Psalm 119:75

Psalm 119:75

Afflictions!

The afflictions that the author bears are, presumably, not just in the past, it looks as if he still struggles daily with his problems. Verse 67 says, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray.” In verse 71 he writes, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees.” Now, in this verse he attributes the afflictions to God’s faithfulness for it seems that in those afflictions, the Lord has dealt with his servant righteously. It’s almost an admission that whatever has befallen him, the writer believes that it is deserved, he is experiencing the righteous judgements of God and has no grounds for complaint. 

We need to remember that the rule of “cause and effect” applies even with God’s laws. In fact, the Scriptures make it quite clear that those who obey God’s laws will be blessed, and those who deliberately and knowingly break them, will be cursed. (Deuteronomy 26-28.) Those rules applied to a nation but there is a sense in which we all suffer afflictions because of our disobedience. Are there instances when we are afflicted and we can see the deliberate hand of God at work? I believe there are. There are times when the halter around our necks is pulled back and we are not given free rein to continue with a certain course of action. We are reined in! There are times when a particular mode of behaviour is challenged and has to be terminated. There are other occasions when we literally suffer in our bodies because we have abused the righteous decrees of the Lord. All these moments are important signposts on our spiritual journey and should not be ignored! These are the occasions when we should ask ourselves, are these afflictions the outcome of my foolishness, allowed by a faithful and righteous God? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 106:13

Psalm 106:13 Do not forget We need to remember that Israel’s relationship with the Lord God was based on His laws and their obedience. It was possible for them to live lives that were highly blessed, that incorporated the provision of God in every tiny detail of their national and individual existence. God was prepared to give them everything they needed, He would provide food and water for them and their flocks. He would guide them on their journey. He would protect them from their enemies. He would inspire and direct their leaders. He would keep them from the heat of the sun and the terrors of the desert night. He would take them to the land that He had promised, in double quick time. There was no reason why they could not be in situ in just a few months. Everything they could possibly need was His to provide and He was willing to sacrifice anything to see them gratefully settled in Canaan.  There was just one snag, it all depended upon their obedience and faithfulness. God insis...
Read more

Psalm 51:4

Psalm 51:4 Deliberate sin In Genesis 20 we read the story of Abimelek and Abraham. The latter had passed off his wife Sarah as his sister and Abimelek had taken her with a view to her becoming his wife. The relationship was not consummated, and the Lord used a dream to reveal to Abimelek just what was going on. The insulted king pleaded innocence,  “I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands ” he said, to the Lord. And God agreed,  “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me.”  This is a big subject but there is clearly a difference between sinful intentions and deeds where the participant knows that he/she is doing wrong, and those occasions where an action is carried out in innocence.  David knew all along that every detail of his relationship with Bathsheba was sinful, as were his actions in the cover-up. Therefore, he sinned against the Lord God and broke the commandments which said that  “Y...
Read more

Psalm 106:30

Psalm 106:30 Well done Phineas! As we saw in the previous verses, it was Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron the High Priest, who intervened and brought God’s wrath upon the couple who brazenly had a sexual liaison in an Israelite’s tent. The judgement of Phinehas was brutal, he rammed a spear through both bodies and brought instant death upon them. But his actions stemmed the wrath of God, the plague that had killed 24,000 Israelites ended and peace and normality returned to the Camp. The Lord said to Moses that  “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites.”  (Numbers 25:11) The Lord then vindicated Phinehas for his actions.  “Since he was as zealous for my honour among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honour of his God and made atonement f...
Read more