth headed up by Jesus Christ who will set on David’s throne in Jerusalem and rule the world from there for 1000 years. Yes Israel has much to praise the Lord for, but so does the Church.
A Personal Affirmation “Praise God with Me!” (vv. 13-20): “13 ¶ I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings; I shall pay You my vows, 14 Which my lips uttered And my mouth spoke when I was in distress. 15 I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts, With the smoke of rams; I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats. Selah. 16 Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul. 17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; 19 But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me.”
“13 ¶ Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings to fulfill the vows I made to you- 14 yes, the sacred vows that I made when I was in deep trouble. 15 That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you- the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma, and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude 16 Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. 17 For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. 18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. 20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.” (NLT)
Dr. Wiersbe writes “The change from ‘we/our’ to ‘I/my’ is significant, for corporate worship is the ministry of many individuals, and God see each heart. During his times of trial, the psalmist had made vows to God, and now he hastened to fulfill them. He brought many burnt offerings to the altar, the very best he had, and they symbolized his total dedication to the Lord. We today obey Romans 12:1-2 and present ourselves as living sacrifices.” “1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” AKJV (Romans 12:1-2) These are two of my favorite verses in all of the Word of God and all believers are to come to the point in their lives, like the psalmist of Psalm 66, to present themselves to the Lord because of all that He has done for them. The first eleven chapters of the book of Romans talks about all that the Lord has done for His own, and not it is time for them to lay themselves on the altar as a living sacrifice to accomplish what it is that the Lord wants them to accomplish for the cause of Christ. I believe that according to Ephesians 2:10 that these things were chosen by God for each believer to accomplish while they are alive on planet earth. The psalmist speaks in this section about having a clean heart or God will not hear him and Psalm 130:23-24 instructs us to ask the Holy Spirit of God to search our hearts for unconfessed sin so that we can confess that sin to the Lord so that He will hear us.
The psalmist had something wonderful happen to him and now he is sharing it with all we as believers in Jesus Christ are to share the wonderful thing that God has done for us and the first thing on that list ought to be how He saved us. Peter writes “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
Warren Wiersbe writes more about verse 18: “The verb ‘regard’ (v. 18) means ‘to recognize and to cherish, to be unwilling to confess and forsake know sins.’ It means approving that which God condemns. When we recognize sin in our hearts, we must immediately judge it, confess it, and forsake it (1John 1:5-10); otherwise, the Lord can’t work on our behalf (Isa. 59:1-2). To cover sin is to invite trouble and discipline (Proverbs 28:13; Josh 7).”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: An old Scottish Preacher said “The Christian life is a series of new beginnings.” I agree with that for even though I have been born from above into the family of God and received a new nature that always wants to obey the Lord in everything there are also three enemies that I face each day, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Thus at times I fail the Lord and am in need of 1John 1:9. I am also in need of Psalm 139:23-24. There came a time in my early walk with the Lord that I offered myself as a living sacrifice to the Lord, to live for the Lord and He has not failed me, nor will He. The issue is that I fail Him from time to time and I need to confess my sin in order to be able to have sweet fellowship with the God who save me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Romans 12:1-2; Psalm 139:23-24; Proverbs 3:5-6; Phil. 4:11b & Psalm 66:18.
3/30/2012 10:13:49 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus:
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 66:8-20
Message of the verses: Dr. Warren Wiersbe writes this at the end of his introduction on Psalm 66: “The exhortation to praise the Lord begins with the Gentile nations (vv. 1-7), moves to Israel (vv. 8-12), and concludes with the individual believers (vv. 13-20).”
A National Proclamation: “Israel, Praise the Lord!” (vv. 8-12): “8 ¶ Bless our God, O peoples, And sound His praise abroad, 9 Who keeps us in life And does not allow our feet to slip. 10 For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11 You brought us into the net; You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins. 12 You made men ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.”
“8 ¶ Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. 9 Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling. 10 You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. 11 You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs. 12 Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.” (NLT)
The psalmist wants all Israel to praise the name of the Lord, and if there is any nation that should praise the Lord it is Israel. All one has to do is look back into history to see how the Lord brought about the nation of Israel, as it began with a 100 year old man and his 90 year old wife who gives birth to a promised child and from there we see this family expand into a nation as when God sent them into Egypt there were 70 in this miracle family and 400 years later there were millions of people in this family when God brought them out of their slavery and eventually into the Promised Land. God gave them His law, His sanctuary, and His priests and prophets, and would bless them with all they needed. God had to discipline them many times for their unfaithfulness, but this was done out of love for them as He moved them to the point where eventually the Messiah would be born to one of them, the Messiah who would pay for the sins of the world. The apostle Paul writes that Israel has been set aside at this point, but one day God will again be dealing with Israel bringing His Kingdom to earth headed up by Jesus Christ who will set on David’s throne in Jerusalem and rule the world from there for 1000 years. Yes Israel has much to praise the Lord for, but so does the Church.
A Personal Affirmation “Praise God with Me!” (vv. 13-20): “13 ¶ I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings; I shall pay You my vows, 14 Which my lips uttered And my mouth spoke when I was in distress. 15 I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts, With the smoke of rams; I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats. Selah. 16 Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul. 17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; 19 But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me.”
“13 ¶ Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings to fulfill the vows I made to you- 14 yes, the sacred vows that I made when I was in deep trouble. 15 That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you- the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma, and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude 16 Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. 17 For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. 18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. 20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.” (NLT)
Dr. Wiersbe writes “The change from ‘we/our’ to ‘I/my’ is significant, for corporate worship is the ministry of many individuals, and God see each heart. During his times of trial, the psalmist had made vows to God, and now he hastened to fulfill them. He brought many burnt offerings to the altar, the very best he had, and they symbolized his total dedication to the Lord. We today obey Romans 12:1-2 and present ourselves as living sacrifices.” “1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” AKJV (Romans 12:1-2) These are two of my favorite verses in all of the Word of God and all believers are to come to the point in their lives, like the psalmist of Psalm 66, to present themselves to the Lord because of all that He has done for them. The first eleven chapters of the book of Romans talks about all that the Lord has done for His own, and not it is time for them to lay themselves on the altar as a living sacrifice to accomplish what it is that the Lord wants them to accomplish for the cause of Christ. I believe that according to Ephesians 2:10 that these things were chosen by God for each believer to accomplish while they are alive on planet earth. The psalmist speaks in this section about having a clean heart or God will not hear him and Psalm 130:23-24 instructs us to ask the Holy Spirit of God to search our hearts for unconfessed sin so that we can confess that sin to the Lord so that He will hear us.
The psalmist had something wonderful happen to him and now he is sharing it with all we as believers in Jesus Christ are to share the wonderful thing that God has done for us and the first thing on that list ought to be how He saved us. Peter writes “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
Warren Wiersbe writes more about verse 18: “The verb ‘regard’ (v. 18) means ‘to recognize and to cherish, to be unwilling to confess and forsake know sins.’ It means approving that which God condemns. When we recognize sin in our hearts, we must immediately judge it, confess it, and forsake it (1John 1:5-10); otherwise, the Lord can’t work on our behalf (Isa. 59:1-2). To cover sin is to invite trouble and discipline (Proverbs 28:13; Josh 7).”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: An old Scottish Preacher said “The Christian life is a series of new beginnings.” I agree with that for even though I have been born from above into the family of God and received a new nature that always wants to obey the Lord in everything there are also three enemies that I face each day, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Thus at times I fail the Lord and am in need of 1John 1:9. I am also in need of Psalm 139:23-24. There came a time in my early walk with the Lord that I offered myself as a living sacrifice to the Lord, to live for the Lord and He has not failed me, nor will He. The issue is that I fail Him from time to time and I need to confess my sin in order to be able to have sweet fellowship with the God who save me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Romans 12:1-2; Psalm 139:23-24; Proverbs 3:5-6; Phil. 4:11b & Psalm 66:18.
3/30/2012 10:13:49 AM
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Remembering the Works of the Lord (Psalm 66:1-7)
3/29/2012 7:52:55 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Remembering the works of the Lord.
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 66:1-7
Message of the verses: In today’s SD we will begin to look at Psalm 66, the first thing will be to look at several introductions.
“TITLE. To the Chief Musician. He had need be a man of great skill, worthily to sing such a Psalm as this: the best music in the world would be honored by marriage with such expressions. A Song or Psalm, or a Song and Psalm. It may be either said or sung; it is a marvelous poem if it be but read; but set to suitable music, it must have been one of the noblest strains ever heard by the Jewish people. We do not know who is its author, but we see no reason to doubt that David wrote it. It is in the Davidic style, and has nothing in it unsuited to his times. It is true the "house" of God is mentioned, but the tabernacle was entitled to that designation as well as the temple.
“SUBJECT AND DIVISION. Praise is the topic, and the subjects for song are the Lord’s great works, his gracious benefits, his faithful deliverances, and all his dealings with his people, brought to a close by a personal testimony to special kindness received by the prophet bard himself. #Ps 66:1-4 are a kind of introductory hymn, calling upon all nations to praise God, and dictating to them the words of a suitable song. #Ps 66:5-7 invite the beholder to "Come and see" the works of the Lord, pointing attention to the Red Sea, and perhaps the passage of Jordan. This suggests the similar position of the afflicted people which is described, and its joyful issue predicted, #Ps 66:8-12. The singer then becomes personal, and confesses his own obligations to the Lord; #Ps 66:13-15 and, bursting forth with a vehement "Come and hear," declares with thanksgiving the special favour of the Lord to himself, #Ps 66:16-20.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
“This joyful psalm begins with group praise and then focuses on the individual worship. The psalmist rehearses some of the major miracles in Israel’s history and testifies that God has always been faithful in the midst of serious troubles.” (The John MacArthur Study Bible)
“At the close of the previous psalm, you hear nature praising the Lord, and the psalm exhorts all mankind to join creation in celebrating God’s greatness. It appears that Israel had gone through severe trials (vv. 8-12) and yet won a great victory with the Lord’s help. Some students believe this even t was the Lord’s miraculous defeat of Assyria (Isa. 36-37) and that the individual speaking in verses 13-20 was King Hezekiah, whose prayer the Lord answered (37:14-20). The exhortation to praise the Lord begins with the Gentile nations (vv. 1-7), moves to Israel (vv. 8-12), and concludes with the individual believers (vv. 13-20).” (Warren Wiersbe)
A Global Invitation: “All Nations, Praise the Lord!”: “1 ¶ «For the choir director. A Song. A Psalm.» Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; 2 Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. 4 "All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name." Selah. 5 Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; They passed through the river on foot; There let us rejoice in Him! 7 He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.”
It was in the 63rd Psalm that David remembered what the Lord had done for him in the “night watches,” and remembering what the Lord has done in a person’s life is a wonderful way to worship the Lord, although we must remember that the past can aid us in that way, but we still have to move on in life each day. We see in this section that the psalmist is remembering the exodus of Israel from Egypt as they crossed the sea on dry land and then came into Canaan by crossing the dried up Jordan River that the Lord had dried up so they could cross into Canaan.
This psalm is also a missionary psalm and the psalmist wants the Gentile nations to praise the Lord because of what God has done for Israel. This is not unusual for all believers praise the Lord for what the Lord Jesus Christ did to bring about their salvation. Jesus said to the woman at the well that “Salvation is of the Jews” and of course He was speaking of His death, burial and resurrection. The Church has much to praise the Lord about for what has come from the nation of Israel and we would do good to thank the Lord for the accomplishment that He has done through Israel. Satan hates Israel and has done much to try and destroy her, but this will never happen, for that which is going to happen to Israel is written in the pages of Scripture and will not be changed.
Dr. Wiersbe writes the following describing what the Exodus and Passover mean to the nation of Israel: “What the resurrection of Jesus Christ is to believers today, the Exodus was to Israel (Eph. 1:15-23). The Jews remember the Exodus at Passover, and the church remembers the death and resurrection of Christ at the Lord’s Supper.” Yes God wants us to remember.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: To remember what the Lord has done in my life is a wonderful reason to worship the Lord. A young Christian couple, who knew little about living the Christian life, but had a desire to learn was given a small boy through birth who had a difficult heart problem along with a number of other smaller problems that also needed surgery to correct. I believe that it was around May 7th or 8th of 1981 that we entrusted our son to the Lord and the doctors who did very major surgery on our son’s heart and heart valve. The surgery was long and the results were mixed and may have to be repeated, but by the grace of God and the prayers of the saints more surgery on his little heart was not necessary and today that little son of ours has three children of his own. Yes it is good to remember the wonderful works of the Lord and praise and worship Him because of those wonderful works.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to trust the Lord for the healing of my mother who is quit ill at this time. Continue to remember the works of the Lord, especially the perfect salvation He has provided for me. Continue to learn contentment in the Lord as I go through life’s trials and troubles.
3/29/2012 8:40:08 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Remembering the works of the Lord.
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 66:1-7
Message of the verses: In today’s SD we will begin to look at Psalm 66, the first thing will be to look at several introductions.
“TITLE. To the Chief Musician. He had need be a man of great skill, worthily to sing such a Psalm as this: the best music in the world would be honored by marriage with such expressions. A Song or Psalm, or a Song and Psalm. It may be either said or sung; it is a marvelous poem if it be but read; but set to suitable music, it must have been one of the noblest strains ever heard by the Jewish people. We do not know who is its author, but we see no reason to doubt that David wrote it. It is in the Davidic style, and has nothing in it unsuited to his times. It is true the "house" of God is mentioned, but the tabernacle was entitled to that designation as well as the temple.
“SUBJECT AND DIVISION. Praise is the topic, and the subjects for song are the Lord’s great works, his gracious benefits, his faithful deliverances, and all his dealings with his people, brought to a close by a personal testimony to special kindness received by the prophet bard himself. #Ps 66:1-4 are a kind of introductory hymn, calling upon all nations to praise God, and dictating to them the words of a suitable song. #Ps 66:5-7 invite the beholder to "Come and see" the works of the Lord, pointing attention to the Red Sea, and perhaps the passage of Jordan. This suggests the similar position of the afflicted people which is described, and its joyful issue predicted, #Ps 66:8-12. The singer then becomes personal, and confesses his own obligations to the Lord; #Ps 66:13-15 and, bursting forth with a vehement "Come and hear," declares with thanksgiving the special favour of the Lord to himself, #Ps 66:16-20.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
“This joyful psalm begins with group praise and then focuses on the individual worship. The psalmist rehearses some of the major miracles in Israel’s history and testifies that God has always been faithful in the midst of serious troubles.” (The John MacArthur Study Bible)
“At the close of the previous psalm, you hear nature praising the Lord, and the psalm exhorts all mankind to join creation in celebrating God’s greatness. It appears that Israel had gone through severe trials (vv. 8-12) and yet won a great victory with the Lord’s help. Some students believe this even t was the Lord’s miraculous defeat of Assyria (Isa. 36-37) and that the individual speaking in verses 13-20 was King Hezekiah, whose prayer the Lord answered (37:14-20). The exhortation to praise the Lord begins with the Gentile nations (vv. 1-7), moves to Israel (vv. 8-12), and concludes with the individual believers (vv. 13-20).” (Warren Wiersbe)
A Global Invitation: “All Nations, Praise the Lord!”: “1 ¶ «For the choir director. A Song. A Psalm.» Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; 2 Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. 4 "All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name." Selah. 5 Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; They passed through the river on foot; There let us rejoice in Him! 7 He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.”
It was in the 63rd Psalm that David remembered what the Lord had done for him in the “night watches,” and remembering what the Lord has done in a person’s life is a wonderful way to worship the Lord, although we must remember that the past can aid us in that way, but we still have to move on in life each day. We see in this section that the psalmist is remembering the exodus of Israel from Egypt as they crossed the sea on dry land and then came into Canaan by crossing the dried up Jordan River that the Lord had dried up so they could cross into Canaan.
This psalm is also a missionary psalm and the psalmist wants the Gentile nations to praise the Lord because of what God has done for Israel. This is not unusual for all believers praise the Lord for what the Lord Jesus Christ did to bring about their salvation. Jesus said to the woman at the well that “Salvation is of the Jews” and of course He was speaking of His death, burial and resurrection. The Church has much to praise the Lord about for what has come from the nation of Israel and we would do good to thank the Lord for the accomplishment that He has done through Israel. Satan hates Israel and has done much to try and destroy her, but this will never happen, for that which is going to happen to Israel is written in the pages of Scripture and will not be changed.
Dr. Wiersbe writes the following describing what the Exodus and Passover mean to the nation of Israel: “What the resurrection of Jesus Christ is to believers today, the Exodus was to Israel (Eph. 1:15-23). The Jews remember the Exodus at Passover, and the church remembers the death and resurrection of Christ at the Lord’s Supper.” Yes God wants us to remember.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: To remember what the Lord has done in my life is a wonderful reason to worship the Lord. A young Christian couple, who knew little about living the Christian life, but had a desire to learn was given a small boy through birth who had a difficult heart problem along with a number of other smaller problems that also needed surgery to correct. I believe that it was around May 7th or 8th of 1981 that we entrusted our son to the Lord and the doctors who did very major surgery on our son’s heart and heart valve. The surgery was long and the results were mixed and may have to be repeated, but by the grace of God and the prayers of the saints more surgery on his little heart was not necessary and today that little son of ours has three children of his own. Yes it is good to remember the wonderful works of the Lord and praise and worship Him because of those wonderful works.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to trust the Lord for the healing of my mother who is quit ill at this time. Continue to remember the works of the Lord, especially the perfect salvation He has provided for me. Continue to learn contentment in the Lord as I go through life’s trials and troubles.
3/29/2012 8:40:08 AM
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
God The Ruler and Provider for All (Psalm 65:5-13)
3/28/2012 8:13:04 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: God is ruler and provider for all!
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 65:5-13
Message of the verses: As we continue to look at Psalm 65 in today’s SD I want to remind you of what Dr. Wiersbe wrote at the end of his introduction in order to help us better understand more about this psalm: “Whatever the historical setting, the psalm helps us to worship our great God and glorify Him for who He is and what He does for us.”
He Is the Ruler of All Nations (vv. 5-8): “5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; 6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might; 7 Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.”
During the time when this psalm was written and even before it was written the nations around Israel thought that all nations had their own Gods, but one of the functions of Israel was to let others around them that there was only One True God and so this psalm moves from the people of Israel to all the nations of the world, and from God’s grace to the Jews to God’s government of the Gentiles. We see in this section some things that God did in creation and also in sustaining the earth. The roaring seas are a symbol of the nations in tumult and confusion as seen elsewhere in (Isa. 17:12-13; 60:5; Dan. 7:2-3; Rev. 13:1; 17:5). We know from Daniel 2:21 that it is God who chooses the leaders of nations, all nations for God is in control of all things that are going on in the world even though many people do not believe this or understand this. At a time when there is much confusion in many of the nations around the world believers can comfort knowing that God is in control of all the nations and God is in control of all the so called “natural disasters ” that are going on around this earth.
He Is the Provider of All We Need (vv. 9-13): “9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth. 10 You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth. 11 You have crowned the year with Your bounty, And Your paths drip with fatness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness drip, And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing. 13 The meadows are clothed with flocks And the valleys are covered with grain; They shout for joy, yes, they sing.”
I believe that there is one thing that is taught around the world that has been most devastating to the peoples of the earth and that is evolution. After doing a study by John MacArthur which he calls “The Battle for the Beginning” I have seen from the data that he brings up in his book and from the messages that he gave to the church that he is Pastor of, that evolution is impossible. We have technology today that proves that evolution is not possible and I do not have time to go into all the details of this here, but once DNA was discovered it made evolutionist look pretty dumb. The most detrimental thing that evolution has caused in the world today is that it has given those who accept it a way out of being accountable to God, for if the world was made by chance then there is no One to be accountable to and this has led to many people around the world close their eyes to God, who in these verses of Psalm 65 is seen as the Provider of things we all need including food. All people receive what is called “common grace,” and that would be things like air to breathe, and food to eat, and a way to make shelter to live in, things all people enjoy, but most do not understand that this is all given to them by God’s grace.
Psalm 65 began in the small country of Israel and not it has spread around the world and into the universe for David writes of the rain and also the sun in this section of this psalm.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Psalm 65 is a psalm of praise to our Great God, who deserves all glory and honor. It has been nice to look at this psalm in order to help me praise the Lord, for it was a good reminder to me of all the things that God has, in His grace given to me. The Savior He provided to pay for my sins and the Word He has provided for me to understand Him better are two wonderful things to praise the Lord for today and every day of my life.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I pray and trust that God will give my family the grace we need to deal with a difficult situation that we are facing at this time in our lives. I pray that through this situation that God will use it to teach me contentment and to praise the Lord in difficult situations.
3/28/2012 8:47:33 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: God is ruler and provider for all!
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 65:5-13
Message of the verses: As we continue to look at Psalm 65 in today’s SD I want to remind you of what Dr. Wiersbe wrote at the end of his introduction in order to help us better understand more about this psalm: “Whatever the historical setting, the psalm helps us to worship our great God and glorify Him for who He is and what He does for us.”
He Is the Ruler of All Nations (vv. 5-8): “5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; 6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might; 7 Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.”
During the time when this psalm was written and even before it was written the nations around Israel thought that all nations had their own Gods, but one of the functions of Israel was to let others around them that there was only One True God and so this psalm moves from the people of Israel to all the nations of the world, and from God’s grace to the Jews to God’s government of the Gentiles. We see in this section some things that God did in creation and also in sustaining the earth. The roaring seas are a symbol of the nations in tumult and confusion as seen elsewhere in (Isa. 17:12-13; 60:5; Dan. 7:2-3; Rev. 13:1; 17:5). We know from Daniel 2:21 that it is God who chooses the leaders of nations, all nations for God is in control of all things that are going on in the world even though many people do not believe this or understand this. At a time when there is much confusion in many of the nations around the world believers can comfort knowing that God is in control of all the nations and God is in control of all the so called “natural disasters ” that are going on around this earth.
He Is the Provider of All We Need (vv. 9-13): “9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth. 10 You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth. 11 You have crowned the year with Your bounty, And Your paths drip with fatness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness drip, And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing. 13 The meadows are clothed with flocks And the valleys are covered with grain; They shout for joy, yes, they sing.”
I believe that there is one thing that is taught around the world that has been most devastating to the peoples of the earth and that is evolution. After doing a study by John MacArthur which he calls “The Battle for the Beginning” I have seen from the data that he brings up in his book and from the messages that he gave to the church that he is Pastor of, that evolution is impossible. We have technology today that proves that evolution is not possible and I do not have time to go into all the details of this here, but once DNA was discovered it made evolutionist look pretty dumb. The most detrimental thing that evolution has caused in the world today is that it has given those who accept it a way out of being accountable to God, for if the world was made by chance then there is no One to be accountable to and this has led to many people around the world close their eyes to God, who in these verses of Psalm 65 is seen as the Provider of things we all need including food. All people receive what is called “common grace,” and that would be things like air to breathe, and food to eat, and a way to make shelter to live in, things all people enjoy, but most do not understand that this is all given to them by God’s grace.
Psalm 65 began in the small country of Israel and not it has spread around the world and into the universe for David writes of the rain and also the sun in this section of this psalm.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Psalm 65 is a psalm of praise to our Great God, who deserves all glory and honor. It has been nice to look at this psalm in order to help me praise the Lord, for it was a good reminder to me of all the things that God has, in His grace given to me. The Savior He provided to pay for my sins and the Word He has provided for me to understand Him better are two wonderful things to praise the Lord for today and every day of my life.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I pray and trust that God will give my family the grace we need to deal with a difficult situation that we are facing at this time in our lives. I pray that through this situation that God will use it to teach me contentment and to praise the Lord in difficult situations.
3/28/2012 8:47:33 AM
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
He Is the Savior of Sinners (Psalm 65:1-4)
3/27/2012 7:18:19 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Savior of Sinners
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 65:1-4
Message of the verses: We begin Today’s Spiritual Diary with several introductions to Psalm 65.
“This is a praise psalm, full of hopeful, confident, even enthusiastic feelings in response to God’s goodness with no complaints of cruses. The setting is a celebration at the tabernacle, perhaps at Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the spring, or the Feasts of Booths, or Tabernacles, in the fall.” (The John MacArthur Study Bible)
“This is the first of four psalms (65-68) that focus on praising the Lord for His manifold blessings in nature and for His gracious dealings with His people. He is the God of creation and the God of the covenant. The psalm acknowledges our total dependence on the Lord to provide both our spiritual and material needs. The phrase ‘crown the year’ (v. 11) suggests a harvest festival in October, the first month of Israel’s civil year. (The religious calendar opened with Passover; Ex. 12:2.) Perhaps verse 3 suggests the annual Day of Atonement that ushered in the Feast of Tabernacles, a harvest festival (Lev.17; 23:26-44). The early rains usually began in late October, softening the hard soil and enabling the farmers to plow the ground and sow their seed (vv. 9-13). Perhaps God had disciplined His people by sending drought and famine (Lev. 26:3-6; Deut. 11:8-17) and allowing other nations to threaten Israel (v. 7). This discipline brought them to repentance and they anticipated the promised rains and a blessed harvest from the Lord. David’s unusual experience involving the Gibeonites might have been the occasion (2Sam. 21:1-14). Whatever the historical setting, the psalm helps us to worship our great God and glorify Him for who He is and what He does for us.” (Warren Wiersbe)
I stated in the last Spiritual Diary that it seemed that many of David’s writings in the psalms were due to difficult situations where we would see David write about the curses that would affect those who were causing him trouble and then he would go about praising the Lord because of his confidence in Him to take care of the adverse situation that he was in, but for the next four psalms it seems that this pattern will be changed.
He Is the Savior of Sinners (vv. 1-4): “1 ¶ «For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.» There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God, And to You the vow will be performed. 2 O You who hear prayer, To You all men come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You forgive them. 4 How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.”
Charles H. Spurgeon writes the following which will help us to understand the first the first verse in this psalm: “A Psalm and song of David. The Hebrew calls it a Shur and Mizmor, a combination of psalm and song, which may be best described by the term, "A Lyrical Poem." In this case the Psalm may be said or sung, and be equally suitable. We have had two such Psalms before, Psalm 30 and 48, and we have now the first of a little series of four following each other. It was meant that Psalms of pleading and longing should be followed by hymns of praise.”
The first verse also speaks of being silent before the Lord; something we have already seen is Psalm 62:1 “My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.” Dr. Wiersbe writes “But silence is also a part of worship, and we must learn to wait quietly before the Lord.” I can remember that at times in our church services that the Pastor would come in and ask all of us to take the first moments of the service, even before someone was speaking or singing to be silent with reverence before the Lord, but the next Sunday there would again be a buzz in the congregation of people talking with others about who knows what. It is difficult to be silent before the Lord, for it seems that your mind is always working, for you are always thinking thoughts, but at least we can stop talking and just focus our thoughts on the goodness of the Lord which it seems that David is doing in this psalm.
It is good to come before the Lord with clean hearts so the first thing we must do is confess any sins that we have committed in body or in our thoughts and ask the Lord for forgiveness (1John 1:9). I think that we should then ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts (Psalm 139:23-24) before we begin to approach the Lord. David speaks of our approach before the Lord in verses two and three and then in verse four David speaks of (it seems) the priests who can come before the Lord in the sanctuary of the Lord. We see in 1Peter 2:9-10 these words “9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” Also in the book of Revelations chapter one and verses five and six we read: “5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood- 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
After Jesus died on the cross the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies was torn into from the top to the bottom which opens the way to come into the presence of God, so as NT believers we can intercede for others before the throne of God in heaven, which makes us priests. Jesus Christ is all we need to be satisfied for we find our complete satisfaction in Him, where the OT saints had to go to the temple to worship the Lord and find that satisfaction.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: As I look at verse four in this psalm it reads that we will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house of Your temple and am thankful for the fact that I can come into the very presence of the Lord to find grace to help in a time of need. The OT temple was a shadow of what was to come in Jesus Christ. I find in Scripture that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in all believers and it is He who will guide me into all truth and even pray for me when things get too hard. “Ro 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” At this difficult time in my life I am thankful for this very special promise.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I desire to continue to meditate upon God’s Word and seek to continue to learn contentment in Him.
3/27/2012 8:17:33 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Savior of Sinners
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 65:1-4
Message of the verses: We begin Today’s Spiritual Diary with several introductions to Psalm 65.
“This is a praise psalm, full of hopeful, confident, even enthusiastic feelings in response to God’s goodness with no complaints of cruses. The setting is a celebration at the tabernacle, perhaps at Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the spring, or the Feasts of Booths, or Tabernacles, in the fall.” (The John MacArthur Study Bible)
“This is the first of four psalms (65-68) that focus on praising the Lord for His manifold blessings in nature and for His gracious dealings with His people. He is the God of creation and the God of the covenant. The psalm acknowledges our total dependence on the Lord to provide both our spiritual and material needs. The phrase ‘crown the year’ (v. 11) suggests a harvest festival in October, the first month of Israel’s civil year. (The religious calendar opened with Passover; Ex. 12:2.) Perhaps verse 3 suggests the annual Day of Atonement that ushered in the Feast of Tabernacles, a harvest festival (Lev.17; 23:26-44). The early rains usually began in late October, softening the hard soil and enabling the farmers to plow the ground and sow their seed (vv. 9-13). Perhaps God had disciplined His people by sending drought and famine (Lev. 26:3-6; Deut. 11:8-17) and allowing other nations to threaten Israel (v. 7). This discipline brought them to repentance and they anticipated the promised rains and a blessed harvest from the Lord. David’s unusual experience involving the Gibeonites might have been the occasion (2Sam. 21:1-14). Whatever the historical setting, the psalm helps us to worship our great God and glorify Him for who He is and what He does for us.” (Warren Wiersbe)
I stated in the last Spiritual Diary that it seemed that many of David’s writings in the psalms were due to difficult situations where we would see David write about the curses that would affect those who were causing him trouble and then he would go about praising the Lord because of his confidence in Him to take care of the adverse situation that he was in, but for the next four psalms it seems that this pattern will be changed.
He Is the Savior of Sinners (vv. 1-4): “1 ¶ «For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.» There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God, And to You the vow will be performed. 2 O You who hear prayer, To You all men come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You forgive them. 4 How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.”
Charles H. Spurgeon writes the following which will help us to understand the first the first verse in this psalm: “A Psalm and song of David. The Hebrew calls it a Shur and Mizmor, a combination of psalm and song, which may be best described by the term, "A Lyrical Poem." In this case the Psalm may be said or sung, and be equally suitable. We have had two such Psalms before, Psalm 30 and 48, and we have now the first of a little series of four following each other. It was meant that Psalms of pleading and longing should be followed by hymns of praise.”
The first verse also speaks of being silent before the Lord; something we have already seen is Psalm 62:1 “My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.” Dr. Wiersbe writes “But silence is also a part of worship, and we must learn to wait quietly before the Lord.” I can remember that at times in our church services that the Pastor would come in and ask all of us to take the first moments of the service, even before someone was speaking or singing to be silent with reverence before the Lord, but the next Sunday there would again be a buzz in the congregation of people talking with others about who knows what. It is difficult to be silent before the Lord, for it seems that your mind is always working, for you are always thinking thoughts, but at least we can stop talking and just focus our thoughts on the goodness of the Lord which it seems that David is doing in this psalm.
It is good to come before the Lord with clean hearts so the first thing we must do is confess any sins that we have committed in body or in our thoughts and ask the Lord for forgiveness (1John 1:9). I think that we should then ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts (Psalm 139:23-24) before we begin to approach the Lord. David speaks of our approach before the Lord in verses two and three and then in verse four David speaks of (it seems) the priests who can come before the Lord in the sanctuary of the Lord. We see in 1Peter 2:9-10 these words “9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” Also in the book of Revelations chapter one and verses five and six we read: “5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood- 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
After Jesus died on the cross the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies was torn into from the top to the bottom which opens the way to come into the presence of God, so as NT believers we can intercede for others before the throne of God in heaven, which makes us priests. Jesus Christ is all we need to be satisfied for we find our complete satisfaction in Him, where the OT saints had to go to the temple to worship the Lord and find that satisfaction.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: As I look at verse four in this psalm it reads that we will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house of Your temple and am thankful for the fact that I can come into the very presence of the Lord to find grace to help in a time of need. The OT temple was a shadow of what was to come in Jesus Christ. I find in Scripture that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in all believers and it is He who will guide me into all truth and even pray for me when things get too hard. “Ro 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” At this difficult time in my life I am thankful for this very special promise.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I desire to continue to meditate upon God’s Word and seek to continue to learn contentment in Him.
3/27/2012 8:17:33 AM
Monday, March 26, 2012
Trusting the Lord and giving Glory to the Lord (Psalm 64:7-10)
3/26/2012 8:23:27 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Trusting and giving glory to the Lord
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 64:7-10
Message of the verses: “Trust the Lord for Victory” (vv. 7-8): “7 ¶ But God will shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they will be wounded. 8 So they will make him stumble; Their own tongue is against them; All who see them will shake the head.”
David knew of the promises of the Lord and he is known for meditating on the Word of the Lord in the night and this has given confidence to David as he writes these words in verses 7-8. His enemies were shooting arrows at him and now God will shoot arrows at them. We see from verse five that David’s enemies were trying to trap him so now the Lord will cause his enemies to stumble and fall. We also see in verse eight that God will use their sword-like tongues against his enemies.
Give Glory to the Lord (vv. 9-10): “9 Then all men will fear, And they will declare the work of God, And will consider what He has done. 10 The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him; And all the upright in heart will glory.”
As I have been looking at many of David’s psalms I find a similar pattern in them as is in this one and that is that David finds himself in trouble and so he calls upon the Lord. I then see that David will to some extent explain the trouble to the Lord and perhaps even remember different times when the Lord has been faithful to David causing him to escape the trouble and then I find a very important thing in David’s writings, and that is that he will praise the Lord and give glory to the Lord for causing him to escape the trouble he is in. This is not the pattern to all of his writings in the psalms, but many and Psalm 64 follows this pattern.
There are those who were watching David’s victories over the nations around Israel who want to destroy them and this gives them a picture of who the Lord is, but many times they miss this opportunity because they believe that the God of Israel is just another God among all the gods that were worshipped then.
These two verses are a testimony to the Lord and bring glory to his name. Some will see the works of the Lord and believe in Him, but like I said above many will not. However the believers will see the great works of the Lord and praise the Lord along with David. God deserves all of the glory.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: One of the things that I have been finding David do as he speaks about them in the psalms he writes and that is to meditate upon the Word of the Lord. This is part of a good process that I as a believer need to follow. I am to read the Word of God, study the Word of God, meditate on the Word of God, and then put into practice what I have been learning and meditating. Our minds are always working and so we need to fill them with God’s Word and as we think about it, which is meditating on it, we will be drawing closer to the Lord and what He has for us to do.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Meditate upon the Word of God and continue to learn contentment. To praise the Lord in all situations that I am in.
3/26/2012 8:47:39 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Trusting and giving glory to the Lord
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 64:7-10
Message of the verses: “Trust the Lord for Victory” (vv. 7-8): “7 ¶ But God will shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they will be wounded. 8 So they will make him stumble; Their own tongue is against them; All who see them will shake the head.”
David knew of the promises of the Lord and he is known for meditating on the Word of the Lord in the night and this has given confidence to David as he writes these words in verses 7-8. His enemies were shooting arrows at him and now God will shoot arrows at them. We see from verse five that David’s enemies were trying to trap him so now the Lord will cause his enemies to stumble and fall. We also see in verse eight that God will use their sword-like tongues against his enemies.
Give Glory to the Lord (vv. 9-10): “9 Then all men will fear, And they will declare the work of God, And will consider what He has done. 10 The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him; And all the upright in heart will glory.”
As I have been looking at many of David’s psalms I find a similar pattern in them as is in this one and that is that David finds himself in trouble and so he calls upon the Lord. I then see that David will to some extent explain the trouble to the Lord and perhaps even remember different times when the Lord has been faithful to David causing him to escape the trouble and then I find a very important thing in David’s writings, and that is that he will praise the Lord and give glory to the Lord for causing him to escape the trouble he is in. This is not the pattern to all of his writings in the psalms, but many and Psalm 64 follows this pattern.
There are those who were watching David’s victories over the nations around Israel who want to destroy them and this gives them a picture of who the Lord is, but many times they miss this opportunity because they believe that the God of Israel is just another God among all the gods that were worshipped then.
These two verses are a testimony to the Lord and bring glory to his name. Some will see the works of the Lord and believe in Him, but like I said above many will not. However the believers will see the great works of the Lord and praise the Lord along with David. God deserves all of the glory.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: One of the things that I have been finding David do as he speaks about them in the psalms he writes and that is to meditate upon the Word of the Lord. This is part of a good process that I as a believer need to follow. I am to read the Word of God, study the Word of God, meditate on the Word of God, and then put into practice what I have been learning and meditating. Our minds are always working and so we need to fill them with God’s Word and as we think about it, which is meditating on it, we will be drawing closer to the Lord and what He has for us to do.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Meditate upon the Word of God and continue to learn contentment. To praise the Lord in all situations that I am in.
3/26/2012 8:47:39 AM
Sunday, March 25, 2012
God's Protection & Wisdom as seen in Psalm 64:1-6
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Seek God’s protection and Wisdom
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 64:1-6
Message of the verses: “This psalm begins with a vivid description of the devious ways of the wicked, especially their speech (vv. 3-5, 8). Still the psalmist does not fear that God will lose control of the situation. After seeing His justice at work, the righteous will be glad and trust all the more in Him (64:10).” (John MacArthur Study Bible)
“David was probably serving in Saul’s court when he wrote this psalm (1Sam. 18-20). He knew that Saul was his enemy and wanted to kill him and that most of Saul’s officers were in a conspiracy against him. Though he was the anointed king, David had no authority to oppose Saul, and eventually he had to flee and hide in the wilderness. People give us all kinds of trouble, but our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his hosts (Eph. 6:10ff). This psalm instructs us what to do in the battles of life.” (Warren Wiersbe)
John Gill gives a very interesting approach to Psalm 64 in his introductory writings: “This psalm is applied by R. Obadiah to Haman and Mordecai. The enemy is Haman, the perfect man shot at is Mordecai; about whom Haman communed with his friends to lay snares for him, and searched diligently for occasions against him and his people, which issued in his own destruction. The ancient Midrash {y} of the Jews applies it to Daniel, when cast into the den of lions; and Jarchi supposes that David, by a spirit of prophecy, foresaw it, and prayed for him who was of his seed; and that everything in the psalm beautifully falls in with that account: Daniel is the perfect man aimed at; the enemy are the princes of Darius’s court, who consulted against him, communed of laying snares for him, and gained their point, which proved their own ruin. But the psalm literally belongs to David, by whom it was composed. The Arabic versions call it a psalm of David, when Saul persecuted him; and the Syriac version refers it to the time when Gad said to him, abide not in the hold, #1Sa 22:5. He is the perfect man, who was upright and innocent as to what he was charged with in respect to Saul; who is the enemy, from the fear of whom he desires his life might be preserved; and who with his courtiers took counsel against him, and laid deep schemes to destroy him, but at last were destroyed themselves. Moreover, the psalm may very well be applied to the Messiah, the son of David, and who was his antitype, and especially in his sufferings: he is the perfect man in the highest sense; the Jews were the enemies that took counsel, and searched for occasions against him, and accomplished their designs in a good measure; for which wrath came upon them to the uttermost. The psalmist also may be very well thought to represent the church and people of God; who in all ages have had their enemies and their fears; against whom wicked men have devised mischief, and leveled their arrows of persecution; though no weapon formed against them shall prosper.”
Seek the Lord’s Protection (vv. 1-2): “1 ¶ «For the choir director. A Psalm of David.» Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; Preserve my life from dread of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, From the tumult of those who do iniquity.”
I do not know for sure when David wrote this psalm, and neither do the commentators who I read knew, but it does seem to fit into David’s life when he was living at the court of Saul close to the time when he would flee for his life. We know from the section in 1Sam. 18-20 that David was greatly hated by Saul, and that the officers of Saul greatly hated David too, so David was, humanely speaking in a bad place and so we see David cry out to the Lord in Psalm 64, asking that God would hear his voice. We can be sure that David knew that God would listen to his prayer, but David writes similar words in many of the psalms that he has written for David was very serious in his prayers to the Lord. In the KJV we see the word “prayer”, while in the NASB the Hebrew word is translated as “complaint” in verse one, for David had a complaint that he wanted to talk to the Lord about, and that complaint is seen in verse two. Dr. Wiersbe writes “David didn’t ask God to change the circumstances but to fortify his own heart and deliver him from fear. The fear of the Lord mobilizes us, but the fear of man paralyzes us.” David faced two problems which were the hatred of Saul and the conspiracy of both Saul and his officers. All the while David had the promise of being anointed king of Israel and I am sure that this bolstered his faith in the Lord.
Ask for the Lord’s Wisdom (vv. 3-6): “3 Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrow, 4 To shoot from concealment at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear. 5 They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, "Who can see them?" 6 They devise injustices, saying, "We are ready with a well-conceived plot"; For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.”
As we read through these four verses we can surmise that David knew the plans of those who were trying to destroy him. As believers today we know the strategy of Satan when he attacks us “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2Cor. 2:11) “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8) “1 ¶ I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” (2Cor. 11:1-4) One of the chief ways Satan tries to get us is through accusation and this can be found in Revelations 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.” We can also see this in the third chapter of the book of Zech.
The enemies of David also set traps for him and they were so arrogant that they did not even think that God knew about the traps they were setting for him. There is a story in 2Kings about one of the enemies of Israel who were trying to attack them and every time they would try a secret attack Israel was ready for them. Their king suspected treason among his ranks, but one of his men told him that even whatever he said in his bedroom Elisha would go and tell the King of Israel. They then tried without success to kill Elisha.
It was because of all that David was going through from his enemies that he realized much about the deceitfulness of the human heart and it was for this reason that he sought the wisdom of the Lord. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5) I want to write a little hear about the attributes of God, of which wisdom is one of them. As we study the Scriptures and look at commentaries on the attributes of God we will have our faith grow in the Lord. Let us take wisdom for a brief moment and see how the wisdom of God can increase our faith in Him and also help us in our prayer life as it surely did for David. We can look at creation in Genesis chapter one and see the wisdom of God. We live on a planet suitable for man to live on so that we have air to breathe and food to eat and water to drink and this is all because of God’s wisdom in His planning to create planet earth. We have heat from the sun which is exactly far enough away from the earth so we do not burn up and not too far from earth so that we freeze to death. Now let us look at God’s wisdom in providing salvation for His people. The problem God faced was that man sinned, which deserves death because of the justice of God. God wisely proved salvation for people by becoming man, as the second person of the godhead, Jesus Christ became a man and took the place of man on the cross where He suffered and died to pay for our sins, and then God through His wisdom and power raised Jesus from the dead to show that He was satisfied with His sacrifice. Man would never do anything like this, only God would do something like this because another of His attributes is love.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Thinking about the wisdom of God, and for that matter God’s attributes is something that give great pleasure to my heart and it also increases the effectiveness of my prayer life and my walk with the Lord for by knowing His attributes I better know my God.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust the Lord to do the best for my mother who is in the hospital with an infection in her lungs. I trust that He will care for her because He is good and wise and know all things and because He has a plan for her life, and loves her. I trust that the Lord will give me contentment even through this difficult time in my life.
3/25/2012 9:13:45 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Seek God’s protection and Wisdom
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 64:1-6
Message of the verses: “This psalm begins with a vivid description of the devious ways of the wicked, especially their speech (vv. 3-5, 8). Still the psalmist does not fear that God will lose control of the situation. After seeing His justice at work, the righteous will be glad and trust all the more in Him (64:10).” (John MacArthur Study Bible)
“David was probably serving in Saul’s court when he wrote this psalm (1Sam. 18-20). He knew that Saul was his enemy and wanted to kill him and that most of Saul’s officers were in a conspiracy against him. Though he was the anointed king, David had no authority to oppose Saul, and eventually he had to flee and hide in the wilderness. People give us all kinds of trouble, but our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his hosts (Eph. 6:10ff). This psalm instructs us what to do in the battles of life.” (Warren Wiersbe)
John Gill gives a very interesting approach to Psalm 64 in his introductory writings: “This psalm is applied by R. Obadiah to Haman and Mordecai. The enemy is Haman, the perfect man shot at is Mordecai; about whom Haman communed with his friends to lay snares for him, and searched diligently for occasions against him and his people, which issued in his own destruction. The ancient Midrash {y} of the Jews applies it to Daniel, when cast into the den of lions; and Jarchi supposes that David, by a spirit of prophecy, foresaw it, and prayed for him who was of his seed; and that everything in the psalm beautifully falls in with that account: Daniel is the perfect man aimed at; the enemy are the princes of Darius’s court, who consulted against him, communed of laying snares for him, and gained their point, which proved their own ruin. But the psalm literally belongs to David, by whom it was composed. The Arabic versions call it a psalm of David, when Saul persecuted him; and the Syriac version refers it to the time when Gad said to him, abide not in the hold, #1Sa 22:5. He is the perfect man, who was upright and innocent as to what he was charged with in respect to Saul; who is the enemy, from the fear of whom he desires his life might be preserved; and who with his courtiers took counsel against him, and laid deep schemes to destroy him, but at last were destroyed themselves. Moreover, the psalm may very well be applied to the Messiah, the son of David, and who was his antitype, and especially in his sufferings: he is the perfect man in the highest sense; the Jews were the enemies that took counsel, and searched for occasions against him, and accomplished their designs in a good measure; for which wrath came upon them to the uttermost. The psalmist also may be very well thought to represent the church and people of God; who in all ages have had their enemies and their fears; against whom wicked men have devised mischief, and leveled their arrows of persecution; though no weapon formed against them shall prosper.”
Seek the Lord’s Protection (vv. 1-2): “1 ¶ «For the choir director. A Psalm of David.» Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; Preserve my life from dread of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, From the tumult of those who do iniquity.”
I do not know for sure when David wrote this psalm, and neither do the commentators who I read knew, but it does seem to fit into David’s life when he was living at the court of Saul close to the time when he would flee for his life. We know from the section in 1Sam. 18-20 that David was greatly hated by Saul, and that the officers of Saul greatly hated David too, so David was, humanely speaking in a bad place and so we see David cry out to the Lord in Psalm 64, asking that God would hear his voice. We can be sure that David knew that God would listen to his prayer, but David writes similar words in many of the psalms that he has written for David was very serious in his prayers to the Lord. In the KJV we see the word “prayer”, while in the NASB the Hebrew word is translated as “complaint” in verse one, for David had a complaint that he wanted to talk to the Lord about, and that complaint is seen in verse two. Dr. Wiersbe writes “David didn’t ask God to change the circumstances but to fortify his own heart and deliver him from fear. The fear of the Lord mobilizes us, but the fear of man paralyzes us.” David faced two problems which were the hatred of Saul and the conspiracy of both Saul and his officers. All the while David had the promise of being anointed king of Israel and I am sure that this bolstered his faith in the Lord.
Ask for the Lord’s Wisdom (vv. 3-6): “3 Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrow, 4 To shoot from concealment at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear. 5 They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, "Who can see them?" 6 They devise injustices, saying, "We are ready with a well-conceived plot"; For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.”
As we read through these four verses we can surmise that David knew the plans of those who were trying to destroy him. As believers today we know the strategy of Satan when he attacks us “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2Cor. 2:11) “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8) “1 ¶ I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” (2Cor. 11:1-4) One of the chief ways Satan tries to get us is through accusation and this can be found in Revelations 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.” We can also see this in the third chapter of the book of Zech.
The enemies of David also set traps for him and they were so arrogant that they did not even think that God knew about the traps they were setting for him. There is a story in 2Kings about one of the enemies of Israel who were trying to attack them and every time they would try a secret attack Israel was ready for them. Their king suspected treason among his ranks, but one of his men told him that even whatever he said in his bedroom Elisha would go and tell the King of Israel. They then tried without success to kill Elisha.
It was because of all that David was going through from his enemies that he realized much about the deceitfulness of the human heart and it was for this reason that he sought the wisdom of the Lord. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5) I want to write a little hear about the attributes of God, of which wisdom is one of them. As we study the Scriptures and look at commentaries on the attributes of God we will have our faith grow in the Lord. Let us take wisdom for a brief moment and see how the wisdom of God can increase our faith in Him and also help us in our prayer life as it surely did for David. We can look at creation in Genesis chapter one and see the wisdom of God. We live on a planet suitable for man to live on so that we have air to breathe and food to eat and water to drink and this is all because of God’s wisdom in His planning to create planet earth. We have heat from the sun which is exactly far enough away from the earth so we do not burn up and not too far from earth so that we freeze to death. Now let us look at God’s wisdom in providing salvation for His people. The problem God faced was that man sinned, which deserves death because of the justice of God. God wisely proved salvation for people by becoming man, as the second person of the godhead, Jesus Christ became a man and took the place of man on the cross where He suffered and died to pay for our sins, and then God through His wisdom and power raised Jesus from the dead to show that He was satisfied with His sacrifice. Man would never do anything like this, only God would do something like this because another of His attributes is love.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Thinking about the wisdom of God, and for that matter God’s attributes is something that give great pleasure to my heart and it also increases the effectiveness of my prayer life and my walk with the Lord for by knowing His attributes I better know my God.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust the Lord to do the best for my mother who is in the hospital with an infection in her lungs. I trust that He will care for her because He is good and wise and know all things and because He has a plan for her life, and loves her. I trust that the Lord will give me contentment even through this difficult time in my life.
3/25/2012 9:13:45 AM
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Praising, Remembering and Rejoicing in God (Psalm 63:3-11)
3/24/2012 9:21:42 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Praising, Remembering, and Rejoicing in God.
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 63:3-11
Message of the verses: I missed doing my Spiritual Diary yesterday because I had to visit my mother who had taken a fall and ended up in the hospital. I will continue with Psalm 63 in today’s Spiritual Diary.
Praising God (vv. 3-5): “3 ¶ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.”
David did not need the Ark of the Covenant to praise the Lord or to worship the Lord for when he was fleeing from Absalom the Ark was brought out to him and David told them to take it back to Jerusalem. David did this because he knew that it belonged in Jerusalem and if the Lord would bless him then he would return to Jerusalem where it would be.
David knew that God’s character and works were declared in the furnishings that we in the Ark so he did not really need it in order to worship the Lord. The Ark of the Covenant was a superstitious thing to many people of Israel, but not to David for he knew the power of God, and he knew the character of God, for many of the attributes that make up the character of God are found in the passages of Scripture that David wrote in the psalms.
David had no priest or altar, but David could lift up his hands to praise the Lord, something we see in verse four. Paul writes to Timothy: “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”
David had no portions of the sacrifices to eat, “but his soul feasted on spiritual delicacies that even the priests were not permitted to eat.” “Marrow and fatness” typify the very finest of food (Deut. 32:14; Isa. 25:6). Dr. Wiersbe writes “Instead of complaining, as we are prone to do when things go wrong, David sang praises to the Lord.”
Remembering God (vv. 6-8): “6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.”
Let’s begin this section with the ending portions of it, verse eight speaks of clinging to the Lord and Dr. Wiersbe explains this important truth: “Faith without works is dead. Believers are safe in the hands of the Father and the Son (John 10:21-29), but that doesn’t give us license to do foolish things that would endanger us. ‘My soul cleaves after you’ is a literal translation of verse 8, including both submissive faith in God and active pursuit of God. Jesus described this experience in John 14:21-27.” “21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 ¶ "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
Now I want to focus in on verses 6-7 where David speaks of meditating on the Lord in the “night watches.” The night watches three in number, from sunset to ten o’clock and then from ten to two o’clock and from two until sunrise. We don’t know if David was talking about all three of them or if he was talking about the times that he awakened and then meditated on the Lord. What was David remembering? David was remembering the things that the Lord had already done for him, and this would give him reason to praise the Lord and also reason to believe that the Lord would continue to take care of him. Dr. Wiersbe writes “Our God is “I AM”, not ‘I was,” and He must always be recognized in our present situation.”
When David was speaking of being under the shadow of the wings of God he was speaking of the wings of the cherubim that were in the Holy of Holies.
Rejoicing in God (vv. 9-11): “9 But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.”
We see in verses 9-10 that David speaks of those who are his enemies and what will happen to them. David knew that his enemies were also God’s enemies, for God’s enemies were those who wanted to destroy Israel, for God had a purpose for Israel then and still does now. One of God’s purposes for Israel then was to have the Messiah born through the descendants of King David and we know that this did not include Absalom. As far as God’s purposes for Israel now we know that the Lord will again deal with Israel in the future and that when the Lord Jesus Christ return from heaven to set up His kingdom on earth that He will reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years, so God is not done with Israel.
Dr. Wiersbe writes “David didn’t rejoice in the destruction of his enemies; he rejoiced in the God of Israel. Furthermore, he encouraged all people to praise God with him. Often David’s personal praise became communal praise as he publicly glorified the Lord for His mercies, and so it should be with us today.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have said many times in the past that I love David so much because he was a man after God’s own heart, and as I look at these writing of David’s and remember other psalms that he has written I understand better why he is a man after God’s own heart. David knew the character of God and David also remembered all of the good things that God did for him and this increased his faith, and this is a great example for me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I desire to remember the great things that the Lord has done for me, and of course the first thing was that He saved me from sin and will one day take me to heaven. I desire to think about God’s character and they are summed up in His attributes such as His goodness, His wisdom, His power, His love, His justice, and His being in all places at the same time.
3/24/2012 10:26:08 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Praising, Remembering, and Rejoicing in God.
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 63:3-11
Message of the verses: I missed doing my Spiritual Diary yesterday because I had to visit my mother who had taken a fall and ended up in the hospital. I will continue with Psalm 63 in today’s Spiritual Diary.
Praising God (vv. 3-5): “3 ¶ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.”
David did not need the Ark of the Covenant to praise the Lord or to worship the Lord for when he was fleeing from Absalom the Ark was brought out to him and David told them to take it back to Jerusalem. David did this because he knew that it belonged in Jerusalem and if the Lord would bless him then he would return to Jerusalem where it would be.
David knew that God’s character and works were declared in the furnishings that we in the Ark so he did not really need it in order to worship the Lord. The Ark of the Covenant was a superstitious thing to many people of Israel, but not to David for he knew the power of God, and he knew the character of God, for many of the attributes that make up the character of God are found in the passages of Scripture that David wrote in the psalms.
David had no priest or altar, but David could lift up his hands to praise the Lord, something we see in verse four. Paul writes to Timothy: “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”
David had no portions of the sacrifices to eat, “but his soul feasted on spiritual delicacies that even the priests were not permitted to eat.” “Marrow and fatness” typify the very finest of food (Deut. 32:14; Isa. 25:6). Dr. Wiersbe writes “Instead of complaining, as we are prone to do when things go wrong, David sang praises to the Lord.”
Remembering God (vv. 6-8): “6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.”
Let’s begin this section with the ending portions of it, verse eight speaks of clinging to the Lord and Dr. Wiersbe explains this important truth: “Faith without works is dead. Believers are safe in the hands of the Father and the Son (John 10:21-29), but that doesn’t give us license to do foolish things that would endanger us. ‘My soul cleaves after you’ is a literal translation of verse 8, including both submissive faith in God and active pursuit of God. Jesus described this experience in John 14:21-27.” “21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 ¶ "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
Now I want to focus in on verses 6-7 where David speaks of meditating on the Lord in the “night watches.” The night watches three in number, from sunset to ten o’clock and then from ten to two o’clock and from two until sunrise. We don’t know if David was talking about all three of them or if he was talking about the times that he awakened and then meditated on the Lord. What was David remembering? David was remembering the things that the Lord had already done for him, and this would give him reason to praise the Lord and also reason to believe that the Lord would continue to take care of him. Dr. Wiersbe writes “Our God is “I AM”, not ‘I was,” and He must always be recognized in our present situation.”
When David was speaking of being under the shadow of the wings of God he was speaking of the wings of the cherubim that were in the Holy of Holies.
Rejoicing in God (vv. 9-11): “9 But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.”
We see in verses 9-10 that David speaks of those who are his enemies and what will happen to them. David knew that his enemies were also God’s enemies, for God’s enemies were those who wanted to destroy Israel, for God had a purpose for Israel then and still does now. One of God’s purposes for Israel then was to have the Messiah born through the descendants of King David and we know that this did not include Absalom. As far as God’s purposes for Israel now we know that the Lord will again deal with Israel in the future and that when the Lord Jesus Christ return from heaven to set up His kingdom on earth that He will reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years, so God is not done with Israel.
Dr. Wiersbe writes “David didn’t rejoice in the destruction of his enemies; he rejoiced in the God of Israel. Furthermore, he encouraged all people to praise God with him. Often David’s personal praise became communal praise as he publicly glorified the Lord for His mercies, and so it should be with us today.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have said many times in the past that I love David so much because he was a man after God’s own heart, and as I look at these writing of David’s and remember other psalms that he has written I understand better why he is a man after God’s own heart. David knew the character of God and David also remembered all of the good things that God did for him and this increased his faith, and this is a great example for me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I desire to remember the great things that the Lord has done for me, and of course the first thing was that He saved me from sin and will one day take me to heaven. I desire to think about God’s character and they are summed up in His attributes such as His goodness, His wisdom, His power, His love, His justice, and His being in all places at the same time.
3/24/2012 10:26:08 AM
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Worshiping in the Wilderness (Psalm 63:1-2)
3/22/2012 9:15:33 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Worship in the Wilderness
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 63:1-2
Message of the verses: “This psalm was composed by David, either when he was persecuted by Saul, and obliged to hide himself in desert places, as in the forest of Hareth, the wildernesses of Ziph, Maon, and Engedi, #1Sa 22:5 23:14,24,25 24:1; all which were in the tribe of Judah, #Jos 15:55,62; or when his son Absalom rebelled against him, which obliged him to flee from Jerusalem, and go the way of the wilderness, where Ziba and Barzillai sent him food, lest his young men that were with him should faint there, #2Sa 15:23 16:2 17:29. The Septuagint version, and those that follow that, call it the wilderness of Idumea, or Edom, as the Arabic version; and so the Chaldee paraphrase, “in the wilderness which was on the border of the tribe of Judah; ” as Edom was, #Jos 15:21; so the Messiah, David’s son, was in a wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil, and where he was hungry and thirsty in a literal sense, as David was here in a spiritual sense, as the psalm shows, #Mt 4:1,2; and the church of God, whom David sometimes represents, is said to be in a wilderness, where she is fed for a time, and times, and half a time, even during the whole reign of the antichristian beast, #Re 12:14; and, indeed, all the saints are, at one time or another, in a desert condition, and while they are here are in the wilderness of the people, #Ho 2:14 Eze 20:35.” (John Gill)
“In deepest words of devotion, this psalm expresses David’s intense love for his Lord. The psalm was written while David was in the Judean wilderness, either during his flight from Saul (1Sam. 23), or more likely from Absalom (2Sam. 15:cf. 63:11 ‘the king’). David writes from the perspective of these tenses:
I. Present—Seeking God’s Presence (63:1-5)
II. Past—Remembering God’s Power (63:6-8)
III. Future—Anticipating God’s Judgment (63:9-11)” (John MacArthur Study Bible)
“The superscription informs us that David was ‘in the wilderness of Judah’ when he wrote this psalm, suggesting that it was probably during Absalom’s rebellion (2Sam. 15:23). However, he didn’t look back in regret at the mistakes he had made as a father, nor did he look around in fear or complaint at the discomforts and dangers of the wilderness. Instead, he looked up to the Lord and reaffirmed his faith and love. In an hour when David might have been discouraged, he was excited about God, and in a place where there was no sanctuary or priestly ministry, David reached out by faith and received new strength from the Lord. Note the progressive experiences he had as he sought for the Lord’s guidance and help at a difficult time in his life.”
Desiring God (vv. 1-2): “1 ¶ «A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.» O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.”
Michael Card, who not only writes songs but sings them too, and the songs that he writes are based on his study of the Word of God, wrote a song entitled “In The Wilderness,” and the song is based upon the wilderness experiences of people found in the Scriptures.
“In The Wilderness lyrics
In the wilderness
In the wilderness
He calls His sons and daughters
To the wilderness
But He gives grace sufficient
To survive any test
And that's the painful purpose
Of the wilderness
In the wilderness we wander
In the wilderness we weep
In the wasteland of our wanting
Where the darkness seems so deep
We search for the beginning
For an exodus to hold
We find that those who follow Him
Must often walk alone
In the wilderness
In the wilderness
He calls His sons and daughters
To the wilderness
But He gives grace sufficient
To survive any test
And that's the painful purpose
Of the wilderness
In the wilderness we're wondering
For a way to understand
In the wilderness there's not a way
For the ways become a man
And the man's become the exodus
The way to holy ground
Wandering in the wilderness
Is the best way to be found
In the wilderness
In the wilderness
He calls His sons and daughters
In the wilderness
But He gives grace sufficient
To survive any test
And that's the painful purpose
Of the wilderness
Groaning and growing
Amidst the desert days
The windy winter wilderness
Can blow the self away
In the wilderness
In the wilderness
He calls His sons and daughters
To the wilderness
But He gives grace sufficient
To survive any test
And that's the painful purpose
Of the wilderness
And that's the painful promise
Of the wilderness”
David knew the wilderness experiences of life for he had spent ten years running from Saul and much of it was living in the wilderness.
We see in Psalm 63 that David was lacking physical necessities and there is not a lot of food and water in the wilderness but we also see that David did not lack Spiritual necessities for in verse two David speaks of the seeing God in the Sanctuary. We have physical senses that are in need of being satisfied, but we also have spiritual needs that are in need of being satisfied. The writer to the Hebrews says this about are spiritual senses: “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” How do we get this “solid food” in which we can have our spiritual senses trained? The Word of God is the answer to this question, but as we learn in Psalm 63 David knew much about the Word of God and because of this he turned the wilderness into worship. Jesus spoke in John 6 that He is the bread of life, and in John 4:1-14 we learn about the water of life by His Spirit, this is also seen in John 7:37-39; and Rev. 22:17. Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6). Just as Jesus told His disciples in John 4:32 that he had food to eat that they did not know about, so David could be saying the same thing.
Dr. Wiersbe writes these timely words for those of us who are experiencing wilderness experiences “It is our regular worship that prepares us for the crisis experiences of life. What life does to us depends on what life finds in us, and David had in him a deep love for the Lord and a desire to please Him. Because David had seen God’s power and glory in His house, he was able to see it in the wilderness as well!”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: It is because that there are some wilderness experiences that I am experiencing at this time that I am thankful for the encouragement that I am finding in Psalm 63 and also in the song by Michael Card. Turning wilderness experiences into worshipful experiences is something that I am in need of learning more about.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To continue to learn from some difficult experiences. To continue to read and study the Word of God so that I can continue to grow and as I grow more in the Lord then I am better prepared for the wilderness experiences. I want to continue to learn contentment.
3/22/2012 10:13:44 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Worship in the Wilderness
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 63:1-2
Message of the verses: “This psalm was composed by David, either when he was persecuted by Saul, and obliged to hide himself in desert places, as in the forest of Hareth, the wildernesses of Ziph, Maon, and Engedi, #1Sa 22:5 23:14,24,25 24:1; all which were in the tribe of Judah, #Jos 15:55,62; or when his son Absalom rebelled against him, which obliged him to flee from Jerusalem, and go the way of the wilderness, where Ziba and Barzillai sent him food, lest his young men that were with him should faint there, #2Sa 15:23 16:2 17:29. The Septuagint version, and those that follow that, call it the wilderness of Idumea, or Edom, as the Arabic version; and so the Chaldee paraphrase, “in the wilderness which was on the border of the tribe of Judah; ” as Edom was, #Jos 15:21; so the Messiah, David’s son, was in a wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil, and where he was hungry and thirsty in a literal sense, as David was here in a spiritual sense, as the psalm shows, #Mt 4:1,2; and the church of God, whom David sometimes represents, is said to be in a wilderness, where she is fed for a time, and times, and half a time, even during the whole reign of the antichristian beast, #Re 12:14; and, indeed, all the saints are, at one time or another, in a desert condition, and while they are here are in the wilderness of the people, #Ho 2:14 Eze 20:35.” (John Gill)
“In deepest words of devotion, this psalm expresses David’s intense love for his Lord. The psalm was written while David was in the Judean wilderness, either during his flight from Saul (1Sam. 23), or more likely from Absalom (2Sam. 15:cf. 63:11 ‘the king’). David writes from the perspective of these tenses:
I. Present—Seeking God’s Presence (63:1-5)
II. Past—Remembering God’s Power (63:6-8)
III. Future—Anticipating God’s Judgment (63:9-11)” (John MacArthur Study Bible)
“The superscription informs us that David was ‘in the wilderness of Judah’ when he wrote this psalm, suggesting that it was probably during Absalom’s rebellion (2Sam. 15:23). However, he didn’t look back in regret at the mistakes he had made as a father, nor did he look around in fear or complaint at the discomforts and dangers of the wilderness. Instead, he looked up to the Lord and reaffirmed his faith and love. In an hour when David might have been discouraged, he was excited about God, and in a place where there was no sanctuary or priestly ministry, David reached out by faith and received new strength from the Lord. Note the progressive experiences he had as he sought for the Lord’s guidance and help at a difficult time in his life.”
Desiring God (vv. 1-2): “1 ¶ «A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.» O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.”
Michael Card, who not only writes songs but sings them too, and the songs that he writes are based on his study of the Word of God, wrote a song entitled “In The Wilderness,” and the song is based upon the wilderness experiences of people found in the Scriptures.
“In The Wilderness lyrics
In the wilderness
In the wilderness
He calls His sons and daughters
To the wilderness
But He gives grace sufficient
To survive any test
And that's the painful purpose
Of the wilderness
In the wilderness we wander
In the wilderness we weep
In the wasteland of our wanting
Where the darkness seems so deep
We search for the beginning
For an exodus to hold
We find that those who follow Him
Must often walk alone
In the wilderness
In the wilderness
He calls His sons and daughters
To the wilderness
But He gives grace sufficient
To survive any test
And that's the painful purpose
Of the wilderness
In the wilderness we're wondering
For a way to understand
In the wilderness there's not a way
For the ways become a man
And the man's become the exodus
The way to holy ground
Wandering in the wilderness
Is the best way to be found
In the wilderness
In the wilderness
He calls His sons and daughters
In the wilderness
But He gives grace sufficient
To survive any test
And that's the painful purpose
Of the wilderness
Groaning and growing
Amidst the desert days
The windy winter wilderness
Can blow the self away
In the wilderness
In the wilderness
He calls His sons and daughters
To the wilderness
But He gives grace sufficient
To survive any test
And that's the painful purpose
Of the wilderness
And that's the painful promise
Of the wilderness”
David knew the wilderness experiences of life for he had spent ten years running from Saul and much of it was living in the wilderness.
We see in Psalm 63 that David was lacking physical necessities and there is not a lot of food and water in the wilderness but we also see that David did not lack Spiritual necessities for in verse two David speaks of the seeing God in the Sanctuary. We have physical senses that are in need of being satisfied, but we also have spiritual needs that are in need of being satisfied. The writer to the Hebrews says this about are spiritual senses: “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” How do we get this “solid food” in which we can have our spiritual senses trained? The Word of God is the answer to this question, but as we learn in Psalm 63 David knew much about the Word of God and because of this he turned the wilderness into worship. Jesus spoke in John 6 that He is the bread of life, and in John 4:1-14 we learn about the water of life by His Spirit, this is also seen in John 7:37-39; and Rev. 22:17. Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6). Just as Jesus told His disciples in John 4:32 that he had food to eat that they did not know about, so David could be saying the same thing.
Dr. Wiersbe writes these timely words for those of us who are experiencing wilderness experiences “It is our regular worship that prepares us for the crisis experiences of life. What life does to us depends on what life finds in us, and David had in him a deep love for the Lord and a desire to please Him. Because David had seen God’s power and glory in His house, he was able to see it in the wilderness as well!”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: It is because that there are some wilderness experiences that I am experiencing at this time that I am thankful for the encouragement that I am finding in Psalm 63 and also in the song by Michael Card. Turning wilderness experiences into worshipful experiences is something that I am in need of learning more about.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To continue to learn from some difficult experiences. To continue to read and study the Word of God so that I can continue to grow and as I grow more in the Lord then I am better prepared for the wilderness experiences. I want to continue to learn contentment.
3/22/2012 10:13:44 AM
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Trusting only in the Lord (Psalm 62)
3/21/2012 9:40:49 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Trusting only in the Lord
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 62
Message of the verses: “Whether Absalom’s rebellion is the setting or not (2Sam. 15-18), David writes this psalm while facing treason from someone. David faces the problem of his adversaries forthrightly (vv. 3,4), but his thoughts focus primarily on God (cf. Phil. 4:4-13).” (John MacArthur Study Bible)
“This psalm may have come out of David’s trial when his son Absalom sought the throne (vv.3-4), but it also may have been written while David was ruling over Judah in Hebron (2Sam. 1-4). Those were difficult years as the forces of Saul tried to continue his dynasty and dethrone God’s anointed king. (For ‘Jeduthun,’ see Ps. 39, and note how the note the two psalms parallel each other in a number of ways.) In this psalm, David shows remarkable faith as he rests in God alone (vv. 1, 2, 5, 6) and trusts Him to defeat the enemy and restore peace to the lane. Three powerful truths emerge from his experience.” (Warren Wiersbe)
God Alone Saves Us (vv. 1-4): “1 ¶ «For the choir director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.» My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. 3 How long will you assail a man, That you may murder him, all of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position; They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouth, But inwardly they curse. Selah.”
1 ¶ For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David. I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. 3 So many enemies against one man- all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence. 4 They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. Interlude” (NLT)
I have mentioned in past SD’s how much I admire David, and when I read through what the Bible tells about David’s life in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel along with 1Chronicles I only see one part of David’s life, but when I read the psalms that David wrote that go along with the different challenges and circumstances that he went through I learn much more about who David is and why God stated that David was a man after God’s own heart.
I have also mentioned that there are times when I read the commentary of Warren Wiersbe that my heart is so blessed, and many of those times when I am blessed by his commentaries is because I find myself in a situation that is helped by his words and also in this case by the words of David too.
In this first section I find myself blessed and will quote some of the things that Warren Wiersbe writes about these four verses. First I want to point out that we find in this psalm and also in others that when David was facing troubles that his trust and faith was in God alone and that is a very important thing to remember when one is going through troubles that is to trust completely in God for the answer. Dr. Wiersbe writes “David wants us to know that his faith isn’t in God plus something else, but in God alone. Yes, God uses means to accomplish His work, and the same God who ordains the end also ordains the mans, but our faith is in Him and not in the means. David didn’t argue with the enemy or try to tell God what to do; he simply prayed, trusted and waited, knowing that God would give him the kingdom in His good time…The enemy could threaten him, lie about him, and even assault him, and he would not lose the peace God put in his heart. To wait in silence before the Lord is not idleness or inactivity. It is calm worship and faith, resting in His greatness and submitted to His will. It is preparation for the time when God gives the orders to act (Ps. 18:30-45).”
God Alone encourages Us (vv. 5-8): “5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
We see in verse two David writes “I shall not be greatly shaken” and then in verse six we see that David writes “I shall not be shaken.” David’s faith and trust has grown more in the Lord as he pens this psalm. Perhaps by just writing it and thinking of the words that he has written was that which made his faith grow more in the Lord.
When we go through difficult circumstances we find that many times we have to wait on the Lord and as we see from the first section that this waiting can be turned into worship as we seek the Lord to guide us through these difficult times and to teach us what it is that He wants us to learn. Life is a school, a school in which there are tests and the tests are hard to pass at times. When we find ourselves in difficult circumstances and are waiting on the Lord we should not be afraid to ask others to pray for us, for we see in 1Thess. 5:25; 2Thess. 31 that the apostle Paul writes these words “Pray for us.” Prayer is one of the most important things we can do. We see in the Gospels that Jesus prayed to His Father on many occasions and when He was about to chose His apostles Jesus stayed up all night praying. Verse eight shows us the importance of prayer in the life of David as he seeks others to trust in the Lord at all times.
Dr. Wiersbe writes the following about God’s delays: God’s delays are not God’s denials, but our impatience can be used by the devil to lead us on dangerous and destructive detours.”
God Alone Rewards Us (vv. 9-12): “9 Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; In the balances they go up; They are together lighter than breath. 10 Do not trust in oppression And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. 11 Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God; 12 And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord, For You recompense a man according to his work.”
“9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air. 10 Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life. 11 God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you; 12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done.” (NLT)
As I read this section of Psalm 62 it reminds me in many ways like something that I would read in the book of Proverbs for it speaks about what riches can do to a man and also speaks of how empty and weightless men really are without the Lord. I believe that we cans see that David had the right perspective on riches and that is that as stewards of the Lord, for the Lord own everything, we are not to trust in our riches, we are not to trust in the gifts of the Giver, but in the Giver of the gifts. Dr. Wiersbe writes “How tragic when God’s people today put their trust in their wealth, positions, and human abilities and not in the God who alone can give blessings.”
We see in the words from the NLT “I have heard it many times” from verse eleven, speaking of how often David had heard these words and the lessons they carried were written on his hearts. The lessons I am speaking of are about the faultiness of riches. We are to trust in God for God is merciful and God is all powerful, so it is much better to trust in the Lord than in riches. Dr. Wiersbe writes “No matter what people may say about us or to us, God keeps the books and one day will give sinners and saints the rewards they deserve. ‘And each on will receive his own reward according to his own labor.’ (2Cor. 3:8)”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I suppose that trusting in money and music that is sung in the church are two difficult problems that a believer will face in his life. I am not saying that there are not other challenges like sickness, but it seems to me that Satan can use these two things along with sex (mostly for men) to tempt believers into not trusting in the Lord and getting off the path that He wants us to be on. Life is a battle and after teach doctrine for the first three chapters in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he then teaches how we are to put the doctrine into practical living and in chapter six he teaches about the battle that all believers are in and also teaches believers the need for the spiritual armor for as he says our battle is not against flesh and blood. Trusting in the Lord as I go through difficult situations is difficult but very rewarding and even though there are times when I fail I have to remember that “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Romans 5:20b)
My Steps of Faith for Today: Remember that at times the battle is tough, and I am in need of the spiritual armor, and I must also remember that waiting is also hard, but waiting on the Lord and trusting only in Him is worship to Him. Waiting on the Lord also produces contentment, but I must remember that all of this has to be done through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me to guide and direct me every day.
3/21/2012 11:07:47 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Trusting only in the Lord
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 62
Message of the verses: “Whether Absalom’s rebellion is the setting or not (2Sam. 15-18), David writes this psalm while facing treason from someone. David faces the problem of his adversaries forthrightly (vv. 3,4), but his thoughts focus primarily on God (cf. Phil. 4:4-13).” (John MacArthur Study Bible)
“This psalm may have come out of David’s trial when his son Absalom sought the throne (vv.3-4), but it also may have been written while David was ruling over Judah in Hebron (2Sam. 1-4). Those were difficult years as the forces of Saul tried to continue his dynasty and dethrone God’s anointed king. (For ‘Jeduthun,’ see Ps. 39, and note how the note the two psalms parallel each other in a number of ways.) In this psalm, David shows remarkable faith as he rests in God alone (vv. 1, 2, 5, 6) and trusts Him to defeat the enemy and restore peace to the lane. Three powerful truths emerge from his experience.” (Warren Wiersbe)
God Alone Saves Us (vv. 1-4): “1 ¶ «For the choir director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.» My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. 3 How long will you assail a man, That you may murder him, all of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position; They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouth, But inwardly they curse. Selah.”
1 ¶ For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David. I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. 3 So many enemies against one man- all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence. 4 They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. Interlude” (NLT)
I have mentioned in past SD’s how much I admire David, and when I read through what the Bible tells about David’s life in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel along with 1Chronicles I only see one part of David’s life, but when I read the psalms that David wrote that go along with the different challenges and circumstances that he went through I learn much more about who David is and why God stated that David was a man after God’s own heart.
I have also mentioned that there are times when I read the commentary of Warren Wiersbe that my heart is so blessed, and many of those times when I am blessed by his commentaries is because I find myself in a situation that is helped by his words and also in this case by the words of David too.
In this first section I find myself blessed and will quote some of the things that Warren Wiersbe writes about these four verses. First I want to point out that we find in this psalm and also in others that when David was facing troubles that his trust and faith was in God alone and that is a very important thing to remember when one is going through troubles that is to trust completely in God for the answer. Dr. Wiersbe writes “David wants us to know that his faith isn’t in God plus something else, but in God alone. Yes, God uses means to accomplish His work, and the same God who ordains the end also ordains the mans, but our faith is in Him and not in the means. David didn’t argue with the enemy or try to tell God what to do; he simply prayed, trusted and waited, knowing that God would give him the kingdom in His good time…The enemy could threaten him, lie about him, and even assault him, and he would not lose the peace God put in his heart. To wait in silence before the Lord is not idleness or inactivity. It is calm worship and faith, resting in His greatness and submitted to His will. It is preparation for the time when God gives the orders to act (Ps. 18:30-45).”
God Alone encourages Us (vv. 5-8): “5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
We see in verse two David writes “I shall not be greatly shaken” and then in verse six we see that David writes “I shall not be shaken.” David’s faith and trust has grown more in the Lord as he pens this psalm. Perhaps by just writing it and thinking of the words that he has written was that which made his faith grow more in the Lord.
When we go through difficult circumstances we find that many times we have to wait on the Lord and as we see from the first section that this waiting can be turned into worship as we seek the Lord to guide us through these difficult times and to teach us what it is that He wants us to learn. Life is a school, a school in which there are tests and the tests are hard to pass at times. When we find ourselves in difficult circumstances and are waiting on the Lord we should not be afraid to ask others to pray for us, for we see in 1Thess. 5:25; 2Thess. 31 that the apostle Paul writes these words “Pray for us.” Prayer is one of the most important things we can do. We see in the Gospels that Jesus prayed to His Father on many occasions and when He was about to chose His apostles Jesus stayed up all night praying. Verse eight shows us the importance of prayer in the life of David as he seeks others to trust in the Lord at all times.
Dr. Wiersbe writes the following about God’s delays: God’s delays are not God’s denials, but our impatience can be used by the devil to lead us on dangerous and destructive detours.”
God Alone Rewards Us (vv. 9-12): “9 Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; In the balances they go up; They are together lighter than breath. 10 Do not trust in oppression And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. 11 Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God; 12 And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord, For You recompense a man according to his work.”
“9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air. 10 Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life. 11 God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you; 12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done.” (NLT)
As I read this section of Psalm 62 it reminds me in many ways like something that I would read in the book of Proverbs for it speaks about what riches can do to a man and also speaks of how empty and weightless men really are without the Lord. I believe that we cans see that David had the right perspective on riches and that is that as stewards of the Lord, for the Lord own everything, we are not to trust in our riches, we are not to trust in the gifts of the Giver, but in the Giver of the gifts. Dr. Wiersbe writes “How tragic when God’s people today put their trust in their wealth, positions, and human abilities and not in the God who alone can give blessings.”
We see in the words from the NLT “I have heard it many times” from verse eleven, speaking of how often David had heard these words and the lessons they carried were written on his hearts. The lessons I am speaking of are about the faultiness of riches. We are to trust in God for God is merciful and God is all powerful, so it is much better to trust in the Lord than in riches. Dr. Wiersbe writes “No matter what people may say about us or to us, God keeps the books and one day will give sinners and saints the rewards they deserve. ‘And each on will receive his own reward according to his own labor.’ (2Cor. 3:8)”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I suppose that trusting in money and music that is sung in the church are two difficult problems that a believer will face in his life. I am not saying that there are not other challenges like sickness, but it seems to me that Satan can use these two things along with sex (mostly for men) to tempt believers into not trusting in the Lord and getting off the path that He wants us to be on. Life is a battle and after teach doctrine for the first three chapters in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he then teaches how we are to put the doctrine into practical living and in chapter six he teaches about the battle that all believers are in and also teaches believers the need for the spiritual armor for as he says our battle is not against flesh and blood. Trusting in the Lord as I go through difficult situations is difficult but very rewarding and even though there are times when I fail I have to remember that “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Romans 5:20b)
My Steps of Faith for Today: Remember that at times the battle is tough, and I am in need of the spiritual armor, and I must also remember that waiting is also hard, but waiting on the Lord and trusting only in Him is worship to Him. Waiting on the Lord also produces contentment, but I must remember that all of this has to be done through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me to guide and direct me every day.
3/21/2012 11:07:47 AM
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Message from the Gospel of Mark 4:21-34
Message from Mark 4:21-34
Just a bit of review from the last post on the book of Mark and that post was from Mark 4:1-20 talking about the parable of the soils. We remember that the reason that Jesus began to teach in parables in Mark chapter four was because the Scribes and the Pharisees from that part of Israel were accusing Jesus of doing His miracles in the power of Satan and so it was at the time the Jesus told them that they had committed the unpardonable sin, the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God.
Jesus started His parable teaching with an evangelist parable about different soils or hearts to which the message of the gospel would affect. There was only one type of soil or heart that would produce fruit and that is the good soil to which an increase would be between 30 to 100% would be produced. Jesus then went on to teach with another parable.
The Lamp (vv. 21-25): “21 ¶ And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 24 And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.’”
I believe that we can concur that when we see the words “saying to them” that Jesus is still speaking to His apostles and disciples. Also the phrase “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” is found eight other times in the Scriptures, as Jesus would repeat this statement to all of the seven churches in the book of Revelations and then again later on in the book of Revelations it will be seen again. When used in the book of Revelations we will see “to what the Spirit says to the Churches” added to the seven churches, but not added in Revelations 13:9.
Warren Wiersbe gives this description of the “lamp” as used during the time of this parable: “In this parable, our Lord used a common object (a lamp) in a familiar scene (a home). The lamp was a clay dish filled with oil, with a wick put into the oil. In order to give light, the lamp had to ‘use itself up’; and the oil had to be replenished. If the lamp was not lit, or it was covered up, it did the home no good.” Now as we look at this description of how this lamp was used we can see how this parable would apply to the work of evangelism. We can see the apostles as being like the lamps for they were the ones called by God to shed His light and to reveal His truth. The way that they could give out this light was by listening to the Lord as he taught them, which represents the oil and they needed to continue to listen to His teaching to replenish His teachings so that they could continue to give out light. In Romans 10 the Apostle Paul says that “faith comes by hearing the Word of God.” Believers today have to stay in the Word of God so that they can be ready to shed the light of Jesus to those that the Holy Spirit brings into their life. Dr. Wiersbe write of an of the admonition in verses 24 and 25: “The moment we think that we know it all, what we think we know will be taken from us. We must take heed what we hear (Mark 4:24) as well as take heed how we hear (Luke 8:18). Our spiritual hearing determines how much we have to give to others. There is no sense trying to ‘cover things up’ because God will one day reveal all things.” Luke 8:18 is a parallel passage to this section in Mark: “"So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him."
The Seed Growing (vv. 26-34): “26 And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows-how, he himself does not know. 28 "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 "It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE." 33 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.”
There are actually two parables in this section and we will take them one a time. The first parable is called “The Parable of the Growing Seed.”
In John MacArthur’s message on this section from Marks Gospel called “How to Listen to the Lord” he says this about the seed: “It’s so paradoxical. A seed goes into the ground and dies and as it dies, out of it comes life. How does that happen? Nobody knows that . The farmer doesn’t know that. The farmer can’t make that happen. Nobody can make that happen. The best horticulturists in the world don’t know how that happens. They know it happens but they can’t define how it happens or why it happens. Out of this dying seed comes life, a huge crop…that’s the wonder of the gospel hidden in those simple gospel truths is the power of life and it breaks out while we sleep.”
When we looked at the first parable in Mark’s Gospel we saw that the seed was the Word of God and we as believer’s are the ones sowing the “seed” to the world as the great commission commands us to do. When we tell others the truth of the gospel sometimes the seed falls on a soil that is one of the unproductive soils described in the first parable and sometimes the seed takes root in the good soil and new life is born from above. It is one of the mysteries that is found in the Word of God as to how the seed takes root. Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter three that the wind blows where it wants but we cannot see the wind only the effects of the wind. Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit giving life to who He calls.
Now let us look at the last parable “The Parable of the Mustard Seed.” In The John MacArthur Study Bible we find these words on verses 30-32: “This parable of the mustard seed pictures the kingdom of God beginning with a small influence and then becoming worldwide in its scope.”
When Jesus spoke the first parable the disciples may have become discouraged for they may have been thinking that not many would be saved, in fact they may have thought that no one but the disciples would come to understand the truth of the Gospel, but in this parable they had to have become more encouraged.
We see in this parable that the mustard seed is called the smallest seed but in reality it is not but probably the smallest seed that the Jewish people would sow in their gardens. Dr. Wiersbe writes “It was a traditional symbol of that which is tiny. Our Lord began with 12 Apostles. Later, there were as many as 500 believers (1Cor. 15:6). Peter won 3,000 at Pentecost; and throughout the Book of Acts, that number steadily increased (Acts 4:4; 5:14; 6:1, 7). In spite of the sins and weaknesses of the church, the message has been carried to other nations; and one day, saints from every nation shall worship before His throne (Rev. 5:9)” This is what the parable of the Mustard Seed is all about and we as believers need to sow the seed, prays for those to whom we are able to tell the truth of the Gospel and when we find that the Holy Spirit has given them the faith to believe and they become born from above we are then to disciple them through the Word of God so that they can go out and begin sowing the seed.
Just a bit of review from the last post on the book of Mark and that post was from Mark 4:1-20 talking about the parable of the soils. We remember that the reason that Jesus began to teach in parables in Mark chapter four was because the Scribes and the Pharisees from that part of Israel were accusing Jesus of doing His miracles in the power of Satan and so it was at the time the Jesus told them that they had committed the unpardonable sin, the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God.
Jesus started His parable teaching with an evangelist parable about different soils or hearts to which the message of the gospel would affect. There was only one type of soil or heart that would produce fruit and that is the good soil to which an increase would be between 30 to 100% would be produced. Jesus then went on to teach with another parable.
The Lamp (vv. 21-25): “21 ¶ And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 24 And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.’”
I believe that we can concur that when we see the words “saying to them” that Jesus is still speaking to His apostles and disciples. Also the phrase “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” is found eight other times in the Scriptures, as Jesus would repeat this statement to all of the seven churches in the book of Revelations and then again later on in the book of Revelations it will be seen again. When used in the book of Revelations we will see “to what the Spirit says to the Churches” added to the seven churches, but not added in Revelations 13:9.
Warren Wiersbe gives this description of the “lamp” as used during the time of this parable: “In this parable, our Lord used a common object (a lamp) in a familiar scene (a home). The lamp was a clay dish filled with oil, with a wick put into the oil. In order to give light, the lamp had to ‘use itself up’; and the oil had to be replenished. If the lamp was not lit, or it was covered up, it did the home no good.” Now as we look at this description of how this lamp was used we can see how this parable would apply to the work of evangelism. We can see the apostles as being like the lamps for they were the ones called by God to shed His light and to reveal His truth. The way that they could give out this light was by listening to the Lord as he taught them, which represents the oil and they needed to continue to listen to His teaching to replenish His teachings so that they could continue to give out light. In Romans 10 the Apostle Paul says that “faith comes by hearing the Word of God.” Believers today have to stay in the Word of God so that they can be ready to shed the light of Jesus to those that the Holy Spirit brings into their life. Dr. Wiersbe write of an of the admonition in verses 24 and 25: “The moment we think that we know it all, what we think we know will be taken from us. We must take heed what we hear (Mark 4:24) as well as take heed how we hear (Luke 8:18). Our spiritual hearing determines how much we have to give to others. There is no sense trying to ‘cover things up’ because God will one day reveal all things.” Luke 8:18 is a parallel passage to this section in Mark: “"So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him."
The Seed Growing (vv. 26-34): “26 And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows-how, he himself does not know. 28 "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 "It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE." 33 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.”
There are actually two parables in this section and we will take them one a time. The first parable is called “The Parable of the Growing Seed.”
In John MacArthur’s message on this section from Marks Gospel called “How to Listen to the Lord” he says this about the seed: “It’s so paradoxical. A seed goes into the ground and dies and as it dies, out of it comes life. How does that happen? Nobody knows that . The farmer doesn’t know that. The farmer can’t make that happen. Nobody can make that happen. The best horticulturists in the world don’t know how that happens. They know it happens but they can’t define how it happens or why it happens. Out of this dying seed comes life, a huge crop…that’s the wonder of the gospel hidden in those simple gospel truths is the power of life and it breaks out while we sleep.”
When we looked at the first parable in Mark’s Gospel we saw that the seed was the Word of God and we as believer’s are the ones sowing the “seed” to the world as the great commission commands us to do. When we tell others the truth of the gospel sometimes the seed falls on a soil that is one of the unproductive soils described in the first parable and sometimes the seed takes root in the good soil and new life is born from above. It is one of the mysteries that is found in the Word of God as to how the seed takes root. Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter three that the wind blows where it wants but we cannot see the wind only the effects of the wind. Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit giving life to who He calls.
Now let us look at the last parable “The Parable of the Mustard Seed.” In The John MacArthur Study Bible we find these words on verses 30-32: “This parable of the mustard seed pictures the kingdom of God beginning with a small influence and then becoming worldwide in its scope.”
When Jesus spoke the first parable the disciples may have become discouraged for they may have been thinking that not many would be saved, in fact they may have thought that no one but the disciples would come to understand the truth of the Gospel, but in this parable they had to have become more encouraged.
We see in this parable that the mustard seed is called the smallest seed but in reality it is not but probably the smallest seed that the Jewish people would sow in their gardens. Dr. Wiersbe writes “It was a traditional symbol of that which is tiny. Our Lord began with 12 Apostles. Later, there were as many as 500 believers (1Cor. 15:6). Peter won 3,000 at Pentecost; and throughout the Book of Acts, that number steadily increased (Acts 4:4; 5:14; 6:1, 7). In spite of the sins and weaknesses of the church, the message has been carried to other nations; and one day, saints from every nation shall worship before His throne (Rev. 5:9)” This is what the parable of the Mustard Seed is all about and we as believers need to sow the seed, prays for those to whom we are able to tell the truth of the Gospel and when we find that the Holy Spirit has given them the faith to believe and they become born from above we are then to disciple them through the Word of God so that they can go out and begin sowing the seed.
Prayer & Praise (As seen in Psalm 61)
3/20/2012 8:11:26 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Prayer & Praise
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 61
Message of the verses: “David, in this psalm, as in many others, begins with a sad heart, but concludes with an air of pleasantness—begins with prayers and tears, but ends with songs of praise. Thus the soul, by being lifted up to God, returns to the enjoyment of itself. It should seem David was driven out and banished when he penned this psalm, whether by Saul or Absalom is uncertain: some think by Absalom, because he calls himself ‘the king.’” (Matthew Henry)
“TITLE. To the Chief Musician upon Neginah, a Psalm of David. The original indicates that both the hymn and the musical instrument were David’s. He wrote the verses and himself sang them to the stringed instrument whose sound he loved so well. We have left the Psalms entitled Michtam, but we shall still find much precious meaning though the golden name be wanting. We have met with the title of this Psalm before, in #Ps 4:1 6:1 54:1 55:1, but with this difference, that in the present case the word is in the singular number: the Psalm itself is very personal, and well adapted for the private devotion of a single individual.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
“David could have written this psalm during any of the many times he was in danger, but perhaps the best context is the rebellion under Absalom (2Sam. 15-18). David prayed about a foe (v. 3), protection for his life (v. 6), and the security of his throne (v. 7, where he ‘abide’ means ‘be enthroned’). The psalm opens with David crying out in distress but closes with him singing praises to God.” (Warren Wiersbe)
“Hear Me”—A Cry to the Lord (vv. 1-4): “1 ¶ «For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.» Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.”
It seems that we have looked at many psalms that were written by David when he had moved out of Jerusalem because of Absalom and according to most of the commentators I read this is another one that came from that very difficult time in the life of David. I believe that we can gain courage and strength from that difficult time in the life of David because we can see God’s hand of love and mercy upon David during that difficult time in his life. We must remember that the reason that David was in trouble was because of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah and we must also remember the words that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”, (Romans 5:20b). It was not in the plan of God to have Absalom rule in Israel and David knew that so I am sure that this encouraged him and even though He was down hearted we see in this first part of Psalm 61 that David cried out to the Lord in prayer in verse one. The phrase “from the end of the earth” is speaking spiritually because even though David was not too far from Jerusalem he was away from where he worshiped the Lord at the tent where the dwelling place of God was he felt that he was at the end of the earth. We know that David took worship to the Lord very seriously, something that we all should do.
We also see in verse three that David refers to God as “Rock” something we have seen in other psalms written by David. David knows that in himself he cannot handle this difficult situation so he desires to go to the Rock that is higher than he is.
In verse three we see the history of David’s trust in the Lord and how the Lord in the past has taken care of David and got him out of some very difficult situations and so David reminds the Lord of this in his prayer. I believe that this kind of prayer is pleasing to the Lord, for when we pray in this way God knows that we have remembered His work in our lives that He has done.
We see something familiar in verse four and that is that David wants to dwell with the Lord forever, David wants to be in the tent where the presence of God is where the two cherubim’s were on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. Now we know that David was not a priest and could not enter the Holy of Holies but David knew about this from the Scriptures. Believers today can enter into the presence of God for when the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross the curtain that divided the holy place from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom opening up the Holy of Holies to all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. “19 ¶ Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
“You Have Heard Me”—Confidence in the Lord (vv. 5-8): “5 ¶ For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name. 6 You will prolong the king’s life; His years will be as many generations. 7 He will abide before God forever; Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him. 8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may pay my vows day by day.”
In verse five we see that David speaks of the vows that he had made to the Lord while he was wandering in the wilderness, vows that had to do with how he would lead the people of Israel. David lead the people in a godly way, in a way, for the most part, honored the Lord. We find these words written in 1Ki 15:5 “because David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” When we go to the account of David’s life in 1Chronicles we do not even see the incident of David and Bathsheba and Uriah at all, and the NT does not mention it either. I think that we as believers must remember that because our sins have been paid for that they are as far away as the East is from the West. When we sin and we will sin we must do as 1John 1:9 instructs us to do “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We are to agree with God that what we have done is sin for God is just in forgiving our sins because of what Jesus Christ did on our behalf.
In verse six and seven we see that David is talking about the covenant that the Lord made with him about having someone from David’s family on the throne forever and that someone is Jesus Christ the Lord who is the greater Son of David and who is on the throne at this time and will remain there forever. There were many sons of David that were not good kings, who did evil in the sight of the Lord, but when you look back at the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the books of Matthew and Luke you will see a bit of a difference in them. Most commentators believe that Matthews’s genealogy is the kingly line through Solomon to Joseph while in Luke’s genealogy most believe that the line goes through David’s son Nathan to Mary. I believe that David knew that Messiah would come through his family and for this David was truly in awe of the grace of God.
Dr. Wiersbe writes “David’s concern was not for his won name or family but for the future of Israel and God’s great plan of redemption. His own throne was in jeopardy at that time, but he had confidence that God would keep His promises. ‘May he sit enthroned forever’ (v. 7 AMP) meant ‘May King David live out his full life,’ protected by God’s mercy and truth, but to believers today it means, ‘May Jesus Christ reign forever!’ The throne of glory is secure, for God has set His King on His holy hill of Zion! (2:6). In view of this, let’s follow David’s example and trust the Lord, call on Him, obey him ‘day after day,’ and sing His praises.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I want to go back to one of the comments that I made about the forgiveness of God and the grace of God, something that David knew much about. I want to live my life to do the will of God in my life and when I sin I want to confess my sin right away to the Lord so that I do not have any long lists of unconfessed sin, and in that way I can be in fellowship with the Lord. When David was confronted with his sin by Nathan he confessed his sin right away, he did not argue with Nathan and I cannot argue with the Holy Spirit when He convicts me of sin.
I also want to remember that the Lord is my Rock who is higher than I as David wrote and because of this I desire to rely on the Holy Spirit of God to lead me so that the works that I do are the works that the God planned for me to do in eternity past (Eph. 2:10).
My Steps of Faith for Today: Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and do the works that God has planned for me to do in eternity past. I desire to seek the Holy Spirit to search my heart for unconfessed sin (Psalm 139:23-24). I desire to continue to learn contentment (Phil. 4:11b).
3/20/2012 9:40:49 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Prayer & Praise
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 61
Message of the verses: “David, in this psalm, as in many others, begins with a sad heart, but concludes with an air of pleasantness—begins with prayers and tears, but ends with songs of praise. Thus the soul, by being lifted up to God, returns to the enjoyment of itself. It should seem David was driven out and banished when he penned this psalm, whether by Saul or Absalom is uncertain: some think by Absalom, because he calls himself ‘the king.’” (Matthew Henry)
“TITLE. To the Chief Musician upon Neginah, a Psalm of David. The original indicates that both the hymn and the musical instrument were David’s. He wrote the verses and himself sang them to the stringed instrument whose sound he loved so well. We have left the Psalms entitled Michtam, but we shall still find much precious meaning though the golden name be wanting. We have met with the title of this Psalm before, in #Ps 4:1 6:1 54:1 55:1, but with this difference, that in the present case the word is in the singular number: the Psalm itself is very personal, and well adapted for the private devotion of a single individual.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
“David could have written this psalm during any of the many times he was in danger, but perhaps the best context is the rebellion under Absalom (2Sam. 15-18). David prayed about a foe (v. 3), protection for his life (v. 6), and the security of his throne (v. 7, where he ‘abide’ means ‘be enthroned’). The psalm opens with David crying out in distress but closes with him singing praises to God.” (Warren Wiersbe)
“Hear Me”—A Cry to the Lord (vv. 1-4): “1 ¶ «For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.» Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.”
It seems that we have looked at many psalms that were written by David when he had moved out of Jerusalem because of Absalom and according to most of the commentators I read this is another one that came from that very difficult time in the life of David. I believe that we can gain courage and strength from that difficult time in the life of David because we can see God’s hand of love and mercy upon David during that difficult time in his life. We must remember that the reason that David was in trouble was because of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah and we must also remember the words that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”, (Romans 5:20b). It was not in the plan of God to have Absalom rule in Israel and David knew that so I am sure that this encouraged him and even though He was down hearted we see in this first part of Psalm 61 that David cried out to the Lord in prayer in verse one. The phrase “from the end of the earth” is speaking spiritually because even though David was not too far from Jerusalem he was away from where he worshiped the Lord at the tent where the dwelling place of God was he felt that he was at the end of the earth. We know that David took worship to the Lord very seriously, something that we all should do.
We also see in verse three that David refers to God as “Rock” something we have seen in other psalms written by David. David knows that in himself he cannot handle this difficult situation so he desires to go to the Rock that is higher than he is.
In verse three we see the history of David’s trust in the Lord and how the Lord in the past has taken care of David and got him out of some very difficult situations and so David reminds the Lord of this in his prayer. I believe that this kind of prayer is pleasing to the Lord, for when we pray in this way God knows that we have remembered His work in our lives that He has done.
We see something familiar in verse four and that is that David wants to dwell with the Lord forever, David wants to be in the tent where the presence of God is where the two cherubim’s were on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. Now we know that David was not a priest and could not enter the Holy of Holies but David knew about this from the Scriptures. Believers today can enter into the presence of God for when the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross the curtain that divided the holy place from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom opening up the Holy of Holies to all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. “19 ¶ Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
“You Have Heard Me”—Confidence in the Lord (vv. 5-8): “5 ¶ For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name. 6 You will prolong the king’s life; His years will be as many generations. 7 He will abide before God forever; Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him. 8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may pay my vows day by day.”
In verse five we see that David speaks of the vows that he had made to the Lord while he was wandering in the wilderness, vows that had to do with how he would lead the people of Israel. David lead the people in a godly way, in a way, for the most part, honored the Lord. We find these words written in 1Ki 15:5 “because David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” When we go to the account of David’s life in 1Chronicles we do not even see the incident of David and Bathsheba and Uriah at all, and the NT does not mention it either. I think that we as believers must remember that because our sins have been paid for that they are as far away as the East is from the West. When we sin and we will sin we must do as 1John 1:9 instructs us to do “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We are to agree with God that what we have done is sin for God is just in forgiving our sins because of what Jesus Christ did on our behalf.
In verse six and seven we see that David is talking about the covenant that the Lord made with him about having someone from David’s family on the throne forever and that someone is Jesus Christ the Lord who is the greater Son of David and who is on the throne at this time and will remain there forever. There were many sons of David that were not good kings, who did evil in the sight of the Lord, but when you look back at the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the books of Matthew and Luke you will see a bit of a difference in them. Most commentators believe that Matthews’s genealogy is the kingly line through Solomon to Joseph while in Luke’s genealogy most believe that the line goes through David’s son Nathan to Mary. I believe that David knew that Messiah would come through his family and for this David was truly in awe of the grace of God.
Dr. Wiersbe writes “David’s concern was not for his won name or family but for the future of Israel and God’s great plan of redemption. His own throne was in jeopardy at that time, but he had confidence that God would keep His promises. ‘May he sit enthroned forever’ (v. 7 AMP) meant ‘May King David live out his full life,’ protected by God’s mercy and truth, but to believers today it means, ‘May Jesus Christ reign forever!’ The throne of glory is secure, for God has set His King on His holy hill of Zion! (2:6). In view of this, let’s follow David’s example and trust the Lord, call on Him, obey him ‘day after day,’ and sing His praises.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I want to go back to one of the comments that I made about the forgiveness of God and the grace of God, something that David knew much about. I want to live my life to do the will of God in my life and when I sin I want to confess my sin right away to the Lord so that I do not have any long lists of unconfessed sin, and in that way I can be in fellowship with the Lord. When David was confronted with his sin by Nathan he confessed his sin right away, he did not argue with Nathan and I cannot argue with the Holy Spirit when He convicts me of sin.
I also want to remember that the Lord is my Rock who is higher than I as David wrote and because of this I desire to rely on the Holy Spirit of God to lead me so that the works that I do are the works that the God planned for me to do in eternity past (Eph. 2:10).
My Steps of Faith for Today: Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and do the works that God has planned for me to do in eternity past. I desire to seek the Holy Spirit to search my heart for unconfessed sin (Psalm 139:23-24). I desire to continue to learn contentment (Phil. 4:11b).
3/20/2012 9:40:49 AM
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