“Trust in Adonai, and do good; settle in the land, and feed on faithfulness. Then you will delight yourself in Adonai, and he will give you your heart’s desire.” Psalm 37: 3-4 The first time I heard this verse, it didn’t have the “then” in it. It just said to delight myself in Adonai. Sounds good! Let’s go! But, wait… what does it mean to delight myself in someone or something, especially in God?! Then I realized there was a missing word. The statement I had heard so often was part of an if-then cause and effect chain! It tells me how to delight in Adonai! IF I trust in Him and do good, IF I settle in the land (the promised land… the place He plants me), IF I feed on faithfulness, THEN I will delight myself in Adonai. It’s about trusting, settling (which implies that I’m being still, staying where He puts me, and working in the place and on the tasks He gives me), and feeding on faithfulness (which sounds like I’m surviving and growing by relying on and remembering His faithfulness… which, in turn, should grow faithfulness in me). So, it’s not just a matter of *poof* delighting. There are some things that I do that create delight. And that delight has its own reward, that He gives me the desires on my heart (which, incidentally, if I’m doing what I’m supposed to, will line up with God’s purposes for me). That’s pretty awesome!
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings… The apple of the eye is the pupil. In ancient languages it was also called the little man of the eye because you can see a person reflected in the dark of the eye. It is a diminutive of the word for man (iysh). I think it’s interesting for several reasons. We think of the eyes as the windows to the soul, as expressing what we hide inside, as a representation of who we really are. We tend to guard this just as we guard the literal pupil of our eye because sometimes we don’t like what we find or we fear that by truly showing who we are, others won’t accept us. David asks David to guard or keep him as the apple of the eye is guarded or kept. Only God can guard us in that way! Our eyelids snap shut automatically at the first hint of a threat. It happens faster than we can think about it or will it. God is fast like that. He can respond to trouble faster than we can blink! He can shelter me more quickly that I can perceive a threat. That doesn’t mean that He will always shelter me. Sometimes, I need to go through the trouble so that I can learn or grow. But, even when I walk through difficult times, I have no doubt His hand covers me to keep me from even more calamity.
Psalm 2:21 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry,and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! Do homage is actually the hebrew word meaning “to kiss.” How intimate an act! How close you must be! How humbly you must come. Ultimately, the only reason we can get close enough to kiss Him is because He loves us and forgives us. We aren’t even worthy to kiss His sandal, yet He lifts us up and clothes us and loves on us! But refuse Him, turn your back on Him, despise Him, oh the consequences are grave! Also, did you notice how this is about the Son? We use capital letters here. I’m not sure why. Anyhow, assuming it’s correctly capitalized, it seems that David is talking about the Son of God… Yeshua… hundreds of years before He ever came! I think that’s kind of interesting! He doesn’t say to kiss God! I wonder why not. Perhaps it is that the Son is the one who intercedes on our behalf before His Father, something we cannot do on our own. Perhaps because they are One, to love and honor and obey the Son is to love and honor and obey the Father, too.
Psalm 21:1-5 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O LORD, in Your strength the king will be glad, And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice! You have given him his heart’s desire, And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. For You meet him with the blessings of good things; You set a crown of fine gold on his head. He asked life of You, You gave it to him, Length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through Your salvation,Splendor and majesty You place upon him. A while back I looked at a pattern that is repeated in Psalms. A-B-C-B-A. It’s here, too! Verse 1 (A) is related to verse 5 (A). Verse 1 speaks of how the king is glad and rejoices in God’s strength and salvation. Verse 5 relates those things to his own life – the king’s glory is great because of God’s salvation, and God gives him splendor and majesty, too. Verse 2(B) is related to verse 4 (B). He asked God for his heart’s desire and it was given to him. Verse 4 tells us that this desire was life, eternal life perhaps (length of days forever and ever). And verse 3 (C) is the pinnacle, the top of the mountain. It recognizes that God blesses him with good things! Pattern is important. Events in the old testament are often repetition of patterns. In Matthew he shows how events in Yeshua’s life are often patterned after events in the old testament (the Torah and Tanak). In Genesis, it’s written with and event and then genealogies then events then genealogies and so on. Maybe these patterns persist even today, except that we don’t see them since we’re so busy (and because we aren’t looking). We can be glad and rejoice in God’s strength and salvation (rescue in a literal sense, rather than the more “Christian” sense) because we are strengthened by God’s hand and rescue. We ask Him for our heart’s desire and He grants it. If we think in typical terms, this could apply to an eternal relationship with God. And He still blesses us with good things! Neat, huh?!
Psalm 63:2-6 (2) Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. (3) Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. (4) So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. (5) My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. (6) When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, In Hebrew it’s got that ABCBA format: Sseeing God’s holiness and remembering and thinking about him are parallel. His goodness is better than life and it satisfies his body with fullness causing joy – these two parts are parallel. And the centerpiece is that I will bless Him as long as I live, lifting my hands in His name. Cool! Here are a couple of notes about the translation. (2) Thus I perceive/behold Your apartness/sacredness, see Your strength/might and glory. (3) Because Your faithfulness/goodness is better than life my lips praise You. (4) So I praise You while living; I lift up my hands to Your name. (5) My whole being is satisfied/full with choisest abundance and the fatness of blessing. My mouth praises praises with a joyful shout from my lips. (6) When I cause to remember You on my bed/couch, I muse/meditate in the night watch. Some thoughts: I praise God each day I’m alive because I can see how sacred and apart He is, how strong and glorious He is, and because He is so faithful and good. I love that the word “halah” which means praise also means to make a fool or or act like a madman! Maybe that’s why David danced so wildly when he returned the ark to Israel and his wife scorned him because he was acting like a fool… Perhaps worship is not a sedate and composed act. Maybe it requires that I give up my dignity to lift my hands and be joyful, unafraid of looking a little silly. I also love verse 5. When I looked at the Hebrew that verse got so much fuller (haha!). Maybe I missed something that indicated that I’m wrong, but in Hebrew it seems to be talking about fullness of abundance and blessing. And it’s not just good stuff, it’s the choicest of the abundance and the fatness of blessing. It’s like the cup that is filled and running over. Every bit of my being is full with His goodness, and my response is to burst forth with praise and to think about Him and truly see Him in each day. The word remember in verse 6 isn’t like “Oh, I just remembered something!” It’s deliberate, a causing myself to remember. Maybe I leave myself notes to think about the things He’s done, or maybe I can choose to read His word before bed. Remember, in the Hebrew world, the day starts in the evening. So, in the case of this verse, David is starting His day by remembering the things God has done for him and thinking about God. The first part of his day is spent with God. Maybe I wasn’t so crazy when I had my quiet time at night! Application: Be deliberate in remembering what God has done and who He is. Be uninhibited in praise. Be satisfied and satiated by the abundance and blessing He has given me.
Psalm 10:1 O LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most? For some reason I feel empty this morning. Maybe because after all the rush and chaos of the last few weeks getting ready for our inaugural gala there’s nothing left to do (it’s over) and I’m not constantly trying to get something finished or talking on the phone to people. But I feel like God is far away, too. I feel like I read and read and it all just goes in one ear and out the other. I don’t like feeling this way. And then God gives me this: Psalm 40 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. 4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. 5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. 6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand[a]— you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. 7 Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: 8 I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” 9 I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. 10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. 11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. 12 For troubles surround me— too many to count! My sins pile up so high I can’t see my way out. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage. 13 Please, Lord, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me. 14 May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame. May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace. 15 Let them be horrified by their shame, for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!” 16 But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!” 17 As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. O my God, do not delay. I love it. David speaks my heart once again! From the awe of His blessings to me, to my acknowledgment of my need for Him, to my plea for more of His presence, this Psalm tells the song of my heart today. I love the first part of how He rescues me and lifts me above the mud. And I love how His plans for me are more numerous than I can count (that’s a relief). I love how I, like David, can tell God when I feel like my sins are overwhelming and I feel like they haunt me no matter how many times I confess them. I love that God keeps me in His thoughts. This is a great Psalm. It’s what I needed to water my thirsty soul.
Skip Moen’s entry this morning was about the use (or maybe rather translation) of the word “judge” in a psalm of David. He said that this word actually means “to govern” and not “to judge” as we usually translate it. The difference here is huge, as he points out, because judgement has to do with our past and punishment and failure, but governing has to do with the future and what I am yet able to do. He believes that often we, as Christ followers, get stuck in a kind of doom-and-gloom mentality, focusing more on our failures and sins than on the sacrifice and victory of Christ. I can see how this is often the case. And, when I read the psalm with the use of “to govern” in the place of “to judge” it gives the verse quite a different meaning. Check out the post. I think it’s really cool.