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[Today's Comments]
Passage: Psalms 120-132

On Thursday, July 18, 2013, Yujin wrote,

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait,
And in His word do I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning (Psalm 130:5-6).

I have heard the words "I wait for the Lord...My soul waits for the Lord...More than the watchmen for the morning" many times, but I don't ever remember it being put in the context of confession of sin and the expectation of forgiveness. Yet, that is exactly its context. For immediately preceding this are these verses:

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared (Psalm 130:1-4).

Therefore, the waiting for the LORD is a waiting for the LORD's forgiveness, perhaps even a restoration to God's favor. Presumably, sin has been committed, confession has been made, and now the Psalmist is waiting for a Nathan-like pronouncement, like "The Lord has taken away your sin" (2 Samuel 12:13).

Notice the attitude of the psalmist. There is an admission of weakness and dependence:

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?

This reminds me of David's confession in Psalm 51:5,

Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Again, David not only confesses his sin but admits his utter moral and spiritual weakness and dependence. It is a dependence upon God for His forgiveness:

But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.

So also in Psalm 51:1-2, David writes,

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

David's hope is in God, not in his ability. He acknowledges his brokenness and inability and hopes in God's initiative and salvation:

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

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise (Psalm 51:10-12, 16-17).

David asks God to give him a new heart and a steadfast spirit, to do for him what he was too weak in his sinful nature to do for himself. 

Friends, is this not also our longing - that God would do for us what we could not do for ourselves? I don't put myself or any other human being on some high moral or spiritual pedestal. It is foolish and naive to do so, for we are all subject to the same sinful nature. When the Psalmist writes,

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?

he is not merely speaking of himself, but anyone and everyone. It is a rhetorical question that expects the unequivocal answer, "No one could stand!" 

Therefore, friends, let us get off our moral high horse and acknowledge our absolute depravity apart from the grace of God. If it were not for Jesus, we might all have been murderers, thieves, idolators and adulterers. 

Why does the Psalmist wait with the singular focus and expectation of a watchman? It is because he knows that his hope is only and completely in the Lord. 

Friends, we too should have such a singular focus and expectation. We should live with the expectation of the completion of God's forgiveness in salvation, even the redemption of our bodies in resurrection. Let us declare with the Psalmist,

In His Word do I hope!

 

Passage: Psalms 120-132

On Thursday, July 19, 2012, Fernando wrote,

Psalm 127
V3, children are a gift
How so?
V4, they're like arrows in the hands of a warrior

A warrior with no weapons, would feel embarrassed to bring a 'knife to a gun fight' (cf v5).
Paul extols no marriage, therefore no kids, but in this psalm, nor in Paul's words, not having kids is not a shame.

There is a blessing in having kids. When God creates, purpose is the essence of its goodness; evil in turn corrupts purpose.

When I became a Christian every dollar I spent was not my dollar but the kingdom's dollar. Times of faithlessness means the kingdom to come is rooted at my exclusion, without my participation; my sins concerned me. My purpose was deepened.

When I became a husband every dollar I spent was not my dollar but our dollar. Impulsive buying meant my wife could not use it to her pleasure, or even our pleasure; her sins were added to my concerns. My purpose for living Expanded.

When I became a father every dollar I spent was not my dollar but our dollar. Irresponsible buying means  my child may not have financial liberty in college or nice shoes in school; the world's sin concerns me greater. My purpose for living Extended.

Time is money. These dollar examples could be replaced with almost anything.

So my purposes were deepened, expanded and extended, and I think this is the blessing mentioned in this psalm. I think this is why Paul could extol singleness for those who can control their passions, since concerns for the kingdom can lead to a deepening purpose by relating to the kingdom's rooting; since marriage to Jesus can expand your purpose by concerning yourself with knowing Jesus; since discipling others can extend your purpose concerning your self with spiritual posterity.   

Blessed is the one who is full of purpose in Christ, you will not meet shame.

Passage: Psalms 120-132

On Wednesday, July 18, 2012, Yujin wrote,

1 I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
   The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day
   nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
    both now and forever (Psalm 121:1-2, 5-8).

This wonderful psalm is an expression of confidence in the Lord's providence. He is able to protect from all harm because He is the Creator, He needs no rest, and He is constantly watching over them. This confidence was on the basis of God's promises to Israel both in the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants. 

Christians today have similar but even greater promises than these. Consider Paul's expression of it in Romans 8:28-38,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 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. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified;those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died —more than that, who was raised to life —is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you know?! Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! How awesome is that! It is better than being protected from the hot Texas sun. It is better than any insurance policy. It is better than life itself. That is why in the same chapter Paul could write, "What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later" (Romans 8:18).

Today, let us remember that God has promised us to keep us secure in His love until we are glorified and inherit the kingdom of heaven alongside our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Whatever else may burden you this morning, I hope you realize that it is NOTHING in view of our coming redemption in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Passage: Psalms 120-132

On Monday, July 18, 2011, Stephen wrote,

 1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;

blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the LORD.

 Praise be to the Lord our God who is merciful and gracious to His children! The psalmist said exactly what I want to say right now. I praise Him for giving me another day to live on earth to see my children growing up and knowing Him more and more everyday. I work hard and enjoy the fruit of my labor daily, but I easily lose sight of His hands upon me and ascribe the blessing to my own strength.

 1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep tod]">[d] those he loves.

 Are we giving all the credits to Him today for the blessings?

Passage: Psalms 120-132

On Monday, July 18, 2011 (Last Updated on 7/17/2020), Yujin wrote,

Friends, I noticed again Psalm 127:1-2 today:

 Unless the LORD builds the house,
         They labor in vain who build it;
         Unless the LORD guards the city,
         The watchman stays awake in vain.

 It is vain for you to rise up early,
         To sit up late,
         To eat the bread of sorrows;
         For so He gives His beloved sleep.

This Psalm is ascribed to Solomon, who built the first Temple of the LORD, as well as a great many other houses and structures. He also likely authored the Book of Ecclesiastes, which speaks of the vanity of life apart from God.

This psalm reminds me of Jesus' parable of the two builders in the Sermon on the Mount, where He contrasted the wise builder, who built on the rock, with the foolish builder, who built on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27). In that passage, the wise builder was the one who heard Jesus' words and put them into practice.

This psalm also reminds me of Jesus's words regarding the vanity of worrying about things like eating, drinking, and clothing (Matthew 6:25-34). Normally, we would say that these are the very things that we should worry about; however, Jesus taught that God is the supplier of all these things, and that instead of these things our focus should be on God's kingdom and righteousness.

Finally, this psalm reminds me of Paul's letter to Timothy, where he exhorts him to advise rich people not to put their hope in wealth but to be generous and willing to share with others (1 Timothy 6:17-19). He reminds Timothy that "we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it" (1 Timothy 6:7). He also reminds him that the desire for riches can fuel temptation and be a trap that leads to ruin and destruction (1 Timonty 6:9).

All of these passages convey a similar perspective to what Psalm 127:1-2 teaches, namely, that our focus should daily be on trusting and obeying God. When I get up in the morning, my first thought should not be on the tasks that I've got to do, the food I'm going to eat, or the people that I have to meet. Instead, let us begin our day with this thought and prayer:

"Lord, I praise You for giving me another day in life to serve You.
How can I most glorify You today?
I trust in You, O Lord. Work in me to do Your perfect will.
In Jesus' Name. Amen."

After this, the challenge will be to follow-through with this prayerful commitment we make to Him.

Passage: Psalms 120-132

On Monday, July 18, 2011, Matt wrote,

Why does Psalm 129:8 end with what seems as a denial for God's blessing?

8 May those who pass by not say,
       "The blessing of the LORD be upon you;
       we bless you in the name of the LORD."


Is it pride or the implication that this expression means it appears they need it?

Yujin responds... This is part of the curse against "those who hate Zion" (Psalm 129:5). The Psalmist is praying that no blessing be pronounced on the enemies of God's people.