February 19, 2023

This week we continued to read the book of Ezekiel from 16 to 30. Ezekiel was a prophet chosen by God. He was a little different than Jeremiah in that Ezekiel acted out many of the prophesies told by God. He was taken to Babylon and was living in exile with many other Israelites.

Like Jeremiah, he told the Israelites about God’s judgement because of their sin and lack of repentance. Israel worshipped other God’s and defiled herself as a nation, defiled the temple, the city and the land. Because of this, God judged the people, withdrew himself, and caused national destruction. Many of God’s people were killed by the Babylonians under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar, and those who were not killed were taken into captivity in Babylon. God’s intention was that the Israelites would know him better. He said “then they will know that I am the Lord” 65 times in this book.

Ezekiel is not just about judgement. It is also about future redemption. God had promised David an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:11-16), and God would not break his covenant. Even though God caused judged his people, showed compassion, cleansed his people, and gave them hope.

We will be talking more about this hope from a parable in chapter 17:22-24 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. ²⁴ All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”

Before we understand these 2 verses, we must understand the verses before.

“Two Eagles and a Vine”

17 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable. ³ Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar, ⁴ he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.

⁵ “‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water, ⁶ and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.

⁷ “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water. ⁸ It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’

⁹ “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots. ¹⁰ It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?’”

¹¹ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹² “Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon. ¹³ Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land, ¹⁴ so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. ¹⁵ But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?

¹⁶ “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke. ¹⁷ Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. ¹⁸ He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.

¹⁹ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant. ²⁰ I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there because he was unfaithful to me. ²¹ All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken.”

The meaning of verses 1-10 is stated in verses 11-21.

• The great eagle is King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
• The top of the cedar (in David’s line) is Jehoiachin, king of Judah
• Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin into exile in 597 BC.
• The seed of the land is King Zedekiah (descendant of David).
• King Zedekiah was placed on Jerusalem’s throne by Nebuchadnezzar.
• Another great eagle is the pharaoh of Egypt
• King Zedekiah aligned with the king of Egypt to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, but it failed and Zedekiah was taken into captivity, blinded and then died in 587 BC.

After King Zedekiah died, there were no more descendants of David on the throne. That is why God promised the coming of a Messiah in verses 22-24. 24 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. ²⁴ All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”

God will take a shoot from the very top of the cedar: God will take someone from the Davidic line himself. There are references to this in Is 11:1 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” And from Jeremiah 23:5-6 ““The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
when I will raise up for David^[a] a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.⁶ In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”

The term “tender sprig” refers to the Messiah. Planted on a high and lofty mountain is the high mountain of Israel; Zion.

The twig will grow large, produce fruit, and every type of bird will nest in it. The Messiah grows into a kingdom which all inhabitants of the earth will find both food (from the fruits of the tree) and protection (under its shadow).

I the LORD bring down the tall tree: these are the people who think they are great.

Make the low tree grow tall: this means the Messiah.

Thus, God was giving a prophecy about the coming Messiah.

This chapter started with judgement but ended with redemption, mercy and grace. God completely intervened on everyone’s behalf by sending his son Jesus.

How do you see God? Do you see him as the angry, mean God or do you see him as the forgiving and merciful father? God is righteous and just. But he is also a God who loves you more than you can fathom. He sent his son to die for you on a cross so that you would have everlasting life. Have you excepted this free gift?

Next week we will finish the book of Ezekiel reading chapters 31-48.

February 12, 2023

This week we read Lamentations and started with the book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-15. We are going to look at Lamentations 3 today. I will discuss Ezekiel more next week.

Lamentations is thought to be written by the prophet Jeremiah. It is an acrostic poem and has 66 verses; three lines for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. To lament, according to the Merriem Webster dictionary means to mourn aloud, wail, cry out in grief. This book has words of lamenting, words of hope through the LORD, then more words of lamenting.

Lamentations was written in 586 BC and the nation of Israel had been taken captive by the Babylonians. Many people were killed and many were taken captive in to Babylon. The city of Jerusalem was also under siege and everything was plundered. This was the punishment the Lord placed on the Israelites because they continued to worship other gods.  

During this time Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. Verses 1-20 show his hopelessness.

^[a]I am the man who has seen affliction
    by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.
² He has driven me away and made me walk
    in darkness rather than light;
³ indeed, he has turned his hand against me
    again and again, all day long.

⁴ He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
    and has broken my bones.
⁵ He has besieged me and surrounded me
    with bitterness and hardship.
⁶ He has made me dwell in darkness
    like those long dead.

⁷ He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
    he has weighed me down with chains.
⁸ Even when I call out or cry for help,
    he shuts out my prayer.
⁹ He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
    he has made my paths crooked.

¹⁰ Like a bear lying in wait,
    like a lion in hiding,
¹¹ he dragged me from the path and mangled me
    and left me without help.
¹² He drew his bow
    and made me the target for his arrows.

¹³ He pierced my heart
    with arrows from his quiver.
¹⁴ I became the laughingstock of all my people;
    they mock me in song all day long.
¹⁵ He has filled me with bitter herbs
    and given me gall to drink.

¹⁶ He has broken my teeth with gravel;
    he has trampled me in the dust.
¹⁷ I have been deprived of peace;
    I have forgotten what prosperity is.
¹⁸ So I say, “My splendor is gone
    and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.

He felt afflicted by God. He felt hardship and persecution. He was bitter and lost hope. He felt trapped, like he could not get out of the darkness. He felt that God was out to hurt him both physically and emotionally. Jeremiah did not feel God was even listening to his prayers. He was truly hopeless and depressed.  

Jeremiah had a change in heart after verse 18. It was the first time he used the term LORD. Once he said this, the inner conversation began to change. He went from hopelessness to hopeful. Here are verses 21-26.

Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.

Jeremiah was feeling despair but because he said the name of the LORD, he had a change of heart and began to see the truth about God which gave him hope.

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

• The Hebrew word used here for “love” is hesed. This type of love is a loyal love that will not let go based on emotion. God promised to love us, and because God is true to his word, he hesed loves us.
• “His compassions never fail”: Compassions is plural because it is intense and limitless.
• According to William Hooper, the word compassion in Hebrew comes from the word “womb” and means “to be moved in the heart out of love for another.” God is moved deep inside for us and it never fails.

²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

• God’s compassions and mercy are new every morning. What does this mean for us? Think about how God provided manna to the Israelites in the desert. The people were to collect enough manna each morning and not to store it except on the Sabbath when they were not to collect. God met the daily nutritional needs each day for the people. He does this with his compassions and mercies. They are new every morning, they will never run and we can count on Him to give us exactly what we need for the day.
• “Great is your faithfulness.” The word in Hebrew for faithfulness means steady, trustworthy, and honest. God is trustworthy and loyal to his followers.

^24” I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

• “My portion” means my inheritance and when it is used in the Bible, it means that God is our lot in life. He is the source of everything we need. He is with us always. Thus, we can wait on Him. It is the same in the New Testament. Jesus said in Matthew 28:20  “Lo, I am with you always…” Matthew 28:20.

^25 “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;”

• The Israelites were getting trampled by the Babylonians. It would be very easy to get inpatient and leave the faith. Jeremiah is saying that the Lord is good to the one who does wait for the Lord’s timing. There are verses in Romans 5:3-5 that are similar. “³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
• The one who seeks him, is one who seeks the Lord through his word.

^26” it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

• It is good to be patient and wait on the LORD for his salvation. This is his delivery from sin.
• The LORD will save us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Questions:

1. Have you felt like hopeless like Jeremiah? Maybe you had a great loss. A death, a job, a relationship.
2. Did you feel like God had abandoned you?
3. Did you remember God’s attributes?  God loves you. He is trustworthy. His mercies (compassions) are new every single day.
4. Have you been saved by the LORD?
5. Do you need to take a next step?
6. If you would like to talk, please send me a note. I would love to get back to you.

Have a blessed week. Next week we will read Ezekiel 16-30.

February 5, 2023

This week we read the rest of Jeremiah from chapter 21 to 52. The Jewish nation has forsaken the Lord, and worshipped idols. Jeremiah was the prophet who, for 40 years, pleaded with the nation to give up their false gods, but they would not listen. God warned them that they would be disciplined for not worshipping the LORD. In 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and took 10,000 Jews into his city, which included Daniel and Ezekiel.

It was during this time that Jeremiah wrote to the Jewish exiles 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

If we look at the chapter 29 of Jeremiah we get a better understanding of the circumstances.

“This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ² (This was after King Jehoiachin^[a] and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) ³ He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

⁴ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸ Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. ⁹ They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.^[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

As you can see in verse 1-3, Jeremiah is writing to those in exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. He tells them what the LORD said in verses 4-9. He wants the people to build homes while in exile, plant gardens, marry and have children. They should seek peace and prosperity while in Babylon. In verse 10, he says that after 70 years have passed, the LORD will bring the nation of Jerusalem back to their promised land.

You see, God tried for 40 years, through the prophet Jeremiah to get the Jewish nation to turn back toward God. They refused. They were seeking idols made from wood and metal. God disciplined them by giving them over to the Babylonians. He did this so the nation would turn back toward God. This was only going to be for 70 years.

It was at this point that the LORD said 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

After this the Lord said that they would call on him, pray to him and seek Him with all their heart. He will gather them again and bring them back to Jerusalem.

Even when we continue to wrong and God disciplines us, he has a plan for us.

Jeremiah 1:5 says about Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

God had a plan for Jeremiah from the time before he was born and that was to be a prophet to the nation of Israel.

God had a plan for the nation of Israel even when they sinned and turn their back on God. After 70 years they were to prosper and not receive harm, to have hope and a future. They would call upon the LORD, pray to the LORD and seek Him with all their heart.

God has a plan for you too. Like Jeremiah, God knew you before you were formed and has a plan for you as well. Like David in Psalm 139:16, “All the days ordained…were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Some people reject 29:11 because there are preachers who state this verse promises wealth and success. That is not true. God does, however, have a plan for us. He gives us purpose and a life that matters. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

God had a plan for the nation of Israel. He wanted their worship. Instead, they worshipped idols. Because of this, they were disciplined. God wants our worship as well. He does not want us to seek other idols. As Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.

God has a plan for your life. In order for you to fulfill His plan, you must follow Him. Romans 8:28-30 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[i] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

Are you following God? Are you seeking God with all your heart in order that God’s plan for your life be fulfilled?

If you would like to talk about this further, please send me an email. I would love to discuss this.

Next week we will read all of Lamentations and Ezekiel 1-15. Have a blessed week!

January 29, 2023

This week we read Jeremiah chapters 1-20. Jeremiah was a prophet from the time of king Josiah (good king) until the Israelites were taken over by the Babylonians. He was called by God before he was formed (1:5), and prophesied words from the Lord.

The main theme throughout 1-20 is the judgement God has for his people because they would not turn from their sin. As chapter 3:6 says, “She committed adultery and I gave a certificate of divorce.” As repeated many times throughout the readings, Judah was worshipping other gods.

In chapter 2:13 it says “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” What is meant here is the people abandoned God, the provider of ongoing living water, power and answers to pray, for the broken cisterns that fail at holding water like the false god and idols who are unable to give anything for the people.

Jeremiah is bold when he speaks to the people and the people are not happy. He tries to encourage them, and tells them how God will give them a chance if only they would change their ways. Chapter 4:1-2 says, “If you will return, O Israel, return to me, declares the LORD. If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, As surely as the LORD lives, then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory.”

The problem, however, is that no one will turn from their ways. They continue to worship false gods and forsake the one true God. The LORD gives them many chances, but they do not change.

Jeremiah tries to encourage the people, but nothing comes of this either.

This is a difficult book to read. God is angry with his people because they do not worship Him. He has warned the people since the days of Moses about what would happen if they forsake him. He has been merciful to His people, but they continue to close their ears and hearts. He has forgiven over and over the sins of the people. He has warned through the prophets, what is to come. We will find out later in the book of Jeremiah, that the people are turned over to the Babylonians.

There are similarities and differences with the happenings in Judah and today. There are similarities because we all sin and can be stubborn and do what we want, even when we know it may be wrong. God continues to give us mercy. The difference is we are not going to be in exile in Babylonian but have the New Covenant through Jesus. If we believe in Christ, we are forgiven and God will remember our sins no more. This is predicted in Jeremiah Chapter 31:31-34 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to^[d] them,^[e]” declares the Lord. ³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ³⁴ No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Even though we all sin against God, we have forgiveness and eternal life through Christ if we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart he rose from the dead (Romans 10:9). Have you done this?

Next week we will finish the book of Jeremiah and read chapter 21-52. Have a blessed week.

Image from Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon under Creative Commons license Website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/4thglryofgod/8784955343

January 22, 2023

This week we read 2 books written by king Solomon; Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs. Even though this week’s focus will be on Ecclesiastes, I recommend reading the Song of Songs. This is a beautiful love story between a man and his wife.

When Solomon became king, the Lord asked him what he wanted. He said “wisdom.” Because Solomon did not ask for money, or anything else, the Lord blessed him greatly with not only wisdom, but also wealth. King Solomon was the wealthiest of kings in his day. Unfortunately, the king did not follow God’s commands, even though he was wise. Remember, knowing and doing are very different.

In Deuteronomy 17, God gives rules for kings. He says in 17:16-17 says, “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself…He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.”

Solomon did not follow any of these commands above. He had many horses, 700 wives, 300 concubines, and accumulated much silver and gold. He was led astray with the many gods his wives worshipped, because he started worshipping them as well.

This is the background of Solomon when he is writing Ecclesiastes. Chapter 1, verse 1 says, “Meaningless! Meaningless…Everything is meaningless!”

Solomon has lived a life of abundance and has looked into different worldly philosophies. He names the things that most people seek to feel fulfilled: money, things, people, sex, and wisdom. He found that we all live and die and without God and all of the above were meaningless, empty. He was the one to know. He had it all and found them unfulfilling.

Chapter 12:13-14 is a result of how Solomon feels after having it all, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

To fear God is to respect and worship Him. With that respect we then keep his commandments. For the Christian, we are to fear God, and worship Christ. It is through Christ that we are able to keep God’s commandments.

What did you learn from Solomon?

I learned that we only truly get meaning and fulfillment when we respect worship and believe in the Lord and this is what we should seek first. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Next week we will read Jeremiah 1-20. Have a blessed week and please let me know if you need prayer.

January 15, 2023

This week we read the book of Proverbs. This is a book that is considered poetry, like the book of Psalms. Proverbs was written by King Solomon, who was King David and Bathsheba’s son. Solomon was asked if he could have anything what would it be, and he asked for wisdom from God. He received it. This book is a small sample of what he wrote. I am going to focus on the last proverb, and this is frequently called the Proverb’s 31 woman or a woman of valor.

Proverb’s 31:1 says “The sayings of King Lemuel-an oracle his mother taught him”

• We don’t know King Lemuel, but many feel it was another name for King Solomon. What we know is that it means “One given by God.”
• These were the recommendations a mother made to a son about what type of woman he should look for in a wife.
• In Proverbs 1:8-9 King Solomon says, “and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.”

In verses 10-31 the king lists 22 characteristics that make up the perfect wife. It is a poem and is written in Hebrew alphabetical order. Here is the scripture. I will discuss in more detail after you read.

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

^10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

This woman is amazing and is this way because she fears (has reverence) the Lord.  She has a great relationship with her husband. She is trustworthy, wise, a great teacher, strong, dignified and celebrates the future. She is a hard-worker. She starts her day early and is able to buy, sell and trade goods, she is a merchant. She is a realtor, seamstress, and manager of her home. She also helps out the poor and needy.

Thus, she is godly, has good character, and is a hard worker.

Sometimes this seems impossible to achieve. But as one pastor said, “don’t see her as a model to imitate in every detail; see her instead as an inspiration to be all that God made you to be.”

In summary, the Proverbs 31 woman is:  a woman who loves the Lord with heart, mind and strength, has good character, and is a hard-worker in whatever gifts or abilities she has.

Question: What characteristics inspire you about the woman of valor?

For your review, I have gone through each verse.

10: Noble character. The word noble means strong, or a woman of valor. It is the same word used to describe Ruth in the book of Judges. Merriam Webster defines valor as “strength of mind or spirit that enable a person to encounter danger with firmness. Personal bravery.” This mom is telling her son to find a woman who has inner strength.

11. Full confidence: This means trustworthy.

12. She brings him good, not harm: The word for harm in the Hebrew language means wicked, disagreeable, inferior. This wife is trustworthy and a positive person in his life.

13. Works with eager hands: she takes pleasure in her work. She does not complain.

14. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar: This woman is importing goods from afar.

15. Gets up at night, provides for her family and female servants: She is an early riser, and does what is needed to provide for everyone.

16. Considers a field, buys it; out of her earnings plants a vineyard: She is a leader in the home. She knows the finances and is able to buy land, and make money, and provide even more for the family.

17. Sets about work vigorously, her arms are strong: She is not just mentally strong, but physically.

18. Her trading is profitable, lamp does not go out at night: Another way to make money, and is constantly on alert.

19. Holds the distaff and grasps the spindle: She not only works to make money, but also spins her wool.

20. Opens arms to the poor and extends hands to the needy: She thinks of other and gives to those in need.

21. When it snows she has no fear for her household because they are clothed in scarlet: she is prepared and her family has warm clothes.

22. Makes bed coverings, and she is clothed in fine linen and purple: she makes her own high quality clothes.

23. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders: Because she is trustworthy and hard-working, the husband is not worried, and able to sit at the city gait and be the leader he is suppose to be.

24. Makes linen garments, sells them, supplies the merchants with sashes: Makes and sells garments.

25. Clothed with strength and dignity; can laugh at the days to come: She is not worried about the days ahead because she is organized, and has been able to make a profit from her hard work. She is strong and dignified.

26. Speaks wisdom, and faithful (kind) instruction: she is knowledgeable and kind when she instructs others.

27. Watches over the affairs of her household, does not eat the bread of idleness: she keeps her home in good order and is not lazy.

28. Her children call her blessed; husband also and he praises her: her husband and children speak well of her and the husband is thankful for her.

29. She surpasses them all: she is the best of the best.

30. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised: This is a woman who loves the Lord which is the most important quality to have. It is more important than looks or charmful ways.

31. Honor her and let her works be praised at the city gate: She is an amazing woman and you should honor her in front of others and let them know how great she is.

Next week we will read 2 more books written by Solomon: All of Ecclesiastes and all of the Song of Songs.

Have a blessed week.

This week we read Psalm 121-150. We will focus the discussion on Psalm 139. Below is the psalm.

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

This Psalm is about the relationship that David has with the LORD.  David is in awe of God and he praises the LORD through the Psalm. The Psalm is not just about David. It can be applied to all of us who believe and follow the Lord.

Let’s dive in.

Verses 1-4 talk about how God is omniscience. This means that God is all knowing.

In verses 1-3, the words “know me” or a version of this are used 5 times. Verses 1 and 2 each say the word “know.” The second half of verse 2 says “perceive.” Verse 3 says “discern” and “familiar.”

These are all words that describe how well God knows each and every one of us. What does God know about us? Plain and simple He knows everything. God knows our mind, body and soul. He knows are physical movement “sit and rise,” he “perceives our thoughts”, he knows our coming and going, our conduct, and our speech before a word gets out of our mouths.

Verses 7-12 talk about how God is omnipresent. This means he is everywhere at the same time. God is in the heavens, in the depths, on the wings of the dawn, on the far side of the sea. Gills Commentary says about verse 11, “If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me,…. The darkness of a cloud or of the night, so that my actions shall not be seen; that is, if I entertain such a thought in my mind, that what I do in the dark will escape the sight and knowledge of God, and so be emboldened to commit it; even the night shall be light about me; and make all my works manifest, as light does.” Thus, if we try to hide our sinful actions in the dark, God can see them. The day and night are the same for God.

Verses 13-18 talk about how God created you and has a plan for your life even before you were born. Verse 13 says “you created my inmost being.” This is your body, mind and spirit. Verse 15 states, “My frame was not hidden from you.” In those days there were no ultrasounds, so people could not see what their baby looked like in the womb. God could see the baby. He could see the baby’s unformed body (this means embryo). All the days were ordained by God before one of them came to be. God had a perfect plan for your life before you were even born.

At the end of the psalm, David asks God to “search me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.“ David wants to be pure in God’s sight and asks God to show him where he has sin in his life. He wants God to lead him in the way of eternity.

At different places throughout the psalm, David praises God in different ways. After he talked about God being all knowing, he said in verse 6 “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” When he was talking about how God created him, he said in verse 14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” Then in verse 17 he says, “How precious to me are your thoughts, God.”

Question: how do you feel about God knowing every thought, action, or conversation you have? Does it worry you or give you comfort?

I can see how it could be worrisome, but truly it gives me comfort. Think about David. He was married to many women and had concubines. He had relations with Bathsheba, then had her husband killed. But he was still a man after God’s own heart. He asked forgiveness for his sins, and God forgave him. God knew his heart, his sin. And when David confessed sincerely his sin and asked forgiveness, God gave him forgiveness. He does this for you and me as well. When we ask forgiveness for our sins, and believe in Christ, and that Christ rose from the dead, we are forgiven. No matter what we have done.

This psalm gives me hope. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our thoughts both good and bad. We cannot hide anything from Him. In spite of all our flaws, God still loves us. In spite of our mistakes, he still has a plan for our lives. While we were sinning, Christ died for us. And “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you remember anything from this week remember that no matter what you are going through or what you have done you are fully known and fully loved by God.

Next week we will read Proverbs 1-31. Have a blessed week.

January 1, 2023

Happy New Year!

This week we read Psalm 91-120. Again, there are many songs and much information in each Psalm. This week we are going to focus on Psalm 91. Here is the psalm.

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

We are not sure who wrote the psalm. Some say it was King David, others say it was Abraham. Either way, we see this psalm is about protection we receive during difficult times from God.

Let’s look at the verses to try to understand a bit more.

week we are going to focus on Psalm 91. Here is the psalm.

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

1. Verse 1 and 2 contain 4 different names of God: (1) Most High (elyon in Hebrew): this describes God as supreme and powerful. (2) Almighty (Saddy in Hebrew): this means almighty. (3) LORD (Yahweh in Hebrew): this means the one true God. Knowledge of Yahweh implies there is a relationship with God. (4) God (loheim in Hebrew): this means great one.  The writer wants to ensure that we know these characteristics of God as it relates to his protection.
2. Verse 1 also discuss dwelling in the shelter. To dwell means to live there. The psalmist is talking about someone who lives with God 24/7, not just when it is convenient or when there is a need.
3. Verse 1 and 2 talk about how God is a refuge and fortress and He is trustworthy. A refuge is a place to go for protection or safety. A fortress is a military fort used for protection during war. Thus, when we live with God, he protects us and is trustworthy.

³Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.

1. Verse 3 talks about God saving us from a person who sets traps (this could be Satan or people) and from deadly pestilence (deadly disease or calamity). The word for save is salvation, which is ongoing. When we repented and accepted Christ as Lord we were saved. This salvation is ongoing unto eternity.
2. Verse 4 talks about God protecting us again like a hen protects her chicks under her wings from anything that wants to kill them (like in the picture above).
3. Verse 4 also discusses God’s faithfulness and that this is our shield and rampart (a protective wall). A shield is used to protect us as is a rampart. We often hear about us being faithful to God. This verse states that He is faithful to us as well.
4. Verse 5 and 6 state that bad things will happen to us, but we will not fear them. These include terror of the night, an arrow that tries to kill in the day, pestilence stalking in the dark or a plague in the day. Bad things happen to all people including Christians, but God is with us through it all. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us.”

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

1. Verses 7 and 8 state that many people will fall due to wickedness, but those things will not come near people who dwell with Christ.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.

1. Verses 9 and 10 are repetitive about God being our refuge and protecting us.
   
   

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

1. Verse 11 and 12 are interesting. These verses were quoted by Satan to Jesus in Matthew 4:5-7 when Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. He had nothing to eat or drink and Satan was tempting him. Matthew 4:5-7 says, “Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ’He shall give His angels charge concerning you, and, “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to Him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”
2. What do we learn from this? Satan knows some scripture, but he used this out of context to tempt Christ. This psalm is about the protection of those who dwell with Him. If Christ would have followed Satan’s temptation, he would be following Satan’s ways and not Christ’s. Of course, Christ would not follow Satan because He is one of the persons of the trinity. But, we might.
3. Jesus’ reply was a quote from Deuteronomy 6:16.
4. We can learn a lot. We must know Scripture in order to know when it is being used incorrectly. This could be in a temptation, a sermon, a song, or anything else.

¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

1. Verse 13 is providential. What if Satan would have continued quoting this verse? He would have seen that he was to be trampled by those who dwell with the Lord. This verse can also give us peace because Satan is trampled and crushed.

¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

1. These last verses are very comforting. God rescues us and protects us. When we call on Him, he answers. He is with us during times of trouble and will deliver us. He will honor us. And will give us a long life. This is eternal life with the Lord because of His salvation.

I love this psalm as it shows God’s protection and love for those who dwell with Him. As I was studying it, I struggled because in reality, godly people experience evil, get sick, and have troubles. I read an article by John Piper that really helped me understand this and I am going to summarize it a bit.

Piper cautioned about using the Psalm as protection because that was how Satan used it. “He told Jesus to count on the deliverance promised to the godly…” After Jesus was tempted, Piper states, “Instead of following Satan’s use of Psalm 91, Jesus embraced the path of suffering.

Jesus had a purpose when he came to earth and that was to die on a cross to save us all from our sins so we could have eternal life with God. Had he succumbed to Satan’s temptation, this event would never have happened.

Piper states, “So clearly the seemingly face-value meaning of Psalm 91 did not come true for the most godly person who ever lived.”

And the meaning does not always come true for you and me either. Piper states, “The writer of Psalm 91 was not mistaken, or naïve, or foolish. He gave promises of protection that come true for the saints, by God’s grace, over and over. Literally and simply. But we would demean the writer of Psalm 91 if we thought he was unaware of the truth of Psalm 44:22 that Paul quoted in Romans 8:36, “For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered” (Psalm 44:22). Or that he did not know the Jesus-fulfilled warning of Psalm 22:16, “A company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.” The writer of Psalm 91 stands with Jesus who said: “Some of you they will put to death” (Luke 21:16). And in the same breath said, “But not a hair of your head will perish” (Luke 21:18).

Piper concludes, “Psalm 91 means two things about suffering of the saints. One is that often God amazingly delivers them physically when others around them are falling. The is that God often wills for his children to suffer, but forbids that the suffering hurts them in the end. Such evil will never befall you.

He then quotes Charles Spurgeon when he described Psalm 91, “It is impossible that any ill should happen to the man who is beloved of the Lord; the most crushing calamities can only shorten his journey and hasten him to his reward. Ill to him is not ill, but only good in a mysterious form. Losses enrich him, sickness is his medicine, reproach is his honor, death is his gain. No evil in the strict sense of the word can happen to him, for everything is overruled for good. Happy is he who is in such a case. He is secure where others are in peril, he lives where others die. (The Treasury of David, Vol 2, Part 2, 93).

God does protect and comfort us. He also has a perfect will. Only He can see the future and know what is best for us. We must trust in Him. Psalm 3:5,6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Are you trusting in the Lord? What about in the bad times as well as the good?

My New Year’s resolution is to trust in God more. How about you?

Next week we will finish reading the Psalm from 121-150. Have a blessed week.  

Article by John Piper, “Your Executioner May Laugh You to Scorn for Quoting Psalm 91”, August 15, 2012. DesiringGod.org

December 18, 2022

This week we continued in the book of Psalms. I am going to specifically discuss Psalm 51. It was written after the sin David committed with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah found in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. It was about one year after David committed adultery and murder, and he had already had a son. He was living with the sin, and did nothing about. The prophet Nathan approached David and told the story of 2 men in one city. One man was rich the other poor. The rich man had many flocks of sheep, the poor had one lamb who like a daughter to him. When a traveler came upon them, the rich man spared his sheep and took the poor man’s sheep for the traveler. David was angered and said to Nathan, “The man that has done this shall surely die.” Nathan did a brave thing. He told the King, “You are the man.”

Kings in those days could have someone killed, and could commit adultery and no one thought anything.  Thus, David had a choice. He could kill Nathan, deny the sin ever happened, or admit his sin. What did David do? He admitted his sin. Psalm 51 is David’s confession of sin (chapters 1-6), his asking for cleansing from the sin (chapters 7-12), and his communion with God (chapters 13-19).

Here is the Psalm. We will dive deeper into each line after reading each line.

Psalm 51

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is^[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion,
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
    in burnt offerings offered whole;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

1. “¹ Have mercy on me”
   1. David asks for mercy. What is mercy? According to dictionary.com it is, “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” God had the power to punish him. Look how God punished Saul for his disobedience. The Holy Spirit was taken from him and an evil spirit allowed to take over. God could have done something similar to David. Why didn’t God do this to David? Because here we see that David is humble, and truly repentant for what he did. He asked God to have mercy on him. Micah 7:18 says the Lord delights to give mercy, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” We need to remember that God delights in showing mercy.
2. “O God, according to your unfailing love according to your great compassion”
   1. David is stating characteristics about God. The term unfailing love in Hebrew is about a loving covenant relationship and David and the Lord have this. He also states that the Lord has great compassion. He is emphasizing the great care or concern the Lord has for him.
3. “blot out”
   1. Blot out, wash away, cleanse – David felt dirty and diseased due to his sin. The word for cleanse is the same word used when a leper was pronounced ceremonially clean
4. “my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”
   1. Here David is confessing to his sin. He doesn’t just use the word sin, however. He uses:
   1. Transgression – Rebellion against God
   1. Iniquity – Perversity, depravity
   1. Sin – (falling short of the mark)
   1. Then David calls it all “evil” – He has done what is wrong in Gods sight.
5. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;”
   1. This does not mean that David did not sin against Bathsheba, Uriah, or the Israelites. David is emphasizing the great sin he committed against God.
6. “so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” David is not making excuses. He knows he sinned, and God is correct in His judgement.
7. “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. ⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.” David is not saying that he was conceived out of adultery. He is saying that he was born into sin because of the first sin of Adam and Eve.
8. “⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop,” 
   1. Hyssop was a plant (herb) that was used back in the day of Moses for ceremonial cleansing of the leper and also during one of the ways for purification of sin. The Israelites also used hyssop when they dipped it into blood and put it around the door frame during the exodus.
9. “and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
   1. David wants to be purified.
10. “⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.”
    1. When we sin, we are separated from God.
    1. Where does true joy come from? God. David wants the joy of the Lord back (Psalm 32).
11. ⁹ Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.”
    1. David was ashamed and so wanted God’s face hidden.
12. “Create in me a new heart O God.”
    1. The word create “bara” is the same as in Genesis 1:1 when God created the earth and everything in it. The word means to create out of nothing.
    1. David did not want the old heart back, but wanted it to be recreated and new.
13.     “and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
    1. David wanted an unwavering spirit for the Lord.
14. “¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence”
    1. This is what happened with Saul as discussed above.
15. “or take your Holy Spirit from me.”
    1. This is the first time the Holy Spirit is used in the Old Testament. We have the assurance of the Holy Spirit staying within us as Christians. They did not have that in Old Testament days.
16. “¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
    1. David had been without joy due to his sin and wants this back.
17. “¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you”
    1. David wanted to use this for good and teach others.
18. “. ¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. ¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.”
    1. Because David committed murder, under Jewish law, he could have been put to death (Leviticus 24:17).
    1. Then David wanted to praise the name of the Lord.
       
       
19. “¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.”
    1. David was guilty of adultery and murder and no sin sacrifice provision was made under Mosaic law.
    1. David learned about total grace.
20. ^“17 My sacrifice, O God, is^[b] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
    1. Sin is to be dealt with on a spiritual level, not a ceremonial level and David has come to God with a humble broken spirit because he sinned against God.
21. “¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.”
    1. David knew his sin not only affected him but the whole city. Now that he had confessed and asked forgiveness, he prayed the whole area would prosper.
22. Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.”
    1. God is happy with the sacrifice of righteousness; someone is obeys is commands.
    1. Then sacrifices will be offered.

David has confessed his sin and asked God’s forgiveness. He is sincere.

Is there anything God has laid on your heart that needs confessing and asking God’s forgiveness?

Next week we will read chapters 91-120.

December 11, 2022

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

First, we see the author of the Psalm is King David. Remember, he was a shepherd as a young boy and had a lot of experience in this area. In verse 1-3 David is talking about the Lord in

1. The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2. David starts by saying LORD. Who is this? Remember God said that He was the great “I am” when He was talking to Moses in Exodus, and this is who David is talking about.
3. There is a word here that is very important and can be missed easily and that is the word “my.” This is important because it is personal. While David wrote this psalm, it is applicable to you and me as well.

• Being a shepherd is a lot of work. A few roles are: leading his sheep to pasture and water; protecting them from wild animals as David did by killing a lion and bear (1 Samuel 17), and caring for them in their daily needs. David is saying that the LORD does this for him. He makes sure he has food and water, protects him and takes care of him. There is another role that is talked about in the New Testament, and that is the fact that the shepherd sacrifices his life for you. Jesus said in John 10:11- “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
  • “I lack nothing.” The LORD provides and therefore we lack nothing. I heard a pastor (Skip Heitzig) talk about this and I felt very convicted because I can be a complaining sheep. Skip said that we live in a society of discontentment. We look at others and say that the sheep over there has greener pastures. He said a complaining sheep is a disgrace to the shepherd because complaining reflects the kind of care he/she thinks the shepherd is giving. Thus, when we complain, we do not feel the Lord is providing well for us. He also went on to ask the question about how believers feel when they look at complaining sheep. When they see complainers, they do not want what we have.
• “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
  ³     he refreshes my soul.”
  • The shepherd makes the sheep rest and leads them to quiet water to provide refreshment for them physical. In verse 3, he also provides refreshment spiritually.
• “He guides me along the right paths
      for his name’s sake.
  • In the verse before and this verse we see the word “lead” and “guide.” The Lord will direct and guide into the people He wants us to be. Many ask, “What is God’s will for me? What is my next step?” If we are Christian, we have a personal guide and leader that lives in us, and that is the Holy Spirit.
  • He guides us along the right path, not the wrong path.
• ^4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley,^[a]I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
  • This verse does not say if you walk through a valley, but even though. This means we will walk through valleys in our lives, even if we are Christians.
  • It also says that we will walk through the valley. It does not say we will stay there, but walk through it.
  • It says that even though I might go through a difficult time, I will not be afraid because God is right there with us. In Hebrews 13:5, Jesus says, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
  • “your rod and staff, they comfort me.” During Biblical times, the shepherd carried a rod and staff. The rod was used to protect the sheep against predators and the staff was used to pull the sheep in when he was facing harm. The sheep saw these on the shepherd and were comforted.
• “⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
  • Louie Giglio, in his book, “Don’t give the enemy a seat at your table” writes, “I could see myself sitting at a table, with the Good Shepherd across from me. He had led me through dark valleys to reach the table, and I didn’t need to be afraid, even though the fiery trials weren’t all resolved. My place at the table didn’t mean that my enemies would be removed from the equation. In fact, the table was set right in the middle of my enemies…I didn’t need to vindicate myself. I didn’t need to clear my name. I didn’t need to control this equation or work overtime to improve it. My task was to concentrate on the Good Shepherd, the One who owned the table.” God does not remove the trials in our life. In the middle of them he will give us complete provision and will be there with us through the trial.
• “You anoint my head with oil;”
  • This could mean a few things. One that makes sense is when a guest came over for dinner, his head was anointed by the host. This was a sign of the guest being honored. David is the Lord’s honored guest at the table.
• “my cup overflows.”
  • This shows the great blessings the Lord has given David. He gives us more than we need. The cup is overflowing and the Lord overflows his gifts on us.
  • Thus, even when we are in a trial, the Lord is right there with us, providing for us, honoring us, and giving us more than we need.
• “⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
      all the days of my life,”
  • The Lord gives us goodness and unfailing love every day of our lives.  The word “follow” in Hebrew means “chase.” God will be chasing us with His goodness and love.
  • God’s love is sacrificial. John 3:16 says, “¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. “
• “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
  • When a person is a Christian, they have eternal life with the Lord. Jesus prepares a home for you in heaven so you can dwell with him forever. John 14:2 says, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”

Questions:

1. Is the Lord your shepherd and will you dwell with Him always? If not, and you want Him as your shepherd, pray that He enter your life. You can also let me know and I can help you with this.
2. Are you content with what God has given you?
3. Do you know that God is your protector, your provider, your Father?

Next week we will read Psalm 61-90.