#820 Steadfast Covenant

I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have sworn to David my servant:

4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,

and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,

your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?

Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,

7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,

and awesome above all who are around him?

8 O Lord God of hosts,

who is mighty as you are, O Lord,

with your faithfulness all around you?

9 You rule the raging of the sea;

when its waves rise, you still them.

10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;

you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;

the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.

12 The north and the south, you have created them;

Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.

13 You have a mighty arm;

strong is your hand, high your right hand.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

16 who exult in your name all the day

and in your righteousness are exalted.

17 For you are the glory of their strength;

by your favor our horn is exalted.

18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:

“I have granted help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him,

21 so that my hand shall be established with him;

my arm also shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not outwit him;

the wicked shall not humble him.

23 I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,

and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25 I will set his hand on the sea

and his right hand on the rivers.

26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

27 And I will make him the firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,

and my covenant will stand firm for him.

29 I will establish his offspring forever

and his throne as the days of the heavens.

30 If his children forsake my law

and do not walk according to my rules,

31 if they violate my statutes

and do not keep my commandments,

32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod

and their iniquity with stripes,

33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love

or be false to my faithfulness.

34 I will not violate my covenant

or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;

I will not lie to David.

36 His offspring shall endure forever,

his throne as long as the sun before me.

37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,

a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

38 But now you have cast off and rejected;

you are full of wrath against your anointed.

39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;

you have defiled his crown in the dust.

40 You have breached all his walls;

you have laid his strongholds in ruins.

41 All who pass by plunder him;

he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

you have made all his enemies rejoice.

43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,

and you have not made him stand in battle.

44 You have made his splendor to cease

and cast his throne to the ground.

45 You have cut short the days of his youth;

you have covered him with shame. Selah

46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my time is!

For what vanity you have created all the children of man!

48 What man can live and never see death?

Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,

which by your faithfulness you swore to David?

50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,

and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,

51 with which your enemies mock, O Lord,

with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

52 Blessed be the Lord forever!

Amen and Amen. Psalm 89 ESV

A Psalm of instruction (Maschil) of Ethan the Ezrahite. A plea upon the premise of God's covenant of grace. 

I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever - It is a blessing even in the most difficult and uncertain of times that one can reflect upon God's unilateral covenant to Abraham, in that while Abraham slept, God passed through the pieces. He revealed His law to Moses, and though the people disobeyed, God saved out a remnant, for He is forever faithful to His promise. 

- Whatever we may observe abroad or experience in our own persons, we ought still to praise God for his mercies, since they most certainly remain the same, whether we can perceive them or not. Sense sings but now and then, but faith is an eternal songster. Whether others sing or not, believers must never give over; in them should be constancy of praise, since God's love to them cannot by any possibility have changed, however providence may seem to frown. - C. H. Spurgeon

Davidic covenant

Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord - Men will worship what they can see, what is bigger than them, the sun, the moon, the images of their imagination, but none of these things are fit unto worship. There is God and He is above all His creatures, planets, stars; He is the Creator. Men will worship the intellect of those who are smarter than themselves, who have come up with a way to describe things made, even if only in part, but we are most easily impressed. Yet, and still King, Champion, above all the most glorious and intricate of devices, thoughts and celestial things, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty.

You crushed Rahab like a carcass - Rahab is a nickname for Egypt in the poetic books, but it also means vast. God broke the wisdom of Egypt's sorcerers, the pride of Pharaoh, and left her army in the sea. We must not be so blind as mere professors of the faith, but realizing that Rahab represents God's just hand against pride, and the father of pride, let it not be found in our hearts either. 

With My holy oil I have anointed Him - 

- The Lord anointed David with the holy oil, not only as an emblem of the graces and gifts he received, but as a type of Christ, the King Priest, and Prophet, anointed with the Holy Ghost without measure. David after his anointing, was persecuted, but none could gain advantage against him. Yet all this was a faint shadow of the Redeemer's sufferings, deliverance, glory, and authority, in whom alone these predictions and promises are fully brought to pass. He is the mighty God. This is the Redeemer appointed for us, who alone is able to complete the work of our salvation. Let us seek an interest in these blessings, by the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. As the Lord corrected the posterity of David for their transgressions, so his people shall be corrected for their sins. Yet it is but a rod, not a sword; it is to correct, not to destroy. It is a rod in the hand of God, who is wise, and knows what he does; gracious, and will do what is best. It is a rod which they shall never feel, but when there is need. - Matthew Henry

You have covered him with shame - God must surely hate him, the human mind will reason, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. We esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. David gave God so many reasons to be condemned, as do I, so what will be the cost in order that I shall not be utterly forsaken?

…20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5: 20-21

Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol - The wages of sin is death, and this will certainly follow after all of us. Men and women both try in vain to grasp and hold on to youth. It is smoke, paint, plastic and Botox, stuffed into and decorating corpses. 

34 Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”… Romans 8: 34-36

Read More

#819 Concerning Depression

O Lord, God of my salvation,

I cry out day and night before you.

2 Let my prayer come before you;

incline your ear to my cry!

3 For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;

I am a man who has no strength,

5 like one set loose among the dead,

like the slain that lie in the grave,

like those whom you remember no more,

for they are cut off from your hand.

6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,

in the regions dark and deep.

7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah

8 You have caused my companions to shun me;

you have made me a horror to them.

I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call upon you, O Lord;

I spread out my hands to you.

10 Do you work wonders for the dead?

Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah

11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,

or your faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,

or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry to you;

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

14 O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?

Why do you hide your face from me?

15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,

I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.

16 Your wrath has swept over me;

your dreadful assaults destroy me.

17 They surround me like a flood all day long;

they close in on me together.

18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;

my companions have become darkness. Psalm 88 ESV

A Psalm "concerning afflictive sickness" by Heman for the sons of Korah.

O Lord God of my salvation - This song seems to start with the hope that is in every believer, but then describes such great distress. Whatever the circumstances may be, no matter how much beyond my strength or ability, God is still the Author of my salvation. 

- It is one of the characteristics of true faith that she turns to Jehovah, the saving God, when all other confidences have proved liars unto her. I have cried day and night before thee. His distress had not blown out the sparks of his prayer, but thickened them into a greater ardency, till they burned perpetually like a furnace at full blast. His prayer was personal--whoever had not prayed, he had done so; it was intensely earnest, so that it was correctly described as a cry, such as children utter to move the pity of their parents; and it was unceasing, neither the business of the day nor the weariness of the night had silenced it: surely such entreaties could not be in vain. - C. H. Spurgeon

Let my prayer come before You - Some days we think so much of the oration of our thoughts, how will they sound before men when we pray in groups? I have been so vain in this at times that I have not sincerely prayed with those who lifted up their voices before mine. It may sound wonderful and instructive to us, but this is more humble, "let my prayer come before you." Even the shortest of my prayers can be overrun with foolish notions, the prettiest can be but pride or false humility which again is still only pride. God, I must admit that I struggle to come before You today, uncertain as a new born fawn, trying to stand up for the first time. I cannot yet run or leap, but please hear me from where I am. "Lord, teach us how to pray."

For my soul is full of troubles -  It is hard for some to imagine such anguish, and like Job's friends, many will offer worldly wisdom, even wrap it in religious fervor. "This is what you need to do, to say, curse God and die, follow these steps, smile,' they say, 'for laughter is the best medicine." For those that know such depths of depression, every cliche is only a shovel full more. Sometimes the illness of the mind starts with the failing of the body, and tiredness, loneliness and distress move in as a cloud over the soul.

I am counted among those who go down to the pit - I am written off. They wait for me, no, but worse than that, they wish for me to die. It will be gainful for them to see me no more, to not look death in the face any longer, to not be reminded of grief or sorrow. I am dead to them already. My funeral is being planned and they are dividing the spoil. 

Like one set loose among the dead - I am outside the gate, though I still breathe and recognize all the clamor within, they see me, yet pretend not to. I am as the leper to the healthy, the poor to the rich, the fatherless and widowed, they put me with the dead and out of sight. 

- He felt as if he were as utterly forgotten as those whose carcasses are left to rot on the battle field. As when a soldier, mortally wounded, bleeds unheeded amid the heaps of slain, and remains to his last expiring groan unpitied and unsuccoured, so did Heman sigh out his soul in loneliest sorrow, feeling as if even God himself had quite forgotten him. How low the spirits of good and brave men will sometimes sink. Under the influence of certain disorders everything will wear a sombre aspect, and the heart will dive into the profoundest deeps of misery. It is all very well for those who are in robust health and full of spirits to blame those whose lives are sicklied over with the pale cast of melancholy, but the evil is as real as a gaping wound, and all the more hard to bear because it lies so much in the region of the soul that to the inexperienced it appears to be a mere matter of fancy and diseased imagination. Reader, never ridicule the nervous and hypochondriacal, their pain is real; though much of the evil lies in the imagination, it is not imaginary. - C. H. Spurgeon

In the regions dark and deep - Where is the light down here? What is before me I am not certain of, what lies down here with me, I dread to think. You have cut me off from knowing, from strength, from confidence. My heart is heavy, and my eyes are useless to me. I cannot see the way out of this. 

Your wrath lies heavy upon me - 

…3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4 Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.… Isaiah 53: 3-5

22“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Are you able to drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We are able,” the brothers answered. 23“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”… Matthew 20: 22-23

You have made me a horror to them - I am no longer a help, no longer useful, or fun to be around. They look at me and see a liability, for I can no longer carry even my own weight. Some for superstition stay clear of me like a bad omen. Others hate the sight of me because it reminds them of their own mortality. I am an inconvenience, a lost cause, an endless pit. "He saved others, but himself he cannot save." If this is the end of wisdom, who would want my advice?

Everyday I call upon You - Ah, there is a small light, hope is still hiding somewhere deep and protected within. Pray without ceasing.

Why do You cast my soul away - 

- LORD, why castest thou oft my soul? Hast thou not aforetime chosen me, wilt thou now reject me? Shall thine elect ones become thy reprobates? Dost thou, like changeable men, give a writing of divorcement to those whom thy love has espoused? Can thy beloveds become thy cast offs? Why hidest thou thy face from me? Wilt thou not so much as look upon me? Canst thou not afford me a solitary smile? Why this severity to one who has in brighter days basked in the light of thy favour? We may put these questions to the Lord, nay, we ought to do so. It is not undue familiarity, but holy boldness. It may help us to remove the evil which provokes the Lord to jealousy, if we seriously beg him to shew us wherefore he contends with us. He cannot act towards us in other than a right and gracious manner, therefore for every stroke of his rod there is a sufficient reason in the judgment of his loving heart; let us try to learn that reason and profit by it. - C. H. Spurgeon

…38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. 39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”… John 6: 38-40

Perseverance of the Saints

My companions have become darkness - They are there before me, but every word from their mouth grinds like sand paper on my brain. I am dizzy and they think me drunk. I am tired and they think me lazy. All I have left is You, O God, Lord take not Your Spirit from me.

Read More

#818 City of God

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.

3 Glorious things of you are spoken,

O city of God. Selah

4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;

behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—

“This one was born there,” they say.

5 And of Zion it shall be said,

“This one and that one were born in her”;

for the Most High himself will establish her.

6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples,

“This one was born there.” Selah

7 Singers and dancers alike say,

“All my springs are in you.” Psalm 87 ESV

A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah.

On the holy mount stands the city he founded - As the inhabitants are elect so is the city. God has established it.

ii. “The psalmist’s fervent love for Jerusalem is something more than national pride. It is the apotheosis of that emotion, clarified and hallowed into religion. Zion is founded by God Himself. The mountains on which it stands are made holy by the Divine dwelling.” (Maclaren)

We cannot perceive outside of time and space where God first chose this place, but we can look back at the time of Abraham, for this is where he offered up his son, Isaac. This is where God revealed some of  His redemptive plan in providing a ram in place of Isaac. 

Your only son

This is the place of the threshing floor that David refused to take for free. It became the home of the tabernacle and then later the temple that was built by David's son.

Mt. Moriah

This is the city that Messiah would visit at the time of the feasts. He would teach in this temple, be accused, taken outside and offered up for our sins as the only Son of God. It is a special place to God and rightly so, this is the place where all of history culminates. No one is made right with the Father without the Son, and there is not in all of history a more sacred place or time than the redemptive act of God, Who's holy wrath was poured out upon His Son in this place. They say, all roads lead to Rome, but only one Way leads to reconciliation with God.

Jerusalem was also the birth place of the church and it will be a focal point in the end of times.

…11“On that day many nations will join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you. 12 And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”… Zechariah 2: 11-13

O city of God - 

i. This line from Psalm 87 was the inspiration of the title and concept of Augustine’s great work, The City of God. “Saint Augustine also chose it as the theme verse for his great masterpiece of Christian historical philosophy, The City of God.” (Boice)

Rahab and Babylon - Rahab means insolent and proud, and was used as another name for Egypt in the Bible. Babylon was the nation God brought against Judah for it's sin and they destroyed the city, bringing captives back to Babylon. Even there, in the countries of Israel's greatest enemies, there will be those that God has called forth. At different times God called out from among the gentiles people unto salvation. The harlot Rahab was saved alive during the destruction of Jericho. Ruth was a Moabite, who with Rahab, is also in the lineage of David and Messiah. 

Among those who know Me - There is also mention of Tyre, Philistia, and Cush (Ethiopia).

iii. Who know Me: “A translation of the Hebrew verb yadah, which has a rich variety of meanings. It can mean ‘know,’ ‘acknowledge,’ ‘understand,’ ‘be sure,’ ‘know about,’ ‘experience,’ and other variations… Here it means more than merely admitting that there is such a God as Jehovah or even acknowledging him as the one true God. It means coming to him in a saving relationship, bowing before him, and seeking to know him better.” (Boice)

This one was born there - No matter where we come from geographically, we are in Christ numbered as citizens of the new birth.

v. This also speaks to God’s love and attention for the individual. “Man by man will the Lord reckon them, for they are each one precious in his sight; the individual shall not be lost in the mass, but each one shall be of high account.” (Spurgeon)

iii. “Foreign nations are here described not as captives or tributaries, not even as doing voluntary homage to the greatness and glory of Zion, but as actually incorporated and enrolled, by a new birth, among her sons.” (Perowne, cited by Spurgeon)

…22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels 23 in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come to God the judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.… Hebrews 12: 22-24

…25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”… Galatians 4: 25-27

Read More

#817 The Insolent

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;

save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.

3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,

for to you do I cry all the day.

4 Gladden the soul of your servant,

for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,

abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;

listen to my plea for grace.

7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,

for you answer me.

8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,

nor are there any works like yours.

9 All the nations you have made shall come

and worship before you, O Lord,

and shall glorify your name.

10 For you are great and do wondrous things;

you alone are God.

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,

that I may walk in your truth;

unite my heart to fear your name.

12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

and I will glorify your name forever.

13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;

you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 O God, insolent men have risen up against me;

a band of ruthless men seeks my life,

and they do not set you before them.

15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;

give your strength to your servant,

and save the son of your maidservant.

17 Show me a sign of your favor,

that those who hate me may see and be put to shame

because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. Psalm 86 ESV

A Psalm, Tephillah (prayer) of David.

For I am poor and needy - What's in it for us as we approach the poor and needy? They don't have money, the sick don't have health or strength to offer, but God is need of nothing. If you have come to God by way of any other argument than mercy to your dying self, desperation over your sin and tainted works, then you have not come to God. Have mercy on me, a sinner. I am weak and cannot come up to you. I am poor and cannot pay the debt I owe. Please come down here and pick me up.

ii. “To confess that we are poor and needy seems demeaning. To be a servant seems unworthy. We want to be people who deserve something from God because of who we are.” (Boice)

For I am godly - This is not a self righteous claim in view of the sentence before, but rather that of being chosen and set apart. I am not Your child by way of my own righteousness, but I am Yours by that which You have imputed to me. As our Lord said,

…15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit— fruit that will remain— so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17 This is My command to you: Love one another.… John 15: 15-17

You are my God - I identify with You and no other. This is God, the One true God, Who is holy and just. 

Be gracious to me - He does not ask upon merit or what is owed to him, but rather rests his earnest plea upon the grace of God. God has heard him in time past, and he has forgiven him before, rescued him before, spared him, I will ask again and again. 

…3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.… Romans 4: 3-5

Are good and forgiving - 

ii. “We are blinded by sin, and cannot believe that God is ready to forgive. We think that we must induce Him to forgive, by tears, promises of amendment, religious observances… Oh, clasp this word to your heart! Say it over and over again – ‘Ready to forgive, ready to forgive!’” (Meyer)

ii. You will answer me: “Our experience confirms us in the belief that Jehovah the living God really does aid those who call upon him, and therefore we pray and mean to pray, not because we are so fascinated by prayer that for its own sake we would continue in it if it proved to be mere folly and superstition, as vain philosophers assert; but because we really, indeed, and of a truth, find it to be a practical and effectual means of obtaining help from God in the hour of need.” (Spurgeon)

Nor are there any works like Yours - Idols are made, held in the hands of men, but it is the Creator of the universe who David speaks to, for all other works are after His, done with what He has already made. You build a house out of wood, God made the living trees. You make an idol out of gold, God made the gold, and it all belongs to Him. 

Teach me Your way, O Lord - I am now astounded by the ways of God, His ability to save, to save the wretched, the poor, those that have fallen down and walked the wrong way. Teach me that I may walk in Your path, follow Your steps, acknowledge You in all that I do.

iv. “Most of us, when we pray, are concerned about deliverance and help and guidance and such things. But we are not nearly as concerned to be taught God’s way and to be helped to serve him with an undivided heart.” (Boice)

Unite my heart to fear Your name -

…18 When they return to it, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.… Ezekiel 11: 18-20

I will glorify Your name forever - Men that think they have nothing to praise God for must certainly be unaware of His mercy, His grace, His steadfast love. The Psalmist is amazed, and after this will come a plea based upon his circumstances, and so it is even in the midst of his trials that he finds reason to glorify God. Because of what God has done in the past, what He has forgiven David of and kept him through, there is reason to hope for deliverance again. Note also, that those who have been saved always have reason to be content in whatever state they may find themselves within this life. It is not a matter of faking it, denying infirmity, or turning a blind eye to the condition of others, but let us take all these cares to God in light of the cross.

Insolent men have risen up against me - He does not say who these men are, and during David's life there were many, but it does not matter who, for this may be an encouragement to pray to any who have been oppressed. The Messiah's life is echoed here as well, for His own did not receive Him, the religious proud, Pharisees and Sadducees, brothers. There is a meekness in that which is incomprehensible to us, that Someone does for you what you cannot do for yourself, yet you will not accept Him because He does not honor your ego. He healed and they accused. He corrected their misunderstanding of the Word of God and they sought to kill Him. He did not look like a king, He came to serve.

The greatest sign of God's favor toward us is that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. His favor as a sign to the rest of the world that we are His, is that we bear much fruit, that we have an answer for the hope that is in us. Why hide the joy of our salvation?

Read More

#816 Cover Me Red

Lord, you were favorable to your land;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;

you covered all their sin. Selah

3 You withdrew all your wrath;

you turned from your hot anger.

4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,

and put away your indignation toward us!

5 Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

6 Will you not revive us again,

that your people may rejoice in you?

7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,

and grant us your salvation.

8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,

for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;

but let them not turn back to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,

that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,

and righteousness looks down from the sky.

12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good,

and our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness will go before him

and make his footsteps a way. Psalm 85 ESV

A Psalm for the Sons of Korah.


Lord, You were favorable to Your land - This is the land promised to Abraham, and God had brought a people out of Egypt, who would not have found it on their own, for they were slaves in a foreign land. So many times along the way and even in the land they were in breech of the covenant, so and yet we still pray because of God's former mercies.


You restored the fortunes of Jacob - Jacob left the land a hated man, and the deceiver was deceived, but God chose to love Jacob beside himself, and return him to the land of his father. 

You covered all their sin - Men can only cover up or at least try to, but fig leaves and self effort will never pay sins price. It is God alone, through Christ alone, by the power of the Holy Spirit alone.

…7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.… 1 John 1: 7-9

You withdrew all Your wrath - You have shown love and mercy, yet in all these things You remain Holy because of the covering of Your Son.

…35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”  John 3: 35-36

…4 Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each one according to his deeds.”… Romans 2: 4-6

Restore us again, O God our salvation - I marvel at the prayers of godly men and women, for they ever continue in repentance. The things they beg forgiveness for have left me speechless. When an old soul cries to His Father in heaven, asking to remove his desire for the praise and approval of men, and what of it, I think. If that is your worse then why bother, but he is going for the root, and I am but a child, cutting the tops of the weeds. He cannot bear the thought of Christ brought down afresh, but on bended knees He lifts Him up again. O Lord, restore us, let us eat at Your table once more, hide not Your face from us.

Will You not revive us again - He is always the original cause, the Creator, the relationship maker and restorer. Revival must take place in the heart.

But let them not turn back to folly - There is nothing back there, yet the flesh would convince us otherwise. It would tell us of the riches of this dying world, and have us trade eternity for fading pleasures. The Spirit whispers, set aside the things you cannot keep for that which you can never lose. 

…10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 12 “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.… 1 Corinthians 6: 10-12

And make His foot steps a way - Don't let me come only thus far, let me follow You every step of the way, let me finish the course to the glory of Your name.

20 How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”… 1 Peter 2: 20-22

Read More

#815 Pilgrimage

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.


3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah


5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.


8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!


10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you! Psalm 84 ESV

A Psalm to the Sons of Korah

- Sweeter than the joy of the wine press, (for that is said to be the meaning of the word rendered upon Gittith), is the joy of the holy assemblies of the Lord's house; not even the favoured children of grace, who are like the sons of Korah, can have a richer subject for song than Zion's sacred festivals. C. H. Spurgeon

It is always interesting to see the "Sons of Korah" in some of these titles, given that the Korah of Moses time was a traitor. This is the beauty of grace, the knowledge of self, that we were all born enemies of God. He is above primogeniture, culture and sin. Our lineage means that we are born slaves to sin, everyone from Adam on, but look what God can do for those that mourn, who are poor in spirit. The sons of one of the biggest, most entitled whiners that we read of during Moses time, they are not swallowed up, so God be lifted up. They have much to sing about.

For the courts of the Lord - This is the day I would pretend to be sick, the day I preferred to sleep in or go fishing, but the Psalmist desires the congregation of the Lord. That day is a day of physical rest, but a feast for the hungry soul, one of the means by which God brings growth, so I now tell my flesh, "get up, we are going to the house of the Lord."

Even the sparrow finds a home - They come and go so freely, and at the time of this writing, remember that the shroud is still in place, the access is limited. The Psalmist sees that this is where the swallow raises her children, and how lovely and marvelous would that be, but this has not been the heart of every worker in the church. Some see it as a profession, as a pragmatic means to a good life, self fulfillment or enlightenment, the honor of men, but to the writer it is the most glorious gift of God, to be in His house forever singing His praises.

In whose heart are the highways to Zion - These are true Pilgrims, who worship Him in spirit and in truth. They are going to the festival, the place of worship, and for some it is a long journey, but it starts in the heart, and the heart loves every step that brings it closer. We were made to have fellowship, communion with the saints, but if our hearts have not changed then we will go toward entertainment, to social gatherings, concerts, the worship of material things, and for the praise of others towards ourselves. 

…25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.… Ezekiel 36: 25-27

As they go through the valley of Baca -

- Ways, which otherwise would have been deserted from want of accommodation, were made into highways abundantly furnished for the travellers' wants, because the great annual pilgrimages led in that direction; even so, Christian converse and the joy of united worship makes many duties easy and delightful which else had been difficult and painful. - C. H. Spurgeon

- Not merely to be in the assembly, but to appear before God was the object of each devout Israelite. Would to God it were the sincere desire of all who in these days mingle in our religious gatherings. Unless we realise the presence of God we have done nothing; the mere gathering together is nothing worth. - C. H. Spurgeon

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer - Though we assemble together, each of us should have a plea, a desire toward God. The heart of corporate worship is that every individual has a personal relationship with the Lord. We are not saved by membership to a denomination or building, but by the saving work of God, Who has provided in His Son, a sacrifice worthy of atonement, and by His Spirit the means to find such grace. 

- Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. Here we have the nation's prayer for David; and the believer's prayer for the Son of David. Let but the Lord look upon our Lord Jesus, and we shall be shielded from all harm; let him behold the face of his Anointed, and we shall be able to behold his face with joy. We also are anointed by the Lord's grace, and our desire is that he will look upon us with an eye of love in Christ Jesus. Our best prayers when we are in the best place are for our glorious King, and for the enjoyment of his Father's smile. - C. H. Spurgeon

Than a thousand elsewhere - One day before the Lord, in the service of the Lord, in the lowliest perceived place at His court, is better than being a king in this world. The closer the person is to God the fainter the appeals of this earth become.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield - The sun brings light and reveals the holiness of God, but has also given us a shield in Christ, for no man can approach the sun unless he is found in the Son. The cross is the shield for all those who come, but no one comes unless the Father draws them, for all else it is a stumbling block. To those who are lost it is a hideous thing, but to those who the Spirit calls it is life and there is nothing else so beautiful.

…25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’ 26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father— the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father— He will testify about Me. 27 And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.… John 15: 25-27

Read More