| Passage: Psalms 58-65 On Tuesday, July 3, 2018, Yujin wrote,
This refrain is given in verses 1-2 and again in verses 5-6. David is the king. He has wealth, power and influence. He has a lot of resources to trust for his safety and his success. Nevertheless, he declares his trust is in God ALONE. God is not a last resort. He is the ONLY resort. In another Psalm, David makes this abundantly clear:
Chariots and horses were tools. Walls, fortifications and soldiers were tools. Knowledge and strategy were tools. David did not trust in these things. He trusted in the LORD. God could use tools, but He did not require them to do His will. Friends, in what are we trusting? Are we trusting in tools? They will fail us. If we hope in our strength, it will fail us. Wealth is uncertain. Allies are fickle. Yet, the LORD is the Rock of our Salvation. He made us out of nothing and redeemed us from our sins and damnation. He does not lie. His purposes never fail. He is God! Friends, trust in God's promises and hope in His faithfulness, for ...
With such a precious promise, nothing should greatly get us down. I am inspired to wake up every morning with the lofty goal of worshipping and serving Him! |
| Passage: Psalms 58-65 On Friday, July 3, 2015, Yujin wrote,
The situation of this psalm puts David a hair's breadth away from death. Saul's mighty men are watching David's house in order to kill him. But surprisingly, Michal, his wife and Saul's daughter, saves his life (1 Samuel 19:11-17). Though David escapes, what dread and anguish must fill his heart as he is now a fugitive and an outlaw, who has been given no chance to defend his innocence. This David, who had singlehandly reversed the dire fate of Israel by defeating the Philistine champion, is now on the run. This David whom the prophet Samuel secretly anointed to be the next king of Israel, is now fleeing like a common thief. Through all this he remains loyal to the king, even the very king that is wrongfully trying to kill him. Even though he will have repeated chances to kill Saul, he refuses to harm "the LORD's anointed" (1 Samuel 24:6,10; 26:9). He would not take justice into his own hands but wait on God to vindicate him. David is called "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) because he was more concerned with God's honor than his own. At every opportunity David had to exact vengeance on Saul, his men coaxed him to do it, even citing the Lord's approbation in providing the opportunity (1 Samuel 24:4; 26:8). But David rejected the misguided support of his own men and chose to wait on the Lord. Frends, who is whispering in your ears today? Are you listening to the flattery of those that simply tell you what you want to hear? They may even cite Scripture to encourage you in what your spirit knows to be wrong. It takes no courage or discernment to listen to friendly voices. The real courage is in rebuking these very voices when they encourage bitterness, pride, and self-righteousness. The real discernment is in the one who patiently, humbly and prayerfully seeks God's will in His Word. When you look at David's response to Saul, do you realize that we have an even greater calling with respect to our brothers and sisters in Christ? In fact, when speaking of lawsuits among fellow believers, Paul goes so far as to say, "Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" rather than putting forth such a shameful display before unbelievers (1 Corinthians 6:1-11). Don't we realize that our greatest witness to a lost world is not the justice that we exact against our brothers but the Christ-like, sacrificial love that we show to one another (John 13:34-35). How then, you ask, should we respond to professing believers that oppose us? Hopefully, I have provided a sense of at least the proper attitude we ought to have toward one another. I would encourage further meditation on the following texts. I don't want to be throwing verses at you, for some do this defensively and with no thought to context and so distort the truth of God and do more harm than good. But I want to let the following texts be a starting point for your further personal investigation. All these I have studied with some depth, so I would be pleased to discuss them with any of you for greater understanding.
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| Passage: Psalms 58-65 On Wednesday, June 24, 2015, Fernando wrote, I understand witch craft to reflect anything that we force into being. Rebellion, trickery, fortune telling, these are acts that force an outcome and a force through violation what God has done, said, and or prepared. Even if my concet of witch craft is not fully accepted, consider a time that you feel the pressure to cheat, coerce and otherwise compel by 'hard' means. In a time like this imagine a little voice saying: Wait silently. He is your rock and salvation Or consider a time that one might join a political idea, to force some change, to take a leader down. In a time like that imagine a little voice saying: Wait silently. He is your rock and salvation. He is your refuge, trust in him at all times poor your heart out to him. Psalm 62 seems to illustrate such people that force change, as low and vain, a lie - a kind of people that promise a glorious kingdom for people, but they are not the ones to bring this to the earth! Coercion, trickery, rebellion, and other forms of forcing is effectively an act to oppress people - an act to force them into a gloriuos kingdom. 9 Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; Do not trust in this oppression. Power belongs to God. He will bring the kingdom, and has. The gates of hell will not prevail. He will do this by the soft ways that words and ideas work. For the war is spiritual - a pastor once explained this to me as something that can't be seen but its effects can. God's mode of operating is commonlly soft like this, it is the exception that he parts waters and delivers fire from heaven. Zachariah 4:6 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lordto Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. |
| Passage: Psalms 58-65 On Friday, August 2, 2013 (Last Updated on 9/24/2014), Fernando wrote, Psalms 59 11 Kill them not, lest my people forget; When was the last time you prayed for difficulty, when was the last time you prayed your enemies linger about? Our enemies tend to linger, they seem to disappear then reappear little wittier and little more skilled, never vanquished. This is what the Lord had prepared for you; had you prayed for this, what would it have taken for you to pray that prayer? We know that iron sharpens iron (proverbs 27:17). We know that the lord used the Canaanites to keep the animals at bay until the Israelite were sufficient in number (exodus 23:29). Struggle is from the Lord. We should be willing to walk into it, if it is there. The Lord is with us, if it is not from, it will be vanquished. If it from him, you will be built up – perhaps not in the first encounter, perhaps you will have to discover the idol among you (Joshua 7), this moment could be to your good a time of wandering for testing, for purification. It is all from the Lord, because he is with you there is not concern – Romans 8:28, We know that all things God works for the good for those who love him.
Psalms 83:9-12 Deal with them as with Midian, Sisera, jabin, Oreb and Zeeb, Zebah and Zalmunna These reflect battles between Joshua, the leader after Moses and who first lead the major conquests entering the promise land, and Gideon. Not back to back, a brief historical view of the rulers: Moses 40 year Joshua 25 years Judah 48 years Ehud 8 years Jabin 20 years Deborah and Barak 40 years Gideon 40 years
Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army was killed by Jael, as foretold by the prophet Deborah. This victory was the first major victory since Joshua and lead to 40 years of peace. (Caananites) Oreb and Zeeb were defeated by Gideon, a victory through a deceit – they blew their horns giving the impression there were suddenly many surrounding the enemy camp, they fell to confusion and sudden terror delivered by an army of 300 who defeated 120,000 (Judges 8:10). (Midianites) Zebah and Zalmunna were also defeated by Gideon, shortly after the victory with Oreb and Zeeb. (Midianites) In each case God is the only logical answer, how else can you predict a that not a king would glory over a victory but one woman. Who was able to lure him into a vulnerable position? How else could you explain the defeat of 120,000 v 300, and a condition crafted by its leader, Gideon, repeated history of God stepping in and conquering? God has always guided his people through faith. A trust based on the character of God. In Christ we have this lifestyle, this way of living, having been prepared for almost 2000 years, and come to its full purposes, that is: Ephesians 3:9-12 To bring to light the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in him.
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| Passage: Psalms 58-65 On Wednesday, July 4, 2012 (Last Updated on 7/3/2013), Yujin wrote, O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1 NLT) David's longing echoes the same longing expressed by the sons of Korah in Psalm 42. As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? (Psalm 42:1, 2 NLT) Friends, these expressions of intense longing do not need much explanation, but they should give us pause for reflection on the intensity of our own longing for God. How earnestly do we seek Him? It is one thing to hunger, but it is quite another thing to thirst. Hunger can wear us down over time, but thirst will make us desperate in just hours and destroy us after just a few days. Do we have this kind of desperate longing for God's Word? David describes his present life as a "parched and weary land where there is no water." He is the king of a nation in its Golden Age, but he chooses to see his life as a desert, a valley of death. How do we see our own lives? Is it full and satisfying? Or do we see life for what it really is, a mere shadow, a temporary matrix, where God tests His people to excite devotion to Him regardless of their circumstances. John Piper famously wrote, "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied with Him." Along this same line the mystic Madame Guyon wrote, God gives us gifts, graces, and natural talents, not for our own use, but that we may render them to Him. He takes pleasure in giving and in taking them away, or in so disposing of us, that we cannot enjoy them; but their grand use is to be offered in a continual sacrifice to Him; and by this He is most glorified. I think this is right. God's highest concern is not our salvation but His glory, not our benefit but His fame. What may seem like pride and arrogance for anyone else and certainly for us, it is only fitting for God. Furthermore, it is only right that if God desires what is best for us in light of His glory, He would want us to find our satisfaction in what is best. And what is best is not our pursuits, nor is it God's benefits. It is God Himself. What is greater than this? That is why in one of the earliest Christian catechisms, the first lesson in orthodox faith is this: Question: What is the chief end of man? David understood this and expressed it in poetic song. He longed for God as a body thirsts for water in a parched and weary land where there is no water. Although his practice of such devotion may have come short of ideal, he, nevertheless, proclaimed it as his deep desire. This is also why we sing our expressions of devotion to God from week to week. If you're like me, I am often hesitant to sing because I fall so short of such bold declarations of devotion. I want to add disclaimers like "I'm trying to..." or "Help me to...," but I think God, who sees my heart, knows my shortcomings and my imperfect desiring. Therefore, I will still sing boldly my declaration of absolute devotion during Sunday worship, but it will not be as an achieved fact but as the desperate longing of a soul that acknowledges that any and every iota of devotion from me is achieved only by the grace of God. soli Deo gloria! |
| Passage: Psalms 58-65 On Monday, July 4, 2011, Stephen wrote,
Truly my soul finds rest in God; God is the author of our salvation. He saw each and every one of us in advance before the foundation of the earth He created, planned for our salvation and delivered us from death. David was able to say confidently that he would never be shaken because God is his rock and his salvation. We must be thankful that God did not give us choice for our salvation because He knows and we know that we are like a helpless candle before gusty wind. Our minds run after the desires of our corrupted nature everyday. Thank you Lord for your salvation! |
| Passage: Psalms 58-65 On Monday, July 4, 2011, Unmi wrote,
1 Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled. 2 You who answer prayer, to you all people will come. 3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. 4 Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. (Psalm 65:1-4)
Here David states that God chooses those He will bring near to Him. His choice in election is not based on any righteousness of our own for it says that even while "we were overwhelmed" by sin, He forgave us. This blessing was purely an act of God's grace. This is what Paul was talking about in his letter to the Ephesians:
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us...(Ephesians 1:4-8)
Praise be to God for while we were still sinners, still foolish, still weak, still lowly, called those whom He would save accordingly to His pleasure and will.
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) |
| Passage: Psalms 58-65 On Saturday, July 3, 2010 (Last Updated on 7/3/2012), Yujin wrote, Psalms 62 and 63 are beautiful psalms of confidence in the LORD. In Psalm 62 David's repeated use of the words "only" (4x) with reference to his confidence in the LORD belies his exclusive trust in God over against men and riches and anything else: My soul waits in silence for God only (v. 1) Men and riches are unreliable and vain, but God is his "rock"(3x, vv. 2, 6, 7) and his "salvation" (3x, vv. 1, 2, 7). Then in Psalm 63:1 David declares, "O God, You are my God; I shall seek you earnestly!" He is not just the God of the universe. He is David's God. Because of this personal relationship, David seeks him with the earnestness that touches even his soul: My soul thirsts for You... (v. 1) Why is there such an earnest yearning for God? David answers in verse 3: "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life." The word translated "lovingkindness" is the Hebrew word hesed, which is variously translated "love," "mercy," "steadfast love," and "lovingkindness." Unfortunately, it is difficult to capture the sense of this highly technical term in one or two words. Also, our English equivalents tends to dilute some of the more important aspects of the meaning. Hesed is always used in the context of an existing relationship, and particularly a covenant relationship (e.g. God and Abraham in view of the Abrahamic Covenant in Gen 12, or God and David in view of the Davidic Covenant in 2 Sam 7). It is not used of indiscriminate kindness that God would show to just anyone. It speaks of God's steafastness and reliability in keeping His covenant promises to His people. It is often set in contrast to the frailty and unreliability of Israel. Even though Israel is faithless, God remains faithful still. This steady, persistent refusal of God to wash his hands of wayward Israel is an essential meaning of the Hebrew word which is translated here lovingkindness. |