Month: June 2017

20, Try

Psalm 11.5

The Lord trieth the righteous.

 Once again, believers in Jesus Christ are the righteous; God made us righteous in Christ; the promise is for us, the “made-righteous” believers. He promises that He will try us and test us. That doesn’t sound like such a wonderful promise, but it really is when we consider the alternative in the rest of the verse: “but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.” The same fire that purifies can also be a symbol of judgment on the wicked who violently oppress. It appears that there is no promise that the Lord will test the wicked. God chastens those whom He loves, to refine them in the fiery furnace of trials. “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6)

The promise of testing is really a blessing, for when we are pruned, tried, and refined God is doing a work in our lives to enable us to bear more fruit, strengthen and purify us. This growth process cannot take place without trial; if we were not pruned we would not grow more fruit; if we were not refined in the heat we would not be strengthened and purified. At the moment all discipline seems painful and not pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11). It is only in hindsight that we can see the loving hand of God through certain seasons and trials.

While we are enduring the trials we must simply trust God to know what He is doing and that the end result will be glorious. Therefore, this wonderful promise should be taken to heart with joy and hope. It is a promise. And God is good.

19. Judge

Psalm 10:17, 18

Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble:

Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,

that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

 It may not feel like much of a positive promise that the Lord will judge the orphans and the oppressed; but in the positive sense the word “judge” is used to render a positive verdict in their favor. The negative side of this positive word is that the oppressors will be judged, that is, convicted and punished.

The fatherless and the oppressed are examples of all those people that find themselves helpless, defenseless, and suffering injustice. If we are willing to be humbled and admit that “helpless” includes us as well, then God hears the desire of the humble that they may be restored to dignity and receive justice. He makes us sensitive to the need for help, He turns our sense of need into a desire for relief, our desire into a prayer, and then the answer comes. This God does for us when we humble ourselves in penitence and contrition seeking forgiveness and favor. In humble faith and dependent trust we also become like the “fatherless and oppressed” who need a righteous judge to rule in our favor over against the lies and accusations of the Evil Ones.

We may get tired of coming back again and again every day like the widow in the Parable of the Unrighteous Judge, who finally gets an answer because of her insistence. We do not have to be like that with our God, the Judge who will give justice speedily. Although it may seem like the wicked and unjust oppressors get away with their evil for a long time, it is speedy to the Lord. Jesus told us this to encourage us always to pray and not lose heart.

This Psalm is also given to us to encourage us to pray and trust and not lose heart. He will come and judge and deliver His humble and oppressed people from the oppressor, both physically and spiritually. Our God and Savior will not only come to judge on the Last Day, but He will also come to judge during the course of our lives in history. That is a promise. He is still King forever and ever and we can count on His promise to hear and act and judge rightly.

18. Not Forgotten

Psalm 9.18

For the needy shall not always be forgotten: The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

 The needy and the poor can take this as an unconditional promise: they will not be forgotten and their hope will not perish. The rest of us who are not physically poor may take this as an unconditional promise for our spiritual poverty. Once we admit that we are empty and needy, that we have nothing in our hands to bring, that we have no ability to be independently strong, and that we are completely dependent on God for life and health and every good, then this promise unconditionally includes us as well.

As a needy person I shall not be forgotten, and my needs shall not be forgotten. I may have prayed for daily bread and needs to be filled in the past and it seems the answer is delayed; but, rest assured, soul, you and your need will not be forgotten. God will remember, even if you forgot you prayed, and in his time and way he answers your prayer need. 1) God prepares the heart; 2) He suggests the prayer; 3) He hears what is prayed; 4) He answers the prayer. Have patience and wait for the Lord. God forgets your sin, but He remembers mercy. He will not always forget. The nations that forget God return to Sheol, but God does not forget his own

The hope or the expectation of the poor will not perish. Once the poor have placed their hope in God they expect God to come and answer. They may wait a long time, but the Lord may say, “Wait a little longer. Your hope will not die; your expectations will live on and you will live to see them fulfilled.” So it is for all of who have repented in humility and entered into a poverty of spirit by giving up striving for independence and control; we have made ourselves dependent on the Lord not only for forgiveness but also for everything good and needful. For the penitent, the spiritually poor and the helpless trusters God promises to hear their prayers and meet their needs. Even if it takes a while He will not forget, ever.

17. Not Forsaken

Psalm 9.10

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:

For Thou, Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

 Even though this promise is spoken in the past tense and so is not a certain guarantee that this will hold true in the future, it is taken as a promise since it is repeated in other Scripture passages. The essential promise is: God will never forsake, abandon, or leave you alone or helpless or defenseless. You can count on Him to always be there when you need someone.

The promise, however, is conditional: if you seek the Lord, then He will not forsake you. If you are truly seeking the Lord, to know Him, to be with Him, to enjoy His presence, to love Him, and to trust Him, then you will be taught the way to approach God in righteousness and without sin. Once you have been accepted into His presence by faith in Christ you are a seeker, you are forgiven and you are declared righteous. Then you have the promise that He will never forsake you. You are free to forsake Him and no longer seek Him, but who would want to do that? Psalm 105:4: “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” Another promise for seekers is in Isaiah 26:3: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you.”

It is true that his God had appeared to forsake Jesus of Nazareth on the cross, and it felt to Jesus that this was so. How, then, does this promise hold for Jesus and the cross? The sin of the world was upon the body of Jesus of Nazareth at that moment, and since God can have nothing to do with sin He must forsake the one on whom the sin is resting. The wrath of God is upon His Son but not His presence to bless. The very absence of God is the punishment for sin. God the Father had forsaken him, contrary to His promise, but God had not forever forsaken him as the sin was taken away in death and the person rose from the dead to be reunited and restored into an intimate relationship with God once again. But because of that forsakenness of Jesus, we can be absolutely sure that He will never forsake us. Hebrews 13:5: “He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

The forsakenness is not forever, and if it ever feels to us like God has forsaken us that feeling will not last long. God will keep His promise and He will not forsake you. He has bound himself by oath: He is not free to ignore us.

16.Refuge

Psalm 9.9

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,

A refuge in times of trouble.

A refuge = stronghold, fortress, strength, rock, high tower, hiding place, defensive position, safe place, any place to hide where attack by the enemy is extremely difficult. The promise is not of physical space to defend against physical enemies but a spiritual place to be safe from attacks and temptations of spiritual enemies. It is the Lord Himself who is the refuge; it is entering into His presence; communing with Him; developing a relationship with God. Deuteronomy 33:27: “The eternal God is thy refuge (dwelling place), and underneath are the everlasting arms; and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee.”

The same God who in the previous verse appears as awesome judge to the evil offers refuge to the oppressed in times of trouble. With God as judge of our enemies and refuge from our enemies we have nothing to fear. Romans 8:31: “If God is for, us who can be against us?”

A believer can and may come into the presence of God and find refuge in Him at any time, but the Lord as a refuge is particularly useful and available when oppressed or in times of trouble. When you need Him He is there for you. There are two things we need to remember and notice to avail ourselves of this unconditional promise: the first is to recognize when we are in trouble. This may seem simple at first, but very often when we are in trouble we just sort of accept it as life; it’s just the way it is. I may not even see it as trouble or oppression. But it really is an evil force, or personal evil force, like Satan, Sin or Death. I am also tempted to believe that I can solve this problem or overcome the oppression by myself. The second thing then is to call upon the Lord, jump into the refuge of God’s care and protection, and stay with Him at least until the danger passes. Psalm 50:15: “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.”

It may be helpful to do a little imaging, or use your imagination, to see yourself safely inside the refuge while the Lord defends against and wards off the evil that wants to destroy. From that place of safety watch Sin flee, Satan be crushed, and Death be destroyed. “Imagining” is taking God at His word and constructing in the mind the movie that the Word is describing. Watch that movie and take heart. The promise is real.

15. Judgment

Psalm 9.8

And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

 It is a wonderful promise that God will judge the world. Judgment doesn’t sound like a promise since it is more of a threat. But the positive side of the negative is that one day everything will be put to rights; what is wrong now will be overturned and made right side up; what is crooked will be made straight; justice will rule over injustice. Judgment punishes sin and removes what is wrong, harmful, painful, and unpleasant. Judgment enhances, blesses, and rewards the right; judgment denies, curses, and punishes the wrong.

Judgment is always a two-edged sword with positive and negative sides. The other side of judgment is salvation; in fact, there can be no salvation until there is judgment; there is no reward without punishment; right is not elevated until wrong is put down; forgiveness is not possible until the sin is judged; the judgment of sin enables God to declare the sinner righteous, forgiven, and saved. Judgment means not only condemnation on the one hand, but also acquittal on the other hand; the righteous are judged to be innocent, therefore deserving of eternal bliss. The Sin is condemned; the Sinner is scwuitted; this is Judgment.

The word picture painted here is not just the final judgment, but it is the judgment of present enemies and the prayer for and the expectation of the present reality of deliverance. God is still on the throne, and He is a Judge, and judges rightly.

The judgment of God is right and just. The Final White Throne Judgment at the Last Day will be the final “supreme court” decision of the eternal Judge of the universe; and in that judgment the whole visible and invisible world will be eternally convinced that The Judgment is right and true and just and fair, and no one in all eternity will be able to challenge or appeal the judgment of God. It stands forever and every mouth will be shut. Both the good and evil deserve the judgments rendered, and no one argues or resists the verdict; everyone and everything submits to the final judgment and verdict of God for it is eternally right, upright and righteous.

This is the good news of this promise of judgment: when God declares believers in Christ to be righteous, innocent, and deserving of eternal bliss; nothing and no one can challenge that judgment. I am declared righteous and that judgment stands forever.

14. Defense that Saves

Psalm 7.10

My defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

If one is upright in heart, then the defense of God saves him. This conditional promise is meant for the upright. And once again it is God Himself that makes a person upright by faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the believer can claim this promise for himself since he is upright in heart. The upright has an honest faith and a sincere commitment. The upright in heart is another term distinguishing the righteous and the wicked, or the impenitent sinner from the forgiven sinner. The sinner, in Christ, is also an upright saint; the sinner, without Christ, is only a sinner.

A defense or a shield protects against the evil and harm that would come from others or from self. By faith in Christ I step behind the defense, and the shield of faith is placed between the enemy and my soul. It is clear that it is God who does the saving, not the shield of faith; He is my source and my strength, not my faith or anything in me at all.

When faith is joined with a clean conscience then there is access to God in prayer, confidence, peace of mind, mitigation of trouble, protection and deliverance. God saves us from the evil of Sin and the wicked intent of Satan and the finality of Death so that never can Sin, Satan and Death have the last word, the final say. Ultimate salvation comes at the Last Day when Sin, Satan and Death are no longer present, and meanwhile every day God saves from the effects of these three enemies throughout our life. Thus we pray daily: “Deliver us from evil.” When the Lord Jesus Christ has supremacy in one’s soul the Enemy does not.

By the way, when we do not repent and believe the Gospel we ourselves become an enemy to other children of God. “Deliver us from such evil also.” God saves the upright.

13. Favor

Psalm 5.12

With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

The promise is that the righteous one is compassed with favor as with a shield. Faith in Christ is righteous and so believers qualify for this promise of favor. What a difference it could make in our general outlook and attitude if we realized and acted like we were surrounded with favor like a shield that surrounds and protects.

Favor is mercy and good things granted unearned, granted just because…. Favor is never earned, paid back, or reciprocated; if so, it would not be a favor. Favor is a gift, free and clear, given simply out of love from the giver. This favor is abundant and more than adequate to keep us safe and secure, smiling and contented, calm and peaceful.

Favor surrounds like a shield: a large rectangular shield that protects most of the body. We could not feel more secure than when the Lord holds the shield between us, body and soul, and the sword, arrows and darts of the Evil One. No matter how fierce the battle feels we can calmly entrust ourselves to the protection and favor of the one who wields the shield for us. The love and wisdom and power of God will grant favor and protection like a shield. Keep an eye fixed on God’s great compassions. God was a shield for Abraham, for David, and for me.

12. Bless

Psalm 5.12

For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous.

The conditional promise of blessing for the righteous becomes an unconditional promise when we realize that it is the Lord Himself who makes us righteous through Jesus Christ, and thus believers in Christ qualify for the blessing. “The Lord will bless the righteous.” This blessing includes forgiveness, salvation and eternal life, but it also includes much more than that since forgiveness, life and salvation is a part of being “the righteous;” It would include the temporal benefits and blessings of a peaceful and prosperous life on earth. It would include all the blessings of the covenant promises for those who obey the commandments as detailed in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. These are blessings added on top of the spiritual benefits earned by the life, death and resurrection of Christ.

As a matter of fact, this promise repeats Deuteronomy: if you do the commandments in this covenant these blessings will follow. The one who keeps the covenant commands is the righteous one; the Lord will bless him with the blessings promised.

Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, the only one who kept the commandments perfectly, has legally earned the blessings. We who believe in Christ are declared righteous, as Christ is righteous; we are “the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). O righteous one, receive and enjoy God’s blessing.

11. Defender

Psalm 5.11

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

The promise of defense and shelter by the Lord is for those who trust in Him. God defends those who trust in Him; those people will rejoice and be joyful in God. The joy arises because they feel safe and secure. When God is our defense we are free to play and romp around behind the defense and feel safe, enjoying life without fear or anxiety, in peace and happiness. They are forever singing, eternally rejoicing in the celestial meadows

Those who trust in the Lord also love His name, which is His presence revealed in the here and now. They love to experience His presence, for when “God’s name is hallowed” there will be great joy in the Lord. Those who fear, love and trust in God above all things can be certain He will defend them against all harm and danger at all times and at the right time. The spiritual attacks and temptations of Sin and Satan may come at any surprising time, but the Lord our Shepherd is always on the alert watching for sudden, unexpected attacks and is there to defend us. This defense system actually works for our protection many times and we are not even aware of it. Evil may not enter God’s Presence, which is where trust places us. 

The Holy Spirit places us in this safe place by bringing us to daily repentance and faith in the Gospel. He makes us trusters in Him; and the Lord Himself promises to defend them. Enjoy the security. We will be forever shouting for joy when we dwell in God’s eternal home in heaven; so by faith we shout for joy now while we dwell in God’s home on earth, because He defends us.