The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. Psalms 10:16-18 [ESV]
4 Realities:
The Lord is King forever and ever
The Lord hears the desire of the afflicted
He strengthens hearts
He inclines His ear to do justice
2 Outcomes:
Nations perish from Hisland
With His justice earthly men will no longer strike terror
I love that there are 4 truths about God’s actions and 2 simple outcomes -> His land is sovereign and earthly men have no power over him…they are neutralized by His justice. That is OUR God! David’s God is our God. I need to remind myself of this just as often as I need to preach the Gospel to myself every day.
Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless. Psalms 10:12-14 [ESV]
Firstly, NOTHING escapes the eye of God…NOTHING. Not only does God not miss anything, He takes note of the crud we do so that He may address it with His Just Power. So, the evil one may denounce the God of the universe, but it is God to takes tally and addresses the evil of man.
I always take note of the statements in God’s word that jump out at me and in this passage that statement is “to You the helpless commits himself”. As I thought about this (without referencing commentaries or what someone else said about it) and tried to listen to what God might be telling me; it occurred to me that the helpless find it much easier to commit themselves to God because they have nowhere else to turn. For the comfy person who has access to money, food, and other human gained abilities, it is harder to commit themselves to God because they have other resources to help them. Spiritually, everyone is helpless, but those with resources find it harder to realize this deficit because their earthly needs can be managed. The helpless have one up on the wealthy in terms of dependence on God.
My takeaway is to ensure that I am not letting myself be lulled into a distance from God because He has blessed me so much. I must humble myself and acknowledge my utter need for God in all things. I am finding so much more in Psalms than I anticipated.
In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.” Psalms 10:2-6 [ESV]
It’s crazy how closely this defines our culture of today. The ‘Identity First’ movement is captured so succinctly here. I don’t want to go all political in this post…I really work to refrain from this approach or delving too far into the facets of our political climate of today. One of the statements in this passage that stands out to me is the “His ways prosper at all times”. Meaning that this person, in their pride, believes that everyone of their efforts is the right one. No other person, including God Himself, is going to knock this person off their opinion or take on life. Everything they do is justified and supported by their own internal truth. This person virtually worships his own desires.
I need to be careful not to say, “that’s not me”. As redeemed humans, we still have a sinful heart that can fall prey to this thinking but with religious virtue. I must look inwardly to make sure I have no spaces occupied in my heart with kind of thinking…my righteousness is not my own, but only the righteousness that has been gifted to me through the Son. As soon as I take attention away from Who Jesus is and toward who Ben is, I am at risk of falling into the same sin talked about the evil person above. Very thought provoking…there is only one way to address this -> pray that the evil desires and spaces in my heart are revealed by the Holy Spirit so that I have the opportunity to address them.
Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Psalms 9:19-20 [ESV]
This passage uses a Hebrew word for ‘men’ that implies their weakness. Without God, we are nothing but dust and a breath. The psalmist asks God to demonstrate His power over the nations. They are not only hostile to Israel (or those whom He has saved); they also defy God Himself, so He must show them that they are mortal and that He is God.
I too need to heed this call to be ‘in fear’. Before I can ask the Lord to show Himself that He is indeed superior to my enemies, I must have this fear in me. I have no place to be asking God to reign down His judgement on those who have rejected Him, unless I first have the posture of dependence and lack of self-sufficiency to save myself…in whatever I do. In verse 11, the psalmist says, “Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!” It is not appropriate for me to on call judgement from God until I have a heart after His own, and am proclaiming all that He has done; not just in His word, but also in my own life.
As I look forward into this new year, all of my decision making needs to be preceded with this heart-condition, a reverent fear of God. My own actions and plans must be paved with a dependence on God’s word and upright standing where every day there is evidence to convict me of being a child of the King.
But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalms 9:7-10 [ESV]
When I read the Psalms, I see so many repeated themes. David has a way of writing (and singing) that gives us a picture into why God calls David a man after His own heart.
…The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people…”
1 Samuel 13:14 [ESV]
Although God had established kings over Israel, He alone sits enthroned forever. He judges both the world and people of the world with righteousness and uprightness.
Now we come to such a comforting piece of this passage which talks about the refuge God is for His people who put their trust in Him. When David talks about God never forsaking those who seek Him, he is talking about past, present, and future. When I look at the world around me and how far it is diving into debauchery and evil, I as a believer who has put their trust in the ‘Forever King’ can sit in the stronghold of the Lord my God. Although my circumstances and situations might sometimes feel overwhelming and under oppression from this evil world, I have the stronghold of my Lord Who promises never to forsake me…never to turn His face from me. There is such peace in that. Psalms 9:12 assures me that I may be downtrodden and persecuted but the only One who matters, never gives up on or leaves me. Even as part of His amazing plan He allows me to find myself in suffering, He is there with me in the furnace.
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalms 9:1-2 [ESV]
Well, I have come down with the LRTI (Lower Respiratory Tract Infection) that has been going around. Lots of coughing and sore bronchial tubes. What is weird is that I feel fine for the most part and been working from home this week.
In my reading today I have moved on to Chapter 9 of Psalms. I have written about this many time in the past but my life verses are Psalms 1:1-3. When I read the first several verses of chapter 9 today, I am reminded of the percent of my person that gives thanks – my ‘whole heart’. Even with my LRTI, I give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, recounting all of His wonderful deeds. Looking over the last year, I have so much to be thankful to God for. Bella on the mission field, a roof over my head, an amazing church body to be surrounded by, and so many opportunities to serve Him. Let alone the job I have that allows me to care for my family and give in ways that should be aligned with how much I have been given.
Even in suffering I can be glad in Jesus and exalt His Name. What I have ahead of me is far more blessing than I have been given here on earth. Looking forward into the next year, I must prayerfully consider all the ways in which I am able to serve Him.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him? Psalms 8:3-4 [ESV]
Psalm 8 is such a recognizable passage for many of us. When I look at the stars, I comprehend the magnitude of Who God is…and even then, He is so much bigger than that. I see His greatness in the work of His creation. The vastness of space and depth and complication of how it all works together is reflective of the beauty of Who created it. When the Psalmist talks about the ‘Work of His fingers’ there is a sense that God is personally and intimately involved in what He creates.
Why are we so exalted in position in this cast work He has created? God has all of the light years of space He has stitched together yet He actively cares for you and me. It is in prayer life and the visible work of His hand in my own life that combined with this sense of awe in who I am in what He has created that He would not only pay close attention to me and my needs but also direct and guide my life according to His great plan for His Kingdom. Just think about that for a second…we matter to a Magnificent God. One more thing, the way the Jewish text is written, and the words used in scripture essentially denote us a something closer to God than anything else in His creation order. We are created in His image; we reflect and represent God more than any other creature.
God is glorious, and humanity, as created in the image of God, reflects that glory. It is a derivative glory, analogous to the way in which the moon reflects the light of the sun.
Longman III – Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms
Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
His mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Psalms 7:14-17 [ESV]
Following on the passage from yesterday, the Psalmist is talking about how a wicked man brings about his own pain. In our small view of the world, we may never know of see the pain this wicked man receives. So dire is the state of this man that just before it talks about how God readies His weapons and takes aim.
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
Psalms 7:12-13
This man needs the grace and salvation of the Great Redeemer, or his doom is sealed. I spoke yesterday about loving enemies, and I feel compassion for this person who does not realize the ruin he has brought upon himself. He foolishly thinks he can shape his own fate. I wish he would repent of his wickedness and embrace the only source of redemption he has.
Lastly the passage ends with “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” It is God’s righteousness and grace that has saved me from the same fate…in my sin I was in no different place than this poor soul. The ONLY praise I will sing will be to the One Who has plucked me from my own disaster.
Psalms 7:9-11 [ESV] Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.
One thing I feel almost every day is an anger toward those who are conceived of evil and peddle wickedness. I am guilty of bitterness and frustration with the ways of the society and culture…and today I am convicted by this passage; taking too much ownership of passing judgement and finding guilt in others.
What the Psalmist says here is that God alone is the One who tests the mind and hearts of everyone: a righteous Judge who feels indignation every day. Why do I need to spend any time doing this (judging and feeling indignation) when the Righteous God of the universe is doing this every day? I am saved and my shield is with the Most Just God in Heaven Who provides the protection I need to withstand the evil ways of this world.
The important sentence here is “[God] saves the upright in heart”. Is my heart upright if I am constantly taking on a passing of judgement and guilt on those hearts and minds I am not able to see? No -> God calls me to Love my enemies.
“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Psalms 6:8-10 [ESV] Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
As you can probably tell, I am rolling through Psalms next. I am excited about this deep study of this amazing book of lament, assurance, and praise. This passage today hits as I return to work tomorrow after being off for several weeks to recoup and spend much needed time with family, rest, and celebrate the birth of Jesus. This new year brings newness across all spectrums, but I can confidently walk forward because of my Faith in God alone. Most people make New Year’s resolutions or goals but for me I simply seek to deepen my relationship with God and make more and more about what I do in every moment in life more and more aligned with God’s Kingdom work…that starts with me.
Now this passage talks about enemies but I really don’t have any. I do have adversaries in my work life who I know the Lord has placed in my life to teach me how to ‘love’ more like He loves. Weeping, pleas, and prayer are the things David tells us God accepts from him. I can learn from this because weeping denotes transparency, pleas point to dependence, and prayer points to closeness in communication. When all of these are in effect, my adversaries only have the LORD to fear, and I can trust that the LORD’s timing is the one that matters, not mine.
So looking forward to what is ahead, even the trials I know I will face. For now, I am dwelling on the special moments I have had with my family and the blessings God has given me in food, shelter, clothing, and relationships I do not deserve.
A hike at Paradise LakeMarianne pointing out the woodpecker holes to Prim. A beautiful sunset at Herron IslandOur crew at Herron Island beach combing (we miss Bella so much!)The sunset was spectacular!
