January 1, 2020 -- Psalm 119:85 -- When the Insolent are filled with amazing grace

The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;

they do not live according to your law.

Psalm 119:85 English Standard Version

Ever notice that when you sin, no lights and sirens go off?! It is not as if you sin and immediately there is a sharp shock, as if from a divine cattle prod, that brings you back into line. The insolent dig pitfalls for the believers because they are sinning without any awareness of the consequences of their actions. The insolent prepare evil for those who are obedient to the Living God because they cannot see the Living God of Vengeance seated on His throne, the very One Who will rise up to judge the living and the dead.

What a simple statement the psalmist makes about the insolent: “they do not live according to your law.” That statement seems almost banal and cliché. What is the significance of it? In making this statement, the psalmist realizes that he too was once insolent. He was working against the glory of God. But now has recognized the law of God is a tremendous gift from his Father in heaven.

The law of God shows him the error of his own ways. When no lights, sirens, or buzzers go off when one sins, then how can one be sure what sin really is? In Romans 7 the apostle Paul noted he would not know what sin was unless he had been instructed by the law.

The law of God proves to me what my own intellect and conscience are unable to prove or admit. There is a divine standard: the law of God. It is an impartial standard applied to all people. I am so ready to confess someone else’s sins…but my own are harder to name or define. Ray Pritchard wrote quite piercingly how this works in our lives:

You lose your temper; I have righteous anger.

You’re a jerk; I’m having a bad day.

You curse and swear; I let off steam.

You’re pushy; I’m intensely goal oriented.

You’re greedy; I’m simply taking care of business.

Ray Pritchard An Anchor for the Soul. Chicago: Moody Press, 2011. page 49

When the law of God leads me to see myself as I truly am, then I confess my own insolence. Then I confess my sins and name them before God. Then I know, in light of my own great sinfulness, I need the Savior, Jesus Christ. There no way in which anyone could ever say “God lucky to have a good guy like me”. The stark truth is: I am a wretched sinner—exactly as the Bible says I am; exactly like “Amazing Grace” names it: Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”

That is exactly why salvation is so glorious and merciful. God, full of compassion and mercy, stooped down to seek and save lost sinners. God the Father sent the Son so that there would be a way of salvation. The Father and the Son give to believers the Holy Spirit. We need the Spirit of God so that we will see our sin for exactly what it is: sin. Then, by faith, we will see our need for Jesus and then in grateful humility we will see He is God’s greatest gift given is Jesus. We will reach out and cry: Jesus rule in all our hearts alone!

How glorious You are, Father in heaven. How great and extravagant is Your grace, shown us so perfectly in Jesus Christ. Father, may Your Holy Spirit stir up in us an ever greater understanding of Your law, our sinfulness, and the tremendous mercy that is given to us who believe in Jesus Christ. As 2020 unfolds, may our life and actions, thoughts and words show we have given up our insolent ways and desire to walk in humble, joy-filled obedience to You, no matter our circumstances. Blessed are You, O God. Amen.

If you have an extra minute or two, watch this rendition of “Amazing Grace”

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=amazing+grace&docid=607986116575167551&mid=EF88CFD508ADD88E29F0EF88CFD508ADD88E29F0&view=detail&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dlyrics%2bto%2bamazing%2bgrace%26form%3dEDGNTT%26qs%3dPF%26cvid%3d8a63f52bbb7b46288de9d217dcc71d04%26refig%3dce2b8d2601654cf2ef0e12303b4ceae9%26cc%3dCA%26setlang%3den-US%26plvar%3d0%26PC%3dASTS

December 31, 2019 -- Psalm 119:84 -- Can Persecution be used by God?

How long must your servant endure?

When will you judge those who persecute me?

Psalm 119:84 English Standard Version

There is such urgency in this brief text that the original language has no verb in the first phrase. Literally it is: “What days Your slave?” Notice it is the slave or the servant of the LORD Who is crying out. He realizes he has no rights. He realizes he is defenseless. He has no power. He has no tools or mechanisms at his disposal to make things right. And he no ability to defend himself. The Master of the Slave has the right, the ability, the power and legal right to judge the actions of His slave and the one who persecutes the slave.

Perhaps the slave is persecuted at the Master’s pleasure, for the purification of the slave.

Perhaps the slave is persecuted in order to learn greater dependence on the Master.

Notice that the slave knows it is the right of the Master to judge. He judges either to sin or righteousness. The LORD of Heaven and Earth will judge the actions sinful and therefore give consequences; or the LORD will judge actions righteous and the slave will learn from this and therefore grow in righteousness.

It is a question that the slave brings to his Master. He wonders is this an instance of persecution for purification in which case I will need Your help, O God Who sustains us? Or is this an instance where one is judged unto sin and therefore the persecution will soon stop? In either instance, the slave is aware that he would be inclined to consider his own actions in a favourable light while considering the actions or motives of others in unfavourable shades.

How true it is: I hate the sins of others. My own sins I consider to be trivial. John Calvin noted: “Unless men are struck forcefully they have no sense of divine judgment.” Perhaps the LORD of God needed to have His slave forcefully struck so that his own sins would be revealed to him and his utter dependence on and need for God would be fully revealed to him.

Spirit of God, keep me from somnambulating. Whatever trial I am enduring, whatever great trouble is afflicting me, use it to rouse my soul and mind to wakefulness and watchfulness so that I will guard myself in the holiness given to me in Christ. Holy Spirit lead me in the path of forgiveness—offering and receiving forgiveness—so that I will walk blamelessly in communion with the Father in heaven. Amen.

December 30, 2019 -- Psalm 119:83 - - Wineskins in the smoky trials

For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,

yet I have not forgotten your statutes.

Psalm 119:83 English Standard Version

There are very many interpretations of this enigmatic text. Since those of us living in West generally don’t use wineskins to hold wine this verse took some digging to figure out. Wineskins are “bottles made of animal skin” made by sewing such skins together. If the wineskin is new and filled, then it is placed over the smoke so that in moderate heat the wine inside ages and matures properly. Alternatively, if the wineskin is empty, then it shrivels if it is over the smoky fire.

The interpretative key is in the next line: “Yet I have not forgotten your statutes”. The writer of this Psalm, while expressing feelings of emptiness and longing, has make a conscious decision to fill his heart and mind with the statutes of God. Without such statutes—which are the laws of God that have been tested and proved to be valid—the psalmist is empty and shriveled. Without the statutes of God he has no defense against the chaos of the world around him. When he is filled with the knowledge of God’s statutes, he compares that to a wineskin filled with new wine, which, when set over a smoking fire becomes properly aged and perfected. He is, through the circumstances of his life, maturing for the glory of God.

The patterns of our sinfulness have already been well-established in our lives. If we are honest with ourselves we must admit we run to our sins at the least little hiccup in our lives. We want to be soothed, we seek to please ourselves. Yet, ultimately, such strategies fail. In sharp contrast, the psalmist has realized the only way to live when the smoky trials rise against him, is to be filled with the knowledge of God. By studying them and learning them he is allowing God’s statutes and His promises to flow into every part of his life. As we are filling ourselves and filled with the Word of God, the trials and sufferings of our life will serve to age and mature us well in His holy service.

A whole new year is nearly upon us. May 2020 be a year of clarity for you—one in which you make the resolution to keep the word of God clearly in view and by living it out every day so prove it to be true. And seeing the truth of God’s word and how by it you stand firm in every trial, you then will see—in ever greater measure—the glory of God. May you know Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Word.

May the Spirit of God direct you to the spout

where the blessings of God are poured out

and the Kingdom of Christ is rises all about.

Spirit of the Living God, we confess to turning away from trials and struggles which You have appointed for us to endure so that we would be matured and perfected. We pray, Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds so that in all humility we will be filled with the statutes of God our Father, delighting in the Word of God, which brings us to Jesus Christ. May it be our resolution in 2020 to be filled with Your Word, Mighty God, so by Your Word and the Spirit’s work of sealing it in us, You will be our Guide and Savior, King and Counselor in all things. Amen.

December 26, 2019 -- Psalm 119:82 -- Delayed gratification

My eyes long for your promise;

I ask, “When will you comfort me?”

Psalm 119:82 English Standard Version

The word in Hebrew for eyes in other contexts is translated fountains of water. That seems so appropriate, our eyes are fountains of tears when we are longing for something denied us. Why would the LORD our God delay in answering us? Why does the psalmist have to wait?

God delays His comfort when we are asking only half-heartedly.

God delays His comfort when we are asking for things not according to His promise, rather, we are seeking things that would be destructive to us.

God delays His comfort when we are cherishing sin in our hearts and therefore are not sincere in our desire to truly long for Him. We want God and we want to serve our own longings.

God delays His comfort when we are used to instant gratification. We want something. We get it. We acquire it. We order it.no.matter.the.cost: credit, hurting others, going into debt, acquiring something we already have in order to get the latest model and so on.

Our Father does not give in to our lust for instant gratification, He works in us by His Spirit to train our longings. His delays refine us. We begin to see that our desires can only be truly satisfied in knowing Jesus Christ. He is the Promise of God. The original language names Jesus not as the promise but as the Word of God—that is in keeping with the Gospel of John and the letters of John.

This passage reminds us God is in charge. He is the Master. He is the Source of every good in our lives. We are His slaves. We are His people dependent on Him for every good thing. We do not approach demanding. We approach Him aware of His mercy shown us in Jesus Christ. We cry out to Him with tears because the Spirit Who lives in us, knows the deep things of our heart and brings our very selves to our Master Craftsman. We see the standard He has set for us and in our times of waiting for His comfort we realize how much we fall short of such standards. Even so, we are His workmanship and He will refine us, plane us, chisel us, and mold us accomplishing His purposes in us, and through us and through the community He has placed us in until His glory shines out most clearly.

Gracious Lord, yourself impart, Light of light from God proceeding;

open lips and ears and heart; help us by your Spirit’s leading.

Hear the cry your church now raises; Lord, accept our prayers and praises. Amen.

Text: Tobias Clausnitzer, 1663 tr. Catherine Winkworth

Tune: Johann R. Ahle, 1664

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhbTXFHv5Uc

December 25, 2019 -- Psalm 119:81 -- Do you know it's Christmas?

My soul longs for your salvation;

I hope in your word.

Psalm 119:81 English Standard Version

Christmas Day—and our text today read: “My soul longs for your salvation”. On the way home from a prison visit I was listening to the radio. Stations would fade in and out of range, so I was listening to a variety of stations. The country station had Garth Brooks and his wife singing a Christmas song. The rock station had “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” 1984 Band Aid. Everyone it seems, from garish rocks stars to classical musicians, including those who through the rest of the year would only use the Name of our Saviour as a curse word now earnestly sing songs of His salvation. Why is that?

Our souls are formed and created for relationship with God. At Christmas and Easter particularly even our secular culture knows there is a something significant celebrated by those who by the grace of God have been drawn by His Spirit into a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. Though they mimic it and try to copy it, their souls are not satisfied.

Thirty years later you can read the biographies of those who participated in Band Aid. One went on to have multiple drug arrests. On Christmas Day 2016, at 53 years of age, he died at home of “natural causes”. You can go down the list and read the various biographies of those involved and see the drama and trauma left in their wake. Another one has a long history of drug abuse, holding someone against their will and beating this person. The real and piercing question could be asked of each of the Band Aid participants: do they know it’s Christmas? Do they know the significance of Christ—born a child and yet a king? Born to save His people from death and the grave.

All of us need a hope and a standard that is outside of ourselves. The psalm-writer knows his only hope is in the Word of God. The written word drives him with the eyes of faith to see the Living Word—Jesus Christ. From our vantage point in history we have the privilege of reading the completed Bible: Jesus has come. He bore the punishment of God against our sin. He rose victorious conquering death, the grave and hell. The longing of our souls can only be satisfied in knowing Jesus Christ.

If you do not yet know Jesus in this way I have just described: pray to the Spirit of God and ask Him to reveal Jesus to you in a rich way. Read the Scripture and pray until the knowledge of Jesus Christ is for you such sweetness and life that your soul’s longing is sated and filled. Call a Christian friend, whose walk you admire and ask about his (or her) faith. Dear Christian friends, as you rejoice, I urge you be sensitive to the Spirit and prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the rich hope that lives in you.

LORD of Christmas glory and daily splendours so magnificent and triumphant blessed be Your Name! Father in heaven, thank You for Your love and justice so rich and full that You have given us Jesus the Savior. Blessed Spirit of the Living God, thank You for taking the truth of Scripture and filling our hearts and longing souls with the refreshment which can only be found in Jesus Christ. Thank You, Jesus, hope of all the world, Desired One of all nations. May Your Name be praised in ever growing choruses until You return with Your saints and holy ones! Today especially, mighty Savior, we pray for our friends and family members who don’t yet know you. We pray that the Christmas story will awaken the longing of their souls and Your Spirit will bring them to the knowledge of Who You Are. We pray for those who are cultural icons—may they truly know it is Christmas and know the significance of that wonderful statement. Amen.

December 23, 2019 -- Psalm 119:80 -- Shameless service to our King

May my heart be blameless in your statutes,

that I may not be put to shame.

Psalm 119:80 English Standard Version

This is the final verse of this stanza. This stanza is considered by some to be a prayer uttered while in fiery trial. As such it makes sense that the final sentence of the prayer is asking for a blameless heart—that is a direct reference to verse 1 where the blessedness of God is found among the blameless.

Without the Spirit of God to direct us, we are likely to pull back from the statutes of the Living God. We have our own standards of morality and conduct, right and wrong. However, our view of right and wrong is affected by our sinful affections, and our strong inclination to view our own sinfulness with indulgence while judging others with harshness. Here the Psalmist is asking that his heart will lean into the statutes of God—the laws of God which are tested and proved to be right and True and altogether excellent as the pathway for the people of God—and to lean into these statutes without any hesitation.

Whatever we do or say is closely observed by the people around us. In church, in our family, in the workplace, in the coffee shop—people who know we are Christians will carefully watch us to see whether or not we are consistent. Our name and reputation is linked to the King of Glory. What we say and do among our peers either brings His reputation to honour or shame.

When we are shamed, His reputation is marred. Let me be clear—the Glory of God is great. He is Perfect. He is Just. He is loving. He cannot be tarnished by our words or deeds. We are discredited. We are guilty. We are dishonourable. However, sinners who watch us link our actions to the account of our God—they do so wrongly—but it is a sharp warning that we as Christians must strive to be above reproach. We are called to live for His honour. When we fail, when our words and actions are out of step, we must be prepared to confess this completely.

Little wonder then, that the Psalmist urgently prays that he not be put to shame—his desire is that the excellencies of the Majestic High King of Heaven be openly viewed and blessed by others. Ah, fellow Christian, may this prayer be answered. Let the blessings of God’s statutes, and the mighty perfections of His laws be the joyful course of your life that leads you to rejoice in the blessedness of God our Father, God our Savior and God the Comforter of all true believers.

You, Creator God, have made us and You know the purposes for which You give us breath and life. By Your Spirit keep our feet in the paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake. For Your honour and glory, help us to keep short accounts—quickly aware of our sins, equally quick to confess them and seeking to repair community with You, Jesus our Savior, and restore community with our peers. Thank You for the extravagant patience You show us, Triune God. Thank You for working out our impurities and imperfections on the anvil of affliction and bringing us to exhilaration which is found where there is freedom from sin and freedom to live holy service to You. Amen.

December 21, 2019 -- Psalm 119:79 -- Exulting in the Fear of the LORD

Let those who fear you turn to me

that they may know your testimonies.

Psalm 119:79 English Standard Version

This is the second time in this stanza we encounter the expression: “fear you”. It is shorthand for the fuller expression “the fear of the LORD”. The fear of the LORD is an expression used dozens of times in the Bible:

It can be defined as a continual awareness that you are in the presence of

a holy, just, and almighty God, and that every motive, thought, word and action

is open before Him and will be judged by Him.

Definition from: Institute in Basic Life Principles

Those who fear the LORD recognize such in the lives of others when they meet them. You might meet someone who seems more alive, charismatic, someone to whom you are drawn and want to know better. For the Christian this happens when you meet another Christian. The Spirit of Jesus residing in you, recognizes another believer who walks in Jesus’ healing work and therefore knows and lives in the Fear of the LORD.

The writer of the Psalm is noting when one’s life shines for the glory of God, others are drawn to that person. When we are in the fire of His refining work, other Christians become for us, dearer and more precious. As their lives bear witness to the King of Glory, they remind us to hold fast to God—even more importantly than that—to know and believe that nothing and no one can snatch us out of His Fatherly hand.

One of the great mysteries for those outside the faith looking in is this: Where sins abound, where there are lots of sins, the grace and forgiveness of God abounds and increases even more. So, the cynic and the non-Christian ask: well then, sin away and let God’s super abundant grace flow over everything. Since God’s rich, wide, abundant, and healing, mercies are poured out on those who are in Jesus Christ, so nothing can take them from their Father. Why not sin away knowing God won’t cast them out? Ah, such a questioner has missed the point.

When the believer is griped by the grace and love of God—the Father Who would not let the devil have us and torment us; the Son Who willingly becomes the sacrifice that takes away our sin and paid the penalty in full for the sins we had committed; and the Spirit Who takes the great Truth of the Bible and shows us we are no longer enslaved to sins and addictions and ways that can only lead to death and hell—then our hearts soar. We long for the testimonies of the Living God—our very souls cry out: help me to know how to walk, how to live, how to serve You alone. We have already crunched between our teeth the pebbles of sin and crunched down on the banquet of sand that is sin and misery which is all the devil can offer and found it to be wanting—uselessness and death.

Now, fellow believer, now that we have tasted grace and walked in expansive love, we realize there is nothing like it. We cannot get enough of Him. We walk in the ways of God our Father because our souls find delight in Him. All other vices and all our former sins are exposed as death by a thousand cuts.

No wonder the Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, going through doctrine and careful theological study breaks forth into praise and exclaims the glory of God:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
     or who has been his counselor?”

 “Or who has given a gift to him
     that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be glory forever. Amen

Romans 11:33-36 ESV

Glorious God, Father of All Mercies, thank You for the rich love You have shown us in Jesus Christ. King Jesus, rule in all our hearts alone. Spirit of Truth, lead us in the testimonies of the LORD. Spirit of God, let the fear of the LORD direct us into the ever wider, richer, more excellent life in Christ. As the writer of this psalm so aptly states it: “we will run in Your commandments when You enlarge our hearts!” Triune God: enlarge our capacity to delight in You, live for You and love You. Amen.

December 20, 2019 -- Psalm 119:78 -- What are you rehearsing?

Let the insolent be put to shame,

because they have wronged me with falsehood;

as for me I will meditate on your precepts.

Psalm 119:78 English Standard Version

This reading gives me a sense that the LORD has answered the psalm-writer’s prayer of the previous verse: “Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight”. He is now experiencing the mercy he prayed for in the previous verse. The compassion of God has changed his attitude and behavior. Though the writer has been shamed by the insolent, and they have wronged him with falsehood, because of the rich mercy of God he has chosen not to meditate on their wrong-doing, instead, he will meditate on the precepts of the LORD.

The precepts of the LORD are those things He has appointed for us to do. A high calibre athlete will think through the course of the marathon he is to run. He will study the course. Mentally preparing for the tough hills. He will repeatedly visualize himself being consistent, keeping his pace and being successful. Those times of meditation will help him when he faces those challenges on the actual race day. He will have fought them in his mind and now his mind and body will be prepared to fight in the race itself.

The Psalmist is meditating on the precepts of God—Who has laid out the boundary lines of his life so that they fall in pleasant places. He is musing on the commandments of His King. He sings them as songs of praise. In sighs of deep inner commitment he dedicates himself to the right paths the LORD has appointed for him. Instead of rehearsing all the wrongs of the insolent, those proud men who oppose him and try to trip him up, he is focused on the glories of the LORD his God. The commandments of God are those practical ways in which a believer’s life is lived, showing forth the splendour of God. What a beautiful instruction for us today. Are the precious precepts and the wonderful commandments of the LORD your meditation this day? Will you rehearse them and know them so instinctively that the moment adversity comes upon you your reflex will be to honour the Living God?

You have promised us, King of Kings: “Blessed are those who way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!” Give us this day the gift of Your Holy Spirit so that we will emboldened to confess our sins—the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His blood having been applied to us—help us therefore not to get re-entangled in old sins. May Your Spirit direct our thoughts and actions so that they are in step with Your righteous rules. In times of quiet and peace let the rules of Your mouth be our meditation and song. Open our eyes and expand our faith so that in pondering Your way we will see wondrous things in Your law. Amen.

December 19, 2019 -- Psalm 119:77 -- Unsought Mercy, Great Delight

Let your tender mercy come to me, that I may live,

for your law is my delight.

Psalm 119:77 English Standard Version

The word “tender mercies” is also the Hebrew word “womb”. You get the sense that tender mercies are safety, warmth, blessing and protection given to us from the LORD. The Psalmist is hungry for such mercies. The Hebrew is quite explicit—Let Your tender mercies enter into me. It would not be enough for the Mighty and Merciful God of Heaven and Earth to bring His tender mercies near to me, I would not even have the strength, or the wisdom, to drag myself near to these mercies. Inspired by the Spirit of God, the writer of psalm understands that the One Who is Mercy and Compassion, brings His tender mercy right into the chambers of our love-starved hearts.

Such tender mercies are life for the psalm-writer. The expression that I may live is the verb which the LORD uses for His Name: I AM THAT I AM. When the tender mercies of the LORD enter into us we live in Him. It is exactly what happens when the Spirit of God takes hold of us. The life of Jesus and His death and His resurrection take hold of us, are applied to us and we live. There is no other life. There is no other place of hope. We have no other plea but the life of Jesus.

Notice the link between the tender mercies of God entering us and then finding His law to be our delight. If the Spirit of God is not within us we cannot find delight in the law of God. Without God directly governing our hearts and showing us His tender mercies we would find Him a tyrant. In fact, we would borrow the breath He gives us for our lungs and the tongue He fashioned and gave us in order to curse Him and accuse Him. Unthinking, unwise and ungrateful creatures that we are, such actions would not even strike us as ironic.

However, when the tender mercies of God are formed in us, and we realize we live and move and have our being in Him, then His laws are our delight. We realize He has given these to us as boundary markers for joy and protection. We see each one as His glorious protection surrounding us—external evidences of His love which the Spirit confirms to our hearts and minds as we experience His mercy.

You have fashioned and made us, Father in heaven, Faithful Creator. You know our capacity for evil. By Your Spirit You restrain us from rushing headlong to our own destruction. Who is a God like You?! You pour into us the tender mercy You have shown so extravagantly in Jesus. Teach us the glory of confessing our sins, emptying ourselves in order to receive the riches prepared for us. Even in this, Spirit of God, we need You to hold up the Word of God as a mirror, showing us our sin and instructing us in the way of righteousness. The way of life and hope and fullest delight. Thank You for Your steadfast, patient love and wondrous salvation. Amen.

December 17, 2019 -- Psalm 119:76 -- From slaves to friends of God

Let your steadfast love comfort me,

according to your promise to your servant.

Psalm 119:76 English Standard Version

The Ten Commandments use the word “steadfast love” in the second commandment.

You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness

of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,

or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them

or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the

iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth

generation of those who hate me,  but showing steadfast love to

thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Exodus 20:4-6 ESV

The English expression steadfast love translates one Hebrew word. It is a covenant word—that is, the LORD God made a binding promise to His people to be their God and they would be His people. In the context of the Ten Commandments we read of the steadfast love of God—His continuing faithfulness, love and mercy to His people. In Exodus 34:6 the expression “steadfast love” is actually part of the character of God which He revealed to Moses. Steadfast love is the refrain used repeatedly in Psalm 136.

When his heart has been particularly battered and bruised by the afflictions he has endured (cf devotion of Dec. 16th) he calls on the Name of the LORD, Who promises that He is full of steadfast love and compassion. It is His Name; it is how He promised He will act towards to His people. David knew the Scripture so well, he could bring up God’s promises and ask God to act according to these promises, according to the very word He Himself had uttered.

In the New Testament Jesus promised: “I will ask the Father and He will send you another Helper [literally Comforter]” (John 14:16). Jesus Himself is our great Comforter. By His sacrifice we are set free from the punishment which our sins deserve. Jesus stood in our place. As our Ascended King, He has sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Who makes the promises of God living and stirringly real to our hearts.

Such is given to the servants of God—those who are His slaves. Formerly we were slaves to sin—addicted to sin and willingly giving ourselves over to them. Now we are slaves to God, we have turned our will and our lives over to Him. This is why the Second Commandment is so critical—nothing must ever take the place of God in our hearts. He has set us free from our sinful, wicked idolatries—all of which are nothing but shafts leading straight to the caverns of hell.

Strikingly, Jesus said: “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me” (John 15:15 NLT). What extravagant blessing is ours, what great comfort. We are not slaves anymore, but friends of God—what glorious comfort! The author of this Psalm, no doubt, longed to look into such things and understand them as fully as we, New Testament Christians, do now.

Who is a god like You, Faithful King of Heaven and Earth?! You have set Your people free from our slavery to sin and released the chains binding us to the punishments our rebellious acts against You so richly deserved. In Your steadfast love You have given us the first Comforter, Jesus, by Whom we are set free. Oh Father and Jesus, our Comforter—You have sent the second Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to take up residence in our hearts. Great are You LORD God, and worthy of glory. Great are You Merciful God and Savior. Spirit of Comfort help us to live fully and faithfully dedicated to God Who made us, and bring us to our eternal home in the glorious presence of the Triune God. Amen.

December 16, 2019 -- Psalm 119:75 -- Lessons in the school of affliction

I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous,

and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Psalm 119:75 English Standard Version

One of the challenges of reading Psalm 119, one verse at a time, is losing the sense of the overarching theme an entire octet of verses and therefore not seeing how they hang together. As I prepare these devotions I listen to podcasts of sermons by various preachers. Last night I was listening to the Rev. Steven Lawson’s fine sermon on this, the Yodh stanza. He calls it “How to Pray When In the Fire”. Interesting. He takes the entire stanza as a prayer offered by the psalm writer when he is in fiery affliction. And he sees it as the prayer of a mature and faithful believer.

Through-out this Psalm the writer is sorely tried and troubled, mocked and afflicted. Notice this, the author sees these afflictions as coming from the fountainhead of faithfulness—from the LORD Himself. Afflictions are rumble strips on the road that jar the driver to wakefulness and cause him to reorient himself squarely between the lines of good pavement. Hardships refine the soul and show the various ways in which a believer who claims to follow God is actually self-seeking or trying to do all things in his own strength.

Sure, we can claim obedience and devotion to our Great King when all things are going well, the bigger question—and the times the world around us pays closer attention—is whether or not we will follow Him with equal devotion and obedience when trials rise up in our lives? Job’s wife called out to Job: “Are you still faithful? Curse God and die!” What a common refrain that is! Yet the true picture of the believer’s mettle and the Father’s faithfulness is that God is revealed when we struggle.

The school of affliction teaches us the depths of Jesus’ magnificent devotion to our Father in heaven: He suffered all things and did not waver or fail in His obedience.

The school of affliction teaches us how much we actually try to carry out our duties in our own strength rather than seeking Him Whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.

The school of affliction teaches us to cry out to the Spirit of the Living God Who resides deep within us. The Spirit hearing each sigh and marking each tear and brings the deepest woes and struggles of our heart to our Prayer Warrior King Jesus, Who is seated at the Right Hand of the Father. There Jesus speaks urgently and patiently in our behalf, bringing our needs to the Father.

The school of affliction reminds us Jesus was tempted and suffered in ways beyond our imagining. He was rejected by His family—they called Him crazy and wanted to take Him home. He was betrayed by one of His own group of twelve, His closest companions. Peter, the spokesmen for the disciples, denied Jesus several hours after claiming even if everyone else fell away, Peter would stand with Jesus! Jesus, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, when He walked on the earth had no place to lay His head—no home, no bank account, no retirement account. On and on it goes. Why did He endure this all? So that our every affliction, pain, grief and suffering would be redeemed. He is the King Who knows our sorrows intimately. And He takes the punishment in our place so that we can be presented to God the Holy without any spot of sin or stain of wickedness. All of it is purged and cleansed.

The school of affliction shows us the tremendous power of the Spirit of God to hold us in the place of blessing and keep us from waywardness.

The school of affliction brings up the waves of sin and bitterness and anger and rebellion that lurk in the recesses of our hearts and minds and as each arises the Spirit conquers such anew so that we will be made holy. It is because we belong to God—Father, Son and Spirit, that we will endure such struggles. Those who hate God will not face temptations and trials such as we have because they are not warring to bring their flesh and will, mind and lives into faithful obedience to righteous rules of the LORD.

Do not let the fact you are suffering lead you conclude God has forgotten you. Know this, you are being refined and purified for HIs Holy Presence. Do not doubt you are His workmanship, beautiful and precious to Him and His glory is being revealed in all you endure.

Spirit of God, strength of the believer in the days of affliction, help us in the ways we don’t even know how to pray for as we suffer. Jesus, how great is the love You demonstrated as You walked on this earth. In our own afflictions we begin to grasp just the smallest splinter of all You endured so that we would be brought to glory. Father, faithful source of every good, in the struggles of this day remind us that we cannot fall from the grip of Your grace. Blessed are You, Triune God. Great are Your ways and blessed is the road You give us to travel. With the psalmist we pray: “Give us understanding that we may learn Your commandments.” Amen.

December 15, 2019 -- Psalm 119:74 -- Learning the Fear of the LORD

Those who fear you shall see me rejoice,

because I have hoped in your word.

Psalm 119:74 English Standard Version

The expression “the fear of the LORD” is used dozens of times in the Bible. (Examples include: II Chronicles 14:14; Psalm 19:19; Proverbs 1:7 & 29; Isaiah 11:2; Acts 9:31 and II Corinthians 5:11.) In the translation of the Bible I like to use, the English Standard Version, the exact phrase the fear of the LORD is used 27 times. There are, of course, many variants, like our verse today those who fear You.

The fear of the LORD restrains us from doing evil.

The fear of the LORD brings others to rejoicing when in fellowship we see our Covenant King obeyed.

The fear of the LORD moves us to honour the saving work of Jesus Christ, without Whom we would be punished to the full extent of all our sins.

The fear of the LORD is wrought in us by the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit Who, shows us all Jesus has done to free us from the wrath of God and bring us as beloved sons and daughters to eternity. Therefore the Spirit directs our hearts in loving obedience to God our Father.

The fear of the LORD reminds us the He Is HOLY. What is evil and sinful cannot be in His presence. Isaiah spoke of this when he said: “Woe is me! I am undone (disintegrating, lost) because I am a man of unclean lips” Isaiah 6:5. Even a prophet, mightily used of God, was made keenly aware of his need for God’s cleansing work else he would be ruined. Thanks be to God for our Lord Jesus Christ in Whom we have the complete forgiveness of all our sins! Blessed be His Name.

Thanks be to the Spirit of God! Blessing and honour and praise and glory be unto the Spirit for His work in us. It is the Spirit of God Who works in us both to will and to work God’s good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). More even than this (as if that wasn’t treasure and wonder, blessing and victory enough!!) the Spirit Who knows how we are made, what we love and what we are good at, brings us to places and people where we can exercise our gifts and so live in joy-filled obedience to the King of Glory.

What wondrous love You have shown us, O God our Father. Teach us the fear of the LORD. Teach us by Your Word and Spirit so that Jesus Christ is honoured and adored in us and because of us. Amen.

If you have 4 extra minutes, watch this oldie but goodie. It is the Newsboys, from 2010. Build us Back. And it includes the lyrics. Shalom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgsWYcVpsLw&list=RDQgsWYcVpsLw&start_radio=1

December 14, 2019 - - Psalm 119:73 -- Creator King Rule in and over our hearts

Your hands have made and fashioned me;

give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.

Psalm 119:73 English Standard Version

When we read Genesis 2:7 we learn that the Creator of the Universe fashioned Adam out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. It is awesome. Adam spent some time alone in the Garden of Eden, naming the creatures and the birds of the air and in so doing realized there was nothing, no creature, and no one like him. He was alone. The Sovereign of Heaven and Earth then took one of Adam’s ribs and made a woman—a suitable helper for him (Genesis 2:21-22). So our very first parents, Adam and Eve, were made by the hand of God.

According to Psalm 139, each one of us also is fashioned in the womb. God knows us from the very moment of our conception. He makes us for His holy purposes. We are not some cosmic accident. We are not here by chance. Every single one of the 7 billion plus of us that inhabit this planet is here by the design and desire of our Lord and Creator.

Therefore David prays—”give me understanding”—since You made me, help me to discern my purpose for being here. And that which most closely links us to our divine purposes is knowing His commandments. It makes such sense that He Who made us knows how to direct our steps and lead our living. In Psalm 16 David notes: “the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” What God directs us to do and forbids us, such are the boundary lines of our lives and they are perfectly placed for us.

There is a Christian 12 Step Group that I have been attending called “Overcomers”. It is my desire to learn how to lead this group in order to help those who are in prison fight their addictions and find true freedom in Christ. The third step of this Overcomers Group is: I make a decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of God as He instructs me. It seems to me many of us are happy to have our King take care of our life now and in eternity, we are just not as happy to have Him over-rule our wills. However, we cannot have one without the other. We need Him. He Who made us and knows us, must direct us—both our wills and our life—and lead us in the way everlasting.

King Jesus, the true Treasure and Desire of all Nations, send Your Spirit to us so that by Your Word and Your Spirit You will truly rule in all our hearts. Rule us fully and truly, completely and without the murmur of our self-will, so that our lives will bring to You, Father in Heaven, praise and honour, glory and blessing now and always. Amen.

December 12, 2019 -- Psalm 119:72 -- Is God really Good above thousands of gold pieces? Oh yes!

The law of your mouth is better to me

than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Psalm 119:72 English Standard Version

This is the Teth stanza of Psalm 119. Remember this is a Hebrew acrostic—each stanza of eight verses begins a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The ninth letter is Teth. The word “good” appears repeatedly in this octet of verses. In fact, it begins our verse today—which could read: “Good is the law of your mouth above thousands of gold and silver pieces.”

Listen to the words of Agur:

Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you

and say, “Who is the Lord?”

or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God.

Proverbs 30:8-9 ESV

When Jesus walked this earth as a wandering preacher, He had no permanent home (Luke 9:58). Yet He trusted His Father in heaven to provide all that was needful. The Spirit of God lived in Jesus—the very same Spirit Who lives in us who are believers—and strengthened Jesus’ humanity so that whatever He faced—adversity or riches, accolades or mocking, acceptance or rejection, and finally the intense suffering of His mock trial, flogging, crucifixion and death—the Spirit was with Jesus comforting, guiding, letting His heart know He was accomplishing His Father’s will. Jesus endured all things in His flesh because God Who is good beyond all gold and silver pieces had given Him the priceless gift of the Spirit. And the Spirit of Power led Jesus in the Law which came from the mouth of the LORD.

This is why lotteries are such wickedness in our culture today. Ordinary men and women are taught to long for earthly riches that soon fade. Lotteries are such an evil in our society because those who are poor are longing for a big pay-out and spend way beyond their ability to give with the desperate hope that maybe this will solve their problems. All of us have read stories of those who received big pay-outs only to have lawsuits brought against them by family members who want a chunk of their windfall.

Only God is Good and the Source of all Good. The Law from the mouth of God is good. Only the Spirit of God leads us in all good. Only Christ Himself is for us the example of what is Good and is for us who believe in Him Good. Oh fellow believers, ask the Spirit of God to break down every idol in your heart and cast out every enemy of God that lingers in your thoughts so that you will have the clarity to see and live in the goodness of our God and Father.

Spirit of the Living God fall on me in fresh and new measure. Spirit of God, direct me to see the perfections of Jesus and as I follow Him help me to live fully in the good which God my Father intends for me. Amen.

December 11, 2019 - Psalm 119:71 -- Adversity and Happiness

It was good for me that I was afflicted,

that I might learn your statutes.

Psalm 119:71 English Standard Version

If you have been tracking with this series on Psalm 119, you’ll have noticed among all the other interwoven themes there is a theme-thread which shows the significance of obedience to God in our afflictions. Generally we thoroughly dislike any discomfort. If something messes with the plans we have made, such disruptions bring agitation and bad temper. In sharp contrast to the ways in which troubles and adversity commonly annoy those who are suffering, the psalmist saw affliction in a different light. He called affliction good because it directed his heart upwards to the Living God.

The statutes of God are His rules for godly living. The statutes of God are not intuitive. In fact, the heart of sinful man—our sinful hearts—will always be inclined towards evil—away from God and His goodness. Affliction, adversity, and the troubles we encounter in life serve the purpose of lifting our eyes to the King of Glory Who loves His people and is willing and able to deliver us.

A few days ago I was listening to a talk given by Ravi Zacharias. He noted how people all around are seeking happiness. Zacharias said that when he turns his attention to the Son, in his shadow, closely following behind is happiness. When he turns his back on the Son and chases happiness, the shadow gets longer and further from him and happiness is elusive.

What a great illustration for us today. Adversity shows us where we’re headed. If we have turned our backs to the Son in order to chase happiness, we will soon get cold, irritated and lost as we chase what is elusive. However, when we turn and face the Son and move closer towards Him, then happiness, blessedness, will follow close behind. We willingly endure difficulty and rough terrain because we have in view the glory of the Son of God and know the rich joys of obedience to Him. The writer of Hebrews notes this is Jesus’ own example for us—

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

despising the shame, and is seated

at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

Jesus had His eyes fixed on the glory of the Father and He was strengthened in His human flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in profound obedience to His Father. The Holy Spirit is given to us, as believers in Jesus Christ, in the measure needed so that we can bear all things and keep our focus on Jesus—the Founder and Perfecter of our Faith. As we look to Jesus, we go in the path way He set before us so that by Jesus’ grace we will be ushered into the Presence of our Father. Indeed, the psalmist is right in saying: it is for me to be afflicted that I might learn Your statutes.

Jesus, You are the Way, the Truth and the Life—bless us this day with the measure of Your Spirit that will allow us to face and overcome our adversities. As victories are won and troubles overcome, may Your Name be praised, King Jesus, and may our lives bring delight to our Father in Heaven. Amen.

December 9, 2019 -- Psalm 119:69-70 -- Delight in the Law of God

The insolent smear me with lies,

but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;

their heart is unfeeling like fat,

but I delight in your law.

Psalm 119:69-70 English Standard Version

Yesterday we examined the first part of this sentence, verse 69; today we consider verse 70, which is the second half of that sentence. In the first part the enemies of the LORD sought to paste the people of God with lies. Mathew Henry in his commentary on this section notes that David’s enemies could not win victory against him so they tried to ruin his reputation with lies and false accusations. But the way of the LORD is the pathway of peace for those who serve Him.

Now a fuller description of the insolent follows in verse 70. I was not sure what it meant. Once again, as with some earlier verses, it is the commentator Matthew Henry to the rescue. In the first place Isaiah 6:10 has this phrase: “Make the hearts of this people fat” (this depends, of course on your translation of the Bible—but that is a good rendering of the original Hebrew language). In this verse to be fat is to be senseless, secure and stupid. Psalm 73:7 notes “their eyes stand out with fatness” which is a description of the sensuality which is the pursuit of their lives.

The fatness of the insolent enemies renders them insensitive to the Word of God. They are senseless to His great Truth. They are secure in the lies which they attempt to smear on others as their own conscience is dead. Sensuality is their master. Yet both Isaiah 6 and Psalm 73 make is abundantly clear that the destruction of the insensitive of heart, that beats in the chest of insolent people, is at hand. As it is written: “For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you” Psalm 73:26 ESV.

And the response of the Psalmist is one we should take to heart. The waywardness of the people around him, even those trying to pull down his reputation, causes him to turn from their taunts and be more focused in his delight in the law of the LORD. That word delight is wonderful—it is onomatopoeia. That is, the word itself describes a sound it makes. Think of the delight of a hot bath—ahh. The aroma of a wonderful meal about to be served—ooh, aah. Delight, in Hebrew, is sha a. You can almost hear the delight, the enthused response, welcome relief to be found in the direction one’s life takes when following the Law of God.

No doubt this is an unfamiliar feeling for many of us—adoring delight in the Law of God. It seems, in fact, too strange—we might mutter: ‘okay, here is where Christians gets all weird’. I know I am getting ahead of myself, but my favourite verse of Psalm 119 is: “To all perfection I see a limit, but Your commands are boundless” (verse 96). After a perfect meal a slice of cheesecake would be ideal—but your belly is already too full to enjoy it. A body-builder sculpts his body and lifts weights until the competition and hopes to be shredded, each muscle ideal and have others judge him to be so. Let’s say he wins the competition. Then what? How long can he stay perfectly shredded"? He needed to restrict liquid intake, including water, in order to keep abs tights. How long will calves be ‘show ready’ without lingering fat, but hopefully not cramping in the pain of those torturous work-outs required to achieve such momentary, fleeting perfection. In contrast, the laws of God are boundless, without limit. The more one follows them, the deeper one drives into fullness of joy and delight in knowing God. Obedience lifts our eyes to the Captain of our Salvation, Who says: “No longer do I call you servants [slaves], for the servant [slave] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). And Jesus makes known to us the way of delight. Jesus declared, “My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me” (John 4:34).

Mighty God, conferring limitless joy to those who are obedient to Your commandments, by Your Spirit cause us to relearn deep, soul-refreshing delight which can be found in Your Law. Through the cleansing we have received in Jesus Christ, Spirit of Hope, fix our eyes on Jesus so that in following His will and His ways we may experience the eternal pleasures which, according to Psalm 16:11, are only found at Your right hand. Amen.

December 8, 2019 -- Psalm 119:69 -- Nonchalant insolence and Judgment

The insolent smear me with lies,

but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;

Psalm 119:69 English Standard Version

The insolent are those who have no idea of what they are toying with. Some crocodiles deposit their eggs in a nest and leave them unattended to fend for themselves. Some do not. Some build a nest and guard their young. The insolent are those who are nonchalantly collecting crocodile eggs without realizing the dire danger they are in. The defending crocodile is swiftly hurtling through the waters to defend the young. The insolent figure there will never be a judgment or a reckoning. All of Scripture reveals the beliefs of the insolent to be false. The just Judge of the Heavens and the Earth will rise up (Psalm 94:2 et al).

There is a subtle play of language taking place here which I didn’t notice until I read the original Hebrew. These insolent ones are trying to glue their lies onto the writer of this psalm. They are trying to make their gushing lies and falsehoods stick to the man of integrity. These won’t stick; cannot stick. Why?

The man of God is dedicating his whole heart to keeping the instructions (a.k.a. the precepts) of the Living God. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied:

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses,

and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit

I will put within you.

Ezekiel 36:25-26

It is the work of God, Who is Just and True in all His ways (Revelation 15:3), to purify His people; it is the Spirit of God Who exposes lies and dissolves adhering falsehoods. The man or woman who dedicates his heart to God, who desires purity which finds it source in the LORD alone—that person will be made clean. It is the for the greater glory of God our Father that He has chosen to bring sons and daughters to the healing and cleansing that Jesus brings. It is the work of the Spirit to apply the solvent of Christ’s blood and purifying work to the deepest core of a person’s existence so that every trace of the lie is removed and the believer is made pure from the inside out. In fact, it is the Spirit of God Who softens our hearts so that goodness and blessings of God are made attractive to us. We are so papered over with lies and glued stuck with sins inside and out that we need outside help. We are unable to free ourselves. The Spirit reveals to us Jesus, so that we long to be made clean through Him, and all the lies which the insolent smeared on us and glued to our reputation will come undone and we will be whiter than snow.

Truly the carol writer captured the magnificence of Your salvation plan, LORD of glory, when penning the words, “of the Father’s love begotten ere the worlds began to be”. For truly Jesus’ birth is forever blessed and He is the Savior of our race—therefore to You, Christ with the Father and the Spirit there shall be hymn and chant and high thanksgiving and the shout of jubilee. Praise and honour, blessing and might, power and worship be unto You, Triune God, will ever be spoken, hymned and shouted from the hearts and mouths of those who have been made clean. Glory is Yours—glory in the highest. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOF9JLJkPis

December 6, 2019 -- Psalm 119:68 -- Perfectly fitted for His service

You are good and do good,

teach me your statutes.

Psalm 119:67 English Standard Version

Yesterday I referred to John Piper’s brief biography on C. Spurgeon. While I was encouraged and blessed by reading it, there was also an undercurrent of frustration as I read it. Spurgeon was so diligent, so proficient, so prodigious in his work. While I admired his work and productivity, I also started to feel inadequate myself.

Thankfully, before putting the book away I came to this encouraging portion.

He often worked eighteen hours in a day. The missionary David

Livingstone asked him once, “How do you manage to do two

men’s work in a single day?” Spurgeon replied, “You have forgotten

there are two of us.” I think he meant the presence of Christ’s

energizing power that we read about in Colossians 1:29, where

Paul says, “I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully

works within me.”

J. Piper A Camaraderie of Confidence, page 42

King David testified to the goodness of God, the faithful One. God alone is Good. When we work doing the things He requires of us, the very things which He designed us and the circumstances He made for us to thrive in, then we accomplish great things. In those very circumstances we testify, it is God my Father Who made me in the womb and knew me and the purposes for which He made me. It is Christ my King Who purifies me and fits me for holy service. It is the Spirit of God Who works in me all good so that by the power of God I can toil and work with great joy.

In such circumstances the statutes of God are precious and good. Imagine a soccer game where ten friends are playing “pick up” soccer. Some are following the rules. Some are just horsing around. Some are using their hands. Some are checking others and pushing them. The game would be utter chaos. It isn’t a game. It is a recipe for losing friends! Now a man stops by and says, “Hey, I am a referee for the local men’s semi-professional league, let me ref this game.” As soon as he imposes the needed order, the men flourish in the game. The statutes needed enable the men to play, each one using his talents—the goalie’s gift in blocking shots on the net is not impeded by his being unfairly tackled and physically pushed away. The mid-fielder can run his paces the length of the field and his skills would be proper tested by the rules governing whether or not a particular play is off-side. His adherence to the rules of the game contribute to the fun, of a hard-fought soccer match.

So it is, though infinitely more gloriously so, that God is good. He has created us for life, for work, for purposes and activities. God does good. He works in us and through us accomplishing His will and bringing many sons and daughters to glory. He gives us the limits we need so that our lives adhere to the craftsmanship He has exercised in making us and directing our interactions and opportunities. I do not need to be a Spurgeon. You do not need to get all bent out of shape trying to be something you were not created to be. Each us is gifted with the blessing of working in exactly the right places and spaces allotted to us by God—Who is Good and is the Source of all good.

No wonder the Psalmist praises You and blesses Your Name, King of kings and LORD of lords! You really have dealt well with Your servants in ages past and so do good to us in this day and this era also. In every part of our lives we can see Your goodness. That is why we join the writer of this psalm praising You by saying, “the law of Your mouth is better to us than thousands of gold and silver pieces”. Great are You, LORD! Amen.

December 5, 2019 -- Psalm 119:67 -- Ah, be encouraged!

Before I was afflicted I went astray,

but now I keep your word.

Psalm 119:67 English Standard Version

John Piper has a wonderful, slim volume called: A Camaraderie of Confidence. In it he gives a brief biography on Charles Spurgeon, George Müller, and Hudson Taylor. If you have an opportunity to read it, I highly recommend it. The chapter on Spurgeon is one I read as I considered our verse from Psalm 119. Piper’s work on Spurgeon influenced much of this devotion and I want to recognize that debt.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was a prodigious preacher—his collected sermons fill six volumes—and he has been called the prince of preachers. He preached faithfully and powerfully through-out his life. Yet many people are not aware that he struggled against depression. Here is how Spurgeon himself described it:

Causeless depression cannot be reasoned with, nor can David’s harp charm it away

by sweeting *discoursings. As well as fight with the mist as with this shapeless,

undefinable, yet all beclouding hopelessness…

The iron bolt which so mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits

in gloomy prison, needs a heavenly hand to push it back.

*discoursings: conversations, debates

~Charles Spurgeon

Besides this depression which was so debilitating at times he’d weep like a child for hours on end; he was mocked and derided in the press. (It is said his wife kept a scrapbook of newspaper criticisms, and this merely from one year of his ministry, and it became a bulging book!)

Yet this same man preached faithfully. He founded and supervised dozens of organizations providing mercy for the poor and help for orphans and so on. He noted that his adversity benefited him in these ways.

1. That the Lord receive all the glory for any work accomplished, since the weakness of the man is obvious the greater glory of the LORD is all the more obvious.

2. Others could identify with his adversity and it made his preaching so powerful because others who were hurting could identify with him—his very demeanour alone would impact people.

3. He realized this depression could be a time of preparation used by God before larger blessing was poured out. In fact, he called depression “a prophet in rough clothing, like John the Baptist, which heralded a time coming of greater bounty.”

King David knew adversity had powerful purposes in his life as well.

1. Adversity drove him to obedience to the Word of God (our verse today).

2. Adversity reminded him of those who were his true companions in suffering and in service to God (verse 63).

3. Adversity reminded him that the Word of God is the source of life—not things, power, wealth or family or anything else that might strive for prominence in our lives (verse 50).

I do not know what you are suffering today. Maybe it is a cancer diagnosis. Maybe you are lonely and it is crippling as the holidays approach. Maybe you have been betrayed by those you thought were dear friends. Perhaps it seems as if God is far from you at this time in your life. Know this: God, Who is rich in mercy, has given you the gift of His Word for a time such as this. And the written word is pointing to Jesus, the Living Word, in Whom we have life, hope, and access to the truth about our life and situation.

King of Glory, rich in love, in tender mercy visit us, especially when we are distressed and humbled low. Spirit of God, let the heavenly hand of hope push back the iron bolt to release us from all our gloomy prisons so that we will fix our eyes on Jesus, Captain of Salvation and Savior of the World. Amen.

December 4, 2019 -- Psalm 119:66 -- Tasting obedience

Teach me your good judgment and knowledge,

for I believe in your commandments.

Psalm 119:66 English Standard Version

The word teach has an underlying sense of “exercise”—you understand that, right? When you exercise something you are doing motions repetitively so that you will hone your muscles and get fit. When we are taught God’s good judgment we need to hear it repeatedly so that we will become spiritually fit and strengthened for holy service.

The word judgment carries a secondary meaning which is ‘taste’. When we are being taught a completely new way of living, obedience to Jesus as our King—rather than obeying our own lusts, desires, and wants—this new obedience might not be to our taste. It is unusual. It can seem sour. Even men and women who have been Christians for a long time and find they are called to obedience in an area they’d not previously submitted, well they will find that hard to swallow. Do not give up in doing good or following through on the LORD’s teaching. In time our tastes will be accommodated to what is new, and holy, and what is past will become vile.

The second part of the verse gives the ground for accepting God’s good judgment and knowledge—it literally says, for I amen your commandments. Yes, that word “amen” is actually a Hebrew word. We put it at the end of our prayers as a statement of our conviction that the LORD is more faithful to carry out His part of the covenant than we are willing to obey—still, we place our lives in His hands.

Here the psalmist will amen the knowledge and judgments of God the Father. As he is instructed and obeys, he finds the fruit of obedience confirms God’s goodness. To obey is to find our soul’s calling and our life’s best and greatest adventure. It is what we were made for: to serve God and delight in Him forever. Anything less than this will bring dissatisfaction. But to serve God and be instructed by Him makes the heart soar and the mind overflow with thankfulness.

Oh God, Source of every good gift and blessing, may our hearts prepare room for You. Let our hearts and hands, minds and actions, having been instructed in Your good judgment and knowledge, work in concert to serve You. Jesus, Captain of Salvation, direct us to the places where our faith and obedience will be a blessing to others. Spirit of God, keep us in close communication. By Your presence in our life may the written word and the Living Word—Jesus Himself—become ever more vibrantly real to us. Amen.