SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/25/2012
9:01:41 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 131
PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 131:1
Message of
the verses: As has been our normal practice when we come
to the book of Psalms, we will look at several introductions from different
Bible Commentators to see what this psalm is about and how we can apply it to
our lives.
“This psalm is David’s
profession of humility, humbly made, with thankfulness to God for his grace,
and not in vain-glory. It is probable enough that (as most interpreters
suggest) David made this protestation in answer to the calumnies of Saul and
his courtiers, who represented David as an ambitious aspiring man, who, under
pretence of a divine appointment, sought the kingdom, in the pride of his
heart. But he appeals to God, that, on the contrary.” (Matthew Henry)
“The psalmist’s humility:
Believers encouraged to trust in God.
“The psalmist aimed at
nothing high or great, but to be content in every condition God allotted.
Humble saints cannot think so well of themselves as others think of them. The
love of God reigning in the heart, will subdue self-love. Where there is a
proud heart, there is commonly a proud look. To know God and our duty is
learning sufficiently high for us. It is our wisdom not to meddle with that
which does not belong to us. He was well reconciled to every condition the Lord
placed him in. He had been as humble as a little child about the age of
weaning, and as far from aiming at high things; as entirely at God’s disposal,
as the child at the disposal of the mother or nurse. We must become as little
children, #Mt 18:3. Our hearts are desirous of worldly things, cry for them,
and are fond of them; but, by the grace of God, a soul that is made holy is
weaned from these things. The child is cross and fretful while in the weaning;
but in a day or two it cares no longer for milk, and it can bear stronger food.
Thus does a converted soul quiet itself under the loss of what it loved, and
disappointments in what it hoped for, and is easy whatever happens. When our
condition is not to our mind, we must bring our mind to our condition; then we
are easy to ourselves and all about us; then our souls are as a weaned child.
And thus the psalmist recommends confidence in God, to all the Israel of God,
from his own experience. It is good to hope, and quietly to wait for the
salvation of the Lord under every trial.”
(Matthew Henry Concise Commentary)
“Title: A Song of Degrees
of David. It is both by David and of David: he is the author and the subject of
it, and many incidents of his life may be employed to illustrate it. Comparing all the Psalms to gems, we should
liken this to a pearl: how beautifully it will adorn the neck of patience. It
is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn. It
speaks of a young child, but it contains the experience of a man in Christ.
Lowliness and humility are here seen in connection with a sanctified heart, a
will subdued to the mind of God, and a hope looking to the Lord alone happy is
the man who can without falsehood use these words as his own; for he wears
about him the likeness of his Lord, who said, "I am meek and lowly in
heart." The Psalm is in advance of all the Songs of Degrees which have
preceded it; for loveliness is one of the highest attainments in the divine
life. There are also steps in this Song of Degrees: it is a short ladder, if we
count the words; but yet it rises to a great height, reaching from deep
humility to fixed confidence. Le Blanc thinks that this is a song of the
Israelites who returned from Babylon with, humble hearts, weaned from their
idols. At any rate, after any spiritual captivity let it be the expression of
our hearts.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)
“If anyone in Israel had
reasons to be proud, it was David. The
eight son of a common citizen, he began as a humble shepherd and yet became
Israel’s king. A courageous soldier, a
gifted general and tactician, and a sincere man of God, it was David who
defeated Israel’s enemies, expanded her boundaries, and amassed the wealth that
Solomon used to build the temple. He wrote nearly half of the psalms, and
though (like all of us) he was guilty of disobeying the Lord, he was always
repentant and sought God’s merciful forgiveness. It was for David’s sake that the Lord kept
the light burning in Jerusalem during the years of Judah’s decay, and it was
from David’s line that Jesus Christ came into the world. Expect for a few lapses into selfishness and
sin, David walked with the Lord in a humble spirit. In this brief psalm, he tells us the
essentials of a life that glorifies God and accomplishes His work on earth.” (Dr. Warren Wiersbe)
Since this psalm is so
short let us look at the entire psalm before we begin to comment on it. “1 ¶
«A Song of Ascents, of David.» O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my
eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too
difficult for me. 2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned
child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD From this
time forth and forever.” As I look at
this brief psalm I will have to agree with Charles Spurgeon that although it
may be short to read, it will take a lifetime to put into practice.
Honesty—Accept Yourself (v. 1)
Dr. Wiersbe begins his
commentary on this verse by stating something that has just jumped out at
me: “We move toward maturity when we
honestly accept who we are, understand what we can do, accept both and live for
God’s glory. Rejecting or hating
ourselves, fantasizing about ourselves, and envying others are marks of
immaturity.” David, the author of this
psalm, had seen pride in his former boss, King Saul, and he would also see it
in one of his son’s, Absalom, and all one has to do is read about their lives
to understand that pride is not what a true believer should desire in his
heart. Pride is spoken of in the book of
Proverbs: “Pr 8:13 "The fear of the
LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted
mouth, I hate.
Pr 11:2 When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But
with the humble is wisdom.
Pr 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
Pr 21:24 "Proud," "Haughty,"
"Scoffer," are his names, Who acts with insolent pride.
Pr 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But a
humble spirit will obtain honor.”
Here are some verses from
Proverbs that speak of being “proud.” “Pr
15:25 The LORD will tear down the house
of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow.
Pr 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
Pr 16:19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the
lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Pr 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of
the wicked, is sin.
Pr 21:24 "Proud," "Haughty,"
"Scoffer," are his names, Who acts with insolent pride.”
A couple more quotes from
Dr. Wiersbe on this section and we will be done. “When you accept yourself and your lot and
thank God for the way He made you, you do not need to impress people. They will see your worth and love you for who
you are.” “David did not promote
himself; it was all God’s doing.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Sometimes it is
good to get your spiritual toes stepped on and that is what has happened to me
today. God deals with me the way that He
sees fit in order to accomplish in me what He wants to accomplish. My desire is to allow people to see Jesus in
me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue on my quest to be content.
Memory verses for the
week: 1Cor. 13:8-13
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy,
they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is
knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For
we know in part and we prophecy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the
partial will be done away. 11 When I was
a child I use to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child;
when I became a man I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then
face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also
have been fully known. 13 But now faith,
hope, love, abide these three, but the greatest of these is love.
10/25/2012 10:20:03 AM
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