In my pilgrimage through this Christian life, I have attended a number of denominational churches, some of which adherer to the practice of a head covering of the ladies heads.
The passage referred to by my brethren friends is found in 1 Corinthians 11:13-15.
Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. – 1Co 11:13-15 ESV
Many times I discussed this topic with a good friend who believed it’s modern application, and though I never fully understood both sides of the argument, I did seek to come to a settled conscience.
Of course, their were distractions, such as the couple who strictly followed this practice, but when out of the church meeting, it was obvious who was the head! Or when a fellow believer could not worship since I was not leading my wife into submission by forcing her to wear a covering.
But as I said, these were distractions, and not a basis upon which to understand the text. Eventually we moved from the town we were in, settled in Texas, and the issue faded away since we no longer attended this type of church.
Fast forward over 20 years, and as I was driving home from work on a Tuesday afternoon, lo and behold, I tripped over a podcast call “The Naked Bible” by Dr. Micheal Heiser. The podcast intrigued me since I understand our modern thinking is not what the prophets and apostles were speaking to, and if I can understand the audience the Bible writers were speaking to, I might find better understanding for myself. This is Dr. Heisers intent. And this is where the podcast on 1 Corinthians 11:13-15 gave me some clarity.
Dr. Heiser’s message speaks of the 1st century’s Greco-Roman’s understanding of a persons hair in relation to reproductive activity. It is an amazing study of which I am thankful to have found. Note that the material in this podcast is sexual in content and it may be wise to restrict it to times when no children are present.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 36
10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.
David breaks forth in prayer. He is walking in the steadfast lovingkindness of the Lord, and is asking for a continuance of this love for the ones who know Him.
To ask God to “continue” His steadfast love is to ask God to “stretch it out”, or to lengthen out this steadfast love David experienced. And yet the psalmist, David himself, speaks of the steadfast love of the Lord as being from everlasting to everlasting in Psalm 103:17.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, – Psalm 103:17 ESV
Here we see a glimpse of a saint praying for something that is a reality. David is praying for the extension of the Lord’s steadfast love into the future in our verse above, and yet in the 103rd psalm, David teaches us that the same steadfast love is constantly on those who fear Him. Is this some sort of contradiction?
Lets read the two passages side by side and consider the message of both.
Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you… Psalm 36:10
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him… Psalm 103:17
This “contradiction” disappears in the careful reading of the two texts, as it often is true of apparent contradictions in the Word. Notice that David is praying in Psalm 36:10 for the experience of the steadfast love of the Lord to be stretched out, to continue with the saint who knows the Lord, who is in relationship with the Alpha and Omega.
In Psalm 103:17, David is stating a fact of the steadfast love of the Lord as being “on” the saint. Experience of the saint is not considered in this verse, simply a statement, awesome as it is, of the constant, continual truth of the love of God towards those who fear Him. The lovingkindness of the Lord is on those who fear Him. A fact we can depend on, believe in, find comfort with, even if may not be experiencing the steadfast love of the Lord.
And yet we sometimes (often?) find that our thinking of the lovingkindness of the Lord is distorted, somewhat stilted or twisted. Sometimes, in our “fear of the Lord”, we see Him as One who “lords it over us”, who is scary, somewhat unapproachable, far far away, and even dangerous.
But if I am reading David’s prayer of the 36th psalm correctly, this experience of the steadfast love of the Lord must be a pleasurable, fulfilling, desirable, enticing experience. Else why would he beg for the continuance? And this continuance of the experience of the steadfast love of the Lord is the subject of his prayer, he is seeking to continue to experience this love in his life.
Fear and love, both combined in our experience with the Lord. Fear of the Lord and the steadfast love of the Lord. The fact of His continual love and the desire for the continuance of experiencing His love.
What is missing in my thinking? We all know that our experience and the truth may be completely at odds with each other. I think this is the issue I am considering. Many of my times of living in fear has taught me that it is often not based in truth. I recently posted a time in my life of learning this relationship of fear and truth in Let Me Tell You a Story – Horsehair. In this experience, a single lie settled in my thinking and controlled my thoughts for weeks!
To experience the steadfast love of the Lord is dependent on truth. Imagination, group think, logic and reasoning on their own may only cripple us regarding God and His ways with us. For us to continue to experience the steadfast love of God requires our fear to drive us to truth, to the Word where we find One who approached us, entered a dangerous condition, suffered through terrors, fears and torture, offered up His very life and finally died a cruel death on a bloody cross.
His is the life that had the steadfast continual love of the Lord on Him. He feared the Lord, and the Lord’s love was on Him. He trusted in this truth, even when the experience was excruciating, dealing a death blow to His life.
As we walk this pilgrim way, we need to remember this double pronged truth. Truth that the steadfast love of the Lord is on those who fear Him, and of our need of prayer to experience His love, to be controlled, filled and rejoicing in His love.
He is good.
Let us remember He is a completely different type of love than we naturally understand.
Occasionally I will be dwelling on a verse or passage, ruminating on the message, (or to be honest, wandering off into some undisciplined daydreaming), and the Lord will bless me with a truth that is so obvious, so fresh and such a blessing that I just want to share it with you.
I will admit it. This is a post concerning ignorance, of my ignorance, or at least of my realizing my ignorance about ignorance. What are you talking bout Carl? Give me a chance to try to explain!
I was recently listening to a podcast called the Naked Bible, and the commentator (Mike Heiser) was describing how the Messiah was not clearly defined in the Old Testament.
Now, as a believer, looking back at the Old Testament and considering passages such as Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Genesis 22, passages such as these shout to me of the One who came to deliver us. But hindsight is 20/20, my friends, and to a first century Jew, who knew the Old Testament, the clues were not so obvious! We must remember they did not have the privilege of the understanding the Messiah while on earth, the Spirit of God to enlighten us, the resurrection event, or any historical teaching that has given us this clarity.
During this discussion on the podcast, Dr Heiser reiterated the ignorance of the first century population, especially of God’s nation being ignorant, as being an intentional act on God’s part. The message to the Old Testament saint came in small spurts of shaded truth describing the Coming One, often identifying a particular aspect of a His life or mission, or was a description of an earthly messiah like King Cyrus, that a New Testament author could refer to as a shadow of the True Messiah.
This provision of truth for the first century Jew created numerous religious thought, each religious group looking to their favorite passages to support their thinking. And ignorance was rampant!
And Jesus came to the middle of this ignorance and shone a light so bright, no one could take it in! The light was blinding, to the point that no one could clearly see the truth. And this was intentional on God’s part.
What?
Consider 1 Corinthians 2:6-8
Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. – 1Co 2:6-8 ESV
Did you catch it? None of the rulers of this age understood the wisdom of God which was decreed before the ages.
But why Paul? Why was this wisdom of God not comprehended, understood or perceived by the rulers of this world?
This was intentional on the part of God. If they understood, they would NOT have crucified the Lord of glory. When this “penny dropped”, my mind exploded!
As an aside, as believers, we do have the capacity to frustrate Him.
Find peace with Him.
If the Father had clearly revealed the plan of rescuing the world, the world would have frustrated Him! In the world’s wisdom, we would have frustrated God in our own rescue!
Isn’t this a common refrain? Consider Peter when he heard of the Master’s death.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” – Mar 8:31-33 ESV
If Peter had his way, he would have frustrated the will of God.
How incredible is the wisdom and love of God towards us who know so little, who think so wrong, who trust so poorly and who love so weakly. He is good, even in areas he restricts from us.
Let us not forsake His loving kindness and remember that love is for others and not ourselves.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 36
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
God’s Goodness to His Own People
David now breaks forth with the experience of the saint, the one who knows the steadfast love of the Lord, and how precious this love is to the saint. The earlier verses described a state that creation existing in, and yet did not appreciate the love of the Lord, those who did not understand or accept this love.
David now speaks of those who have come into covenant with the Lord, whose steadfast love is a constant in their lives. How precious this love is.
Precious
This particular word David uses (yāqār), refers to something that is rare or costly. Let’s consider what David may be saying.
Rare
The first time this word shows up is in 1 Samuel 3:1, where the word of the Lord is described as rare.
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. – 1Sa 3:1 ESV
Is David seeking to inform us that the lovingkindness of the Lord is “rare”?
In the time of Eli, the word of the LORD was precious / rare, in that it was uncommon, not a recurring, consistent occurrence. No word of the LORD had been given to man for quite a while, as a matter of fact for decades, and it was precious or rare. To be precious does have a component of rarity, but I see this rarity in that the love of God is of a completely different quality than that of any other love.
God’s lovingkindness is not rare or precious simply because it appears unavailable. This is the result of our blindness and rejection. No, the lovingkindness of the Lord is bountiful. The very next two verses in our psalm speak of the abundance of a feast, and of drinking from a river. These are not descriptions of scarcity!
Costly
This same word that David uses in describing the lovingkindness of God in Psalm 36, is also used of Solomon’s palace foundations. The foundations of the palace were costly stone.
The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar. – 1Kings 7:10-11 ESV
So what is David trying to communicate to us? The steadfast love of the Lord is precious, (of a different quality) and costly.
Costly. To be expensive. The lovingkindness of the Lord is costly, but to whom is the cost associated. During the time of David, for the Lord to provide guidance or protection, cost Him. His honor and glory were often dragged through the mud in being associated with the nation of Israel, and with the occasional actions of His greatest saints. He is a God who stoops down to His creation, who associates with the lowly and poor, who exercises a patience and care for His people that we do not understand or often consider.
Of course the saint, as a beggar looking to the Master, could claim a cost in exercising patience for the Lord’s assistance, but we often forget that any assistance is an act of love toward us. Maybe the saint could claim a cost related to discipleship. This is and always will be a reality. This may be an accurate statement, but I’m not sure this is where David is going.
The cost associated with the lovingkindness of the Lord is the cost that the one who loves pays. For the Lord of glory to humble Himself for a small nation in the middle of three continents, with a young shepherd boy raised to King, and promised an never ending dynasty. This is a costly love committing to a young shepherd boy, whose children would eventually commit acts so vile that the kingdom would be lost, and one of those children would be born in a nation under the thumb of Rome, in a manger, with a cross in His path.
Let us remember the preciousness of the love of God, of the quality of the love He has for us, and the cost He paid to flood our lives with His lovingkindness. Let us not consider our cost to high, for if we do, it may be that we have forgotten of the preciousness of the love of God. His love is of a completely different character than our understanding of love, and the cost of His love was His very life.
Occasionally I will be dwelling on a verse or passage, ruminating on the message, (or to be honest, wandering off into some undisciplined daydreaming), and the Lord will bless me with a truth that is so obvious, so fresh and such a blessing that I just want to share it with you.
Recently, I posted a “What Jesus Probably Didn’t Mean” post, a post that speaks of the humility of the Holy Spirit. During the writing of that post, I got to thinking about an old teaching that was associated with an earlier post in the series, a post that speaks of loving our enemies.
To top off this emphasis of a particular truth I have been thinking on, a certain Bible passage has “inadvertently” been grabbing my attention. Let’s consider a number of translations for this passage
[Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. – Phl 2:3 KJV
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. – Phl 2:3 ESV
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, – Phl 2:3 NIV
The key phrase that stuck in my “craw” was “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves”, and this phrase, along with the previously mentioned influences, reminds me of the importance of others in relation to me, myself and I.
How do you relate to you?
Do you think highly of you? Are you smarter, stronger, wiser, prettier…. than everyone else?
Do you treat yourself better than the non-you out there?
Do you seek to love youin order to love others?
This is actually encouraged in some Christian circles under the guise of the self esteem teaching. Self love is the very antipathy of Christian discipleship, and is a struggle to be fought, not a goal to be pursued.
The number of verses that speak to how we relate to ourselves, to other believers and those outside the Body are scattered throughout the New Testament, dang the Bible is chock full of ’em. Humility and a preference for others is a hallmark life characteristic of the Master. He gave up comfort for others, sleep, dinners, convenience, – He gave up His life in order for others to have life! His actions show His attitude towards His own self.
As a matter of fact, Matthew provides the only self description Jesus gave of Himself that I can find in the Word.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. – Mat 11:29 ESV
He does not describe Himself as omnipotent, all wise, God in the flesh, holy, eternal or any of the terms we might ascribe to the One who walked among us. No – He says He is gentle. He says He is lowly in heart. He opens up and describes His inner person to us.
Lets take a moment to consider both of these terms.
Gentleness
As many may know by now, my first research tool is Blue Letter Bible for searching, word studies, definitions and additional information. In researching “gentleness” I tripped over the following paragraph from “The Outline of Biblical Usage, by Larry Pierce”. (Meekness and gentleness are the same Greek word in this description.)
Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time (Isa 41:17, Luk 18:1-8). Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. Thegentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Gal 5:23). (emphasis mine)
Nuff said. Mr. Pierce stated the point that needed to be said!
Lowly in Heart
Lowly in the greek is the word ταπεινός (tapeinos), and has the complex meaning of – wait for it – lowly. Or of low degree, cast down, of low estate.
The word itself doesn’t seem complicated, but it is hard to accept for us who seek to find significance in our world, to find our place in our world in relation to others. Where do we fit in and where is our “position” amongst others. How “high” do you consider yourself in relation to your peers?
My friends, consider yourself and how you relate to others. When someone is talking, do you interrupt and tell YOUR story? Do you ignore offering the last piece of pie to others prior to consuming it for YOURSELF? Do you grumble inside because Aunt Bertha came over during the time YOU wanted to watch the football game?
Many moon ago, the prophet Jeremiah had an assistant, by the name of Baruch. This fellow was known by all to be sympathetic to the “traitor” Jeremiah, and had delivered Jeremiah’s message of King Jehoiakim’s dethronement and death twice to the King! He was the prophet’s assistant and had placed himself in great danger. But at one point, Baruch had fallen into a “Woe”
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, ‘Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’ – Jer 45:2-3 ESV
If only Baruch knew he needed to love himself more, to esteem his own self greater than others in order to find self fulfillment and satisfaction.
Or could that be the problem? Is Baruch thinking of himself only, or at the least that his own self is the highest focus of his thoughts?
I think maybe so, since the Lord Himself comes back to Baruch with the following injunction.
Jeremiah 45:5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not…
My friends – self love is a trap that constantly needs more and more attention – it can never be satisfied! I can’t help but think of Proverbs 27:20 when I consider loving me.
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man. – Pro 27:20 ESV
Feeding an animal that is never satisfied is a loosing battle. Give up now, and consider others for the Lord Jesus sake. Do not seek great things for yourself, but walk humbly with God.
Love Him and not yourself
One final verse for my gentle readers to consider.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. – Rom 12:16 ESV
How utterly backwards to the message we hear from our culture!!!
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 36
5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.
David begins such a wonderful description of our God, with the backdrop of the wicked man, showing our Gods beauties for all of creation in these two verses.
This post will spend a few minutes in verse six.
Righteousness
When I mention righteousness, what do you think? Is it the idea of always being right? Of never having to say you are sorry?
When I think of righteousness, I think of balance.
Let me explain
God is holy. God is love. God is good. God is gracious, God is mighty, God is great, God is pure, God is jealous, God is true, God is faithful, God is light…. And God is One, perfectly aligned within Himself with each of His attributes, with each of His characteristics. I fear I am speaking foolishly here, but consider. He is not in tension within Himself as to what is a correct action, or struggles with a decision, experiencing inner turmoil as to the proper way to proceed. No, He is at peace within Himself.
Each of these characteristics of our God is not in conflict with one another, where His love is arguing with His purity, (rescue or condemn the sinner) or His holiness is struggling with his mercy (remain separate or join fallen humanity) Each characteristic provides potential conflict for us, if we seek to live within these bounds, but not so with God.
You see, He is righteous, that is, He is not in conflict within Himself, and this balance, this peace is the essence of His righteousness. He is righteous, and performs all things righteously, since He is the standard of all existence. His holiness is not ignored in order to love His creation. His jealously is not staining His faithfulness. No – all of God’s characteristics are in balance, in harmony.
Mount Hermon
This righteousness that belongs to the Lord is solid, without wavering and is a constant within the life of David. David, as he looks to the mountains, sees what he has always seen, a solid mass of immovable rock.
God’s righteousness is visible to all, for the mountains are of the greatest geological formation on the earth, and cannot be hidden.
Judgements
If you are like myself, (which, if you are, try to find a way to change!!) when you hear of “judgement” you automatically think of condemnation. But a “judgement” is simply a decision that is made based on knowledge received, upon which a course of action will be pursued.
If I see an ice cream stand on the side of the road, I judge that it would taste great to have some ice cream, and based on that decision, I slam on the brakes, backup and pull into the parking lot. Although this judgement may satisfy my desire for yummy ice cream and cause a fender bender, my point is made. The results of the judgement may be positive or negative, depending on the recipient!
God’s judgements, His decisions are mysterious. His judgements are past finding out.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! – Rom 11:33 ESV
A number of these decisions may seem to have a negative impact in our experiences, but our interpretation of the judgement may, and usually is, far from the intended purposes designed by God.
You see, God’s judgements, His decisions are like the great deep. David could see the mountains, for the mountains were ever before the psalmists eyes, but the great deep was a massive mystery. Whether he is speaking of the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, or the Mediterranean, the Old Testament prophets knew very little of life in the great depths. Admittedly, the culture was dependent on the sea in many ways, yet the ancient Israelite floated on the sea, and did not delve into the depths. Mysterious, like the judgements of God. Even the great man of God David admitted to his lack of understanding the judgements of our God.
Truly, it is good to remember that there is mystery in our relationship with God, and His Son Jesus Christ. As we walk through our pilgrim way, let us remember that God does mysterious feats that we cannot predict within our lives and the lives of others. And let us be thankful for the mystery, for in all His ways, He is perfectly righteous in all His judgements.
Occasionally I will be dwelling on a verse or passage, ruminating on the message, (or to be honest, wandering off into some undisciplined daydreaming), and the Lord will bless me with a truth that is so obvious, so fresh and such a blessing that I just want to share it with you.
Such is the following passage, found in the book of Nahum
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. – Nah 1:2-3 ESV
Let’s remember some background to Nahum’s mission. It was close to 150 years prior to Nahum preaching against Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, that the Lord sent a reluctant prophet to the shores of Assyria, with a stench on his body, with a raggedness of appearance, and with a message of doom that the people of Nineveh heard. Repentance swept through the city, a repentance that began with the people, and incredibly impacted the very throne of the city. The King sat is sackcloth and ashes. God relented of the judgement.
Truly an amazing God, and yet Nahum was at the Ninevites doorstop one more time. The initial message from this Israeli prophet sent to “dirty” gentiles is of vengeance, that God will avenge, He is wrathful. Vengeance is repeated three times in the second verse. The message is clear.
Before we go much further, we need to understand this jealous thing. How could the prophet ascribe jealousy to the Lord? Isn’t jealousy a result of insecurity, fear and concerns of loss? Do you see the God of creation as one who can’t handle competition for the affection of His people? Is He unsure of our love toward Him, and therefore jealous of us? I spent a bit of time looking at this term in relation to God and found it to be illuminating. You may want to check it our at A Jealous God
Back to Nahum. God is jealous – thankfully! Due in part to this jealousy, God is described as an avenging God and is currently in the process of avenging. To avenge describes our God and His actions towards the Ninevites. The Lord is an avenging God, and during the time of Nahum’s preaching, Assyria was at it’s greatest glory. Assyria was the lone superpower, had experienced victory over it’s enemies and had stockpiles of wealth.
What a different situation Nahum found himself in than Jonah. I imagine Jonah, after his near death experience in the belly of the great fish, was a sight to be seen! This visual condition may have brought attention to the people of Nineveh and begun the revival. A grass roots revival that overtook the government.
Assyrian Empire
Nahum’s message was not met with such humility. The Assyrians had experienced stunning success on the battle field and was at their apex of kingdom, stretching their influence far and side.
Who is this Israelite that speaks such words of vengeance. The Assyrians knew of vengeance! The empire of Assyria was built on violence and terror, as every world power is established. But it seems that Assyria was especially vicious.
The Assyrians were masters of chariot warfare, in that they added scythes to the axles of their chariots. They literally mowed down their enemy when in battle.
When the Assyrians would attack a walled city, soldiers were commanded to dig under the city walls to weaken the foundations, many times dying in the effort when the tunnels caved in on them. An early style of harikari, I suppose. The Assyrians were brutal to their own soldiers!
The Assyrians did much to intimidate their enemies. and were the culture that invented crucifixion. This method of death began with impalement of their enemy, with the spiked pole inserted under the ribs and the victims body weight inflicting the slow agonizing death.
The Assyrians flayed the skin from their enemies. I’m not going to describe this as it is a horrendous practice and the intent of speaking of it, is to solidify our understanding of the culture Nahum was entering when he spoke the oracle of God the the Ninevites!
The Assyrians were ruthless. The Lord is a jealous God, avenging and wrathful toward His adversaries.
This passage reminds me of a New Testament passage.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. – Gal 6:7 ESV
Paul spoke this truth to the church of Galatia, but it is an eternal truth. The Assyrians will receive what they have given out, and their violence will come upon their heads. Vengeance is the Lord’s – it always has been and it always will be.
Not a half dozen verses after Nahum introduces the vengeance of God that shall visit His enemies, Nahum sneaks the following verse in.
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. – Nahum 1:7 ESV
In the midst of Nahum’s description of the Lord’s vengeance, wrath, anger and indignation, of the Lord pursuing His enemies into darkness, of the Lord making a complete end of the nation of Assyria, Nahum reminds the saint of a truth.
The Lord is good!
In the midst of destruction and ruin, the Lord is good. For the saint who finds their refuge in Him, their place of safety, the saint will find that the Lord knows them. And that the Lord is good. Vengeance and goodness, both characteristics of the Lord, and both dependent upon relation to the will of God.
The Assyrians did not know of the way of the Lord, for they lived lives of extreme violence, hatred, and domination. Not so for the saint who seeks to follow the way of peace, who seeks to love our enemy, and serve those around us instead of demanding our way.
Two ways of life. Two paths. Two destinies.
May the Lord give us the strength to be the peacemakers, the servants, the ones whom He knows. During this time of upheaval and uncertainty in this world, may we find grace to live properly and to be known of the Lord.
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” – 2Ti 2:19 ESV
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 36
5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.
David begins such a wonderful description of our God, with the backdrop of the wicked man, showing our Gods beauties for all of creation in the verses 5 & 6.
This post will spend a few minutes in verse five only, since this description of our God is such a blessing after slugging through the depressing, discouraging, painful description of the wicked man. Necessary, but in no way as edifying as the following passage.
Let’s consider our God.
God’s Goodness to All Creation
David describes four characteristics of the Lord in verses 5 & 6, as he seeks to describe God’s attitude toward all creation. Notice that in verse 6, David speaks of the LORD’s saving of man and beast. Not until the opening of verse 7 does David speak of those who know the love of God.
These verses speak of the universal love God has for His creation.
Steadfast Love
Mercy, kindness, lovingkindness, goodness. The Hebrew word חֶסֶדcheçed, kheh’-sed describes loyal love, a devotional love extending for life
This love is not an emotional love, as we often think of when we speak of love in our modern society. This is a covenantal love, a love of the will. Hosea uses this word in describing the vows God made to the nation of Israel
And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD. – Hosea 2:20 ESV
In my research, I found a wonderful resource (Hebrew Word Lessons) I would like to recommend to my reader if they study the Old Testament. I would like to thank Sarah E. Fisher for this work she has provided. Her comments on Hosea 2:19-20 caught my attention and expresses this devotional loyal love better than I.
“Notice the word Hebrew word for LOVE (ahava) was not in God’s wedding vows, but khesed was. Love is an emotion, and emotions can wax and wane. Khesed reflected a boundless, loyal, everlasting,love in action, and this is the kind of love God has for His people. It’s a much, much, fuller, grander love.” Sarah E. Fisher, Hebrew Word Lessons- Khesed- LOYAL LOVE in Action
David is speaking of a loyal, covenantal love, a love that is dependent on God’s loyalty, His faithfulness to his own word. A sure and steady promise is this love of God, of His will for His people, as the writer in Hebrews reminds us.
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. – Hebrews 6:17-18 ESV
David not only expresses the type of love God has for the creation – that is, a loyal, faithful love, not dependent on emotions or feelings, He expands the concept to include the extent of the loyal love. This is beyond me, since the fact that God has entered into a loyal love should be enough to satisfy creation. But David sees this loyal love extending to the heavens, it is beyond his sight, and beyond his comprehension. It is all he can see and he cannot find its limitations.
Praise to the God Who is loyal.
Faithfulness
When the word faith comes up in a conversation, I automatically think of my faith, my belief, my relation to God. In the Old Testament, when faith is mentioned, it was almost universally considered an ongoing commitment, a faithfulness. In this phrase, of course, we are not looking at any of creations faithfulness, for we are sorely lacking in any exercise of faithfulness to our Creator. Truth be told, we are a treacherous, unfaithful, and promise breaking sort.
When push comes to shove, we are a Judas.
When push comes to shove, God is Jesus, the faithful One, who would give up His rights, His glory and power, His honor and dignity in order to be faithful to God, following the Father’s will to the cross. Emotion, as discussed above, was not Jesus friend in the final days, for He cried out to God for a deliverance, and yet He was faithful to the Father.
David again describes this faithfulness as extending to the clouds. When David speaks of clouds in this passage, he refers to a thin cloud, what appeared to him as a fine dust in the skies. A wispy type of cloud.
When I first read this passage this morning, I considered this description of God’s faithfulness to be somewhat less (in extent) than the infinite description of the heavens when he speaks of God’s lovingkindness. I am not convinced that this is David’s intent. I don’t think he is comparing the lovingkindness of God as being greater in extent that God’s faithfulness. David wasn’t an physicist, or a scientist when he penned this beautiful psalm. He was a Hebrew poet. When he looked to the skies, at night, he would see the heavens, during the day, he would recognize the clouds. Both beyond his reach.
This in instructive, as the passage not only speaks of the extent of God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness, but of God’s continual availability. Whether dark or light, God is there to depend on, to relish in His promise of love and faithfulness to His creation.
My friends, when we consider the wicked man as David did in the first four verses, we find a creature that is self centered, internal, taking, plotting, lying and without resistance to evil. Our God has a loyal love and faithfulness, not to ones who deserve it, for then these descriptions of God would be unnecessary. Loyalty and faithfulness is not exercised when both parties are in an enjoyable unbroken relationship. David’s description of God was no less true prior to creation, but when creation fell, and wicked man rose up, the character of God described in these verses became a shining hope, and a benchmark upon which we can know our own state of existence.
Dwell on the lovingkindness and faithfulness of our God this fine day my friend, and rejoice that your very existence came from a loving God, One who is forever faithful.
How often have you heard of the importance of balance in life? We all need balance. Equality. Fairness.
Another thought that is commonly referred to in our day to day lives is the Newtonian principal of “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”.
In other words, ya git what you deserve. Really? We are to apply a law on physics to our moral universe?
Not to sure of that logic.
So….. Let me tell you a story.
A few nights back, I was reading a book on the couch (my favorite couch!) and got a text from one of my kiddos. My grandchild sent me a little video, saying “Hello gampa, I wov you!” Now this little one is not even two years old, and he was merely repeating what someone told him to say, but ol’ blubberpuss Carl – well he well nigh just about fell apart. The little video hit me right in the tear ducts and I watched it over and over again. And I thought about it, (after I wiped myself up and blew my nose). Yes I thought about it, considered it, analyzed it and came to a conclusion.
An action does not produce an equal and opposite reaction!
This little one merely repeated some noise, made vibrations from the throat and mouth, and went off to play. Probably went to play with a toy or to cause some havoc somewhere. A minor effort on the youngin’s part, a soon forgotten happening.
As for me, it will be one of many times my grandchildren have touched my heart, and made me a bit more of a softy.
It all started with my little ones, and watching each of them growing, connecting with each of them, at different times and in different ways. The memories are priceless. And my chillun didn’t understand their effect on their parents until they joined the club. The parenting club.
Now, I can see it in their eyes, when my chillun are around their chillun. The give and take is NOT equal. A little smile, nod of the head, a first step and the parent goes wild with pride, swells up with love and would give anything, do anything for the sake of the child.
No it is NOT equal.
The child’s efforts are many times small and seemingly insignificant. The receiving of a negligible act on the part of the child, causes emotional meltdowns for the parent, a recommitment of the parent to the child’s good, a sacrificial attitude that no one saw coming prior to the little ones arrival.
No it is NOT equal.
That love, that commitment, that connection never leaves a parents heart. At times, that love can crush a parent’s heart, the sorrow of seeing a child suffer. It can be excruciating.
But the effect is the same. A yearning for the best for the child, a desperate desire to guide the child into right living.
But then it hit me.
I am looking at this so horizontally.
Yes the impact of a minor effort on the child’s part can have major impact on the parent. No denying it! But isn’t that a reflection, a minor picture of the Lord’s fatherhood to usward? When we reach out to Him, is it not as a child, reaching out to their Father. Is not this truth much of the message Jesus would seek us to think on every time he calls the God of the Universe, the Holy One of Israel, the Almighty One, every time He calls Him Father?
Our relationship with God is based on familial standards. Family! Not a business. The family of God is not to be considered an LLC, or a Sole Proprietorship, with God as the CEO. That is not the picture the New Testament paints for us.
Consider the impact of your simple desire to please Him, how that must effect Him. Does your child’s obedience and affection for you not make your life rich beyond description? To think that our insignificant, bumbling efforts could impact the Living God is mind numbing. The fact that He would sacrifice His own Son in order to bring us into His Family is beyond the pale.
We were his enemies. His love brought us into His Family, and our connection with Him not only greatly benefits us, but also effects Him. This is a wonder I spend much too little time on. My efforts to please Him are insignificant, but the fact that I am His child, makes all the difference.
Occasionally I will be dwelling on a verse or passage, ruminating on the message, (or to be honest, wandering off into some undisciplined daydreaming), and the Lord will bless me with a truth that is so obvious, so fresh and such a blessing that I just want to share it with you.
Such is the following passage
And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ – Luke 10:2-5 ESV
Jesus sent out the disciples as lambs amongst wolves. Lambs. The folks being described as lambs in this passage are not the future apostles, since verse 1 speaks of the Lord appointing 72 others. These would include those that, relatively speaking, were on the fringe of the group following the Master. Not the core group of Peter, James, John and the rest we know of.
So when the Lord describes them as sheep in the midst of wolves, what is He communicating? He is communicating danger! Danger for the ones He is sending out.
These appointed ones are as sheep in the midst of wolves. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be near wolves fully armed with Glocks! The term ravenous comes to mind when I think of wolves.
Definitely Jesus will provide these 72 appointees direction on how to avoid being attacked. He must be implying that they are to defend themselves as sheep do. So how do sheep defend themselves?
Sheep defend themselves primarily by remaining in flock. Numbers are the game for sheep, and to remain with the group brings security to a sheep.
But Jesus is sending these appointees out two by two. He isn’t sending out groups of “sheep”. He is sending each of them out with a solitary partner. This natural defense associated with sheep therefore is greatly reduced, if not removed by being separated into teams of only two.
As I listened to this passage I noticed that the translation spoke of a lamb, and not a sheep. Speaking of the appointees as being sent as lambs instead of sheep further speaks of the defenselessness of the ones being sent out.
As for the wolves, as might be expected, there is no reference in the Word to wolves as being kind, truthful or gentle. Adjectives such as ravening and grievous are used to describe wolves!
Little lambs in the midst of ravenous wolves! What a picture!
I certainly can not claim that Jesus was whitewashing the situation. He laid it out in stark description, and further spoke of reducing them to utter dependency on those they met. He defined their behavior in the midst of wolves as being peacemakers.
Now I don’t think Jesus is telling them every person they came across is to be considered a wolf. Not at all. Yet that is another challenge, for they were to be open to all, willing to offer peace to those they met. They were to understand the general danger, but to be specifically peaceful to any they came across.
None of this behavior speaks of a defensive position, of an ability to be self protected. Consider hearing this direction from the Lord. I know I would have serious doubts about any success, or possible surviving, since He describes me as a frail lamb amongst wolves!
Also, consider if the appointees may have been ignorant of the situation they were being called to. If it was early in the ministry of the Lord, many may have considered this description as mere hyperbole. According to a timeline I found on the web, and assuming it’s accuracy, this sending out was relatively late in the ministry of the Lord. If they had followed Jesus for any time, they saw the reactions of the religious powerful, and had been warned multiple times of trials and suffering ahead.
But back to my original thought. What natural defense does the lamb have? It seems the flocking defense has been stripped away, and the reference to the youth of the lamb speaks of innocence.
But a lamb has one defense. A Shepherd.
Looking behind this instruction, even beyond the intended purpose of preparing the neighboring cities for the eventual entrance of the Messiah, these appointees would look back on their experience and realize they had a Shepherd protecting them, guiding them and providing for them. This event had a great impact on the larger group, and caused much joy in the immediate return.
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” – Luke 10:17 ESV
So where does this take me?
This passage reminds me of the Shepherds care of His sheep, and more importantly, as a lamb before Him, to drop our defenses in order to realize His protection, guidance and strength.
It must have been scary for those lambs. It is no less scary for us.
We must follow with trust and wisdom that only He can provide.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 36
1 To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD.
Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.
In our last post, we looked at the first two verses, and it didn’t look good. I mean, the trend of this wicked man was downward from the get go!
Let’s hope for the best, but I’m gonna warn ya. Our next two verses do not provide much hope!
Words
The very words that come out of our mouth are described as “trouble”. Deceit I get, I understand the lying tongue, my goodness I get it! But the psalmist states that the wicked man’s very words are trouble.
And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
Psalm 41:6 ESV
This term can be translated in a number of ways, including “emptiness” or “a vanity of words”. This may be emphasizing a hollowness of communication, but shouldn’t be considered a neutral condition that we may consider allowable. Vanity is often associated with idol worship, and we know God’s attitude towards idols!
Let us not speak vain or empty words. Empty words are definitely not associated with righteous activity, with loving actions or a spirit of mercy!
A Change of Behavior
The psalmist now describes the wicked man’s actions, his doings, his outward appearance and behavior. It is interesting that the wicked man ceases to act wisely. Does this imply that the wicked man acted wisely in the past? Was this wicked man of a better ilk in the past, of some better character prior to his listening to transgression, prior to his self flattery?
Was this wicked one of a better ilk in the past, of some better character prior to his listening to transgression, prior to his self flattery?
I heard a philosopher speak of the necessity of time in relation to our existence, and that time allows for change. Time allows for change. Change that occurs as either growth or decay.
This wicked man is decaying, rotting on the vine, becoming less as time passes, by listening to transgression, by avoiding the fear of God, by elevating his own self importance before his eyes. The decay is becoming evident to those around him by his behavior.
He begins to stop acting wisely and to stop doing good. But this is simply a point in time, a fraction of a moment, when the direction of his life is determined. To stop doing good and think we can remain neutral is a fallacy.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. – Luk 11:23 ESV
We are either with God or against God. There is no middle ground, and that is why I am stating that this stopping of doing good occurs in a mere fraction of a moment, since this state of neutrality can not be maintained.
A Leader of Wickedness
This man of wickedness now blooms into a leader of wickedness. He plots his day while others sleep, spending time on how to attain his goals. He is consumed with his thoughts of greatness, and he has no one to guide him, or to caution him, since the fear of God has been ignored, even silenced to his ears.
He establishes himself in a path that is not good. The term speaks of a steadfastness, a withstanding or refusal to be moved. He has chosen to be in a path that is not good, and his very intent is to remain in this path.
To be in a path that is not good, he eventually must lay his defenses down. He does not reject evil. He may have rejected evil before, but I tend to think this is simply the decay settling into his person, a strength of resistance simply not available to this man.
Story time
My wife and I went walking last night on our favorite path, lined with massive trees, bushes and grasses. It so happened that one of the tress we enjoyed last year had fallen, now on its side, with the trunk completely broken. No saw had come upon the tree. No – it had decayed from the inside out and the strength of the trunk had disappeared. Last year it appeared strong. One swift wind, and its inner lack of strength gave way to the wind. The tree is down.
Such is the life of the wicked man. Early listening to transgression, denial of the fear of God, speaking lies to his self in the form of self flattery, becoming “neutral” towards truth and finally setting himself in a bad path. Finally there is no resistance to evil.
I find it interesting that when the psalmist describes this man, he refers to an absence of good. Not until the fourth verse, does he use the term evil. Yes, iniquity is referred to, but that it cannot be found in the wicked man’s own eyes. I also admit trouble and deceit are spoken of as coming of his mouth. This is the beginning of the wicked mans inward decay being exposed to those around him.
This is our condition. Or should I say this is our condition, our eventual destination if it were not for the steadfast love of God. He is the Savior, the Deliverer and the One who brings us back from the edge.
I am very much looking forward to the psalmists descriptions turning from the wicked man to the righteous God. For He is good, and we certainly need Him!
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 36
1 To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD.
Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.
In our last post, I veered from the specific passage above in discussing a topic brought to mind by the verses above, and that I find I am coming back to often in my thinking.
I would like to consider these verse with the approach spoken of in our previous post (Psalm 36 – Introduction). We are sinners. Yes, we have been granted the righteousness of Christ, but we live below, and David is describing the wicked man in the verses above. As mentioned earlier, we shall find good counsel in understanding this description of the wicked man as a description of our own condition while we walk with Him during our pilgrimage.
Let’s consider David’s description of the wicked man, the man we are if we are honest with ourselves, the man we are without the grace of God being shed abroad in our lives.
Transgression speaks to the heart
Even as I sit here and consider this passage, I am reluctant to admit of the times I listen to sin speaking to my heart. Do not get me wrong, I understand that the sin thoughts are not necessarily sourced in my own soul, but the fact that I listen to them is the shame I experience. Oh to be willing to turn a deaf ear to the whispers I hear in my heart. Deep in my heart, where there is more mystery than understanding, transgression speaks to me.
Transgression utters, or declares to my heart, and gains a foothold when there is no fear of God before my eyes. This term “speaks” is interesting since it is used of God speaking in many passages of the Old Testament. Now before any one tries to condemn me for associating sin with God, that is not my intent. My intent is only to notice that “speaks” is commonly used to describe a message that is “spirit” and we know that by study and experience, this includes spirits that are not of God.
No fear of God
Transgression gains a foothold in the wicked because there is no fear of God before our eyes. Transgression may “utter” all day long, and with no fear of God, will gain that foothold and progress into a growing struggle with sin. This we all can attest to and suffer under!
The fear of God. Many who read this blog may know that I spent years under the fear of God – no wait – let me correct myself – more specifically under the fear of the judgement of God. There is a tremendous difference. The fear of God, in my understanding now, is to know the living God, the fountainhead of knowledge, wisdom confidence and life.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. – Pro 1:7 ESV The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. – Pro 9:10 ESV The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short. – Pro 10:27 ESV In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. – Pro 14:26 ESV The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. – Pro 14:27 ESV
Do not believe the lies spouted by many that the fear of God produces a sour spirit. The fear of the Lord is a wellspring of life.
Flatterings
He flatters himself! But this isn’t the boastful arrogance of a loud and proud man speaking of his greatness. No no no. This refers to the quiet ruminations within himself, of his discussions with himself, where he is telling himself how great he is! And who is to argue, if the fear of God is now a distant influence!
Pride of self, a self inflicted perception of ourselves that we are better than we truly are. We flatter ourselves. To flatter is “to praise excessively from motives of self interest” This must be recognized as being so out of touch with the nature of God as to be obvious.
Is self flattery of the character of our God…
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. – Philippians 2:6-8 ESV
This too seems so obvious, if we are honest with ourselves. How often have you considered yourself better than your neighbor, your boss, your friend or your spouse? Paul addressed this danger amongst leaders, even apostles within the Corinthian church.
Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. – 2 Corinthians 10:12 ESV
Even those who may consider themselves to have low self esteem, flatter themselves with their weakness, in their standing in comparison with the appearance of others, their lack of confidence, of their inabilities, or a host of other characteristics that they use to draw attention to themselves.
We are to consider ourselves with sober judgement.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Romans 12:3
Was it Spurgeon or some other saint who said that the believer was not to attain to a high self esteem, nor a low self esteem, but of no self esteem.
God is to be the only One we are to esteem. Consider the wise, mighty and rich in Jeremiah 9. They had attained. But they were instructed not to esteem their own selves but the LORD who practices love justice and righteousness in the earth!!! (By the way – we don’t practice love justice and righteousness!)
Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” – Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV
Let us break for now and continue with the next two verses of this passage in our next post. Suffice it to say, the first two verses do not offer much hope to the wicked man. And in our next post, verses 3 & 4 will only expose more difficulty and trouble, problems and traps.
Who is able to rescue me? Who can deliver me from this awful condition!
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 36
1 To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD.
Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.
The wickedness of man and the goodness of God.
This psalm magnifies the differences between our existence and the character of our God. For the first four verses, David dwells on the wicked man. As I read passages such as open this passage, where the Old Testament speaks of a “bad” fellow, I am reminded of an old pastor who focused my thoughts on identifying with the bad guy in the story.
We so often want to associate with the godly, the righteous and the beautiful (at least I do), that we often miss the truth the Word is trying to provide. Without continuously acknowledging our sinful tendencies, habits, actions, thoughts, and motives, we tend to “join the righteous” in righteously excusing our “trip ups” and condemning those sinners, and in our effort to look good, we become hypocrites in the eyes of many! This should not be so!
This concept reminds me of a time, very early in my faith, when I sought the Lord and found only sin. Everywhere in my experience, I found rebellion, acts of sin, transgression and failings. I so wanted to be close to God and to love the Lord Jesus, and yet found sin. I confessed this to a believer, and he simply stated that when we press in, the light of God exposes our nature. Get used to it!
Humility and a consciousness of our “self” is the result of facing the One who is truth. Is this not the experience of those we read of in the Old Testament.
Consider Isaiah
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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!” – Isaiah 6:5 ESV
Or Ezekiel
Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. – Ezekiel 1:28 ESV
David often confesses his sin, acknowledging his failings.
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah – Psa 32:5 ESV
Daniel joins in the confession of his nation’s sin
We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules Dan 9:5 ESV
You may be reminded of other instances in the Old Testament where a saint, in seeing the Lord not only glorifies the One above, but reduces his own standing in his own eyes. (Somewhat of a difficult verse for the self esteem movement!)
Consider Job
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” – Job 42:5-6 ESV
The New Testament continues with this witness.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” – Luke 5:8 ESV
Paul was knocked down before he was called.
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. – Act 9:3-5 ESV
Paul even spoke, as an old man of God, of his being (not was) the chief of sinners, the foremost of sinners.
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. – 1 Timothy 1:15 ESV
Oh the tension we find in our seeking of the truth. We have been provided the righteousness of Christ through faith in our Savior and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, and yet our sinful tendencies are ever before us. That “wicked man” that we drag behind us, constantly seeks to pull us down. Ignoring or avoiding this truth will not benefit our souls. As my favorite wifey reminds me at times….
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. – Numbers 32:23 ESV
The battle is real my friends. The war has been won, but we each have battles to fight. In all of this discussion, a sense of humility and a consciousness of our wickedness needs to be ever before our eyes. But in the very moment I speak of this, let it be understood that there is a danger of only acknowledging our sin. We cannot lay in the cesspool of our needs, and not be looking off to the great and mighty Jesus.
As Paul reminded the sin laden Corinthians, we need to remember the nature of our God, and of His forgiving nature, His nature of comfort, and of His continual love toward those who fall. Paul directed the believers to mimic God’s nature in the following passage when confronting a condemned believer, that they
… should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. – 2 Corinthians 2:7-8 ESV
We are to live in the truth, and that includes acknowledging to ourselves and our Father, our weakness, sin tendencies and failings. This is a bitter pill to swallow but this truth will produce within us a humility greatly needed within the church today.
And we are to rejoice in the salvation our great God has provided. A salvation that delivers us from past guilt, current sin and a future of release from the presence of sin.
A brother in the Lord has recently been experiencing tremendous trials, especially from family members. His entire world is being shaken to the core with experiences I would wish on no one. He and his wife are struggling with the pain of hateful actions and hurtful words from “loved ones”.
My wife and I pray for them, and often speak of their trials. We are at a loss of what we can do to fix the conditions they are in the middle of, and other than prayer, seek to listen to their concerns, helping them by giving them a sounding board.
In a recent reading, wifey and I came across 1 Peter 3:9.
Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
Challenging words to read, but to apply in my friends situation is beyond my imagination. To bless those who hate me, revile against me and do evil towards me is otherworldly.
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. – Luke 6:27-28 ESV
Personally, I have been challenged in areas of forgiveness in my faith, and have found release as I release others from my bitterness and anger toward them. But I must confess, it is a struggle. To forgive, to bless those who revile against me, is the character of our Lord and a fruit of His Spirit.
In the past week or so since this concept in the Word began to have a greater influence in my thinking, and I have been reminded of the story of Dirk Willems, an Anabaptist who lived in Holland during the 1500’s. The following story is repeated throughout the internet, but I am referencing a copy of the story from “Christianity.com” for your reading convenience
One of the Anabaptists who died in flames was Dirk Willem. His story is particularly touching, because he forfeited a real chance to escape when he turned back to help one of his pursuers. Dirk was captured and imprisoned in his home town of Asperen in the Netherlands. Knowing that his fate would be death if he remained in prison, Dirk made a rope of strips of cloth and slid down it over the prison wall. A guard chased him. Frost had covered a nearby pond with a thin layer of ice. Dirk risked a dash across it. He made it to safety, but the ice broke under his pursuer who cried for help. Dirk believed the Scripture that a man should help his enemies. He immediately turned back and pulled the floundering man from the frigid water. In gratitude for his life, the man would have let Dirk escape, but a Burgomaster (chief magistrate) standing on the shore sternly ordered him to arrest Dirk and bring him back, reminding him of the oath he had sworn as an officer of the peace. Back to prison went Dirk. He was condemned to death for being re-baptized, allowing secret church services in his home and letting others be baptized there....
Dirk was burned to death on this day, May 16, 1569.
My friends, much of my Christianity is merely theoretical in nature, and when I am challenged in my faith, find it easy to argue against the truth. It seems Dirk Willems blessed his enemy, and was rewarded with a torturous death. It may be easy to say I would do the same, that I would love my enemy, but the power of my reasoning spirit sometimes dominates my thinking.
Was Dirk a family man?
How could he abandon his wife and family by returning to his captor? Was he not tasked with the command to love his wife as the Lord loved the church. Is this return to the captor elevating love of enemy above love of wife? Is the example that Dirk provided of greater worth to his family than self preservation? This is a very difficult discussion for me, as I would naturally run, not looking back, not concerned about the welfare of those who would do me and my family harm.
Was the escape from prison and apparent success of his avoiding recapture the will of God?
It seems obvious that God had provided Dirk’s escape, much like many believers have escaped from the clutches of the enemy. Peter was delivered from prison, with his guards eventually put to death. Paul escaped using a basket out of a window.
Could Dirk have continued with his escape, considering the pursuer as receiving his just recompense for his evil life? I could easily justify this type of thinking, especially after studying through Psalm 35, specifically Psalms for Psome – Ps 35 – B. And yet in the background, I hear the verses of loving our enemy, of blessing those who revile against us.
I am in no way taking away from Dirk Willems and his tremendous exercise of forgiveness and blessing to his enemy. This is definitely not my intent in this post. I am simply admitting that at this time in my Christian walk, I am confessing my lack of understanding (willingness?) on how to bless those who revile me.
Dirk’s story is an ultimate example of a man obeying the Lord’s command to love his enemy.
Surely, our daily lives have opportunities to mimic the Lord’s example of loving our enemies. Think of a recent time when someone may have said something against you, or insulted you or gossiped about you. How have you responded? Have you returned a blessing to those who curse you? Or like I, justified my reactions, ignoring the leading of the Spirit of God.
May God give us wisdom and power in loving our enemies.
Just got home from church and the message was on Deuteronomy 5:18, the seventh command in the Decalogue. It goes like this
“Don’t commit adultery”
It was a great message, speaking of the fact that marriage is a covenant, a binding oath of faithfulness that is defined by God and represents the ultimate wedding marriage of the Son with His Bride, the church.
His teaching was refreshing in the midst of a culture that wants to redefine the concept of marriage, or reject the practice of commitment. As I was listening to the message, I thought back over 40 years ago, when my future bride and I were considering our own vows, and the best way to approach the wedding that would honor God. One of the options my sweetie and I opted for was the practice of announcing “our banns”.
Banns is a method of publicizing a wedding within a church’s regular service, verbally speaking of the intention of marriage for the couple. Our particular church, a fellowship baptist church in Bracebridge Ontario, offered this opportunity for us and we felt it was honoring to the Lord and the people of God we fellowshipped with. After all, they knew us better than most and we trusted their opinions.
Of course no one brought forward any reason why this marriage should not happen, (whew) and we recently celebrated our 40th year together.
Why do I bring this up?
My wife and I took vows in front of God, and not in front of the state. I understand that for the great majority of folks who may not have had the opportunity to wed in the similar manner, this may sound pious and self righteous. This is not my intent. This manner of marriage emphasized in my future bride and my thoughts the authority of God without the State being an active player. We wanted to focus on His authority in our lives only and our commitment to each other. We were promising our selves to each other, and not simply satisfying a governmental legality to conform to societies norms.
He is good and we are simply thankful for His many mercies as we have stumbled through this pilgrimage. He provided me a wonderful wife, that I boast on both at work and in church.
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD. – Pro 18:22
He is kind. I have obtained favor from the LORD and she is my bestest friend! What a great life!
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 35 26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me! 27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” 28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
In our last post on this marvelous psalm, we came away with David’s plea for vindication, based not simply on his own blamelessness, but on the righteousness of God.
We spoke of the difference of vindication and vengeance, and reminded the reader that vindication is an overturning of a false conviction, of a clearing of his name, of regaining a good reputation.
In our closing verses above, David pulls back on his requests for active judgement from the Lord, and requests the passive allowance of God, that of letting his enemies fall into their own traps. David often draws on this type of request. A fuller discussion on it may be found in a previous post on this psalm (Psalms for Psome – Ps 35 – B)
In our verses considered this morning, David is summing up his prayer. He asked the Lord to allow his enemies to fall into their own trap, then in verses 22-24, boldly looked to the Lord for active deliverance from his enemies, in the form of vindicating his own actions. The truth will be established, even within his enemies hearts.
The result of this vindication of David is shame upon the enemies
Let them be put to shame and disappointed …
Shame and disappointment are often found together in the Word. As a matter of fact, the root word used here for disappointed is translated as ashamed or shame occasionally in the Old Testament, and is used to describe embarrassment. If I understand this phrase right, he is asking the Lord to allow his enemies to be put to shame and experience humiliation, embarrassment.
My friends, no one enjoys experiencing humiliation. To be humbled by forces beyond our control, by others that bring secrets to light, bringing shame into our lives is a horrible experience, cutting to the very soul. And yet, self humiliation is exalted in the Word. Self humiliation brings forgiveness.
Consider the humbling of Manasseh
Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel. – 2Ch 33:9 He (Manasseh) prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God. – 2Ch 33:13 And he (Amon – Manasseh’s son) did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made, and served them. – 2Ch 33:22 And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more. – 2Ch 33:23
David is seeking for his enemies to experience a humiliation, a reckoning with truth. Earlier in this psalm, David looked for his enemies to experience truth in their hearts. Now he is looking to have his enemies experience disappointment in their plans for him, for the truth to come out and all to see the evil that has been perpetrated on David.
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor …
I think David returns to the shame, dishonor and disappointment he prayed of earlier.
Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! – Psa 35:4
In our verse this morning he speaks of his enemies being clothed in shame and dishonor.
When you hear the term “be clothed”, what comes to mind?
I am not a “clothes” horse, as I would rather wear a raggedy pair of work pants and an old t-shirt, something that I “cloth” myself in. I value the appearance of being average, or even poor, and consider myself an ordinary fellow, one who tries not to put on airs. Nevertheless, at work I am sometimes called upon to wear a tie (ick), and even a suit jacket. (Say it isn’t so Carl.) This type of clothing does not “fit” me, and I feel out of place as I wear it. My internal person and outward expression are at odds with each other.
David is looking for these opponents to be clothed in shame and dishonor.
These enemies are to experience the shame, and not simply internally, without any of their peers knowing. These enemies are to be seen as “shamed” ones, men who are openly disappointed in their plans of wickedness and lies. They are to be put to shame, and also to be fully exposed to all of their shamefulness.
David is looking for their internal person and their outward expression is be the same.
David’s enemies did not delight in his righteousness. They sought to tear it down, to destroy it. They will experience shame, dishonor and disappointment
David’s fellows, those who delight in his righteousness, will shout for joy, and attribute to God the salvation of His servant. David also shall tell of God’s righteousness, and praise Him.
As we close on this psalm, let us consider on additional question.
Who is speaking in verse 27? Of course David wrote this verse, but throughout the psalm he appeals to his blamelessness, and God’s righteousness. Three verses refer to righteousness in this psalm.
Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! – Psalm 35:24 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” – Psalm 35:27 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long. – Psalm 35:28
Verse 24, David appeals to God’s righteousness. Verse 28, David again speaks of telling others of God’s righteousness.
Verse 27 contains the quandary. Is this the Lord speaking of His own righteousness through the Psalmist? Is this the Lord taking possession of this prayer and interjecting his own instruction? As if God is instructing those who delight in His righteousness to shout for joy. To say forever – Great is the LORD.
No other verse in this psalm refers to David as being righteous, only blameless. and as we saw earlier in a previous post, their is a difference.
He is righteous, totally balanced in all His wonderful attributes, without any inner conflict or external contradictions within His person
Occasionally I will be dwelling on a verse or passage, ruminating on the message, (or to be honest, wandering off into some undisciplined daydreaming), and the Lord will bless me with a truth that is so obvious, so fresh and such a blessing that I just want to share it with you.
It was a Friday morning and on my way to work, Mark 14 queued up as the scripture I was listening to. It is the night of the arrest of the Lord. The last Passover had been celebrated, and the Lord and His disciples were in Gethsemane. Jesus had spoke to His disciples about the betrayer being at hand, with Judas showing up immediately. Judas, a crowd with swords and clubs, and the religious elite.
Thugs and the religious elite!
Make note of that in your soul my friend. The religious elite were the driving force behind this abduction, this forced seizure of the Son of Man. Of course He knew. Jesus knew His future, and the settled action of the religious elite with their thugs.
Jesus was brought before the council, that of the high priest, the chief priest, the elders and the scribes. Of course this was at night, and the council sought outside testimony in order to convict the Lord. Eventually the council found no testimony that could be used against the Messiah. Frustration must have been at a fever level, and the chief priest could take it no longer.
60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 61 But he remained silent and made no answer. Mar 14:60-61a ESV
But He remained silent and made no answer. Jesus was in control.
Later that day, as I was chatting with my boss, he spoke of a fellow in our office, and his tendency to constantly talk when he is nervous.
I personally have been struggling recently with discussions in meetings with folks who speak over others, who are relentless in making themselves heard. In one discussion, I had to raise my voice to get the others attention. Why?
Is it that the message being touted is wrong? It may be, and there is a time when error has to be rebuked verbally. More on that later.
Is it that I am insecure? I gladly confess that I am insecure in my position, I have taken a position I am woefully unprepared for, and am going through the wringer in my adapting to new situations. Much of my struggle in clearly communicating messages stems from my professional inadequacy. Things are improving and for that I am thankful.
Is it that the other communicator is insecure. The more I listen and seek to “hear” the discussion, the more I am becoming aware of this possibility. Not all are such, but it helps to understand that we are all just a bit insecure.
But not Him. Not the Son of Man! He had the strength of character to remain silent.
I mentioned above that there is a time to rebuke error verbally. Based on the above Scripture, there is a time for quietness also. For the truth to be evident simply by it’s presence. Jesus remained silent and made no answer. Remember dear friend, that He knew what was ahead. The chief priest couldn’t hold back. He knew he had no case against the Son.
Mark 14:61 … the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
The chief priest was desperate. He gambled the entire proceedings on this question. No one else could help the chief priest in convicting the Holy One. The chief priest resorted to the very source of all truth.
Could Jesus have stayed silent? He didn’t.
Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, “I am…
As believers, we all know this single statement, the “I am” was the linchpin of truth that set the court in flames. Death was the verdict and the hatred began to be poured out on the Righteous One.
The characteristics of truth telling became a little clearer for me that morning. To tell the truth, to speak of reality instead of a façade of false hopes and empty dreams, to speak the truth properly is to have a characteristic of quietness, a security and a calmness.
Now I admit, I am imagining that as the Messiah spoke the truth of His identity, that He spoke it with a calmness and security. The text does not explicitly describe His demeanor, yet there is no “arguing” with the Chief Priest, but just a simple statement of the truth. Truth that would take Him to the cross.
Later that night, as my wife and I were ruminating through 1 Peter, we came across 3:15.
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, – 1Peter 3:15 ESV
Quietness, gentleness, respect. Such odd characteristics of truth tellers for us who can argue an opponent to the ground. Are we not to shout it from the roofs, defend our position with arguments of logic and reason. Yes, and yet the characteristic of truth telling cannot be denied. Quietness, gentleness, respect.
Truth is not so fragile that we should feel threatened if it is attacked. Truth seemingly can be defeated at times, with the lies of this world apparently gaining acceptance and power. This should not surprise us, as the battle has often appeared to be lost for those clinging to the truth. The Scriptures are multitudinous of this fact!
Truth can be crucified, but Truth does not stay down, does not go away and does not disappear.
Truth, as the Scripture above instructs us, is to be found in the the Lord Jesus Christ, the fountainhead of truth. Be settled in this fact. Sanctify the Lord Jesus in your heart. As the Lord Jesus abides with you, you will increase in your steadfastness, your settled confidence, your spirit of quietness. And you will naturally defend the truth with quietness, gentleness and respect.
The Truth is your friend. The lies we listen to are not. Seek Him. And experience a quietness of soul.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 35 22 You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! 23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord! 24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! 25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart’s desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
In our previous post, the psalmist was speaking of his enemies seeing the saints downfall, their weakened stance and eventual downfall. They were watching, waiting for the destruction of the saint.
His enemies were not the only ones watching. David has One that is also watching, seeing what is transpiring, the trials of the saint, the plots of the wicked and the fears of the saint. But the One has been quiet, allowing the plans to progress. David has previously requested that God allows his enemies to simply fall into their own pit, as we discussed in (Psalms for Psome – Ps 35 – B) . Verse 4-6 is a good example of this desire
Let them be put to shame and dishonor…
Let them be turned back and disappointed ….
Let them be like chaff before the wind….
Let their way be dark and slippery…
At this point, he is seeking vindication. Justice and vengeance upon his enemies is sought, and David is trying to get some action out of the Master. He is seeking a decree against his enemies from the Lord, not simply allowing them to fall into their own pit. He accuses God of napping, of sleeping on the job.
David knows better than to accuse the Great I Am of being asleep. But this is an Hebrew poet, an Old Testament prophet reaching out to His God, expressing his heart, opening up to the One who has held back. Pressure is mounting and he needs his God to rescue him. No longer is David simply asking for God’s passive allowance of “non protection”, at this point, he is looking for active deliverance.
Vindication.
To be vindicated!
When I think of vindication, I think of revenge, revenge on the enemy. In the paragraph above, I implied that vindication and judgement is the same thing. But I think I think wrongly! To be vindicated is to be accused of an wrongdoing, and subsequently proven to be without blame, the accusation disproven.
Throughout this psalm, David has spoke of his blamelessness, of his enemies rising up against him without cause. David is not asking the Lord to bend justice for him, to show him mercy, to forgive his sin. He simply desires to be vindicated, to be proven that the accusations are false and that his actions were blameless.
Beyond basing this vindication upon his own blamelessness, which he stands in, David appeals to God’s righteousness. David does not trust in his own blamelessness, but appeals to the very righteousness of God. This sentiment is somewhat similar to Paul’s statement regarding his own blamelessness (not aware of anything against myself..)
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. – 1Co 4:3-4 ESV
It is the Lord who judges. He is the only one who has the right to judge, to declare a judicial sentence!
Verse 25 closes this portion with David seeking his vindication to be realized in the hearts of his enemies. He is not looking for some earthly court to make a statement that, though legal, could be denied or mocked. David is looking for his enemies to realize their own wrongdoing, to not say in their hearts Aha.
Again, this vindication David is seeking is for the benefit of his enemies, not an act of revenge or seeking retribution upon them. He is looking for truth to be established, even in his enemies lives. This is truly incredible.
Don’t confuse vindication with vengeance, or revenge. The Lord is the One who owns vengeance
“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
David sought vindication, based on truth, on the righteousness of God. He stood on his blamelessness, yet appealed to the righteousness of God in seeking vindication.
We need to seek a blameless life out of love for His goodness to us, and yet realize we need to depend on His righteousness to deliver us.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book. Let’s continue with the 35th Psalm.
Psalm 35 19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. 20 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. 21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”
David returns to the thought of unearned enemies, of hatred that is not deserved, of war that is unwarranted. We must remember, that in the prior to and in the midst of this trial, David had done no wrong, other than to follow after his God. These enemies are wrongfully his foes!
In the midst of a trial, as believers, we are to maintain a blameless character, with no deceit, anger or malice towards others, even our underserved enemies. (Consider Psalms for Psome – Ps 35 – C)
Speech and Sight
David, in this portion of the psalm, speaks of the recurring actions of his friends who have turned against him. These foes exercise their earthly senses of sight, giving them a sense of hope, of confidence and of victory!
Verse 19 speaks of David’s request to the Lord for His restraint upon those who are against him. David has entered this stance in prayer before in verse 4 through 6, and we have discussed this previously (check out Psalms for Psome – Ps 35 – B)
David continues describing the natural outgrowth of the man that knows no peace. Those who know not the Lord, that have no peace, can only speak of what they know.
They do not speak peace. This is simply a statement of negation, a statement that does not impact the believer. But you must understand that a vacuum of peace, creates the void for war. It is similar to the picture of light and darkness. Darkness is present because of no light! War is present because their is no peace.
“There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” – Isa 48:22 ESV
There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” – Isa 57:21 ESV
Due to the experience of “no peace” in the unwarranted enemy, to simply “not speak peace” is not enough for them. War shall come out of the void.
Of course, for our current situation, cultural and social restrictions have held back this war like tendency toward the peace seeking believer, upon the “quiet in the land”, but I ask you – Is this barrier falling? If so, is your peace remaining? Do you know of the Lord’s kindness, of His mercy, even in the midst of pain and disappointment?
But I digress.
In the midst of David’s trial, his foes devised words of deceit. They calculated, conceived and fabricated a story to destroy. This is a planned intentional attack against the “quiet of the land”, against those who seek peace.
…that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. – 1Ti 2:2 ESV
My friends, this post is not intended to create paranoia in the believer, to the extent that all we see is deception, the plans of the wicked, those who seek our destruction! It is true we have an enemy, but we also know the Great I Am, who has not only proven His great cunning and strategy in the victory of the cross, but more importantly, in the same victory of the cross, exhibited His great love for those who are in David’s place of vulnerability. We must continue to keep our eyes on Him, even in the midst of the erosion of our social and cultural norms. These norms are not to be considered our protection, but only the Lord our God.
But again, I digress.
Our unwarranted enemies will mock us, spitting out “Aha aha” in the hope of seeing their victories over us. For a time, they may witness our seeming defeats. We need to be prepared for a battle with those who are against the very Prince of Peace.
…and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6 ESV
The trials we may enter into, if we are following after Him, will be turned around, will be used by our Father to bring about our deliverance.
In our next post, we will see that our foes are not the only ones watching!
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 35 17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! 18 I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
We have been in Psalm 35 for a time and yet it continues to draw me in, to connect with experiences I have lived through. I suppose that is one of the many allures of the Psalms, especially for believers who are “up in years”
Yes, as a young believer, I read the psalms, but mostly out of duty and a desire to communicate truths to others. I focused on the famous prophetic psalms, speaking of the future Messiah, or circumstances that reveal His person or life in poetry. Passages that were obviously referring to His life and death, such as Psalm 22.
Oh yes I was told that the psalms would draw me in as I age in the Lord, and lo and behold those believers were right! They are a constant partner as I dwell in them and connect my experiences with the psalmist.
The first verse we are looking at today is specifically relevant to those who have waited on the Lord for a deliverance, for an answer to prayer.
Of course the author was speaking of a threat to his very life. In the bigger picture, when considering the greater David, Jesus had to go through death to deliver us from death.
Is this not instructive for us?
The very trial that we are entering, or going through may be the very vehicle that will be used by God Almighty to deliver us from a far greater danger?
And the time element! Ah – the time element! We can’t forget about the time passing for the saint, for the extended time of trial that the saint is experiencing? The tic tic tic of the clock as we are in the midst of a trial. The constant unknown of how long, how long must I forge through this trouble?
How long? How long will God wait?
Such is a recurrent theme through the Word, of those saints dependent on the Lord, and yet somewhat disappointed, discouraged, even despondent that the deliverance has not occurred quickly.
On top of this general question of the time delay, this complaint adds a personal pain. How long o Lord will you look on?
The author recognizes that God sees the trouble and is waiting. God knows of the saint’s trial, and is apparently on stand by. He sees the saint suffering and seemingly simply watches.
As a believer, this is sometimes the most difficult aspect of any delay in deliverance. Those who have no God to trust can avoid some trials by merely capitulating to a circumstance to get relief. If they cannot escape the suffering, bitterness, anger or even hatred are the only responses they have.
For those who know the Lord, and trust His direction in life, seeking to live the inner life of love, joy and peace, the very knowledge of God’s ability over all things makes it much more difficult to understand any delay.
“I thought You loved me!” “How can you let me suffer?” “How can you let me suffer for extended periods of time?”
You see, I phrased the above problem in such a way as to reflect my common complaint. I want to understand the suffering. Good luck with that Carl! How often have I wanted the questions answered when the questions will NOT be answered!
God the Father is under no obligation to answer any question we demand of Him, and yet He promises comfort and peace in the knowledge that the Son has passed through trials beyond our comprehension. He has provided the Spirit of God to indwell us in the trial, and to provide peace as we seek God’s will.
Trials for the believer are to be expected. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Realize that as a believer, suffering is part of the calling to follow.
And yet even the Lord Himself, in the midst of the crucifixion, asked….
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Mat 27:46 ESV
Therefore, ask away. The prophets asked questions. The apostles asked questions, The fathers asked questions. Asking “Why” is not wrong when we are coming before an all powerful, all knowing Savior, for He is not a petty authority that cannot handle questions about His will. He is the sovereign God of the universe, of all creation. His wisdom, will and understanding is beyond us. His love for us is where we need to reside, to rest in, to abide. To recognize that His death for us, in the middle of a “WHY”, allows for our understanding to be unfulfilled and yet enough!
It is enough that we thank Him in the midst of uncertainty, or unanswered questions, of fears and dangers. Among those who are not only in the great congregation, but also among the mighty throng!
I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 35 15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; 16 like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth.
Gathering Together
Here we see David’s undeserved enemies rejoicing and gathering around the saint in trouble, the saint who stumbles. There is nothing that unites the evil ones like the apparent weakness of the saint.
As an example of this principle, notice that when the Christ was brought low, when He appeared to be weak, both Pilate and Herod became friends. But they hated each other before this!
12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. – Luke 23:12 ESV
Nothing brings the lowest of the wretches together like the appearance of the saint ready to be devoured, to be destroyed and to be overcome.
The stumbling of the saint, that is referred to may be translated as a limping, or halting, or even imply a sudden slip.
How can we describe this “stumbling” in regard to the Messiah, for surely he committed no sin, neither was their guile in his mouth. He was the sinless One, and yet, He took the position of the guilty. He spoke the truth of His person, and those who were His enemies (without cause), used the truth to condemn the guiltless One.
Although His enemies knew it not, they had One ally, One helper in this upside down mystery. The Son allowed this injustice to occur. Could He not have called upon His Father for assistance, for twelve legions of angels to deliver Him?
Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? – Mat 26:53 ESV
And yet He stood down, He entered into this circus of contradiction with one purpose, one goal. He knew what was in the heart of men, He knew the trial before Him, and He allowed them to gather in unison against Him, to tear at His life, to mock and deride, and finally, even beyond any description of the passage we are in, to enter into death for His very enemies.
Rejoicing
Not only did they gather together, they rejoiced in this rejection of truth, their utter hatred of the Son. For they knew this was the Messiah. The leaders knew. And the Lord had told them they knew. (Consider Parable Surprises – Wicked Servants). There was no hiding behind ignorance, this was blind hatred for God and His Messiah.
What power hungry, insane hearts dwelled in those who sought the Saviors life. What utter confidence in the will of God for the Savior to accept this lot, this trial, to work out this act of obedience!
These wretches tore at Him without ceasing, gnashing at Him with their teeth. Slander was slung upon the righteous One, upon the guiltless One. The One who made no false statement, suffered under the false statements hurled at Him. Not only false statements cast upon His spotless character and His Royal Person, but to the extent of His death, the death of the cross.
All the while as those enemies rejoiced over His (voluntary) stumbling!
Gnashing of Teeth
They gnashed at Him.
Gnashing is not a term I often use, but in the providence of God, I had just finished a quick study in the New Testament on this very term (See Parable Surprises – Wedding Banquet)
I found that gnashing of teeth, at least in the New Testament, referred to rage, anger and fury. Of course I was looking only at the New Testament use of the Greek terms used. This morning, let us venture into a short study, discovering the Old Testament usage of this term, and its related emotions.
The Hebrew word for gnashing is ḥāraq and is used four other times beyond our passage in Psalm 35.
He has torn me in his wrath and hated me; he has gnashed his teeth at me; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me. – Job 16:9 ESV
Gnashing of teeth is associated with wrath and hatred in this verse, and also, quite interestingly, of wicked devices against the victim, of the sharpening of the eyes! This may come up again in one of our next verses!
The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, – Psa 37:12 ESV
Again, this passage speaks of plotting, planning against the righteous.
The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish! – Psa 112:10 ESV
Gnashing of teeth is the result of the anger the wicked man experiences.
All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: “We have swallowed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!” – Lam 2:16 ESV
Gnashing of teeth in this passage is associated with railing against the victim, of protesting or criticizing against Him. Anger may be a part of this experience, but there is also an apparent victory in this instance, of a longing accomplished, of the plotting realized, and yet the gnashing of teeth is still spoken of. No peace, even in the midst of their long desired victory!
This gnashing of teeth is associated with anger and rage. Blind fury of those against the Son, resulted in the gnashing of teeth. The wicked experience no peace, even in attaining the very thing they sought for. No peace for the wicked in their evil devices!
“There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” – Isa 48:22 ESV
How utterly contradictory is the desire of the wicked and the associated results of their plots.
Be careful Christian, in finding delight in the fall of a believer. You may be joining with a bad crowd!
Recently I was chatting with a friend who was in the middle, even during the discussion, of seeing her funds being taken from her general banking account. Turns out the electronic theft amounted to close to $2,000. Understandably, she was perty upset. At one point, she called the thief a scumbag and it surprised me, since she sought to live a life that honors God. Of course, I think she regretted it as she spoke it, but it made me think!
To call someone a scumbag, I fear, sends off alarms.
Let me explain.
What separates me from this thief? Is it a matter of nature? Are Christians of a better nature, or inherently better? Without the Lord, would I not succumb to the desire of taking something someone else owns? I can’t say I would. Even as a believer, I find that desire welling up in me at times.
The human heart has a darkness to it that is constantly fighting to control the owner. Societal, cultural and familial pressures keep that darkness at bay for some of us, but it does not eradicate this tendency of self love. Even the believer, one who seeks God and desires a close walk with God will admit to a deep sense of sinfulness as they walk closer with the Lord.
…a judging spirit toward those who hurt me may signal a loss of sight of my own sinfulness.
Sensing this darkness, this willingness to wander is the issue. We are all thieves, but for the grace of God. My point today is that a judging spirit toward those who hurt me may signal a loss of sight of my own sinfulness.
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. – 2Pe 1:9
Please don’t assume that I am justifying this thief’s actions! He should be caught, tried and given a just punishment by the proper authorities. Society is dependent on the rule of law.
Of course, judgment is defeated by mercy, and this is freely offered to each of us! We need to live in this sphere of mercy over judgment in order to live the life we are called to.
For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. – Jas 2:13
My point is that we need to realize our dependency on the Lord for rescuing us from this dark desire, from this love of self that manifest itself in thievery, adultery, idolatry, murder and all such things that do not honor the God we serve.
And we need to remember who we are.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2Corinthians 3:18
Who are we, that claim to trust the Living Savior? Sinners being saved by the Lord. Our holy God, sacrificed His perfect life for our wretched lives, in order to bring about souls transformed into a state of glory. And this glory, this transformation of the Lord consists of a humility of heart, of a realization of our weakness, and dependence on our God.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 35
13 But I, when they were sick– I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.
David continues, speaking of his actions towards those who rose up against him, toward those who became malicious witnesses against him.
I know of no time when David was brought before a court and had witnesses rise up formally, but I have read where the greater David literally had malicious witnesses in a mock court rise up against Him. David is describing his actions toward his undeserved enemies. How much truer are these descriptions of the Lord Jesus in His determined love towards us?
Sackcloth
Sackcloth is typically an outward expression of deep inner grief. Consider Psalm 69, where the psalmist describes another instance of wearing sackcloth.
10 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. 11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. – Psa 69:10-11 ESV
His wearing of sackcloth was associated with weeping and the self humbling act of fasting. How can I not refer you to the prophecy of Isaiah, describing the Messiah as a Man of sorrow, acquainted with grief?
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. – Isa 53:3 ESV
Affliction
As I mentioned above, sackcloth is often associated with fasting in the Old Testament, and this fasting should be considered in the most basic understanding of denial. When I hear of fasting, it is true that it is often associated with food. To go without food for a period of time.
As a practical application, I have exercised this practice and would recommend it for the sake of meeting with the Lord in the times of denial. I would caution you however, that fasting may become an act of self righteousness if understood incorrectly. You see I fasted twice a week (I know – I sound like a Pharisee I read about somewhere!) In honesty I didn’t inform anyone I was doing this, other than my sweet wife who wanted to feed me. But I often congratulated myself for my pious works, my dedication and faithfulness.
What utter hogwash, for as I was fasting, I would look up fasting passages in the Word to give me strength and support during my fast.
Until I came across Isaiah 58:1-12. This passage tore a hole in my righteous balloon. It is such a passage that if you are concerned about the Lord’s attitude towards fasting, you need to leave this post, find the passage and dwell, meditate, and understand this description of God’s intent of fasting for the believer.
Are we to fast? Yes.
The affliction we are to put ourselves under may be surprising if you consider Isaiah 58. How little I truly practice the correct, proper practice of fasting! How perfectly and righteously the Lord Jesus performed true fasting.
Prayer
What can I say about prayer that the believer doesn’t already know. I speak as a man who realizes his prayer life is weak. But the intent of this post is not to dwell on myself, which I do too much.
Please realize that the prayer David speaks of is the prayer of one in grief, in sorrow and sadness, of one in confusion and under persecution. In the greater story, it is a description of the Greater David, and of His prayers for His enemies, of the grief He experienced during His passage through His ministry, of His great determination to seek us out and to go through such suffering for His creation, His people, His enemies.
Grieving
Is this not the summary phrase of the psalmist’s attitude towards his enemies, those who rose up against him?
Is not the Greater David in grief over His enemies sickness, His enemies pain and suffering?
When we consider the great exchange, the transfer of grief for joy, the exchange of poverty for riches, the trade of death for life, how can we not stand in wonder of His great love.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 35 11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft.
Verse 9 & 10, as discussed in our previous post, were verses of praise, yet as we find in the context of the psalm, we were in the midst of great confusion. Verse 7 & 8 describe the psalmist’s confusion over the reaction he experienced from his enemies over his good actions. They sought to trap him without cause!
We are now entering into the psalmists confusion again, where he describes his actions of love and mercy towards those who become and are his enemies.
But before we jump into our current verses, lets consider the last time you were confused with God’s working in your life. Have you had terrible things happen to you, even good friends turn on you, become enemies? In the midst of sacrificing for another, has someone thrown it back in your face?
I may not be speaking of the depth of hatred David is speaking of here, but of the daily occurrence’s when a friend says something hurtful, when a loved one seemingly acts out of character to you. Does this knock you off your position of praise to God in your life? Do you, in the midst of a confusing time, look at the surroundings and get your eyes off the Lord?
This is far too common of an experience for myself. I desperately need to understand that God is good, all the time! If we maintain our daily focus on God and His goodness, confusing times will only strengthen us, for He is to be the center of our faith, not our perceptions and understanding of the surroundings.
For we walk by …
Back to our Psalm. David speaks in verse 12 & 13 of his enemies actions toward him.
Verse 12 speaks of a courtroom setting, of witnesses of violence rising up, establishing themselves as an authority, and questioning David as if he had committed crimes. This is surely speaking the the greater David, of the accusations hurled on our Savior, as He took our punishment, our blame, our judgement, our hatred. We are the malicious witness in the grand story. We rise up, and we blame God for things he has never thought of. The evil we conjure up, we place on Him.
We need to admit to our sinfulness.
Is this not where David takes us in verse 12. These evil witnesses repay His goodness with evil. Consider. As we seek to follow the Risen One, to depend on His Word and Spirit, our fruit will be to repay no man evil, but only good.
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. – 1Th 5:15 ESV
In this psalm, we are confronted with two paths. One where evil is dished out on good actions, and one where acts of goodness is dished out on evil.
Considering the Bible 