Psalm 116 - Faithful Departed

Psalm 116:1-16 NIV

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 

Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me;

 I was overcome by distress and sorrow. 

Then I called on the name of the Lord: “ Lord, save me!”

The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 

The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.

Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. 

For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,

 my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 

I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;

 in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”

What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? 

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 

I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants. 

Truly I am your servant, Lord;

 I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.

Psalm 116 is a psalm that pilgrims sing on the way to festival in Jerusalem. The phrase, "Lord, save us!" in the original language is "Hosanna!" When Jesus rode into Jerusalem at Passover the crowds shouted "Hosanna! Lord, save us!" It was a cry of confidence in Jesus as the Anointed One sent to deliver Israel from her oppression.

In its original use the psalm is meant to encourage those who march towards the temple. They prepare by singing psalms of praise to the Lord. This psalm celebrates the Lord's deliverance from distress. It seems the psalmist's life was threatened. The threat may have been illness. The threat may have been enemies who pursue his downfall. The threat could be in his own mind. Look at the state of his mind.

Psalm 116:11 NIV

in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”

Sounds paranoid to me. Sounds like a dismal look upon one's fellow humans.

Whatever his situation, he felt threatened, cried out for help to the Lord and was delivered from his distress. His soul returns to rest. His confidence in the Lord is solidified. He makes promises to always call upon Yahweh. He will fulfill his vows to God. He will make offerings and sacrifices at the temple before God and his people.

One odd phrase needs mention.

Psalm 116:15 NIV

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.

It almost sounds like God is pleased when His people die. Is this biblical proof that God needs a person in heaven more than He needs them on earth? I often hear us console one another with this thought when a loved one dies. I don't think that is what this verse means.

Think about how you feel when you stand at the casket of a dearly loved person in your life. You are deeply saddened to lose them, but grateful to have known them. Our grief is replaced with gratitude over time. I think God is pleased with a life lived well in His service. When a person has fought the good fight and has ran the race well, God praises them and welcomes them. "Well done, good and faithful servant", the Master will say.

The death of a faithful servant of God is precious because of their faithful life. Through their faithfulness to God they were blessed to be a blessing to others. Their lives made the world richer and better.

May all those who cry out to the Lord know that the Lord is faithful and may His faithfulness keep us faithful to Him that we might be a blessing to His name and a light to the world.

Psalm 115 - Idols

Psalms 115:1-18 NIV

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. 

But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. 

They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 

They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. 

They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk,

 nor can they utter a sound with their throats. 

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

All you Israelites, trust in the Lord
— he is their help and shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord
— he is their help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord
— he is their help and shield.

The Lord remembers us and will bless us:

 He will bless his people Israel,

 he will bless the house of Aaron,

 he will bless those who fear the Lord — small and great alike. 

May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. 

May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. 

It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence;

 it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. 

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 115 challenges the idolatry of the nations that surround Israel. The opening liturgy begins with a humble call to God from the gathered worshipers. The glory goes to God, not to His servants. That phrase inspired Chris Tomlin to write Not To Us. Follow the link to hear a live version.

https://youtu.be/0g2kTE86G_g

The psalm continues by criticizing the idol worshipers and their false gods. While the idol worshipers tease Israel for having no image of their God, it is the idolaters who are the fools. Their gods might be seen in their man made statues and mosaics, but these images can do nothing. They neither speak nor do they move to act upon their intercessions and requests. The warning is to know that you become what you worship.

What is your highest high? Above all things what would you give your life to keep? Most of us would answer with family as our choice. Mark Twain is quoted to have said something like, "If they don't allow cigars in heaven, I shall not go."

I'm currently geeking out over the coming star wars film. But would I give my life to see it? Would I surrender my family? No! Still if I spend so much heart time on this film, to the neglect of my daily worship of God, what am I really worshiping? Of late I have begin to ask myself if my work has become an object of worship. I spend so much heart time on work I am often not present to others, including family. Be careful what you give your heart to.

Psalm 115 continues with a threefold call to trust in the Lord for He is their help and shield. The call is to Israel, the priesthood, and any gentiles who choose to worship the God of Israel. There is blessing for great and small alike who call upon the Lord.

The psalm ends with a worldview and a vocation to worship. God, Maker of heaven and earth, gave the earth to mankind. It is the duty of earthlings who still breathe to worship the Maker. We were made for this, to give God the glory.

So let us choose the living God, and not our American idols in the sports arena, the fashion runways, the concert hall, the movie theater, or on the cover of Forbes. Don't even let your family become an idol to you. You become what you worship. Choose our eternal loving God and become love forever.

Psalm 114 - Mysterium Tremendum

Psalm 114:1-8 NIV

When Israel came out of Egypt, Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, 

Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 

The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;

 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like lambs. 

Why was it, sea, that you fled? 

Why, Jordan, did you turn back? 

Why, mountains, did you leap like rams, you hills, like lambs? 

Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,

 at the presence of the God of Jacob,

 who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.

There's a Latin phrase tossed around in theology schools: mysterium tremendum. It's what we feel when we experience God. Psalm 114 attempts to describe the presence of God through references to what the Hebrews experienced during the Exodus from Egypt. The psalm is written at the time when the monarchy of the sons of David was well established in Jerusalem, thus the notation that Judah had become the Lord's sanctuary.

Both the crossing of the Red Sea and the River Jordan are noted. Then there's a reference to mountains and hills moving in response to the approach of the creator. I know of no specific narrative about mountains or hills moving in the Exodus story. However there is a story of the earth opening up and swallowing up opponents to God. The point is that the earth moved in retreat at the presence of God, or was it in praise? The image of leaping rams makes me think of of a herd of caribou running from helicopters in the Alaskan tundra. The mountains and hills are stepping out of the way like we might move aside to make way for the president of the nation to pass by.

All this imagery is trying to express the majesty and immensity, the power and authority of God. The Hebrews witnessed amazing wonders during the Exodus. When they were thirsty God caused water to flow from a rock like a fresh water spring flowing down a mountainside. The grateful people of God celebrate his providing. They celebrate being His chosen.

Rudolf Otto is known for his description of the basic religious experience of God. Forgive me if this seems too much like a dictionary article, but I think it's worth republishing here the Merriam Webster definition of mysterium tremendum.

---------------------------------------------

Otto was one of the most influential thinkers about religion in the first half of the twentieth century. He is best known for his analysis of the experience that, in his view, underlies all religion. He calls this experience "numinous," and says it has three components. These are often designated with a Latin phrase: mysterium tremendum et fascinans.

As mysterium, the numinous is "wholly other"-- entirely different from anything we experience in ordinary life. It evokes a reaction of silence. But the numinous is also a mysterium tremendum. It provokes terror because it presents itself as overwhelming power. Finally, the numinous presents itself as fascinans, as merciful and gracious.

Outline of Otto's concept of the numinous (based on The Idea of the Holy. Trans. John W. Harvey. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1923; 2nd ed., 1950 [Das Heilige, 1917]):

"Mysterium tremendum et fascinans" (fearful and fascinating mystery):

"Mysterium": Wholly Other, experienced with blank wonder, stupor

"tremendum": awefulness, terror, demonic dread, awe, absolute unapproachability, "wrath" of God, overpoweringness, majesty, might, sense of one's own nothingness in contrast to its power, creature-feeling, sense of objective presence, dependence, energy, urgency, will, vitality

"fascinans": potent charm, attractiveness in spite of fear, terror, etc.

-------------------------------------------------

Which way helps you to get a sense of the holy presence of the creator of the universe? Does Webster make it clear with Rudolf Otto's theology? Or does the worship liturgy of ancient Israel celebrating the wonders of their God bring you understanding? More importantly does any of this description ring true to your experience?

I've never seen the ocean split or a river hold its current so I could cross on dry land. But I have seen God move powerfully and decisively to my prayers. He cleared a path for me more than once in times of great need and confusion. I've never seen the mountains tremble at the presence of Almighty God like the Hebrews did at Mount Sinai. But I have trembled in my own soul when God came near to me. It felt like a waterfall holding me down. My body was filled with electricity and I shook all over. I could barely speak. Incredible peace and blessing filled me at His passing. These experiences are few and far between, but never forgotten.

How do you describe your experience of God? How do you tell others of the mysterious tremendum?

Psalm 113 - Worship Lifestyle

Psalm 113:1-9 NIV

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord. 

Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. 

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. 

Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,

 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

 he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. 

He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 113 is the third psalm in a row in Book V of the Book of Psalms to begin with "Hallelujah", or the translation, "Praise the Lord". This psalm calls for the praising of the Lord's name, Yahweh, continually, all the day long. Praise forevermore the name of God our Savior.

Worship is more than a one hour experience on a Sunday morning. It's a lifestyle. We are made to praise our creator all day and all night. Even as we sleep may our hearts rejoice in the goodness and majesty of God.

People of faith love God above the love of country. No allegiance is more important. We acknowledge God as God, King of the Universe, King of all kings, Lord of lords, Great God above all gods. No other person, place or thing, no entity nor intuition can compare to the greatness of our creator.

God is high above us all reigning from heaven. And yet God is near the poor and needy. God attends to the cries of the childless mother. His compassion is as great as His glory. God restores those who trust in Him through times of trial and suffering. Those who learn the discipline of perpetual praise will find the glory of God and the power of His name close at hand.

May we all learn to praise the Lord with every breath. Let worship today lead to worship throughout all your days.

Psalm 112 - Spiritual Security

Psalm 112:1-10 NIV

Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord,

 who find great delight in his commands. 

Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 

Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. 

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

 for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. 

Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,

 who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. 

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 

Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;

 in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 

They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever;

 their horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away;

 the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Psalm 112 is a celebration of the blessed life lived in covenant with the living God. Israel was chosen to be God's holy people, a sign to the rest of the world that obedience to God and keeping His right ways leads to blessings of abundance, health, security and happiness.

The psalmist lists the many blessings the obedient enjoy. They are: many strong children who are a source of pride, wealth, enduring character, and a source of light not dependent upon the weather (no seasonal mood disorders here). The covenant keeping people of God are just, righteous, generous and gracious, showing compassion for the poor. They use their blessings to lift those in need. They are excellent stewards of what God has given to them. They are blessed to be a blessing.

What speaks to me most is the spiritual security reflected here.

Psalm 112:7-8 NIV

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

Just as light shines on God's obedient children even in darkness, the presence of the Almighty brings a bedrock security to the soul. People of faith cannot be shaken completely off their moorings. Like the writer of Hebrews wrote,

Hebrews 6:19a NIV

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

The psalms are filled with the people of God who are sad, sick, terrified, and frustrated. It's not that people of faith are never distressed. It's that they trust ultimately in God's promises. Eventually our human emotions of fear, anger and sadness give way to faith that all shall be well. The longer one lives in faith, the quicker their bodies respond to trust in the Lord and the sooner their unpleasant feelings melt away in the light of God.

I'm not there yet, but I know the Lord is in the transformation business and I am happy to place my life in His hands.

Thou art the potter; I am the clay.

Psalm 111 - Extol His Name

Psalm 111:1-10 NIV

Praise the Lord. 

I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. 

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. 

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. 

He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 

He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. 

They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness. 

He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—

 holy and awesome is his name. 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

 all who follow his precepts have good understanding. 

To him belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 111 is a psalm of praise to The Lord. The psalmist first announces that he will lift up the name of God in great honor for all His works. In worship with his fellow Hebrews he will speak of God's faithfulness to His covenanted people. He encourages remembering and delighting in the stories of God's redeeming works.

While the exodus is not mentioned directly, the deliverance from slavery in Egypt and the giving of the law at Sinai are monumental and foundational stories for Israel's national identity. These moments in the history of Israel are present always in the national consciousness. The law is celebrated. God's righteousness is revealed in the law and in His mighty works to bring the Hebrews to the promised land.

God's compassion in the desert is celebrated for the Lord provided bread from heaven and quail from the sky to feed them when the people cried out. His battles against the occupants of Canaan is remembered for now the nation rests in peace and security in the land promised to their forefathers.

This psalm is a celebration of the blessed life lived in obedience to God. As the people keep God's commands and follow faithfully His prescriptions they know the blessings of the gracious and compassionate One. They live in the delight of their holy and awesome God. All who fear the Lord begin a journey of growing in godly wisdom. As they follow God's commands they show that they understand that obedience to God is the path to the blessed life.

The old hymn says, "Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus." Christians belong to a new covenant in the blood of Jesus. The covenant under Moses has fulfilled it's purpose. We understand sin as sin, for the law has made us aware. But in Christ we have received a liberating power that is great than sin. It's called grace. Grace is God's love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, a gift we gain through faith. This grace and love transforms us from the inside out, so that we fulfill all the righteousness of the Lord. Grace makes us more and more like Jesus, the Perfect One.

Our exodus was at Calvary. Our law is love. Our freedom is the empty tomb on Easter. Our promised land is heaven where God and His people will dwell together forever in blissed union.

So remember who you are in Christ. Celebrate God's wonderful works for you. And as the psalm says extol His name.

To him belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 110 - King of the Jews

Psalm 110:1-7 (NIV)

The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
Your troops will be willing on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning’s womb.
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook along the way,
and so he will lift his head high.

Psalm 110 is a psalm written to encourage the king of the Jews. The son of David who sits on the throne in Jerusalem is the benefactor of a covenant God made with David. David pleased God. The scripture says he was a man after God's own heart. When David decided to build God a temple for His name, The Lord established an everlasting covenant with David and his sons. There would always be a son of David to shepherd Israel.

The church has read Jesus Christ, the son of David, the Messiah in these verses. Jesus, Himself, quotes psalm 110 in a conversation with teachers of the law who questioned Him.

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:41-46 NIV)

Tradition says that David wrote this psalm. Jesus in Matthew's gospel supports this tradition. If David wrote the psalm, then who is David's lord or master? Is it not God? Yet God is speaking to David's lord and, in His authority, establishing the dominion of David's lord. Jesus reasons that God must be talking about someone other than a son of David, for what son is ever greater than his father? A father is not likely to call his own son "lord".

More recent scholarship thinks of this psalm as a product of the royal court in the established monarchy that descended from David. In such a case the courtier is writing about God speaking to the king, a son of David. The courtier would certainly refer to the king as Lord and God as Lord. But if this is the original use of Psalm 110, a royal psalm meant to encourage the king, we must acknowledge that the early church read the psalm in an entirely new way.

Christian interpretation of the Old Testament is what we have now in the New Testament. After Jesus happened everything changed. With their eyes opened to a new revelation, something God had kept secret until the proper time, they began to read the scriptures through a new lens. This lens began to show the early church how the life, death and resurrection of Jesus was foretold in the Old Testament books.

I believe the Holy Spirit within Christians is teaching us, helping us interpret. Of course then we have a problem of subjective experience becoming authoritative. If the Spirit teaches me one interpretation, but a different and opposing interpretation to another, how can both be right? That is why interpretation is best done in community. Then the community seeks the truth together and comes to one mind.

Back to the original idea of the psalm, an oracle to encourage and glorify the king of the Jews. The psalm first shows that God promises to establish the rule of his anointed one on the throne. He will defeat his enemies. He will bring troops who suddenly appear when needed. Like morning dew they will cover the ground. They will bring the victory with the Lord leading.

Then the psalm takes a different turn. It speaks of the king as a priest. This isn't unheard of. Melchizedek was the king of Salem when the Jebusites held the city that would later be called Jerusalem. He appears in Genesis to bless the patriarch Abraham after his victory against raiding kings from the north. Melchizedek was both king and high priest. (Gen 14:18)

God is establishing the king of the Jews as high priest in this psalm. That is out of the ordinary because only a son of Aaron could be high priest. This psalm is either an attempt to overthrown the covenant with Aaron and give total political and religious rule to the office of the king, or something else is happening. One thought is that this psalm is a hold over from the Jebusites. Israel defeated them and took the city. Perhaps they utilized, for their own purposes, some of the liturgy left behind by the previous occupants.

Whatever the case, the church again picked up on this reference to Melchizedek as a messianic prophecy. The book of Hebrews explains how Jesus is high priest for the church, just like King Melchizedek.

No matter how we interpret Psalm 110, the psalm is not meant for us, except as a means to glory in the king of the Jews, God's anointed. As Christians we acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the messiah, the anointed one of God, established as king of the Jews and king of all kings.

One last thought: the last verse speaks of the king pursuing his enemies and drinking from a brook. One interpretation is that this is intended to show the king's resolve. He will not stop until the battle is won. Think of Jesus, our king, in the battle against evil. Whatever evil you are fighting, your Lord is beside you fighting with you and He will not stop until the victory is yours.

Blessed be the king!

Psalm 109 - Destructive Anger

Psalm 109:1-9, 16-18, 21-22, 26-28, 30-31 NIV

My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent,

 for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me;

 they have spoken against me with lying tongues. 

With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. 

In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. 

They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.

Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 

When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. 

May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. 

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.

For he never thought of doing a kindness,

 but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. 

He loved to pronounce a curse—

 may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing—

 may it be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment;

 it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.

But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake;

 out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. 

For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. 

Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love. 

Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it. 

While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame,

 but may your servant rejoice.

With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;

 in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him. 

For he stands at the right hand of the needy,

 to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Wow! Psalm 109 is for someone who's really angry at his or her accuser. Like many psalms of lament the language does not seem like something a Christian would pray. Christ told His disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Psalm 109 is an example of praying against an enemy.

Of the 31 verses of Psalm 109, 17 verses are against the accuser in this person's life. I've only copied a portion, but here's a link to the entire psalm.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/…

In the first five verses we find out that someone is speaking against the psalmist. She feels wrongly accused. People are lying about her. She feels betrayed for these are her friends who attack her.

She prays against her accusers. She asks God to appoint an evil person as their advocate so that they might be misled into disgrace. She wants her lying friend to die. That's pretty angry. Not only does she desire an early grave for them, she prays a curse on their family. She prays the orphaned children are left as beggars and homeless, with no one to show them kindness. She prays that all her accusers descendants die too, so that no one will remember her enemy. Even his name will be blotted out of existence.

She describes how her accuser is a man of cursing. He wears cursing like a garment. His curse words seep into his bones. That is an eye opener! A mouth that spews profanity is a heart filled with doom. The hostility and cursing becomes a sad condition of the soul. Beware of becoming a man of cussing. The curse falls back on you.

The psalmist intercedes for herself seeking help from God. She thinks of herself as poor and needy. Yet this psalm is attributed to King David who was anything but poor. Perhaps this is a poverty of the soul, a heart in great need. The psalmist wants vindication along with her prayers for retribution. She wants God to clear her name so that everyone knows the truth.

She looks forward to her vindication so that she can praise the Lord for His deliverance. She trusts God as the One who stands close to those in need like herself. God is at the right hand of the poor who cry out to Him. To be at the right hand is to be in a favored position. A trusted counselor is at the right hand of the king. Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father. But here in Psalm 109 it is God who is at the right hand of the needy.

To whom do you turn immediately in times of need? When your heart is wounded, who is the first person you speak to?

Even though Psalm 109 is filled with curses against one's accusers, there is a grace in knowing that the person who prays bears their hearts to God. There is no hiding anger, no matter how visceral. It's a good thing to bring our hostility and pain to God, and leave it with Him, trusting God to work justice. Then we are freed to let go of our indignation and enabled to love.

May the Lord deliver us from our enemies and from our destructive anger. May we quickly turn the other cheek as we turn the the One at our right hand.

Psalm 108 - Only With God

Psalm 108:1-13 NIV

My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. 

Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;

 I will sing of you among the peoples. 

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

 your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. 

Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

God has spoken from his sanctuary:

 “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth. 

Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter. 

Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal;

 over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 

Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? 

Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. 

With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 108 is interesting. It starts as a psalm of praise given from a personal perspective, but with a heart of intercession for the nation of Israel. I like to think that this is a prayer for a king or a military commander. I can see a general of the army praying this prayer.

Of course the psalm speaks specifically from a Hebrew perspective. After praising the God of Israel for His great love and faithfulness, after committing to sing for the Lord in worship, the psalm turns suddenly to a cry for help.

Psalm 108:6 NIV

Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

Then God is quoted as a way of reminding God of His divine proclamations. God is reminded that He said all the land promised to Abraham would be the inheritance of his descendants. The regions of Canaan are named: Shechem, Sukkoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah, Moab, Edom and Philistia. Yet Israel does not have total possession of the promised land. Even in the days of Joshua they never fully drove out the occupying nations from their inheritance.

This prayer comes at a time when Israel's armies are failing in battle. The commander feels that God has rejected Israel for He no longer goes out with their armies into battle. Without God their efforts are useless. And so the general entreats the Lord to return to them, to give them aid in their battle against the enemy.

How many times have you felt God has rejected you, that He is no longer with you in your plans? In ministry I sometimes feel that God is not blessing something we are trying to accomplish. It's so important to remember that apart from Christ we can do nothing of any divine and lasting value. How often have I charged off doing what I think is best, but truly have not searched my heart for God's will? Gut instinct is not necessarily divine guidance.

Psalm 108 reminds me to seek out and adequately discern God's will. I must also repent of doing that which would separate me from God. Unconfessed sins build barriers to hearing God. An unrepentant heart is a fortress wall protecting a rebellious king inside. When we behave like we are king of our own lives, we are not open to God's leading. When we are gods unto ourselves we won't be relying on the true God. Our will shall be in conflict with His will.

But when we understand that only with God can we be successful at His mission in the world and His purpose for our lives, then we will seek the Lord with all our heart and find Him.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things needed will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

Psalm 107 - Give Thanks

Psalm 107:1-2, 4, 6-10, 13-17, 19-21, 23-26, 28-29, 31, 33-36, 40-41, 43 NIV

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 

He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 

He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. 

They saw the works of the Lord , his wonderful deeds in the deep. 

For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. 

They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;

 in their peril their courage melted away. 

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,

 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 

He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;

 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 

He who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. 

But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. 

Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

Psalm 107 is the first psalm in Book V, the last section in the Book of Psalms. It is a call to give thanks and praise to God for His enduring love. The psalm begins with a phrase that is repeated elsewhere in several places in the Bible.

Psalm 107:1 NIV

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

You'll find that phrase in psalm 136, 118, 1st Chronicles 16:34, and a few variations in other passages.

The word translated as love can also be read as steadfast love or covenant faithfulness. God is bound to Israel through His covenant promises. God remains faithful to His promises and to His mission to bless the world with the knowledge of God through Israel and God's Christ.

Psalm 107 gives several examples of how God showed steadfast love. There's a poetic symmetry to each stanza or part. Here's the form.

• Some... gives description of trouble
• Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
• Gives examples of how God rescued those who cried out to Him.
• Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
• Gives reasons for thanksgiving.

There are four types of distress covered in Psalm 107 and a fifth pointing to the exile and the reversal of fortunes. There are those thirsty and hungry wandering in the desert. There are prisoners languishing in darkness and chains. There are rebellious fools suffering the consequences of their actions. There are sailors in peril at sea. God rescues them all when they cry out.

The exile in Babylon took nobles out of Palestine, leaving only the poor and needy behind. While the nobles served as slaves to their Babylonians captors, the faithful poor in Judea began to flourish. They suffered for a while when the infrastructure of Israel collapsed, but God provided.

And so the psalm invites thanks and praise for God's steadfast love.

Psalm 107:43 NIV

Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

Remember that God delivers those who cry out to Him in their trouble. Remember to give Him thanks. Be wise and do not rebel against God's will and what He has shown as the path to life. Follow His right ways and be faithful to Him just as He remains faithful to you. Learn the lesson placed before you in the witness of scripture. God is good and His love endures forever. So give thanks.

Psalm 106 - National Confession

Psalm 106:1-8, 13-14, 16, 19-20, 24-25, 28, 32-33, 35-37, 40-41, 44-48 NIV

Praise the Lord. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise? 

Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.

Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people,

 come to my aid when you save them,

 that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,

 that I may share in the joy of your nation

 and join your inheritance in giving praise.

We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;

 we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles;

 they did not remember your many kindnesses,

 and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. 

Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known. 

But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.

In the desert they gave in to their craving;

 in the wilderness they put God to the test. 

In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord . 

At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. 

They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass. 

Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. 

They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord. 

They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor

 and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

 By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord,

 and trouble came to Moses because of them;

 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,

 and rash words came from Moses’ lips.

They mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. 

They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. 

They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods.

Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance. 

He gave them into the hands of the nations, and their foes ruled over them. 

Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;

 for their sake he remembered his covenant

 and out of his great love he relented. 

He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy.

Save us, Lord our God, and gather us from the nations,

 that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. 

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 

Let all the people say, “Amen!” 

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 106 is a prayer of confession. It's a national prayer of confession. The psalm functions as a history lesson recounting the sins of God's people during the exodus and leading to the exile.

Here is a link to the full text of Psalm 106.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/…

By remembering the sins of the past by their ancestors a light is shined upon their own failings. The psalmist acknowledges that his contemporaries living in exile have sinned against God too. The psalmist does not mention any of their own specific sins. He uses the sins of the freed slaves during the time of Moses as a way of pointing to their own.

Have you considered the communal nature of sin? We all have sin working within us. All fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) Sinfulness is something all humans at all places and in every generation hold in common.

That's why reading the Bible is so illuminating. It shines a light on the human condition. I've led bible studies and more than once heard someone comment that humans haven't changed much since biblical times. We're still struggling with the same weaknesses. We see ourselves in the sins of Israel. Israel's story helps us to understand our own.

What moves me about this psalm, as a sinner in need of salvation, is the continual contrasting of Israel's sinful failings and God's faithfulness. The people forget God's miracles in Egypt at the Red Sea and cry out in fear and mistrust as Pharaoh and his chariots bear down on them. But God splits the sea and rescued them.

They grumble in the desert craving meat. God feeds them quail but not without culling the populace a bit of the rabble. A plague takes many lives. Moses intercedes and the plague stops.

I could go on restating what the psalm says, but let's just focus on the point of the psalm. We all are in need of rescue from exile. Just as Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise, our sins estrange us from God. Separation from God is separation from life. Life is diminished in our exile from the Lifegiver.

And though we fail to be holy as God is holy, God continues to be faithful to us. Yes, we bear the consequences of our sin, but these invite us to repent and seek the Lord for salvation. God is always ready to hear our heartfelt confession and restore us to a right standing with Him. His mercy is immeasurable. His grace is amazing and abundant.

As the sins of the past shine a light on your own, be encouraged to repent. Confess your sins and seek redemption. The Lord is good. His love endures forever. He will show you mercy and lead you to places of refreshment.