PSALM 81
Prelude to a feast day verse 1- 3
Sing aloud to God our strength – make a joyful noise
to the God of Jacob
Take a psalm – and bring hither the timbrel
the pleasant harp with the psaltery
Blow up the trumpet in the new moon – in the time appointed
on our solemn feast day
History of the feast day verse 4- 7
For this was a statute for Israel – and a law of the God of Jacob
this HE ordained in Joseph for a testimony
when he went out through the land of Egypt
where I heard a language that I understood not
I removed his shoulder from the burden
his hands were delivered from the pots
You call in trouble – and I delivered you
I answered you in the secret place of thunder
I proved you at the waters of Meribah SELAH
LORD warns Israel regarding worship of false gods verse 8- 10
Hear – O MY people – and I will testify to you – O Israel
IF you will hearken to ME
there shall no strange god be in you
neither shall you worship any strange god
I am the LORD YOUR God
which brought thee out of the land of Egypt
open thy mouth wide – and I will fill it
LORD states that Israel did not listen to warning verse 11- 16
BUT MY people would not hearken to MY voice
and Israel would none of ME
so I gave them up to their own heart’s lust
and they walked in their own counsels
O that MY people had hearkened to ME
and Israel had walked in MY ways
I should soon have subdued their enemies
and turned MY hand against their adversaries
The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves to HIM
BUT their time should have endured for ever
HE should have fed them also with the fine of the wheat
and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied you
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 “Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of
Jacob. (The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Sing – 7442 רוּן, רָנַן [ranan /raw·nan/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 2134, 2179; GK 8130 and 8264; 52 occurrences; AV translates as “sing” 20 times, “rejoice” 11 times, “sing aloud” four times, “shout” four times, “shout for joy” three times, “sing for joy” twice, “crieth” twice, “cry out” twice, “shout aloud” once, and translated miscellaneously three times. 1 to overcome. 1A (Hithpolel) to be overcome. 2 to cry out, shout for joy, give a ringing cry. 2A (Qal). 2A1 to give a ringing cry (in joy, exaltation, distress). 2A2 to cry aloud (in summons, exhortation of wisdom). 2B (Piel) to give a ringing cry (in joy, exultation, praise. 2C (Pual) ringing cry, singing out (passive). 2D (Hiphil) to cause to ring or sing out (for joy). 2E (Hithpolel) rejoicing (participle). James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: Music sets the tone for every event! There is an organ at baseball games and hockey matches to encourage the crowd to cheer and participate. The music in church also sets a mood for the service and encourages people to worship either quietly and reverently or in praise and celebration. The psalmist, Asaph, was the choir director and was acutely aware of how music could affect the worship. Here he is encouraging the congregation to sing aloud and joyfully as they recounted the deliverance from bondage.
As we remember the works of God in our lives we can sing a joyful song as well. He delivered us from sin and death! Took us from the slavery of the flesh and united us with Christ! As we celebrate the memories of our salvation may we rejoice as the psalmist encouraged the congregation to do!
CHALLENGE: Pick a favorite hymn or worship song and sing it joyously to the Lord! Allow Him to be the audience of one for your expression of worship today!
(Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 This HE ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not. (7760 “ordained” [suwm] means to fix conclusively or authoritatively, arrange, to fix, install, appoint, set down, direct towards, cause an object to be located in a certain space, often implying the object was moved to the new location.)
DEVOTION: Joseph is the one who kept the children of Israel alive in Egypt. He was sent ahead of the rest of his relatives to prepare the way for them to be placed in a location that would help them grow and also to help them worship the LORD.
So the LORD had a plan before the foundation of the world to put the children of Israel in Egypt for a time period and when the time period was up they were commanded to leave Egypt to go to the Promised Land.
We have to realize that God has a timing for everything that is happening to HIS people. In the Old Testament it was the children of Israel and in the New Testament it is the church of God.
We are living in a time period that shows us that the time is short before the LORD is going to return for HIS church. We don’t know the date but we know that it is going to happen because the New Testament tells us it is going to happen.
The LORD promised to return for HIS people, which today, is the church. Once the church is removed HE is going to deal with Israel again for the final time. This time period is called the Tribulation. It last seven years with God dealing with Israel in a new way.
CHALLENGE: We have to be prepared for the rapture of the church to happen at any time. HE worked with Israel in the Old Testament and HE is going to work with us today. We have to be ready for HIS calling us home. Are you witnessing to those around you?
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: 7 You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder: I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah (974 “proved” [bachan] means to test, investigate, examine, or try.
DEVOTION: The Bible informs us that the LORD tests HIS followers. HE allows them opportunities to be obedient. HE puts them in situations that choices have to be made. They can either follow HIS instructions or disobey HIS instructions. Each time they obey they are blessed. Each time they disobey they are chastened.
This was a song sung at one of the feasts of the LORD. It was to be sung with joy. It was a celebration. It was celebrating a deliverance of Israel from an enemy. The LORD answered the prayers of the children of Israel.
HE wants all of HIS followers to make a joyful noise in HIS presence when they worship HIM. HE understands that some don’t sing on key but HE still wants to hear their praise.
In the wilderness, the LORD tested the children of Israel regarding their faithfulness to HIM. They failed. At Meribah the children of Israel were thirsty. They didn’t have any water and they started to complain. They murmured against the LORD. HE had provided everything they needed but they always seemed to find something to complain about. They were questioning whether or not the LORD was really leading them.
This was also the occasion when Moses had to strike the rock, so that, the water would come out of the rock. This was a symbol of Christ dying on the cross for our sins to provide for us the water of life or the Living Water he talked to the woman at the well concerning.
The LORD sends things into our lives to examine our commitment to HIM. HE wants us to call to HIM in trouble. HE wants to deliver us. HE wants us to pass the test. We need to sing to the LORD of all HIS blessings. We need to hear HIM when HE tells us what to do.
The Israelites saw HIS works on their behalf and they still worshipped false gods. HE had to let them learn the hard way. We seem to be following in their example. HE doesn’t want us to worship false gods. HE wants us to trust HIM.
There are tests. One of the gods of our land is greed. It seems that everyone is after the bottom line. It seems that money is being worshiped. Many of God’s people are not giving to HIS work because they are afraid they won’t have enough for themselves. The problem is that the LORD promises to provide for our every need.
HE is still taking care of the sparrows. HE is still willing to take care of us if we trust HIM. Are we passing the test or are we failing like the children of Israel. The news reports are saying that giving to the LORD’S work is going down in recent months. Why can’t we learn the easy way?
CHALLENGE: Trust in the LORD with all your possessions and HE will bless. Pass the test HE is presently putting in front of you.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 13 Oh that MY people had hearkened to ME, and Israel had walked in MY ways. (8085 “hearkened” [shama] means to hear with intention, listen, to understand things heard, heed, examine, perceive by ear, or to hear with attention or interest.)
DEVOTION: Most parents try to give their children good instruction. They try to make the instructions fit the age group that their children or in. When they are small they keep it every simple. They tell them to “go to bed” and expect them to understand that it means for them to go to their room and get into the bed and go to sleep. It seems simple but at times children are not listening because they want to do other things. The instructions have to be repeated until there might me a consequence.
God was gaven instructions to the children of Israel when they were leaving Egypt. HE gave them instructions while they were in the promised land. HE never left them without someone coming from HIM to the children of Israel to help them understand what HE expected of them.
Most of the time the children of Israel didn’t listen to HIM because they were rebellious and needed discipline in order to finally follow HIS instructions. This even happens today in the church.
There are many people in the church that don’t listen the first time to the LORD’S directions for them, just like, the children of Israel in the Old Testament.
God wants us to listen the first time, so that, there doesn’t have to be any chastening. It is sad to report that we are not any better than the children of Israel in the Old Testament in our listening to HIS instructions.
God desires for all those who have accepted Christ as their personal Savior to listen to what the Bible says they are to do and see HIS blessings on their lives.
CHALLENGE: Are we listening any better than the children of Israel in the Old Testament? If not, why not? Allow the LORD to lead you daily in the right direction by following HIS instructions found in HIS Word, the Bible.
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: 16 “He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied you.” (“Satisfied,” 7646 שָׂבַע [sabaʿ] 95 occurrences; AV translates as “satisfy” 47 times, “fill” 25 times, “full” 15 times, “plenty” twice, “enough” twice, “satiate” once, “sufficed” once, “insatiable” once, and “weary” once. 1 to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited. 1c (Hiphil). 1c1 to satisfy. 1c2 to enrich. 1c3 to sate, glut (with the undesired) [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software]).
DEVOTION: This psalm contrasts the blessings that God had promised Israel with the punishment that they suffered as a result of their unfaithfulness to the Lord. God had promised them His blessing for following Him and being His people, as well as the curses that would come upon them if they did not obey Him. Asaph writes about such a time when God judged Israel because they would not follow His commands.
As a result, they missed out on God’s blessings for them. God stated that He would feed them in an abundant way as part of their being in the Promised Land, the land “flowing with milk and honey.” As a result of His provision, they would experience physical (and spiritual) satisfaction. This means not being in need, but having all needs met. As a result of their own efforts to satisfy their needs, they ended up being “stubborn in heart” (and God gave them over to this), and sought to walk according to their own morality (verse 11).
This is similar to what Paul described in Romans 1:18-32, where Paul describes the rejection of sinful man of God’s self-revelation in the creation and God giving over sinful men to the lusts of their heart and impurity. We see this in our world today as we look out on those who want to jettison any form of Biblical morality in favor of a “if it feels good, do it” mentality.
We are called to be satisfied in our Lord. If there is any area where we are seeking to satisfy our own desires (even as believers), we are ultimately doomed to failure. God wants us to enjoy good things, but only as a part of our fellowship with and enjoyment with Him. That means not only are we not to fulfill our desires immorally, but also not to fulfill them covetously. We need to ask the Lord to humbly provide for us and our needs (Matthew 6:11).
CHALLENGE: Is there an area of your life where you are seeking to meet your own needs in your own way (marriage, children, and possessions)? Now is the time to confess to the Lord that you have not depended on Him to provide for you, and ask Him to provide your needs in His own way and timing. Then step back and see what happens! (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)
Spi
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)
Call on the LORD when in trouble verse 7
Answered prayer verse 7
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sing verse 1
Joyful noise verse 1
Psalm verse 2
Timbrel- harp – psaltery verse 2
Trumpet verse 3
New moon verse 3
Feast day verse 3
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Statute verse 4
Law verse 4
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 10
God of Jacob verse 1, 4
Law of the God of Jacob verse 4
Ordained in Joseph verse 5
God removed the burden verse 6
Delivered Israel from Egypt verse 6, 7
Proved Israel at waters of Meribah verse 7
Testify to the children of Israel verse 8
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 10, 15
LORD your God verse 10
God gave Israel up to their own hearts verse 12
God would subdue enemies of Israel verse 14
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)
Land of Egypt verse 5, 10
Enemies verse 14
Adversaries verse 14
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Strange gods verse 9
Worship a strange god verse 9
Not hearken to God verse 11
Not having anything to do with God verse 11
Lust verse 12
Walked in their own counsel verse 12
Haters of the LORD verse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Strength verse 1
Ordained verse 5
Testimony verse 5
Delivered verse 6, 7
Prayer verse 7
Answered prayer verse 7
Trouble verse 7
Proved verse 7
Hear verse 8
Hearken to God verse 8, 13
Filled verse 10
Walk with God verse 13
Submit to God verse 15
Fed verse 16
Satisfied verse 16
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Asaph – author of this Psalm verse 1- 16
Jacob verse 1, 4
Israel verse 4, 8, 11, 13
Joseph verse 5
went through a land where he didn’t
understand the language
Heard a language
Waters of Meribah verse 7
People of God verse 8, 11, 13
Open mouth wide and God will fill it verse 10
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
12. The clause, So I gave them over (still more exactly, ‘sent them off’, neb), shows an important aspect of judgment, as God’s ‘So be it!’ to what we choose, which is best known from Romans 1:24, 26, 28. In the wilderness it was done almost literally. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 326). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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81:11–12. Asaph then reported God’s words about their disobedience. Because they did not submit to Him, He let them run to their own destruction. (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. 854). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Worship and service go together (Matt. 4:10; Deut. 6:13), and this means we must obey what the Lord commands. But the nation did not obey God’s Word, and He had to destroy all the people twenty years and older (Num. 14:26ff). But this attitude of spiritual “deafness” and willful disobedience persisted even after Israel entered the Promised Land, as recorded in the book of Judges. (See 78:10, 17, 32, 40, 56.) The greatest judgment God can send is to let people have their own way (see Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 266). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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12 Here is shown how fearful was Israel’s plague for their not delighting in God; they were given over to follow their own will unto their own perdition. Whence learn, 1. The idols which come in competition with God, are a man’s own carnal lusts and affections, as here appeareth. 2. If these idols be adhered to, when God offereth himself for giving a man contentment, it is justice with God to take a refusal at the man’s hands, and to cease to deal with his heart any more, but to give him over to the service of his idol: they would none of me, so I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust. 3. Whosoever refuse to serve God, shall not eschew to serve a worse master, to wit, their own beastly affections, and Satan, who ruleth men by their lusts: they would have none of me, so I gave them up to their own hearts’ lust; and this of all judgments is the heaviest. 4. When God leaveth a man to himself, there is no restraint to keep him from going to mischief and perdition, as here we see: I gave them up, and they walked in the counsel of their own hearts. (Dickson, D. (1834). A Brief Explication of the Psalms (Vol. 2, pp. 56–57). Glasgow; Edinburgh; London: John Dow; Waugh and Innes; R. Ogle; James Darling; Richard Baynes.)
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Ver. 12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust, &c.] Sometimes God gave them up, when they sinned, into the hands of the Moabites, or Ammonites, or Philistines, or other neighbouring nations, for their chastisement; but to be delivered up unto their own hearts’ lust is worse than that; nay, than to be delivered to Satan: salvation may be the consequence of that, but damnation of this; and yet it is a righteous judgment; for as men like not to retain God in their knowledge, it is but just with him to give them up to vile affections, to a reprobate mind, to do things not convenient, Rom. 1:24, 26, 28 there is nothing men are more desirous of than to have their hearts’ lusts; and there is no greater judgment can befall them than to be left to the power of them, which must unavoidably issue in their ruin here and hereafter: and they walked in their own counsels; which were bad; after the imagination of their own evil hearts, and not after the counsels and directions of God in his word, and by his servants. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 49). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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12. “So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust.” No punishment is more just or more severe than this. If men will not be checked, but madly take the bit between their teeth and refuse obedience, who shall wonder if the reins are thrown upon their necks, and they are let alone to work out their own destruction. It were better to be given up to lions than to our hearts’ lusts. “And they walked in their own counsels.” There was no doubt as to what course they would take, for man is everywhere wilful and loves his own way,—that way being at all times in direct opposition to God’s way. Men deserted of restraining grace, sin with deliberation; they consult, and debate, and consider, and then elect evil rather than good, with malice aforethought and in cool blood. It is a remarkable obduracy of rebellion when men not only run into sin through passion, but calmly “walk in their own counsels” of iniquity. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 56-87 (Vol. 3, p. 402). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Sin, I repeat, in addition to anything else it may be, is always an act of wrong judgment. To commit a sin a man must for the moment believe that things are different from what they really are; he must confound values; he must see the moral universe out of focus; he must accept a lie as truth and see truth as a lie; he must ignore the signs on the highway and drive with his eyes shut; he must act as if he had no soul, and was not accountable for his moral choices. Sin is never a thing to be proud of. No act is wise that ignores remote consequences, and sin always does. Sin sees only today, or at most tomorrow; never the day after tomorrow, next month or next year. Death and judgment are pushed aside as if they did not exist and the sinner becomes for the time a practical atheist who by his act denies not only the existence of God but the concept of life
after death…. The notion that the careless sinner is the smart fellow and the
serious-minded Christian, though well-intentioned, is a stupid dolt altogether out of touch with life will not stand up under scrutiny. Sin is basically an act of moral folly, and the greater the folly the greater the fool. Man: (A.W. Tozer, The Dwelling Place of God, 47-48. )
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Peace is more than joy, and is far deeper than happiness. It is that restful sense that all is well which comes from confiding in the Word of God. …. But there is not only peace with God, which has to do with the sin question that has been settled forever; there is also the peace of God that is daily poured into the heart that learns to commit all to Him in prayer. (H.A. Ironside, The Continual Burnt Offering)
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On BEING A PASTOR by Derek J. Prime & Alistair Begg
Martin Luther declared trials and temptations to be a minister’s best teachers. (p. 278)
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The third group are self-inflicted for the sake of the work, in our constant availability to people, our refusal to work set hours, the loneliness of avoiding special friendships so as to serve the whole flock, the burden sometimes of leadership and of maintaining confidentiality, and our denying ourselves the luxury of self-pity when the going is touch. ( 279)
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Our greatest difficulty is when we feel that the trials implicit in our ministry detrimentally affect our families. (p. 279)
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The trials of the ministry require two virtues in particular: patience and self-control. As well as enduring hardship like soldiers, we need to be patient like farmers and self-controlled like athletes (2 Timothy 2: 4-6).
LAZINESS:
Laziness, slackness, and failure to discipline ourselves in the use of our time lead to our being unbusinesslike and unreliable. (p. 280)
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We need to be sitting at our desks as punctually as anyone in an office, and to organize our calls as systematically and carefully as a doctor on his rounds. (p 280)
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Discouragement
God’s people have a unique capacity to sweeten or spoil our days, to thrill us or to cast us into the depths of depression. (p. 281)
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Jesus reaffirms His second coming and encourages us to be ready.
INSIGHT
Looking forward to the Messiah, Isaiah writes: “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance” (55:1-2). Then John, looking back to the Messiah, picks up the same theme: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (v. 17). (Quiet Walk)
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NAMES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me. Isaiah 61:1
The best way to approach the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is to notice the names or the descriptive titles given to this blessed Person.
First of all, there are the many names that relate Him to the Father. Let me enumerate some of them: “the Spirit of God” (Genesis1:2); “the Spirit of the Lord” (Luke 4:18); “the Spirit of our God”(1 Corinthians 6:11). Another is “the Spirit of the Lord GOD,” which is in Isaiah 61:1. Our Lord speaks, in Matthew 10:20, of “the Spirit of your Father,” while Paul refers to “the Spirit of the living God” (2 Corinthians 3:3). “My Spirit,” says God in Genesis 6:3, and the psalmist asks, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit?” (Psalm 139:7). He is referred to as His Spirit—God’s Spirit—in Numbers 11:29; and Paul, in Romans 8:11, uses the phrase “the Spirit of him [God the Father] that raised up Jesus from the dead.” All these are descriptive titles referring to the Holy Spirit in terms of His relationship to the Father.
In the second group are the titles that relate the Holy Spirit to the Son. First, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9), which is a most important phrase. The word “Spirit” here refers to the Holy Spirit. In Philippians 1:19, Paul speaks about “the Spirit of Jesus Christ,” and in Galatians 4:6 he says, “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son.” Finally He is referred to as “the Spirit of the Lord” (Acts 5:9).
The third group comprises the direct or personal titles, and first and foremost here, of course, is the name Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. Some people are confused by those two terms, but they mean exactly the same thing. The English language is a hybrid that has borrowed from other languages, and “Ghost” is an old Anglo-Saxon word, while “Spirit” is derived from the Latin spiritus.
A Thought to Ponder
Notice the names or the descriptive titles given to the Holy Spirit.
From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 6-7.
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A New Song for a New Year
“Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.” (Psalm 33:3)
This is the first of nine references in the Bible to a “new song.” Appropriately, the song of Psalm 33 deals with the primeval event of creation, and it is the first psalm that does so (note also Psalm 104, etc.).
The new song is to be sung with instrumental accompaniment. However, the Hebrew word translated “loud noise” is so translated nowhere else; it is translated many different ways, but perhaps the familiar rendering “joyful sound” (Psalm 89:15) is the most appropriate here. In any case, this new song is of great importance and so should be performed well and joyfully, for it deals with the grandest of themes.
First of all is the great assertion that “the word of the LORD” is always right and the “works” of the Lord are always of truth (33:4). His righteousness and goodness are evident everywhere to those with eyes to see and hearts to believe (v. 5).
Then there is the vital revelation that God’s creation of all things was simply by His mighty word, “the breath of his mouth,” accomplished instantly, and not dragged out over long ages of evolutionary trial and error. “He spake, and it was done” (vv. 6, 9).
Furthermore, it is a comfort to know that God does not change, though new years come and go. “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever” (v. 11). “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (v. 12).
There are many other great themes in this new song, and it would indeed be well to read and rehearse them all as the new year begins, committing ourselves once again to the faithful teaching of His inerrant Word, His magnificent creation, and His great salvation.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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One characteristic of the Christian is always this: a profound distrust of self and a realization of the power of God. Listen to David: “Create in me a clean heart…and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). The Revised Version margin puts it this way: “Renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
You see, what he was conscious of was his own unsteadiness. Well might David have felt that. He was a man who had experienced God’s blessing, and he had known the joy of the Lord; and yet he had fallen into terrible sins. So he cries out for this renewal and for this reliable spirit within himself. I make bold to say that every Christian knows what this means.
A Christian is not a man who relies upon himself. It is only the Christian who knows his own weakness. It takes a Christian to see the darkness of his own heart and the frailty of his own nature. There is a type of Christian, I regret to say, who behaves as if he can do everything. He has had an experience of conversion, and now he is ready to face hell and the devil and everything. Poor fellow, he will not go very far before he loses that sense of confidence. “Let him that thinketh he standeth,” said the apostle Paul to such people, “take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). No; the Christian is a man who knows his own weakness, and he is afraid of it. So he prays for a steady spirit, a reliable spirit. He wants to be a sound man.
A Thought to Ponder
The Christian is a man who knows his own weakness, and he is afraid of it.
(From Out of the Depths, pp. 105-106, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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