Something to think about for next Sunday

 "We are told men ought not to preach without preparation. Granted. But, we add, men ought not to hear without preparation. Which, think you, needs the most preparation, the sower or the ground? I would have the sower come with clean hands; but I would have the ground well ploughed and harrowed, well turned over and the clods broken, before the seed be cast in. It seems to me that there is more preparation needed by the ground than by the sower; more by the hearer than by the preacher. But this is forgotten."

[C. H. Spurgeon, “Abram and the Ravenous Birds,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 7 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1861), 582–583.]

PSALM 103 - BLESS THE LORD

 

PSALM 103

Introduction

Psalm 103, attributed to David, is a hymn of praise, celebrating God’s goodness and love for his people. The psalm begins and ends with a call to bless the Lord and remember all His benefits. 

A Call To Praise

103:1-5

David begins by praising God, saying: “bless the LORD”. To bless the Lord is to praise Him. To bless or praise his name is to praise him. (Note: We do not bless God in the same way he blesses us. He gives us things that add to us; we cannot add anything to God because he is self-sufficient. This is the doctrine of aseity.

The phrases “O my soul” and “all that is within me”refer to the author’s total being, his inner self. The NIV says”all my inmost being”.  Most of us today would say “with all my heart”. 

When we bless the Lord with our soul, we are praising Him with our whole hearts with all that we are and everything we have within us. That is what God is pleased with. (Isaiah 29:13) 

David praises the Lord for the things he does. He tells us not to forget the Lord’s benefits. He lists some of them. 

First, God forgives our iniquity. The word “iniquity” means describes a moral corruption, perversity, or wickedness, and a deliberate deviation from God’s will. 

Iniquity is sometimes used interchangeably with sin, as the NIV does here, but iniquity emphasizes the inherent immoral or perverted character of an act, rather than the act itself. God forgives our sins and the iniquity behind them. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive them and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) 

Second, he heals all diseases. This statement, being parallel to forgiveness, likely means God taking away our moral corruption as opposed to physical ailments. He heals us from sin’s corrupting power. 

Third, God redeems one’s life from the pit. He saves us from hell (the pit) because of his steadfast, covenant, love and his mercy. Justice would mean spiritual death for violating God’s standards. 

God crowns us with steadfast love and mercy. (4) We become objects of his love as opposed to objects of his wrath. (Ephesians 2:1-5) Mercy is God’s not giving us what we deserve, but saving us from what we deserve because of our faith in Christ. 

Fourth, God satisfies his people with good things that renew them. Believers recognize the good things God gives them, great and small. Every good and perfect gift is from him. (James 1:17) 

God’s Glorious Attributes

103: 6-19

David praised God for the things he has done. Now he praises God for who he is. 

God is righteous and just. Justice in the Old Testament refers to the right treatment of the oppressed. God delivered Israel when they were oppressed in Egypt. In return, he commanded them to act justly. (Micah 6:8) He gave his law to Israel through Moses so they would know his ways.

God is merciful; he does not give his people what they deserve. He is steadfast in his love for us. (8)

God is gracious; he gives his people things they do not deserve, including salvation. As a matter of grace, he does not respond in anger every time we sin against him and does not hold our sins against us forever. He forgives sin.

God is steadfastly loving. (11) His love for his people does not wax and wane. 

God is compassionate toward believers. (13) He knows we mess up because we are flawed. (14) 

God is eternal. In contrast to men and women, who are temporary, God is eternal and loves his people eternally. (17) His people are those who keep his covenant and see to obey him. (18) 

Those who have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ are his people. They live to obey him. Jesus told his followers: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”. (John 14:5)

God reigns over all things and people. (19) There is nothing that is not subject to his power and authority. God the Father has given this authority to God the Son. Jesus said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) Those who believe in Jesus recognize his authority and live in submission to him. 

Universal all To Worship

103:19-22

David began the psalm praising God. He ends it the same way, praising God with all he is and has and calling upon all of us to praise him also. 

Takeaways

God is great and deserving of praise. If you do not already do it, work praise into your prayer life. You can use this psalm as a prayer. 

Be sure to recognize that the good things you have came from God and thank him for them.

Afflicted But Trusting in Lamentations 3

 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22

Lamentations 3 is very similar to Psalm 102. Jeremiah suffered great affliction but continued to trust God. 

PSALM 102 - AFFLICTED BUT TRUSTING

 

Introduction

The title of this psalm is “A prayer of one afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord”. So, this is an example of how we can call out to God when we are distressed.

The psalm does not tell us the occasion for its writing, but some the language indicates it may be written during the exile of Israel in Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587-586 B.C. Solomon’s temple, the first temple, was destroyed along with the city.

Those who went into exile lost their homes and possessions. Some of their family and friends died during the invasion or the trip to Babylonia. They were forced to live in a foreign land, subject to the will of their captors. In losing the temple, they lost the ability to practice their religion as they had done. You can see why they were suffering. 

The Distress

102:1-11

The psalmist calls out to God, begging him to hear and respond to his prayer of distress. (1-2)  He asks this four times: “hear my prayer; let my cry come to you; incline your ear to me; answer me speedily”. The repetition shows his desperation.

His distress has created physical symptoms:

1. he feels he is dying (his days vanish) (3,11);
2. his very bones hurt;
3. he is depressed (heart withered or blighted, 4);
4. he cannot eat and is losing weight (4-5);
5. he groans (5);
6. he cannot sleep (7);
7. he is taunted by enemies (8); and
8. he cries (9). 

The reason for his suffering is God’s wrath. God has cast him (and maybe all of Israel) aside, evidently due to sin since God’s wrath is involved. We see God’s wrath as the psalmist seeks of God’s indignation and anger. (10) This would match with the suffering in exile. And it could be that the taunting came from the Babylonians who would claim the psalmist’s God was not helping them.

Who The Lord Is

102:12-17

The psalmist turns his focus from his suffering to the character of God. In contrast to the life of the psalmist, which is vanishing, God is eternal and eternally reigning (“enthroned forever”). Because God is eternal and sovereign, his promises cannot fail. And God promised to deliver Israel from captivity when they repented and the duration of their time of punishment was over. (Leviticus 26:40-44)

The psalmist believes God will have compassion\mercy on Israel in exile (“you will arise and have pity on Zion,  v.13). He has hope. He might remember the words of the Lord through Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-12) 

He believes the time has come for him to show favor to Israel. It may be that he, like Daniel, was aware of Jeremiah’s prophesy concerning the length of the exile and believes, as Daniel did, that the time for deliverance is at hand. (Jeremiah 25:11-13 and 29:10)

The psalmist also believes the time will come when the Gentile nations will fear the Lord because he rebuilds Zion. (15) God will appear in glory, meaning his glory is manifested in his deliverance of his people. 

But also would apply to the second coming. When Jesus comes to redeem his people, he will also appear in glory. (Matthew 16:27; 24:30)

Hope For The Future

102:18-22

The psalmist believes God will deliver his people, so he wants the psalm written and preserved so future generations will read it, know what God did, and praise him for it. 

God did preserve the psalm. We read it today and praise God and we learn how to handle affliction. The apostle Paul wrote:

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4) 

The Israelites will return to Jerusalem, referred to as Zion, and praise God. This again may point toward the second coming of Christ, for the psalmist says all people will worship God. As Philippians 2:10-11 says, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.  

Prayer For Extended Life

102:23-24a

God shortened the psalmist’s life through suffering, but the psalmist asked God to let him live longer. He does not want to die in exile and wants to see God’s deliverance of his people.

God Is Eternal (Not So The Earth)

102:24b-28

In contrast to the psalmist’s short life, he knows God continues, eternal through all generations. He created the heavens and the earth, but they will eventually cease to exist in their present form. God will change them. (26) and his people will live in his presence: the Israelites when the temple is rebuilt, and all believers in the new heavens and earth. (Revelation 22:3) 

The writer of Hebrews quoted these verses and applied them to Christ. (Hebrews 1:10-12) He is eternal. He is with us now, he hears and answers our prayers. In John 14:14, Jesus tells his disciples, "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it”. He will return and deliver us into his presence. (John 14:3)

Takeaways

We can cry out to God when we are afflicted.

We can have confidence that God is willing and able to keep his promises.

The ultimate promise is that we who have come to faith in Christ will be taken to be with him either at death or at his return.

Psalm 101

                                                                       PSALM 101

DAVID’S PLEDGE

Introduction

Psalm 101 is attributed to David in the Hebrew text. The occasion for the psalm is not given, but it is David’s pledge to the Lord to govern righteously. So, he may have written it when he was anointed as king over all Israel. In fact, when David first tried to bring the ark to Jerusalem and failed because he had not observed the Lord’s requirements for it, he said “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?”, words similar to those in verse 2 of this psalm. (2 Samuel 6:9) 

So, let’s look at David’s pledge.

First, To Worship God

101:1

David’s first pledge is to worship God. He will praise God for his steadfast love and justice. God’s steadfast, covenantal love for Israel is the basis for their continual existence. He chose them, made them, and provides for them. So, David pledges to acknowledge that in his reign and to praise God for it. 

David also acknowledges that God is just and praises him for it. God reigns in justice, establishing righteousness and overthrowing evil.  Being attuned to God’s justice will also allow David to rule and judge justly as king. God wants his people to live justly. Micah 6:8 tells us:

He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Second, To Live A Holy Life

101:2-4

We see continually in the Bible that our relationship to God is two fold: we worship him and we live holy lives to please him. David pledges to do the same.

To pursue holiness, David ponders that which is blameless. He will study God’s word and conform his life to it. He will know the moral law summarized in the 10 commandments. He will be the blessed man of Psalm 1:2 whose delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night. He will also find what is unholy in his life and remove it. (2)

He will also seek God’s presence (“come to me”) in prayer and meditation on the Word. David’s psalms, addressed to God, are prayers. It is the experience of God’s presence that gives the believer strength in faith, hope, and peace of mind. 

David also pledges to walk with integrity within his own household. A hypocrite shows himself to be righteous in public, but reveals himself to be wicked in his own household. There is no better compliment that to have your spouse and your children recognize your integrity. There is no greater harm to your spouse and children than to be a hypocrite. 

David then gets specific. He will not look anything that is worthless. What we see on a regular basis affects our thoughts and actions. R. C. Sproul once said a man does not fall all at once, it happens a little at a time. And that often happens by seeing, thinking, and acting in small things that are unholy, a little at a time. 

David proved this himself later in life when he sinned with Bathsheba. His act of looking at her bathing led to grievous sins of lying, adultery, and murder. It damaged him spiritually and adversely affected his reign as king. 

Here is a contemporary example. In our time, looking at pornography has become an epidemic. It is estimated that 67% of American men and 41% of American women view online porn each year. The website Pornhub alone reported more than 2 billion visits in a single month in 2023.

Even if not pornographic, television shows, movies, articles, and books that glorify, or normalize, unholy sexual relationships can affect how you think of them and lead to temptation. In contrast, reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word always builds up your faith and guides you into holiness.

David will also not follow those who fall away from faith and obedience and develop perverse hearts, in order that he may avoid evil. David, as king, will seek holiness and cultivate it among his people. (4)

Third, He Will Establish Righteous Standards For The Community

101:5-8

David listed the things he will not tolerate in the community of the righteous: slander, haughtiness and arrogance, deceit, lying. (5,7) He will destroy wickedness and exclude evil doers from the community. (8)

He will, however, give favor to those who are faithful and live in obedience to God. Those are the people he will allow to serve him as he rules the people. 

Takeaways

When David reigned with these principles, he reigned successfully. When he ceased to do so, he failed spectacularly. 

We can apply David’s standards to the one who leads his family. 

We can apply these standards to the one who leads a church.