Plymothian

I have recently bought a computer game called Dawn of War 2: Retribution.  In the game, evil is vanquished by a brutal inquisition.  What is retribution?  In his commentary on the Psalms Geralsd wilson writes:

The psalmist calls on God to judge the evildoers according to their deeds (28:4-5).  The idea of retribution – that what one does ultimately determines how God responds – is commonly expressed in biblical wisdom literature, especially Proverbs.  there we encounter the experectation that because Yahweh has created the world, there must be a certain orderliness about the cosmos that distinguishes clearly between the righteous and the wicked, th wise and the fool.  The wise and righteous can anticipate divine blessing while the fool and the wicked can expect divine judgment.

Psalm 28

Of David.

 ¹ To you, LORD, I call;
   you are my Rock,
   do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
   I will be like those who go down to the pit.
² Hear my cry for mercy
   as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
   toward your Most Holy Place.

 ³ Do not drag me away with the wicked,
   with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
   but harbor malice in their hearts.
⁴ Repay them for their deeds
   and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
   and bring back on them what they deserve.

 ⁵ Because they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD
   and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
   and never build them up again.

 ⁶ Praise be to the LORD,
   for he has heard my cry for mercy.
⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield;
   my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
   and with my song I praise him.

 ⁸ The LORD is the strength of his people,
   a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
⁹ Save your people and bless your inheritance;
   be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Questions

1. How does the psalmist express his desire for divine favour and help?
2. How does the psalmist distinguish himself from the wicked?
3. How are foolish actions and rebellion against God connected?
4. Why do the wicked suffer today?
5. How does choosing to sin bring suffering in your life?  How does choosing God’s ways bring relief from suffering?

The term ‘seeker’ is used a lot by Christians today.  It is meant to be less offensive to someone who is not a believer to label them as a seeker.  After all, the theory goes, they are a believer in something, to say that they are a non-Christian is a very negative definition for someone who might be well on the path to faith.  We make seeker-friendly churches that those who have questions are more likely to enter.  This approach is problematic in my opinion.  It creates passive places where charismatic speakers do all the work and Christians leave all the disciple making to the few professionals in their church.

In Psalm 27, the psamist, is a seeker. He seeks God.  He is a believer who doesn’t have a further commitment of faith to make before he is saved.  This shows that the realtionship we have with God is on-going.  If we are God’s, we actively seek after him on a daily basis. In this sense, the church should be seeker-friendly.  It should be a place where believers spurr each other on to experience more of God.

Psalm 27

Of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation—
   whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
   of whom shall I be afraid?

 ² When the wicked advance against me
   to devour^[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
   who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
   my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
   even then I will be confident.

 ⁴ One thing I ask from the LORD,
   this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
   all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
   and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
   he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
   and set me high upon a rock.

 ⁶ Then my head will be exalted
   above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
   I will sing and make music to the LORD.

 ⁷ Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
   be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
   Your face, LORD, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
   do not turn your servant away in anger;
   you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
   God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
   the LORD will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, LORD;
   lead me in a straight path
   because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
   for false witnesses rise up against me,
   spouting malicious accusations.

 ¹³ I remain confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD.

Questions

1. How does this psalm allude to the exodus?
2. Which verses describe seeking Yahweh’s (the LORD’s) face?
3. Who, what, or where are the strongholds of David’s life?
4. Who, what, or where are the strongholds of your life?
5. How could you wait for God so that you gained strength and courage today?

It is getting close to finals time at Moody Bible Institute.  I just explained to my students why I still set finals when some other professors do not. I need to test what I have taught to the students to see evidence that it is there. 

For the Christian we need to examine ourselves for truth and love.  Truth, in the context of the psalms is equivalent to a faithful consistency. Someone who lives in truth is consistently dependent on a consistent God.  This kind of consistency lives in confidence and the assurance that, although we are not perfect, we are ‘not guilty’ before God.  For the Christian, we have confidence that God has delivered us from a life of evil.  This is not proud, it is a reality based in Christ.  If we understand how much our behavior is changed by our relationship with Christ, it will lead to a thankful life of praise and worship in God’s presence.

Psalm 26

Of David.

 ¹ Vindicate me, LORD,
   for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD
   and have not faltered.
² Test me, LORD, and try me,
   examine my heart and my mind;
³ for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
   and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

 ⁴ I do not sit with the deceitful,
   nor do I associate with hypocrites.
⁵ I abhor the assembly of evildoers
   and refuse to sit with the wicked.
⁶ I wash my hands in innocence,
   and go about your altar, LORD,
⁷ proclaiming aloud your praise
   and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

 ⁸ LORD, I love the house where you live,
   the place where your glory dwells.
⁹ Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
   my life with those who are bloodthirsty,
¹⁰ in whose hands are wicked schemes,
   whose right hands are full of bribes.
¹¹ I lead a blameless life;
   deliver me and be merciful to me.

 ¹² My feet stand on level ground;
   in the great congregation I will praise the LORD.

Questions

1. What does David ask God to do in verse 1?
2. What two words does David use when he asks God to do something in verse 2 (These words are parallel:  They mean the same thing as each other)?
3. How does David answer his examination?
4. What would you say in defense to God?
5. How would you make a case that your life should not be taken away with sinners?

One of my gifts is beating myself up.  In some contexts I manage to give the impression that I am quite self-assured – self-confident.  The truth is far from that.  One of my areas of weakness is in the area of emotion.  I was a very passionate person growing up and that passion led to impulsive decision making and poor judgment.  Decisions have consequences, and although God kept me alive, some of the decisions that I made affected other people deeply.  One reaction to this passion was to sever it.  The other reaction to my passion was to condemn myself whenever I think back to those times.

Because of this, I can associate with the psalmist’s plea that God not remember his sin from his youth.  However, what God graciously forgets I have a tendency to unearth.  I get anxious about my past revisiting me.  I worry about people who knew me recounting who I was.

In Japanese class this week I talked a little about my time in Japan.  I remembered running up the walls of Kochi castle at 2:00 a.m. and going to an udon-noodle stand to have a snack afterward.  As I was having fun recounting those times with friends, I also remembered what a fool I was there.  I was a different person.  Despite being a fool, though, I was not weighed down by guilt.  I have corrected one error by possibly replacing it with a bigger one.  A good question to ask yourself, if you too regret who you were, is, “Have I punished myself enough by now?”  Fortunately that question allows me to show a little of the grace toward myself that God shows me.

Psalm 25

¹ In you, LORD my God,
   I put my trust.

 ² I trust in you;
   do not let me be put to shame,
   nor let my enemies triumph over me.
³ No one who hopes in you
   will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
   who are treacherous without cause.

 ⁴ Show me your ways, LORD,
   teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are God my Savior,
   and my hope is in you all day long.
⁶ Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
   for they are from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth
   and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
   for you, LORD, are good.

 ⁸ Good and upright is the LORD;
   therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
⁹ He guides the humble in what is right
   and teaches them his way.
¹⁰ All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
   toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
¹¹ For the sake of your name, LORD,
   forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

 ¹² Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?
   He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.^[b]
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
   and their descendants will inherit the land.
¹⁴ The LORD confides in those who fear him;
   he makes his covenant known to them.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever on the LORD,
   for only he will release my feet from the snare.

 ¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
   for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart
   and free me from my anguish.
¹⁸ Look on my affliction and my distress
   and take away all my sins.
¹⁹ See how numerous are my enemies
   and how fiercely they hate me!

 ²⁰ Guard my life and rescue me;
   do not let me be put to shame,
   for I take refuge in you.
²¹ May integrity and uprightness protect me,
   because my hope, LORD,^[c]is in you.

 ²² Deliver Israel, O God,
   from all their troubles!

Questions

1. Why do you think the psalmist trusts in a righteous God despite sin in his youth?
2. Knowing David, what kinds of things did he want God to forget about him?
3. How does David show that he has a strong emotional relationship with God?
4. How does God forget your past mistakes and help you to do likewise?
5. Do you have a strong sense of emotional security with God?

The secular sacred divide annoys me because it doesn’t exist.  There are not two seperate domains, one which is God’s and one that is neutral.  There is not a place that we get to ‘do our own thing’ without thought of God.  We work in God’s world, we play golf in God’s world, and we drive our cars in God’s world.  We build skyscrapers in God’s world and we build microchips in God’s world.  In the next day try and remember that everything you do is in the wolrd over which God is king.

Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

 ¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
   the world, and all who live in it;
² for he founded it on the seas
   and established it on the waters.

 ³ Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
   Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴ The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
   who does not trust in an idol
   or swear by a false god.^[a]

 ⁵ They will receive blessing from the LORD
   and vindication from God their Savior.
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
   who seek your face, God of Jacob.^[b][c]

 ⁷ Lift up your heads, you gates;
   be lifted up, you ancient doors,
   that the King of glory may come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory?
   The LORD strong and mighty,
   the LORD mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, you gates;
   lift them up, you ancient doors,
   that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory?
   The LORD Almighty—
   he is the King of glory.

Questions

1. What belongs to the Lord?
2. Who is the king of glory?
3. How would you describe ‘king of glory’ in your own words?
4. How does believing God is king of everything play out in your own life?
5. Where could you live out the reign of God more?

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
 ² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
 ³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
   through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

 ⁵ You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever.

Psalm 22 is an account of Jesus’ death written hundreds of years before he died.  Jesus was obviously associating the psalm with himself when he died on the cross.  He cried out, “My God!  My God!  Why have you forsaken me!”  I had a struggle with this kind of prophecy when I was in my undergraduate school studies.  My teacher told me that the New testament fulfillment had been written by people who read the psalms and the Old Testament and then wrote it into the New Testament.  They made the two pieces of writing gel seamlessly, when in reality they did not.  One day I asked in class if there was proof that this process they were telling me had happened.  They had to admit that they had no proof, but they believed that it had.  I asked if there were some logical reason why someone could not believe in the fulfilment of prophecy, and to their credit, they told me that it was possible logically that the New Testament was written in the way it was because it outlined historical events.  National Geographic, The History Channel, and PBS seem to revel in cynical theologians or marginal scholarship.  It generates ratings through sensationalism.  The truth is there is reason to believe that Jesus Christ, Messiah Yeshua, died and rose again according to the prophecy of the Old Testament.  Psalm 22 was lived out through the Easter Story.

Today is Easter Sunday.  He is risen.

Psalm 22

 For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

 ¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
   Why are you so far from saving me,
   so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
   by night, but I find no rest.^[b]

 ³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
   you are the one Israel praises.^[c]
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
   they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ To you they cried out and were saved;
   in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

 ⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
   scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
   they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸ “He trusts in the LORD,” they say,
   “let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
   since he delights in him.”

 ⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
   you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰ From birth I was cast on you;
   from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

 ¹¹ Do not be far from me,
   for trouble is near
   and there is no one to help.

 ¹² Many bulls surround me;
   strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹³ Roaring lions that tear their prey
   open their mouths wide against me.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
   and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
   it has melted within me.
¹⁵ My mouth^[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
   and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
   you lay me in the dust of death.

 ¹⁶ Dogs surround me,
   a pack of villains encircles me;
   they pierce^[e] my hands and my feet.
¹⁷ All my bones are on display;
   people stare and gloat over me.
¹⁸ They divide my clothes among them
   and cast lots for my garment.

 ¹⁹ But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
   You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver me from the sword,
   my precious life from the power of the dogs.
²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
   save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

 ²² I will declare your name to my people;
   in the assembly I will praise you.
²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
   All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
   Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or scorned
   the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
   but has listened to his cry for help.

 ²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
   before those who fear you^[f] I will fulfill my vows.
²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
   those who seek the LORD will praise him—
   may your hearts live forever!

 ²⁷ All the ends of the earth
   will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
   will bow down before him,
²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
   and he rules over the nations.

 ²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
   all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
   those who cannot keep themselves alive.
³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
   future generations will be told about the Lord.
³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness,
   declaring to a people yet unborn:
   He has done it!

Questions

1. What word describes the emotional form of speech that the psalmist uses (e.g. talk, whisper, or scream)?
2. How does the psalmist feel?
3. Why did Jesus claim this psalm for himself?
4. When have you felt abandoned by God?
5. How does a person get from a place of feeling abandoned by God to a place of feeling peace with God?  Are peace and happiness things that God wants for us?

Going Deeper

Read Philippians to see what Paul instructs to help people find contentedness in all circumstances.

I am not getting caught up in the royal wedding fever at the moment.  I am not a ‘royalist’ as my grandparents were.  I remember the day of Charles’ and Diana’s wedding when I was carted into my grandmother’s and I played with cars on the floor as everyone oohed and ahhed at how beautiful everything was.  However, because of my heritage I am familiar with having a monarch.  I went to church with the Queen in Pakistan when she was there to celebrate their 50th anniversary.  Our national anthem, though, does touch me.  The British national anthem, sung to My Country ‘Tis of Thee  (I included verse 6, which was removed when it became the National Anthem, for Andy Yeaman):

 ² You have granted him his heart’s desire
   and have not withheld the request of his lips.^[b]
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
   and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
⁴ He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
   length of days, for ever and ever.
⁵ Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
   you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
⁶ Surely you have granted him unending blessings
   and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the LORD;
   through the unfailing love of the Most High
   he will not be shaken.

 ⁸ Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
   your right hand will seize your foes.
⁹ When you appear for battle,
   you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,
   and his fire will consume them.
¹⁰ You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
   their posterity from mankind.
¹¹ Though they plot evil against you
   and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
¹² You will make them turn their backs
   when you aim at them with drawn bow.

 ¹³ Be exalted in your strength, LORD;
   we will sing and praise your might.

Questions

1. On whose behalf is this psalm sung?
2. How does Israel think about its national security?
3. Why can’t those who plot evil succeed?
4. Who plots evil against your country?
5. What songs do you sing that encourage your leadership to trust in God?

Going Deeper

Do the following show proper respect?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLZx6ejNIvc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSqp111DXvs&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBo0LLlKu5Q

The prayer of the singer is that God would give you the desire of your heart.  Some would think that means that you make a list and bring it to God like a child hands a list of requests to Santa.  We know, though, that David was a man after God’s own heart.  There is an assumption in the psalms that the writer’s desire is for God.  When we can be sure that God will give us the desire of our heart is when our heart is set on God.

Psalm 20

Psalm 20^[a]

    For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 ¹ May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
   may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
² May he send you help from the sanctuary
   and grant you support from Zion.
³ May he remember all your sacrifices
   and accept your burnt offerings.^[b]
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
   and make all your plans succeed.
⁵ May we shout for joy over your victory
   and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

   May the LORD grant all your requests.

 ⁶ Now this I know:
   The LORD gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
   with the victorious power of his right hand.
⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
   but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
⁸ They are brought to their knees and fall,
   but we rise up and stand firm.
⁹ LORD, give victory to the king!
   Answer us when we call!

Questions

1. What word is repeated in verses 1-5?
2. Who is the psalmist asking God to bless?
3. Why can the psalmist be assured that God will bless?
4. Do you sing a desire for God to bless others?
5. Who could you lift up to God in the hopes that God might bless them?