Psalm 28
Psalm 28
begins with a genuine cry for help and a very grim picture. Listen to the words that David says in verse
1. “Be not deaf to me … lest I become
like those who go down into the pit.”
The word pit in this psalm can mean anything from a cistern, a well, a
pit, or a dungeon. Obviously, it is also
a symbolic way of speaking about death.
This is a
really neat point to flesh out of scripture.
When we are not in a relationship with God – when God is silent to us,
it is like we are in prison. Perhaps it
is worse than that. When we are not in
relationship with God, it is like we are in death.
This
brings up all kinds of possible theological paths to pursue today. I’ve heard many people talk about their
belief about what death – or perhaps more apropos to the conversation, what
Hell – is like. One of the absolute
scariest images is an existence of eternal separation from God. Imagine living in a world where there is no
God, no morality, and no righteousness.
Everyone is allowed to do whatever they want whenever they want. They don’t have to think about anyone
else. They don’t have to think about the
consequences on other people. Imagine
being in a world where self-mongerism reigns and there is no hope of it ever
changing. That is one of the scariest
depictions of Hell that I have ever heard.
In a
sense, that is what David is saying here.
The scariest form of life is a life in which there is no relationship
with God. The scariest way to live is a
life where God has no interaction with us.
When we are all alone and there are no divinely righteous checks and
balances … that is indeed something about which we should be afraid.
What then
is the answer? Follow David’s example in
the psalm. Always remember that it is
the Lord that is our strength and shield.
Always remember to worship Him.
I’m not talking about the “go to church and give Him lip service” kind
of worship. I’m talking about genuinely
worshipping Him with all that you’ve got.
Get into a relationship with Him on a daily basis. Then He will be your strength and your
shield. Then He will be the rock upon
which you are built. Then you will not
worry about feeling as though God is silent, because God will be the foundation
upon which you are built.
Psalm 29
Psalm 29
is centered upon the Hebrew word “ascribe.”
Generically speaking, the word “ascribe” means “to give.” However, in a more meaningful application it
can also mean “to credit” or “to assign” or even “to attribute.” Think about that for a second. To ascribe to someone is to credit them. To ascribe to someone is to attribute
something to their character. Thus, when
we are ascribing good things we can say that we are also praising a person. First and foremost then, Psalm 29 can be seen
as a psalm of praise to God and His character.
What is
the Lord? Let’s look at His
characteristics as to why He deserves praise.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a bulleted list, and it will serve us
well here today. He is:
- Holy
- Glorious
- Powerful
- Exciting
- Vibrant
- Bringer of life
- Enthroned as King over the earth
- Giver of strength
- Giver of blessings of peace
I think
one of the challenging things about psalms of praise is how I don’t match up to
the psalm on a consistent basis. For the
record, I don’t think the psalmist did, either.
Do I live my life as though I genuinely believe all of those things
about God? Sure, I do believe them about
God. But do I live my life as though I
do? Is my life focused on proclaiming
God’s greatness? Do I talk about the
power of God? Whenever I see life do I
thank God for it as its creator? When I
have a meaningful relationship with a person am I always mindful that it is
God’s blessing of peace upon the relationship that allows it to exist?
I have so
much to learn from the psalms of praise.
I have so much to learn about praising God at all! I’d like to think that this is a maturity
issue. The older I get, the more I hope
to be successful at keeping my focus on God and realizing just how much He is
behind everything in this world. God has
been patient with me thus far – I don’t have a very good track record from the
beginning part of my life. I pray that
it will get easier the older and more mature I get.
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