PSALM 22
David wondered why God doesn’t answer [Messiah] verse 1- 2
My God – my God – why have YOU forsaken ME?
why are YOU so far from helping ME
and from the words of MY roaring?
O MY God – I cry in the daytime – BUT YOU heard not
and in the night season – and am not silent
LORD answered prayers in the past verse 3- 5
BUT YOU are holy – O YOU that inhabits the praises of Israel
our fathers trusted in YOU – they trusted
and YOU did deliver them
They cried to YOU – and were delivered
they trusted in YOU – and were not confounded
Crowd sneers at ones who trust the LORD verse 6- 8
BUT I am a worm – and no man – a reproach of men
and despised of the people – all they that see ME laugh
ME to scorn – they shoot out the lip
They shake the head
saying
HE trusted on the LORD that HE would deliver HIM
let HIM deliver HIM – seeing HE delighted in HIM
One suffering has trusted the LORD from birth verse 9- 10
BUT YOU are HE
that took ME out of the womb
YOU did make ME hope when I was upon MY mother’s breasts
I was cast upon THEE from the womb
YOU are MY God from MY mother’s belly
Enemies surround the one suffering verse 11- 13
Be not far from ME
FOR trouble is near – FOR there is none to help
many bulls of Bashan have beset ME round
they gaped upon ME with their mouths
as a ravening and a roaring lion
One suffering has bones out of joint verse 14- 18
I am poured out like water – and all MY bones are out of joint
MY heart is like wax
it is melted in the midst of MY bowels
MY strength is dried up like a potsherd
MY tongue cleaves to MY jaws
And YOU have brought ME into the dust of death
for dogs have compassed ME
the assembly of the wicked have enclosed ME
they PIERCED MY hands and MY feet
I may tell all MY bones
they look and stare upon ME
they PART MY GARMENTS among them
and cast lots upon MY vesture
One suffering wants the LORD to deliver him verse 19- 21
BUT be not YOU far from ME – O LORD – O MY strength
haste YOU to help ME
Deliver MY soul from the sword
MY darling from the power of the dog
Save ME from the lion’s mouth
FOR YOU have heard ME from the horns of the unicorns
One suffering wants all to praise the LORD verse 22- 24
I will declare YOUR name unto MY brethren
in the midst of the congregation will I praise YOU
You that fear the LORD – praise HIM
all you seed of Jacob – glorify HIM – and fear HIM
all you the seed of Israel
FOR HE hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted neither has HE hid HIS face from HIM
BUT when HE cried unto HIM – HE HEARD
One suffering says one day all will worship the LORD verse 25- 28
MY praise shall be of YOU in the great congregation
I will pay MY vows before them that fear HIM
the meek shall eat and be satisfied
they shall praise the LORD that seek HIM
your heart shall live forever
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD
and all the kindreds of the nations shall WORSHIP before YOU
FOR the kingdom is the LORD’S
and HE is the GOVERNOR among the nations
One suffering states that all will hear about the LORD verse 29- 31
All they that be FAT upon earth shall eat and WORSHIP
all they that go down to the dust shall bow before HIM
and none can keep alive his own soul
A seed shall serve HIM – it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation
they shall come – and shall declare HIS righteousness
unto the people that shall be born
that HE hath done this
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of My groaning?” The New King James Version (5800 עָזַב, עָזַב [ʿazab /aw·zab/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 1594, 1595; GK 6440 and 6441; 215 occurrences; AV translates as “forsake” 129 times, “leave” 72 times, “leave off” four times, “faileth” twice, “fortify” twice, “help” twice, “committeth” once, “destitute” once, “refuseth” once, and “surely” once. 1 to leave, loose, forsake. 1A (Qal) to leave. 1A1 to depart from, leave behind, leave, let alone. 1A2 to leave, abandon, forsake, neglect, apostatise. 1A3 to let loose, set free, let go, free. 1B (Niphal). 1B1 to be left to. 1B2 to be forsaken. 1C (Pual) to be deserted. 2 to restore, repair. 2A (Qal) to repair. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon)
DEVOTION: If you have ever felt like you were completely alone and surrounded by enemies then you know what the psalmist is feeling as he writes these words in this psalm. To hear and feel the scorn and sarcasm of people as they try to destroy or make you feel insignificant is awfully hard to endure. The psalmist apparently felt forsaken by God as well, as he was surrounded by his enemies’ scornful persecution. He lamented his tremendous suffering and his desperate struggle with death, pleading with God to deliver him from such a horrible end. Apparently, his prayer was answered, for he was able to declare to the elect and to the world that the Lord answered his prayer.
When that happens we rejoice and give God the glory! It is the interim when we are suffering and crying out for relief that we need to remember this psalm.
CHALLENGE: Today if you are repeating the words of verse 1 and asking God why he has forsaken remember what the Lord’s promises are and how Jesus fulfilled all the painful phrases of this psalm on the cross. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 4 Our fathers trusted in YOU: they trusted and YOU did deliver them. (982 “trusted” [batach] means to be confident, unsuspecting, to have a strong confidence or reliance upon someone or something, lead to believe, or inspired trust)
DEVOTION: History is important. We can learn from history what works and what doesn’t work in the lives of those who are looking for someone or something to trust. Here we have a testimony of David regarding the ability to have confidence in the LORD.
His fathers trusted in HIM and he thought that he should trust in HIM because of the truth of history regarding how the LORD took care of the children of Israel. David is telling those who are listening that they can still trust in the LORD. HE will not let them down.
Each of us needs deliverance at times in our life. Sometimes we think everything is OK and we don’t really need the help of the LORD but then there are times when we realize that that is a false statement because we ALWAYS need the help of the LORD to get through our daily lives.
During the time of David there were always enemies within the kingdom and outside the kingdom. Trust was an issue as it is today.
Who do you trust to help you during your hard times? Can you always trust in people who are around you? Should you be able to trust those who are around you? The answer should be “YES.”
However, as David found out and we find out at times there are some people we think we can trust but the LORD is the one we can always trust. HE has a proven record of helping HIS people through the good times and the hard times.
CHALLENGE: We have to trust someone at times in our lives and it should be the LORD if we are believer. We have many examples of this from the past.
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: 16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. (4141 “compassed” [muwcab] means to encircle or extend on all sides of simultaneously, procession around, or surround)
DEVOTION: Have you ever felt like you were surrounded by those who didn’t love you? Have you had a group of people come to us with questions regarding what you are doing and why? Do you have any people that you would consider to be your enemies?
David had these types of people around him, it seems, all of his life. He had to run from Saul. He had to run from his son. He had to hide. His life was not easy but it is the one that the LORD picked for him.
The example of David and his trials were used as examples of what was going to happen to Christ when HE came to this earth. HE was God the Son but HE was also in human form and others didn’t like someone who was in a human body telling them the things that HE taught.
There were many religious people in Jesus time on earth and each had their own believes and agenda. HE was not included in their agenda and all they thought of was getting rid of HIM.
This was true of David at times in his life. He had people hunting him. He had family that didn’t like him. He was tempted that same as all of us but his fall is recorded in the Bible for all to read.
What would we think if all of our sins or failures were recorded in a book for all to read? It would not be nice. David thought that these people were like dogs going after a bone. We might have the same feelings at times but the LORD was with David and HE is with us if we are genuine follower of the LORD. Trust HIM to help through all the trials HE allows in our lives just as David had to.
CHALLENGE: When you feel the world is against you turn to the Word of God and prayer and the LORD will comfort you through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and HIS human servants as well.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. (3173 “darling” [yachiyd] means only, only one, solitary, one, only child or only begotten one)
DEVOTION: The Old Testament gives us many clues to the coming Messiah that was predicted first in Genesis 3: 15. All through the life of Israel they were looking for the Messiah. The name Christ means Messiah or Anointed one. HE came to die on the cross to provide salvation to all. Not all will be followers because they will refuse the gift of eternal life offered to them. It is available to all.
This is the first of three consecutive psalms that give an overview of the life of the Messiah. This psalm deals with the death and resurrection of the Messiah. This verse relays the fact that the Messiah is the only one. HE is the only begotten of the Father.
The New Testament calls HIM the “only begotten.” Here the psalmist, David, as asking the LORD to keep the Messiah from the power of the enemy. Dogs were wild beasts that would attack for food.
The one who is attacking the Messiah is Satan. He is a dog. He used the religious leaders and the people to do his dirty work. They yelled to have Christ crucified. They listened to the religious leaders.
The Messiah was going to have HIS hands and feet pierced. He was going to have his garments gambled over. Most of all, we read the first verse which reads “My God, my God, why hast THOU forsaken ME?” On the cross Christ asked this question of the Father.
We realize that the reason Christ was on the cross was to shed HIS blood for the remission of our sins. HE died to give the whole world the opportunity to be followers of HIM. HE was offering a wedding garment to all who would become followers of HIM.
Most of the world doesn’t want to be married to Christ. They will not put on the wedding garment. Those outside of Christ want nothing to do with HIM for all eternity.
The last part of this psalm is praise. It deals with worship and praise to the LORD for what HE has done for HIS people. Are we praising HIM for our salvation? Are we sharing our relationship with other? Are we teaching the Word of God to others? The cross was real. Is our faith real to those around us?
CHALLENGE: Meditate on all that Christ went through to provide your salvation. HE provided the only way to go to heaven. Have you said “Thank you” lately? We serve a God who sent HIS only begotten Son to die for us. Praise HIS name!!!
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:31 “They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness. Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.” (People, 5971 עַם, [ʿam], nation, people. 1a people, nation. 1b persons, members of one’s people, compatriots, country-men. 2 kinsman, kindred. [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.])
DEVOTION: God’s desire is for all the people of the world to come to know Him. God’s plan for Israel was for all the nations of the earth to be blessed through them. This psalm is a Messianic psalm, predicting the sufferings of Christ on the cross. The death of the Messiah was ultimately to redeem people from their sins.
The Israelites were to be a witness to the awesomeness of God and make others want to obey Him. How was this to happen? It was to be the result of each of them reminding his family members of the past actions and character of God, including His righteousness. As the family groups were strengthened in their realization of who God was, then others around them would be influenced. However, because the family broke down in Israel over idol worship, they were no longer a light to the world, and God allowed them to be conquered by surrounding nations.
God still desires for all nations to come to know Him (2 Peter 3:9). That means that we are to go about declaring His righteousness to those around us who are closest to us, even if this is politically incorrect. Some view missions as applying only to those who leave their home culture and move to another faraway culture to tell people about Christ. But missions starts at home. Our families are the primary means by which we pass on the Gospel, and we should be making every effort to be sure that those in our family (including our children) are aware of who God is and what HE has done.
CHALLENGE: What are we doing to become the people of God? How are we seeking to reach the next generation for Him? Who in your family are you praying would become a Christian? If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
David’s prayer for help verse 1- 22
Cried verse 5
Afflicted pray to the LORD verse 24
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Praises of Israel verse 3
Declare name of LORD verse 22
Congregation verse 22
Praise verse 22, 23, 25, 26
Great congregation verse 25
Vows verse 25
All nations shall worship the LORD verse 27
Worship verse 29
Declare HIS righteousness verse 31
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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, 2, 10
God is holy verse 3
God is to be praised verse 3
God is to be trusted verse 4
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 8, 19, 23,
26- 28, 30
Strength verse 19
Help verse 19
Deliverer verse 20
Fear the LORD verse 23, 25
Kingdom is the LORD’S verse 28
Governor of the nations verse 28
Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner) verse 30
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Christ on the cross verse 1, 16, 18
My God, my God why hast thou
forsaken me?
…thy pierced my hands and my feet
they part my garments among them,
and cast lots upon my vesture
Governor verse 28
Bow before HIM verse 29
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)
Meek verse 26
Ends of the earth will turn to the LORD verse 27
Nations verse 27
None can keep alive his own soul verse 29
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Scorn verse 7
Trouble verse 11
Wicked verse 16
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Deliverance verse 4, 5, 8, 21
Trust verse 4, 8
Not confounded verse 5
Delighted verse 8
Hope verse 9
Fear the LORD verse 23, 25
Praise verse 23
Glorify verse 23
Cry to the LORD and HE hears verse 24
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David verse 1- 31
Felt forsaken by God at times
Cried but thought the LORD didn’t hear
I am a worm
Reproach of men
Despised of the people
Laugh me to scorn
Delighted in the LORD
Mother’s breasts
Mother’s belly
None to help
Haste to help me
Declare God’s name to brethren
Israel verse 3
Fathers verse 4
delivered by God
Bulls of Bashan verse 12
Brethren verse 22
Jacob verse 23
Seed of Israel verse 23
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Dust of death verse 15
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
Ver. 24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, &c.] That is, Christ, who was afflicted by men, both by their tongues, and by their hands; by devils, by the temptations of Satan; for Christ suffered being tempted, though he was not overcome; and by his attacks upon him, both in the garden and on the cross; and by the Lord himself, Jehovah his Father, who laid on him the iniquity and chastisement of his people, bruised him, and put him to grief; awoke the sword of justice against him, and spared him not: his afflictions were many, both in body and soul; in body, being scourged, buffeted, bruised, pierced, racked, and tortured on the cross; in soul, being made exceeding sorrowful, and an offering for sin; sustaining his father’s wrath, and seeing and enduring affliction by the rod of it; see Isa. 53:4, 7. now, though his afflictions and sufferings were despised by men, and he was despised and abhorred on account of them; yet not by his father, he took pleasure in them, and in him as suffering for his people; not simply considered, as if he delighted in his sufferings as such, but as they were agreeable to his counsel and covenant, and brought about the salvation of his chosen ones: he accepted them in the room and stead of his people; the sacrifice of Christ was of a sweet-smelling savour to him; he was well-pleased with his righteousness, his law being magnified and made honourable by it; and his death was precious in his sight, being the propitiation for the sins of his people; so far was he from despising and abhorring the afflictions of his son. And this is mentioned as a reason or argument for praise and thanksgiving in them that fear the Lord; since God has looked upon the redemption-price his son has paid for them sufficient; has not despised, but accepted of it as the ransom of their souls: some render the words, the prayer of the afflicted; so the Targum, and the Septuagint version, and the versions that follow that; which agrees with the next words: neither hath he hid his face from him; when men did, as ashamed of him, Isa. 53:3. for though he forsook him for a while, and in a little wrath hid his face from him for a moment, that he might bear the whole curse of the law for us; yet he returned again, and did not hide his face from him for ever. But when he cried unto him, he heard; cried not only on account of his crucifiers, that God would forgive them; but on account of himself, that he would not be afar off from him; that he would take his spirit or soul into his hands, into which he committed it; that he would deliver him from the power of death and the grave, and loose their bands; in all which he was heard, Heb. 5:7. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 623–624). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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22:23–26. Then the psalmist called on the congregation to praise the Lord with him because He did not despise the afflicted one (the suffering psalmist) but listened to his cry for help (cf. vv. 1–2) and answered his prayer. On the basis of this praise David said he would fulfill his vows and he encouraged the congregation to praise the Lord with him. Moreover, he encouraged them to keep on praying (may your hearts live forever means “do not give up”; cf. “heart” in v. 14). (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. 811). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The great assembly (vv. 22–25). There is no biblical evidence that Jesus appeared to any unbelievers in the days immediately after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1–7). “The great congregation” (assembly) included those who believed in Jesus who became a part of His church when the Spirit came at Pentecost. But the church is made up of believing Jews and Gentiles who form one body in Christ (Eph. 2:11ff), so the song included the seed of Jacob (Israel). The first Christians were Jewish believers, and all Gentiles in the church are, by faith, the children of Abraham (Gal. 3:26–29). God did not despise His Son in whom He is well pleased (v. 24), but accepted His work on the cross and proved it by raising Him from the dead (Rom. 4:24–25). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 92). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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This psalm follows the pattern of many individual complaint psalms in that it begins with a cry for help and concludes in assurance of deliverance with a promise to fulfill vows. The triumphant conclusion is unusually long. David’s situation is a type of the sufferings and resurrection of Christ. The psalm anticipates Christ’s outcry from the cross (Matt. 27:46), the mockery He received (Luke 23:35), His pain and thirst (John 19:28), the piercing of His hands and feet, and the casting of lots for His clothes (John 19:23–24). But it also looks forward to His victory and the coming of people from all nations to submit to Him. (See “Christ in the Psalms.”) (Garrett, D. A. (1998). The Poetic and Wisdom Books. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.), Holman concise Bible commentary (p. 222). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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24. “For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted.” Here is good matter and motive for praise. The experience of our covenant Head and Representative should encourage all of us to bless the God of grace. Never was man so afflicted as our Saviour in body and soul from friends and foes, by heaven and hell, in life and death; he was the foremost in the ranks of the afflicted, but all those afflictions were sent in love, and not because his Father despised and abhorred him. ’Tis true that justice demanded that Christ should bear the burden which as a substitute he undertook to carry, but Jehovah always loved him, and in love laid that load upon him with a view to his ultimate glory and to the accomplishment of the dearest wish of his heart. Under all his woes our Lord was honourable in the Father’s sight, the matchless jewel of Jehovah’s heart. “Neither hath he hid his face from him.” That is to say, the hiding was but temporary, and was soon removed; it was not final and eternal. “But when he cried unto him, he heard.” Jesus was heard in that he feared. He cried in extremis and de profundis, and was speedily answered; he therefore bids his people join him in singing a Gloria in excelsis.
Every child of God should seek refreshment for his faith in this testimony of the Man of Sorrows. What Jesus here witnesses is as true to-day as when it was first written. It shall never be said that any man’s affliction or poverty prevented his being an accepted suppliant at Jehovah’s throne of grace. The meanest applicant is welcome at mercy’s door:—
“None that approach his throne shall find
A God unfaithful or unkind.” (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 1-26 (Vol. 1, pp. 332–333). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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24. Sweet and blessed testimony of our God himself. It is as if Jesus had said, My Father hath not despised, nor abhorred the affliction of me his afflicted One, but hath accepted me, and my offering for you, my redeemed. What an encouragement is this, at all times, for Jesus’s afflicted ones to go to a mercy-seat, in his most precious name. Oh! how sure of success. John 16:23. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Job–Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 232). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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TEST THE SPIRITS
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
The position of the Scripture is one that faces two extremes: The Spirit is essential, and experience is vital; however, truth and definition and doctrine and dogma are equally vital and essential. And our whole position is one that proclaims that experience that is not based solidly upon truth and doctrine is dangerous.
There is the necessity for testing and trying the spirits. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.” Now some people object root and branch to this process of testing. There are many reasons for that, of course. In the case of some people it is nothing but slackness, indolence, and laziness—a desire for ease.
But there are those who feel that this whole process of testing and trying the spirits is unscriptural. According to such people, the moment you begin to discuss and consider and define, you cease to be a spiritual person. But my reply to this is that we must test and try the spirits because Scripture commands and exhorts us to do so, and for me that is enough. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits.”
Not only that, but Scripture tells us why we ought to do so: “because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Alas, there are false prophets; there are evil spirits; there is a devil who is so clever and subtle that he can transform himself into an angel of light. If we were confronted with the Holy Spirit only, there would be no need to test the spirits, but the very name “Holy Spirit” suggests other spirits, devilish spirits—and there are such powers.
A Thought to Ponder: We must test and try the spirits because Scripture commands and exhorts us to do so. (From The Love of God, pp. 18-20, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
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Biblical Accuracy
“If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12)
Many who profess to be Christian intellectuals today are arguing that we should defer to the evolutionists in matters of science and history since the real message of the Bible is spiritual. The Genesis account, for example, is not meant to give us details of the events of creation, for scientists can give us this information. It merely assures us that God is somehow behind it all. But if this were all that God meant to tell us, its very first verse is enough for that! What is the need to describe all the days and acts of creation at all if the record has no real relevance to history or science?
As the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus in our text verse, if we cannot trust God’s Word when it relates “earthly things,” how can we possibly rely on its testimony of “heavenly things”? To some extent we can check for ourselves whether or not it is accurate when it records facts of history and processes of nature, but we have no means at all of determining whether it speaks the truth when it deals with heaven and hell, with salvation and eternal life, or with God’s purpose for the world in the ages to come.
The fact is that the Bible is accurate in all matters with which it deals, scientific and historical as well as spiritual and theological. It is a dangerous thing to listen to these modern “pied pipers” of evangelicalism whose self-serving compromises with evolutionary scientism have already led multitudes of young people astray in our Christian colleges and seminaries.
We yet may not have all the answers to alleged problems in the Bible, but we can be absolutely sure of God’s Word. When the answers are found, they will merely confirm what He has said all along. He is able and willing to speak the truth, and He means what He says! (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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The prophet Nathan openly rebukes David and stirs him to repent.
INSIGHT
When Nathan comes to accuse David of adultery and murder, it is well within David’s power to shout: “Off with his head!” But David does not issue that order. Instead, his heart breaks. The horror and magnitude of his sin is incalculable, but it is to David’s credit that he immediately repents. Rather than resisting repentance because we feel we don’t deserve forgiveness, we should do as David did-repent that very instant. (Quiet Walk)
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All in All
“Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:3-4)
It is a thrilling exercise to note all the holy and gracious attributes attached to the name of God by the writers of Holy Scripture. In our text, for example, taken from the song of Moses, God is called a “God of truth.” According to the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is a “God of judgment” (Isaiah 30:18).
David called God both the “God of my righteousness” and “the God of salvation” (Psalms 4:1; 68:20).
In the New Testament, Stephen called Him “the God of glory” (Acts 7:2). Paul called Him both “the God of hope” and “the God of patience and consolation” (Romans 15:5, 13) when he wrote to the persecuted believers in the great capital of the Roman Empire.
To the carnal Christians in Corinth, He was called “the God of all comfort” and “the God of love and peace” (2 Corinthians 1:3; 13:11), and to the suffering believers in Philippi, Paul identified Him as “the God of peace” (Philippians 4:9).
The apostle Peter called Him “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10), and the writer of Hebrews recognized Him as both “God the judge of all” and “the God of peace” (Hebrews 12:23; 13:20).
Our God is, indeed, the God who is all in all to His people. He is the God of truth and righteousness, of peace and love, of patience and comfort, of hope and grace, glory, and salvation. “Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints” (Revelation 15:3). Is He, above all, “Lord of all” in us who know Him? (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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ONE CURE
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24
There is but one cure for the ills of man. When my conscience accuses me, there is but one thing I know of that can give me rest and peace. It is to know that Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, who bore my sins “in his own body on the tree,” has forgiven me. It is to believe and to know that because He loved me and died for me, I am clear of accusation. Then, conscious as I am of my weakness and failure and my lack of power to live a life worthy of the name, I am again driven back to Him. It is only from Him and the power of the Holy Spirit that He imparts that I can be made more than a conqueror.
As I contemplate meeting my Maker and my eternal Judge, my only hope is that I shall be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ and that He will take me by the hand and present me “faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). It is always and only in Christ that I find satisfaction. It is only in Him that my problems are solved. The world with all its methods cannot help me at the moment of my greatest need. But Christ never fails. He satisfies always and in every respect. The more I contemplate Him, the more do I agree with Charles Wesley when he said:
Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find!
He still remains the only hope for individual man, the only hope for the whole world. Is the gospel still relevant? It alone can deal with and solve the problems of man.
A Thought to Ponder
There is but one cure for the ills of man. (From Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 124-125, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Covenant-Keeping Love
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love. EPHESIANS 5:1-2
Like many couples, Barbara and I began our marriage with a commitment to love one another. But we didn’t really understand what real love was all about. Now, after more than three decades together, we know that our love is much more than a feeling—it’s a lifelong commitment. I shudder when I think of the shallow love that we had for each other when we first married. I’m glad we didn’t give up on our relationship when we didn’t always feel “in love” as we had before, because we would never have experienced the benefits that were just around the corner. We would have missed the fruit that comes through years of building memories—raising children, working through problems and trials, enjoying romantic getaways, working together to implement a shared vision for families.
I’m reminded of a great story of covenant-keeping love. An elderly man faithfully visited his wife every day at a nursing home. She had Alzheimer’s disease and would be very ugly to him some days. Yet every day he told her, “I love you.” One day the head nurse called him into her office. “Every nurse here is impressed with you,” she said. “We want our husbands to be more like you. But your wife doesn’t know who you are, and she doesn’t know whether you come or not. You could be doing other things and leave us to take care of your wife. Don’t feel like you need to come every day.”
Tears began to flow down the old man’s cheeks. He looked at the nurse and said, “I understand what you’re saying to me, and I know that my wife doesn’t know who I am. But I know who she is. She is my wife, and almost 50 years ago I made a covenant with her that in sickness and in health, I would be there
for her, and I will be.” Now that’s real family life and real love!
DISCUSS
In what ways is your love more mature now than it was when you first married? (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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