Psalm 17 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 17) Part 3

God is generous.  David’s prayer here is against the ungodly.  It is against the “wicked who despoil” him.  It is against his “deadly enemies who surround” him.  They have “cold unfeeling hearts, their mouths speak proudly, they surround him in his steps, they set their eyes to look down upon him.“  Have you ever known people that way?  They set traps for you.  They speak proudly over you, as if they are better.  They seek your position, your job, your possessions, your life to destroy it.  They speak harmfully against you and look at you with condescending and proud eyes.  They seek you as a lion lurking about in the fields waiting for its prey.

How do you respond to such?  Those who seek to defame your name, though it may be righteous.  Perhaps they don’t seek to defame you directly, but they seek to harm your family, your kin, your close friends and loved ones.  How would you respond then?  What if you had unlimited power, unlimited resources and infinite wisdom in order to dispose of such people?  How would your respond then?

David speaks of God in this passage, seeking justice from Him, knowing that He is just, that He is righteous, that He is all powerful, that He has all of His infinite resources available and all wisdom in order to use those resources to the best of His ability in bringing justice upon those who would strike out against the “apple of His eye.”  And yet this all powerful, fully sufficient, all wise God does not strike back first.  Certainly there are many cases in which judgment comes swiftly to those who seek to defame the good name of the Lord or His people.  But for others the mercy of God is seen in His long suffering.  Even in His generosity by which He grants good to all of mankind.

And what greater good can God grant than the precious gift of children.  Children to love, children to nurture, children to inspire, children to revitalize, children to carry on their name.  And God in His general mercy to all, provides children to those who are His enemies.  This is what David speaks of when he speaks of the “men of this world, whose portion is in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your treasure, they are satisfied with children, and leave their abundance to their babes…”  For the ungodly and profane, this is their portion.  And it is a great portion in deed.  Children are a blessing from the Lord.  The fruit of the womb is a reward to men under the Sun.  And yet for those who seek to harm the righteous, those who are called by the name of the LORD, it is their only portion.  They may enjoy the satisfaction of the womb while they continue under the Sun.  But once they breathe their last, their enjoyment will be complete.

For in the afterlife, there is no more mercy available to those who scorn the name of the LORD.  There is no more grace.  There will be no chance nor opportunity for penance.  There will only be judgment.  And in this the righteous, even as David does here, may find comfort.  That God is not unjust so as to forget the hardships that His people endure at the hands of sinners.  Even in seeing the prosperity that they seem to enjoy in this life.  Even the prosperity of having their wombs filled with His treasure, little children.  Even when there are many who do believe and who are faithful, who may go a lifetime without such treasure.  It is the goodness and generosity of our God, the LORD that allows for this.  He grants them treasure on this side of eternity, He suffers long their arrogance, their self seeking and sinful indulgences.  He allows for them to persist in their constant belligerence towards His people until the day that He choose to “arise, to confront them [and] to bring them low.”  On that day, they will sleep and awake to His judgment.  In His generosity towards those who love Him, His promise to them is not necessarily that they will visibly see His judgment of the ungodly on this side of eternity.  But that there will come a day when we “shall behold His face in righteousness, [when] we shall be satisfied with His likeness when we awake.”

While it is still today, let us walk as children of our gracious and merciful heavenly Father.  Let us seek to do good to those who seem to desire harm for us.  Let us seek to show love to them, generous and abundant; though in their sin they may seem to escape the judgment of God here and now, though in their sin they may seem to enjoy much of what our hearts may desire, let us seek to be generous in our love now.  If perhaps God might grant them repentance.  Because we know their end.  We know that in the end the judgment of God will come swiftly and without mercy.  And let us persist in our love, however it may be rejected, entrusting ourselves to the God who has promised to refresh us in the end with His abiding righteousness, with the satisfaction of His likeness when we awake.

Make that your ambition this new year.  Not to harbor feelings of resentment or anger towards those who have wronged you, and who seem to prosper in what they do.  But to rejoice in a generous God who is leaving room and time for their repentance.  Entrust yourself and your generosity towards them to Him who judges rightly and who will ultimately reward you with His good grace.

Maranatha!

Psalm 14 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 14)

God is true…and every man is a liar.  Not only is every man a liar…every man…but every man has rejected God in his heart.  Not only has every man foolishly rejected God in his heart, but every man has gone after his own way and has become completely useless to God.  “They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds.  There is no one who does good…they have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

You may think of yourself as “religious.”  You may attend church regularly…or at least on the big holidays.  You may occasionally dust the cover of your Bible off and set it on the coffee table for visitors to see.  Or perhaps you find your way to the floor to utter a prayer once in a while for God’s protection or help in your time of distress.  But you have not genuinely and truly sought after God in your heart.  God is “with the righteous generation.” God is a “refuge” for the afflicted.  Have you made God your refuge?  Does He walk with you…or do you merely visit Him when its convenient for you?

“The fool says in his heart, there is no God.” You may consider yourself quite wise according to the worlds standards.  But if you have ever uttered those words “there is no God;” then you are a fool in God’s eyes.  Furthermore, the utterance of those words may be at a volume such that no other human being ever hears…it may be the meditation of your heart…but the Lord knows.  He knows that you have not truly sought after Him.  He knows that you do not accept nor regard His standard.  He knows that you truly are a stranger.  He knows that you have made money, sex, food, self-image, and/or power and the esteem of men your refuge.  They are your hope.  Those things are what you seek after in life, and not Him.

God is not fooled with your external piety nor more than He was fooled by the nation which had been called by His name…Israel.  So He judged them for their false religiousness…so He sentenced them to shame and captivity in a land which was not their own.  And so He will abandon you to your shame, the mystery of your sin and your way, should you continue to seek refuge in the comforts of this world.  He will abandon you to your shame in this life and in the life to come, He will abandon you to the consequence of your shame, which is eternal torment and judgment away from His presence.

“Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!” As the Lord continues to look down upon the hearts of the children of men, what will He find?  Will He find you continuing to reject Him in your heart?  Will He see you continuing to ignore His Holy standard?  Will He see you continuing to do life your way?  Or will He find you seeking refuge from the coming storm of His wrath and indignation in the forgiving arms and cleansing blood of His Son?

Turn “to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” I Thessalonians 1:9-10

Psalm 11 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 11)

God loves righteousness.  For the Psalmist says “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.  The Lord test the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.   Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.  For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face.”

There are so many themes that repeat throughout the greater part of the Psalms.  None are more striking to me than that of God’s love for righteousness and hatred of wickedness.

What are we to say about these things?  For there are many who would claim God’s unconditional love without condition.  God’s love is not unconditionally unconditional.  His love does cost a great deal.  For He has not spilled His own Son’s blood for naught.  He has not slain His only Son without reason.  The condition of God’s love is the blood of His own Son to bring effect to His love.

After all, His love would not be known without His sending of His Son.  And the sending of His Son would have no effect if His Son did not first shed His blood.  And the blood of His Son is necessary because of His perfect love for righteousness.  Because He loves righteousness, anything that is not righteous cannot abide, it cannot remain.

His love for righteousness compels Him to act decisively against unrighteousness and wickedness.  Since unrighteousness and wickedness are not entities of themselves, but acts of rebellion from His creation; God must punish the wicked and unrighteous for every act of disobedience that does not align with the righteous standard of His Son.  The life of His Son is the standard for judging unrighteousness, the payment for its penalty and the basis for new life granted to those who believe.  Were the life of His Son not lived and given as the penalty for wickedness, we would have no concept nor understanding of God’s love.

God’s love for us is not as our love for each other.  [In that sense, certainly it is without condition; for God lacks nothing and even if He did (which is a ridiculous statement), there would be nothing that we could give Him that would benefit Him because the least of what He has is infinitely greater than the greatest that we could give.  We being sinners and Him being perfect in every respect and without want or blemish.]  We love each other, often, for what we feel we will receive.  We are benevolent toward each other for the good that we feel in ourselves or for some praise that others give us on its account.  We rarely love without strings attached.

God’s love was costly.  His love cost Him a great deal more than it could have cost us.  Namely because we were already starting in the red.  We already had a great debt toward Him.  But He overlooked that debt and granted us not only pardon from the debt but also grace upon that grace, the inheritance of a relationship with His Son, to rule with Him, to receive an inheritance with Him when His Son returns to reclaim His kingdom on this earth.

We dare not say that God’s love is totally free.  It is unconditional, but it was costly.  To those who are without God in this life…those who do not know His love…those who do not obey His Son; all you may expect is His wrath.  If you do not meet the righteous standard of His righteous Son, who obeyed Him perfectly at all time; then you must only expect the wages of unrighteousness.  You must expect “snares to rain; fire and brimstone and burning wind [as your] portion…[for] the Lord hates those who love violence.”

But you who meet the righteous standard of His Son, knowing that you meet it only because it has been granted to you from God, that He has united you with His Son and that His Son’s blood has paid the penalty for your unrighteousness; you may take refuge in the Son.  You may rest in His grace…for He has promised that “the upright will behold His face [for] the Lord loves righteousness…”

In a little while, little children, His anger will be kindled against the unrighteousness and wicked of this world.  How will He find you?  Dare you mock the righteous for their trust in Him?  Dare you mock the faithful for their confidence in Him and in His Son?  Tremble in your hearts, let your laughter be turned to weeping and your joy to gloom.  For in a little while His anger will burn against you and you will not be able to stand.  You are standing at the precipice of His Almighty and insatiable Wrath and there is nothing to keep you from falling but His temporary Grace.

Don’t be a fool.  God is not mocked.

Psalm 9 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 9)

God is worthy of all praise!

All of us would heartily agree that God is worthy of all praise.  He is truly praise worthy.  Thinking about the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving this is especially significant.  And for what do we typically give thanks?  For the meal that He has provided, our family and friends, prosperity, peace.  For what does the Psalmist give thanks and what can we learn about it?

“I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, I wil tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and exult in You, I will sing praise to your name O most high”

He is a God of wonders.  He is a God whose very name is wonderful.  His works and His name bespeaks His essentially marvelous character and worth.  Only One who is truly marvelous can do marvelous things.  And this is the end of all of God’s works and ways, namely that His name might be magnified.  He is worthy of all praise and therefore His works envoke praise from those who truly know Him.

I think its interesting that the first thing which the Psalmist mentions is His acts of righteousness in judging those who are enemies of his people.  God is a God of vengeance.  And yet His is not so as we are.  We often react to those who wrong us because of the inconvenience, hurt or frustration that it has caused us.  We react, possibly, in order to be seen as more righteous than they are.  God Himself is eternally Righteous.  And therefore it says of Him that He judges righteously.  “But the Lord abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, and He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the people with equity.”  He is forever, they are for a moment.  Those who work iniquity shall come to an end.  He will “blot out their name forever and ever.”  They will not stand.

What have we who have trusted in His name to fear?  What have we to worry about, concerning those who work iniquity against us?  Must we seek vengeance?  Can we exact equitable vengeance greater than God?  Can we execute justice more efficiently or decisively than God?  Then why should we concern ourselves with revenge?  Certainly we should be concerned with justice.  Certainly we should look for those who govern us to be just (good luck with that).  But ought we concern ourselves with the development of the most righteous looking (outwardly) society that we can?  Does it say in vain that “the wicked will return to Sheol, even all the nations who forget God.  For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.”

There will come a day in which the Lord will judge the world through righteousness.  He has given the righteous standard of His Son for the nations to behold and to repent.  Yet they have ignored and have scorned His righteous Son.  And so His vengeance will be just and decisive upon all.

Don’t seek for the salvation of this world.  It is wicked and shall perish in its wickedness and by its wickedness, “The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made; in the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught…in the work of His own hands the wicked is snared.”  He who has ears to hear, let him hear and let not the Psalmist say alone, “Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged before you.  Put them in fear, O Lord; Let the nations know that they are but men.”

Beloved, turn your hearts from a love for this world and the things of this world to a love for God and His Righteous Kingdom.  Trust in the God who “abides forever,” who is “a stronghold for the oppressed,” who is a God who will never forsake, and in whom you will never be ashamed.

Psalm 7 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 7)

God is a Righteous Judge.  He always acts in accordance with His righteousness.  Hear the words of the Psalmist “The Lord judges the peoples…God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day…I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness…”

When was the last time that you gave thanks to the Lord because He is a righteous judge?  Of all the things that we commonly think of to give thanks for, how often does this really come to mind for you?  God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness…through the only Man who is righteous of Himself, that is Jesus Christ the Righteous.  Do you look forward to that day?  Do you long for the time that God puts an end to the wickedness of this world and creates a “new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells?”  Or are you satisfied with the ways of this world?  Are you content with the way that things are going for you, your safe job, your safe home, your safe economic status (I realize that many of these things are not safe for people today, but people still put their confidence in these things), your safe name in the community or in your work place, your safe family?  Are you satisfied with those things?

Let me put it another way.  If God were to allow you to go to a heaven where things were just like they are now (with Him in heaven and you on earth) and where you had unlimited access to all of the good things about your life; would that be enough for you?

Clearly we do not get all good things in this life.  We also get difficulty.  We get strife.  We sometimes lose…big.  We are sometimes persecuted without cause.  We are tormented and rejected by others who live with considerably less godly standards as us.  Do you ever wonder why it is that those people seem to enjoy life more?  The ones who live any way they want, why do they seem to have more money?  Why do they seem to relish their selfish inclinations and its consequences?  Why do they seem to enjoy their drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, rebellion against authority (parents, teachers, managers, etc.), laziness, improper usage of their finances and other such things?  Why do they seem to have “all the fun,” while we are stuck doing things “the right way?”  Do you ever feel like you need to get back at them or else that you might as well join them since they seem to be having a good time?

God is a Righteous Judge.  And He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world through the righteous standard of His Son.  Do you meet that standard?  Have you considered your heart, your motives, even your actions lately?  Do you meet the righteous standard of the perfect Son of God?  Can you say with a clear conscience like the Psalmist “O Lord my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands, if I have rewarded evil to my friend, or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life down to the ground and lay my glory in the dust.”  Can you say that expecting that God will “vindicate [you] according to [your] righteousness and [your] integrity within [you]?”

Have you lived with integrity?  Do you?  Do you live according to God’s standards?  Do you seek God’s righteousness?  Do you seek God’s glory?  Or do you seek your own?  The God who “judges the peoples” and who will “let the evil men come to an end, but establish the righteous” will also “try the hearts and minds of the righteous.”  What will He find when He tries your mind, your heart?  Will He find His righteousness, or will He find your version of righteousness?

God has “appointed judgment.”  Though He tarries, He will judge.  And He will judge according to His righteousness.  If you have not found His righteousness, repent.  The Lord is near.  If you have, rejoice, for our salvation is closer than when we first believed; and He has promised to vindicate us, according to His righteousness and to repay all of those who have sinned against His godly ones.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear:

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Matthew 6:33

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord’”  Romans 12:17-19

“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, for He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”  Acts 17:30-31

“Know this first of all that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, though which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.  But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.  But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that wiht the Lord one day is like  a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a  roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up…according to His promise we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”  2 Peter 3:3-13