BITE: The Lord is Seated Over All and Nothing is Out of His Sight…

The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord's throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
  The Lord tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
  Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
  For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face. Psalms 11:4-7 [ESV]

Following on from yesterday, David responds to his advisors. God has made Himself known to all the people by being in His Holy Temple and His throne is in Heaven. God sees all and He both tests the righteous and hates the wicked. What does God have in store for the lover of violence and the wicked? ->Burning coals, fire, sulfur, and scorching wind. In the Hebrew, these punishments are literally called ‘the portion of their cup’ so the ESV uses the literal translation.

Now for the righteous, God loves those righteous deeds that are after His own righteousness. The reward for the righteous and upright is to see God’s face. I think that this ‘seeing of God’s face’ is something that we receive from the Holy Spirit when we live a life of righteousness and uprightness. He gives us glimpses of the Goodness of the Father in our comfort, peace, and joy…even in the times that we are under crisis situations. I think this is what David was getting at when he composed this song.

On a personal note, I am down here at the Herron Cabin overseeing the cutting down of some trees on the lower part of the lot to address some clutter and improve our view. I am here alone for the time being but the family is coming down after Sophie’s written driver’s test tomorrow (SAT).

BITE: Advice from Those Who Care…

​ In the Lord I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
  for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
  if the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?” Psalms 11:1-3 [ESV]

On to chapter 11. The title of this Psalm is “To the choirmaster. Of David” and it comes in two parts: 1) The psalm is submitted to the choirmaster but 2) it is a Psalm of David. One way to understand this psalm is to see David as the author, who consults his counselors about a critical situation that endangers his kingdom and life. However, the psalm also offers a guide for us who face similar situations of danger and temptation to run away.

These first 3 verses lay out what David’s military and court advisors are suggesting David to -> essentially “Run for the hills and find the high ground where there is an advantage”. However, this chapter starts out with David’s answer; It is in the LORD that he takes refuge. David’s advisors end with a rhetorical question that suggests that flight is the only recourse when the foundations are being destroyed. The foundations here are likely those of society, and probably suggest a disintegration of those institutions that maintain social order, protect virtue and fend off evil. To the advisors, in other words, it looks as if the wicked have gained the upper hand and the righteous have no alternative but to leave and seek protection.

But we know what David’s answer is – Let the Lord deal with his enemies. I don’t think that this is suggesting an irresponsible approach to protecting oneself; even Paul fled cities where he knew he was being hunted. What I think it means is that we should never lose the belief that God is above all things including the most evil and violence seeking of humanity.

BITE: No More Terror…

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:

  1. The Lord is King forever and ever
  2. The Lord hears the desire of the afflicted
  3. He strengthens hearts
  4. He inclines His ear to do justice

2 Outcomes:

  1. Nations perish from His land
  2. 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.

BITE: The Helpless Have an Advantage…

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.

BITE: Pride is Fought in Heaven…

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.

BITE: Put Man in His Place…

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.

BITE: A ‘Forever Judge’ Who is a Stronghold…

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.

Psalms 27:5-6 [ESV]

BITE: …With My Whole Heart…

​ 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.

Psalms 1:1-3 [ESV]

BITE: We Are Significant to an Almighty God..

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

BITE: A Wicked Man Falls into the Hole That He Has Made…

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.