Psalms 32 Part One

Psalms 32:1-2 ( ESV )

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¹ Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

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² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

     This is one of those Psalms that we don’t hear talked about very much. I think the reason why this Psalm is not talked about very much is when we think of David’s confession of sin we largely go to Psalms 52. This Psalm like that one shows us the value and necessity of a cleansed heart before God.

     I don’t know about you but nothing makes my heart more miserable than un-confessed sin. When Julie or the girls and I argue or when I allow sin in my walk I am devastated. I want to be clean with them and have our relationship clear with one another.

     I wonder at times how that when David sinned with Bathsheba before Nathan confronted him how miserable he must have been. Listen, there is nothing greater than when we get things right with one another or with our God.  Look at the first word that David starts verses one and two with in Psalms 32. BLESSED. When we confess our sins and get right with our loved ones or creator it gives us a sense of Happiness or Joy in our lives.

     There is nothing worse for our well-being than when we try to cover up our sin. As much as it breaks the heart of our loved ones how much more with the heart of God who is sinless? The Holy One who we are made in the image of cries over a Jerusalem who refused to love and follow Him. Why do we try to hide our evil from others and play the part of the hypocrite? God is omnipresent and yet, by trying to cover up our sin or not calling it sin we act as if He is blind. He wants us to be clean with Him and He promises us Joy and Happiness when we get right.

Psalms 32:3-4 ( ESV )

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³ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

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⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up^£ as by the heat of summer.Selah

     What happens when we have un-confessed sin? Simply put it will not only harm us spiritually but physically. When you and I try to keep it all hidden and silent before Him and those we have offended David says,” It will waste us away.” Think how we are plagued by fears, depression, guilt over past behavior and a host of other things that will  lay hold of us with its dark, skeletal hands.

     I love blues music and more than anything when a blues singer MOANS the blues. David here is groaning because of His sin and how it has lay hold of his heart. It pains him. Why is he moaning and groaning? The Lord is convicting him of his wrong and His hand is heavy upon him. He feels as though his strength is gone. Why? The pleasures of sin are but for a season and now instead of pleasure it dries us up. The whore cries out, “Come and taste of my waters for they are sweet.” Yet sin like the whore will only give us water that is bitter and we long for a drop of water.

Psalms 32:5 ( ESV )

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⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.Selah

     One of the basic truths about our Father is that He is all knowing. Yet, He wants us to come before Him and make our sins known to Him. There have been times when I knew that my, “little angels,” had blown it. A few times even with this knowledge I did not bring it up to them but wanted to allow them the opportunity to get right with us. (Majority of the time I did not wait!) I wanted to see their heart and what they would do, more importantly though I wanted them to learn to do what is right. We wanted to share our forgiveness with them and have our relationship restored. What joy would be expressed when all things were made good. Having that which was broken made whole again. As a Father would you withhold forgiveness from your child? How much more grace is shown to us from a perfect love that our heavenly Father bestows on us?

     Well for now I want to close with these thoughts but on our next blog we will finish the rest of this incredible Psalm. I hear old friends getting ready to drive up in my driveway and look forward to seeing them again.

Two things about Revelation.

I can’t think of anything that brings me greater joy than to realize that one day my faith will be sight. I was reminded of that today because of the passing of one of His saints and the impact this brother had on the lives of countless people. He loved the Lord and his greatest joy was to live for Him and to make Him known.  The subject of Heaven and the Lord’s return should cause us as believers to jump with delight.

When my heart is drawn to think about His coming, I am drawn to the prophetic teachings of the book of Revelation. Each verse and page causes my heart to yearn for our true Home. I am also reminded of how we as believers have to be so careful not to come at this book with our own ideas rather than what it simply teaches.

One of my favorite teachers left me with two truths that I have never forgotten when looking into the truths of this book. These are the two primary things that I believe that we must remind ourselves of constantly when we are trying to interpret Revelation.

1        Don’t make the book of Revelation fit into OUR time period.

I remember a person looking directly into my eyes three years ago and with complete sincerity tell me that President Obama would be the Anti-Christ. (By the way this is not a political statement to me; I also remember articles written about how Henry Kissinger was the Anti-Christ. For those of you who are younger, you are asking, “Henry Who?” This by the way is the point that I am trying to make.) Hitler, Mussolini, and a countless cast of thousands have been declared to be not just an Anti-Christ but THE Anti-Christ.

When the time comes according to the book of Thessalonians he will be revealed to those who are here during the Tribulation. We as believers have to be beyond cautious when we try to make current events or people fit into the book of Revelation.  A popular book once called the locust of the book of Revelation possibly helicopters.

When people try to tell us of when He will return based on how things are going on during this day and age we need to take heed to Jesus warning when He said no man knows what time or hour that the Son of Man will appear. Beware of those who teach a certain day of His return based on how the stars line up or because of certain feast. Don’t read into the text.

Of course my greatest joy is to know that He could come at any moment. Maybe even before I finish this article but then again it could be years down the road. I do not know His timing on this but I do know this I long and wait for His coming with great expectation.  I also know that He made a promise that He would return and I will look daily for Him to come.

2            Don’t make the book of Revelation about America.

As much as I love this country I must be careful not to make the Bible center around it. The main country in prophecy as well as throughout the whole of scriptures is that of Israel. I have heard too many people try to state how certain passages seem to refer to America in scripture. While it may sound unpatriotic I must be faithful to the scriptures and say that prophecy does not revolve around us as a nation.

I do believe that God has used and will continue to use our country in many ways. We have historically been a blessing to the world in the areas of missions, giving and spreading forth the Word. In saying this we must be careful to not look at our nation as being a power during the time of the Tribulation, it could be but one will not find it in the scriptures.

I am proud to be a citizen of the United States but I am even more thrilled to know that I am a citizen of Heaven.  I am waiting for the sound of a trumpet and walking with Him at home. May we live in light of His coming again.

PSALMS 22 THE SUFFERING SAVIOR

     When I have been asked the question, “What has Jesus ever done for me?” I have always been reminded of Psalms 22 more than almost any other passage in the Bible. I have stood in awe and wept over this passage as well as Isaiah 53 when I think about what He has done for us. Let me share with you some of the things that still stand out to me when I read this passage.

Psalms 22:1 ( ESV )

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¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

·         I think it was Luther who first said, “God forsaken of God. What an incredible thought.” The most perfect of all relationships for a set time was cut off. The agony that our Jesus must have gone through as He had our sin placed upon Him. I look at these words and the following verses and sense the utter loneliness that our Savior must have gone through. It is especially telling when we read verse 4-5 and see how that sinful man who trusted in God would be heard and rescued, and not put to shame. Yet, our Savior now felt forsaken by the Father.

Psalms 22:6-8 ( ESV )

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⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

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⁷ All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

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⁸ “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

·         Not only did our Savior sense the loss of fellowship with His Father. He now would sense the scorn of His creation as they would treat Him like a common worm. He would be mocked by the guards, the religious leaders of the day and even those who would mock Him as He writhed in agony upon the cross.

·         As they mocked Him and scorned Him about being delivered from the cross. Little did they know that He would be delivered in a way that would change the world. The work would be finished and the Father truly would delight in the completed work and He would rise again.

Psalms 22:12-13 ( ESV )

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¹² Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

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¹³ they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.

·         The imagery in these 2 verses is incredible as our Lord’s enemies are compared to that of wild animals who are seeking to devour Him. I am reminded of Peter’s warning when he tells us how that our adversary the Devil seeks us like a roaring lion who wants to devour us. These men wanted to devour him as well.

Psalms 22:14-15 ( ESV )

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¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;

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¹⁵ my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

·         One of the cruelest things that can happen to a man is to see them denied water. Our Lord was ripped wide open to such a point that the Bible tells us you could not even tell that He was a man. The heat and pain that must have poured through His body as nerves were exposed and laid bare was more intense than we could ever imagine. He the Living water of the world would cry out, “I thirst.”

·         He is exhausted as He has been up all night through the trials and the beatings. His strength is gone dried up like a potsherd.

Psalms 22:16-18 ( ESV )

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¹⁶ For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet^£—

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¹⁷ I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;

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¹⁸ they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

·         Once again His enemies are compared to wild animals. Here in this verse they surround Him like a pack of wild dogs. They have circled about Him. When I think of this passage I am reminded of C.S. Lewis masterpiece, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” As Aslan is laid upon the stone table and all of the White Witch’s evil followers dance about Him, mocking the king who with just one breath could have destroyed them all. Our savior could see the crowd stare and gloat over Him. He could have called ten thousand angels but instead He bled and died for us.

·         To be stripped of our clothing before all men and to have to stand in front of them all was truly a humbling thing. Then if that insult was not enough, they would cast lots beneath his gaze over His very garments that He had worn.

Psalms 22:27-28 ( ESV )

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²⁷ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

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²⁸ For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.

·         As great as His suffering was I love how the Psalmist ends this Psalm. If you get the chance please read verses 22-31 and you will see the end of the story. Our Savior is ALIVE!!! We can tell of His name to our brothers and praise Him for what He has done. (22) We can stand in Awe of His wonderful salvation. (23) Because our Savior is alive He will not hide His face from us when we are afflicted. (24)

·         Two thousand years have come and gone and yet the earth still remembers what He has done and one day soon He will be exalted as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the Ruler of all nations.

I love the Psalms

Reading through the Psalms over the last couple of days has been a huge blessing. I just wanted to share some random thoughts over these passages that have brought joy to my heart. So hold on for the ride!!

Psalms 18:1-3 ( ESV )

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¹ I love you, O Lord, my strength.

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² The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

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³ I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

   

  What I love about Psalms 18:1-3 is all the things that David pictures God as being. He is his strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, God, a rock of refuge, shield, horn of salvation, stronghold. He shows us this picture of how God protects by surrounding us from all sides and in different ways. If that is not enough there will even be those times in which He will save us from our enemies. David declares to all that this is a God who is worthy of our praise.

    

In Psalms 18:4 and following he tells us how this God of our will deliver us from our foes. In our distress we can call out and our cries will reach out to Him. God will move the very foundations of the earth and bow down the heavens for His saints. This is no timid God that we read about from so many feel good preachers of today but rather a God who acts as a Father when His children are in trouble. Note some of the following phrases and words used in the passage, “devouring fire”, “hailstones”, “thundered”, “foundations laid bare”, He responds to the cries of his children who are humbled before Him and who do not have haughty eyes.

   

  He gives us the strength that we need to make it through the day. Ps. 18:32 He makes our way secure so that we can climb the heights that are ever before us. Ps. 18:33 He also trains our hands for the spiritual warfare that we must face. Ps. 18:34 Here is the beauty of it all!! He will be the shield of our salvation, He will support us and unlike what He will do with our enemies His GENTLENESS will make us great. Ps. 18:35

Psalms 19:1-7 ( ESV )

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¹ The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above^£ proclaims his handiwork.

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² Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

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³ There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.

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⁴ Their measuring line^£ goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

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⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

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⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

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⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,^£ reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

   

  Now we switch gears as we see the picture of our deliverer to the one who wants to be made known to His creation. God really does want to have a relationship with us. He wants to reveal Himself to us. This is seen so clearly in Psalms 19.

    

As my old college professors would state God reveals Himself through General Revelation and Special Revelation. We see the first form of revelation taught here in verses 1-6. How can a man not believe that there is a God who brought us into being? The very heavens declare that He is real. One need only need to look at the stars and the skies above us and reason shouts out that there is an order to all things. Everything has been put in perfect order.

  

   I love how he uses personification in describing the sun. It is like the sun comes out of a tent in the morning with strength and vigor and joy in his heart to do what His master has called Him to do. The sun that if it was just moved out of its orbit just barely would either scorch us or leave us like a frozen planet is held in its perfect position to keep us warm with its heat. The “fool” has said in his heart that there is no God when he looks at the order of the universe and declares it to be all by “chance.”

     Yet this God who wants to reveal Himself to us has also done so by special revelation. One form of this and the most primary is brought up in Psalms 19:7 when David now switches to the Word of God. God wants to make Himself known through the scriptures. He wants us to get to know Him and to walk with Him. The beautiful part is that we can trust what He has said about Himself. Why? David believed that the Word of God is perfect. We have a revelation of God in our hands that we can trust. His Word is sure and trustworthy. His Word is powerful in that it can make the simplest of men wise by coming into contact with it and the author who wrote it.

   

  When I am down or tired from the battle I can pick up this precious Word and it will revive me. Why? This Word is not some other book but rather the living and breathing Word of God which breathes life into my soul. He is real, the Heavens declare it and the Word of God proves it.

Psalms 20:1-9 ( ESV )

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¹ May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!

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² May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!

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³ May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!Selah

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⁴ May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!

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⁵ May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

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⁶ Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.

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⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

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⁸ They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

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⁹ O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call.

    

Lastly, I could not help but to close this blog with this blessing.

    I can see David and his men praying this prayer as they prepare to go to battle. The lines are drawn and the enemy is near. Hope seems futile and all might be lost yet these words could be said before all. Note how many times the word May is used in this passage. The Lord can do what is His pleasure with us. Like the New Testament teaches us, Thy will be done. Yet they ask for God’s blessings to be upon them.

     In verses 1-2 we see how that in our day of trouble we can call upon the God of Jacob to protect us. Think about the times in which Jacob was protected by his God. This same God who protected him wants to watch over us. He just like in Psalms 18 is willing to leave His place of rest to protect His children.

     In verse 3 He remembers our love for him and the sacrifices that have been made. He loves it when His children have been obedient to Him and have tried to walk in His ways. He remembers these things and because of His grace alone He wants to guard us. We have a God who not only acts in mercy but wants to also give us the desires of our hearts. How I pray that I will shout for joy over His goodness and kindness shown to us and wave His banner high.

    In and of myself I have nothing to bring to Him. Just like the little drummer boy I have no gift to bring, to lay before the king. I do not trust in myself or in my own strength and plans. What good would all of that do? No, we must not be like those who trust in chariots and in their horses. We must be marked as those who will trust alone in the name of the Lord our God. When we look to Him and for His strength alone we will not collapse and fall but rather through His power rise and stand upright.

     May we all learn to trust in the Lord our God.

Vance and the art of walking slow

  I love Vance Havner. I know, by me even bringing up that name in today’s culture many of you are saying, “Who?” When I first went to Citadel Bible College I had a friend who introduced me to A.W. Tozer, that introduction forever changed my life. Tozer talked about a deeper relationship with Christ and he was unashamed to talk about the Spirit of God in fundamental circles. Vance on the other hand was a true southern boy who began preaching when he was only twelve. He would sometimes catch trains to get to some local churches and his dad would wait for him at the end of the evening to take him back home. His preaching was fearless. Billy Graham loved his quotes more than any other preacher.

     One of the statements that Havner made that I read over 25 years ago still haunts my soul today. He stated how that as human beings that we needed to learn, “the art of walking slow.” Now that is a pretty odd statement to remember after all of these years. Let me tell you why it did and still has an impact on my life even today.

     Havner grew up in an era in which the world that he lived in moved at a much slower pace. People sat out on their porches and talked with one another at night. Here is a wild thought, they would even take time out of their day to READ. They would rather do things right, then carelessly, in which the king of mediocrity reigns.

     Once again I realize that there must be a balance to all things. I know that there are some who will always find an excuse for laziness or even, “now let’s don’t rock the boat.” Doing little for the kingdom of God seems to be also the chant of the masses. In the words of one of my old teachers, “Faithfulness to God and His kingdom should not become an excuse for using a teaspoon when we should use a bulldozer.” This is not true faithfulness but rather an excuse for not getting on with the work of God.

     Havner was no “slow ride” for the kingdom. He preached his heart out diligently for years and would so if memory serves me right clean into his mid to late eighties and even then it was because the Lord took him home. No, when Havner talked about the Art of Walking Slow he was referring to how we often forget that the Lord wants us to learn to walk slowly with Him.

     One of the most refreshing things for me in this world is when I am able to just sit down or to take a walk with a friend. I don’t want to hurry the situation. I want to spend my time in laughter, tears, prayer and getting to know the other individual. I want to get to know them and hopefully even grow old together with them. I want that time to become precious to me. Let me explain a little more by some practical things that I enjoy in my life.

     For many of you who know me, you know that I love a good cup of tea or some form of Dark Roast Coffee. (This is true especially if that Coffee is named Community Coffee. Yes, this is a shameless message to my Louisiana brothers and sisters, please for all that is right and good, send me a PACKAGE. J) I hate it when I have to hurry and drink it. I want to enjoy it. We eat a lobster about once a year and when I do, I want to slowly taste each bite and feel the warmth of it. I want to sit with a friend on the front porch and enjoy the taste of a good crawfish in my mouth.

     As many of you know I want God to answer my prayers NOW for a church or a ministry to open up. I want to preach and share His Word more than anything else in the world. I feel empty when I do not. Yet, I want everyone to know that I can’t think of anyone that I would rather walk with now. I want to enjoy Him and grow old with Him.

     When the whole world goes nuts and even when things seem “unfair” or “not the way I thought it would be.” I want to learn the Art of Walking Slow with Him. It all seems to be moving so fast doesn’t it? It’s like one day we were using the, “advanced electric typewriter,” and now we can communicate to thousands over the internet. We are in a hurry quite often and quite honestly, in a hurry to get nowhere. We need to learn to hold to His unchanging hand. We need to learn to walk, rather than to run through the things that He is trying to teach us. I want to stop and listen to His voice. I want to make sure that I am hearing His Word and that I am allowing it to slowly pierce every part of my inner man.

     The weather here in Nebraska has been very mild this winter. We had one big snowfall in our area. (How I thank Him for this issue, I really do not like cleaning up snow.) My mother-in-law Pat told me that come tomorrow it should be in the 60s. Sixties, are you nuts!! I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring but this I do know. I want to get outside just for a bit and walk around for a while.

     Two thousand years ago our Savior walked among men. It’s a simple statement but what a trip it must have been to just walk side by side with Him visibly here on earth. To hear the master’s voice. To watch Him smile and say, “Let the little children come to me.”  To hear the Roar of the Lion of the tribe of Judah as He cleansed the temple.  To walk with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The best part of this truth though, is even though I cannot see Him or feel His hand, I can still walk with Him even today. May you enjoy the walk with Him.