PSALM 108
Thankfulness in song verse 1- 3
O God – my heart is fixed
I will sing and give praise – even with my glory
awake – psaltery and harp – I myself will awake early
I will praise YOU – O LORD – among the people
and I will sing praises unto THEE among the nations
Exalting the LORD in song verse 4- 5
For YOUR mercy is great above the heavens
an YOUR truth reaches to the clouds
Be YOU exalted – O God – above the heavens
and YOUR glory above all the earth
Protection of the LORD praised verse 6- 9
That YOUR beloved may be delivered
save with YOUR right hand
and answer me
God has spoken in HIS holiness
I will rejoice – I will divide Shechem
and mete out the valley of Succoth
Gilead is MINE – Manasseh is MINE
Ephraim also is the strength of MINE head
Judah is MY lawgiver – Moab is MY washpot
over Edom will I cast out MY shoe
over Philistia will I triumph
Questions directed toward the LORD verse 10- 11
Who will bring me into the strong city?
Who will lead me into Edom?
Will not YOU – O God
WHO has cast us off?
And will not YOU – O God
go forth with our hosts?
Only reliable help comes from the LORD verse 12- 13
Give us help from trouble – for vain is the help of man
through God we shall do valiantly
for HE it is that shall tread down our enemies
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 “O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my
glory.” New King James Version. (Steadfast – Strong’s Hebrew #3559 3559 כּוּן, נָכֹון, נָכֹון [kuwn /koon/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 964; GK 3922 and 5787 and 5788; 219 occurrences; AV translates as “prepare” 85 times, “establish” 58 times, “ready” 17 times, “stablish” five times, “provide” five times, “right” five times, “fixed” four times, “set” four times, “direct” three times, “order” three times, “fashion” three times, “variant” twice, “certain” twice, “confirmed” twice, “firm” twice, “preparation” twice, and translated miscellaneously 17 times. 1 to be firm, be stable, be established. 1A (Niphal). 1A1 to be set up, be established, be fixed. 1A1A to be firmly established. 1A1B to be established, be stable, be secure, be enduring. 1A1C to be fixed, be securely determined. 1A2 to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast (moral sense). 1A3 to prepare, be ready. 1A4 to be prepared, be arranged, be settled. 1B (Hiphil). 1B1 to establish, set up, accomplish, do, make firm. 1B2 to fix, make ready, prepare, provide, provide for, furnish. 1B3 to
DEVOTION: God is exalted above all the nations, yet sometimes we find it hard to
exalt him above our feelings or circumstances. The psalmist expressed
his desire that God be exalted … over all the earth so that His saints
might be delivered. His right hand suggests His power (cf. Ex. 15:6, 12; Pss. 20:6; 45:4; 60:5; 89:7–13). Why is it so difficult to believe God’s might when the enemy confronts us? Are the visible forces greater than the Almighty? Does the sounds and posturing of enemies make us hesitate? May we like the psalmist become steadfast in spite of the conflict, may we learn the truth of praise and worship in the midst of adversity!
CHALLENGE: In the midst of the dark valley sing a song of praise to the Lord and watch the shadow disperse! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 4 For YOUR mercy is great above the heavens: and YOUR truth reaches
to the clouds. (571 “truth” [‘emeth] means the quality of being faithful,
firmness, trustworthiness, constancy, duration, faithfulness, stability,
perpetuity, security, and reliable)
DEVOTION: We may have some friends that we can count on to help us when we
need it but the LORD is more reliable then even them. HE is there to help us through each day of our lives if we have trusted in HIM to be our personal Savior. HE will never let us down. HE has all the power HE needs to answer any request that we may have any day of our life.
Sometimes HE allows us to go through trials to strengthen our faith. Most of the time we don’t like these time periods but they are necessary because we tend to wander from HIM thinking we can do it on our own. It is always wrong to think these thoughts.
Here we find that the David again stating that he knows that the LORD has helped him in many bad situations and is thankful for HIS help.
Are we thankful for the help of God each day of our life? Do we say “thank you” to HIM for all the help HE has given us in the past? Do we tell others about what HE has done for us throughout our life?
God wants us to be like David and speak and write all about how great a God we served each day. If we do that HE will use us for HIS glory in reaching others to HIMSELF.
CHALLENGE: Our witness to the greatness of God is necessary for our witness to be strong when we are trying to reach others for HIM.
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: 7 God has spoken in HIS holiness, I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. (4058 “mete out” [madad] means to determine the measurements of something or somebody, take measurements of, to stretch out, stretch oneself out, consider, or to extend)
DEVOTION: God is the one who doing the measuring of what territory the children of Israel were going to receive. HE was the one who gave them all their blessings. Their blessings were sometimes measured in the land that they owned.
Today we find that the LORD is still the one who hands out the blessings to HIS people. It is not so much in land as it is in other blessings. HE does give us our possessions to use for HIS glory.
Too often we think that all the blessing the LORD has given us is for our own personal glory rather than to give HIM glory. We need to always praising the LORD for all the blessings HE gives us each day.
HE loves us because we are ones who HE has chosen to be HIS disciples. HE wants us to be thankful disciples who tell others about the great things HE has done for us each day.
Our testimony is important to our reaching our world for Christ. If our testimony is small then we will not reach others for the LORD. If it is great then people will listen and want to be part of the family of God.
Remember each day that HE is the one who give us blessings. HE gave the children of Israel lands and they would often forget that they had received them as a blessing from the LORD and HE would have to take it away from them for a while to get their attention.
CHALLENGE: Do we want the LORD to take away our blessings to show us that HE is the one who is behind all the blessings we have each day?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 12 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. (7723 “vain” [shav’] means emptiness, vanity, falsehood, nothingness, or worthlessness)
DEVOTION: There is a similarity between this psalm and the ends of Psalms 57 and 60. David is going through a difficult situation and expresses a need for the LORD to help.
David confirms that his heart is fixed on the LORD. He is going to worship the LORD with music and praise. HE is going to start at the beginning of the day singing praise to the LORD.
He realizes that all the nations of the world belong to the LORD. Each nation has a special relationship to the LORD. The LORD has a plan for each nation of the world. HE is still working HIS plan for all the nations of the world. They are all still HIS!!!
David understands that the help of man is worthless. He questions the LORD regarding HIS timing in helping him. As with most of us we want the LORD to help us immediately. The LORD does things in HIS OWN time. Our time and HIS time are always different. HIS ways are above our ways.
It is only the LORD that can tread down our enemies, which are also HIS enemies. When we are in trouble, whom do we need to help us? Do we need other human beings? What kind of help do human beings give us? What do human beings want in return for helping us? Can human beings get us out of all our troubles or cause more problems?
Too often when trouble comes our “friends” seem to look the other way or let us down. My wife and I have good friends that say with us through thick and thin. That is great to know.
However, some friends/acquaintances don’t stand with us when the going gets tough. Some are like Job’s “comforters.” It is sad but true. The psalmist knew that the help of human beings was not the best answer to his troubles.
We need to know that the best help in our times of trouble doesn’t come from human beings. Sometimes we think if we just had the right person to help, we could overcome our troubles. WRONG. HE will give us the right answers and the right helps in all of our troubles. We need to ONLY depend on HIM. HE might send a human “friend” to help and we can see it as an answer to prayer.
When we depend on HIM, HE will send the right help at the right time. Praise HIS name!!! Are we asking HIM for the help we need?? David did and the LORD was there to help him through his trouble.
CHALLENGE: Go to the LORD first with each decision we have to make. Ask HIM to send the right help at the right time. HE still answers prayer – depend on HIM!!!
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: 13 Through God we shall do valiantly: for HE it is that shall tread down our enemies. (2657 “valiantly” [hayil] means exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger, noble character, worthy person, vigor, strength, an elite fighting soldier, competent, or brave.)
DEVOTION: The LORD wants us to know that we should have courage to fight battles for truth in our lifetime. The children of Israel were able to win battles against enemies because they trusted in the LORD to give them strength. They were fighting physical people most of the time that were under the influence of the enemy of all believers, Satan and his fallen angels. The battle is real.
Today we face the same battles as the children of Israel and we can have the same results if we trust in the LORD. We are commanded to put on the full armor of God before we go into battle each day. Each piece of the armor is to help us in the battles we face. If we leave one piece of the armor at home, we will face the enemy weakened in that area.
Our strength or courage needs to come from the LORD. With HIS strength we can defeat the wiles of the devil in all areas of our life. Remember we are not fighting against just human beings in our battles. Satan uses every resource that is available to him. He wants us to walk into battle without our knowledge of the Word of God. Our first piece of armor needs to be the TRUTH of the Word of God. We have to have righteousness in our thinking. We have to have the gospel of peace. We need to realize that there is only one source of salvation and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ. Prayer has to be said each morning before we go out to battle. We need to be men and women of courage in a day and age of weakness in the church of Jesus Christ.
CHALLENGE: What battle are you fighting today? Are you giving up or moving forward with the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit? The battle is real and we are fighting with or without the source of our strength. Fight with the full armor of God daily.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Heart is fixed verse 1
Be exalted O God verse 5
Save with YOUR right hand verse 6
Answered prayer verse 6
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sing verse 1, 3
Praise verse 1, 3
Psaltery verse 2
Harp verse 2
Rejoice verse 7
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 5, 7, 11, 13
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 3
Mercy is great verse 4
Truth verse 4
Exalted verse 5
Glory above all the earth verse 5
Right hand of God verse 6
Answers prayers verse 6
Holy verse 7
Go forth with David’s armies verse 11
Gives help from trouble verse 12
Helps HIS people do valiantly verse 13
Treads down enemies of Israel verse 13
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nations verse 3
Shechem verse 7
Valley of Succoth verse 7
Moab is God’s washpot verse 9
Edom verse 9, 10
Philistia verse 9
Enemies verse 13
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Help of man: vain verse 12
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins
Fixed heart verse 1
Praise verse 1, 3
Glory verse 1, 5
Wake early to praise verse 2
Mercy verse 4
Truth verse 4
Exalt the LORD verse 5
Beloved verse 6
Delivered verse 6
Answered prayer verse 6
Help verse 12
Trouble verse 12
Valiantly verse 13
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Psalm of David verse 1- 13
Plays psaltery and harp to LORD
He does it beginning in early morning
Beloved of God saved by HIS right hand
Answers David
Brings David into strong cities
People verse 3
Gilead verse 8
Manasseh verse 8
Ephraim verse 8
Judah: lawgiver verse 8
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Two psalm-endings of David, 57:7–11 and 60:5–12, have been joined to make this single piece. Each had begun under stress, with David hunted in Psalm 57 and defeated in Psalm 60; but each had ended strongly. The new psalm starts at this more positive point in each of them, and so provides for a situation which is certainly chastening (11), but whose challenge is that of an inheritance not yet seized (10ff.; cf. 9), rather than a defeat not yet avenged (cf. Ps. 60:1–3, 9ff.). For our use, the earlier psalms may well provide for times of personal or corporate peril, but the present one for times which call for new initiatives and ventures of faith.
There are a few minor variations from Psalms 57 and 60, one of which is discussed at 60:8. The fact that the term God is used by itself frequently in this psalm, but in only one other place in this Fifth Book of the Psalter (144:9), makes it clear that the present psalm is the borrower from the other two, not the lender, since Book ii, in which they occur, strongly prefers this title to ‘the Lord’. See the footnote to p. 18 of the Introduction. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, pp. 421–422). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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This is a song of triumph in praise of the Lord’s loyal love, given with the full expectation that all His enemies will be destroyed in their own devices. Because David was convinced that God will exult in the subjugation of the nations, he prayed for divine leadership. Verses 1–5 are almost the same as 57:7–11, and 108:6–13 are identical with 60:5–12. No doubt the parts were joined for some liturgical purpose. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 872). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Each stanza contains prayer: first, that God may be glorified (5), secondly, that his people may be delivered (6) and finally that the crisis may be met (12). This is a true order of biblical praying and arguably the foremost lesson of the psalm. But prayer derives its confidence from truth about God and each stanza brings a particular truth to the fore: (i) God’s love (4) is ‘ever-unchanging’—his faithfulness is comparable to the highest reality we observe, the skies, but his love is even higher, i.e. his loving commitment to us is the supreme reality of all. Hence we can face a crisis with a steadfast heart, with vocal and public praise and with prayer that in this situation he will prove himself to be what he really is (1–5). (ii) God’s promises cover the crisis (7–9). The Lord had committed himself beforehand to the subservience of Edom. Prayer, resting on promises, possesses certainty (6). (iii) His power alone is sufficient for the crisis (10, 13) and in answer to prayer he will return to favour his people and give the needed help (11–12). (Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 559). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
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13. God’s help shall inspire us to help ourselves. Faith is neither a coward nor a sluggard: she knows that God is with her, and therefore she does valiantly; she knows that he will tread down her enemies, and therefore she arises to tread them down in his name. Where praise and prayer have preceded the battle, we may expect to see heroic deeds and decisive victories. “Through God” is our secret support; from that source we draw all our courage, wisdom, and strength. “We shall do valiantly.” This is the public outflow from that secret source: our inward and spiritual faith proves itself by outward and valorous deeds. “He shall tread down our enemies.” They shall fall before him, and as they lie prostrate he shall march over them, and all the hosts of his people with him. This is a prophecy. It was fulfilled to David, but it remains true to the Son of David and all who are on his side. The church shall yet arouse herself to praise her God with all her heart, and then with songs and hosannas she will advance to the great battle; her foes shall be overthrown and utterly crushed by the power of her God, and the Lord’s glory shall be above all the earth. Send it in our time, we beseech thee, O Lord. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 88-110 (Vol. 4, p. 430). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Genesis 30-31
Living and working with family can be a daunting process. It can be the best of times and the worst of times! The finest of times is when associations are close and congenial. The worst of times involve stressful relationships that can lead to undesirable choices.
Jacob fled from his brother and had come to his uncle’s home where he now had worked and created a family with the marriage of two sisters. During those years, Jacob had been given charge of Laban’s flocks and herds which God had blessed and multiplied. Throughout this time, Jacob had been faithful and content to raise his family while working for his father-in-law.
Jacob labored for his father-in-law and his family, flocks, as well as his fortune continued to multiply. He worked until friction arose between Jacob and the sons of Laban (31:1-2). After years away from family and home, God led Jacob to return to his homeland. It was not a smooth transition for Jacob or Laban as their families separated (31:20-24). The failure to communicate and formally establish a peaceful parting led to a tense confrontation between Jacob and Laban.
God’s intervention prevented a catastrophic battle from occurring as He cautioned Laban from reacting wrongly. When confronted with unjust and difficult decisions, may we listen carefully to God’s word and leading. God’s counsel will provide the correct decision despite our feelings of wrong or injustice.
With an Expectant Hope, by Pastor Miller
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THE RIGHT WAY AND THE WRONG WAY TO PRAY
Then they took away the stone…. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father….”
John 11:41
Sometimes our whole idea of prayer is false. All too often we think of prayer only as guidance and requests. Now if you were to put that into practice in human relationships you would regard it as insulting. No, the thing the saint wants to know above everything else is that all is well between his soul and the Father. There is nothing the saint delights in more than to know God as his Father. He likes to maintain the contact and communion, to assure his heart before God and in the presence of God. The saint is in this difficult world; there are temptations from the outside, and the whole world is against him, and the saint is tired—sometimes he almost despairs. So he goes to God immediately, not to ask this or that but just to make certain that all is well there, that the contact is unbroken and perfect, that he can assure his heart and know that all is well.
That is what our Lord is doing in John 17, and that is the thing that stands out most frequently in that prayer. Our Lord is assuring His own human heart in the presence of His Father. He did this also when He was raising Lazarus from the dead; indeed He puts it in words for us: “Then they took away the stone….And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, ‘Father’”—He is praying—“‘I thank thee that thou hast heard me’”—always He is assured in His heart—“‘And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people….’” (John 11:41-42). He just turns to God. He knows all is well, but He is assuring His heart in the presence of God. Let me put it like this: The saints always prayed to God, and our Lord supremely did so, because they believed in God’s power, because they believed in God’s ability to help, and, above all, because they believed in God’s willingness and readiness to help.
A Thought to Ponder Our Lord is assuring His own human heart in the presence of His Father. (From Saved in Eternity, p. 32, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Danger of Adding to Scripture
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18)
This sober warning almost at the end of the Bible was given by the glorified Lord Jesus Himself (note v. 20) so should be taken very seriously.
The Bible is not just a great book. It is The Book! Its content had been “forever . . .settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89) but had been gradually transmitted to men on Earth through God-called prophets, whose writings were “given by inspiration of God”—that is, literally “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). “God . . . at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1).
In various ways—sometimes by direct dictation, more often by Spirit-guided research and meditation using each man’s individual style and abilities—God conveyed His message down to mankind. Finally, the New Testament was given through Paul and others “by revelation . . . revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:3, 5). John was the last of the “apostles and prophets” when he wrote Revelation (all the others had been martyred), and Christ then indicated (see text above) that nothing more could be added, not just to John’s obviously finished book of Revelation, but really to the now-completed body of inspired Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
Those “false prophets” (Matthew 24:11) who have tried to add some new revelation to the Bible (e.g., Mohammed) need urgently to go back to the Bible alone. We need no new revelation. The Bible is more than enough for our salvation (2 Timothy 3:15, etc.) and all needed guidance until Christ returns (2 Peter 1:19). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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We Soon Fly Away
“For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4)
In this unique psalm, Moses is stressing the brevity of even the longest human life with the everlasting nature of God. In the pre-Flood world, men were able to live many hundreds of years, but no one ever lived as long as 1,000 years. By Moses’ time, the typical lifespan was 70 or 80 years (v. 10), much the same as today. Moses lived to age 120, but he was twice as old as most of his contemporaries when he finally died (note Numbers 14:29, 34; Deuteronomy 34:7).
Moses, therefore, was profoundly impressed with the ephemeral nature of a person’s time on Earth. Even if someone had lived a thousand years, this was only a little while in God’s sight, and his life would soon “fly away” (Psalm 90:10) and be forgotten.
There is nothing in this passage, incidentally, or in 2 Peter 3:8 (“one day is with the Lord as a thousand years”) to justify the misinterpretation that attributes billions of years to God’s creation week. In context (and one must always be sensitive to the context if he wants to understand any passage of Scripture), neither Moses nor Peter was referring to the creation week at all. Moses was stressing the brevity of human life, even that of the antediluvians, while Peter was rebuking the latter-day uniformitarians who would come denying the catastrophic effects of the great Flood. It is too bad that so many Christians are willing to distort Scripture like this in order to accommodate the imaginary ages of evolution.
The message we should really get from this Mosaic observation is the application He Himself makes. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12)! (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Exodus 6
Moses is reassured by God.
INSIGHT
Throughout the Bible, God becomes more and more intimate with His people. By His official title, El Shaddai, God made Himself known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But now He tells Moses His name: Jehovah. Then in the Gospels, God becomes even more personal — as Jesus becomes incarnate. And in Acts and the Epistles, we discover that God comes to live in our hearts in the person of the Holy Spirit.
The final act of intimacy will be when God brings us home. Then we can fellowship with Him face to face and forever. (Quiet Walk)
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THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
But all these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1 Corinthians 12:11
There are some principles about the subject of spiritual gifts that stand out clearly in the biblical teaching. The first is that spiritual gifts must be differentiated from natural gifts. We all have natural gifts, but the spiritual gift that any one of us may possess is something separate from and entirely different from this. It is a gift that is given directly to us by the Holy Spirit. Some people have fallen into the error of thinking that a spiritual gift really means a person’s natural gift taken hold of by the Holy Spirit and heightened so that it becomes a spiritual gift. But that is not what Scripture would have us believe. A spiritual gift is something new, something different.
The second principle is that these gifts are bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit in a sovereign manner. This is emphasized very clearly in 1 Corinthians 12; notice verse 11, for instance: “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” “As he will.” It is He who decides and not us. He decides what particular gift to give to a particular person. Verse 7 enforces the same point: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” It is a gift, it is given, it is something that comes entirely from the Holy Spirit.
Third, each Christian is given and therefore has some gift: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” The clear implication there is that every single Christian is given some particular gift. So from this we deduce that every true member of the Body of Christ, every true Christian, who has been baptized into the Body of Christ by this one Spirit, has some particular spiritual gift. The fourth principle taught in 1 Corinthians 12, obviously, is that the gifts differ in value; see verses 14-30.
A Thought to Ponder
Every single Christian is given some particular gift.
(From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 265-266, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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