Monthly Archives: July 2019

Psalm 16

Having been bombarded with advertisements since birth, I am reminded regularly of products I really need in order to up my productivity, books I should read in order to keep up with current Twitter conversations, foods I should eat for health, strategies for insuring my retirement funds are adequate and so on. One estimate is that the average American (whoever that may be) sees around 4,000 ads daily (https://www.redcrowmarketing.com/2015/09/10/many-ads-see-one-day/, accessed on 7/29/19).

Eugene Peterson’s translation The Message has Psalm 16:4 like this: “Don’t just go shopping for a god. Gods are not for sale. I swear I’ll never treat god-names like brand-names.” (Psalm 16:4, The Message).

When I am shopping for productivity tools, foods, books, and other products, I choose the ones that meet my needs most effectively and efficiently. Many people – in the PSalmst’s day and our own – shop for gods like they shop for clothing. Does it fit? Does it flatter me? Does it communicate that I am stylish?

The psalmist affirms his commitment to the God who has revealed Himself in the day to day dealings with His people. The psalmist acknowledges that he is not alone, that there are others who are choosing to stand fast in their choice of obeying the God if their ancestors, the God who has spoken to them and through them.

Daily I am dazed with the advertisements for products I never even knew I needed. But one choice I never need  make again is expressed by the psalmist: “Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.” (Psalm 16:8, The Message).

PSALM 15

In the Netherlands, “groups of children, generally pre-teenagers, are deposited in a forest and expected to find their way back to base … Children are taught not to depend too much on adults; adults are taught to allow children to solve their own problems. Droppings distill these principles into extreme form, banking on the idea that even for children who are tired, hungry and disoriented, there is a compensatory thrill to being in charge.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/21/world/europe/netherlands-dropping-children.html). I wonder. Is the thrill ‘being in charge’ or ‘finding one’s way back home to family, safety, security?

The Psalmist asked a similar question in Psalm 15. Who can truly dwell ‘at home’ where we belong – in the presence of God? Who is capable of living on the ‘mountain’ the Israelites experienced as a place of darkness, thunder, lightning, smoke, noise, and shaking (see Exodus 19)?  God Himself forbid the Israelites from even touching the mountain. Only Moses and a few selected others actually were able to ascend the mountain.

The Psalmist describes a life of integrity, a life of honor, a life of equity and justice as requirements for ‘dwelling’ on God’s holy mountain. The requirements are challenging. Our first ancestors lived in God’s presence. They couldn’t resist the forbidden fruit and were ‘dropped’ far from home. We’ve been trying to ‘get home’ ever since.

In the New Testament, we are reminded that the mountain of God the Israelites experienced is not our destination. Rather, “…you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the Judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant ), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22–24, HCSB).

Home, where God created us to live, is wherever Jesus is. He is our righteousness, the One who had opened the path back home. If you feel you’ve been dropped far from home, turn to Jesus. He will take you home.

Psalm 14

John Piper writes, “ Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and contemplating your own greatness is pathological. At such moments we are made for a magnificent joy that comes from outside ourselves…” (https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-the-grand-canyon-teaches-us-about-ourselves/).

What does God see when He views the world and what we have done to it? The 14^th Psalm offers an answer. From God’s (POV) point of view He sees a world of human beings consumed with their own pleasures and preferences (see also Romans 1:18-following). The people of God, those who seek to understand the mind and heart of God recognize themselves in this dark view of humanity. We also see that the presence of God is the only place where we can actually thrive.

When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God in the Garden of Eden they were cast out of the place God had created specifically for them. From that moment forward, God’s people have made choices that cause God to ask, Will evildoers never understand (Psalm 14:4)?

The prayer of the psalmist, seeking deliverance, comes from a POV that compares with how we respond to the magnificent sight of the galaxies spinning above us in the night sky, the sheer beauty of creation. God’s POV, described darkly by this Psalmist is through grace-tinted lenses. He sees us, in all our selfishness not as hopeless but as those for whom He has provided redemption.

We are tempted to view the world through the lenses of despair and hopelessness. Let us see that the future is one in which God will recreate the heavens and the earth. Let us firmly hope in the promise of our redemption. Let our point of view be informed not by the immediate challenges of our circumstances. Let our point of view align with the POV of God. Jesus once reminded His followers, “…stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near!”” (Luke 21:28, HCSB).

According to reliable data from the National Institute for Mental Health, 19% of American adults suffer from an anxiety disorder at any one moment. Further, their studies reveal that over 30% of all American adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives (see https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml for more information).

Count me as one of the 19%. I am in good company by the inclusion of this psalm in our Bibles (see also Psalm 77). Anxiety attacks have paralyzed me at times. Anxiety rules my life at times. When anxiety runs rampant it is difficult to think or act positively. Self-destructive behavior often results. Most anxiety sufferers don’t contemplate suicide, but from personal experience, I can state that anxiety often causes behaviors that almost certainly guarantee failure in the daily routines of life and in one’s ability to maintain healthy relationships with others.

The psalmist is desperate. Death seems only a breath away (vs 3). Defeat seems guaranteed (vs 4). Is there any hope? Can anxiety be overcome?

The writer expresses an ongoing trust in the faithfulness of the covenant God who has acted decisively in Israel’s past. Even in the depths of despair, the psalmist affirms their commitment to the assurance of deliverance. Instead of wallowing in self-pity the psalmist ‘sings’ to the LORD who has proven Himself by completing what He has begun.

I may never be totally free of anxiety. I may once again be stricken by an anxiety attack. God never fails. God always finishes what He begins. I will trust in God’s covenant loyalty.

Every news cycle (i.e. about 24 hours) brings another illustration of how that which is worthless is celebrated by humans. (Since it’s not college football season yet I can assure you that football wins by the college team of your choice is important and significant in some historical way.) Sports teams win and news coverage is extensive. Financial markets change and the news cycle thrives.  Politicians make brilliant or not-so-brilliant statements, and the news cycle parses every word. Just this afternoon I received a news bulletin regarding an earthquake in the San Francisco, CA area. Shortly after that news another story regarding action the US House of Representatives took on prominence. I wonder what the next hour might bring?

Reading one day’s worth of news stories often reinforces the Psalmist’s plea in Psalm 12:1: “Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race.” The daily news by its very definition seeks to be sensational, provocative, and eye-catching. Loyalty, faithfulness are typically not eye-catching or provocative terms.

The psalmist responded by praying – “Help!” Too often our response to the rapidly changing news cycle is to complain, to criticize, to communicate our response. But prayer? Seriously?

Praying as a response reminds us that as self-important as we think we are, this world does not belong to us. In prayer, we acknowledge that what matters most is not what we think or say. In prayer, we are reminded that God’s Words are the only words that matter. His promise, expressed in His written word, is our best response to the celebration of worthlessness, that which is morally filthy.

Psalm 11

More than once traveling between Roseburg and Winston I have felt the urge to just keep driving north or south and escaping the drudgery, the defeats, and the disturbances waiting for me. Prior to Absalom’s direct threat to his father David’s rule, there was a growing tension among the people of Israel. David’s friends urged him to flee before Absalom and his growing number of supporters confronted him. More than once David may have woken and wondered – why am I not simply running away?

David’s answer is expressed in the first exclamation: “I have taken refuge in the Lord. How can you say to me, “Escape to the mountain like a bird!” (Psalm 11:1, HCSB). To take refuge is the opposite of running. Taking refuge ‘in the Lord’ is not avoiding responsibility. Rather to ‘take refuge’ is to stand strong and accept responsibility.

None of us are immune from forces that aggressively seek to undermine our faith and hinder us from our God-given assignment. Enemies abound – often those of our own making! We ‘take refuge’ by remembering that though circumstances are challenging, God is still sovereign. ‘Taking refuge’ is standing firm knowing that success or failure is determined by God’s character of righteousness.

Escape is not the solution, as attractive as it sounds. No, the solution is deepening our trust. As a matter of fact, as David’s life demonstrates, it is through the drudgery, the defeats, and the disturbances that we discover God’s character.

Psalm 10

Distant. Apart. A ways off. Detached. Withdrawn. Remote. How many times have I asked God, “why do You stand so far away?” Why do You hide in times of trouble?” Perhaps it’s just the way I’m wired, maybe it’s the habits of mind I’ve acquired. The Psalmist asks the question and yet in the same prayer, the writer acknowledges, “But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands. The helpless entrusts himself to You; You are a helper of the fatherless.” (Psalm 10:14, HCSB).

Two images capture my attention. First, God ‘takes matters into His own hands.’ In my striving to lessen the distance I feel from God, He has taken the initiative by implanting in me His Holy Spirit. He offers Himself to me without reservation. Second, God is a ‘helper’ of the fatherless (see also Psalm 68:53, 82:3, 146:9). A father plays many roles in life. Provider, protector, peace-maker (I had two siblings while growing up and my parents adopted a child when I turned 20), and pattern. Many of those around us have never truly experienced a father. To those, and even for those whose earthly fathers were godly men, God offers Himself in the role of father.

Yes, there are days, weeks, and months when the wicked – defined in biblical Hebrew as one who threatens and takes life, one who disrupts the community – seem to push us farther and farther from God. In those moments when God seems distant take advantage of the truth – God is present at every moment in your life, and God will be for you all you need Him to be.

Psalm 9

“For the oppressed will not always be forgotten; the hope of the afflicted will not perish forever.” (Psalm 9:18, HCSB)

Summer sunshine, warm weather, clear skies may cover darkness, coldness, and clouded lives. Everything looks wonderful on the exterior, but many experience oppression and affliction. Exploitation occurs whether the sun shines or not. Pain is inflicted even under sunny skies. The season of darkness can appear to be endless even as others enjoy the bright, warm, and clear days of summer.

Often the only thread enabling some to survive is the hope affirmed by this psalmist. God’s people have always existed among nations that are hostile to the plan and purposes of God. Hope exists not because God’s people have within them any strength. Hope exists because God is, because God has revealed Himself, because He has proven Himself again and again.

Even in the brilliance of summer days, hope is a commodity necessary for life. God remembers, God promises, and God does act.

Psalm 8

Eugene Peterson’s translation renders vs 4 like this: “Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?” (Psalm 8:4, The Message). Why indeed would God – described by the psalmist as the One who has created this world in which we live – even give us a thought? Humans are insignificant in size compared to celestial objects like the moon, the sun, and the starts. Indeed, compared to other created beings humans are height and weight challenged.

Yet only humans were created ‘in the image of God’ (see Genesis 1:26-28). Only humans were created that we might have a relationship with God. The rest of creation can and does honor God by its very existence. Humans, however, honor and praise God with words, with deeds, and with obedience.

Why does God bother? He bothers because our praise – in word and deed – reflects His magnificence and His majesty.

Psalm 7

People my age and older remember ‘Camelot.’ The administration of President John F. Kennedy was a watershed era in American history. The shattering of that era with his assassination in 1963 still lingers in our memory.

Perhaps people in Israel felt that way about the reign of David – an unprecedented era of wonderfulness. The superscription of Psalm 7 mentions Cush, who is not identified anywhere else in Scripture, who, as a Benjamite, opposed David. Saul, the first anointed king of Israel was from the tribe of Benjamin. David had enemies, particularly from among the family of the king whom he replaced.

When confronted with enemies our first instinct is to fight back, to counter-attack. For every biting remark, we have at our disposal a host of words and phrases we want to use. We often spend hours daydreaming schemes so that we can retaliate.

As king, David had tools at his disposal to counter-attack the family of Saul. Instead, David found refuge in the power of God and the promise of God. David had waited nearly ten years between being anointed as king by the prophet Samuel and actually claiming the throne. During those years he was threatened by Saul and on several occasions almost killed by Saul. Instead of taking advantage of opportunities granted, David chose to wait, trusting that God would do as He promised.

David’s victories, beginning with his killing of Goliath and continuing throughout his career as Saul’s commander and through his own reign were reminders of God’s constant presence in David’s life..

often immobilize us with fear. Our adversary is not ashamed to use those who live around us – even those who may be closest to us – to destroy us.

Are we confident enough in what we know about God’s nature to trust Him when attacked?