October 29

Psalm 119:113-176 My wife and I have bought 5 houses in our lifetime. Each time we had to put down earnest money. That was money that we gave to the realty company which would show our good intentions about purchasing the home. In return for the money, the house was taken off the market until the purchase was complete. Once the seller accepted the contract and the money, they were not allowed to sell the house but to anyone but us. Even if someone came along and offered more money, the seller could not legally sell to them because he had already entered into a contract with us. On my part, if I reneged on the deal, the seller would keep the money because he would perhaps have lost the ability to sell to someone else while the house was off of the market. Another word for earnest money is surety. In verse 122 David asks the Lord, “Be surety for Your servant for good; Do not let the proud oppress me.” Does he have the same concept in mind here? I believe that he does. David knows his own heart. He knows what is in his heart. At the time of writing this Psalm, he knows the value of the word of the Lord. He knows the richness of the pleasure of walking with Him. He commits to His word and to Him. But he knows his heart. He knows that he will waver and flip flop. He asks the Lord to put down earnest money on His soul. He wants to know that God will be faithful to complete the deal when he wavers from the path. The blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the surety, the guarantee for us. Listen to what Paul says in Ephesians 1:13–14:

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

David knows that he will need help to keep his end of the deal. He cannot do it without the direct intervention and help of the Lord:

133Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me. 154Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word. 159Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness. 176I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.

This great Savior of ours is the One who enables us to keep our commitments. That is what the Spirit does in our lives. As we commit ourselves to His word, He makes it live, gives us life, gives us power. It is our responsibility to rendezvous with Him in His word, to listen to the voice of His Spirit and to yield to His Spirit. It is his responsibility to empower us. What a deal! What glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

October 28

Psalm 119:57-112 On Christmas in 1961, my parents gave my brother and I a portable Roy Rogers stereo record player. My 11-year-old brother thought it was awesome. In my 6-year-old mindset, I was not so impressed. He offered me one of his other gifts if I would relinquish my portion of the record player. I was impressed with the offer, so I gladly took it. He became the sole possessor of the record player, and I became the possessor of toy doctor’s kit. At the time we were both delighted with our exchange. As the years progressed, I began to think less of the exchange and to realize that I had thought too little of my portion of the record player. God’s law is more than a list of His commands of how He wants us to live and not to live. Rather, His law is a reflection of what He is like. So, the keeping of His law is not a “do and don’t” proposition. It is learning to dwell in His presence in such a way that we delight in what He is like. He remains our portion. Notice some of the things that David says about the law of the Lord:

72The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver. 75I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. 92Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.

When He becomes our delight, He becomes our hope and He enlightens our life (vs. 81 &105). That hope and enlightenment produces strength in adversity. Look at verses 61 &62: “The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.” While the New Testament writers did not interpret this as a reference to Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail, it sure is reminiscent of their experience. These two men were preaching the good news in Philippi and having great success. As a result of that success, they were beaten and thrown into the dungeon. Most people who would be beaten and imprisoned for exercising free speech would be rather depressed, but not Paul and Silas. Why? Because the law and the gospel was more than a concept for them. It was a relationship with the living God! It was a delight to enjoy His presence while they suffered! At midnight, bruised and bleeding, fastened by chains to the dungeon floor, they joyfully raised up songs of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because the law and the Gospel was the presence of Jesus Christ. His presence was delight! Often I think too little of my portion of the Lord. I trade His presence for the toys of this world. When will I ever learn? O Lord, teach me your judgments, knowledge and commandments for they are more than words on paper. They are what You are like. You are a delight! That is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

October 27

Psalm 119:1-56 A few years ago when my granddaughter was born my son and daughter-in-law asked what I wanted my grandchildren to call me. I told them, “Grumps.” I thought it matched my mental state at times. From time-to-time if find myself getting rather dour. What causes that state, and how do I get out of it? I know what causes it. Usually it is because I think things are going the direction that I would like them to go. It can be a variety of things. I suspect that you could identify a few points where the same thing begins to happen to you. My focus gets off of the Lord and on to my desires. I begin to get grumpy. When it happens, I almost feel like I need a cleansing. How can I, an old man, cleanse my way? It is the same way a young man cleanses his way, Verse nine says, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” One of His glories is that His word cleanses us. It can cleanse us of great moral failures and it can also cleanse us of the little things that nip at us and make us grumpy. When I ask Him, He will open my eyes to see the wondrous works of His hands. He uses His word and His Spirit to do it. He lifts me up! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

October 19

Psalm 105 “Keep me searchin’ for a heart of gold, and I’m growing old. . .” If you’re old like me, you probably remember that song from the early 70’s. I’m old enough to have watched a number of entertainers go through cycles of trying to find truth and meaning in life. Probably the classic is Bob Dylan. Often celebrated as one of the greatest song writers of the 60’-80’s, he ran the gambit of religions and philosophies. Of course during his “Christian” period, he wrote Gotta Serve Somebody and Man Gave Names to All the Animals. To the best of my knowledge, he currently does not claim Christianity. There is Kris Kristofferson who made a lot of noise about Jesus, especially with his song Why Me Lord? I am not sure where his public stand is right now. There was B.J.Thomas, Rain Drops Keep Fallin on My Head. He professed Christ for a while, then backed off. I think I heard that he is back with Jesus now. Of course there was Jane Fonda. What a radical! She made a few ripples a decade ago about possibly being a follower of Jesus, not sure where she stands now. People keep blindly searching for the truth. Why is it that when they find it, they back away? Oh there are several answers to that question. The motivations are varied within the same individual and often unknown to the seeker. But I think this Psalm reveals one of the reasons people fall away. Verse 3 commands, “Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!” I think the reason the seeker often falls away is a failure to make this his/her motivation. Often we, as seekers, are seeking in order to advance our own glory or our own pleasure. If our own glory or pleasure is not advanced, then we fall away. What does it mean to glory in His name as opposed to my name? Why should I have to be commanded to rejoice when I seek Him? Should it not come naturally as I pursue the One who created all things? The Psalm is replete with the history of God’s redemptive plan in Israel. Many of those acts go beyond His work with Israel. They are types of what God was going to do in Jesus the Messiah in order to deliver us out of the kingdom of darkness into His Kingdom of Light. The Psalmist recounts the many acts that God did before He made them into a great nation. They include the humbling and raising of Joseph, the plaguing of the land of Egypt before their departure, the destruction of the firstborn, the plundering of the Egyptians on the night of their deliverance, the protecting pillar and cloud of the Lord for the nation, the miraculous providing of bread and quail for the sustenance of the people. It is as though the Psalmist is saying, “Connect the dots! These times of suffering and deliverance show the glory of the Lord, not our own glory. Therefore, when suffering and deliverance occur again, connect the dots! God is about to once again reveal His glory! Therefore, let your heart be glad! Rejoice!” Maybe a reason we have so many people fall away is because we have won them with a promise of glory, but have not helped them to connect the dots of God using the redemptive acts in their lives of suffering and struggle to bring Himself glory in our lives, by our redemption. Therefore, when we continue to suffer or struggle, rather than rejoicing in another opportunity to show His wondrous works, we give up. We thought it was solely about our comfort and redemption. Connect the dots! God used the suffering and discomfort to bring us to Himself. Because of the hardness of our hearts, he must continue to use suffering and discomfort to keep us glorifying Him. Hmmmm. . . Have I connected the dots of suffering and pain that lead me to a knowledge of him? Let my heart rejoice as I seek Him for when those times of pain and suffering come it is another opportunity for Him to display His wondrous works and how glorious He is! He alone can keep me searching for a heart of gold. He is that gold. He alone is our reward. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

October 18

Psalm 97 “Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” Why clouds and darkness? Listen to what these other verses say of Him: Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. Deuteronomy 4:11 “Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 1 Kings 8:12 Then Solomon spoke: “The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. Psalm 18:11 He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. Consider what we read a few weeks ago in Exodus 33:20, “But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’” One of the ways that we define God is that He is eternal. Eternality is more than just time. Another word for it might be infinitude. God is infinite in all that He is. So, every attribute that He has is infinite. His love, His hate, His justice, His mercy, His holiness, His compassion, His wrath, His power, His ability to restrain His power, they are all infinite. Obviously we are not infinite; we are finite. How can I, as a finite being, ever fully experience the infinitude of each or any of His attributes? Logically, I cannot! First, the metaphor of darkness must refer to the fact that I can never comprehend, understand or fully know the Infinite One. Second, the metaphor of darkness must refer to the fact that if I, a finite being who has transgressed His law, were to enter into the presence of His infinite justice, I surely would immediately be judged and rendered to nothing. Third, the metaphor of darkness must refer to the fact that if I, a being of finite power, were to step fully into the presence of infinite power, I would immediately be disintegrated (v.5). It would be like me stepping into the middle of a nuclear reaction. Unless He restrained Himself, I would immediately be undone. We could apply this to every attribute. It is no wonder that Isaiah in His midst called out,

“So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.”

He covers Himself in darkness for our protection! Consider that out of that darkness comes lightnings to light the world (v.4) and light is sown for the righteous (v.11). Consider Psalm 104:1–2

Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

How can He surround Himself with darkness and cover Himself with light at the same time? What does the combination of these two metaphors teach us? The darkness is the protection He wraps around Himself so that we may be protected from what He is like. Out of the darkness comes light so that we may understand a little bit about our reality and some of His attributes. When He sends that light, we can see His glory (v.6). Even though we are still in sin, we can see some of His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John

October 17

Psalm 108 There were only 6 teams in the league. We played 10 games each season. We had a spring season and a fall season. In this soccer club, I was my son’s coach. That was kind of a laugh. At the beginning of the first game, I had never observed a soccer game in its entirety. The club had sent me to a coaching clinic to teach me how to coach youth soccer. It was a good clinic. It emphasized making soccer fun for the kids while teaching them the basic techniques for developing good soccer skills. There was a marked difference between what I was taught in the clinic and what I had experienced as youth baseball player. Yet there is still that competitive spirit in me that desires to win. While the years progressed, I progressed as a coach. I certainly wanted to make the experience fun for the kids and to help them increase their skills in soccer, but part of the game being fun is that you win on occasion. It’s no fun to be constantly beaten. In terms of win loss, the first season was a disaster. But I think we did win the recognition of the most improved team. As the years progressed, the core kids on the team progressed along as a team. The kids improved in their soccer skills, and we began to win a little more. Most of the teams remained intact as we aged. There was one coach whose team I never could beat. I remember after the 4th or 5th time that his team beat us, it had been a very close game, instead of what had been a rout the first time we played them. I went to him after the game to congratulate him on another victory. I could not resist saying, “One of these days we are going to win.” He just smiled and walked on. A good coach wants his players to develop to their fullest potentials, and he wants them to win. He rejoices when they are having fun and are victorious over their opponent. God rejoices in our victories. “I will rejoice (God speaking). . . over Philistia I will triumph. . . Through God (David speaking) we shall do valiantly.” When we are victorious, it is really His doing. Verse one says, “O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.” What is his glory? He would have no glory if the Lord had not worked through him. David is recognizing the source of his glory; it is the Lord. He trains us for life. He trains us for victory over sin. He trains us to triumph. If we respond to Him, He develops us to our fullest potential. He causes us to win for His glory, and He rejoices in it. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

October 16

Psalm 107 REDEEMED. Redeemed is word Christians throw around quite frequently, but how often do we stop to think of the import of the word? A few who read this have had the personal privilege of never having known the bondage of debt. Most who read this are from the middle class. Your debt has extended at least to the mortgage on your house. You know the tension of what might happen if you lost your job. Your house is just 6 months away from foreclosure. Perhaps a few of you know all too well the sinking feeling of having more debt than you could ever pay. Health problems combined with a low paying job and no insurance have financially sunk you. Even if you worked every day of your life and properly budgeted your money and lived to be 100, you would still never pay back what you owe. In the Psalmist’s day, most everyone reading this would understand the danger of such debt. In his day you would be sold as a slave in order to pay your debt. The United States no longer permits people to be bought and sold on the market as slaves; although, we still illegally have slaves through human trafficking. The closest thing that we have to a debtor’s prison are the laws we have for not paying child support. When I was involved in jail ministry in Brunswick County, about 1/3 of the people in jails on misdemeanors were there for not paying child support. For many of them, it was willful. For many it was a matter of economics. They did not make enough money to support themselves and the children they sired, who lived in a different household. What do you do when your debt owed is greater than your ability to pay? In the Psalmist’s day, someone who needed to be redeemed was someone who owed more than he had ability to pay. In such a case, first his lands would be sold off. If there were still money owed, that person’s family and even himself could be sold as a slave. But God had made a provision for such circumstance and instructed the nearest of kin to come in and buy back the person in debt. That act of buying back is redemption. The nearest of kin was a redeemer. The Psalmist calls the redeemed to declare the goodness of the Lord. Why? Because He has bought us back out of the slave market of sin and given us our life and land back. Many, either living in or having come through the degradation of living as a slave, focus upon the horror of slave life: —hunger—either physically, spiritually or emotionally, —darkness—physically, spiritually or emotionally, —bondage—to sin or in some cases physical jail, —death—separated from the life of God to know only the misery of this life. Jesus seeks to set us free from them. It is our privilege and duty to declare His goodness for setting us free from the slave market of sin. We can participate in His glory. What a joy to declare His goodness in doing so! I was hopelessly lost in the consequences of my sin, and He died in my place. He paid the price for my redemption. I love the words of the old song written by the blind composer Fanny Crosby:

1 Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed thro’ His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am. 2 Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus, No language my rapture can tell; I know that the light of His presence With me doth continually dwell. 3 I think of my blessed Redeemer, I think of Him all the day long: I sing, for I cannot be silent; His love is the theme of my song. Chorus Redeemed, redeemed, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! His child and forever I am

. When that song is on our lips, we are obedient to the command of this Psalm, and we have seen His glory! OH Lord, how great is Your goodness toward me for buying me back out of the slave market of sin! I was there of my own doing, yet You bought me back anyway! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

October 15

Psalm 106 God is full of lovingkindness and mercy, but He is also full of justice. It is His glory to reveal both. His lovingkindness and mercy postpones the day of judgment that we might have time to repent and receive a greater measure of mercy. The history of the nation of Israel, recited in this psalm, is an example of God’s mercy extended over centuries of waiting for the corporate repentance of the nation, but finally the day of judgment had to come. That day was foreshadowed in the wilderness:

They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.

I often marvel at how quickly they forgot His works. They were less than a week into the desert, after the miraculous Passover, when they forgot those works. They lusted exceedingly for water (Exodus 15:22-26), meat and bread (Exodus 16:1-16). Those are things that every one of us would call the basic necessities of life. Each of us would have lusted for the same. Rather than wait for His counsel, they murmured against Moses. Why would they not wait for His counsel? They forgot His glory. The focus on their desires instead of His glory spiraled into murmuring, testing God. When His glory appeared, it was not enough for them. He gave them the manna and quail. Greedily they gathered and ate the quail (Numbers 11:31-34). They received the meat they wanted, but their souls were dry. Hmmmm. . . God’s glory is constantly available for me to gaze at in His word. His Spirit is ever present to illuminate it. Are my requests of Him for the increase of His glory, or are they for the fulfilling of my desires? Maybe that is why my/our prayer life exhibits a leanness of soul. O sure, He does grant requests in prayer. They are indeed ‘blessings,’ but do they bring a fatness or leanness of soul? Do the requests of my/our prayer life bring an increase to His glory or my/our desires? O Lord, let my gaze and desire be upon You and Your glory! Satisfy me only with Your glory and not my desires! “Save us, O LORD our God, . . . To give thanks to Your holy name, To triumph in Your praise.” Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

October 13

Psalm 104 Light, what is it? The website Oracle Think Quest Education Foundation defines light as “simply a name for a range of electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye.” But what is electromagnetic radiation? At this point I begin to have difficulty grasping all of the concepts involved. But this I understand, God created the human eye and light. Both were created so that His creation might be able to know and understand the reality around them and to interact with it. While light has many more functions than revealing reality, in relation to the eye, light helps the brain of an organism understand reality. But light has more functions than that. The light from the sun brings life. Without sunlight we would die. It provides heat for our planet. It provides energy so that plants can do photosynthesis to convert light into food. The Psalmist says, “You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.” Now on the one hand, God’s word is always scientifically accurate, but on the other hand, the main emphasis of a passage is not always the scientific import that the words project but the effect of the image that the words project. What does the image, “You cover Yourself with light as with a garment,” project in your spirit? Well, the first image that I get is brilliant terror. Then the science behind the word sends my mind reeling in several directions. The first is that in His presence, His light, reality is truly found. I live in the darkness of world that shade reality. What I often think is a true description of my world, I often later find to be skewed by my nature, my worldview and my enemy. All of these are contrary to His marvelous light. The second is that in His presence, His light, energy is created in my exhausted life. His light comes under my wings lifting me up to soar as the eagle. A third is that His light brings me emotional warmth. There is nothing better than basking in the sunlight on a cool day. So too, there is nothing better than basking in the light of His presence in the dinginess of this sinful world. The Psalmist uses many other images as well, such as clouds and wind. As I write, there is a thunderstorm going on outside. Nothing provokes the image of raw power in me as does an electrical storm. A moment ago a sudden surge of wind swept through the window next to me. An electrical bolt accompanied by a shock of thunder boomed through the neighborhood. Was He riding by on His chariot? Was He walking on the wind? He is certainly an awesome God of power! His angels are ministers of fire. He created the foundations of the Earth! He sets the boundaries of the oceans! He keeps the water cycle, cycling! He keeps the food cycle going! In short He holds life together. Without Him, there is no life! This is His glory! The light of His glory lights up my life. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

October 12

Psalm 103 Regularly we must remind ourselves of the benefits of following the Lord. Otherwise, we get wrapped up in our challenges and forget to bless Him. If we took the time to find an example of each of the things David mentions, the result would be a lengthy book. But we should do a few anyway, in so doing we see His glory and bless His holy name. He forgives all my iniquities. Dare I air my dirty laundry? Before Him I have confessed them. If I commit public sins, I will confess them as sin publicly. If I commit private sins, I will confess them privately to God. If there is a sin that seems to have a bind on me, I will find a partner to whom I can confess and who will help me in the struggle of overcoming. (Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much James 5:16.) Suffice it to say that, according to God’s standard, I have broken every one of the Ten Commandments multiple times. Apart from His forgiveness, I stand condemned before a holy God. Yet, He has forgiven me because He died and rose again on my behalf. I could stop the list right here and that would be enough to bless Him for eternity. He heals all my diseases. In the past He has healed me of Pneumonia, flus, colds, back injuries, ankle injuries, shoulder injuries, knee injuries, mononucleosis, ear infections, but on this earth He will not heal me of all diseases. I will still age; I will still die. That is one thing that I have in common with all who can read or will read this book. We will age and die, but as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the right to come before His throne and ask if He might heal us now. He might say, “Yes.” He might say, “No,” or “Not now.” But as a believer in the Lord Jesus, He will one day grace me with a new body that will never see disease. He redeems my life from destruction as described in the last sentence, but He also has redeemed me on other occasions that are now past. Laura and I were driving on I-70 in the middle of the night. We hit black ice. There was a semi in front of us and behind us. The car began to spin out of control at 65 mph. Somehow we ended up in a snow bank with absolutely no injuries. Snow was packed up around the engine under the hood. A Highway patrolman appeared almost immediately, helped dig us out and sent us on our way with this instruction, “The highway is covered with black ice between here and the state border. Take the next exit and find a motel.” I don’t think our missing the semis or his appearance were accidents, rather they were His hand of redemption from destruction. He crowns me with lovingkindness and tender mercies. On a few occasions in my life, I can recall where His Spirit has whispered to my spirit, “I love You.” They were those experiences where words cannot express the bliss of the experience. I would walk through hell to experience it again. He satisfies my mouth with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s. You know, sometimes I get really weary. I just want to lay down and quit. But He won’t let me. In the nick of time, He always provides what I need. It might be a vacation; it might be a retreat; it might be a prayer summit; it might be an encouraging friend; it might be just His refreshing presence. I am 57 years old. My life has been brief and will soon be over. Fifty-seven years from now, my grandchildren might think of me on occasion, but they will probably be the only ones. One hundred years from now, no one on earth (if it is still here) will think of me or remember me, or care, but the Lord will. As the flowers which I buy for my wife today will be gone tomorrow, so I will soon be gone. But He will call me to His eternal home, and there I will literally dwell with Him forever. Bless the LORD, O my soul! LORD, You are glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john

September 24

Psalm 85 Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed (10). What happens when mercy and truth do not meet? Or, what happens when righteousness and peace do not kiss. Yesterday I read an editorial in the News Press by a national columnist. It addressed how Obama was losing in the swing vote states because of his radical pro-abortion stand. It seems that the word is finally leaking out that three times as an Illinois senator, he voted against a law which would grant full constitutional rights to a baby who survived an abortion attempt. He has publically stated that he will not back down on his stand for abortion rights. I hope you understand what that means in terms of righteousness. There are few people with more potential and less vulnerability than a new born baby. To refuse rights to a new born infant has to be one of the most visible transgressions of righteousness that exists! Who among us would walk away from a newborn leaving him or her to die unattended? Or actually kill the child? That kind of behavior should make us angry and wrathful against the behavior! But when righteousness does not step up to the plate when unrighteousness rears its ugly head, that kind of behavior is what results. What was it that pulled the trigger when God declared that Judah must be kicked out of the land? It was unrighteousness manifested in child sacrifice. Listen to this passage in 2 Kings 21:14–16:

14 So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, 15 because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’ ” 16 Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

Or listen to this passage 2 Kings 24:2–4:

And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.

It was the shedding of innocent blood that pulled the trigger of God’s righteousness when He drew the line and said, “No more!” Sure, that was not the only issue. There was a multitude of other issues, but that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. What was the shedding of “innocent blood?” Listen to what 2 Chronicles 33:1–6 has to say:

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

Unrighteousness had reached its fullness in Judah under Manasseh’s reign. It was just a matter of time before the hammer fell. The Lord’s anger had been torched. He was aflame with wrath, and it was a righteous wrath. There comes a point when if righteousness does not step up to the plate, then all righteousness becomes a mockery, and one wonders if it even exists. Wrath expressed by God against unrighteousness is a good thing. It must necessarily exist for goodness to exist. If it did not exist, then moral good would be meaningless. Righteous anger must be expressed. Judah felt it. That is what this Psalm is all about. But, the Lord’s anger is not like mine or other humans. His anger is just, and He forgives. When we repent, He relents in His anger. His mercy is extended! A peace treaty is signed. He turns his wrath away. He restores us. How can mercy and peace come forward without violating His righteousness? That is what His glory is all about! Consider Ephesians 2:14–18:

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

He is our peace. He fulfills for us the righteous demands of God’s holiness. Can it get any better than that? The truth of the standard of His righteousness is fulfilled, and His mercy and peace are extended toward us! Righteousness and peace have kissed! He will revive us again! When righteousness and peace do not kiss, one of two extremes happens. Libertarianism or license overtakes the moral climate. Ungodliness rules the day. Pleasure masquerades as a “right.” Babies are murdered in the name of a right to privacy. Or, mercy is forgotten. Peace is lost and chaotic justice rules the day. Justice masquerades as a vigilante. Abortion clinics are bombed. But our gracious King has intervened. By the power of His cross and resurrection, He rules the day! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John

October 10

Psalm 101 David declares that he will sing of the mercy and justice of the Lord, and then he says nothing directly about them. The rest of the Psalm talks about what he will do to ensure that justice rules in his life and in his land. He addresses some pretty basic levels of justice in this Psalm. First, in his own home he commits to walking with a perfect or blameless heart. What does it mean to walk blameless in my own home and what does that have to do with justice and mercy? If mercy and justice are realities anywhere in my life, it has to begin in my own home. It seems to me that David was a real loser here, more than eight wives, committed adultery which led to murder, failed to discipline his children (Amnon, Tamar and Absalom etc.). Wow, how could a man, who has committed to walking blameless in his house, setting no wicked thing before his eyes, and putting away a perverse heart, blow it so badly? Second he commits to justice and blamelessness in his neighborhood. He vows to not put up with those who slander his neighbor, or who looks on a neighbor with a proud heart. Is that what he was doing when he took his neighbor’s wife? Finally, he commits to executing justice in the land. He wants to destroy the wicked out of the land. What does any of this have to do with singing of the mercy and justice of the Lord? When did David write all of this anyway? Was it before his fall with Bathsheba? If so, then boy, did he blow it! Was it after his fall with Bathsheba? If so, then wow, what a recommitment and repeated failure. If man whom God calls, “A man after my own heart,” blows it so badly, is there any hope for me? Maybe by singing this, he is a living example of God’s mercy. Yes God’s mercy and justice should motivate us to walk with a blameless or perfect heart, but we are going to blow it. When we do, we need to repent turning to Him to receive His forgiveness. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, the Nazarene, And wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean! Oh, how marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be, How marvelous, how wonderful, is my Savior’s love for me. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John

October 5

Psalm 78 A trite but true saying applies to this Psalm, “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history,” (attributed to Friedrich Hegel.) Asaph says that he will open his mouth in a parable and utter a dark saying of old, and then he seems to recount the history of Israel. So what is the parable? For decades now the Biblical literacy of our young people entering Bible colleges has been dropping. Many of them are ignorant of most of the Bible Stories and can hardly trace the history of the nation of Israel. Why is that? Certainly we can place some of the blame at the feet of the organized church, and certainly we can place some of the blame at the feet of fathers who fail to do even simple things such as read the Scripture to their children. There is a necessity of one generation proclaiming the deeds of God’s glory to another generation. How can that be done aside from consistently reading and praying God’s Word with our children in a family situation. In some sense the church has failed. Perhaps we have failed because we usurped the parental responsibility by assigning the task to be performed solely by ministries of individuals in the church, rather than coming alongside parents in challenging and equipping them to proclaim God’s glory to their children, we have farmed it out to the ‘gifted’ people. It begins with reading Scripture with our children, then praying back opportunity for the child to see that Scriptural principle happen in our lives, then as that prayer is answered we point out the answer to our children and grandchildren. God’s glory is then revealed in our lives. It becomes caught more than taught. Whe would we want to do this? So that: They may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God. In so doing we can break the cycle and actually learn from history. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john