Year 8, Day 212: Psalms 73-74

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Psalm 73 is a comparative truth psalm.  It begins with lifting up one concept for understanding.  By the end of the psalm, the psalmist will have arrived at the other end of the spectrum.

In the beginning of the psalm, the psalmist lifts up the people in life who seem to have no strife.  The have wealth, prosperity, and ease.  The people around them don’t find any fault with them.  After all, much of the world operates under a type of false sight.  If it looks perfect on the outside, then we assume everything is just fine.  Much of the world only sees skin deep.  We see people with wealth, power, and an easy life and we assume that they are better examples of humanity than the rest of us.  This is because we see through eyes of human desire, not eyes of truth.  At some level, we want part – if not all – of what they have.  If nothing else, we want the life that knows no pain until the end.

At the end of the psalm we arrive at the opposite end of the spectrum.  The psalmist knows that such people are not perfect.  He knows that their pain is still present, it is just buried underneath the perfect exterior.  Flesh and heart fail; God is our strength.  God brings us to His glory.  He guides us with His counsel.

To go a bit beyond the scope of the psalm, I’ve found a bit of truth to be true in life.  We can try to live a life that seems perfect on the exterior, but if we do that we will know turmoil on the inside.  In order to find peace on the inside, we need God.  Most often I’ve found that we find God when we accept the turbulent outside.  When we honestly look at the sin within and the sin in the world, we are best prepared to know and value God and His ways.  Then we know true peace.

When it comes to Psalm 74, we have a pretty typical rescue psalm.  The psalmist feels the enemies of Israel coming around them and making threats.  At times, the situation looks bleak.  The psalmist reminds God of the covenant.  The psalmist also reminds God of the power that He has.  The psalmist urges the Lord to do battle for His people.

On one hand, I’ve always thought this tactic a bit arrogant.  After all, who are we to remind God of His promise?  Who are we to make demands upon God?

On the other hand, though, something happens deep within us when we do remind God about the covenant.  When we remind God, we remind ourselves.  When we remind ourselves, we force ourselves to make a decision.  Either we truly believe or we simply speak platitudes.  The second is not an option.  When we remind God about His promises, we actually reinforce our faith in Him.  That’s the point of the psalm.

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Year 8, Day 211: Psalms 71-72

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Today we have two unique psalms.  The first is a psalm of praise to the glory of God.  The second is a psalm of David as he looks upon the imminent reign of his son Solomon.  Both psalms have something to teach us about life today.

First, look at what we can learn about our relationship with God.  In the first psalm, we have the typical sentiments. The Lord is our rock.  He is our refuge.  He is our shelter.  He is our deliverer.  These are all expected sentiments with a psalm.

There’s more to this psalm than a list of the characteristics of God, however.  In this psalm we also see the human response to the character of God.  We come to Him as we go to a rock for shelter and stability.  We trust in His rescue.    We hope in His presence.  We speak of His righteousness.  As human beings, we have an active role to play.  Relationship is best when it is two-way, not one way.  As great as God is, we have a role to play in the relationship.

This leads us to Psalm 72.  We know David’s relationship with the Lord was strong.  God protected David.  God prospered David.  God called David a man after His own heart.  In all of this, though, David did not desire to keep the relationship between the two of them.  David, and no doubt God as well, desired that his relationship with the Lord would be passed along into others.  Specifically, David desired that his relationship with God would become a relationship between God and his son, Solomon.

As David looks to Solomon’s impending reign, David writes this psalm.  Notice, though, how much the things that David says about the role of the king mimics that of the role of God.  The king is responsible for prosperity of the land.  The king is a defender of the defenseless.  The kings sees that the righteous prosper.  The king has pity on the needy.  David sees the role of the king as the avatar of God’s ways.

This is what relationship with God is all about.  God draws us close to Him so that we can know His goodness.  As we know His goodness, we become representatives of that goodness.  As we represent His goodness, we model it to others and invite them intothe same goodness.

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Year 8, Day 210: Psalms 69-70

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The psalms for today are both deliverance psalms.  We have the usual verses crying out for salvation.  We have the typical stanzas about how there are people surrounding the psalmist and seeking his life, position, power, prosperity.  We have the typical call for the wicked to be swallowed up in the Lord’s wrath.  These psalms have all the telltale markings.

Reading through the psalms of deliverance, though, there is something unique that is vitally important to pick up.  Unlike many times in the world where we hear a cry for deliverance, this cry comes with certain humbleness.  There is an admission of guilt.  The psalmist doesn’t cry out for salvation because they deserve it.  That’s what separates the deliverance psalms of the Bible from modern pleas for deliverance.  So often people want to be saved because they want fairness, or they think they deserve it, or someone else is picking on them.  In this psalm, the psalmist tells God, “You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor.”  The psalmist knows that he’s not perfect.  He doesn’t deserve salvation, he humble requests it.

I love this element in today’s reading.  It shows us the importance of being humble and understanding our flawed humanity.  Who are we to go before God and demand salvation?  Who are we to expect Him to rescue us?

We have no right to go before God and make demands.  In truth, we have no right to go before one another and make demands, either.  What right we have is to go before God, confess our fallenness, admit our guilt, embrace our shame, and then ask God to save us.

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Year 8, Day 209: Psalms 67-68

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These two psalms for today are primarily about praising God.  As has been often said, He is our salvation.  He blesses us.  He scatters His enemies before Him.  He makes the righteous glad.  He restores inheritances.  There is much reason for Him to receive our praise.

Look at what the psalms say about His being.  He rides the heavens.  The power of the Lord is in the skies.  He rules over the beasts of the earth.  He is master over creation.  There is even more reason for Him to receive our praise.

Look at whom the Lord tramples underfoot.  He tramples those who lust after money.  He scatters those who love war and strife.  He looks down those who persist in walking in their guilty ways.  He makes the rebellious dwell in a parched land.  Those who hate Him flee.  Even more reason to receive our praise.

Finally, look at those to whom God’s favor falls upon.  In fact, there is something surprising about this list.  God leads prisoners.  God is a father to the fatherless.  God is the protector of widows.  Those who humble themselves and place themselves within His flock find pasture with Him.  It is the humbled ones of the world who find dwelling with God.

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Year 8, Day 208: Psalms 65-66

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Psalms 65 and 66 are both largely psalms of praise.  The focus is on the great works of the Lord and how the Lord provides for His people.  You can find a little bit of everything in these psalms.  The Lord cares for the earth, providing rain and sunshine to make the plants grow so that human beings may enjoy them.  He makes the mountains, which has all kinds of effects upon weather patterns, rain, and clean water.  He stills the seas in the midst of turbulent storms.  He causes fields to abound in harvest.  He causes the flocks of herd animals to grow in great number.  God is good.

God loves more than just creation.  The psalms also talk about what God does for human beings.  As mentioned above, He provides for us.  He rescues us in our distress.  He listens to our sorrow.  He keeps watch over the nations.

While these things are great, there is something even deeper in the psalms.  The Lord atones for us hen our iniquities prevail against us.  In those moments when our wrongdoing catches up to us, God is there, waiting to atone.  In those moments when our choices prove wrong, god is there, waiting to atone.  In those moments when our lips do not utter things that bring honor to His name, God is there, waiting to atone.

Yes, He provides for the creation He loves.  Yes, he provides for people made in His own image.  But what makes god a truly loving God is His desire to atone for us when sin lies in wait in our lives and we succumb to its temptation.  What makes God great is that when we are truly in our greatest moment of need, God is there simply waiting for an opportunity to atone for our misdoings.

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Year 8, Day 207: Psalms 63-64

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Beginning with Psalm 64, we have another psalm of David that is focus on the Lord’s protection.  It is the Lord who fights for David.  It is the Lord who sends arrows into His enemies.  It is the Lord who hides us from the plots of those who seek to harm us.  It is the Lord who brings down David’s enemies, not David.  This is a psalm that is very much in line with many of the other psalms of David.

This brings us back to Psalm 63.  Psalm 63 brings out an interesting point to ponder, deeper than the illustrations in the psalms of protection.  It is one thing to turn to the Lord in our times of trouble.  The real question, though, is if that is enough.

David tells the Lord that he will remember Him as he lays upon his bed.  Even into the watches of the night David will meditate upon the Lord.  I’m not sure what happens to most people as they lie down for the night, but that’s hen I do most of my processing for the day.  That’s when I think about any lingering thoughts I might have about ow I acted, what was said, and anything left bothering me. 

In other words, David is not just coming to God when he needs him.  David is inviting God deep into His personal life.  When David looks into the inner parts of his soul, David will do it with a mind focused on God and God’s ways.  When David looks to the core of his being, he wants God there next to him.

There is a certain amount of wisdom here.  Whenever we process who we are – whether at night, first thing in the morning, or somewhere in between – God should be there with us.  It is His perspective that will be able to bring balance to what we find.

David knows this.  That’s why he can say that when he does meditate he will cling to the Lord and sing for joy.  Most of us, when we look inside and take stock of what we find, don’t often care for what we see.  But when we walk with the Lord and look through His perspective, we see not just the things that need to change but also the hope for what they can become.  He alone can look within and provide us the perspective that we need.  That is why we cling to Him in our whole life.

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Year 8, Day 206: Psalms 62

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Here is another psalm of David that speaks about turning to the Lord in times of trouble.  With as many psalms as David writes on this topic, one might think that his reign as king wasn’t all champagne and roses.  If one thought that, one would be right.

God is a rock.  He is our salvation.  He is our hope in times of strife.  He is a mighty rock.

Notice something about all of those descriptions.  Those are things that one clings to.  Those are external sources of strength.  David would say and think these things in times when he needed strength.  In other words, these are thoughts that console a person in times of internal weakness and doubt.

This is a really important concept to ponder.  David, the greatest king of the whole Hebrew Nation, had moments of internal doubt.  He had moments when he was weak and confused on the inside.  In other words, he was human.  This is a part of what it means to be a part of the human existence.

There will be days when we are full of strength and confidence.  There will also be moments when we are doing something new and our confidence lacks.  There will also be moments when people express a difference of opinion – or outright conflict – and we doubt ourselves and feel rejected.  This is humanity.

In those moments, we should turn to the Lord for strength.  We shouldn’t turn to our own devices such as lying to get our way, lashing out in our anger, extorting others by fear of what we can do to them, or other such nefarious means.  True strength isn’t found in the ways that we can harm others or establish ourselves above others.  True strength is found in the Lord, who builds us up and enables us to build up others.

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Year 8, Day 205: Psalms 60-61

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In the two psalms for today, we get another perspective on the relationship dynamics between God and humanity.  So often when we think about our relationship with God, we think about happy things.  We think about things like harmony, joy, forgiveness, peace, glory, and greatness.  That’s the ideal.  When we who are human are able to let go of our own humanity and instead follow God and His ways, we do meet the ideal.

However, honesty will tell us that there is an issue with the prior paragraph.  Humans have a hard time completely letting go of their humanity.  We act selfishly.  We think of ourselves before others.  We also tend to not listen all that well.  We can be obedient, but we’d really rather do our own thing.  Life is good when we are following God, but we have a tendency to stray off the path.  Sometimes we stray a long way off.

That’s what psalm 60 is all about.  David knows that the people have strayed.  They have walked away from God, and God has decided to let them go.  God is willing to allow the people to suffer the consequences of their own actions.

Yet, God has not abandoned them.  When the people have walked away, God did not walk away.  God set up a banner to which the people could return.  Those who run to the banner and re-embrace God’s ways are welcomed back under His protection.  That’s the greatest thing about God.  He always leaves the porchlight on.  We may turn prodigal, but He is always there to welcome us back if we simply have the humility to acknowledge our error and return.

This leads us to Psalm 61.  This is a psalm of praise and joy.  While it is not necessarily connected in context to Psalm 60, it is certainly an extension of the theme.  God is the rock that is higher than us.  That is why we end up walking away from Him instead of Him turning away from us.  He is the superior.  He is the greater.  He has true wisdom.

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Year 8, Day 204: Psalm 59

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Psalm 59 is another psalm of David where he speaks about the trouble around him.  As we’ve seen in prior psalms, David continues to turn to faith in God in the face of evil.  In today’s psalm, we can go a little further than this point.

David gives us a bit of insight into the mind of the evil ones.  In fact, the words he says are so fundamental he repeats them for us twice.  Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.  The image he gives us is clear.  These are people who are looking for trouble.  These are people who want to do evil.  These are people who are consciously choosing the fulfillment of their own desires over good.

The first time David talks about them he speaks about them coming with swords and confidence that they won’t be heard.  They are confident in their evil.  They know full well what they are doing.  They have a plan and seek to fulfill their own schemes.

The second time David talks about them he mentions that they howl if they do not get their fill.  In other words, evil is a hunger that must be sated.  In the beginning, evil is something done because it is a means to an end.  In the end, we serve the craving of evil.  What starts out as a means to our end eventually takes control.

In contrast, look to what David lifts up as proper conduct.  God, who laughs at the wicked ones, is David’s fortress.  Unlike evil, which takes control of us eventually, God meets David in love.  God protects David instead of using him as evil does.  This is why David continuously turns to God.  He knows that evil is no friend.  He knows that when we lie down with evil it is us who are changed and not for the better.  We are changed for the better when we turn to God and abide in His ways.

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Year 8, Day 203: Psalm 58

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Psalm 58 is a dark psalm, darker than most people would care to acknowledge at first.  It’s easy to listen to these words and acknowledge the truth within.  Who hasn’t looked at the world and noticed that the wicked prosper and the evil seem to win?  Who hasn’t wondered if words like justice and righteousness are actual truths or simple ideological concepts that we’ve made up to make ourselves feel like there is purpose to life?  Who hasn’t occasionally wondered how long evil will continue to abound.  Who hasn’t longed for judgment day?

That’s human nature.  Everyone who has ever been hurt by another person – okay, all of us – understand the temptation to feel justice.  We want vindication.  We want a righteous decree telling the wrongdoer that they’ve been caught.  That’s why shows like Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS, and Forensic Files are insanely popular.  In the end, the story is good because the bad guys get caught.  Most humans, although we are all sinful and corrupt, long for the time when evil will get what it is due.

Yet, that is a dark side to humanity.  Judgment Day in any form is not fun.  When I cry for vengeance, I only add my cry to the people who cry to see my evil avenged!  I am not perfect.  I am guilty of sin.  My flesh is corrupt.  I need to remember the guilt that I bear, too.  I need to remember that Jesus had to die for my sake as much as anyone else’s.

That’s the delicate balance in psalms like these.  It can be so easy to long for the crimes of others to be revealed and dealt with. In fact, it can even be righteous to do so!  God Himself knows that sin must be atoned, and that atonement had great cost and great pain involved.  We need to remember the balance between forgiveness and atonement.  We must seek the true balance between forgiveness and cost.

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Year 8, Day 202: Psalm 57

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I think one of the aspects of David that I respect the most is his ability to always see.  I’m not talking about his ability to use his eyes.  What I’m talking about is his ability to use his mind.  To put it in the most confusing way possible, what David sees often doesn’t match what David sees.

When David, the greatest Hebrew king of all time, looks out with his eyes he sees a bleak picture.  People are always trying to usurp him.  They want his power.  They want his throne.  They want his power.  They want his prestige.  If there is anything true about being at the top, it’s that you have everyone else’s bull's-eye on your back.  That’s David’s reality every day.  It’s hard to be king and go through a day not wondering who is gunning to take you down.

In fact, David had good reason to fear!  In spite of being able to do some great things through faith – killing Goliath comes to mind – his reign was filled with valleys.  His son revolts.  The nations around him rise up against him.  His own subject plot against him.  The other tribes wrestle with being ruled by a Judahite.

Having said that, read the words in this psalm.  Yes, the pain of life is there.  The words, however, paint a different picture.  David sees hope.  David sees a reason to sing!  David finds reason to believe and be steadfast.  David finds reason to praise God!

It really is a matter of perspective.  David could easily have turned angry and bitter.  He could have become suspicious and cold.  He could have built emotion brick walls within spiritual ones.  But that isn’t what he does.  David continues to turn to God, find joy and peace, and then bring that light to life.

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Year 8, Day 201: Psalm 56

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Today we get another psalm of David.  It’s another psalm where David talks about turning to the Lord in the midst of being pursued himself.  Hopefully the theme that’s appeared throughout the last ten psalms or so is clearly visible.  In the midst of David’s trouble, David turns to God and has faith.  In the midst of human pursuit, David turns to God instead of lashing out.

Think about all of the things that happened to David in his life.  How many times did Saul try to kill David?  Yet when David had opportunity to take Saul’s life, David didn’t.  Remember when Absalom overthrew David and took over the kingdom?  David vacated the throne and waited for God to open the door back into the kingdom.  Remember when David was chased out of Israel and was forced to live among the Philistines?  David waited among the Philistines, working hard, until God opened a door for him to return.

David truly is a man after God’s own heart.  He trusts the Lord.  He desires to live according to God’s direction and has the patience to wait him out.  Yes, David sinned.  Yes, David made his share of mistakes.  But there is something that is true in David’s life.  When the chips are down, David turns to the Lord and trusts.

That’s what this psalm is about.  People scheme against David.  They look for their opening.  They think evil thoughts against him.  They speak ill of him.  They lurk and plot and plan.

In all of this, David turns to the Lord and honestly asks how he can possibly be afraid.  If God is for him, what should David fear?  If David is truly walking step by step with the Lord, why cower in fear?

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Year 8, Day 200: Psalm 55

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In Psalm 55 we can continue the thinking we started in the last psalm.  Again we have a psalm of David when he is calling out to the Lord for help.  There is one difference in today’s psalm than from yesterday.  Today, David is oppressed by someone close.  David has found an enemy in someone that he thought was a friend.

David’s response, however, is still the same.  David calls out to God for help.  David knows that the source of salvation is not something within himself but something found within God first.  David understands that while oppression may come from the humans, even friends, around him but salvation only comes from God.

What’s neat about this psalm, though, is that we see that this is not nearly as easy as it sounds.  David’s heart is in anguish.  He wants to run – or in this case, fly – away.  He needs to fight the human instinct within.  David is restless inside.  Waiting for God and His salvation can sometimes require patience.  Patience is often in short supply when we feel like we are oppressed.

As discussed yesterday, worshipping God must be more than lip-service.  If we trust God, then we must place our trust in Him, too.  We cannot lash out and react, solving our human problems in our own human way.  But this is easier said than done.  Waiting upon the Lord means we must learn patience.  We must learn how to listen.  We must resist temptation within to follow our human solutions.  Being the Lord’s disciple means all of this so that we can truly follow Him even in our troubles.

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Year 8, Day 199: Psalm 54

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In psalm 54 we have another plea for salvation.  No surprise, we return to a psalm of David.  This psalm has a simple, honest tone about it that sounds like David.  David is in trouble and he cries out to God.  David even seems to have been caught blindsided by the trouble as he claims that strangers have risen up against him.

There’s something neat that comes up when thinking about this psalm and psalms like it.  Worshipping God is more than just lip service.  Naturally, we understand that.  There is no logical reason for anyone, much less God, to appreciate lip service.  We naturally understand that worship must be more than lip service.

That being said, when it comes to trouble do we really practice what we claim to believe?  How often when we are oppressed do we try to save ourselves?  How often do we lash out in anger, seek revenge, devise a scheme equally as bad as those who oppress us, or other such calamity?  When people rise up against us, how often do we try to take matters in our own hands and solve our troubles our way?

That’s the neat thing about this psalm.  When David is oppressed, even by an unknown enemy, look what he does.  He turns to the Lord.  He asks the Lord to deliver him.  He places his trust into the hands of the Lord.

We need to be careful with this, though.  I’m not saying that David became inactive and expects God to do everything for him.  What David does is to wait upon the Lord.  Instead of lashing out in his human emotional reaction, he pauses to understand what God’s plan is.  Once he knows how God will work salvation, then he acts, playing whatever part God needs him to play.    That’s the key to making our faith more than lip service.  We need to wait upon the Lord and then truly follow Him if we are truly going to claim to worship Him as God.

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Year 8, Day 198: Psalm 53

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At first pass, this psalm seems utterly depressing.  Nobody does good.  All have sinned.  We’re all corrupt.  We’re all covered in iniquity.  We have all fallen away.  We all prey upon one another in one form or another!  Oh, what a bleak picture!

Truth be told, it’s all true.  Can any of us be declared righteous on our own merit?  Can any one of us shed our iniquity?  Can any one of us keep himself from falling away from God’s ways?  While bleak, is it any less true?

This is why the end of the psalm is so meaningful.  Salvation does come out of Zion.  God Himself makes our salvation a reality.  It is God who restores the fortunes of His people.  God is the source of salvation.

While this psalm does cause a bleak look in the mirror for humanity, it is a fundamental look.  To truly rejoice in the salvation, is it not necessary to understand our own turmoil?  To receive grace, isn’t it best when we understand the cost? 

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Year 8, Day 197: Psalm 52

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Psalm 52 gives us another pair of opposite perspectives to analyze.  The first is the perspective of evil.  The psalmist asks why the evil one boasts, even.  These are the people who plot against others, who put their trust in money, who lie, or who deceive.  In other words, these are people who are looking to figuratively consume other people and their livelihood.

On the other hand, there are the righteous.  These are people who boast in the Lord, not the things of this world.  They trust in the Lord.  They thank God.  They wait upon Him.  They make company with other righteous people.  In other words, these are the people who do things according to the Lord’s ways.

Looking upon both camps, and serving as judge, is God.  God will break down those who boast in themselves while being a refuge for those who are in Him.  He will snatch away the wealth of the wicked while abundantly providing for the righteous.  He will uproot those who plant themselves in the world but grant stability to those who plant themselves in Him.

In the end, it really does boil down to a matter of faith.  If God is looking down and sitting as judge, why would we sit in the position of evil?  Why would we place ourselves not only in a place of judgment but also a place where we depend on ourselves when we can place ourselves within God’s influence and protection?

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Year 8, Day 196: Psalm 51

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Psalm 51 is a classic psalm.  It contains refrains that are used over and over in popular culture.  The “Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me” refrain is present.  “Oh Lord, open my lips and I will declare your praise.” These phrases are often referenced as people turn to the Lord.

Looking back to the beginning of the psalm, we can understand why the psalmist would say these things.  The psalmist has a great understanding of their own sinfulness.  In fact, the psalmist has a great understanding of their own redemption, too.  It is God who washes us clean.  It is God who purifies us.  We do not purify ourselves.  The psalmist knows this, which is why the psalmist desires to request cleansing from God.  He creates clean hearts within us.  Our response should be to declare Him praise.

Ultimately, this brings us to the end of the psalm.  An oft overlooked passage, but a rather important one nonetheless, are Psalm 51:16-17.  He the psalmist tells us for certain what is in the mind of God.  God does not desire burnt offerings from an impure person.  As discussed yesterday, what can we sacrifice that really isn’t God’s anyways?

What God desires is a broken spirit and a contrite heart.  What God desires is that we understand our brokenness.  God desires an understanding of our sin and confession of our inability to resolve the situation.  God desires an attitude within that starts with our brokenness and looks ahead to our redemption.  These are the things that God does not despise.

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Year 8, Day 195: Psalm 50

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Psalm 50 has a great truth deep at its core.  Before getting there, though, look at the surface level of this psalm.  This psalm is about God being a judge.  He is capable of calling all into account under Him.  There is no fooling God.  He knows all and sees all.  He knows who are the righteous and the unrighteous.  Above all else, He is capable of judging.

Having said that, the second half of this psalm is about the nature of sacrifices.  I love the middle of the psalm where God talks about offering sacrifices to Him when the animals are already His!  How arrogant we are when we take something that already belongs to God and give it to Him, expecting it to raise His opinion of us!  That’s like a child making lunch for their parents out of groceries that the parents themselves bought!

Hopefully, in reading that last paragraph there is something that does jump out.  It truly is the thought that counts.  The child who makes lunch for their parents doesn’t sacrifice from their own life, but rather make a gesture in love.  It isn’t the sacrifice that the parent cherishes, it is the thought.

The same thing is true with God.  As we read through this psalm, we hear that God wants a sacrifice of thanksgiving more than anything else.  He doesn’t want us slaughtering some goat because it will make Him love us more, He wants us to turn to Him in gratitude and relationship. 

Those of us who live in the time of the New Testament know that this is even more true.  There is no way that we can buy our salvation.  No sacrifice of ourselves is good enough.  God has already given the sacrifice in His Son.  What He wants from us is thanksgiving.  He wants us to turn to Him in relationship.

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Year 8, Day 194: Psalm 49

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This psalm speaks to the heart of the human existence, especially for the person who’s trying to live a life that adheres to the tenets of God.  It’s easy to feel taken advantage of when you look out for people other than yourself.  It’s easy to feel unappreciated when you make decisions that benefit others and not yourself and nobody notices.  It’s easy to feel like you’re never the winner when others are willing to walk all over your back to get what they want.

This is often a core issue when people try to live a good life.  It’s hard to be the good person when other people don’t seem to get punished when they cheat, lie, steal, or take advantage of others.  It’s easy to get sucked into similar behavior and to respond in like kind.  It’s easy to doubt oneself when other people are living like they want and seemingly getting away with it!

All of this makes sense until we hit verses like Psalm 49:7, 11-12, 14-15, 17, 19-20.  The theme of all those verses is rather simple. The great equalizer is death.  This side of death gives us a rather tainted picture because God has given us free will.  Death will equalize the playing field, and the time after death with slant the playing field towards those who abide in God’s ways.  After all, Psalm 49:15 promises that God will ransom our soul from Sheol, the place of the dead.

In other words, the old adage “you can’t take it with you” is absolutely true.  Live as you want in this life.  Collect earthly rewards all you want.  Life high on the hog and step over people if you desire.  Realize, however, that such a lifestyle won’t do you any favors after death.  The only person who can ransom us out of death is God.  Rather than pursuing our own goals, doesn’t it make sense to spend our life living the pursuit of Him?

None of us can avoid the temptation to wonder about the righteous life in the short term.  It’s not right, but it is human nature.  What we need in those moments is what this psalm provides.  What we need is a divine eternal perspective.

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Year 8, Day 193: Psalms 48

Theological Commentary: Click Here

On the surface, Psalm 48 seems to be about lifting up Jerusalem and giving its praise.  After all, it is a very defensible place.  The city has thick walls and high ramparts.  Its soldiers can see the surrounding area and warn of invaders.  Who can stand?  Even the kings of the area, when they gather to fight against Jerusalem, have to turn away from their pursuit.

We need to be careful with this kind of thinking, though.  If this is really what the psalm is about, then our theology is all wrong.  Is God great because Jerusalem is great?  Is the psalmist really saying that we should worship God more because of the greatness of Jerusalem?

This is a crucial theological point to make sure we get right.  Do we worship God more when things go the way we want or need?  Are we closer to God when our life is good?  If so, isn’t that a bit of a theology of glory coming through?  Isn’t that like saying because my life is good, I’ll worship God.  The problem with that isn’t that we worship God, it’s what happens when life isn’t good!  Or even what happens when we get so accustomed to the good that we no longer appreciate it as good and now see it as mundane!  If our worship of God is based on the circumstances around us, we are always in trouble!

If we go back and read through the psalm carefully, we see that the real point of the psalm is that Jerusalem is great because God is great.  The psalmist isn’t telling us to worship God because Jerusalem is such a wonderful and impenetrable stronghold.  The psalmist is telling us that Jerusalem’s magnificence and strength is evidence of God’s presence.  It should not cause us to worship Him more, it should draw us to Him who is already there.

This brings us to a theology of the cross instead of the theology of glory.  Rather than worshipping God because He treats us well and our life is good, we worship God because He’s already there and among us.  We worship Him because we desire relationship with Him.  We worship Him because we understand that it is through Him and His ways that we really find peace and wholeness.  Only when our position is moved from the theology of glory to a theology of the cross will we be able to worship God both in the good and the bad.

Let’s go back to Jerusalem.  What happens several hundred years after this psalm is written?  Jerusalem falls to Babylon, the temple is destroyed, and its inhabitants are dragged of into servitude.  Many of the Hebrew people, people who lived a theology of glory instead of a theology of the cross, saw the destruction of Jerusalem as a reason to fall away from God and live according to the world.  For them, the destruction of Jerusalem was a sign that God wasn’t the God they thought Him to be.

However, we know that a remnant remained.  There were people who lived a theology of the cross, which means that we look for God because of the relationship.  They were able to see God in the destruction of Jerusalem.  They were able to understand the refinement that God was trying to do among the people.  They were able to worship Him even when a generation experienced pain and suffering.  For these people, the glory of Jerusalem is not greater opportunity to see God than its destruction.  God is present at all times.

Returning to the psalm, this now brings greater depth.  Yes, Jerusalem was a powerful and mighty city.  Yes, it is evidence of God’s power and might.  In that moment in time for Jerusalem, it is a lesson we can earn and admire!  Just remember that it is Jerusalem made great because of God and not God made great because of Jerusalem.

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Year 8, Day 192: Psalms 46-47

Theological Commentary: Click Here

These psalms are an incredible set of praise to the Lord.  We hear the Lord exalted.  We hear that the Lord saves us.  We hear that the Lord conquers the nations.  The Lord subdues the world.  He rules over us, we are His subjects.  The psalms set the relationship between humanity and their God on a straight and narrow path.

As obvious s this theological point is, dive a little deeper into the words.  Look at the comparison between like things such as we find in verse 3 and verse 4.  In verse 3, the sea is a turbulent thing, boiling in protest and swelling in power.  Yet in verse 4, the water is a calm and tranquil place that testifies to the exaltation of God and His habitation.  In one case, water is turbulent and dangerous.  In another place water is tranquil and joyous.

What is the source of the difference in the waters?  Although no concrete conclusion is detectable, there is something that we can see.  The difference is the presence of the Lord.  In the presence of the Lord, that which is turbulent becomes calm.  That which is dangerous becomes tranquil.  That which once had the power to destroy now has the power to refresh in the presence of God.

This is merely a single example of what the presence of God can do within us.  He can take that which is destructive within us and turn it into something that can bring joy to those around us.  He is the source of transformation, ad because of this He deserves our exaltation.

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Year 8, Day 191: Psalm 45

Theological Commentary: Click Here

My first reaction to Psalm 45 is always that of distrust.  I know that it is God’s Word and therefore it is good.  I know that on a generic grand scale for the whole of God’s Word.  My issue is with the specific structure of this psalm.  It begins by praising the king and talking about how righteous the king is.  I am highly skeptical of anything that talks about the righteousness of a human being – especially when those passages talk about people in high positions of power.  After all, as human beings we are called to exalt God, not other human beings.

That being said, this psalm is always a joyous surprise.  For me, this psalm is like eating spinach artichoke dip.  I don’t particularly care for cooked spinach – although I love raw spinach on salads and sandwiches.  But when I eat spinach artichoke dip, especially on bagel chips or tortilla chips, I really enjoy the experience.  My gut reaction to thinking about eating cooked spinach is negative, but I love the experience of spinach artichoke dip anyways.

Why do I love this psalm in the end when my initial reaction of one of skepticism?  The love comes from stepping back and looking at the structure of the psalm more than the words.  The structure of the psalm is three-fold.  In the beginning, we have praise for a king.  At the end, we have words of advice for the king’s bride.  In the middle, we have high praise for God.  Rather than being skeptical about the beginning and end, what we end up seeing is that this psalm is the perfect model for marriage.

The husband should be living a life in God, attractive to his bride.  The wife should also be living in God in such a way that she is attractive to her husband.  What is the key to a good marriage?  What is central to this psalm?  The key to a good marriage is the righteousness of God.

That’s what makes this psalm so beautiful in the end.  This psalm is a model for a godly marriage.  It isn’t about praising the man or praising the woman.  It is all about seeing what a good marriage can become.

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Year 8, Day 190: Psalm 44

Theological Commentary: Click Here

The first half of this psalm seems to be in line with the other maskils of Korah that we’ve read thus far.  It is through the Lord that we accomplish anything.  The psalmist truly knows where the source of life, power, and protection resides.  It isn’t us, it is God.  He is the one who does wonderful things through us.  That much is clear.

However, when we get to the second half of this psalm it takes on a much more ominous tone.  The psalmist has seen his people fail.  He has seen them fall in battle.  He has seen them live under the persecution of others.  He has seen them seemingly rejected by God.

What’s worse is that the psalmist can’t understand why.  From his perspective, the people aren’t falling away.  They aren’t rejecting God.  They aren’t turning to other gods.  They haven’t broken the covenant.  Had any of these things happened, the psalmist would accept the fate and acknowledge their worthiness to receive such a fate.

This can tell us at least two things.  Not being in the context, it is impossible to know which is correct.  It is possible that the people are being faithful.  If this is correct, then God simply hasn’t decided to move against the evil in the world around His people.  God could be giving the other people time to grow, mature, repent, or hang themselves and deserve true judgment.

More likely, however, I think the psalmist is a bit blind.  How many of us can honestly say that we’ve kept God’s commandments?  How many of us can say that we don’t chase other gods in our life?  Can we really believe that we are innocent in every way?

Not being there, I really don’t know what is going on.  But this psalm reminds me that I have a firm belief about repentance.  When things go poorly in my life, my first instinct should be to look within.  What is going on within my life that isn’t worthy of God?  When I find such a thing, I should focus my life upon repenting over that and asking for God’s forgiveness.  In such humbleness will God’s presence truly be found.

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Year 8, Day 189: Psalm 43

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Psalm 43 continues the tone of what we began yesterday.  We can get a sense that these psalms are a matched set because they contain the exact same phrase. “Why are you downcast, oh my soul?”  Here is another psalm dealing with the dichotomy of knowing the human existence but believing in a God who is creator and desires relationship with us.

In the middle of the psalm we get a clue about how to get past our misery.  The psalmist asks God to send him His light and His truth.  The psalmist asks to be led back into the presence of God.  Don’t miss the directionality of what’s being said here.

So often when Christians talk about faith we talk about our walk, our devotional life, and our worship life. We take a wonderful Christianity and cheapen it to the level of every other religion.  Religion is about human beings working their way into righteousness.  This psalm tells us about the difference between religion and Christianity.  God comes to us; we don’t come to Him.

The psalmist asks to be led to God’s presence.  The psalmist knows that we have no chance to work our way up to God.  We cannot find Him on our own.  He sends out His light to shine the path to Him.  He sends out His truth to be our guide.

We still must follow.  It’s not like we have no responsibility; but ours is a responsibility in response rather than in initiation.  God comes to us and leads us into relationship.

That brings me back full circle.  Why is the soul downcast?  Perhaps the soul has forgotten to look for the light and listen for the truth.  Perhaps the soul has become so focused on its own self-worth that it forgot about the most important action: God’s initial action.  When we forget God’s important act of initiating, it is easy for our soul to become downcast.

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