Psalm 16
David asks LORD for refuge verse 1
Preserve me – O God – for in YOU do I put my trust
David will not worship false gods verse 2- 4
O my soul – you have said to the LORD
YOU are my Lord – my goodness extends not to YOU
BUT to the saints that are in the earth
and to the excellent – in whom is all my delight
Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god
their drink offerings of blood will I not offer
nor take up their names into my lips
David thanks LORD for his inheritance verse 5- 6
The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup
YOU maintain my lot
The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places
yea – I have a goodly heritage
David acknowledges presence of the LORD verse 7- 8
I will bless the LORD – WHO has given me counsel
my reins also instruct me in the night seasons
I have set the LORD always before me
BECAUSE HE is at my right hand
I shall not be MOVED
David wants LORD to show him the way of life verse 9- 11
THEREFORE my heart is glad – and my glory rejoices
my flesh also shall rest in hope
FOR YOU will not leave my soul in hell
neither will YOU suffer YOUR HOLY ONE
to see corruption
YOU will show me the path of life
in YOUR presence is FULLNESS of JOY
at YOUR right hand there are pleasures
forevermore
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Preserve me, O God: for in YOU do I put my trust. (8104 “Preserve” [shamar] means keep, observe, heed, keeper, guard, watch over, to maintain in safety from injury, or be careful about.)
DEVOTION: Our responsibility as followers of Jesus Christ is to make sure that we are putting our full trust in Jesus. Too often we find ourselves doubting that the LORD will help us in a given situation. This was true in the Old Testament and it is true today.
We often find ourselves in situations we didn’t want to be in but found ourselves in. It was the LORD allowing it to happen or wanting it to happen to us to make us aware that HE was in control of our lives and was doing what was best for us.
We are supposed to grow in our relationship with HIM and that only happens when HE sends trials our way. Sometimes we get into them on our own but even then we have HIM to turn to for help.
David was praying for the LORD to keep him from dying or something else. He know that the LORD was the only one who would keep him until HE was done with him on this earth.
This is true in our life as well. HE allows things to happen in our lives to cause us to grow in our faith. Sometimes the things HE allows are not nice but they are for our good and we should realize it.
There have been times in my life where I wished HE didn’t allow things to happen that did and it has always been for my good. HE knew better than me.
Has HE done things in your life that you would rather HE didn’t do? Has it caused you to grow in your relationship to HIM and to others? We are to thank the LORD for all that HE allows in our life because it is always for our good.
CHALLENGE: Did you praise the LORD for something that wasn’t very nice from your perspective? Can you do it now?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all
my delight. (117 “excellent” [’addiyr] means noble, mighty, majestic,
principal, famous, nobles, chieftains, or servants.)
DEVOTION: It is hard to realize that there are people that the LORD considers “saints.” It is hard to think of ourselves and other believers as someone that the LORD delights in.
Yet we find that there are people in the past and in the present that the LORD considers to be genuine followers of HIM even though they are people who sin on a daily basis. It is hard to understand how HE works.
Every saint is a sinner that is saved by grace. We are to be ones who try to live a life that is pleasing to HIM but even with our trying we still sin on a daily basis. Yet HE still loves us and works in our lives.
Our group is small compared to the whole population of the world but we are still a group that can be a witness to the rest of the world of the grace that the LORD allows in our lives. We can also share the truth of the love of God with others even when they reject the offer of salvation.
They are going to be without excuse when they meet the LORD for judgment for their refusal of HIS salvation.
As a believer it is hard to understand why so many people reject the truth of the Word of God and think that they still might spend eternity in heaven with a Holy God. Yet there are people who think that they are not “that bad.”
Our responsibility is to share the truth of the Word of God and tell them that the LORD can delight in them if they will become a follower of HIM.
CHALLENGE: Share the truth of the Word of God with someone today. It might be their day of salvation.
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: 6 “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good
inheritance.” The New King James Version (Nashville:
Thomas Nelson, 1982) (2506 חֵלֶק, חֵלֶק [cheleq /khay·lek/] 1 portion, share,
part, territory. 1A portion, share. 1B portion, tract, parcel (of land). 1C
one’s portion, one’s possession. 1D (chosen) portion. 1E portion, award
(from God). James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon
DEVOTION: Count your blessings, name one by one and it will surprise you what the LORD has done! In direct address to the Lord, the psalmist extolled His blessings. David compared the LORD to a portion (cf. 73:26; 119:57; 142:5) allotted to him by inheritance. The Lord was all he needed to satisfy his heart in life. Besides his portion and his cup, the Lord had assigned him a delightful inheritance. The Lord had given him a wonderfully full life. In spite of the difficulties and the nights spent in the desert and mountains David expressed his thankfulness to the LORD!
CHALLENGE: Take time to count your blessings and perhaps write them out so you can see what the Lord has done for you today! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 10 For you will not leave my soul in hell; neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption. (7585 “hell” [sh@ol] means sheol {Old Testament designation for the place of the dead}, underworld, grave, or pit.)
DEVOTION: The contrast between two worldviews is evident in this psalm of David. There are people who are worshiping false gods in Israel. David will have nothing to do with this type of worship.
He wants the LORD to know that he trusts in HIM alone. Not only does he trust in the LORD but HE delights in the LORD.
Why does he delight in the LORD? HE has provided him with an inheritance. HE has given him counsel. HE has given him instruction. HE has given him HIS presence in times of trouble.
What does this cause David to do? It causes him to praise the LORD. He is rejoicing in the LORD. He has hope in a world full of problems.
David is also writing about his resurrection, but is also, talking about the Holy One who Acts 2, implies it was Christ.
David knew that he was going to have a life after death with the LORD. David knew that he had an inheritance waiting for him in the afterlife. David listened to the LORD even in the nighttime. He didn’t worship false gods. He knew that this life was short. He rested in the LORD while he lived his life on this earth.
We have that same assurance of an inheritance if we follow Christ as our personal Savior. We might see the grave with our body but our soul and spirit will be with the LORD immediately after death.
There are many in the world that think that if they go to church or offer sacrifices they are OK with God. That is not true. Only those who have repented of their sins and are living for the LORD are on their way to heaven.
The LORD orders their steps on a daily basis through HIS word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Are we living our lives on a daily basis communicating with the LORD? The LORD while HE was here on the earth communicated with the Father on a regular basis. This verse has been applied to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Do we fear death? Should we fear death? NO!!! Because of Christ we have hope and an inheritance in heaven for eternity. There should be no fear of death in the life of a Christian because Christ has conquered death – it has no sting.
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:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.<![if !supportNestedAnchors]><![endif]>” (Right hand, 3325, יָמִין [yamiyn], right, right hand, right side.)
DEVOTION: This psalm refers to the fullness of joy and pleasures that are for those who are close to God. The reason that these are described in this way is that the psalmist is trying to entice people to draw closer to God, so as to enjoy HIM. This psalm of praise, then, contrasts with many of the psalms we have already studied in that it does not picture God as fearsome and powerful, but rather someone who is close and intimate.
David uses an anthropomorphism in this psalm to describe his relationship with God. We know that God does not have two hands in the same way that we do, and yet David was seeking to draw an analogy to how people on the right hand of someone had the closest relationship with that person. We still use this analogy when we talk about someone being the “right hand man” of someone else. Jesus is even said to have ascended to the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1).
The question how close you and want to get to God. Many are happy to keep God at arm’s length, happy to have a form of “fire insurance,” without really drawing close to God. But drawing closer to HIM means that we have to become more like HIM, and that means that we will have to do what HE says to do in our lives. In other words, we can no longer be the captains of our own lives.
CHALLENGE: Do you really want to be used by God? If so, you will need to allow HIM to be the Lord of your life, and then you will truly enjoy the closeness to HIM that HE intends for you to enjoy. (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 to the LORD verse 1, 10, 11
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 5, 7, 8
Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner) verse 2
Delights in saints and excellent verse 3
Presence is fullness of joy verse 11
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
HOLY ONE verse 10
Not leave soul in hell verse 10
Not see corruption verse 10
Right hand of Father verse 11
peasures for evermore
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)
Hasten after another god verse 4
Offer up drink offerings to other gods verse 4
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Worship other gods verse 4
Offering sacrifices to other gods verse 4
Corruption verse 10
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Preservation verse 1
Trust verse 1
Goodness verse 2
Saints verse 3
Excellent verse 3
Inheritance verse 5
Lot verse 5
Heritage verse 6
Bless verse 7
Counsel verse 7
Instruct verse 7
Presence verse 8, 11
Security verse 8
Glad heart verse 9
Rejoicing verse 9
Hope verse 9
Path of life verse 11
Fullness of joy verse 11
Pleasures verse 11
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David wrote this Psalm verse 1- 11
Wants to be preserved
Puts his trust in the LORD
Said “ You are my LORD”
LORD is my portion
Goodly heritage
I will bless the LORD
Given counsel from the LORD
Instructed in night seasons
LORD is always before me
LORD at my right hand
I shall not be moved
My heart is glad
My glory rejoices
My flesh shall rest in hope
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Hell verse 10
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
1 The psalm opens with words of trust in God (El), who alone is able to give shelter. The expectation of safe-keeping is grounded in God’s promise to keep and to guard the members of the covenant community who seek “refuge” in him (cf. 7:1; 11:1; 17:7) as an indication of his presence. The psalmist does not clearly state whether the particular occasion is the actions of the godless (v. 4) or personal sickness (v. 10). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 154). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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4. There is a distinct echo of the story of the fall in the phrase, multiply their sorrows, since very similar words were spoken to Eve in the Hebrew of Genesis 3:16. There could hardly be a more ominous allusion to what follows from apostasy. The nature of the choice is clear enough from the rest of the verse; but the word god is lacking, and the verb translated choose is debatable, suggesting to most translators ‘hasten’; to others, ‘exchange’;45 while some have tentatively considered ‘acquire as a bride’, since ‘bride-price’ has the same consonants. The first translation, ‘hasten’, or its equivalent, remains the simplest. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 101). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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16:3–4. Based on his commitment to the Lord, the psalmist described the society of friends with whom he was identified. He delighted in godly people (saints) in the land, whom he considered to be the noble (glorious) ones. God had called His people to be a holy nation (Ex. 19:6), and God’s servant recognized that such were his company. They were the faithful who served the Lord. The others, those … who run after other gods, will face sorrows and difficulties. David would not endorse their actions, or help them with their vain worship, or even mention the names of their gods. His loyalty was with righteous believers. (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. 804). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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A good companionship (vv. 3–4). We don’t live the Christian life alone, because we’re part of a great spiritual family and need each other. As in previous psalms, two groups are depicted: the believing remnant (“saints”) and the unbelieving worshipers of idols (10:8–10; 11:2–3; 12; 14:5–6). The saints are those who trust God and obey His covenant, those who are set apart for the Lord. They take seriously God’s command, “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 19:2; 20:7–8, 26; 21:8). Israel was a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6; Deut. 7:6) and a holy nation, just as the church is today (1 Peter 2:9). David called them “the majestic ones” (nasb), a word that carries the meaning of excellence, nobility, and glory. In spite of our faults and failures, believers are God’s elite, His nobility on earth. We must all love one another and use our God-given abilities and resources to minister to the family of God (Gal. 6:1–10). Like David, we must not compromise with those who disobey the Lord and worship idols (money, success, fame, etc.) but should seek to lead them to Jesus Christ, the source of all that is good and lasting. Multiplied gods only bring multiplied sorrows. David didn’t even want to speak the names of the false gods of those in Israel who forsook the covenant (Ex. 23:13; Josh. 23:7). We are not to be isolationists, for the Lord has left us in this world to be salt and light; but we must be careful not to be defiled by their sins (James 1:27; 4:4; Rom. 12:2). No church is perfect, because no believer is perfect; but let’s still give thanks for the people of God and seek to encourage them all we can. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 66). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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16:4 He will have nothing to do with false gods or the people pursuing them. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 16:4). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 4. Their sorrows shall be multiplied, &c.] Not the sorrows of the saints and excellent ones, by seeing the idolatry of men, as Aben Ezra interprets it; but the sorrows of such that hasten after another god; a false god, an idol, to serve and worship it; for, generally speaking, idolaters are more forward, eager, and hasty to attend a false worship, than the worshippers of the true God are to attend his service: now their sorrows are many, even in their worship, by cutting their bodies with knives and lancets, as the worshippers of Baal did; and by sacrificing their own children, which, notwithstanding their rash and precipitate zeal, could not fail of giving them pain and uneasiness; and, besides temporal punishments inflicted on them for their idolatry by God, and stings of conscience, which must sometimes attend them, the wrath of God lies upon them, and they will have their portion in the lake of fire, and the smoke of their torment will ascend for ever and ever. Some render the words, their idols are multiplied; and so the Chaldee paraphrase, “they multiply their idols, and after that hasten to offer their sacrifices;” when men leave the true God, they know not where to stop; the Heathens had not less than thirty thousand gods, and the Jews when they fell into idolatry ran in the same way, Jer. 2:28 and 11:13; Hos. 8:11. The word God is not in the original text, though the supplement is countenanced by the Jewish writers, who interpret it in this way; but I rather think the text is to be understood not of Heathen idolaters, but of unbelieving Jews, who, rejecting the true Messiah, hasten after another Messiah, king, and saviour; when Jesus the true Messiah came they received him not; but when another came in his own name they were eager to embrace him, John 5:43 and to this day they are hastening after another; and in their daily prayers pray that the coming of the Messiah might be במהירה, in haste, in their days; and the sense of the passage is, that the sorrows of the Jews, rejecting the Messiah and hastening after another, would come thick and fast upon them, until wrath came upon them to the uttermost, Matt. 24:6–8; 1 Thess. 2:16 and it holds good of all, whether Jews or Gentiles, that hasten after another Saviour; that say to the works of their hands, that they are their gods, or go about to establish a righteousness of their own, or seek for life and salvation by their own doings; these, sooner or later, will lie down in sorrow, Isa. 50:11. Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer; meaning not the libations of the Gentiles, which were not wine, according to the law, Numb. 15:10. but blood, even sometimes human blood; but the sacrifices of the Jews, which were either got by blood, murders and robberies, and on that account were hateful to God, Isa. 61:8. or rather the sacrifices of bloodthirsty persons, whose hands were full of blood, Isa. 1:11–15 and such were the offerings of the priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, in Christ’s time, who were the children of them that killed the prophets, and sought after the blood of Christ. Or it may be rendered, I will not offer their drink-offerings because of blood; meaning his own blood shed for the remission of sins, which being obtained, there remains no more offering for sin; and so the words may express the abolition of all legal sacrifices, and the causing of them to cease through the blood and sacrifice of Christ. This shews the person speaking to be a priest, and therefore could not be David, but must be the Messiah, who is a priest after the order of Melchizedek; and who had a better sacrifice to offer up than any of the offerings of the Jews, even his own self, by which he has put away sin for ever. He adds, nor take up their names into my lips; not the names of idol-deities, nor of their worshippers, but of the Jews that rejected him as the Messiah, for whom he would not pray, John 17:9 and so as he refused to offer their sacrifices, he would not perform the other part of his priestly office for them in intercession; though this may also have respect to the rejection of the Jewish nation as the people of God; writing a lo-ammi upon them, declaring them to be no longer the children of the living God; leaving their names for a curse, a taunt, and a proverb in every place; expressing the utmost abhorrence of them, and shewing the utmost indignation at them, as persons whose names were not worthy or fit to be mentioned, Eph. 5:3. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 582–583). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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Verse 4.—“Drink offerings of blood.” The Gentiles used to offer, and sometimes to drink part of the blood of their sacrifices, whether of beasts or of men, as either of them were sacrificed.—Matthew Poole.
Verse 4.—“Drink offerings of blood.” It is uncertain whether this expression is to be understood literally to be blood, which the heathen actually mixed in their libations when they bound themselves to the commission of some dreadful deed, or whether their libations are figuratively called offerings of blood to denote the horror with which the writer regarded them.—George R. Noyes, in loc, 1846.
Verse 4 (last clause).—A sin rolled under the tongue becomes soft and supple, and the throat is so short and slippery a passage, that insensibly it may slide down from the mouth into the stomach; and contemplative wantonness quickly turns into practical uncleanness.—Thomas Fuller. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 1-26 (Vol. 1, p. 202). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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4. It is easy to perceive to what those expressions have reference. No sacrifices could atone for sin, neither satisfy the guilty conscience. If the sacrifices under the law were offered by Israel, with an eye of faith to Jesus, then they were sweetly satisfying and consolatory. But, void of this, it was not possible that the blood of bulls, and of goats, should take away sin. Heb. 10:4. It is remarkable, and very conclusive on this subject, that Christ never, in all his ministry, spake of the law sacrifices but with an eye to the sacrifice of himself. Matt. 20:28. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Job–Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 206). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Philippians 3
Our goal in life should be to forsake temporal things for the sake of the eternal
INSIGHT
Benjamin Franklin once decided to become morally perfect. He chose 13 qualities he felt embodied moral perfection and tried to perfect one a week – at the end of 13 weeks he would be morally perfect. He failed, yet later wrote he had become a much better man for trying and failing than if he had never tried at all. Our situation with the Lord is similar. We will never become morally perfect, as Paul writes, but we can experience maturation as we grow into the image of Christ. (QuietWalk)
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THE DIVINE SEED
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him.
1 John 3:9
The power of sin is not immediately destroyed in us. God has chosen to do this work gradually. This word “seed” is rather significant. Does that not simply mean God’s method and plan in every realm? In the realm of nature you sow the seed, but it may be weeks and months and perhaps years before you get the full bloom. Why does God do it like that? My answer is, I do not know, but that is God’s method; it is His way, and it seems to me that is what we are taught in the Scriptures. We are taught about being “babes in Christ,” we are taught about growing and developing, we are taught about “growing in grace.” John has already dealt with that when he said, “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).
It is a process, a development, and surely if we do not interpret a section like this in that way, then it means that we are denying what he has already told us in the first chapter: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (verse 8).
John’s object in writing is “that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father” (2:1). But why is that if the Christian is immediately delivered and made perfect? This is a great mystery. It is not for us to understand, but we must face the facts. We must realize that experience, the experience of the greatest saints, denies the teaching of sinless perfection, and we see that it is not in accordance with the teaching of Scripture.
John exhorts us to strive to purify and cleanse ourselves and to interpret Scripture in our daily lives. We do not just have to submit and resign ourselves in order to be made perfect; we are to understand the Scriptures and their doctrine. We are to see their implication and to implement them in our daily lives.
A Thought to Ponder: Sinless perfection is not in accordance with the teaching of Scripture. (From Children of God, pp. 79-80, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have” Thomas Jefferson
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Splitting Headache
“For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. MALACHI 2:16
This poem was written by Jen Abbas, then an 18-year-old child of divorce. I’ve arranged it a little differently on this page than it appears in her book, Generation EX, to make it fit. Its message is too important to allow form to quiet its voice. Listen to “The Eruption.” Divorce is like a trembling earthquake, The world shakes, rumbling with rage, And all the anger, guilt, and frustrations That have been festering for so long below the surface Suddenly spew upward in an inferno of hate or apathy. At times the earth calms and you think the turmoil is over, Settled, stable, but then the cycle begins again, Repeating, repeating, repeating.
You are weary, you want to rest, And that is when you realize the shaking has stopped, But there is an eerie feeling lurking in the air.
You are hesitant to believe anything anymore, You are so tired after struggling for so long, And so you rest on the one solid patch of land, Only to watch it split in two, Two separate, distinct parts that will never come together again. Each new patch supports part of you, And as you watch, they pull away. This is the type of poem that breaks my heart because it represents so many children who are torn apart by divorce. No matter what you are experiencing in your marriage, and no matter how tough it is, just remember the impact that staying together will have on your children.
DISCUSS: Promise each other that this will never be the heart’s cry of your children. Talk about who you should consider sending this poem to right now. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis & Barbara Rainey)
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The Pandemic of Loneliness: The Church Has the Answer
by Eric Metaxas and Stan Guthrie
It’s become a truism: Never have we been more “connected” as Americans—and never have we felt lonelier.
According to a nationwide study of 20,000 people by the Cigna health insurance company, nearly half of respondents say they feel alone or left out always or some of the time. Reporting on the research, National Public Radio states, “Fifty-six percent reported they sometimes or always felt as if the people around them ‘are not necessarily with them.’” Forty percent said, “they lack companionship,” and their “relationships aren’t meaningful,” and that they experience feelings of isolation.
Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Cigna found that “most Americans are considered lonely.” The average score on this scale is 44, with higher numbers indicating more loneliness; but this social malady isn’t distributed evenly across the age groups.
Somewhat counter-intuitively, it seems that the younger you are, the lonelier you feel.
The so-called “Greatest Generation”—those aged 72 and older—is the least lonely group, scoring an average of 38.6 on the Loneliness Scale, followed by Baby Boomers, then Millennials. The loneliest group is also the youngest—Generation Z, those born in the mid-1990s to early 2000s, with an average score of 48.3.
Now it’s easy for us older folks to point the finger at social media for the rise in loneliness, and we may have a point. Back in 2017, psychologist Jean Twenge of San Diego State University suggested that increased screen and social media time may have caused a jump in depression and suicide among American young people. There’s a world of difference, after all, between a virtual community and a real one.
Writing in CT Women, Enuma Okoro observes that “the false sense of intimacy created in the virtual world fails to satisfy people’s real needs for knowing others and being known by others.” She adds, “After all, being lonely is not necessarily about a-lone-ness, but about lack of intimate, meaningful connection.”
Loneliness quite literally is hazardous to your health, leading to increased levels of depression, drug addiction, and suicide. Which is why, as my colleague John Stonestreet has mentioned on “The Point,” the British government has now established a “minister of loneliness”
Starting in the Garden, we human beings were created for community under God’s loving care, and when we don’t get it, bad things happen. We’ll attempt to fill our restless, lonely hearts with whatever is nearest at hand. As Augustine of Hippo stated so perceptively, “Sin comes when we take a perfectly natural desire or longing or ambition and try desperately to fulfill it without God.”
One lesson for the church is obvious: We must remember we are one Body in Jesus Christ. No member goes it alone. In a culture in which everyone seems “connected” doesn’t even know their next-door neighbors, Christians are members one of another. When one member suffers, we all suffer. When one of us rejoices, we all rejoice. As the Bible says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). That is our calling.
Do we always experience this kind of soul-satisfying fellowship? Sadly, no. The good news is that we can help one another grow in this holy task. Okoro says, “As Christians, we’re called to train one another in the theological virtue of caritas, as understood by Thomas Aquinas as friendship with God that ultimately leads to deepened friendship with one another . . . [cultivating] more genuine depths of safe intimacy with one another not merely for our own sakes but for the sake of the one who first called us friends and never sent his disciples out alone.”
And when we do, our Christian faith can become very attractive indeed to our lonely neighbors, young and old alike.
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When Christ Ascended
“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?)” (Ephesians 4:8-9)
This verse has been controversial but is nonetheless very important. The context is taken from Psalm 68:17-20: “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels:…Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive:…our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.”
The psalmist is apparently describing the Lord among His heavenly hosts, riding home as a mighty king returning with the spoils of battle. Evidently this battle prize consisted of His own people who had been held captive in an alien land but who now had been captured from the enemy by the returning King. To do this, the King (none other than the Lord Jesus Himself) “ascended up on high,” leading them to His own throne in the heavens.
But first He had to descend to the earth, and then even to “the lower parts of the earth.” This unusual phrase must refer to the great pit in the center of the earth confining the souls of the dead—the place called Hades.
One of Christ’s purposes on Earth was “to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). That is exactly what He did when He died on the cross for the sins of these very captives, then, in the Spirit, descended into Hades to set them free.
He returned with the very “keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:18), alive forevermore. The souls of those who had died in faith came with Him, finally ascending with Him into “paradise,” in “the third heaven” (note Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4) to wait with Him for His future return to reclaim the whole earth.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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