Psalm 17 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 17) Part 2

God is just. How can the righteous cry out to God for justice?  Hear the words of David “give hear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips…you have tested my heart, you have visited me in the night, you have tried me and have found nothing.  I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress…” How can the righteous cry out for justice?

God is a just God and His eyes behold good and evil.  His eyes are on the righteous and the unrighteous and it i s this that the righteous have as their confidence, that He beholds their righteous deeds.  The righteous would have no confidence whatsoever before a just God to cry to Him for help on the basis of nothing.  Certainly God is merciful to sinners.  Those who are contrite in heart and who humble themselves before Him, He accepts.  However the confidence that the righteous have is that they are in pursuit of His righteous standard.  Our hearts may condemn us in many things.  Even our works may condemn us when we make wrong choices and allow the desire of the flesh  to rule over us.  However our confidence stands, even if it be within our own hearts, before a life of purity and holiness to the Lord.  The Lord is greater than our hearts and knows all things.

However we cannot expect to have that confidence to approach the Lord of glory, the righteous Judge if our lives are also not righteous.  God has sounded forth His call from Zion, “be holy for I am holy.” The call to holiness is not in vain.  The integrity of God and His name are at stake.  Not that He needs us to uphold His holiness, but certainly our example before an unholy and perverse generation is a glory to Him and a shame to them.

What confidence would we have to approach God without holiness?  What confidence would we have to accuse the wicked or to cry out for justice if we ourselves are not maintaining His standard of righteousness?  We must pursue the righteousness of God if ever we are to stand before God, with confidence in our hearts and to cry out for His justice.  But even in our weakness, even when we fail, we know that we have an advocate.  We know and are confident ultimately that it is not our own power or might but God’s grace which is at work within us to conform us to the image of His Son’s righteousness.  And we may say with David “uphold my steps in your paths, that my footsteps may not slip,” not only in defense against the ungodly but in confidence that He who has begun His good work in us will complete it.

Psalm 17 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 17) Part 1

God is Just. Why should we cry out to the Lord in our distress?  Because God is a God of justice.  His eyes are upon the righteous and righteousness.  And His ears attend to their cry.  God desires justice from His creation because He is just.  Justness is a  part of His essential character.  There is no falsehood with God.  There is no partiality.  There is no turning of the eye to oppression.  God is just.  And because He is essentially just in His character the righteous have great reason to come to Him for justice.  This is in fact the great confidence that the righteous have, that their righteousness has not fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes.  That in the end they will be repaid for their righteousness even as the wicked are repaid for their wickedness.  Of course the righteousness of the righteous is not their own for they would have no reason to cry out to God for vindication.  But it is His righteous standard that they uphold.  It cannot be their own righteousness for why would God then fight on their behalf?  Where then would be His glory?  What then would be His praise?  He would be nothing more than a body guard.  One whose job is to protect the glory of another.  Neigh but the righteousness by which the righteous is called is God’s righteousness.  It is His name, it is His glory.  And that is also their confidence and their hope.  that His righteousness shall be in the end vindicated.  That He will pursue the vindication of His own righteous standard.

God’s justness shall prevail and His righteousness shall be vindicated.  This He has made clear in many other ways.  The glory of His name and His holiness is His great passion.  Thus to pursue His glory in our own lives is the wisest course of action.  And it is an action which again will yield great reward.  The righteous may unashamedly pursue God’s righteous standard because He will vindicate it Himself.  And in vindicating His righteous standard, they will be vindicated.

The folly of the wicked is in assuming that their own glory is necessary.  It is assuming that their own standard of righteousness is enough.  However their own standard of righteousness is as transient as their own lives.  It will in the end be cast aside.  God will bring it to nothing.  It cannot stand in comparison to His own holy and righteous Word.  They may have their “portion in this life” but in the next their portion will be to drink the cup of God’s wrath and indignation against those who have scorned His righteousness and His righteous ones.  Thus the wicked are short sighted.  They fail to see past the reality of the moment to the reality of the next.  Consequence has become an illusion to the wicked.  It has dropped out of their vocabulary along with absolute and even God.  For them there is only the moment of pleasure without the thought of consequence.  If there were no consequence, the righteous might fail in heart however the righteousness of God reminds us that it is only His great mercy which has thus with held the flood of His wrath upon this earth.  It is His mercy which has stayed His hand this long in the condemnation of the wicked.  It is not for their glory.  It is not for their cunning or wisdom which has wrought them success.  It is the merciful hand of their creator which ought to lead them to repentance, but which because of their hard hearts has led many to both mock His very existence – by whose mercy they stand – and to mock His holy and righteous ones.

What then is the final hope of the righteous?  The punishment of evildoers?  No.  It is our expectation but it is not our hope that they should meet what demise they are sure to who mock the Almighty.  Do we seek the vindication of our own name or righteousness?  No.  Before God, there are none who have reason to boast in any righteousness of their own doing because before His standard we are all guilty.  What then is our final hope?  Our final hope is that the pursuit of God’s righteousness in this life will not be for naught.  Our final hope is that because of His righteousness, “we shall see His face…[and] we shall be satisfied when we awake in His likeness.”

Psalm 12 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 12)

God is faithful to His word.  His Word is trustworthy.  That is the message of Psalm 12.

The “faithful” of the Lord, the “afflicted” are devastated.  They perish from the earth.  The wicked increase.  They continually “speak falsehood…[and] speak [of] great things [such as] with our tongue we will prevail, our lips are our own, who is lord over us?”

But they will be cut off.  The Lord will not allow their “vileness” to continue forever.  He has determined to keep the “generation” of His faithful ones “forever.”

It is interesting to me how much the saints of old were concerned for the destruction of the wicked and the preservation of the righteous.  Now; however, that doesn’t seem to be much the case.  Certainly it is the case that those who are righteous long for deliverance from God.  But it is not often a deliverance that speaks of the contrast between the righteous and the wicked.  It is not a deliverance that is concerned with the vindication of God’s righteousness in the earth.   We are often shortsighted.  We are too often concerned with our day to day dealings, day to day issues and stresses.

The Psalmist repeatedly cried out for salvation from God…for “help” because of the greatness of transgression and wickedness around him.  Certainly he needed immediate help because of intense persecution that he was under.   But overall he was more concerned with the definitive judgment of those who are wicked in the earth.   Perhaps part of the problem for us is that our society is so much more tolerant and so we don’t face the same type of persecution that he did.  But should that make a difference?

Shouldn’t all of God’s people be more concerned with the vindication of God’s righteousness?  The ungodly of the earth certainly continue to boast of great things…claiming that there is no one who is lord over them.  The godly among the sons of men certainly seem to be wasting away.  There are not many faithful ones, who continually seek the favor of God and who submit to His Lordship over them.  Why then are we not more concerned for God’s glory than our own, in this day?  Perhaps we are too used to ungodliness.  Perhaps we are too used to the wickedness around us, and we have grown to accept it as a natural part of life.  For sure, the Evil one controls the world.  Certainly sin prevails over all the earth.  But where are those who would speak out against evil?  Where are those who would cry out to God for deliverance from this wicked age and vindication for the righteousness of God’s people?  Where are those who live righteously and who trust in God’s promise to bless those who are righteous; who are persecuted for living righteously and who therefore long for God’s righteousness to be vindicated?  Where are those who love the name of the Lord and who place their whole trust in the Word of the Lord, that it is “pure, as silver tried in a furnace on the earth refined seven (seven indicating completion) times” and who long to see His name and His word vindicated?

Do you trust God’s word?  Do you believe that He is faithful to His word?  Are you one of His faithful ones?  If you are then your heart will long for the vindication of His name, His Word and His righteousness on the earth.  And not just by the means of some political activism or philanthropic endeavors; which many who do not acknowledge Him as Lord also adhere to.  But by means of His supernatural and final intervention into this world…when finally the wicked will be cut off and the “righteous will shine forth as the Sun…”  You will long for it and you know in your heart that it will come to pass because it is the Word of the Lord.

Matthew 13:41-43

41 “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,  42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  43 “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Psalm 10 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 10)

God is a God of Justice.  He is infinitely Holy and therefore must judge sin and the wicked.  He is infinitely mighty and therefore can judge sin and the wicked.  He is infinitely faithful to Himself and to those who maintain their faithfulness to Him and therefore shall judge sin and the wicked.

The folly of the wicked is their shortsightedness.  They say to themselves “there is no God…God has forgotten, He has hidden His face; He will never see it.” There are those who completely reject the notion of God and there are those who reject the notion of the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture.

The former say that He does not exist.  They reject the very notion of His being.  This is of itself an abomination for how can anything come into being without an initial cause.  His pride becomes his downfall, supposing that he knows enough about the best of man’s “theories” to adequately explain away God.  And to what end?  To what end does the atheist or agnostic explain away the existence of God?  To claim some false sense of pride in not being able to know? The agnostic claims that you can’t really know for sure that God exists.  Furthermore, some would say that you can’t really know anything.  Well, how do you know that?  The agnostic, of all people, should know that you cannot claim absolutely that you can’t know the truth of God’s existence.  And if it follows that you can’t know the truth of God’s existence, then you can’t not know the truth of God’s existence.  The very premise of their claim refutes itself.  And of course they claim this so that they don’t have to believe in anything that they do not want to.  Certainly they believe in some things.  (Bear with me as I speak to their folly).  If you can’t really know anything then how can they know for example, that the feelings which they have are hunger, thirst, or exhaustion?  And if they can’t really know these things, then why would you follow through to eat, drink or rest?  It would make no sense.  Surely then they must admit that there are things that we can know.  But what they will not admit is that the things which they instinctively choose to act upon (such as eating – which is an admission that they are hungry – a fact that can be known) are those things which only suit them.  In other words, the agnostic only seeks to acknowledge the things that do not lead to him being accountable to anyone but his own desires.  And his own desires will be his downfall.

What would be the end in claiming that God does not exist?  Perhaps some false sense of pride in being the end of one’s own existence?  The atheist claims that there is no God and therefore that he is the ruler of his own life, the captain of his own ship.  No one can direct him, no one can lay claim over him.  No one can thwart him.  He is his own god.  So says the wicked fool in the Psalm, “I will not be moved, throughout all generations, I will not be in adversity.”  Pridefully he goes about his life, laying claim to the lives of others, living in accord with his own wishes and desires, without the fear or threat of reprisal.  But God is not unjust that He would allow the atheist or the agnostic to continue for long.  He will not allow them to continue to “boast in [their] hearts desire” nor to make a mockery of His name and justice, for He “has seen it, for [He has] beheld mischief and vexation to take it into [His] hands”

The latter say that He does not exist as He has said that He is.  He is something else altogether.  He is not just nor is He capable subduing injustice.  The wicked assume that they are able to continue in their reign of terror without end and that the afflicted/oppressed/innocent/unfortunate are without help in this life.  They refuse to believe God’s word that His love, toward the brokenhearted and afflicted, reaches to the heavens and that His faithfulness stretches to the skies.  They refuse to believe that He is “a helper of the orphan [and One who] vindicate(s) the orphan and the oppressed.”  They refuse to believe and understand that He is truly “The Lord [and] King forever and ever.”

Though the afflicted may cry out “how long O Lord” and “why do you stand afar off, O Lord, why do you hide yourself in times of trouble,” ultimately they will not be ashamed.  They will not be moved forever.  God will avenge His justice.  He will uphold and affirm His holiness.  He will bring judgment upon the wicked, though He may tarry, “so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”  And He will bring rest to those who are afflicted.

Jude 1:14-15

14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,  15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Matthew 5:3-12

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.  6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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