Jan 26th: Psalms 38 & 39

Psalm 38 feels quite different from the 37 psalms that have come before it. It bears similarities with some of the desperate pleas we have encountered in David’s life, but the feel is just very different. In the previous psalms, there was a specific threat or situation facing David, but here – although there are echoes of a threat – the emphasis seems to be much more on David’s awareness of being a sinner whilst going through suffering.

And so, feeling great anguish, David pleads with God not to treat him according to his sinfulness out of anger (verse 1). It’s as though he had treasured his Bible and knew that great declaration to Moses at Sinai:

The Lord – the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.
Exodus 34 verses 6 and 7

The confidence to pray for God to be merciful only really makes sense if you trust that he is a “compassionate and gracious God”. And so, although David recognises that he deserves to be in the terrible situation he is in because of his sin, he trusts he can still pray to God for deliverance because he knows his character (verses 1 to 3).

Verses 4 to 12 flesh out in more detail the anguish of David’s situation. Much of it may be poetic, describing the emotional turmoil of being wracked with sin – but the intended reading could also very well be literal, with the backdrop being one of genuine great ill health. In either case – David’s friends have left him and his enemies are there, waiting to pounce, on top of all David’s other worries (verses 11 and 12).

And yet, depsite being in such a terrible situation, David does not take things into his own hands (verses 13 and 14). Instead, his trust is in God, who he knows will answer him (verse 15). And so David’s earlier prayer for deliverance (verse 16) is certain, even though his situation has not improved (verse 17). If this were me, I would find it quite easy to pray again for deliverance, or find another way to bring it about. But David’s response is very different – his deep need has caused him to remember his sinfulness (verse 17).

I suppose that tells us something, doesn’t it, about the immense importance of sin. Physical trials surround him – and David’s number one prioirty is the state of his heart before God. I definitely need to learn that lesson. Father – forgive me and teach me to follow your ways.

Even so, there are enemies and David is still in a bind – he hasn’t forgotten (verses 19 and 20). So he prays that God’s deliverance in this need would be soon to be seen (verses 21 and 22).

Psalm 39 is another psalm that comes as a bit of a surprise. We’re almost a third of the way through them, and suddenly here’s something completely new. So what does David intend to teach us in this psalm? It has been sent to the choir director for use in corporate worship, after all. To me, it’s a bit of an Old Testament proto-Galatians, warning us about the danger of abandoning God’s grace and relying on our own strength and works.

This seems to me to be the intention of verse 1: “I will guard my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue”. Now, this is definitely a biblical aim – James affirms that “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body.” (James 3 verse 2). The catch is this – “no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3 verse 8). And this is how it goes for David too.

He holds his tongue, even refraining from speaking good, and yet ther was pain (verses 2 and 3). You see, as Jesus says, “what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander” (Matthew 15 verses 18 and 19). The point is this: it is not the mouth and our words themselves that are evil, that make us sinful. It is we ourselves who are sinful, totally depraved in our whole nature. David’s speechlessness was only treating a symptom, not the real problem.

And so David ends his silence (verse 3), turning in prayer (verses 4 to 13) to the only physician who could possibly cure him of his ailment (Mark 2 verse 17). So achingly aware of his sinfulness, and thus the holiness of God, David prays for humility from God because of his human condition (verses 4 to 6).

But this is not his main prayer. Knowing the sinfulness of his heart, he knows that it is only through faith in God (verse 7) that he can be forgiven – rescued from – his sin (verse 8). So, David knows that in one sense he needs to maintain his silence (verse 9); there is no space for boasting, since it is God’s work (Romans 3 verse 27). Thoughts of God’s grace cause us to see so clearly our sinfulness, and the affliction sin sets on us. The discipline may be scary and hard to sit under (verses 10 and 11), but it is an expression of that grace (Hebrews 12 verses 3 to 13).

And so David keeps praying to God (verse 12). He knows that he is a wandering pilgrim here on earth (verse 12), with a better inheritance by far in heaven (Hebrews 11). But his sin still weighs on his mind, and he is aware of God’s righteous wrath in his justice and his need for grace (verse 13). Fortunately, this is exactly what the God he worships is like:

The Lord – the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.
Exodus 34 verses 6 and 7

Jan 25th: Psalm 37

Having read and reflected on Psalm 37 today, I am keenly aware that I simply have not had to live through any situation that the psalm seems geared towards teaching. A very clear theme running throughout the psalm is that of injustice, and specifically social injustice; for example, the righteous have little whereas the wicked have abundance (verse 16).

In evangelical circles, I think it is relatively common to avoid committing to a biblical position on issues of social justice for two reasons. Firstly, in our wider society, issues of social justice are normally championed by those who advance a broader progressive agenda that does not go hand in hand with the Bible’s teaching on these other issues. Secondly, within Christian circles, those who most strongly hold to social justice tend to also reject the core doctrinal distinctives of the Christian faith. And so a good desire not to lend our support to positions we cannot theologically support can lead to us neglecting to stand for social justice where this is biblical.

One thing is certain: we cannot claim to hold to the Bible at the same time as having a low view of the importance of social justice – it is a gospel imperative (Luke 6 verses 20 to 49). But more importantly, we cannot let a love of and desire for social justice become more important to us than our personal relationship with God. Don Carson recites a historical anecdote along these lines:

One generation of Mennonites believed the gospel, and held as well that there were certain social, economic, and political entailments. The next generation assumed the gospel, but identified with the entailments. The following generation denied the gospel: the entailments were everything.
D. A. Carson, Basics for Believers (IVP, 1995, 2004); page 26.

In view of this danger, Psalm 37 offers something of a corrective: do not fall for over-focusing on the seeming success of wicked people (verse 1), but remember their certain downfall in view of God’s justice (verse 2). What is far more important for us is that we stay committed to and trusting in our God (verses 3 to 6). We may have to be especially patient – and committed to praying for the strength to be patient – when injustice abounds (verse 7), but our own anger will not improve the situation (verse 8), and God’s justice will be done – destruction for the wicked, and life for the humble, God’s redeemed people (verse 9).

We should be absolutely clear that the Bible condemns injustice and oppression – which it does, because God himself condemns injustice and oppression (e.g. Isaiah 10 verses 1 to 4), and frequently instructs his people to be instruments of social justice (e.g. Micah 6 verse 8) – but our response to injustice is not the Biblical metric against which we will be judged. What actually matters is whether or not we have received Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour; it is only in his name that we can have new life (John 1 verse 12; John 10 verse 10; John 20 verse 31). No matter what injustice people face, this is and will always be their biggest need; no wonder the “little” that belongs to the righteous person is better than great “abundance” of the wicked (verse 16) – the righteous one has a greater treasure by far in heaven (e.g. Matthew 6 verses 19 to 21).

With this in mind, one final point to consider is whether we actually understood David’s instruction, such as in verses 1 and 8, not to act in anger against injustice. The psalm keeps coming back to its central idea that ultimately the wicked will be judged and destroyed in view of their wickedness (verses 2, 7, 9, 10, 12 to 15, 17, 20, 28, 34 to 36, 38), whereas the righteous will be judged and preserved in view of their trust in God (verses 3 to 6, 11, 16, 18 to 19, 22, 23 to 24, 27 to 29, 32 to 33, 37, 39 to 40). And interspersed we see instructions on how the righteous should act when they encounter this wickedness and injustice (verses 1, 8, 21, 27, 30 to 31, 34, 37) and this stems from the character of God (verses 25 and 26, 28, 33, 40), which we are to imitate.

So, it seems that the proper response to injustice is not to rage against the oppressors, as so many in our modern world seem to be intent on doing. Rather, the biblical response is to gently support and protect the oppressed, because doing so is imitating God (following Luke 6 verses 35 and 36). And as we do so, we should heed the call of Jesus:

So, whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6 verses 2 to 4

24th Jan: Psalms 35 & 36

The 35th psalm, by David, is a prayer for deliverance. Once again, we meet David enduring some deadly threat, and responding by bringing it before the Lord in prayer.

In verses 1 to 8, there is a clear sense of desperation out of which David prays for the total downfall of his enemies, which can only come about if God fights on his behalf. David’s prayer against them is strong (verses 1 to 3), asking God to fight his enemies, protect him and assure him of deliverance, but so are their intentions against him (verse 4, verse 7). Indeed, in verse 4 to 8 we see David’s prayer is effectively for them to be reap what they have sown, to face the consequences of their wickedness.

Why is this wickedness, this rejection and hounding of David so severe, so consequential? David was God’s chosen, temporal, covenant king. He was most certainly not a perfect man, but he was one of God’s chief ambassador’s on earth, and so rejecting David means rejecting God. It’s effectively the same for Christians. We are God’s covenant people, having been united with Christ. We aren’t promised deliverance from trials and enemies, but we are promised strength to endure in the face of such trials and commanded:

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay”, says the Lord.
Romans 12 verses 18 and 19 (quoting Deuteronomy 32 verse 35)

David didn’t take action on his own initiative, but trusted in God to deliver him from his enemies and avenge them on his behalf because he was his covenant king. But he did pray to God and commit the issue and the wicked people into his hands. This is the biblical pattern for us today too – to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecture you” (Matthew 5 verse 44).

Certainly, David is confident in God’s deliverence, for he intends to rejoice in it (verse 9), commending the righteousness and salvation of his God with his whole being (verse 10). What a faithful God he has; what a faithful God we have.

Verses 11 to 16 give us a more complete depiction of the wickedness of these schemers againt David. Their malicousness and impropriety in verses 11 and 12 contrasts sharply with how David had treated them in verses 13 and 14, kindly and humbly. How did they repay David’s kindness and willingness to step up for them in their need? To beat him and mock him (verses 15 and 16). He was innocent of their accusations, and comparatively righteous – and yet they tore aware at him.

But standing behind David, we see his greater son: flesh mutilated, mocked by all and sundry, hanging on a tree – the perfect, spotless, righteous Lamb of God sacrificed to make atonement on our behalf. “‘We have no king but Caesar!’ the chief priests answered.” (John 19 verse 15), shortly before joing in the crowds as they mocked him. “Godless mockery” indeed.

This interlude describing the godlessness of the wicked in more depth now ended, David returns to his prayer in the remainder of the psalm (verses 17 to 28). It must have been frustrating to endure this pain (verse 17), yet David knew he had a God who cared for him and would vindicate him in spite of the pain (verse 18). It’s like he knew about Jesus beforehand:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens – Jesus the Son of God – let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
Hebrews 4 verses 14 to 16

Knowing what God is like is a great source of comfort and certainty for us, is it not?

With this confidence proclaimed, we meet the petition again in verse 19 – “do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me”, because of their wickedness and evil desires (verses 20 and 21). David trusts in the perfect knowledge and justice of God: he sees all things (verse 22), and therefore judges with wisdom (verses 23 and 24). And so we see two fates – judgment and wrath for those who oppose God and his annointed king (verses 25 and 26), great joy and gladness for those who love the Lord and his annointed king (verses 27 and 28).

I’ve undoubtedly missed out a lot of stuff here – but hopefully have highlighted something of what David is teaching us through this psalm. Psalm 36 is a bit easier to work through, though.

Firstly, we see wickedness for what it really is (verses 1 to 4). This information is “an oracle”, which is to say a revelation from God (verse 1). In sum, the wicked person is someone who does not fear God (verse 1). In more detail, the nature of wickedness is self-love without self-awareness (verse 2), deliberate malice in life and lip (verse 3), and it permeates the whole life to the extent that they cannot even go to sleep without coming up with more and more wickedness (verse 4). These people have set their course away from that which is righteous, and so cannot even recognise that which is wrong (verse 4).

Altogether, these people sound just terrible, don’t they? But the sad truth is that, actually, we are all like this. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” (Isaiah 53 verse 6).

This description of human wickedness is contrasted with the beautiful truth about God’s righteousness (verses 5 to 9). He alone is faithful and loving (verse 5), infinite in righteousness and justice (verse 6). The “faithful love” of a covenant relationship with him is “priceless” (verse 7), and so we see that people in that covenant are protected (verse 7), provided for in life (verse 8), and powerfully saved (verse 9). Well, maybe that last one is less clear. But God is the source of life and light – “In him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1 verse 4), and “to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name” (John 1 verse 12).

So verse 9 proclaims to us the grace of the God who would send his own Son to reconcile a wickedpeople to himself. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to uor own way; but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53 verse 6). Indeed, this is the only way these people in verses 7 to 9 could be in convenant with God and therefore receive these blessings; “if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing” (Galatians 2 verse 21).

Finally, we see a prayer for God to act (verses 10 to 12). In view of his great faithful, covenant love (verses 5 and 7) and infinite righteousness and justice (verse 6), David prays that God would protect the people he has reconciled to himself (verses 10 and 11). It could be that he has a situation very similar to that of Psalm 35 in mind. But the wonderful thing is this: knowing the infinite majesty and goodness of God, David knows that his will will come to pass, that the wicked who have not been reconciled to God will not endure, and so he can say with confidence that this has already happened (verse 12).

It’s the ‘prophetic past tense’; knowing what God is like, it is impossible for his will not to come to pass. And so, when he makes a promise, it is so certain that it will happen, that we can as good as say it has already come to pass. What a faithful God David has; what a faithful God we have.

Jan 23rd: Psalms 33 & 34

We might, irreverently, describe Psalm 33 as a psalm sandwich. In between a call to worship (verses 1 to 3) and people coming to prayer and worship (verses 20 to 22), we meet an incredible list of reasons for us to worship (verses 4 to 19). It would be remiss to start anywhere other than the beginning, and so we shall jump in right there.

Verses 1 to 3 call us to “rejoice”, “praise”, “make music”, “sing a new song”, and “play skillfully”, all “with a joyful shout”. In short, this is a call to musical worship, although as we have already considered – and will see again in Psalm 34 – this is not the be-all and end-all of worship. I think these verses offer something of a corrective to an attitude that I often have towards times of sung praise in church and other settings, where anything that smacks of musical excellence becomes suspect because we don’t know if it is great music for God’s glory or the musicians’ own sense of musicality.

Whilst this definitely can be a problem, and should be thought through carefully by those involved in music ministry at churches, playing skillfully is not itself sinful. So those of us who can be tempted to sinfully judge others in this way ourselves should carefully check our own sinful hearts and pray for forgiveness in this matter. The concept of “singing a new song to him” (verse 3), is also worth discussing, for much the same reason. We don’t have to stick to all the great classics, or use songs that all share the same structure and musical features, as some are wont to do.

Part of the delight of worshipping the never-changing, infinitely perfect God is that we can never fully express our worship, and so fresh words and song styles can help us to express our love for our creator. In the past, I’ve often found that it is only when I have had to learn a new tune for a well-known hymn that I really pay attention to the words. Whatever changes are made should always be constrained by a clear understanding of what is helpful for us to sing about, as touched upon in my thoughts upon Psalms 29 & 30. So, the psalmist here is calling us to worship God. But why should we worship him?

This is where the main body of the psalm comes in (verses 4 to 19). This is done in a revelation of his glory and an underscoring of his covenant care to his people. Verses 4 and 5 start off the list of reasons with a summary of God’s character, which can be seen through his revealed word and activity (verse 4). What is this activity? Verses 6 to 9 give us a partial answer: he is the creator and sustainer of all things, so we should worship him!

For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
Colossians 1 verses 16 and 17

Part of the way in which God’s continual sustenance of and control over the world is expressed in the fates of those who oppose him (verse 10) and who worship him (verse 12). The plans of the wicked are frustrated, but those under God are “happy”, which is more familiarly translated as “blessed”. Verses 11 and 12 really feel like the theological centre of the Psalm. We are reminded in verse 11 of the fact that God’s counsel and plan are eternal, and in verse 12 that he has chosen a people for his own possession.

This echo of grace reminds us that we were chosen by God before creation; that his plan from before creation and our fall was to redeem us to himself in Christ. No matter what we do in life, we are God’s special posession, and he blesses us with immense blessings in this life, but also and especially in the life to come.

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.
In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.
In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1 verses 3 to 14

We see God’s care of his covenant people more fully developed through verses 13 to 19, where we see him exercising his role as the perfect judge of all. He sees all people and knows them intimately (verses 13 to 15), and there is no external power that can save a person from their fate before him (verse 16 and 17). But the people who “fear” him (verse 18), which is to say those who recognise who God is and submit to his covenant lordship – “those who depend on his faithful love” (verse 18), receive deliverance from God (verse 19). God’s covenant gives us certainty of salvation.

And so, having remembered the nature of the God we have been called to worship (verses 1 to 3), reviewing all that he has done and is (verses 4 to 19), we can confidently join the psalmist in declaring our faith and trust in this God, certain in his salvation (verse 20). Our trust in God brings us joy (verse 21), and allows us to pray with confidence that God would treat us in the “faithful love” of his covenant (verse 21).

I had written quite a few thoughts out for Psalm 34 as well, but looking back over them there was something very wrong with them. I hadn’t properly chewed over the psalm or found its theological heartbeat. So here are some more truncated ‘general notes’ from my time in the psalm. The way I read it, there are basically three main divisions.

In the first part, we see a declaration of the psalmist’s desire to worship God (verses 1 and 2), followed by a call for others – for us – to join in and exalt God together (verse 3). What is the root of this worship? The experience of salvation (verses 4 to 7). David is recounting his prayer for deliverance and ultimate rescue from the situation with Abimelech (verses 4 and 6), at the same time as telling us what it is like to experience salvation – it is an inward transformation that has a noticeable outward effect (verse 5), and provides complete assurance to those in covenant relationship with God (verse 7).

In the second movement of Psalm 34 (verses 8 to 14), we meet two injunctions calling on people to come into a covenant relationship with the God of grace (verse 8), who is worthy to be feared (verse 11). [Anecdotally, young man recently joined fellowship who has all the head knowledge of a life of attending church, but doesn’t actually really have a personal relationship of saving faith, it seems – this invite seems especially for those who are ‘sort of there’, but not really]. Positively, his graciousness gives us certainty of his provision for us (verses 9 and 10), but entering in this relationship is about accepting God’s rule over our lives, and a reordering of our priorities around his (verses 12 to 14).

The third section of the psalm brings us back to the gracious character of the saving God of the covenant (verses 15 to 22). He lovingly cares for those who trust in him (verse 15), but those who reject him in their evilness will face his judgment and wrath (verse 16). He both rescues and is present with his people in their need (verses 17 and 18). He works all things together for the good of his people (verses 19 and 20, compare Romans 8). The way of the wicked leads to death, but the way of relationship with God leads to redemption and life (verses 21 and 22, compare Romans 6 v 23).

In short, I see this psalm as a kind of call to check whether we really have a personal relationship with the covenant God who works great salvation for his people. Do we have the same excitement and desire to worship him (verses 1 to 3)? Do we feel the same joy as David over our salvation, or is it so clearly visible in our countenance (verses 4 to 7)? Are we aware of the sweetness of amazing grace, and are we humbly submitting to God through reverent fear (verses 8 to 14)? And finally, do we really see the eternal difference that having this covenant relationship with a gracious God makes for our lives (verses 15 to 22)?

How does Psalm 34 point us to the cross? This is the huge redemptive work of salvation (verses 4 to 7) that secures new life for us (verse 22), and is our prime motivation for worship (verses 1 to 3). It is the biggest evidence we have for the grace-filled and fear-worthy character of God (verses 8 to 21).

Jan 22nd: Psalms 31 & 32

So I may have spent four-five hours this evening with some church friends watching the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. One consequence of this is that I have less time to write up my devotional readings, and will do on the next two Tuesdays. As Christians, we are called to form deep relationships with our church families, and so I am happy to prioritise spending time with them and growing in our friendships over putting quite so much detail into my psalm write-ups, as long as I am still making sure to make the time to actually read and pray through them devotionally. Even so – the following are some thoughts on Psalms 31 and 32, which are both of David.

Psalm 31 is another prayer for God to deliver David from a distressing situation. Verses 1 to 8 show us something of the tension of living the Christian life in light of the final victory and knowing God is in control and all-powerful, yet still feeling trapped in difficulties that are beyond us. So we see a prayer for salvation, which can only come through God’s righteousness (verse 1); a prayer for God to be his certain salvation (verse 2) followed immediately by certainty in God’s salvation (verse 3); an affirmation that God will protect David (verse 4) followed by a prayer that he would do so (verse 5); then we see David’s rejection of the wicked and faith in God (verse 6), faith which assures him of the certainty of God’s own faithfulness in the covenant (verse 7). In short, David knows that God knows his situation and protects him through it (verses 7 to 8), even though he continues to pray that God would do so.

Isn’t that so often where we are too? Under deep distress in whatever situation, desperately praying that God would protect us and save us – and yet completely firm in our trust that he is in control. So there is this tension in the Christian life – we can fully trust and depend on God through all our circumstances, yet there are times when all we can do is pray for salvation whilst still believing this. Nowhere in the Bible is it promised that the Christian life will be easy – yet we are promised that Jesus is worth trusting through our difficulties. So it is that the Christian can affirm the same words as the Apostle Paul:

We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body.
2 Corinthians 4 verses 8 to 10

Whilst we do live with this tension, sometimes it is appropriate for us just to pray. Indeed, prayer is one of the ultimate ways in which we recognise the sovereignty of God and our dependence on him. And so in verses 9 to 13, we see David’s prayer fleshed out. He prays that God would treat him with grace – not as he deserves – (verse 9), because the situation he finds himself in is simply too hard for him to deal with (verses 9 and 10). This situation of affliction seems to quite heavily involve the extent to which different people are against David (verses 11 to 13) – from downright hostility from friend and foe (verse 11), to simply being forgotten (verse 12), and knowing their evil plans for him (verse 13) – it looks like it’s David up against everyone.

But this isn’t the case. Because verse 14 reveals the most important thing about David – he trusts in God. He recognises God’s sovereignty in all things (verse 15). Because of this understanding, he can pray the prayer of verses 15 and 16 that God would protect David from his enemies and even bless him because of his covenant love. Indeed, knowing God’s grace and justice, we see the prayer of verses 17 and 18: that his faith would save him, whilst the faithless would be dealt with as they deserve.

With his prayer coming from a deep-seated recognition of who God is, and his certainty that God will answer him springing from this understanding of God’s character, it is no surprise that the next chunk of the psalm reflects this with praise. David praises God for who he is and what he does for his people (verses 19 and 20), and that he keeps his covenant with his people, rescuing David (verse 21), even though he felt isolated from God (verse 22).

And so David, still living in the shadow of the situation that has plagued him throughout the psalm, calls the covenant people to worship their God (verses 23 and 24). Because of the salvation he works and the certainty we can have in his grace and his justice, we should love the Lord (verse 23); no matter what situation we face, when we live in right relationship with God as his humble children, we can be bold and strong (verse 24) – because he does indeed promise to give us rest from the dangers, toils and snares that life throws at us:

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11 verses 28 to 30

Psalm 32 starts with a two verse description of the joy that it is to know that your sins are forgiven (verses 1 and 2). This great joy of now having no condemnation contrasts sharply with the heavy life of the unrepentant sinner (verses 3 and 4). The necessary act to get from the heavy-hearted situation in verses 3 and 4 to the joy in verses 1 and 2 was confession of sin and repentence (verse 5).

Now, this isn’t to say that the cause of all depression and physical ailment is sin and that the way to treat all such problems is extra confession. Whilst all such problems do, at root, stem from the initial fall of humanity in Adam (in Genesis 3), and in some cases personal suffering does result from unrepentant sin in our lives (see Hebrews 12), the fact of the matter is that there is not a one-to-one relationship between sins committed and ailments suffered. Consider the situtation where Jesus and his disciples came across a blind man:

His disciples asked him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.
John 9 verses 2 and 3

Jesus clearly affirms that this man’s blindness was not a direct result of sins. As a result, we know for certain that not all such illnesses do directly result from sins, and we therefore cannot assume that any cases do. Another area that is worth clearing up is that joy is not synonymous with being happy. Happiness is an emotion, a positive feeling that comes and goes as circumstances change. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, the surface experience of which may feel something like an emotion, but crucially does not depend on our circumstances.

Anyway – confession (verse 5) has turned the sorrow of sin (verses 3 to 4) to the joy of forgiveness (verses 1 to 2). This is what David experienced, and it is what all who have new birth through the work of the Spirit (see John 3) have also experienced:

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
Ephesians 2 verses 1 to 5

So, with his theology of salvation by grace alone and faith alone worked out some 1,000 years in advance, what does David write next? He calls on those who trust in God to pray to him, because his salvation is certain (verse 6). The certainty of salvation means we can certainly trust him to answer our prayers. This is followed by something of a statement of confession of David’s faith – a description of his total reliance and dependence on God (verse 7).

In light of his experience, David has some advice for us all (verse 8). Negatively, this involves not being like an animal without understanding (verse 9). I think this implies that we are not to be fools, who “say in their heart ‘There is no God'” (Psalm 14 verse 1); such foolish leads only to sin and wickedness. Conversely, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9 verse 10). This is also true in Psalm 32, the wicked suffer pain whereas those who trust in God are protected by his faithful covenant love (verse 10). Verse 11 gives us a bit of the picture of how we live the blessed and joyful life of trusting in God’s love.

Part of that is “shouting for joy”.

Jan 21st: Psalms 29 & 30

Reaching Psalm 30 on the surface means that I will have gone through 1/5 of the total number of Psalms. That said, many of the longer ones are still to come, so the remaining 80% of them will need a little more time to be worked through together. In ‘book’ terms, we’re still a little way away from finishing the first of five. Either way – the purpose isn’t actually to get through it all, and any milestones are arbitrary really as I won’t stop reading my Bible when I get to the end. The point is opening God’s word, hearing him speak, and being transformed by the inward work of the Holy Spirit renewing my mind. So: less preamble, more Bible.

And when I open it, here we are in Psalm 29. A psalm that teaches me that my understanding of God is simply too small; that his glory is incomprehensibly massive, and that his grace is too. Verses 1 and 2 constitute an instruction to worship the Lord (verse 2), which is achieved through “ascribing” him “glory and strength” (verse 1), the “glory due his name” (verse 2). Ascribing is not really a term we use in our everyday lives, but a good dictionary will reliably inform you that its meanings are associated with an idea of recognising. So for instance, if we ascribe a work of art to Picasso, we are recognising that he was its creator.

And so when we ascribe “glory and strength” to God, we are recognising that he is the one who possesses these things – that he alone is worthy to be worshipped. In one sense, it is merely describing the humility we ought to have before God – a recognition of his total bigness compared to us humans. In fact, you can almost see a sense of this at the opening of verse 1 too – when David writes “Ascribe … you heavenly beings”, there’s almost a confession that humans actually aren’t big enough to properly ascribe any of this to God; it is the mighty Seraphim who carry out that particular task:

Seraphim were standing above him [the Lord]; they each ad six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another:
“Holy, holy holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.”
The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said:
“Woe is me for I am ruiend because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies.”
Isaiah 6 verses 2 to 5

The sheer weight of angel praise is unimaginably great. Yet one almost gets the sense that even that isn’t really enough to describe the true strength and glory of God. In either case – humans like Isaiah and us are unclean and unworthy of God, and too small to adequately sing his praises.

David follows this call to worship with a poetic attempt at a sufficient description of the sheer greatness and all-encompassing might of God (verses 3 to 9). Verses 3 to 9 provide a huge range of similes for the sheer power of God’s voice, as well as flashes of its effect. Two main analogies seem to refer to a great storm in verses 3 to 5, and a great earthquake in verses 6 to 8. The implication is that these two are immensely big, and nothing stands in their way – but God is bigger. Verse 9 recounts the total control God has over all creation and destruction with two woodland references, and then shows us the proper response to understanding this about God: coming into his presence and worshipping.

It has often been remarked (I forget where originally) that “theology leads to doxology”. In other words, a right understanding of who God is and what God does leads us to proper worship, as David calls the people and the heavens to do in verses 1 and 2. In verses 10 and 11, we see the character of God summarised in his identity and his activity. Firstly, he is the eternal king in control over all other things (verse 10). Secondly, he is the one who gives strength and peace to his people, blessing them (verse 11). In other words, he is the God of grace. I always love the start of so many of the New Testament epistles – “grace and peace to you”*, or variants thereof. There is an inextricable link between grace and peace.

Whilst ‘peace’ in the psalm probably immediately refers to the granting of victory and lack of hostility in the context of the psalm, true peace between man and God was wrought through the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Consider the announcement of the angels to the shepherds at his birth:

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favours!
Luke 2 verse 14

Or again, John’s reflection on the significance of what Jesus did for humanity:

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1 verse 1

The perfect expression of grace, the foundation of eternal peace, is the cross of Christ, where the good news of great joy for all people – the saviour who is the Messiah (Luke 2 verses 10 and 11) – reaches its perfect fulfilment as amnesty is declared for the human rebels against God, for whom the call to enter into his eternal, peaceful rest still stands for any who will listen to his voice (Hebrews 4 verses 1 and 2).

Just like David’s theological reflection in Psalm 29, our understanding of the crucifixion should cause us to grasp the great identity and graceful activity of God – and to humbly come before him to worship. Psalm 30 shows us a little bit more what that worship may look like, specifically being a “dedication song for the house”. This may mean that it was used in public worship at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. One large part of worship is through song, as seen in Psalm 30; this is something the Church throughout the world continues to do to this day. Whilst this is only one aspect of ‘worship’, this psalm does focus a bit on singing so I will stick to that focus here.

Firstly, worship is about giving God the honour he is due – the exaltation of the opening line in verse 1. I used to move in circles where we would mainly actually sing songs about ourselves living as God’s people, and whilst these songs would usually be biblical in the sense that they were in line with the truth of the Bible and frequently did take their descriptions for us from the Bible, in another sense they are quite unbiblical because biblical worship is God-centred. So how does one go about doing that?

Well, the rest of verses 1 to 3 give us the testimony of what God has done for his servant David – David prayed for deliverance from some life-threatening situation (which could be one of many recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel), and God answered him. We could write and sing a new song for every single point of deliverance, and sometimes that will be appropriate. But more importantly, our worship is to the God who delivers, who saves, who keeps his promises. So quite often regular use of great classics that generally remind us of God’s character will be useful. This is especially true if we recall the above discussion, and remember that the great salvation and deliverane for all of God’s people, the perfect expression of his character, is found at the Cross. So why not sing about it.

Verse 4 is a great command to the people of God to sing praises to God. And we get the reason why in verse 5: God’s character. We are told of the smallness of his anger compared to his favour; we may experience discomfort as he leads us to mortify our sin, to take off the ragged old clothes of our old selves and put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness, but his favour shields us from his true wrath on our sin. This first half of verse 5 reminds me of God’s proclamation of his name to Moses, which reveals his character:

The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.
Exodus 34 verses 6 and 7

Being in covenant relationship with a God like this, we know that whatever trials, hardships, or pains we bear in this life, there is greater joy awaiting us in the dawn of the new life. And so the beautiful words of the second half of verse 5 – “weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning”. In other words, eternity shapes our response to our suffering – we can live through the difficult nights of life knowing that there will be a new morning with joy on its way, whether that is literally after sunrise or figuratively at the recreation of all things.

The rest of the psalm sort of maps out the experience of a worshipper who has forgotten their reliance on God. You can forget to remember God when things are going well, but then what can you do when calamity comes (verses 6 and 7)? You can only turn to God, and trust in his mercy (verse 8). Following this, verses 9 and 10 are the actual prayer. Yet they may seem out of place – I would definitely be tempted to pray something more along the lines of simply “Lord, I need you. Help me. Amen” But David’s prayer is centred on God’s glory. If he lives, he can praise God and ascribe to him the glory he deserves, which he cannot do if he dies (verse 9). It is on this basis that he appeals to God (verse 10).

Fortunately, Romans 8 reminds us that the Spirit and Jesus are at work in our prayer lives, so we don’t need to be worried about not having quite the right way of saying things. We know God’s character; we can rely on him to answer our prayers. And we are reminded again that this is what he did for David – his sorrow was turned to joy as God answered his prayer (verse 11). But we are strongly reminded at the very end that the reason God answered the prayer was so that David would worship him (verse 12); indeed, every part of him is tuned to sing his praise, as expressed in the dancing.

The same is true for us. We should never lose sight of our reliance on and need for God. We should never lose sight of his incredible glory and grace. We should always keep our centre on this God and his gospel.

If you haven’t really thought about the majesty and glory of God quite enough (although, can one ever?), and especially how that shapes our lives as Christians, a good basic introduction can be found in the book ‘Big God’ by Orlando Saer.

*(Romans 1 verse 7; 1 Corinthians 1 verse 3; 2 Corinthians 1 verse 2; Galatians 1 verse 3; Ephesians 1 verse 2; Philippians 1 verse 2; Colossians 1 verse 2; 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 1; 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 2; 1 Timothy 1 verse 2; 2 Timothy 1 verse 2; Titus 1 verse 4; Philemon verse 3; 1 Peter 1 verse 2; 2 Petre 1 verse 2; 2 John verse 2; “mercy, peace and love” in Jude verse 2)

Jan 19th: Psalms 27 & 28

Psalm 27 is a decidedly confident Psalm. In verse 1, we meet David’s confession of faith, grounded in the recent act of salvation God has wrought for him (verse 2). Consequently, David has confidence that God will continue to protect him (verse 3). Faith is the rock from which assurance springs.

But this immediate deliverance and protection is not David’s main priority in all of this; his true desire is to have a close relationship with God (verses 4 to 6). Yes, God providentially protects his people in their afflictions on earth (see also Job 1 and 2), but what they especially need is an act of eternal redemption. A covering of their sin so that on the great and final “day of adversity” (verse 5), they will be able to stand above the wicked and continue to rejoice in the presence of God (verse 6), as David is able to do here because of the immediate (and projected future) salvation from physical enemies.

After this, we meet the prayer of the psalm in verses 7 to 12. Knowing that his greatest need is fulfiled in knowing God, as he “seeks your face” (verse 8), David prays that God would be gracious to him in allowing him to continue enjoying this relationship (verse 9). And David knows his confidence is not misplaced, becuase he knows the complete trustworthiness of God’s character, especially compared to the most loving of humans (verse 10). And so in his continued difficult situation, David prays for continued protection and wisdom from God (verses 11 and 12).

David then repeats his utter confidence in God (verse 13), he invites others to share in that confidence too (verse 14). Is it worth it for us to “wait on the Lord”, as David implores us to do in this verse? We may not be able to think of an explicit situation of deliverance in our own lives – and, for most of us, we have never been in a situation quite like David’s with the enemies here. But even if our lives have been peachy, wrapped in cotton wool from start to finish so far, we can continue to trust God. And the cross and resurrection are the root of our confidence:

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?
Romans 8 verses 31 and 32

Psalm 28 seems to be coming from a slightly more desperate situation for David, but his confidence in God remains firm. We can feel this desperation in the intense pleas of verses 1 and 2, where David prays that God would hear his prayer, and not leave him in silence as though he were dead.

Indeed, God’s silence would imply that he was treating David like one of the wicked evildoers of verse 3; they deserve to be rejected by God (verse 4) because of their rejection of him (verse 5), but David lives in a covenant relationship with God, and so does not deserve this. Indeed, the New Testament clarifies pretty clearly that God guarantees to answer all the prayers of his people (e.g. John 14 verses 12 to 14) – they are articulated through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8 verses 26 and 27) and Jesus also intercedes for us (Romans 8 verse 34) – and so the same holds for the genuine Old Testament believer, such as David, even though the mechanics are not explicitly made clear.

This is confirmed in the psalm, where David’s desperation (verses 1 to 2) and prayer for justice (verses 3 to 5) is followed immediately by the assertion that God had indeed heard David’s prayer (verse 6). This confidence rests in the trustworthy character of God, as revealed in his dealings with David (verse 7), and his people more generally in addition to his annointed king (verse 8). Since the “annointed” of verse 8 is the root of the word Messiah or Christ, it is natural to assume that this psalm describes something of his ministry for God’s people.

As outlined above, he intercedes for us – giving us confidence in our prayers; also, as discussed for Psalm 27, his death is a supreme sign giving us confidence that we do not have the condemnation that the wicked deserve, because we are in Christ instead. But the final verse of Psalm 28 points most clearly to the work of the Messiah: “Save your people, blessing your possession, shepherd them, and carry them forever” (verse 9). How, ultimately, did God save his people – his special possession? He sent the good shepherd (John 10):

See, the Lord God comes with strength,
and his power establishes his rule.
His wages are with him,
and his reward accompanies him.
¹He protects his flock like a shepherd;
he gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them in the fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that are nursing.
Isaiah 40 verses 10 and 11

Jan 18th: Psalms 25 and 26

Psalm 25 is about depending on God. Structurally, it is an acrostic poem, with each verse starting with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. One might call it the A-Z of depending on God. It consists of a prayer (verses 1 to 7), a theological reflection (verses 8 to 15), and a return to prayer (verses 16 to 22).

David’s opening prayer (verse 1) is grounded in his trust in God (verse 2), which is well placed because David is praying to a God who he has a personal relationship with, hence the ‘you’, namely the covenant God, hence ‘Lord’, of the Bible (verse 1). Isn’t that a great comfort as we lift our prayers to God? We are in relationship with him, and we have the whole of salvation history pointing to his good provision for his people.

The petition itself is presented in verse 2 – “do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me”. A familiar thread running through many of the psalms – the people of God need continual protection from the wicked. But in the midst of what must have been a difficult situation, David has full assurance in God’s providence for his people (verse 3). If David is to prevail, he needs God’s help. And this doesn’t amount to saying ‘God, help me’, and setting off on his way, but is reflected in the content of the following verses too – David needs guidance from God in order to prevail (verses 4 and 5).

But this guidance isn’t a heavenly sign pointing the way, or specific instructions for the situation. This guidance is in the life-long process of devotion to God and being transformed by the work of his Spirit, as the God who saves you continues to lead you into righteousness. And so in verses 6 and 7, we see the recognition that it is only by God’s eternal grace – of which he can be certain because of the established covenant – that David is in this situation, and needs God’s work to establish and uphold the covenantal relationship, transforming David and mortifying his sin. So it is with the Christian believer in 2019.

It’s a deep prayer, but it rests on a deep God (verses 8 to 11). Those who humbly submit to God’s correction and teaching can be sure that their prayer to him (as in verses 1 to 7) will be answered (verses 8 and 9). God’s character, which he reveals throughout salvation history and especially in the covenant promises of grace, underpins this certainty (verses 10 and 11). This is a huge comfort for us that prayers in line with God’s revealed will throughout scripture are certain to be answered – such as the protection of his covenant king David here in the troubles he faces (verse 2). And we are reminded by Jesus that our “Father knows the things you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6 verse 8).

Verses 12 to 15 give us something of a double picture. On the one hand, this is a description of the blessing of following God; receiving guidance (verse 12), good life and inheritance (verse 13), covenant and wisdom (verse 14) and continued protection (verse 15). But on the other hand, it shows us what the only person who ever truly followed God was like – “who is this person who fears the Lord?”, reads the opening of verse 12 in the translation I am using. Only Jesus was obedient in following God’s way (verse 12), in living a good life and receiving his inheritance (verse 13), keeping the covenant (verse 14), and who kept his eyes on God and was rescued from the enemy’s trap (verse 15), rising from the grave on the third day. Maybe that’s a stretch.

And so we arrive at the return to David’s petition in verses 16 to 22. Verse 16 calls to mind the priestly blessing of Numbers 6 (verses 24 to 26) when David asks God to turn to him and be gracious to him. This is a natural response to having reviewed the character of God (verses 8 to 15); we are left reminded of our sin, still there from verses 6 and 7, and of our complete and utter dependence on God for salvation. So in verses 17 to 19 we are reminded of David’s dreadful situation – including his own sinfulness in verse 18), as he brings his enemies before God again. And so he prays that God would save him from this (verse 20).

The salvation David expects, and that we know from the history recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel he would indeed receive, rests not in any worthiness in himself, but on his complete dependence on God and the relationship he has with him (verse 20). This is why David is expectant that God will work a great salvation for him (verse 21). And what do you pray when there’s nothing left to pray? Quite often, simply a fresh summary of your total need and dependence on God – “God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses” (verse 22). Frequently when I have led congregational prayers, there have been many and varied global disasters taking place. And the final prayer I lift up in all these situations is invariably the same – “Come, Lord Jesus”. There are so many specific deliverances and acts of providence that are required so regularly by so many. And at the end of the day, the final answer to all these hardships and troubles can only be his second coming.

Psalm 26 seems to come from a place of equal discomfort, although the situation is dramatically different. Where in Psalm 25 we saw David’s prayer in an affliction of enemies and physical threat, David seems wrapped in the anguish of an accused soul in Psalm 26 – hence it is a prayer for vindication (verse 1). Short of hopping in a time machine and carrying out the necessary detective work to establish the specific reason for the writing of this psalm, my best guess as to the purpose of this prayer is that David has either been openly and falsely accused of wickedness, has overheard whispers of similar accusations, or is being ‘internally’ accused by a most-skilled enemy.

Whatever the precise setting, it’s a bit like we are sitting in as David’s righteousness is on trial and we overhear his argument. The call to vindication is followed immediately by a plea of innocence (verse 1), and then a call for God himself to judge him (verse 2). David is confident of his standing before God, that he lives by his truth, because he is guided by God’s faithful love (verse 3). The expression ‘faithful love’ crops up again and again throughout the psalms, and indeed much of Scripture, and is closely related to the covenant that God has made with his people. In one sense, if David’s right-living flows from the covenat love of God, it’s almost like he is saying ‘I have a covenant relationship with God; by his grace I am righteous’.

This may sound like a ridiculously New Testament reading of Old Testament theology, but we can very clearly see this in the negative examples of what David is not like in verse 4 and 5. As the righteous person of Psalm 1, David here makes a claim to be avoiding the corrupting company of wicked people. The terms of the covenant are clear, as this example from the laws on which animals could be eaten are summarised:

For I am the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy.
Leviticus 11 verse 45

So when David is citing his refusal to associate with wicked people, he is applying the covenant principle of maintaining his ‘holiness’ in reflection of the God who made the covenant. Peter’s advice to first century Christians assures us that this is still the case for God’s people today, although we are under a new covenant (1 Peter 1).

Verses 6 and 7 set out David’s case positively. He is keeping to his end of the covenant. This involves ensuring that his sins are atoned for [this is the purpose of an altar, although I may be reading this element in; it could be expressing the same idea as verse 7 – David’s public participation in worship] (verse 6) and publicly worshipping and proclaiming God (verse 7)

Verses 8 to 12 refocus us on the important matter of the false accusations. David affirms his love for God and especially his grace-given presence with his people in the Temple (verse 8), and so recounts that he should not be dealt with like the wicked people of verses 9 and 10, who deserve their descruction. Instead, David lives with integrity, which I suppose means he lives out the covenant; as such, his prayer is to be redeemed by God’s grace (verse 11). And this covenant provides certainty that this is how God will indeed treat him; he can stand firm in God, and so publicly worships (verse 12).

The covenant David lived under was a shadow of the greater covenant that is in Christ. He knew in part – and trusted. We know more fully, yet are still called to trust. In Exodus 24 verse 8, God’s covenant with the people of Israel is formally established when they are sprinkled with blood. Jesus’s death on the cross is another blood-sprinkling covenantal act (1 Peter 1 verse 2) that formally guarantees our relationship with God, further guaranteed by the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1 verse 14). Because God made and kept the covenant, we can be certain of our future salvation.

When we hear the voice that accuses – whether from without or within – we must remember this truth. Yes, the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, does convict us of our sin and show us where we need his help to be transformed by the renewing of our mind into Christ-like-ness. But the accuser, the accuser seeks to deceive us that we do not have the righteousness Christ won for us and gave us. But this gift of grace can never be taken away.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1 verses 3 to 5

Jan 17th: Psalms 23 and 24

Things will be slightly truncated for the next few days. Why? Well, life just has its way of keeping you on your toes, and occasionally there are more important things going on than keeping a detailed blog going through the Bible readings you have done that day. Fortunately, Psalms 23 and 24 are both quite short so that probably won’t be that noticeable this evening.

Psalm 23 is without doubt among the most well-known of the psalms. Verse 1’s “The Lord’s my shepherd, I shall not want” is quite possibly Hollywood’s stock phrase for use when a Christian character finds themself in between a rock and a hard place. And Psalm 23 teaches us the sufficiency and reliability of God – He is our shepherd, so we shall not want. What other gods or idols could make that claim? Does a love for money leave one satisfied with enough? Does a love for health and beauty leave one satisified with life? Or a lust after sexual liaisons leave one satisified with ‘love’?

The only source of true satisfaction, as Jesus taught the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), is in a deep and meaningful relationship with God. In fact, this idea is very much in verse 1, because “the Lord” is our English rendering of the covenantal name of God so emphatically revealed to Moses during the Exodus. So true satisfcation is found in relationship with God. What does this look like? In verses 2 and 3, the picture is one of the Shepherd providing good rest, nourishment and direction to his flock. Jesus sums it up rather well, as he has a habit of doing:

So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Matthew 6 verses 31 to 33

Put your relationship with God first, the rest follows. This isn’t some sort of prosperity gospel call, though. I think the most genuinely thankful Christians I have ever met were a poverty-stricken community in the Peruvian Andes. They had very little in the way of material things, and enough food to get by, but their joy and satisfaction in that was utterly complete – because they valued the blessing of their relationship with God above everything else.

Verse 4 speaks of the certain protection we have in our relationship with God as we go through tough times. As life-threatening as the valley may be, the certain presence of the covenant God with his people is a source of comfort. “I am who I am”, God said to Moses at the not-burning bush (Exodus 3 verse 14), which I am reliably informed carries the idea of presence. How could Moses lead the people through the trials of the Exodus and in the desert? “I am who I am” – God was with him. And so it is for every believer – “I fear no danger, for you are with me” (verse 4).

Verse 5 looks at our difficult situations from a different angle. In verse 4, walking through the valley was possible because of God’s presence. In verse 5, God provides for us in our troubled situations – such as when enemies breathing down our necks. We know from Scripture that Jesus is “sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1 verse 3); there is not an atom in the universe that is outside of his control or not upheld by him. And so does this Jesus not also uphold and sustain his people, even in the midst of great trials and difficulties? Consider his invitation to his followers:

Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
Matthew 6 verses 25 and 2

And so we come to the psalm’s culmination in verse 6 – wherein we see the assurance of blessing in the life of the believer, both now and to come. David contrasts the real life-threatening dangers of verses 4 and 5 with the real delights of God’s protection to his people – it is God’s goodness and faithful love that envelop his people, not the clutches of death or wicked enemies. But David’s final destination, and ours, is to “dwell in the house of the Lord” – to live in the rooms that Jesus is preparing for his people (John 14 verses 2 and 3). But it’s all very well and good for David to be this sure of his place – but what about feeble old me over here? Where is my assurance?

It takes its root in verse 1, where “The Lord is my shepherd”. As Jesus says:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. […]
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
John 10 verses 11 […], 14 and 15

Our assurance is in who we know God to be and what we know God to have done. This is especially in the sacrificial death and righteous life of Jesus, the good shepherd.

Psalm 24, an altogether different ‘beast’ from Psalm 23, actually makes a rather similar point, albeit in a very different way. It starts by making a grand statement of God’s sovereignty: he is the lord and creator of everything (verses 1 and 2). Understanding this complete majesty of God, it is only natural to ask the questions of verse 3: which of us mere mortals could possibly have the right to go into God’s presence?

To qualify, we would need to be like the description in verse 4 – with “clean hands and a pure heart”, and no falsehood about us. It’s a bit like the bar is set at the very top – not one misdeed or un-acted-upon-thought-of-malintent measures up as ‘clean’ or ‘pure’. That definitely rules me out, alongisde pretty much every single other human that has ever lived. But anyone who did meet that standard would be rewarded with blessing and righteousness by God (verse 5).

But verse 6 surprises us a little with David’s assertion that “those who seek the face of the God of Jacob” are in a generation of people who receive the reward of verse 5. How can this be, if none of us can meet the mark ourselves? Perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer is Jesus. He is the one who meets the mark for us. His perfect life of obedience to God satisfies the requirements of God’s law (verse 4) on our behalf; Paul elaborates on this idea of our union to Christ being the source of our righteousness with God throughout Romans 5 to 8.

In verses 7 to 10, we meet David’s cry of praise at the presence of God dwelling among man. This psalm may originally have been written to commemorate the arrival of the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem – the symbol of his presence among them. But I think it doubly points forward to Jesus too.

In the first case – the King of glory came to that which was his own, and whilst we do see an initial reaction of jubilant crowds crying “hosanna!” at the arrival of their saviour king, ultimately this was only short-lived, and instead of the elation of the psalm, the religious leaders condemned him to death. The irony of that is that this rejection actually fulfilled God’s plan to redeem himself a people through the sacrificial death of his Son, thereby enabling the earlier ‘chunk’ of the psalm to make perfect sense.

And things did not end there; the death led to the resurrection, which led to the ascension, and now we eagerly await the return and the consummation of all things. The King of glory is going to enter again, and this time, the gates will lift up their heads, the doors will rise up – and every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord.

Jan 16th: Psalms 21 and 22

I have been watching one of my favourite series with my housemate recently. A lot of the time, it feels like agony sitting there watching episodes and knowing what is coming. Waiting for event X or revelation Y to come along and change everything when you already know it’s going to happen can be hard, and if I was just watching by myself or with friends who have already watched the show too, it would be so easy to skip over some episodes and watch the absolute highlights.

And it can feel like that sometimes with Scripture too. One example out of many – why wade through Leviticus when Romans and Galatians so clearly explain our relationship to the Law today? But the temptation can be so much more subtle than that – do I really need to properly reflect on Psalm 21 when Psalm 22 is sitting there waiting to be digested? Isn’t it just a light starter, with the main to follow? Put in these terms – obviously not. But isn’t it funny just how easy it is to be tempted to do so? All this serving as a rather long preamble to saying that I was tempted to rush through Psalm 21 (as I sort of did with Psalm 20 yesterday) with the purpose of getting to Psalm 22, and instead I will read it as it deserves to be read. Granted, it is shorter and so the balance of writing will reflect that. But I have really thought about it, and I wasn’t going to.

So, what is Psalm 21? It is a thanksgiving prayer. Specifically, David has written this psalm thanking God for a victory that has been provided (verses 1 to 6), which parallels closely with the request for victory in Psalm 20. Not only is there victory (verse 1), but this victory is a specific answer to their earlier prayer (verse 2 mirrors Psalm 20 verse 4). Verses 3 to 6 expand upon how God has provided for the victory and blessed King David in this endeavour. With the deliverance in mind, the King’s reliance on the Lord and his faithful love (verse 7) makes perfect sense. God has shown that he is trustworthy to his chosen king by acting in his favour.

And if the King is blessed with victory (verse 1), life (verse 4), and even glory (verse 5) and joy in God’s presence (verse 6) – then his nation has these too. Isn’t this a wonderful reminder of the vicarious blessing we have through Christ?

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.
Ephesians 1 verse 3

What a great fulfilment of the first half of Psalm 21 we have in Great King David’s greater Son – the King of Kings!

The remainder of Psalm 21 reminds us of what it looks like for God’s righteousness to be victorious. The wicked, his enemies, have to be dealt with properly (verses 8 to 13). The literal fieriness of what David describes as God’s will for his enemies (verse 9) can leave us embarrassed and shocked. But is that not just the living and active word cutting through our soul (Hebrews 4 verse 12), exposing our inner love for – or at least indifference to – sin?

We need to see all wickedness in the light of verse 11, where the people’s intention is to harm God. Sure – our best efforts are puny and ridiculous compared to the all-surpassing glory of God, as evidenced in the sheer minisculeness of the Tower of Babel – it rose high into the sky to the human eye, but yet God has to come down in order to see it (Genesis 11 verses 1 to 5). But the point stands – all sin is a rejection of God and needs to be dealt with as such.

And we are explicitly reminded that this wickedness of theirs will not prevail (verse 11), that God will defeat them (verse 12), and that his people exalt and praise him because of that (verse 13). There will be a final day where Jesus shall return and completely destroy all wickedness, after which the heavens and the earth shall be wrought anew.

He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22 verse 20

Having jumped to the final consummation of all that was, is and will be at the close of Psalm 21, Psalm 22 throws us back in time again. Initially, we meet David’s feeling of abandonment or forsakenness by God (verse 1), and we are struck by the sheer poetic force of the entirety of verses 1 to 21 in describing David’s dire situation and need.

But the opening verse also casts our minds straight to Calvary, and the Messiah who exclaimed this very line from the cross (Matthew 27 verse 46). And we keep reading, and David’s description of his predicament seems to describe the crucifixion in agonising detail several hundred years in advance. It’s like reading of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 52 and 53. Hundreds of years in advance, a clear description of the crucifixion that would take place.

In the psalm, verses 1 and 2 express the frustration of feeling like your relationship with God is gone. David merely felt like that. Jesus actually experienced it. Verses 3 to 5 then recount some theological reflection on God’s character and the deliverance he has provided for his people. Would this encourage David, or Jesus? In verses 6 to 8, David recounts his isolation not just from God, but the cut-off-ness he feels from others in his predicament. Again, it perfectly expresses the treatment of Jesus as he was crucified:

Then two criminals were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. Those who passed by were yelling insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him and said, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God rescue him now—if he takes pleasure in him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” In the same way, even the criminals who were crucified with him taunted him
Matthew 27 verses 38 to 44

We feel the bitterness of David’s cry to God in verses 9 to 11 – this is all God has done for him, yet he feels he is far away. Comparatively, Jesus had eternally known the love of the Father and Spirit in a joyous eternal union we call Trinity, yet this was effectively ruptured during the crucifixion. Verses 12 to 18 further show the life-threatening situation David found himself in at the hands of the people; it felt like having his hands and feet pierced. Jesus was pierced – for our transgressions. The desolate cry of the forsaken one – pleading to God for salvation comes again in verses 19 to 21. How hard it must have been for Jesus – going through the agony of crucifixion and the agony of bearing the Father’s wrath for the sake of his church – to pray for salvation from that cup when said cup was the means of salvation for his bride.

The mind boggles.

But there is a step change in verse 21 – the first part cries out for salvation, and then we hear “you answered me!” Not only was David rescued from his desperate situation, but after three days of burial, Jesus was raised from the dead. And now what? David proclaims God’s name and praises him (verse 22), extolling others to do the same (verse 23) on the basis of God’s unfailing character (verse 24). And this is the continuing mission of Jesus through his church. Verse 25 treads familiar water of David praising God before the people, as the church continues to do on Jesus’ behalf today.

Then in verses 26 to 31 we get a picture of the security, stability and renewal that comes to the kingdom in David’s triumph. But more, much more than that, it gives us a picture of the great wedding feast of the Lamb (see Revelation 19).

[…] Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as aman, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even to death on a cross.
For this reason, God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Gof the Father.
Philippians 2 verses 5 to 11