PSALM 138
Individual thankfulness to the LORD verse 1- 3
I will praise YOU with my whole heart
before the gods will I sing praise to YOU
I will worship toward YOUR holy temple
and praise YOUR name for YOUR loving-kindness
and for YOUR truth
for YOU have magnified YOUR word
above all YOUR name
In the day when I cried YOU answered me
and strengthened me with strength in my soul
Communal praise to the LORD verse 4- 6
All the kings of the earth shall praise YOU – O LORD
when they hear the words of YOUR mouth
yea – they shall sing in the ways of the LORD
for great is the glory of the LORD
Though the LORD be high – yet has HE respect to the lowly
BUT the proud HE knows afar off
Revival from the LORD verse 7- 8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble – YOU will revive me
YOU shall stretch forth YOUR hand
against the wrath of mine enemies
and YOUR right hand shall save me
The LORD will perfect that which concerns me
YOUR mercy – O LORD endures forever
forsake not the works of YOUR OWN hands
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 I will worship toward YOUR holy temple, and praise YOUR name for YOUR loving- kindness and for YOUR truth: for YOU have magnified YOUR word above all YOUR name. (1431 “magnified” [gadal] means grow up, become great, to be big, made powerful or promote.)
DEVOTION: When we speak do we always tell the truth? Do we flatter people instead of give honest evaluations? When we promise something do we always keep our promises? Are we gentle to people when we speak to them about issues that are sensitive? These are questions that should have a simple answer for us but we all know that at times we are individuals who forget these principles in our speech. The LORD never forgets any of these principles. HE is one hundred percent accurate in HIS handling of each of these issues.
The Psalmist informs the LORD that he is going to worship HIM with all of his heart because of the LORD’S faithfulness to HIS word. He knows that the LORD does everything to him in love. He knows that the LORD always deals with him in truth. There are no lies coming from the mouth of the LORD. When HE speaks it is going to happen.
When the LORD keeps HIS word HE makes HIS word big in the eyes of those who are followers of HIM. We can read the Old Testament and understand some of the reasons HE treated HIS people the way HE did. HE always had a good reason. HE always did it for their good. It was not only for their good but it was good for the witness of the LORD to those around the individual HE was dealing with and sometimes even in the society and world around that individual.
Those who were not of the nation of Israel heard or saw the actions of the LORD and understood that HE did what HE said HE would. This Psalm says that the kings of the earth stood up and took notice. Study the life of some of the heathen kings found in the Old Testament and see how they saw the actions of the Creator of the Universe and realized that HE was the ONLY TRUE God. The LORD grew big in their eyes because of their witness to HIS actions.
We have to answer the question “Is our God big or small?” Do our actions show that we believe our God is big? Is our trust in the power of our God genuine? The Psalmist realized that the LORD had the power to work wonders in his life and that HE was not going to quit on him. Do we realize this true too?
CHALLENGE: Has God grown bigger each year we follow HIM in our eyes? Evaluate your answer. Then practice making God bigger than HE has been in the past in your life.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with
strength in my soul.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas
Nelson, 1982). (Strength – 5797 עֹז [ʿoz, or (fully), ʿowz /oze/] n m. From 5810; TWOT 1596b; GK 6437; 93 occurrences; AV translates as “strength” 60 times, “strong” 17 times, “power” 11 times, “might” twice, “boldness” once, “loud” once, and “mighty” once. 1 might, strength. 1A material or physical. 1B personal or social or political. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: When we acknowledge our weakness the Lord makes us strong! There seems to be a discrepancy but the truth is that the Lord desires for us to admit when we are fearful, weak and lonely. It is then that we are able to see His power and ability to change the overwhelming obstacle into a molehill we can climb. The Israelites had a tendency to forget the way of God and get into trouble. It seems that then they would cry out and God delivered. How similar is our spiritual walk at different times in our life. We do well and grow in faith and then we regress and suddenly a challenge or crisis hits, we cry out and the Lord provides! He gives us strength where we initially were weak and listless. He provides ideas where we previously had none, He parts the clouds and the sun is shining brightly behind them. He is awesome!
CHALLENGE: When your soul is famished and you are barely hanging on cry out to the Lord and see His response! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 6 Though the LORD be high, yet has HE respect to the lowly: but the proud HE knows afar off. (7200 “respect” [ra’ah] means look, behold, appear, consider, perceive, proved, regard, to take into consideration as an example, conceived of as directing one’s gaze towards something.)
DEVOTION: Attitude is everything with the LORD. HE wants those who follow HIM to have the right attitude toward life.
Here we find that the LORD wants us to have a humble attitude toward HIM and toward life. HE wants us to make sure that we are not a people full of pride. There pride in our work but there is also pride in ourselves. HE doesn’t want us to think that what is happening in our lives is of our own doing alone.
We are to depend on HIM and trust HIM and give HIM credit when things go well in our lives. Pride is something that the LORD doesn’t want in a believer’s life. This is the attitude that we are accomplishing all that is happening in our life on our own.
HE wants us to give HIM credit for the blessing we receive on a regular basis. HE wants us to realize that it is HIM that gives us the ability to do what we do that brings us the praise of men.
HE knows that if we establish an attitude of pride in self in our lives that we are reckoning HIM as the source of our achievements. Our responsibility is to give HIM the credit for the blessings that are happening in our life and to avoid the attitude of pride.
CHALLENGE: Yes, God gives us the ability to accomplish quite a bit in our lives but we need to always realize that HE is the source of our ability. If we forget this then we are headed in the wrong direction.
: 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me: YOUR mercy, O LORD endures forever: forsake not the works of YOUR own hands. (1584 “perfect” [gamar] means to end, to come to an end, complete, perform, or cease.)
DEVOTION: The psalmist is going to praise the LORD because HE is full of loving-kindness toward him. He is going to praise the LORD because HIS word is truth. He is going to praise HIM because HE answered him in a day of trouble and gave him strength. He is going to praise HIM because HE respects the lowly of the earth. He is going to praise HIM because HE revives the heart of HIS children. He is going to praise HIM because HE deals with his enemies.
Even the kings of the earth are going to praise HIM for the word of HIS mouth. The kings of the earth are going to sing praise songs to the LORD. They have witnessed HIS actions and can do nothing but praise HIS name and tell their nation that HE is the only true God.
Finally, the psalmist realizes that the LORD is doing a work in his life that he will complete before he is taken to heaven. Here this Hebrew word means all believers are a work in progress [Philippians 2: 13]. The LORD is going to complete what HE has started in the believer’s life.
In the New Testament Age, we have better promises than those in the Old Testament. God does a work on the believer all of this life. HE shows the believer HIS mercy on a daily basis. HE answers the believer’s prayers. HE strengthens the believer on a regular basis. HE has respect for the lowly but from the proud HE keeps HIS distance. HE deals with the enemies of the believers. HE shows HIS loving-kindness toward all believers. HE does not forsake HIS followers. This is what HE does for us today. Praise HIS name!
Remember that perfection doesn’t come in our lifetime. We are allowing the Holy Spirit to work us toward Christlikeness in our life. We don’t arrive until we are in heaven. Our sanctification is a continual work of the Holy Spirit. When HE is done we will be in heaven. Those who think they have arrived are lying to themselves. Paul was not guilty of this false belief, study Philippians 3: 13, 14. If the author of most of the New Testament had not arrived we shouldn’t think we are better than him.
CHALLENGE: Watch how you and I promote ourselves before other. Our responsibility is to let the Holy Spirit to work in our life. Let HIM work. Listen to HIM speak to us through the Word of God. Pray for understanding.
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)
Strengthened by the LORD verse 3
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)
Psalmist cried to the LORD verse 3
Answered prayer verse 3
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Praise with whole heart verse 1, 2, 4
Sing verse 1, 5
Praise the name of the LORD verse 2
Worship toward holy Temple verse 2
Cry to the LORD verse 3
Kings of the earth shall sing in the ways
of the LORD verse 5
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, 4- 6, 8
Worship verse 2
Loving- kindness verse 2
Truth verse 2
YOU have magnified YOUR Word verse 2
Words of HIS mouth verse 4
Glory of the LORD is great verse 5
LORD on high verse 6
HE has respect to the lowly verse 6
Proud HE knows afar off verse 6
Stretch out HIS hand against enemies verse 7
LORD will perfect that which concerns
believers verse 8
Mercy endures forever verse 8
Not forsake the works of HIS hands verse 8
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)
Soul verse 3
Kings of the earth shall praise LORD verse 4
Kings of the earth will hear HIS words verse 4
Enemies verse 7
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
False gods verse 1
Proud verse 6
Wrath toward believers verse 7
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Praise with whole heart verse 1, 2
Cried to the LORD verse 3
Answered prayer verse 3
Strengthened in soul verse 3
Respect verse 6
Trouble verse 7
Revival verse 7
Deliverance (save me) verse 7
Perfect verse 8
Mercy verse 8
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Holy Temple verse 2
Walk in the midst of trouble verse 7
God will revive verse 7
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
God’s Lovingkindness and Truth
by Henry Morris III, D.Min.
God’s loving care is a great and expansive theme throughout the Bible. Many of the Psalms cite incidences of God’s faithful help, provision, deliverance, or other evidence that He remains true to His promises and character. In Psalm 138, David directs our focus to two great pillars of God’s nature—His lovingkindness and His truth.
Psalm 138:1-2
I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
Praise and worship are not often connected together in the same passage as they are in Psalm 138:2. Both concepts are widely found in Scripture but are seldom used to describe the same actions. “Worship” is used to describe an attitude of obeisance and reverence, usually by bowing or prostrating, during a formal act of sacrifice or some other structured observance, as in the idol worship forbidden by the Second Commandment (Exodus 20:4-5). “Praise,” especially as used in Psalm 138, emphasizes joyous thanksgiving as a result of receiving or recognizing God’s specific blessing or God’s worthiness in character, power, deed, or authority.
There are only two events recorded in Scripture in which the people of God both worshiped and praised at the same time. The first was at the dedication of the great temple that Solomon built. When Solomon finished his prayer of dedication, the fire of God’s glory descended on the temple and entered the Holy of Holies. The effect of such an awesome sight was that the people “bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD” (2 Chronicles 7:3).
The second event occurred during the time of Ezra, right after the return of a remnant from Babylon. The people heard the Word read to them for the first time in many decades and were trying to celebrate the “festival of booths” properly. During the reading of the Scriptures, the people became so convicted of their disobedience that they began to cry and confess their sin. Ezra told them that the festival was to be one of great joy. The mixed emotions (the festival went on for several days) were such that on one day they stood for about three hours and “confessed [same word as “praise”] and worshiped the LORD their God” (Nehemiah 9:3).
The common factor in both events was their serious and awesome character. Neither of these were ordinary church services. Something supernaturally special occurred. God made Himself very evident—in the one case through a breathtaking display of His power, in the other through an extraordinary moving of His Spirit. In neither case were the people moved to jump up and down, clap, or otherwise demonstrate exuberance; they were so overwhelmed at the presence of God that they fell down on their faces! Yet the reality of God was so personal that they praised (thanked, confessed); they poured out their hearts in intimate thanksgiving to the Lord. This is how we should understand this psalm.
Worship and praise for His lovingkindness. Worship and praise for His truth. Worship and praise in His temple—where His name resides. Worship and praise the name, His being, His attributes.
Worship and praise because God has magnified His Word above all His name.
Such an unusual statement! God has, Himself, placed such a value on His Word that the Word is to be magnified above His name itself. It is imperative that we gain a perspective from which to view this principle. The name of Jesus is so great that…
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)
The Word of God is to be magnified beyond the name of Jesus Christ. It is worthy of note that the Third Commandment (Exodus 20:7) demands we treat God’s name with such honor that we not consider it “vain” (useless, destructive, profane). God has placed such a high value on His Word that we must approach its use with reverential precision and holy awe.
Every word of God is pure;…Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)
Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89)
“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
“The Scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35)
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
The point of the worship and praise herein demanded is that we understand that the answers to our prayers, the responses to our needs, even the supernatural deliverance from our disasters are “according to” God’s Word (Psalm 119:9, 25, 28, 41, 58, 65, 76, 85, 91, 107, 116, 149, 156, 159, 169, 170).
Psalm 138:3
In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.
God’s responses to our prayers are delivered in two ways—practically, in the circumstance or in the direction, and spiritually, in the “inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). We are often so focused on the physical need or the external circumstance about which we are so insistently praying that when the answer is delivered from the Throne, we fail to receive the full blessing—even if we read the practical answer correctly. Our heavenly Father is committed to providing our needs on Earth (Philippians 4:19; Luke 12:30), but such supply must be understood as of minimal significance in the scope of eternity. The good thoughts (Jeremiah 29:11) and the good gifts of God (Luke 11:13) are toward the expected end—our ultimate conformity “to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
While God will and does respond to our physical circumstances and needs, His heart and purpose are to fill us “with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). He blesses us “with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3) and has chosen us to be “holy and without blame” (Ephesians 1:4). God’s Word is designed to make us participate in the “divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Therefore, God’s desire is…
That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (Colossians 1:9-12)
But this private, internal, and spiritual worship and praise must have an outlet! No one who experiences the blessings of God in their lives to the extent that the psalmist is describing can keep it private. There will be public testimony.
Psalm 138:4-5
All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.
Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
For great is the glory of the Lord.
Please notice that “the kings” will respond in praise. They will sing of God’s ways. When the wonderful works of God are manifested to us or in us, the resulting testimony brings about a praise response from those hearing of God’s action. These testimonies never produce praise for the one giving the testimony. They make those hearing the testimony praise God! Jesus taught us that if we learn to love each other as He loved us, then the whole world will know that we are His disciples (John 13:34-35). Solomon let us know that if we would follow the instructions of Scripture, even our enemies would be at peace with us (Proverbs 16:7). Everybody in Jerusalem was aware of the powerful witness of the early church (Acts 4:33).
When we are so affected by the working of God in our lives that we worship and praise, others will know about it and will talk about it to God’s glory.
Psalm 138:6-8
Though the LORD is on high,
Yet He regards the lowly;
But the proud He knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
David’s closing application and testimony are finally delivered to his readers. He makes three simple points.
First, God loves His Saints, but those with a pride problem are not going to gain His attention. This is somewhat basic to Christian doctrine. Pride is one of the seven things that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). The desire of the humble person is what God responds to (Psalm 10:17). The Lord stays near to those who have a broken heart or a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18).
Second, God will revive us when we are in trouble. The promise is about the reviving and the saving. That is, we may gain God’s sufficient grace to endure (as in the case of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” 2 Corinthians 12:7) rather than a physical cure. We may receive the ability to be victorious in the face of opposition (as during Paul’s ministry to Ephesus, 1 Corinthians 16:8-9) rather than relief from the circumstances. We may, indeed, be delivered from the pressure of enemies or have God’s miracle performed in our lives, but whatever the circumstantial occasion, God will respond for our good.
Thirdly, God will bring about our “perfection.” That term, both in the Old and the New Testaments, relates to the completion of God’s work or purpose. Here it is specifically related to “that which concerns” the saints of God. God will see to it that His “chosen” will make it. There is no question about this. God’s mercy is always refreshed. There is no limit to His forgiveness. Nothing about who I am will defeat God’s plan for me. Everything has been taken care of. God will not drop the ball.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” (John 15:16)
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
Oh, Lord God. We cannot know the end of a thing. We do not have certainty about the plans of our days. Forgive us when we try without consulting You. Forgive our blundering efforts to make something happen. We do love You, and we want to please You, but our lives are so caught up in the things of this world. Help us, Lord. Help us to know how much we need You. Help us to see the real value of eternal things. Give us a greater awareness of Your Holy Spirit. Give us a holy awe of Your Word. Drive us to our knees more often, Lord. Keep us close.
Oh, our Father. Purge us from ungodliness. Separate us from the sins that hinder and blind. Meet us in the halls of our heart and sanctify us there.
And then, Lord Jesus, embolden us for the work ahead. Provide our daily bread. Cleanse our sins and enrich our fellowship with the saints. Clothe us in the armor of God and place us where we must stand. Enable us to resist the Enemy in the faith, see his strongholds crumble and his minions flee. Grant a fruitful harvest and an effective ministry, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Title.—A Psalm of David. This Psalm is wisely placed. Whoever edited and arranged these sacred poems, he had an eye to apposition and contrast; for if in Ps. 137 we see the need of silence before revilers, here we see the excellence of a brave confession. There is a time to be silent, lest we cast pearls before swine; and there is a time to speak openly, lest we be found guilty of cowardly non-confession. The Psalm is evidently of a Davidic character, exhibiting all the fidelity, courage, and decision of that King of Israel and Prince of Psalmists. Of course the critics have tried to rend the authorship from David on account of the mention of the temple, though it so happens that in one of the Psalms which is allowed to be David’s the same word occurs. Many modern critics are to the word of God what blow-flies are to the food of men: they cannot do any good, and unless relentlessly driven away they do great harm. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 120-150 (Vol. 6, p. 243). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
A group of eight psalms of David begins here, bringing to its conclusion his share in the Psalter, altogether nearly half the collection. We are again aware of the presence of enemies, and of the special gratitude of one who has been much threatened but much protected. …. Meanwhile the vision of verses 4–6 waits to be realized, and times are hard. If the inner resilience of verse 3 was the first part of God’s help, it is not the last. Verse 7 shows his control over the battle, both as ‘the Lord and giver of life’ and as stronger than the enemy; and verse 8 looks beyond the immediate scene to the finished product that God must have in mind in relation to his servant (8a), a work to which he has set his hand (8b). The old translation of 8a is perhaps as memorable as any: ‘The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me’ (av, rv). So the first and last lines of this verse make personal, confident and urgent use of the familiar truth which they embrace in the middle line. To David, hard-pressed and threatened, the words come new-minted: God’s steadfast love … endures for ever. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 497). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
6 One particular application lies in the example of God’s fidelity to the “lowly.” Exalted as the Lord is in his kingship (“the Lord is on high”; cf. 113:4–9), he is the Redeemer-King. He deals favorably with “the lowly” (cf. Luke 1:48, 52) so as to deliver them out of their affliction (Isa 57:15; 66:2). But in delivering he also avenges “the proud.” Pride is offensive to the Lord because he alone is the Exalted One (cf. Exod 15:1; Ps 94). He “knows” (y-d-ʿ), that is, he cares for his own by delivering them and by keeping them from destruction (see 1:6). …. The Lord will keep his saint alive (v. 7; cf. 119:25; 143:11), delivering him from danger and from his “foes.” The psalmist portrays the Lord as reaching out his “hand” as an expression of help, while dealing in judgment with those who cause his adversity (cf. 144:7; Exod 3:20; 9:15). His “right hand” signifies strength (cf. 60:5; 139:10).
Confidence also comes from a recognition that the Lord has a purpose. This purpose also includes individuals (“purpose for me,” v. 8; cf. 57:2; Rom 8:28). Confidence is not misplaced, because the Lord has shown an interest in his creation and in his people (“the works of your hands”; cf. 90:16; 92:5; 143:5; Isa 60:21; 64:8). His concern is of the most profound and lasting kind, as it is nothing less than his enduring “love” (ḥeseḏ).
(VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 834). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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!!)
PARTICULAR SINS
…the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling. Ephesians 1:18
The New Testament method of dealing with particular sins is never to concentrate upon the particular sin as such, but to bring it into the light and the context of the whole Christian position. I cannot emphasize that principle too strongly. Speaking out of pastoral experience, I have found in practice that this particular principle is probably the most important of all.
May I give you one illustration? I remember a lady once, some twenty years ago, coming to tell me of a crippling problem in her spiritual life. She told me that she had a terrible horror and dread of thunderstorms. Apparently, she had once been in a bad thunderstorm, and it had looked as if she might be killed. Ever since then the fear of thunder and lightning had gripped her, and it had come to such a pass that if she was going to a place of worship and happened to see a large cloud, she would begin to say to herself, “A thunderstorm is coming!” So there would be a terrible conflict within her, and it usually ended in her turning back and going home. It seemed to her that the one problem of her life was this fear and dread of thunderstorms. She told me she had struggled with this problem and had done her best to get rid of it.
Now it seemed to me that the one thing to say to that woman was this—and it came as a shock to her, “Stop praying about this particular fear, for while you are praying, you are reminding yourself of it. You must stop thinking about yourself in terms of fear. Never think about thunderstorms; turn your back upon that altogether. You must think of yourself as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and as one who belongs to Him. You must concentrate upon positive Christianity, not upon a negative fear.”
A Thought to Ponder: Bring a particular sin into the light and context of the whole Christian position.
(From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 77-78, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
A Life of Integrity
The integrity of the upright guides them. Proverbs 11:3
Abel Mutai, a Kenyan runner competing in a grueling international cross-country race, was mere yards from victory—his lead secure. Confused by the course’s signage and thinking he’d already crossed the finish line, however, Mutai stopped short. The Spanish runner in second place, Ivan Fernandez Anaya, saw Mutai’s mistake. Rather than take advantage and bolt past for the win, however, he caught up to Mutai, put out his arm and guided Mutai forward to a gold-medal win. When reporters asked Anaya why he purposefully lost the race, he insisted that Mutai deserved the win, not him. “What would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honor of that medal? What would my mom think of that?” As one report put it: “Anaya chose honesty over victory.”
Proverbs says that those who desire to live honestly, who want their lives to display faithfulness and authenticity, make choices based on what’s true rather than what’s expedient. “The integrity of the upright guides them” (11:3). This commitment to integrity isn’t only the right way to live, but it also offers a better life. The proverb continues: “But the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity” (v. 3). In the long run, dishonesty never pays.
If we abandon our integrity, short term “wins” actually yield defeat. But when fidelity and truthfulness shape us in God’s power, we slowly become people of deep character who lead genuinely good lives. (By Winn Collier, Our Daily Bread)
Jesus prepares His disciples for His death.
INSIGHT
If there is anything between you and the Lord, He will pinpoint it and ask you to give it up. He wants total commitment — nothing less.
That does not mean you cannot be committed to other things. It just means that He wants nothing to be higher on your priority list than He is.
A husband must be committed to his wife and children. A professional must be committed to his job. But all must be committed to the Lord first.
The rich young ruler learned this in a very painful lesson. We can learn from his experience: Put the Lord first. (Quiet Walk)
And therefore, last, by definition justification is a once-and-for-all act. It is never to be repeated because it cannot be repeated and never needs to be repeated. It is not a process but a declaration that we are pronounced just once and forever, by God. Sanctification, on the other hand, is a continuous process. We continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord until we are perfect beyond the veil. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Audacity of Gender-Reveal Parties: Another Step Towards Cultural Insanity by Albert Mohler
The leaders of the transgender revolution revile the celebrated declaration, “It’s a boy” or “It’s a girl,” when a baby is born. Transgender activists recognize that their revolution cannot succeed until doctors who deliver babies, or ultrasound technicians at women’s cliques, stop labeling babies as a specific gender. The announcement of a baby’s gender, however, still fills delivery rooms and doctor’s offices with excitement. I predict that this practice will continue.
Recently, an article ran in “The Ethicist” column of the New York Times Magazine. The ethicist in this case is Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah. The headline in the article asked, “Should I Go to a Gender-Reveal Party?” The questioner who wrote in for advice posed to “The Ethicist” the following scenario:
“A close relation is pregnant with her first child and is having a gender-reveal party. She is overjoyed with the addition to our family, as am I. However, I am adamantly opposed to attending the gender-reveal party because it violates my moral code. I have worked in activism for my entire professional life and, though I am cisgender, I have strong feelings about gender politics and equality. Gender-reveal parties, where parents and guests learn a baby’s gender together, violate my values because they reaffirm society’s gender binarism and inadvertently perpetuate the stigma against non-binary genders. I know I will never experience firsthand the challenges of being gender-nonconforming, but when I think about how I might feel, I would be very hurt knowing my parents had a gender-reveal party for me before I was born with my incorrect gender. I know the non-binary community faces much deeper, more urgent problems than this hypothetical situation, but even so, I have a moral aversion to helping affirm society’s gender binarism. Should I attend the party?”
This question represents just one more step towards cultural insanity. The questioner cannot fathom nor allow for a party where people celebrate politically incorrect labels like “boy” and “girl.” Such a party violates the moral code of the transgender movement.
Indeed, the moral unction behind this question is breathtaking. Scenarios like this come, not on the leading edge of a moral revolution. Rather, the moral revolution must have made significant gains before an ethics column in the New York Times Magazine begins to get letters with this kind of moral outrage at a gender-reveal party.
Christians thinking about this moral confusion must first stop at the vocabulary used in this article—particularly the word, “cisgender.” Using that term plays into the entire gender revolution. The term indicates that someone born a male is quite comfortable with being male. Even adopting the vocabulary, therefore, becomes an enormous problem because the vocabulary assumes that you accept the ideology of the transgender revolutionaries—that gender fluidity exists and that the gender assigned at one’s birth may or may not be factual. “Cisgender” signifies that you buy into the idea that all of humanity must be identified on a spectrum, with cisgender at one end and gender-nonconforming, or, transgender at the other end.
Secondly, Christians need to note the kind of moral outrage indicated in the question. The questioner, filled with indignation, lashes out at a set of parents who had the audacity to throw a gender-reveal party—a party that apparently does nothing more than perpetuate binary stereotypes. Indeed, according to this article in the New York Times Magazine, gender-reveal parties could damage relationships between parents and their transgender children who find out that mom and dad threw a party which revealed an “incorrect gender.” This argument asks the reader to make incredible leaps in logic and to possess an imaginative framework which obfuscates all reality.
But here’s the third thing we come to understand about this article: It tells us that the writers, editors, and publishers of the New York Times Magazine believe that these are the kinds of questions we should be concerned about and that we too should experience the confliction, indeed, the outrage present in the question posed to “The Ethicist.”
The question, by itself, poses enormous problems and reveals the erosion of any sane ethic. The answer to the question, however, reveals the extent of this moral erosion. Professor Appiah, who currently teaches at New York University, responds to the questioner by saying, “First, let’s distinguish between two different issues. One is what you’re calling gender binarism—the idea that everyone is naturally either male or female. The other is the fact that trans people will identify with a gender other than the one they were assigned on the basis of their bodily appearance at birth. You could be trans in that sense and still believe in binarism: to say that you were assigned the wrong gender isn’t necessarily to reject the idea that there are two.”
Professor Appiah’s answer takes an interesting turn when he writes that “celebrating the discovery that a baby is a boy or a girl need not in itself stigmatize trans or intersex or non-binary people.” Appiah went on to say, “A parent celebrating the coming birth of a girl could be someone who’d be perfectly happy if the child turned out later to be a boy or neither a boy nor a girl. Indeed, as it becomes easier to identify intersex people prenatally, you could one day imagine having a party that revealed that the child was neither male nor female. And people who do have a hard time dealing with gender-nonconforming people aren’t likely to have their minds changed by the disappearance of gender-reveal parties.”
At certain moments, it appears that a society inches its way right up to the edge of a cliff. At other times, however, you see an argument that sprints towards the edge and leaps right off. That’s exactly the direction Appiah takes his answer.
Appiah goes on to state, “If there’s a problem with these parties, it’s mainly that they encourage the idea that gender is fixed in the womb and by your body. Let’s call that biological determinism about gender. The science in this area is very much a work in progress. But, we already know that gender identification isn’t fixed by your sexual organs and that the social meaning of gender is informed by culture.” Appiah makes a generalized, unsubstantiated claim that rejects any argument that would question his premise. He says that “we already know that gender identification isn’t fixed by your sexual organs.” Appiah’s reasoning demonstrates how the sexual revolution, through moral coercion, creates a change in an entire mentality and worldview. Appiah’s argument enshrines the principles of sexual revolutionaries who make audacious and radical assertions based solely upon the authority of the gender revolution. Anyone who dares to disagree with this unassailable authority represents an antiquarian ignorance and bigotry which must be eradicated.
Again, effectively upping the ante of political correctness, Professor Appiah responds to this questioner by saying that “many aspects of gender are not… biological. You can’t necessarily read from people’s bodies what their gender means to them.” In other words, biological sex has nothing to do with gender identity.
Christians operating from a biblical worldview understand Appiah’s assertions as manifest nonsense. The morally important distinction between male and female is essential. Indeed, the biblical worldview clearly grounds the distinction as a vital component for true human flourishing.
Gender debates dominate the news these days, dumping with them an incredibly toxic level of madness. While Christians should experience alarm, they should also possess greater awareness of the determination that grips the moral and sexual revolutionaries. Articles like this one in the New York Times Magazine, and arguments like Professor Appiah’s, demonstrate the unceasing desire of the LGBTQ agenda to invert civilization itself. As relentless as they might be, the moral revolutionaries aim at insanity and position arguments as reality that have no basis in any scientific court or, for that matter, common sense. Indeed, as demonstrated in Appiah’s argument, the sexual revolution hinders any serious inquiry into sexuality and blatantly obfuscates fundamental questions about the “research” advertised to the public as the new law which must govern opinion, policy, and morality.
We live in a society that has set off a massive chain reaction of confusion. Christians, however, equipped with a biblical worldview and empowered by God’s grace, can clear up the confusion, address the insanity, and promote true human flourishing.
Paul was given a vision of heaven and then “a thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble.
INSIGHT
The Bible gives us a number of reasons why Christians suffer adversity. One reason is to strengthen and mature us. Another is that it is the natural consequence of our own foolishness from which God does not necessarily protect us. And another reason Paul gives us in today’s chapter is to keep us humble. If things always went well for us, if life was always “coming up roses,” we would tend to become conceited, to think more highly of ourselves than we ought and perhaps think less of others. Notice that Paul only prayed three times for the removal of his “thorn in the flesh” (vv. 7-8). When it was clear that God was not going to remove it, Paul accepted it. (QuietWalk)
The Throne of David
“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)
No other ordinary human being, not even the greatest of men, was ever given a promise like this promise to David. It can be understood, however, when one realizes that David is a type of Christ and that, in terms of His human genealogy, Christ did indeed inherit the right to David’s throne. As the angel Gabriel told Mary: “The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever” (Luke 1:32-33). The coming Messiah is identified as this promised Son of David in the Old Testament prophecies (e.g., Isaiah 9:6-7).
Without attempting to discuss the eschatological implications of these great prophecies, it is remarkable just to note the striking typological relation of David to Christ (and, correspondingly, of Saul to Adam). Saul, like Adam, had a wonderful physique and every natural advantage; he was given dominion over a new order of things under God; he received God’s Spirit and his seed would have reigned forever had he not failed by intruding into a forbidden sphere; he was then rejected by God because of his disobedience, and finally the Spirit of God departed from him.
David, however, is a beautiful type of the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. Though anointed, he was not accepted by his brethren; he was a shepherd and performed great services for his people before becoming king, but he was rejected and condemned to death. God delivered him, but even then he was only accepted by a few, until suddenly all Israel accepted him and he was promised an eternal kingdom. Christ now claims: “I am the root and the offspring of David”—both Creator and heir of David—“and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16). HMM
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
― Lou Holtz__
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