Month: September 2017

112. Not Despise

Psalm 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

 “Not despise” is a very understated way of saying “like a lot.” The promise is that God receives, pays attention to and has favorable regard to the person who comes to Him with a broken spirit; the promise is that He will hear his prayer; the promise is that He accepts him in his pitiful and helpless state; the promise is that He responds to and loves the broken and sorrowful heart.

A broken spirit results from trying our best to do good and keep the Commandments and continually failing; a broken spirit results when expectations fall short and hopes disappoint; a broken spirit results when sin and guilt intrude upon conscious awareness; a broken spirit results when things are going very badly and it dawns on me that some of it may be my own fault. In other words, a broken spirit, and a contrite heart, comes about sometimes from just living on earth.

When the spirit is broken and we are not sure what to do or where to turn, turning to the Lord in repentance and prayer is a good thing. God loves it when we turn to Him in great need and even in despair; He loves to forgive the sinner, repair the broken, lift up the down and out and comfort the sorrowful. Not only does He promise that He will not despise you but He will love you and fix it for you.

If life has not broken your spirit take preventive action: let your spirit be broken under the hammer of the Law, convicting of sin and warning of punishment; plead for mercy before the throne of grace and let the Lord love you. When God breaks He does so gently; when Sin breaks it is not so gentle, but God will still put you together if you come to Him. If you fall on Him in faith He will repair the cracks; if He falls on you because of unbelief and pride you will be crushed.

111. Deliver

(We are at Psalm 50, one-third of the way through all the Psalms, and we have already uncovered 111 promises. How many promises has God given to us just in the Book of Psalms? Do the math. We truly have an awesome God.)

 Psalm 50:15

And call upon me in the day of trouble:

I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

 This is conditional promise: if you call upon me, then I will deliver you. God may or may not deliver those who do not call upon Him, but the Promise for those who pray and trust the Lord is certain. We who call upon the Lord in the day of trouble are those who trust in the Lord already (or we wouldn’t pray). We can be certain that the Lord will keep His promise and deliver us from the day of trouble when we pray.

The Lord Jesus Christ delivers us from eternal death and hell and He delivers us from bondage to Sin and Satan. Spiritual and eternal deliverance has been securely won and will not be lost. But our Lord still commands us to pray often, like every day without ceasing: “Deliver us from evil.” Jesus has delivered us once for all time, but daily deliverances from different days of trouble are still needed.

Therefore we pray that the Lord will deliver us from the specific trouble, or need, or problem of the day. We usually have enough troubles that our prayer life should be kept rather busy. We neglect to pray about all our troubles, woes, and cares every day for many reasons, but one reason we do not pray daily to be delivered from trouble is that we do not really believe God will deliver “little old me” from my “little old trouble.” That is why God gave us more than one promise about deliverance after calling on Him; He wants to encourage us to really trust Him: He hears, He cares, He delivers.

When He has delivered us we will glorify Him. This sequence will fill up many of our days: get in trouble—pray to the Lord—be delivered—glorify God. That is not at all a bad way to spend the days of our lives. We know progress is being made when we spend more time praising and thanking God than praying for deliverance from trouble. We get into trouble because of sin, either our own or someone else’s or the curse on the world in general or the curse of death. God entered our sin-cursed world of toil and trouble to deliver us and to restore us to Himself. The natural result and normal course of life would be to glorify God constantly; one day we will glorify God constantly because trouble will be non-existent and deliverance will be unnecessary. Glory will be all that is left. But this day: glorify God for deliverances.

110. Redeem from Death and Hell

 Psalm 49:15

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave:

for he shall receive me. Selah.

 Others, like the wicked rich, will descend into Death to be devoured by Hell, but God will redeem (ransom) me from the “hand of Sheol.” The Lord promises to snatch my soul from Death and Hell and receive me unto Himself. Just like Enoch and Elijah avoided death and were assumed into God’s Presence in Heaven, so like that the Lord promises me that I also will avoid Death and Hell and be received into God.

The OT believer cannot grasp the mystery of Messiah, Resurrection and Eternity, but the Prophets and Psalmists can paint pictures that the NT believer can more easily understand. Here the picture is that of Death and Sheol as places (or even personified monsters) that devour the wicked unbeliever, but the faithful believer has the Lord who snatches him from the hand of Sheol (the power of Hell) and receives him to Himself. And with even more certain hope than Enoch and Elijah we can know that because of Jesus’ Resurrection we are rescued from Hell. And we know beyond a doubt that when the time comes our souls shall be received directly into the arms of Jesus and the Home of the Father.

This is a wonderful promise that doesn’t say it in quite the complete way as the NT can say it, but the promise is the same: “You svhall be resurrected from the dead and received into heaven. You will not die, but live forever.” Yes!

108. Subdue and Choose Inheritance

 Psalm 47:3, 4

He shall subdue the people under us,

And the nations under our feet.

He shall choose our inheritance for us,

The excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

 The promise of the Lord to conquer the Promised Land by subduing the nations living there is a time and place bound promise fulfilled in the Conquest of Joshua. The promise that the Lord would choose their inheritance has also been fulfilled in the conquest and ruling of the Land of Canaan by Joshua and mostly secured by David.

But the final spiritual fulfillment of the promise of subduing the nations and granting the inheritance has only been fulfilled in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Cross defeats the Enemy and the Resurrection takes over the Kingdom previously controlled by the Enemy and given to his Church. Although the Final and Absolute Destruction of Sin, Death and Satan will still take place on the Last Day, the Death and Resurrection of Christ have finished the effective and definitive conquest of the enemies and the kingdom of God.

If we walk by sight we do not yet see all things subject to Christ, but if we walk by faith we “see” that the Victory and Kingdom promise is fulfilled. By faith we conquer and take possession of the Land given freely to us by God, guaranteed by Christ, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Christian is called a “believer” because he lives by faith and walks by faith.

The interesting part of the promise includes the words, “under our feet.” The Church, the people who believe, subdues the previous usurpers of the kingdom under their feet. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20). When we believe His promises we give Jesus control of our lives and we are no longer under Satan’s control, but he is under ours.

Death is destroyed; the Kingdom is ours.

107. With and Refuge

 Psalm 46:7, 11

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

 The vast and overwhelming armies of the Enemy may be amassed against us, threatening to defeat the Church and bring the believers into captivity and bondage. But we have nothing to fear for the Lord of armies is “With Us.” One Angel of God’s army can wipe out 185,000 of the fiercest warriors on the planet. This is what it means that the Lord of Armies is with us.

The God of Promises, who made a promise to our forefather, Jacob, is our Refuge: we believe in this God who makes promises and who made a covenant with us; therefore we take refuge in Him and trust in His Word and Promise. He will take care of us and protect us in time of trouble and He will defeat the Enemy and drive him away so that we can dwell and rest securely under the Lordship of this God.

There is nothing weak or shameful about being a “refugee.” A refugee seeks refuge in a safe place under a benevolent protector. An enemy (Sin and Death) seeks to plunder our plunder our family, goods, reputation, joy and peace and destroy our life. We cannot fight Sin alone so we run and become a refugee in the loving hands of The One who has Overcome the Enemy. Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly with us and He is our refuge.

106. Make firm and Help

 Psalm 46:5

God is in the midst of her;

She shall not be moved:

God shall help her, and that right early.

 God is in the midst of her: “her” = the city of God, Jerusalem, Zion, Israel, the people of God, understood through NT revelation to be the Church, the called believers in Christ throughout the world. God is in the midst of the church, the people of God wherever and whenever they gather in His name. Because of the presence and power of God in and among the Church He can make the promises He makes: the people of God shall not be moved, and God shall help his people. This is a promise for the church as a whole and also for the separate geographical assemblies of the church and also for the individuals that are members of the invisible body of Christ.

All the forces of Death and Hell and of the Devil may be warring against one or several of us in the Church; we are easily overwhelmed and overpowered and about to be crushed. But we will not be moved, we will not be shaken, we will not be driven away, we will not give in, because God is with us. God Himself and God Alone is always stronger than any huge army of Evil Foes: they can harm us none. “Standing on the Promises of God” is an immovable position.

God shall definitely and decisively help the church and the members of it. This help will also be timely, even in the early morning of the day if necessary; whenever Help comes, it will not be late. “Help” is for any time of trouble and any kind of need. The people of God can count on the Lord to come and help at the time and place of greatest need.

The specific occasion for the recording of Psalm 46 may well be the deliverance for King Hezekiah from the Assyrian army siege under Sennacherib, where the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and the siege of Jerusalem was lifted. (See the story in 2 Kings 18-19). Whether this is the occasion for the Psalm or not, the picture is an apt one for the promises of God to: 1) be in our midst and 2) help with such an awesome display of power. This is the kind of God who serves us, and in whom we trust.

105. Refuge and Present Help

 Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

 God is a refuge and strength and a present help; therefore He promises to keep us safe, give us strength, and help us in the present trouble. Whenever we need safety, strength or help our God will be there to provide it. We get into trouble because of sin, our own or other people’s, and God is in the business of forgiving our sin and rescuing us from the trouble caused by sin. This He was doing for the OT believers even before the Son of God took human form to die for us. This is what He is still doing for NT believers who have the advantage of hearing of the Great Salvation Event of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection.

Because of God’s great mercy God is for us a Refuge: He Himself is a strong fortress or hiding place in which we can find safety and comfort. Taking refuge = trusting. Trusting means placing ourselves, body and soul, completely at the disposal of another to protect and take care of us. That person or thing in which we place our trust will not let us down, forget, break, or disappoint, but will keep the promise: we will be kept safe. That is a refuge and there is no safer place to be than in God.

Because of the Lord’s victory over Sin and Evil, God is for us a Strength. He makes us strong and He gives us His own strength. How strong is God? He is strong enough to defeat the strongest powers of the created universe (since He created them Himself); and if He can defeat them He can protect us. The Victory of the Cross and the Tomb guarantees this Strength for us.

Because of the Resurrection of Jesus, God is for us a very present Help in trouble. Jesus has promised to be with us and He has promised the constant presence of the Helper (the Holy Spirit) to be in us and with us; therefore, the Help of God is always present and available to us wherever and whenever we get into trouble. Very present = right now in time and right here in space. Although we may have to “wait” in time for the answer to trouble to work out, the answer to the prayer has already arrived. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise.” (2 Peter 3:9).

104. Chesed and a Song

 Psalm 42:8

Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,

And in the night his song shall be with me,

And my prayer unto the God of my life.

 The Lord promises that He will be with us day and night: “with” meaning He will forgive, save, deliver, protect, provide, care for, and abundantly share His grace and mercy. The result of this wonderful promise is that I will pray to the God who is life, who gives me His life, who takes care of my life because He is so good.

The intriguing wording of the promise, “command his lovingkindness,” gives us a picture of “chesed,” (steadfast love, faithful love, committed love) as an agent or a messenger acting at the command or behest of God. “Chesed” does what the Lord tells him to do and fulfills the mission on which he is sent. The good news is that this “chesed” is sent to us when activity is going one, in the daytime. “Chesed” is an active thing with a personality that gets involved in the daily affairs of our lives. When the Lord sees a need He commands “Love” to act and do something remarkable and saving on our behalf. It is a comforting image for us to imagine “God’s Love” and core character trait as a servant of our God waiting to jump at the chance to do something for our benefit. That’s why we pray to this God; He is so great.

The nighttime is generally a time for rest and repose, reflection and restoration. During that time the Lord commands His “song” to be with me. It could be a love song to reassure me; it could be a lullaby song to bring rest and peace; it could be a victory song to celebrate the joyous victories over our enemies; it could be a praise song to lift the Lord up in praise and glory and with it lift our spirits. The song may differ on different nights depending on the need and the circumstance. But, whatever the song, it will be sent by God to be with me and give me what I need for that night: comfort, hope, peace, reassurance, restoration, or joy.

With this kind of confidence in God’s promise that He will command for me just what I need at the right time, I am encouraged and emboldened to pray to the God who is in charge of my life for good; for He is so good. His lovingkindness (chesed) endures forever.

103. Strength in sickness

 Psalm 41:3

The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing:

Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

 This is another conditional promise for the one who considers the poor. The promise of strength and health is for him when he is on a sickbed. The promise is for strengthening, not for healing. The strengthening may come to the inner man where faith is made strong in the face of physical adversity. When we know that afflictions can be used by God to make our character strong we would better be able to endure the physical adversities.

To help us endure the time of languishing on a sick bed the Lord himself exercises the office of a nurse, smoothing the pillow and making the bed of his sick and distressed servants. Metaphorically, He makes our bed; literally, He cares personally for us, and He comes next to us to soothe and comfort. He may heal and restore to complete health; he often does. But even if he does not heal, he cares.

The lord comes close to us when we are weak and need Him the most. He will give us strength to endure whatever we are going through, and after the affliction the problem goes away but the strength remains. We have His strength when we need it, and His strength is so much stronger than my own. Believe this wonderful promise.

102. Preserved and Blessed

 Psalm 41:2

The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he will be blessed upon the earth:

And thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

 The condition for the promises of this verse is the same as the condition of the previous verse: if you consider the poor. The promise of blessedness appears once again: considering the poor causes blessings for the considerer.

The promise to be preserved and to be kept alive involves spiritual and eternal life as well as physical life. The promise not to be delivered to the will of enemies includes both physical and spiritual enemies. The will of enemies is to steal, kill and destroy. God promises to deliver from their will, meaning He promises to preserve and keep alive.

The generous believer prays, “Thy will be done,” that the will of the Enemies is thwarted every time in our lives and in the live of others. The generous believer prays, “Give us this day our daily bread,” for God gives generously to him and all those for whom he is praying. The generous believer prays, “But deliver us from evil,” expecting the Lord to fulfill his promises of not delivering us to the enemies but delivering us from the enemies. The generous believer includes the poor in his prayers for he “considers them.”