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Showing posts from September, 2019
Psalm 13    Intro                         There are many who have read this Psalm and meditated upon it and drawn the conclusion that King David had been laid low with serious illness and had been honest enough to express his feelings at this time. But there is no mention of physical pain or suffering, instead David is more concerned that his enemy will not triumph over him. He talks about God hiding His face and forgetting him; he wrestles with his thoughts and has sorrow in his heart.  If you have suffered with mental and spiritual depression you will be familiar with such feelings and this Psalm is for you! David was a very active man, he had a lot on his plate, so to speak. The trials and demands of the monarchy piled up and at numerous times in his life the nation under his leadership faced threats from without and within. There were innumerable domestic wrangles to contend with, not least the take-over bid by his favoured son, Absalom. The Generals in charge of the army
Psalm12:8     Darkness and light   What an utterly depressing and yet accurate statement this is! Yes, it is true, the wicked freely strut around on all sides of us, they are relentless in their wicked practices and every day seek to push back the boundaries of acceptable behaviour.  They openly challenge God’s law and laugh in His face at the very idea that He exists or that they are answerable to Him in any way. The News headlines are full of them and their activity but we who trust in the Lord should never be afraid, nor should we despair because Our God is Greater! Sadly, nothing has changed since David’s day, what is vile is honoured by the human race. Romans 1:18-32 is the Apostle Paul’s description of the decline of a culture; the descent into vile-ness is sickening and descriptive of our time. It is frightening and depressing to list the characteristics of a broken, Godless society. We do not need more police, we need a revival in our churches! This is a summary of Paul’s
Psalm 12:7      We are safe!         The Psalm goes on to express confidence in the Lord regardless of the vile behaviour of the wicked.  King David, arguably one of the greatest and most prosperous men of all time, is obviously at a vulnerable point in his life for he counts himself as one of the needy. Despite the plotting, scheming and apparent prospering of his enemies and their devious plans, David is confident that the Lord will protect him, and us, forever. And so it is, no matter how dark the clouds or how grim the circumstances we have hope in God. Why? Because all darkness and all scheming and all wickedness and all worldly authority is driven by the Satan and guess who is greater and more powerful and more able than he could ever be?  The Lord God Almighty, the Father and Friend of David and the Father and Friend of all who are His children through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a beautiful verse in Psalm 27:5 that fits this description of our safety, refuge and securi
Psalm 12:6      Pure Gold          Against this backdrop of faithlessness, lies, flattery, deception, hidden motives, false news, arrogance, twisted truths, power seeking and individual and corporate manipulation who can we believe? This verse has to be written out in full!  “The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.”  These beautiful assurances drip with honey and sweetness and shine like a beam of light in an underground tomb. The ancient methods of extracting precious metals from crushed ore are still used today albeit on a much grander scale. In David’s time metallurgists knew that refined silver and gold could only be obtained by heating ore in a crucible, or furnace, to remove the sediment and traces of other metals. When comparing this process with the words that proceed from the mouth of the Lord, we find that He speaks with perfection, His words are like silver and gold refined seven times.  What comfort and yet
Psalm12:5    I will arise!             “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.” So, the prayer of v1-4 is answered by a prophetic word from heaven and, as ever, the poor and needy are in the Lord’s heart, it is their plight that prompts His response. Again, this is becoming a familiar pattern in the Psalms, the division between the rich and the poor is plain, those who have wealth, power and prestige are constantly compared with those who have little or nothing and who suffer at the hands of their wealthy oppressors.  The Psalm does not say that wealth and riches are wrong nor is this a mantra for communism! What it questions is the motives that drive the rich and the way in which their power is used. If the poor and needy are cared for and blessed, that is good. If they are plundered and groan in their poverty and deprivation while someone else prospers, that is an abomination in the L
Psalm 12:3-4   Smooth talking       These words are a prayer to the Lord against all forms of flattery, that He will silence these fawning deceivers. The objects of the prayer are those who flatter themselves, who believe their own propaganda. There are many who think that they can say what they like, that they can use words to exploit others and that they are clever enough to defend themselves. How many rich clients depend on the smooth talking of their lawyers?  How many politicians use similar means to get their own way?  How many actually tell it like it is? It is a form of arrogance, for such people are so convinced by their own hype that they have difficulty in distinguishing the truth from lies.  Some people are very clever with their tongues, they look you straight in the eye when they speak, and it is hard to decide whether or not they speak the truth. If we have been given the “gift of the gab” we need to be so careful to use speech wisely. There are many techniques that
Psalm 12:2    Flattery                   One of the Satan’s greatest psychological weapons is flattery. Flattery is used to manipulate, control and dominate. It is used by those who serve their own interest and whose agenda is never what it seems. It is at the heart of financial deception, adultery and fornication, greed, envy and political scheming. Listen to so many politicians talking and it is not hard to pick up the underlying message of self-interest, ambition and expediency that is covered by a thinly disguised veneer of deception.  Have we ever stopped to ask ourselves, “Do I use flattery and if so why? Does every word that I speak and every conversation I have, reflect the true intentions in my heart?”  The devil flatters nations and leaders by convincing them that they have the right to dominate, to take riches and wealth from the poor, “Go on, you deserve it, look who you are.” The devil flatters us when he questions God’s integrity and tells us that our way is better
Psalm 12    The faithful              v1Do you ever feel as if the wheels are coming off?  Is the country you love and the world you live in dominated by evil?  Are you prompted to ask; “Is there no one who is faithful anymore? Is every tongue a false tongue? Who and what can I believe? Why does everyone speak with double motives?” If so, this Psalm is for you and your experience is shared with David the King of Israel, the friend of God who lived over 900 years before Christ. The great lesson is this. Nothing has changed with the human race. Nothing has changed with the Satan’s tactics. We can learn from history and particularly from this godly songwriter who was able to commit his thoughts and feelings so well to verse. His spiritual handbook is ours because the enemy tactics are exactly as they were 3,000 years ago! V1   Faithful is a less well-used word today; it suggests someone who is true and believable, who is trustworthy and dependable, a person who is committed to
Psalm 11:6     Justice!                 This powerful Psalm gives us an insight into the judgements of a God who is anything but passive. A picture is painted of fire and brimstone raining down, of a scorching tempest that will signify His wrath. Such judgements fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah and the effects of the sulphur on those two cities can be seen still. These judgements are repeated in Revelation 14:9-12 as those who worship the beast and bear his mark, face the wine of God’s fury. The wrath of God takes on similar expressions in the judgement of Satan and his legions and all the wicked who are consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur in Revelation 21. Why would God build a new heaven and earth if He did not first remove all that spoiled the first heaven and earth?  V7   The Psalm ends with a reminder that the righteousness of the Lord is absolute, nothing that is unrighteous can dwell in His presence. He loves justice; translated “loving kindness” in some Bible ve
Psalm 11:4-5     H e watches.        The next verses paint a very particular picture, the Lord does not cast a cursory glance our way, in fact it is the very opposite. Look closely at the words that are used here: - ·       The Lord observes or watches everyone on earth ·       His eyes examine them or He discerns / tries them ·       The Lord examines, discerns / tries the righteous These are not the actions of a disinterested deity or a diffident ruler, this is the Lord carefully and accurately focussing in on all that individuals are doing and then making judgements about the righteous and the wicked. It is frightening to read that the Lord, the great God of the universe HATES the wicked, those who love violence. We emphasise, so often, the love of God, the grace of God, the mercy and kindness of God that we forget that He is a God who can hate. But the Bible tells us again and again that the wrath of God will be poured out on the wicked, the anger of God will be expre
Psalm 11:4      Whoopee!          Many are driven to despair by the disintegration of our society, but David knows, as he pens this Psalm, that all is not lost. Forgive me, but this is the “Whoopee” moment! For our attention is drawn to a higher place and a higher being, to a heavenly temple and to a throne where the Lord Himself is seated. There is no higher vision for mankind, there is no greater hope, whatever unfolds on earth, however great the foolishness of men and the malicious threats of the enemy, THE LORD IS IN HIS HOLY TEMPLE; THE LORD IS ON HIS HEAVENLY THRONE. Therefore, we do not despair, indeed we know that everything is under control and that truth and justice will prevail. His temple is the place where He is worshipped by those who love and serve Him; His throne is where He judges His enemies. I was recently at a “Proms in the Park” event and sat in my chair watching the celebrations around me as people sang along to the familiar tunes and words of the performance
Psalm11:1-3   Never give up!       This Psalm was written for our time! However, it also fitted David’s time. It opens with 3 threatening scenarios: - ·       It’s time to flee to the mountains ·       The enemy is ready to shoot his arrows ·       The very foundations of the earth are being shaken   Wickedness appears to have the upper hand, the enemy is everywhere, the foundations of the old, world order are shaking, righteousness cannot be relied upon to triumph over evil.  “Come on everyone, let’s run for it, let us take flight, let us go to the mountains and hide in the caves where we will be safe.” If the general falling away from faith, in a country, were not bad enough, the righteous – true believers, have another threat to contend with. Lurking in the shadows are evil forces with their arrows loaded into their bows, waiting for the opportune moment to shoot; the moment we let down our guard, and think that we are safe, or that we can compromise our faith, we be
Psalm 11   Foundations  destroyed    This is Psalm 11 and I’m writing this on 12/11/2018. Yesterday was Remembrance Sunday on 11/11/2018. As usual the crowds gathered at the Cenotaph in Whitehall and the foundations were being visibly destroyed. Politicians and Royalty laid their wreaths and it was a sombre commemoration being exactly 100 years since the end of World War 1. Religious faiths were invited to attend and this year they included  Humanist, spiritualist, Mormon and Zoroastrian representatives, the first female Bishop of London, the chief rabbi and a Catholic bishop as well as leaders from the Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths and from Christian denominations including Methodists and Baptists. This is far removed from the Christian land that was Britain 100 years ago and reflects the shaking of the world order not just in this land, but across the planet. The name of Jesus Christ, the supremacy of Almighty God, the uniqueness of the Gospel, the power of the Holy Sp
Psalm 10:16-18       Vindication!         While kings and rulers come and go there is one King who never relinquishes His throne. He is the King of righteousness and truth and justice. His kingdom will never end. It should be self-evident that the ways of the wicked lead to destruction and judgement, without God’s intervention mankind would very quickly bring about his own extinction. It is because the Lord hears the desire of the afflicted and defends the fatherless and the oppressed, that we are still here! How many times have nations been on the brink of catastrophic events and, somehow, they have been averted?  God is in control, He will decide our fate and in so doing He will ensure that those who have been oppressed, orphaned and afflicted by the wicked will be vindicated.  Hallelujah! Thank You Lord that there will come a day when injustice will end and the oppressed and afflicted will be free. Thank you that evil and the brutal arrogance of the wicked will be ended, an
Psalm 10:12- 15  V ictim support       Thank God that He sees, hears and takes note of all that goes on. The wicked will only prosper for a while, one day they must account for their actions, they will be called to give an account of themselves.  Meanwhile God also sees the helpless, the needy and the poor. Those who are victimised and abused have a special place in His heart, He will help those who are fatherless and alone. What a beautiful promise is found in verse 14. We hear a lot about victim support nowadays so, as believers, we need to be assured that no act of injustice and violence and abuse against the helpless will go unpunished and hidden. Our God sees it all, He will act, justice will be done, the wicked will not get away with it. In a culture that upholds the view that you can do anything you like so long as you don’t get caught, this promise is of great comfort. It should strike terror into the hearts of evil men and women but most of them do not believe or do not car
Psalm 10:1-11   Wicked men         We need to step back for a moment, at the beginning of the Psalm, and ask ourselves who the psalmist is describing in this angry outpouring against injustice. The opening eleven verses are peppered with words like arrogance, boasting and pride. The vocabulary then changes and speaks of threats, ambush, murder and victims.  In an increasingly godless culture, the words start to resonate as we see around us those who ignore the Lord God and who seem to descend into ever increasing depths of self-interest and depravity.  Look at the list here in Psalm 10.  The wicked: - ·       Are arrogant ·       Hunt down and take advantage of, and entrap the weak in their schemes ·       Boast about their lusts and their cravings ·       Praise those who succeed by greed ·       Revile the name of the Lord ·       Are too proud to seek God ·       Never even think about God ·       Seek to prosper themselves in all they do ·       Reject God’
Psalm 9:19-20    Arise Lord!        David’s call for the Lord to arise is a call to action. The suggestion is that the Lord is sitting down, inactive, maybe even asleep! Clearly God does not fall asleep, nor does He remain inactive, nevertheless David requests that His God should step in and take control.  Let mere mortals know that they cannot withstand the God of heaven and earth, the Lord of all. This song calls for judgement and a world-wide awareness that God is present. Let these wicked nations, who are but men, tremble in recognition that the God they ignore is their Judge.  It’s good to be aware of all of this, but does it represent our own prayer life? Would you dare to ask God to strike the nations with terror? Would you plead with Him to show governments and rulers, who believe themselves to be so important and powerful, that actually they are just mortals who have a very small time on this planet and that soon they are to die?  Perhaps we have anaesthetised ourselves
Psalm 9:17- 18  Never forgotten    Never remembered     This Psalm talks quite a lot about remembering and forgetting!  V12  For he who avenges blood remembers V17  All the nations that forget God go down to the realm of the dead V18  God will never forget the needy The writer obviously has more in mind than good or bad memory. Jeremiah 31:34 speaks of a God who will remember sins and iniquities no more. Does God have lapses of memory? Does He scratch His head hoping for recollection? No, of course not, He chooses to NOT remember. He puts our sin out of His mind as if it never happened because the slate is wiped clean, the blood of the Lamb washes our sin away. The acts of the wicked and the evil nations are not forgotten however, they will be called to account for their wickedness and for the fact that they ignored and disobeyed the Lord Almighty. Their destination is Hades and ultimately - judgement!   In contrast, the humble, the contrite, the poor, the afflicted a
Psalm 9:16    Justice            Proverbs 5:22 says,  “The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.”  Psalm 9:16 carries a similar warning but contrasts the destiny of the wicked with the Lord’s acts of justice. Wherever oppressive empires and regimes operate, their time is always cut short. Where are the great empires and kingdoms that have dominated the history of the world?  They have all come and gone, the poor and abused were vindicated when their wicked overseers got their just deserts. We have seen it in recent history with the collapse of the German military machine, the fall of numerous South American dictators, the end of the Soviet Union, the breaking of apartheid in South Africa et al. None of these oppressions will last because the “wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands,” AND “The Lord is known by his acts of justice.” Satan’s kingdoms are temporary and vulnerable, the Kingdom of God is eternal and unbreakable. Why should
Psalm 9:15  Demons defeated If the ways of Christ are to be seen in His Church and in His people, it follows that the ways of the Satan will be seen in the world and in the deeds of his evil spirits. The devil is a liar, a deceiver, a whisperer, a devious, cunning trap-setter who relentlessly hunts down his victims. This is the modus operandi of his demons and the usual method by which he attacks the people of God. This verse suggests to us that it is possible for Satan’s emissaries to fall into their own traps and to be caught in their own hidden nets. These are all hunting terms, the cunning hunter sets up snares and traps for the unwary, they are secreted and destructive. The experienced and the alert will not be caught but those without armour or training will be ensnared. The nations, who inevitably dance to the devil’s tune, will find themselves lured into the pitfalls that they set for others. History has shown this again and again. So too, demonic powers can see their plans u
Psalm 9:14   Victory!             Well one thing is sure.  David will not keep quiet about his deliverance from Sheol. Once he has been set free, he intends for everyone to know about it! He will go to the most public place he knows, the gates of Zion and there he will rejoice in all that God has done. Salvation is a cause for celebration!! The verses here talk about the gates of the Daughter of Zion – a phrase that is used on a number of occasions in Scripture.  In the Old Testament the “Daughter of Zion” is certainly Israel, but the church is included in this description too. Wherever the people of God come together that is the place to declare the praises of God and to rejoice in His salvation. One of the greatest causes for celebration, in ancient times, was victory over enemies. A conquering army would march in triumph through the city gates and there would be a public acclamation of the deeds of the fighters and their Commanders. We are on the winning side. Death has been co