Psalm 13

David wondering “How long”                             verse 1- 2 

How long will YOU forget me – O LORD? FOREVER?

how long will YOU hide YOUR face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul

having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?           

David wants the LORD to consider                     verse 3- 4 

Consider and hear me – O LORD my God

lighten mine eyes

lest I sleep the sleep of death

lest mine enemy say

I have prevailed against him

and those that trouble me rejoice

when I am moved           

David has confidence in the LORD                     verse 5- 6 

But I have TRUSTED in YOUR mercy

my heart shall rejoice in YOUR salvation

I will sing to the LORD

BECAUSE HE has dealt bountifully with me  

COMMENTARY:           

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

:1         “How long, O LORD?” (5704 עַד [ʿad /ad/] prep. Properly, the same as 5703 (used as prep, adv or conj);                             TWOT 1565c; GK 6330; 99  occurrences; AV translates as “by”, “as long”, “hitherto”, “when”, “how                                     long”, and “as yet”. 1 as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s                               Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).

DEVOTION:  Having young children in a car and driving any distance will create this question of the parents! How long before we get to the store, how long until we get to grandma’s? How long? Like most parents we would say, “in a little bit” or “it won’t be long!” Like clock-work the phrase would be repeated in what seemed like a minute or two! While that makes me smile now, it was frustrating at the time.  Four times in the first two verses this phrase is repeated to the Lord! He seems to be asking, like a child, questions he should already know the answers to! Did you forget me? Are you hiding from me? Am I talking to myself? Do I have to be embarrassed again?  How long, O Lord?

CHALLENGE: Are you asking questions of the Lord which you know the answers to?  Are we being child-like instead of trusting Him? Perhaps we should turn our attention to singing a song about His faithfulness! (v.6) (Dr. Brian Miller – board member) 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 3        Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death (217 “lighten” [‘uwr] means to dawn, become light, illuminate, ignite, to give spiritual insight to, brighten, refresh, gladden, to make cheerful, or to cause one’s face to shine.)

DEVOTION:  There are times in our lives when everything seems dark. It doesn’t seem like there is an end of the darkness that is happening in our life. We want to just curl up on our bed and shut the world out.

Here is David asking the LORD to show him some light at the end of the tunnel. He wants the LORD to encourage him while he is going through a rough time. He wants to have the LORD send others to lift him up instead of staying in the mood he is in.

All of us go through times when it seems like everything and everyone is against us. David was feeling this pressure and wanted it to end.

So what does he do? He turns to the LORD for answers. He turns to the LORD to help him move on with his life and keep going even when it seems that it is dark in front of him.

We need to do the same when we are going through a hard time. If we just feel sorry for ourselves it will not work but if we turn to the LORD and watch HIM work out the detail of our life we can see that the dark times were necessary to show us HIS work in our life.

If you are going through a dark time in your life remember to turn to the LORD and keep moving and praying for HIM to work out the details. HE did for David and HE can do it for us.

CHALLENGE: Don’t stay in the dark times! Look to the LIGHT that the LORD gives during those times.

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: 4        Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved. (4131 “moved” [mowt] means to totter, slip, shaken, be in unfavorable circumstances or be overthrown.)

DEVOTION:  There were times in David’s life when he thought everyone, including God, were distant from him. His family was far from him. His friends were far from him. His God was far, or at least seemed far from him. He was in a time period where he seemed to have nowhere to turn. What did he do??

He had a conversation with God about his present circumstances. What a prayer. David is asking the LORD – HOW LONG? He wants the LORD to “restore the sparkle” to his eyes. His enemies seem to be winning. He wants the LORD to act before he “sleeps” in death.

When the Bible talks of followers of God and death, it uses the word “sleep” many times. This is not talking about “soul sleep” but death. There is no soul sleep taught in the Word of God. There is appointed unto man once to die and then judgment. We find that Paul says that if he is absent from the body, he is present with the LORD. That means that his soul and spirit are with the LORD while his flesh/body is in the grave until the Second Coming of the LORD.

David wants the LORD to not allow his enemies to say that they have won the war. The enemies want him to shake in his boots. His enemies want him to be in unfavorable circumstances. This is what our enemies want to happen to us.

He is telling the LORD that he is trusting in HIM.  He is depending on the LORD’S lovingkindness. He understands that the LORD loves him. HE understands that the LORD will answer his prayer. He is learning to wait on the LORD.

We need to trust in the LORD when it seems that we are in unfavorable circumstances. We need to believe HE has an unending love for us as well.

Remember we are in trying circumstances to test our faith in HIM. David passes the test. He ends the psalm by saying that he is going to sing praises to the LORD because HE has dealt bountifully with him.

CHALLENGE: Times of loneliness are hard to face. Our goal should be to talk with the LORD in those time periods. HE has made the promise to never leave us or forsake us. We may feel like HE has left us but HE has not moved.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

            : 5        But I have trusted in YOUR mercy; my heart shall rejoice in YOUR salvation. (3444 “salvation”                                        [yashuw’ah] means help, deliverance, welfare, prosperity, victory, a means of preserving from harm                             or unpleasantness, or victory)

DEVOTION:  There are two words that we need to remember in our relationship with the LORD. The first one used here is “trust.”

We need to realize that we can trust the LORD in good times and seemingly bad times. Each type of time is for our good and growth in the LORD.

We don’t want the times that are rough. We just seem to want the easy times where everything is going well and we can have a smile on our face. This is not what anyone of the Disciples of Christ had or even the prophets of the Old Testament. All of them went through times of trials because that is what is necessary for our growth.

It would be nice if all we had is good times but it seems that we tend to wander when everything is going well with us. We have the wrong thinking that we are doing everything right.

Every believer has times where they can think that we are just what the LORD wanted in HIS world. We are so good that all we deserve is blessing and no challenges to keep us faithful to HIM.

That is not how it works. We have bad habits that cause us to think too highly of ourselves and our relationship to God. We can think that we are sinless and don’t even need Jesus to help us. We can do it on our own.

If those thought come into our minds it is not the LORD giving them to us it is the enemy the devil. He wants us to think that we are OK and we don’t have to keep up our prayer life and our study of the Bible. This is his trick to cause us to get further from the LORD and then he can tempt us with things that we know are wrong but we still think it is OK.

CHALLENGE: Remember to always realize that our strength and our salvation only comes from the LORD and our proper relationship to HIM on a daily basis. Don’t try to fight your battle in our own strength!!!

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:6         “I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” (Dealt bountifully, 1580 גָמַ֣ל                               [gamal], to deal out to, to do to, to deal bountifully with, to recompense, repay or requite.)

DEVOTION:  David realizes that God’s answers to his questions which David asks in verses 1-2 are based in the recognition of how God has dealt bountifully with him.  This highlights the two different choices we have when we face adversity: either concentration on the adversity (usually future), or concentration on our relationship with God and HIS provision in the past.  David finds peace by doing the latter.

It is an evidence of one’s maturity in Christ when he makes a choice between one of these two.  Some Christians enjoy the constant worry of life, all because they believe that the outcome of an affair is dependent on their own personal effort.  While God does not rule out personal effort while we work on our sanctification, we must also constantly acknowledge HIS activity in our lives, and this will cause us not to worry or fret about obstacles we encounter in life.

David notes that not only has God been involved and will be involved in the crises that he faces, but also that God has been lavish in HIS provision for David in the past.  This reflection on God’s grace and mercy is also true of our lives, as we think of what God has done through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins.  As a result, we cannot only rest in God’s provision for our lives, but we should be filled with thanksgiving for what HE has done for in the past.

CHALLENGE:  What challenges do you face in your life that you need to acknowledge God in?  You can either choose to stew in your problems or to look upward to the face of a gracious Heavenly Father. (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)

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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) 

David’s prayer for answers                                      verse 1- 5 

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

Rejoice                                                                        verse 5

Sing                                                                             verse 6

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)   verse 1, 3, 6

God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)                        verse 3

LORD my God                                                          verse 3

Deals bountifully with believer                                verse 6 

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) 

Think that the LORD can forget you                     verse 1

Think that the LORD can hide HIS face                verse 1

Sorrow of heart                                                         verse 2

Enemy                                                                        verse 2, 4 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

     Enemy exalted over believer                                    verse 2

      People troubling a believer                                      verse 4

      Rejoicing when believer falls                                   verse 4 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Lighten eyes                                                               verse 3

Trust                                                                           verse 5

Mercy                                                                         verse 5

Rejoice                                                                        verse 5

Salvation                                                                    verse 5

Sing                                                                             verse 6

Dealt bountifully                                                       verse 6 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

      David                                                                          verse 1- 6     

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events) 

      Death                                                                          verse 3

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DONATIONS:

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QUOTES regarding passage

2. Within himself, secondly, David is restless—for the Hebrew text of 2a has ‘counsel’ (‘ēṣôt) as in av, rv, rather than pain (‘aṣṣābôt) as conjectured by rsv, etc.³⁷ It is a turmoil of thought (cf. 77:3–6) rather than the dull ache of dejection. The third element, his enemy’s ascendancy, would be dismaying at more than one level: not only as a personal humiliation but as a threat to his kingship (4b) and to his faith in God’s justice. David’s behaviour at Absalom’s revolt is instructive, even if less than perfect, at all these levels, in its personal magnanimity, kingly responsibility, and submissive trust (2 Sam. 15–19). (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 94). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

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2. How he expostulates with God hereupon: “How long shall it be thus?” And, “Shall it be thus for ever?” Long afflictions try our patience and often tire it. It is a common temptation, when trouble lasts long, to think it will last always; despondency then turns into despair, and those that have long been without joy begin, at last, to be without hope. “Lord, tell me how long thou wilt hide thy face, and assure me that it shall not be for ever, but that thou wilt return at length in mercy to me, and then I shall the more easily bear my present troubles.” (Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 760). Peabody: Hendrickson.)

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The Inward Struggle—His Feelings (vv. 1–2)

God had promised David the throne of Israel, yet that day of coronation seemed further and further away. Saul was doing evil things, and God wasn’t judging him, and yet David was doing good things and felt abandoned by the Lord. David was certainly disturbed by what the enemy was doing, but he was more concerned about what the Lord was not doing. “How long?” is a familiar question in Scripture (see 6:3) and is a perfectly good question to ask if your heart is right with God. The saints in heaven even ask it (Rev. 6:10). When we’re in trouble and pray for help, but none comes, we tend to feel deserted. David felt that God was ignoring him and that this alienation was final and complete. He also felt that God was hiding His face from him instead of smiling upon him (see 30:7; 44:24; Lam. 5:20). To behold God’s face by faith and see His glory was always an encouragement to David (11:7; 17:15; 27:4, 8; 31:16; 34:5; 67:1), but now he felt abandoned.

Feeling like he was left to himself, David tried to devise various ways to overcome the enemy (“wrestle with my thoughts,” niv), but nothing seemed to satisfy him. But faith is living without scheming; it means not leaning on our own experiences and skills and trying to plot our own schedule (Prov. 3:5–6). There were storm clouds in the sky, hiding the sun, but the sun was still shining. It’s a dangerous thing to give in to our feelings, because feelings are deceptive and undependable (Jer. 17:9). When Jacob heard the news about Simeon being left hostage in Egypt, he gave up and announced that everything was against him (Gen. 42:36) when actually God was causing everything to work for him. We must not deny our feelings and pretend that everything is going well, and there is no sin in asking, “How long?” But at the same time, we must realize how deceptive our feelings are and that God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20) and can lift us above the emotional storms of life. David eventually learned to replace the question “How long, O Lord?” with the affirmation, “My times are in your hands” (31:15). This is a lesson that all believers must learn. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., pp. 55–56). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)

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Psalm 13. The psalmist utters a poignant cry of spiritual desolation that is quite unexplained (v. 3 does not necessarily imply sickness). The poet is acutely aware of the loss of God’s conscious favor; of ceaseless inward debate, of continual sorrow, of the gloating of opponents over his state. He also seems afraid of dying in his spiritual darkness. Many of the truly devout have known such seasons of despair and have found with the psalmist that the memory of God’s past goodness and trust in his unfailing love provide the answer to such dark moods. (White, R. E. O. (1995). Psalms. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 375). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)

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13:1, 2 These lines reintroduce the familiar triangle of the psalmist, his God, and his enemies. This 3-way relationship produces perplexity and pain. In view of God’s apparent absence (v. 1), he seems left to his own resources which are unable to deal with the reality of his enemies (v. 2). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 13:1). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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Ver. 2. How long shall I take counsel in my soul, &c.] Or put it; to take counsel of good men and faithful friends, in matters of moment and difficulty, is safe and right; and it is best of all to take counsel of God, who is wonderful in it, and guides his people with it; but nothing is worse than for a man to take counsel of his own heart, or only to consult himself; for such counsel often casts a man down, and he is ashamed of it sooner or later: but this seems not to be the sense here; the phrase denotes the distressing circumstances and anxiety of mind the psalmist was in; he was at his wits’ end, and cast about in his mind, and had various devises and counsels formed there; and yet knew not what way to take, what course to steer. Having sorrow in my heart daily; by reason of God’s hiding his face from him; on account of sin that dwelt in him, or was committed by him; because of his distance from the house of God, and the worship and ordinances of it; and by reason of his many enemies that surrounded him on every side: this sorrow was an heart-sorrow, and what continually attended him day by day; or was in the day-time, when men are generally amused with business or diversions, as well as in the night, as Kimchi observes. How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? even the vilest of men, Psal. 12:8. this may be understood either of temporal enemies, and was true of David when he was obliged not only to quit his own house and family, but the land of Judea, and flee to the Philistines; and when he fled from Absalom his son, lest he should be taken and slain by him; or of spiritual enemies, and is true of saints when sin prevails and leads captive, and when the temptations of Satan succeed; as when he prevailed upon David to number the people, Peter to deny his master, &c. The Jewish writers observe that here are four how longs, answerable to the four monarchies, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman, and their captivities under them. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 575–576). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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Verse 2.—“How long?” There are many situations of the believer in this life in which the words of this Psalm may be a consolation, and help to revive sinking faith. A certain man lay at the pool of Bethesda, who had an infirmity thirty and eight years. John 5:5. A woman had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, before she was “loosed.” Luke 13:11. Lazarus all his life long laboured under disease and poverty, till he was released by death and transferred to Abraham’s bosom. Luke 16:20–22. Let every one, then, who may be tempted to use the complaints of this Psalm, assure his heart that God does not forget his people, help will come at last, and, in the meantime, all things shall work together for good to them that love him.—W. Wilson, D.D.

Verse 2.—“How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?” There is such a thing as to pore on our guilt and wretchedness, to the overlooking of our highest mercies. Though it be proper to know our own hearts, for the purposes of conviction, yet, if we expect consolation from this quarter, we shall find ourselves sadly disappointed. Such, for a time, appears to have been the case of David. He seems to have been in great distress; and as is common in such cases, his thoughts turned inward, casting in his mind what he should do, and what would be the end of things. While thus exercised, he had sorrow in his heart daily: but, betaking himself to God for relief, he succeeded, trusting in his mercy, his heart rejoiced in his salvation. There are many persons, who, when in trouble, imitate David in the former part of this experience: I wish we may imitate him in the latter.—Andrew Fuller.

Verses 2, 4.—“How shall mine enemy be exalted over me?” ’Tis a great relief to the miserable and afflicted, to be pitied by others. It is some relief when others, though they cannot help us, yet seem to be truly concerned for the sadness of our case; when by the kindness of their words and of their actions they do a little smooth the wounds they cannot heal; but ’tis an unspeakable addition to the cross, when a man is brought low under the sense of God’s displeasure, to have men to mock at his calamity, or to revile him, or to speak roughly; this does inflame and exasperate the wound that was big enough before; and it is a hard thing when one has a dreadful sound in his ears to have every friend to become a son of thunder. It is a small matter for people that are at ease, to deal severely with such as are afflicted, but they little know how their severe speeches and their angry words pierce them to the very soul. ‘Tis easy to blame others for complaining, but if such had felt but for a little while what it is to be under the fear of God’s anger, they would find that they could not but complain. It cannot but make any person restless and uneasy when he apprehends that God is his enemy. It is no wonder if he makes every one that he sees, and every place that he is in, a witness of his grief; but now it is a comfort in our temptations and in our fears, that we have so compassionate a friend as Christ is to whom we may repair, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb. 4:15.—Timothy Rogers. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 1-26 (Vol. 1, p. 156). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)

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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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Ephesians 6

We are to put on the full armor of God to fight and win the spiritual war.

INSIGHT

Satan is a deceiver and a destroyer; he deceives in order to destroy. A part of his deception is to have us believe he is not at work opposing our pursuit of righteousness. To combat his efforts, we must do several things. First, recognize that we must “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”(v. 10), not in our own strength. Second, we must “put on the whole armor of God” (v. 11). Each piece described in verses 14-17 must be in place daily. Third, we must pray at all times in the Spirit (v. 18). And finally, having done all that, we must stand firm without fear, knowing we are secure (v. 13).                    (Quiet Walk)