PSALM 142
Psalmist complaint to the LORD verse 1- 2
I cried to the LORD with my voice
with my voice to the LORD
did I make my supplication
I poured out my complaint before HIM
I showed before HIM my trouble
Psalmist friends were too few verse 3- 4
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me
THEN YOU knew my path
in the way wherein I walked
have they privily laid a snare for me
I looked on my right hand – and beheld
BUT there was NO MAN that would know me
refuge failed me – NO MAN cared for my soul
Psalmist enemies were too strong verse 5- 7
I cried to YOU – O LORD
I said
YOU are my refuge and my portion in the land of the living
attend to my cry – for I am brought very low
deliver me from my persecutors
for they are stronger than I
Bring my soul out of prison – that I may praise YOUR name
the righteous shall compass me about
for YOU shall deal bountifully with me
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 I cried to the LORD with my voice; with my voice to the LORD did I make my supplication. (2603 “supplication” [chanan] means to earnestly request compassion, to be inclined towards, be gracious to, to seek favor, implore favor, or to intreat for mercy.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever wanted the LORD to act quickly in your life? Have you gone to HIM in prayer with a heavy heart? Here we find the David turning to the LORD with his whole heart and he was crying for help from the LORD because it was a serious matter to him.
If we have something that needs to happen in our life from our perspective we usually go to the LORD and pray for help and hope that HE will answer quickly. However, the LORD doesn’t always answer in our time frame. HE answers when HE knows it is the best time.
HIS timing and our timing seem to always or at least most of the time HE seems to give us an answer in HIS timing and it causes us to wander what HE is doing. We try to serve HIM faithfully even though we sin on a daily basis.
We want HIM to forgive us and as we confess our sin to HIM and then we want HIM to answer quickly because it is something that bothers us. Waiting on the LORD is hard for all believers. It is especially hard when it is a matter we would like settled yesterday.
Our timing is always right and it is for our good when HE answers it in HIS timing. Patience is something that HE wants us to learn and we are not willing to be patient at times.
If you are presently crying to the LORD for an answer to something that is important to you please remember HE knows the best time to answer any of our prayers and HE is always teaching us to trust HIM.
CHALLENGE: Our responsibility is to go to HIM in prayer and then wait for HIM to answer. It is not an easy relationship because HE knows what is the best time to answer and we don’t. Trust HIM to always show HIS love to us even when we are stressed out!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble.
(7878 “complaint” [siyach] means concern, object of interest, musing, thoughts, anguish, meditation, or preoccupation.)
DEVOTION: Honest communication is sometimes not present on a regular basis. We are sometimes in the habit of saying things that people want to hear.
We even sometimes flatter people to have them like us. Even in church there is this type of communication. We are afraid to give our honest opinion on something for fear of offending them and they in return stop communicating with us. People are funny.
Real friends would want us to be honest with them in our conversation. They would want our opinion of what they think we should do to improve ourselves.
They would want to pray for real needs in our life. They would care. David knew that he could be honest with the LORD. He didn’t hold anything back in his conversations with the LORD. He told HIM what he was feeling about his given circumstances.
He went to the LORD in prayer which is open communication with the LORD. He expected the LORD to answer his prayers. He knew he could pour out his heart to the LORD. He told the LORD everything that was on his mind. In the case of this Psalm he expressed a concern over the trouble he was presently having with some enemies.
We need to come to the point in our life that we can go to the LORD with our honest concerns. HE doesn’t want us to flatter HIM. HE wants us to give HIM respect. HE wants us to stand in awe in HIS presence. Once we have accomplished this attitude, HE will answer our requests. HE wants HIS servants to trust and obey HIM but also to come with an open voice to HIM regarding anything that is happening in our life.
Is your prayer life as honest as David? Are we talking with the LORD as we talk to a true friend, not to a distant individual? HE wants to hear from us without ceasing.
CHALLENGE: Say what is on your mind to the LORD with respect. HE will honor it.
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: 4 “Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges
me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul.” The New King
James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Refuge – 4498 מָנׄוס [manowc /maw·noce/] n m. From 5127; TWOT 1327a; GK 4960; Eight occurrences; AV translates as “refuge” four times, “apace” once, “escape” once, “flight” once, and “way to flee” once. 1 flight, refuge, place of escape. 1A flight. 1B refuge, place of escape. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: It can be terrifying to walk alone on a moonless night! It can be unnerving to enter a new workplace unaccompanied. When you are facing a situation where you feel completely by yourself is daunting indeed and yet there is a reality for the child of God that he is never alone. The psalmist even when he is hiding in a cave surrounded by the enemy could cry out and ask the Lord for assistance and support even though no one was on his side. It is in those times of being separated from man that we learn the closeness of Jesus. Alexander Maclaren wrote, “The soul that has to wade through deep waters has always to do it alone; for no human sympathy reaches to full knowledge of, or share in, even the best loved one’s grief. We have companions in joy; sorrow we have to face by ourselves.” Yet Maclaren adds, still speaking of the dark side of things but pointing upward to our hope, “Unless we have Jesus with us in the darkness, we have no one.” [Maclaren, The Psalms, 408.]
David may have been the ruler of many men but there were times when he experienced the solitude, fear and called upon the Lord. May we be like David in those times and unashamedly call upon the one who promises always to be with us!
CHALLENGE: Like a child scared of the darkness may we call upon the Lord to walk with us today! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. (4525 “prison” [macger] means a shutting up, locksmith, smith, dungeon,
or enclosure.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever been locked in a place that you couldn’t get out of on your own? I worked for the state in an institution that you needed a key to get from one section to another. I forgot my key one night and so someone had to get me from one section to another. It was no fun. We like control over our location.
David felt like he is in a dungeon hiding in a cave from Saul. He is in the dark. His friends have all left him. He has enemies who are trying to lay traps for him everywhere he goes. He is alone. He would like the LORD to help him out of this situation.
Joseph was placed in jail for nothing he did. He wanted out but the servant of Pharaoh forgot about him for two years. Jeremiah was placed in a miry pit for a jail. He wanted out. Paul was placed in jail on many occasions for preaching the Gospel. He wanted to serve the LORD out in the open. All of them turned to prayer for relief from their present situation.
Isaiah informs us that Christ will bring us out of a dungeon, just as; HE will cause the blind to see. The psalmist states that his soul needs to be released from its present situation. The only reason he wants out of his enclosure is so that he can sing praises to the LORD. He wants to honor the LORD in his freedom.
We should want to honor the LORD because we are free in this country at this present time. Sometimes we feel so enclosed by our enemies, we can’t seem to find the words to praise the LORD. We are overwhelmed by our circumstances that praise seems to leave us.
The psalmist wants to be delivered from his enemies, so that, the overwhelming feelings can leave him and he can get back to praising the LORD.
Do our circumstances seem to overwhelm us to the point that we stop praising the LORD? Do our souls seem like they are locked up and someone has thrown away the key? The psalmist knew where to turn in those circumstances –PRAYER. Are we going to the same place?
CHALLENGE: Turn to the LORD in all your circumstances. Help others to do the same. HE is the true DELIVERER. HE will deal bountifully with us.
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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)
Prayer for strength verse 1- 7
Cried [Prayer] verse 1, 5, 6
Supplication verse 1
Complaint verse 2
Showed LORD his trouble verse 2
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Praise 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)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 5
Knowledge of human thought verse 3
Knew David’s path verse 3
Refuge to believers verse 5
Portion to believers in the land of the living verse 5
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)
Human spirit verse 3
Human soul verse 4, 7
Land of the living verse 5
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Snare in path of believer verse 3
Not caring for another verse 4
Persecutor of believer verse 6
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Cried [Prayer] verse 1, 5, 6
Supplication verse 1
Complaint verse 2
Trouble verse 2
Overwhelmed verse 3
Path verse 3
Refuge verse 5
Deliver verse 6
Prison verse 7
Praise verse 7
Righteous verse 7
Deal bountifully verse 7
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David Prelude
Prayed to the LORD verse 1
Cried verse 1, 5, 6
My spirit overwhelmed verse 3
Snare in his path verse 3
Laid a snare for him verse 3
Not friends to help him verse 4
Brought very low verse 6
Asked for deliverance from persecutors verse 6
Needed strength against persecutors verse 6
Felt like he was in prison verse 7
Wanted to praise HIS name verse 7
Knew LORD would deal bountifully verse 7
Righteous Israelites to compass David verse 7
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
The title in the text makes this a companion piece to Psalm 57 by the note, ‘when he was in the cave’; and together the two psalms give us some idea of the fluctuating state of David’s emotions in the ordeal. Psalm 57 is bold and animated, almost enjoying the situation for the certainty of its triumphant outcome. In the present psalm the strain of being hated and hunted is almost too much, and faith is at full stretch. But this faith is undefeated, and in the final words it is at last joined by hope. …. The urgency of the prayer comes through at once in the repetition ‘aloud … aloud’ (rsv with my voice … with my voice). David, like Bartimaeus in the Gospels, knows the value of refusing to relapse into silence. That way lies despair.
Some facets of his praying can be seen in these opening terms. To make supplication is to appeal to kindness (so the Hebrew word suggests); my complaint is not as petulant a word as in English, but might be rendered ‘my troubled thoughts’; and we should not miss the note of frankness in the words pour out and tell, or the sense of access in the reiteration of before him (2).
But 3a is the first of three modest summits of the psalm, standing out all the more for the depth from which it rises (tev, freely, ‘When I am ready to give up’) and for its emphasis on the word ‘Thou’. This should be italicized: ‘thou knowest my way!’ (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 509). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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Psalm 142. Sharpest among the sorrows of this beset soul is the sense of being abandoned. No one stands beside him in his emergency. He is faint-hearted, fearful of danger, in desperate need, pursued, in prison, and alone. So he turns passionately to God. He tries to reassure himself with familiar affirmations, and promises praise when he is set free. Most of all he longs for evidence of God’s favor which will bring the righteous to his side. In God’s understanding, God’s deliverance, and good men’s support, is all his hope.
Some have thought the psalmist’s trouble was all in his mind. The author of the heading thought the poem reflected 1 Samuel 22:1–2 and chapter 24, although David’s “cave” was neither a prison nor lonely. The poem could express the longing of anyone feeling wrongfully used and forsaken; its vagueness makes it universal. (White, R. E. O. (1995). Psalms. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, pp. 396–397). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
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142:3–4. Addressing the Lord, David stated that God knew his way (cf. 139:2–3) when his spirit weakened (cf. 77:3; 143:4, 7). Apparently under pressure he had lost his fight for his resistance was weakened. The trouble arose from a trap (snare) laid for him by an enemy (cf. 140:5; 141:9–10).
He then called on God to look to his right (where normally someone would be standing to guard him) because he was without refuge and support—no one cared for his life! His only hope was the Lord to whom he prayed. (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. 894). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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In verse 3, the pronoun changes from “him” to “you” (see 23:4). David was a great warrior, but he was “feeling faint” within and was overwhelmed by all that was happening to him (77:3; 143:4; Jonah 2:7; Lam. 2:12). But what life does to us depends on what life finds in us, and David was a man with faith in his heart. He trusted God to show him the way to go and to protect him on the path. One day he would look back and realize that God’s “goodness and mercy” had attended his way throughout his life (23:6). Were there hidden traps before him? Then the Lord would guide and protect him (140:5; 141:9). He had no bodyguard at his right hand, and nobody seemed to care whether he lived or died, but the Lord cared and stood at his right hand (16:8; 109:31; 110:5; 121:5). No matter the circumstances around us or the feelings within us, God cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We can be confident that He is working all things together for His glory and our good (Rom. 8:28). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., p. 204). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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Ver. 3. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, &c.] Ready to sink and faint under the present affliction, being attended with the hidings of God’s face, and with unbelieving frames; which is sometimes the case of God’s people, and with which they are as it were covered and overwhelmed, as well as with a sense of sin, and with shame and sorrow for it; see Psal. 61:2 and 77:3. Then thou knewest my path: the eyes of the Lord are upon all men, and he knows their goings, none of them are hid from him; and he sees and approves of the way, of the life and conversation of his people in general; and particularly observes what way they take under affliction, which is to apply to him for help and deliverance, Psal. 1:6; Job. 23:10. R. Moses in Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it of the path he walked in, which was right and not evil, for which he could appeal to God, that knows all things; it may literally intend the path David took to escape the fury of Saul, that pursued him from place to place. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me; let him take which way he would, there were spies upon him, or men that were in ambuscade to take him; and snares were everywhere laid for him to entrap him; see Psal. 140:5 and 141:9. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 297). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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3. “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path.” The bravest spirit is sometimes sorely put to it. A heavy fog settles down upon the mind, and the man seems drowned and smothered in it; covered with a cloud, crushed with a load, confused with difficulties, conquered by impossibilities. David was a hero, and yet his spirit sank: he could smite a giant down, but he could not keep himself up. He did not know his own path, nor feel able to bear his own burden. Observe his comfort: he looked away from his own condition to the ever-observant, all-knowing God; and solaced himself with the fact that all was known to his heavenly Friend. Truly it is well for us to know that God knows what we do not know. We lose our heads, but God never closes his eyes: our judgments lose their balance, but the eternal mind is always clear.
“In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.” This the Lord knew at the time, and gave his servant warning of it. Looking back, the sweet singer is rejoiced that he had so gracious a Guardian, who kept him from unseen dangers. Nothing is hidden from God; no secret snare can hurt the man who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, for he shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The use of concealed traps is disgraceful to our enemies, but they care little to what tricks they resort for their evil purposes. Wicked men must find some exercise for their malice, and therefore when they dare not openly assail they will privately ensnare. They watch the gracious man to see where his haunt is, and there they set their trap; but they do it with great caution, avoiding all observation, lest their victim being forewarned should escape their toils. This is a great trial, but the Lord is greater still, and makes us to walk safely in the midst of danger, for he knows us and our enemies, our way and the snare which is laid in it. Blessed be his name. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 120-150 (Vol. 6, p. 324). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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The psalmist speaks of the great distress he has found himself in. It is uncertain whether “prison” (v. 7) is a metaphor for oppression or refers to actual imprisonment or exile. If the superscription is to be taken seriously, the “prison” may well refer to David’s being in the cave when pursued by Saul, possibly at Adullam (1 Sam 22:1, 4) or at En Gedi (1 Sam 24:1–22). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 849). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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142:5. When David cried to God (cf. v. 1) he affirmed his confidence in Him: God was his safety (Refuge; cf. 141:8) and his life. God was his Portion, his allotment, all he had (cf. 16:5; 73:26; 119:57).
142:6–7. In his desperate situation (cf. 79:8), likened to a prison, he petitioned the Lord to rescue him from his strong enemies (cf. 18:17) so he could then praise God’s name (His revealed attributes) for what He had done. Also the righteous could then joyfully gather about him (lit., “crown themselves,” i.e., rejoice in triumph) because of the Lord’s goodness (cf. 13:6; 116:12) in answering his prayer. (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. 894). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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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
Numbers 21-22
How quickly we can forget the blessings that come into our lives! I am amused when I watch our grandchildren open presents and become so excited over the new present, just to toss it aside to open another. What caused such joy a moment ago is forgotten in the excitement of a new, unopened present.
The nation of Israel had similar tendencies as they traveled from Egypt toward the Promised land. They received multiple blessings each day; God’s presence, the continual provision of manna, and the guidance provided by Moses’ face to face dialogue with God. These should have caused Israel to rejoice and be continually in awe of being chosen by the God of the universe.
God had provided victories over Israel’s enemies, directed their route, and provided all they needed to survive in this journey, yet they were dissatisfied and unthankful toward Moses and God (21:4-5). In response, God again disciplined and fiery serpents were sent to inflict judgment upon the ungrateful nation.
Like a loving parent, God provided, and the nation was encouraged by victories over the enemies they encountered. With victories over Arad, Sihon, and Og, God prepared His people to be victorious in the land they had been promised to receive. If the people of God had been observant, they would clearly have seen God’s providential care.
We, as the readers of this book, get to see some of the ways God worked behind the scenes to influence potential adversaries of the nation of Israel. Balak, king of Moab seeks to hire Balaam, a prophet of God, to curse the people of Israel. Instead of cursing, God directs him to bless the Israelites instead.
Governments, as well as man, at times desire to inflict misery and pain upon the people of God. Yet, God is in control and will not allow all the destructive forces that an ungodly society may wish to unleash. In recognizing God’s goodness and protection upon His people, may we also thank Him for the daily unseen and hidden provisions of His care upon our lives and ministries.
With an Expectant Hope, (Pastor Miller)
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Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree and signs of His second coming.
INSIGHT
Matthew 24 and 25 offer some of the most comforting — and terrifying — verses in the Bible. They detail some of the judgments to fall on mankind at the end of history. Yet God will not be caught by surprise. He is able to protect His spiritual children.
If someone comes along and says, “I am Christ,” we do not have to be confused. We know he is a false teacher, for Jesus will come in the twinkling of an eye — there will be no time for such statements. The God of power is also the God of the future, and we can rest in His sovereign care as we trust in Him. (Quiet Walk)
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Presumptuous sins
“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.” Psalm 19:13
suggested further reading: 2 Samuel 11
This prayer was the prayer of a saint, the prayer of a holy man of God. Did David need to pray thus? Did the “man after God’s own heart” need to cry, “Keep back thy servant”? Yes, he did. And note the beauty of the prayer. If I might translate it into more metaphorical style, it is like this: “Curb thy servant from presumptuous sins.” “Keep him back, or he will wander to the edge of the precipice of sin. Hold him in, Lord; he is apt to run away; curb him; put the bridle on him; do not let him do it; let thine overpowering grace keep him holy; when he would do evil, then do thou draw him to good, and when his evil propensities would lead him astray, then do thou check him.” “Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins.” What, then? Is it true that the best of men may sin presumptuously? Ah! It is true. It is a solemn thing to find the apostle Paul warning saints against the most loathsome of sins. He says, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, idolatry, inordinate affection,” and such like. What! Do saints want warning against such sins as these? Yes, they do. The highest saints may sin the lowest sins, unless kept by divine grace. You old experienced Christians, boast not in your experience; you may yet trip up unless you cry, “Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” You whose love is fervent, whose faith is constant, whose hopes are bright, say not, “I shall never sin,” but rather cry out, “Lord, lead me not into temptation, and when there leave me not there; for unless thou hold me fast I feel I must, I shall decline, and prove an apostate after all.”
for meditation: Five ways to lay hold of the power of God against temptation:
|
Pray |
(Luke 22:40) |
|
Obey |
(Psalm 17:5) |
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Watch |
(1 Corinthians 16:13) |
|
Exhort |
(Hebrews 3:13) |
|
Read |
(Psalm 119:11) |
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Young people often seem to regard profanity as an accomplishment of which to be proud. Instead it is always a sign of weakness and betrays a corrupt and wicked heart. No one admires a swearer. But all right-thinking people recognize the nobility of character that enables one to keep his lips clean and whose speech is wholesome and refined. (June 1st , The Continual Burnt Offering, H.A. Ironside)
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DRESSING UP FOR THE WHITE HOUSE AND DRESSING DOWN FOR GOD’S HOUSE (Friday Church News Notes, October 19, 2018, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – On October 11, the Christian rock group MercyMe visited the White House to participate in President Trump’s signing of the Music Modernization Act. I found it interesting that the members of the group wore traditional suits and ties for the White House, whereas they typically dress casually for God’s House, in t-shirts, untucked shirts, jeans, cargo pants, tennis shoes, and such. I am not saying that proper church clothing is a western suit and tie; I am saying that if there is any occasion on earth for which we should “dress up” according to the standards of our particular culture, it would be the formal assembly of God’s people in the house of the living God, 1 Timothy 3:15. Why dress up in church? To honor God! Though American society has become casual and “sloppy” to the extreme in my lifetime (when I was born, people still wore suits and ties and modest dresses to ball games), Americans still know what it means to “dress up” in an honorable way. They dress up for formal weddings, meals at classy restaurants, and other occasions. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra still forbids pants on female players, and most people consider a formal concert by a major orchestra to be a special event and tend to dress up for the occasion. The West Wing White House tour “has a business casual dress code (no shorts, jeans, t-shirts, open toed shoes, etc.),” and when meeting with the president, “Men should wear a suit with a clean, fresh pressed shirt or khakis and a button down, also clean and pressed; guys, make sure your shoes are shined.” The same goes for an audience with the pope: “modest dress covering the shoulders and the décolleté (cleavage), falling below the knee; men dark suit coat and solid tie.” The contemporary crowd can laugh if they please, but I agree with the following: “Style is the meaning. The music, dress, and trendy look of the contemporary Independent Baptists tell us less about their view of style and so much more about their view of God. The same can be said for most events. The way we dress tells more about the way we view the event than it does about the way we view style” (Dave Mallinak, “Gone Contemporary,”https://villagesmithysite.wordpress.com/2018/08/31/gone-contemporary).
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SANCTIFICATION IN THE LIGHT OF THE RESURRECTION
…who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.
Romans 4:25
It is only in the light of the resurrection that I finally have an assurance of my sins forgiven. It is only in the light of the resurrection that I ultimately know that I stand in the presence of God absolved from guilt and shame and every condemnation. I can now say with Paul,“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) because I look at the fact of the resurrection. It is there that I know it.
You notice how Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15:17 when he says, “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” If it is not a fact that Christ literally rose from the grave, then you are still guilty before God. Your punishment has not been borne, your sins have not been dealt with, you are yet in your sins. It matters that much: Without the resurrection you have no standing at all; you are still uncertain as to whether you are forgiven and whether you are a child of God. And when one day you come to your deathbed you will not know, you will be uncertain as to where you are going and what is going to happen to you. “Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). It is in the resurrection that I stand before God free and absolved and without fear and know that I am indeed a child of God.
So you see the importance of holding on to this doctrine and why we must insist upon the details of doctrine, and not be content with some vague general belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are concerned about your life in this world and the fight against the world, the first thing to do, says the apostle Paul, is to take an overall look at the great doctrine of the resurrection of our Lord.
A Thought to Ponder: Without Christ’s resurrection you have no standing at all.
(From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 144-145, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The prophet Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.
INSIGHT
The confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal is one of the most exciting chapters in the Bible, with fire raining down from heaven — consuming meat, water, and stone! Then after Baal worship is defeated, it rains, signifying an end to that judgment. Elijah prays, “Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again” (v. 37). God does not punish His children for sin but rather chastens them in the hope that they will repent and return to Him. (QuietWalk)
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A Lesson from Idolatrous Handiwork
“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.” (Psalm 115:4-7)
The overriding lesson in this Scripture passage is the solemn admonition that we shouldn’t worship anything, including the works of our own hands, above the living God, our Creator Jesus Christ. The modern equivalent of this idolatry is the mental construct of a mystical imaginary process of nature selecting and crafting creatures—otherwise known as Darwinian evolution. This fake agent put in the place of an omnipotent Creator God is not only idolatrous but also devoid of solid scientific evidence both currently and in the fossil record.
But there’s more to glean from this text. One of humans’ unique features is their ability to purposefully engineer and craft elaborate things. This is one aspect of being created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) as compared to other living creatures. In these verses, the Lord uses this fundamental and inherently understood principle to highlight idolatry in a contrastive scenario, human engineering vs. God’s engineering. In the modern world of bioengineering, research scientists across the world use this same perception of design to imitate the elaborate systems created by God that are found in living creatures, whether they want to acknowledge it or not.
Thus, humans inherently perceive design. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
(JPT, The Institute for Creation Research)
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God Cleans the Stains
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
What if our clothes were more functional, having the ability to clean themselves after we dropped ketchup or mustard or spilled a drink on them? Well, according to the BBC, engineers in China have developed a special “coating which causes cotton to clean itself of stains and odors when exposed to ultraviolet lights.” Can you imagine the implications of having self-cleaning clothes?
A self-cleaning coating might work for stained clothes, but only God can clean a stained soul. In ancient Judah, God was angry with His people because they had “turned their backs on” Him, given themselves to corruption and evil, and were worshiping false gods (Isaiah 1:2–4). But to make matters worse, they tried to clean themselves by offering sacrifices, burning incense, saying many prayers, and gathering together in solemn assemblies. Yet their hypocritical and sinful hearts remained (vv. 12–13). The remedy was for them to come to their senses and with a repentant heart bring the stains on their souls to a holy and loving God. His grace would cleanse them and make them spiritually “white as snow” (v. 18).
When we sin, there’s no self-cleaning solution. With a humble and repentant heart, we must acknowledge our sins and place them under the cleansing light of God’s holiness. We must turn from them and return to Him. And He, the only One who cleans the stains of the soul, will offer us complete forgiveness and renewed fellowship.
(By Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread)
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TO TAKE AWAY OUR SINS
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
1 John 3:5
Why did the Son of God ever come into this world? When we think about the Lord Jesus Christ and especially about His death on that cross on Calvary’s hill, what is its purpose? Is it just something about which we sentimentalize? What does it represent to us? What is the explanation of it all?
That is the question that John answers here, and let me put the answer in a negative form. Our Lord did not only come to give us a revelation of God, though that is a part of the purpose. He said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9), and we also read, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). But that is not all, though He indeed revealed the Father and has come to do that. In the same way, He has not only come to teach us about God. There is incomparable teaching there, such as the world had never known before and has not known since, but He did not come only to do that. There is also, of course, the example of His life, a matchless one, but He has not come only to give us an example of how we should live in this world. He is not just a teacher or a moral exemplar; He has not come merely to give us some kind of picture as to the nature and being of God. All that is the re, but that is not the real reason, says John.
He has really come, he says, because of our sins, because of the predicament and the position of men and women, because of this whole question of law. He has not come only to instruct us and to give us encouragement in our endeavor and a great example. No; there is a fundamental problem at the back of it all, and that is our relationship to God in the light of God’s holy law.
A Thought to Ponder: He has not come only to instruct us and to give us encouragement in our endeavor and a great example. (From Children of God, pp. 51-52, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The End
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17)
As Peter wrote his first epistle, foremost in his mind was a desire to encourage the believers to stand firm in the face of suffering and trial. On four occasions he used the term “the end,” focusing his readers’ attention on the final resolution of all things. A study of these occurrences gives us a glimpse of the tenor of the entire book.
The first use followed an explanation of the nature and benefits of the various trials in a believer’s life. The result would be a pure, effective faith now, as well as “receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1:9), the final ultimate deliverance of our whole person.
Meanwhile, “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:13). Our minds should be completely (“to the end”) ready for action, sober and expectant, focused on the ultimate resolution of all trials.
This ultimate resolution could come at any time: “The end of all things is at hand” (4:7). Our responses should be to “be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” To be sober is to be of sound judgment, making careful decisions, not based on emotion; especially watchful as we pray, with eternity in mind.
Our text gives us the last occurrence of “the end.” The time of final judgment on both Christian and non-Christian looms nearer and nearer. But God’s cleansing of His people has already begun, and it at times is not pleasant, although beneficial. His judgment on those outside “the house of God” will be much more severe, with no opportunity for reconciliation. This warning should motivate us in our ministry to the unsaved. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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