September 28

Psalm 89 We used to joke in our Theology Proper class that the final exam would consist of one problem: “Define God and give two examples.” Who is like the Lord? By definition there can be no other being like the Biblical God. There is only One uncaused being. There is only One who can hold all things together by the word of His power. There can only be One who is Almighty, for if there were another as strong as he, then he would not have power over him. He would not then be almighty. Every time that I look at pictures of the Hubble telescope, I am struck with awe of our creator God. If you were to hold a quarter out at arm’s length to the night sky, in the area that the quarter covers, the Hubble telescope could find a thousand galaxies (not stars), and that scenario could be replicated throughout the sky. The vastness, precision and order that our Creator has created is beyond my little mind. If we would turn our telescope in and turn it into a microscope, the results would be equally amazing. It has taken vast teams of scientists untold hours of research to unfold the complexity of a simple DNA strand. Yet that DNA performs functions which we cannot explain or replicate. The Almighty is far beyond anything to which I may compare Him. But for the sake of helping mere men understand a little of what He is like, the Psalmist ventures to offer praise to His name. Unlike pagan gods, the Lord is faithful in His mercy, which He abundantly pours out upon us. He stills the raging sea. When we encounter times in our lives when it seems that we are about to drown in the circumstances of life, when there is just no more breath to be had, He stills the sea. When foes rise up against us and destroy our jobs, our lives, our families, our marriages, He scatters our enemies. When righteousness, justice, mercy and truth seem to be devoid in our government and culture, He at long last will arise and will prevail and will restore justice, mercy and truth. The Psalm is universally considered by Jew and Christian alike to be Messianic. It clearly celebrates the David Covenant and God’s faithfulness to that covenant. Here are the essential elements of the covenant: 29 His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven. . . . 33 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. 35 Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: 36 His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; 37 It shall be established forever like the moon, Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah The seed (singular) of David will rule upon David’s throne. His throne will be established forever. What then are we to make of the Babylonian destruction and the Roman destruction of the nation? What happened to David’s throne? Jesus could trace His lineage to David, but after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., we can no longer trace the lineage of David. Only Jesus is qualified to fill that throne. There is some question of who is Ethan the Ezrahite mentioned in the title. If the Ethan in 1Kings 4:1 and 1 Chronicles 15 is the same Ethan, then they indicate that he is a contemporary of David. That would place the writing of this Psalm after the time when David brought back the ark to Jerusalem, at the height of David’s rule. But the end of the Psalm seems to indicate that it was written at the time of the exile. The term “Ezrahite” is misleading. To the English speaker it would indicate that he was a follower of Ezra. But actually it means, “‘A descendant of Zerah,’ or ‘arising out of the soil.’” The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906 says: The name occurring in Psalms lxxxviii. and lxxxix. (in the titles); I Kings iv. 31; and I Chronicles ii. 6. In the last-mentioned passage the Authorized Version gives "son of Zerah." It is not probable that the Ezrahite of Kings, who was famed for his wisdom, was the author of a psalm of the tenor of Psalm lxxxix., which, moreover, must have been written during the Exile, when the crown of the Davidic family was, as it were, broken (Ps. lxxxix. 40). In the superscription to the preceding psalm, the Korahite Heman, also, is called "the Ezrahite"; that is, a descendant of Levi is spoken of as if he were a son of Zerah, who belonged to the tribe of Judah. The addition of "the Ezrahite" to the names of Heman and Ethan in the superscriptions to Psalms lxxxviii. and lxxxix. is due to an error. Whether or not this name is an error is a whole other topic, outside the scope of this meditation. But this Psalm must have been written after the fall of Jerusalem, simply because that is the best way to make sense of verses 38-51. So the Psalm is a celebration by faith that the throne of David will be restored and the seed of David will sit upon it. Wow! In the darkest of circumstances, Ethan celebrates the promises of God. At a time when Israel had been faithless and it would appear that God had abandoned His covenant (and indication of faithlessness), Ethan takes his stand on the faithfulness of God and celebrates the faithfulness of the Lord! Last night I watched on video the remarks of Benjamin Netanyahu to the UN in reply to Ahmadinejad’s remarks earlier in the week. Clearly we are on the brink of international disaster. Dark circumstances loom before us. Ahmadinejad has made it clear that his country is moving toward the extermination of Israel. Netanyahu has made it clear that some kind of intervention will have to be initiated within the next nine months. Revelation 11:16–18 says: And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.” Jesus will return when we will be on the brink of the destruction of the world. Hmm. . . He will set up His throne in Jerusalem and fulfill His promise to rule upon the throne of David. Whether or not you agree with that interpretation, you have to admit that it appears that we are on the brink of what could be one of the darkest hours of world history. Will we take our stand with Ethan and proclaim, “The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.” Even if this does not happen to be the final apocalyptic battle, there are still events in our lives and communities that call upon us to stand and proclaim the faithfulness of the Lord in the midst of the darkest of circumstances. Yesterday at Stillwater Junior High, a young man took his own life on campus. For family, friends and community this is a very dark circumstance. Can we stand together and proclaim, “Lord, by faith we announce Your faithfulness to us!”? We should be able, for He is indeed faithful, and that is His glory! In His time, He will calm the raging sea! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John

September 27

Psalm 69 One summer I worked briefly with two other guys trying to clear stumps from the stream bed in a swamp. The objective was to drain the swamp. Frequently we would be up to our necks and water while our feet would seek deep into the mire. It stank. The biting flies were horrid. We even got to the point where we would smear the stinking mire on our exposed skin. The flies wouldn’t bite where the mire was covering our skin. After a week of stinking labor, the boss called a halt to the project. The neighbor, of the land through which the stream would run to drain the swamp, objected to the project and threatened lawsuits. But we were at it long enough to experience what it was like to be in mire. Sometimes I feel like I am in a mire now. “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me.” Lord, I have blown it with my wife. I have blown it with my children. I have blown it with the ministry in which you placed me. Should I even be a pastor? I am in mire up to my neck. I want to quit, but where shall I go? “O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You. Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.” To whom shall I turn? This Psalm just drips with prophecy of the Lord Jesus! David, writing 1000 years before Jesus, accurately sees in himself things that will belong to his descendant, his Lord. It is quoted no less than 4 times in the New Testament. Plus, there is a clear reference to it at least once and many other veiled references. Look at this! Psalm 69:4--John 15:25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ Psalm 69:8--Mark 3:21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” Psalm 69:9--John 2:17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” Psalm 69:9--Romans 15:3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” Psalm 69:19--Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. When I am stuck in the mire, there is One who has been there before me, so that He could pull me out. There is One to whom I can turn. There is One upon whom I can call. He has been in the mire for me. He was there upon the cross. He drowned in the morass of my sin and foolishness. But that foolishness and sin, He removed. He came alive again leaving the sin and foolishness in the grave. When I die with Him, he raises me up. When I bring it to Him, He washes me clean. I don’t stink anymore, at least not to Him. Lord Jesus, I was stuck in the stench and foolishness of my own sin. I was dying in it. You took it upon Yourself. You died because of it. But You overcame it and rose from the dead! You have given me Your righteousness, Your cleansing! You have placed me on the solid ground of a river of living water instead of stinking, stagnant swamp water. Thank You! I love You because of this! I receive You as my King and my brother. I take Your Zeal for prayer as my own. I gladly identify with Your reproaches! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John

September 21

Psalm 49 I once learned something which I repeatedly learn again. Sometimes when I stop and think about it, I feel really stupid. God doesn’t need me to earn a lot of money in order to meet my needs. Seems like a simple concept, but I have to keep learning it. The first summer that Laura and I were married (1977), I worked my tail off and only made $300 per month. Yet we had all of our needs met. The next summer I had no job, yet all of our needs were met. In November of 1980 we moved to Portland, Oregon. I had no job. By January 1, I was out of money. I did not get a decent paying job until the end of March/ beginning of April, yet all of our needs were met. All through seminary and my first ten years of ministry, we lived below poverty level income, according to government standards. We never received food stamps; although, we did sometimes receive WIC food. All of our needs were met. In 1981 I obtained a loan to purchase a car. From that experience I decided that I would never again take a loan for transportation. Since then the Lord has given me a vehicle or the money to buy a vehicle without having to borrow. I have owned 10 different vehicles that way. The Lord provided each one. But still when money gets tight, and there is not enough to buy what I want, rather than just what I need, I get nervous. I start scheming ways to get what I want. The Lord has to teach me again. Why do I have to keep relearning? Maybe it has to do with my seeing His glory. Perhaps I have reduced Him to a giant banker in the sky. Maybe I see Him as the ultimate cashier or auctioneer. Perhaps He is a cosmic vending machine. If I just put the right currency in the slot and hit the right combination of buttons, then I will receive exactly what I want. Is the Mighty Creator of the Universe such a trivial exchange artist in human currency? 6Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— 8For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit. Gold is just a common element to our Creator. It is no more or less difficult for Him to create than helium, carbon, silicon, iron or platinum. Why should He ever be interested in me giving Him gold in exchange for something? For me to think that I could give Him anything, which He would consider to be valuable, is to demean who He is! There is only one thing that I can give Him, which He cannot more easily create, my trust. Oh sure, He could force my affections, but He has chosen allow me to choose trust or mistrust. There is no amount of currency that can buy my or any other person’s redemption. He simply wants our trust in all areas of our lives. We cannot categorize our lives separating our spiritual life from our financial life. He wants our trust in all areas of our lives. Why? Because He wants us to realize the greatness of His glory! Why do I keep learning the same lesson over and over again? Because I keep forgetting the greatness of His glory! He is more than everything! That is why I must seek Him daily! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

September 13

Psalm 43 Sometimes when you experience the rejection of a group of people, it feels like God has also rejected you. When you have been accused of motivations you did not have, of lack of production that really is not your responsibility, or even production that is ignored, you just want to scream out, “This is unjust! I did not have that motivation. That was not my responsibility! I did not cause that! I did produce this! Why can’t you see that!” In short, you want to be vindicated. You want God to stand up and declare the truth. In four other Psalms the Psalmist cries out, “Vindicate me!” David had reason to scream that. He was steadfastly loyal to Saul. For his victories over the Philistines on Saul’s behalf, he was hunted as a criminal. Everyone was told that he was in rebellion against Saul. I am sure that he wanted to scream out: But it was I who killed Goliath! I am the one sang and played the harp and lyre and lute and brought a soothing spirit to Saul. I have led Israel’s armies into battle and killed thousands of Israel’s enemies. I have brought increased security to Saul’s regime. I am Saul’s oldest son, Jonathan’s, best friend. I killed 200 Philistines in order to purchase Michal as my wife. I am Saul’s son-in-law! I have had opportunity to kill Saul with impunity. What do I need to do to demonstrate the loyalties of my motivations? What else can I do that shows I fulfill my responsibilities to Saul? What more do I need to produce to show that I am loyal? In such situations only God can vindicate. David felt rejected by the nation. He felt cast off by God. He asks for light and truth from God. Light enables us to see our surroundings. In the darkness of his downcast soul, David needed spiritual light to see the reality of his situation. He needed God’s truth to illuminate the emotional and mental darkness around him. He needed that light and truth to lead him into the very presence of God for it is in the presence of our Shepherd King that our downcast soul is set upright again. His presence gives us exceeding great joy. In His presence it doesn’t matter what our evil nation thinks; there is only One opinion that counts. That is His glory. When we experience the light and truth of His glory, everything else melts in His light. That is why seeing His light and truth and glory on a daily basis is so important. Only there are we truly vindicated. Only there can we find true joy and hope. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

August 27

Psalm 57 Can you imagine sitting in the cave of Adullam? 1 Samuel 22:1-2 says: David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. So here he is unjustly hunted as a criminal by Saul, living in a cave, surrounded by 400 discontented people. What a wonderful environment to practice the power of positive thinking! While I wrote that sarcastically, I also meant it literally. Keep in mind though that not all positive thinking is godly, but all godly thinking is positive. Ever been around people who are discontent? Can you imagine 400 hundred of them? So here is David living in a cave with 400 discontents. What do you suppose the conversation was all about? “Saul is really doing a great job at subduing the Philistines,” or “The economy is really booming right now. We are doing so well. I think will have to expand my barns for all the grain and livestock. Maybe the wife and I will expand our house for the children we are having.” I don’t thinks so. The conversation could probably be better described as, “My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” On the one hand, David feels it is good to have the support of 400 men. On the other hand, it is negative support. These men want change. They are discontent. They want change that spears, arrows and swords can bring. They see in David their champion. They see in David the one who can vulcanize their corporate desire for change and produce a new regime. Well, David is headed there, but not in the direction they had expected. So if you were being pursued by Saul, if it were as though your pursuer had laid a net to trap you, if it were as though a pit had been dug for you, if you were among 400 discontents, how would you speak to vulcanize your followers in such a way that they would follow you to establish justice? Most of us would lay plans to bring down the evil regime and establish ourselves as the rulers. It is not so with David. He speaks of the glory of God! He cries for God’s mercy! He establishes his trust in God! He remembers that calamities, as evil as they are, are temporary! He calls out to the One who is almighty! He petitions Him to let mercy and truth be seen in their midst! He pleads for God’s Glory to be revealed to them! He makes his heart steadfast to sing the glory and praise of God! Oh Lord help me to trade my discontent for Your glory! Help me to lift up the praise of your mercy and power! Help me to be content only in Your empowerment! May Your mercy and truth ever be upon my lips! It is Your glory to work that work in me and in us! Establish it O Lord! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

September 10

Psalm 71 “Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me.” Throughout David’s life God had delivered him from many adverse situations. Now he is old. Once again he is in an unnamed tenuous situation. Once again he calls out to God for deliverance. This time he requests deliverance in God’s ‘righteousness.’ What does that mean? Does it mean that because God is righteous, then He ought to deliver David? The implication would be that God is righteous, and David is righteous, and God should deliver righteous people, and therefore He ought to deliver David. One of the problems with that logic is whether or not the second premise is true. At least twice in the Psalm, David refers to his old age. I am beginning to realize that I am rapidly approaching old age. I’m 57. I suspect that David was older than 57 when he wrote this Psalm. What was David encountering at my age? Absalom was born to David in Hebron to David’s fourth wife (I’m including Michal). That means that David was between 30 and 37 when Absalom was born. I’m guessing that David sired Absalom when he was 31 or 32. So Absalom was around 25 when David was 57, probably during the time that David was having problems with Absalom. David died at around 70 years of age. If I die at 70, I only have about 13 years left. My last child was born just 13 years ago. The Reese Chronological Bible dates David's death to 985 BC and Absalom's rebellion to 993 BC. That makes David about 62 when Absalom died. Absalom was about 30. This Psalm has the feeling that there has been some distance in time for healing from Absalom’s death. Yet David still has detractors that threaten him: Verses 12–13 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt. My guess is that David wrote this during the rebellion of Sheba. This rebellion came on the heels of Absalom’s rebellion. David was again threatened. He would have been at least 62, maybe older, definitely old age, less than eight years from death. In the midst of his trouble, David declares that he will sing in rejoicing and declare with his lips his own redemption and the righteousness of God. Hmmmm. . . One would think that after all the adversity through which David has come that at some point David would say, “Lord, You are not being fair with me! Don’t I deserve a break in my old-age? Why don’t you call off the dogs?” But what he desires more than anything is the nearness of God and the help of His presence! Why? Because he is grounded in the redemption and righteousness of God. I need to continually remind myself of redemption and righteousness of God. This is a great part of His glory! All that comes into my life is allowed because He is righteous! Indeed He is merciful because I deserve worse treatment than I receive. That is part of redemption. His blood was shed so that I might drink the cup of redemption, salvation. He is right all the time. He is also a sure help in times of trouble. I will declare His righteousness in all situations. How about you? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

September 7

Psalm 40 Yesterday, I was thinking of my wife. She is so sweet. I cannot believe she puts up with me. So on the way home I bought her one of her favorite chocolate bars and put it under her pillow with a note. She probably doesn’t believe it when I say that I think of her constantly. I guess my actions don’t reflect to her that I think of her constantly, but I do. Did you ever stop to think that the Lord thinks of you constantly? 5Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. . . 17 But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God. If the Lord thinks on me constantly, the next question is, “Are those good thoughts?” I am dreadfully aware of some of my sins and imperfections. Those could be motivation for the Lord to be angry with me all the time. Now that is cause for alarm! But tucked away between verse 5 & 17 are verses 6-8: Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” The concept that God’s first desire wasn’t sacrifice and offering is found in 1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 51:16; Is. 1:11; Jer. 6:20; 7:22, 23; Amos 5:22; Mic. 6:6–8. Then why did He command sacrifice and offering? Why does the book of Leviticus focus upon it? Why do major portions of Exodus and Deuteronomy focus upon it? What God really wants from us is to love Him. What I really want from my wife is for her to love me. Loving God is displayed by doing His will. When I do not love Him and obey Him, justice kicks in. His justice demands death for sin. His love demands mercy for sin. His justice and mercy are displayed when His Son chose to become flesh, live a perfect life in love and submission to the Father, die as a substitute for us on the cross, rise again on the third day being victorious over sin and death. He came as our substitute to enable us also to do the will of the Father. Hebrews 10:5-9 makes it absolutely clear that the purpose of Jesus’ coming was to do the Father’s will. He gave Himself to purify us of our sin. If we are pure of sin, His thoughts toward us are only pleasant. He purified us so that we could do His will. Now we who were unrighteous can proclaim His righteousness! His thoughts toward us, because of His will for us can now be continual thoughts of promoting our righteousness! Wow! He thinks continually of me, and it is good! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

September 6

Psalm 38 I do not know that I have ever experienced this kind of depression. I mean, look at what David says, “There is no soundness in my flesh. . . my iniquities have gone over my head. . .my wounds are foul and festering. . . My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off. . . I am like a deaf man who does not hear.” When did David ever experience this? Did this all literally happen, or in his depression does he just feel this way? Certainly when he sinned with Bathsheba and against Uriah, he would have felt the weight of his iniquities. But what wounds did he have. He had stayed home from war. That is what placed him in trouble with Bathsheba. When was he deserted by friends and family? Even when being chased by Saul, his cousins and the discontent of Israel joined and supported him. He had 600 men following him. When pursued by his son Absalom, he was still supported by his old guard who delivered him from Absalom. When we are in depression, we frequently amplify our pain and make it greater than it is. I remember a time when I was attacked by those I was shepherding. It is hard to think straight when depressed. It was only a third of those, whom I was shepherding, that attacked, but it felt like everybody. If you have lived any amount of time, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. How do we triumph in those circumstances? David has the key: “In You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God.” When our hope is in Him, He makes the worst of circumstances tolerable because of His great presence. We will slop through the situation, but He will eventually come to us. In the midst of the attack He communicates His love for us. That communication is worth all the depression and pain. The smile of the Creator upon us creates inestimable joy. May the Lord make haste to us in our need. That is where we see His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john