MasterTruth

Spread the Cheer

It’s Monday… but no need to dread. Whatever circumstances lay ahead, God is more than willing and able to match them. He will be full of lovingkindnesses, just as He always is. Each day that the sun comes up is proof of God’s love and faithfulness.

We’ve been looking at God’s lovingkindnesses for a few days. They are the special little unexpected things God does for us because He loves us, even though we don’t deserve them and often don’t even think to pray for them. He promises to show them. When we watch for them, we might even think like David did: Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. (Ps. 63:3) He recognized life was okay, but God’s lovingkindnesses were even better.

I recall a day when I didn’t have a snack to take with me to work and no time to stop at the store to buy one. I wanted an apple. So I asked God if He would be gracious enough to provide an apple for me at work. The more I thought and prayed about it as I drove to work, the more excited I was to arrive and find out how God was going to provide an apple. I half expected it to be waiting for me when I got there. But it didn’t. I started working. Soon my co-worker walked in with a grocery sack and an announcement that she had apples. “Who wants one?” she cheerfully asked. That was the lovingkindness I was waiting for, and God used my co-worker. I told her about my prayer, and she was amazed. It made both of our days.

Share your lovingkindnesses with others. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. (Ps. 40:10)

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. (Isa. 63:7)

I would like to hear about your lovingkindnesses, too.

What is Better Than Life?

Join me today in becoming a connoisseur of God’s lovingkindnesses. They are the special little unexpected things God does for us because He loves us, even though we don’t deserve them and often don’t even think to pray for them. It’s easy to brush right past His lovingkindnesses and not recognize them as gifts from God… a beautiful sunrise, the smile of a friend at the right time, a cool breeze on a hot day. “That’s nothing new or miraculous,” you say. A kindness doesn’t have to be miraculous. It’s a loving kindness. A picker-upper. Start recognizing them. David did:

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Psalms 63:3. What is better than life? God’s lovingkindness.  Yesterday morning, after I wrote my blog, I prayed for a lovingkindness. In a few hours, I had an email from a business friend I’d been out of touch with for more than six months, and she had a significant freelance writing assignment for me. Thank you, Lord!

Here’s a good practice. In the morning, pray for a lovingkindness, then in the evening, pray a prayer of thanks for His faithfulness as you look back at the kindnesses he showed during the day. That sounds so simplistic, you might think. Well, I can’t take credit for it. Read this: It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:  To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Psalms 92:1-2. And how about this: Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. Psalms 42:8.

Expect that God will be awesome today, and praise Him at night because He was awesome today.

Have a great day. Be sure to share your lovingkinesses. And before you charge ahead, just think on these verses: Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalms 103:1-5)

Jody

It's the Simple Things

Is there an area of your life that you are having difficulty with? The temptation is to dread that part of your life. But instead of having fear, have faith… in God’s lovingkindness…today.

Yesterday morning, after I wrote my blog, I paused and asked God to please show me His lovingkindness “today.”  It came in the area that I often have difficulty in. As a freelance writer for foodservice magazines, I’m always setting up and conducting phone interviews with chefs. Getting enough of them lined up and done before the deadline is always a challenge. I had one lined up two days ago, and he stood me up. That doesn’t happen very often. But the chef was AWOL. I nearly wrote that one off. Yesterday that chef called me out of the blue. That has never happened before (I always have to call or it doesn’t happen. Chefs are busy people). And when he called, I wasn’t in the middle of something else. His timing was perfect. And I thanked God for His lovingkindness.  You see, God’s kindnesses come in little ways that we might take for granted. But one of the things God does, we forget, is work in the heart of the king (chef, in my case), turning it whatsoever way He will (Prov. 21:1). We receive gracious gifts from God every day, and we miss the fact that He was behind it, and He doesn’t get the glory.

Watching for and expecting God’s lovingkindness needs to become a habit. It was a habit for David. He acknowledged God for His lovingkindnesses.

For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. Psalms 26:3 

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psalms 36:7 

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Psalms 138:2 

Once again, today don’t live in dread. Don’t just go through your daily motions. Watch for God’s lovingkindnesses. Acknowledge them when they come. Give God praise.

Jer 9:23-24  Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:  (24)  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Foreboding or Faith?

You wake up and you have a foreboding feeling. Or at least you feel like things aren’t quite right. “Ugg. What is going to happen today?”  What you need is a good dose of God’s lovingkindness. Lovingkindnesses are the special little unexpected things God does for us because He loves us, even though we don’t deserve them and often don’t even think to pray for them. Like you’re in a hurry to get in and out of the grocery store and get home, and a parking space opens up for you right in front. It’s the little kindnesses God shows.

Did you know that God promises to show lovingkindness? Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. (Psalms 89:33)

But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:24) 

Because God has promised that He is a God who shows lovingkindness, it’s perfectly within reason to pray and ask Him to show a lovingkindness. How do we know that?

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

Did you get that? Lovingkindnesses are according to His will (because that’s who God said He is), so you can pray for lovingkindnesses and know you will get them, because He hears you when you ask for things according to His will.

I have years behind me of praying for lovingkindnesses for myself and for those I love. I don’t tell God what the lovingkindness should be. I just pray and watch all day. It’s called faith or trust. I watch expectantly. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Back to waking up with a foreboding feeling. If you feel that way when you wake up, trade that feeling for a prayer for lovingkindness. Then, rather than look for doom all day, you will watch for a gracious gift from God all day. The difference is night and day.

Sept 23 is a Remarkable Day

It was XX years ago today, when I was 15 years old, that I came to know the Lord in a personal way. And it’s quite remarkable that it even happened, because I was not at all interested in spiritual things before that day. It just so happened that my best friend was on a mission to get me to go to a Saturday night Youth for Christ rally with her, and after refusing to go with her for weeks on end, she finally bribed me. I was going to spend the night at her house, and as I walked out of my house with my little green flowered suitcase, she told me that if I was going to spend the night, I was going to have to go to Youth for Christ with her. I remember sighing and thinking I might as well get it over with.

Another remarkable thing is that during the same time, I was finding no purpose to be alive. I didn’t see the point. Why was I born? Just to live to 90 or so and die and lay in a grave forever and ever? I can just image 15 year olds today thinking the same thing, and if someone was bullying them a lot at school, it would only add to it. Anyway, I went to that Saturday night youth rally with my friend, and I heard a speaker announce with authority that we needed to accept Jesus Christ into our lives to be right with God and be assured of eternal life. Jesus was the only way, and you better come to terms with that. My heart started pounding. I knew in my depths that what he said was true, so that night I talked to a counselor who explained it more, and I prayed and asked for forgiveness of my sins and for Jesus to come into my life and be my savior. I turned away from my disbelief and turned to Christ. That’s called repentance.

Today is the anniversary of that date.

And there’s one more remarkable thing about that whole scene. I’ve only recently marveled at this aspect. I was against God before that day. In fact, I considered myself an atheist. I hated Christians. When I saw one, I ran the other direction. After that day, when I saw a Christian, I ran towards them. What caused that complete turnaround? Was it my great wisdom? No. The Bible tells me what it was, and it’s related to our new study.

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jer. 31:3)

By his lovingkindness, He drew me. He knew my poor searching heart. He looked past the fact I didn’t even believe in Him. It didn’t matter that I ran away from Christians. He loved me, and He drew me.

That’s how it will be with anyone who comes to know Jesus. He takes a step toward you. If God is drawing you, open up your heart to Him.

Jody 

My Favorite Word in the Bible

My favorite word in the Bible is lovingkindness. I’ve been a connoisseur of the concept for nearly 30 years. I know that for a fact because in 1984, I started keeping a notebook of God’s lovingkindnesses that He shows me. The purpose of the notebook is to remind me of how God has shown me His love, so I don’t forget and so I can share and encourage others with God’s lovingkindness.

A form of that notebook even plays a key role in my newly released suspense novel “The Will of the Enemy.” (http://bit.ly/16HV5Yv)

Let’s spend some time on the topic. Off the bat, let’s define the word. Lovingkindnesses are the special little unexpected things God does for us because He loves us, even though we don’t deserve them and don’t even think to pray for them. Lovingkindness is special, undeserved royal treatment from the King of Kings.

Lovingkindness is not a dream, it’s a fact. When you grasp it, it will change your life, and you will never be the same.

God has much to say about this topic, but here’s the best proof from God: Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Read that again. It’s spectacular.

God says not to brag about how smart, strong or rich you are. If you’re going to brag about anything, let it be that you know and understand Him, specifically that he is the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. God takes pleasure in those three things.

Let’s take your salvation. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your personal savior, and therefore you know you have a right relationship with God because Jesus died and rose again to pay the penalty for your sins, guess what. You didn’t come to grasp that saving concept by your smarts. Remember, before that, you were blind, deaf and dumb to what Jesus Christ is all about. He had to take the first step toward you. The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jer. 31:3) God drew you with His lovingkindness. That’s how you came to the understanding leading to salvation.  And He didn’t stop there. In fact, He shows lovingkindness to everyone. A person doesn’t even have to know Him in order to experience His lovingkindness. You don’t even have to be a human being to experience God’s lovingkindness. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matthew 6:26)

Remember that lovingkinesses are God’s acts and words of love. We are going to dive into this, and over the next two weeks, you will know God in a different way. Come back and see more!

Birthday Presents Every Day

It may not be your birthday today, but God loves to give gifts any day. When Jesus rose from the dead, God started the gift-giving. We’ve reached the main prophetic verses in Psalm 68—about the ascension of Jesus and the gifts that followed.

Psalm 68:18  Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them	The New Testament, amplifies this verse: Eph 4:8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. What are the gifts Jesus gave when he ascended?  Joh 14:16-17  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  (17)  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. The Holy Spirit did not come to live inside Christians until Jesus died and rose again and sent the Comforter. That is a gift we receive today when we trust Jesus as Savior. He sends the Comforter to live in us. What an awesome gift.
(19)  Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.	But there are more gifts available every single day. Ps. 103 lists the benefits we receive from Him. He forgives our iniquities, heals diseases, redeems us from destruction, crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies… We arise each day to the gift of sunshine and fresh blessings. Let’s be grateful people.
(20)  He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.	Our greatest gift is the gift of salvation. It’s good not only for today, but for eternity. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Eph 2:8  This gift wouldn’t be available except for the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus—to those who receive it, including the rebellious who turn and trust Christ’s sacrifice for them.

So, it’s not your birthday. But it could be. “He who is born once dies twice. He who is born twice dies once.”  You must be born again. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3  In that same chapter is the awesome verse nearly everyone has seen. John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That word believe does not mean mental agreement. It means to transfer your trust from whatever you’re trusting to Jesus Christ only for salvation, because He bought your salvation on the cross. You can’t buy it yourself. You have to trust that He did it, and receive it as a gift that you don’t pay for. Can you do that?

Remember God's Awesomeness

Has God done something in your past, and it was obvious He did it? God is a remarkable and awesome God. Set down markers for the great things He has done, so you don’t forget.

In the case of the Israelites, remember they wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years, waiting until God indicated it was time to enter the promised land? Most of the Israelites ended up on the west side of the Jordon River, but 2 ½ tribes acquired cities on the east side. Some of them ended up in the walled, completely finished and filled city of Bashan. To get it, God helped them defeat the last of the giants, Og, king of Bashan (see Deut. 3).

The city was remarkable, not just because it was finished with fences, high walls, gates, and already filled with cattle and other goods. It was a city where God dwelled with them. It’s not enough to have a lot of stuff. It’s better to be where God is clearly with you. For the Israelites, they had stuff and God’s presence. Read David’s praise in Psa 68:15-17  The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.  (16)  Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.  (17)  The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

Remember another hill where God made His presence known? It was Mount Sinai. That’s where Moses went up and received the 10 commandments.

Well, there’s a place where we will find God that is awesome, and it will be fully revealed in the future. Psalm 68 is a prophetic Psalm, so it covers not only the past, but brings us into the future. There is a place with the chariots of God and thousands and thousands of angels. It is as sure as the city of Bashan of the past. Catch a glimpse: Rev 5:11-13  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;  (12)  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.  (13)  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Set down markers for your past, but know, there is an incredible future, and you want to make sure you are ready to face it.

More Than Meets the Eye

Have you ever had a dream that mixed your present with your past—in one situation? Maybe that’s the best way to understand some of the prophetic Psalms of David. Some of what he wrote intermingles Israel’s past and David’s present. Some even add a third dimension—the future.

David knew the past well, because he was a student of the Old Testament law (the first five books of the Bible, which were available to him even during his time). In one of the prophetic Psalms (68), David uses some interesting imagery, which is worth studying. But first, he praises God for His past wonderful works, some of which will happen again.

Psa 68:7  O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:  (8)  The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.	God went before the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness in the book of Exodus. He led them in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. We can praise Him for that, because it shows He goes before His children—then and now (Prov. 3:5-6). The earth shook, even Mount Sinai. Only God can do that, and He did. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. Exo 19:18 You’ve heard of God moving heaven and earth… You have it here in Ps. 68 (and in 2 Sam 22:8). It was practice. He’ll do it again. Read 2 Peter 3:10-12.
(9)  Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.	David is praising God for rain in this verse. Though God sent rain as a curse to Noah, here it is a blessing. God made and kept His promise (Deut 11:10-12).  It was practice. He will do it again for Israel in a time of need, according to the prophet Ezekiel. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. Eze 34:26 (Understand, we are talking about the Middle East here, where rain is a blessing.)
(10)  Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.  (11)  The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.	David continues his praise—regarding goodness for the poor. That goodness extends beyond the physical. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them. 1Sam 2:8. This was Hannah’s prayer after God blessed her with a child. Then David praises God for his word and those that published it. Published doesn’t mean printed, as we think of it. It means spread it forth. Today, yes, we are glad for those who physically publish the Word, but also for preachers and teachers who bring it forth accurately.
(12)  Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.  (13)  Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.  (14)  When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.	More praise from David, the army captain, who often led the Israelite army in war against the enemy (as did others before him), and plundered the enemy, so that the Israelites came out of the fight with goods to take home to their families. They ended up more “well off” from these battles. David also thought back through the Israelite’s history, when they were slaves in Egypt, living among the pots. But they rose up from that like a dirty dove that cleaned itself and rose to beauty. They moved into the promised land. (though they were later scattered from it.) That was practice. They will rise again. They already started in 1948, when they became a nation again. Born-again Christians will be part of the rising up to come. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,  (6)  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Rev 1:5-6

God Deserves to be Extolled

In the early Old Testament days, God was with the Israelites in the moveable tabernacle, which was a tent. He met with the priest in the holy of holies in which was the ark of the covenant, which represented God (everything inside it represented Christ). When the Israelites wandered around in the wilderness, they were led by a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. When the cloud moved, it was time to pack up the tabernacle and everything in it and move with God. The ark went on before them. Here’s the picture:  And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them…. And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. (Numbers 10:33, 35) God was coming through.

Now in Psalm 68, David is following behind the ark, and he’s praising God. In verses 1-3, he, like Moses, told God’s enemies to be scattered. Then he gave God specific praise for his greatness and goodness in verses 4-6. So, in the context, God is moving His people. It’s a time for praise. Let’s look at how David did it.

Psa 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.	It’s natural to sing praises to God (It was part of the tabernacle experience. When it was time to move the tabernacle, the instruments were packed up and moved with it. See Num. 4:12) Extol means to lift up. Lift up God, who rides upon the heavens, a fact David knew and appreciated from reading Deut. 33:26. David praised God for that several times throughout Psalms.  He praised God by his name JAH, which is short for Jehovah. It signifies God’s self-existence. He was not created. He always was. So, first David praises God for who He is.
(5)  A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.	Now David moves on to praise God for who He is in relation to us. For those who don’t have a father, God is a father. The overlooked widow has a judge in God, who lives in his holy habitation.
(6)  God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.	God knows we are social creatures. He made us that way. Loneliness is one of the most painful things to endure. God puts the solitary in families. The family of God is important and necessary for singles. Include them. God also looses those bound by chains. But we must know Him. For if we are rebellious, living apart from Him, we’ll live in a dry land. A life without God is dry and withering. One who doesn't know God has nothing to extol Him for. Those of us who do know Him, get to extolling! God is worthy of praise. Think of a song or hymn and sing it.

When It's Time to Move On

Psalm 68 is comforting, deep and prophetic. We’ll spend about a week looking at this Psalm, which was written by David, likely when he moved the ark of the covenant. How do we know that? Look at the first verse: To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David.  Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. (Psalms 68:1)

Hmm. Those are familiar words. David was repeating Moses’ words when Moses moved the ark. And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. (Numbers 10:35)

The moving of the ark was always a cause for celebration before the Lord, and David was famous for his jubilance when he moved the ark. The best example is 1 Chron. 15:25-29.

And so, that is the context for Psalm 68. There is a lot of praise in this Psalm as David rehearses the greatness of the God to whom the ark belonged and represented. This Psalm shows us how to praise and magnify God’s name. We’ll learn about that. Praise is a great tonic for a wilted, depressed soul. But first, let’s look at the first three verses, pushing off God’s enemies and turning God's people to Him.

Psa 68:1-3  To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.  (2)  As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.  (3)  But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

This is the beginning of the procession of the ark, which represents God (we’ve looked at that before in this blog) out of wherever it’s moving from to wherever it’s destined to go. We’re leaving enemy territory with God on our side. When God is moving, may the enemy clear a path. It’s really a good personal prayer. If you know God is moving you, pray against the enemy, because there are enemies all around. But they can’t have the victory. That belongs to God. So the balance is… Let the enemies flee, but let the righteous whom God is moving rejoice as they head out toward the goal.

David or Jesus in Psalm 40?

Psalm 40, that has been so comforting to so many people through the years, is actually a prophetic Psalm, pointing to Christ and His purpose for coming. He came to do God’s will, which is practically the theme of the Gospel of John. The words in the middle of Psalm 40 are repeated in Hebrews 10, referring to Christ.

In the outline of Psalm 40, the last seven verses could be viewed as David’s prayer for help and comfort—but just coming through some prophetic verses, I just looked at the last seven verses as a continuation of prophesy, only now Jesus calling out from the cross. Look at it with me and see if you see it. Some people don’t, and maybe it’s a stretch, but let’s look.

Psa 40:11  Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.	Just before this verse, David said prophetically of Christ: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Now he asks for that same lovingkindness and truth to continually preserve him. David or Jesus? Both? The Gospels tell us Christ’s prayers on the cross, but those are just his verbal ones. Could he have prayed this in his heart on the cross? We don’t know. For us, it’s a tremendous prayer. God’s lovingkindness  =  His acts of love, and his truth = His words of love and guidance. They preserve us. Look to them.
(12)  For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.	If we’re thinking this could be Christ on the cross, wasn’t he dealing with innumerable evils? After all, he was taking on him the sin of the world. He says “mine iniquities have taken hold upon me.” Christ didn’t have any iniquities. But he refers to so many of them that he can’t look up, and they are more than his hairs, and because of them, his heart fails him. Did David have that many personal iniquities? Maybe this is Christ, and our sins became his sins, and yes, they were innumerable. When the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side, out came blood and water (John 19:34). I’ve heard that is a sign of a broken heart. Perhaps Christ’s real cause of death was his heart failing him from the pressure of our sins on him.
(13)  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.  (14)  Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.  (15)  Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.	I’ve read these verses thinking of both David and Jesus. David did have true enemies that sought him to destroy him, wishing him evil. So did Jesus. The part that makes me doubt that this could refer to Jesus is his prayer that his enemies would be desolate for a reward of the shame they caused him. We know Jesus despised the shame (Heb. 12:2), but he never expressed ill will towards his persecutors.  Did he feel it and not express it verbally for us to read about in the New Testament? I can’t speculate on that. Whoever goes through what David or Jesus went through would certainly be praying for God to deliver and help them.
(16)  Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.  (17)  But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.	David said almost the same thing in Psalm 35. When going through suffering, persecution and anything else, let God be magnified. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. (Acts 5:41) It’s still OK to rehearse before God that we find ourselves needy. But the way out of the emotional spiral is to remind ourselves of God. He is our help and deliverer. No one else can do that. Jesus turned to God from the midst of suffering. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: (1 Peter 2:23)

Do We Deserve God’s Favor?

I lost my keys the other day. I looked everywhere I could imagine, and finally in desperation, I stopped and turned my heart to God and prayed, “God. You know where my keys are…” But before I could say more, the thought entered my mind, Why would he answer this prayer? I don’t deserve for Him to tell me where my keys are. And just as quickly, I thought, But God loves it when I turn to him, and He loves to show lovingkindnesses. It has nothing to do with whether I deserve it. So I went on with my prayer, “Please lead me to where the keys are. I trust in you, without any doubting. I know you are going to show me.” Before I knew it, I had the back door of my car open, looking on the floor of the back seat, and there they were. “Thank you Jesus.”

Why did my mind jump to the idea that I didn’t deserve for Him to show me where the keys were? I guess it was the remnants of the thinking that I have to earn His favor. I have to offer the sacrifice of good works first.

Jesus modeled and became a better way. In the middle of Psalm 40, David wrote prophetically about Christ, kind of addressing this whole idea. Psa 40:6-10  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.  (7)  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,  (8)  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.  (9)  I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.  (10)  I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

In its entirety, Psalm 40 goes from David’s deliverance from desolation (1-5) to this prophetic part (6-10) to David praying for help and comfort (11-17).

We know that in this middle section, he is speaking of Christ, because Hebrews 10:5-12 repeats the idea with Christ as the subject. The conclusion in that passage is, By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Heb. 10:10) That’s where we get our right standing before God. Through Jesus, not through our deserving life, which really isn’t deserving.

Therefore, I can pray and appeal to His lovingkindness, that I know I don’t deserve, but He loves to show it. He first showed it to me by the death of Jesus on the cross for my sins. I’ve read Ps. 40:10 many times, considering how David didn’t hide God’s righteousness within his heart. He declared God’s faithfulness and salvation. He didn’t conceal God’s lovingkindness and truth from the great concregation (us). I know that, because David writes about God’s lovingkindness and truth all the time in the Psalms. But today is the first time I realize that this statement applies prophetically to Christ.  Read it again with Jesus in mind: I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. That is simply awesome. For years, lovingkindness has been my favorite word in the Bible. It is what Christ and God are all about. We can appeal to God based on His lovingkindness, apart from our deservedness. My lost keys were a brilliant reminder.

Delivering is What God Does

Psalm 40 has always been one of my favorite Psalms, but I’ve not often thought of it as a Psalm predicting the coming of Christ. In this Psalm, David goes from deliverance (vs. 1-5) to talking about the incarnation of Christ (vs. 6-10) to praying for help and comfort (vs. 11-17). The Psalm is like a hologram, that if you look at it in the right light, you see Christ. In fact, the whole Bible is like that. There’s enough in the Bible that if you look at it simply one-dimensionally, you have plenty to live on. But, wow. How much more there is when you compare verses throughout the Bible and see what is going on underneath.

Anyway, let’s look at the first five verses and David’s deliverance from desperation.

 

Psa 40:1-5  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  (2)  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  (3)  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.  (4)  Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.  (5)  Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Have you ever felt like you were in a bottomless pit, and unless God delivered you, you would sink further and never get out? I have. And I remember how God delivered me. That’s what He does. He takes us from the pit to a rock. A study of the pit in the Bible is fascinating. The first mention is in Genesis 37 when Joseph (a type of Christ) was thrown into the pit by his brothers. Satan probably thought he’d scored a victory. But actually, Satan ends up in the pit in Rev. 20. In David’s and our experience, we know God is in control of the pit. He sets us on a rock, Christ, but He also expects us to found our lives on the rock (Matt. 7). Don’t stop with being set on a rock. Build your life on it. I’m fascinated with David’s idea of going through the victory with a song in his heart. We know that’s not figurative. David wrote Psalms/songs. Those were new songs in his heart. And now, here’s the real victory… not putting trust in man, but in God. Here’s another way he put it: Psa 118:8-9  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.  (9)  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. We can’t really trust anyone else to always come through for us, not even our spouse. Not even our pastor. Just God. We have to remind ourselves of that, like David did. Only God thinks of us constantly. Psa 139:17-18  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!  (18)  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. Trust in the Lord today. He will deliver you.

Live as a Kingdom Kid

We’ve already looked at Christ’s crucifixion, written prophetically, in the first part of Psalm 22. The chapter moves to His Millennial reign. Without that understanding, I think the remaining verses of Psalm 22 would be head-scratching. Read it here with a view that it’s talking about the 1,000-year reign of Christ, which is yet to happen.

Psa 22:26-31  The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.  (27)  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.  (28)  For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.  (29)  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.  (30)  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.  (31)  They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

It’s easy to see that verses 26-28 talk about the millennial reign of Christ on earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The meaning gets a little murky beginning with verse 29. But remember that one day every knee is going to bow before Him. There are three verses in the Bible that say that will happen. Even those who “go down to the dust” are going to bow before Him. It’s best to bow before Him now while the sun is still shining favorably upon us in this age of Grace, when we have the opportunity to respond to the gospel. The others who will bow before him are those who already accepted and serve and proclaim Christ and his finished work on the cross.

It’s passages like this that help us see the bigger plan. This life isn’t about us making it from one day to the next in a state of coveted bliss. All of eternity, including this very day, is about the Kingdom of God. If we’re part of that kingdom, let’s live like it. What would a Kingdom kid do today? Are there any eternally significant things that could be done today?

The Lion of Judah Rules Over the Roaring Lion

The Bible is rich in references to lions. It's interesting that in a good sense, Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5). If Jesus is a lion, then you know Satan, as the anti-Christ, also mimics a lion. Indeed, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8)

Many times we read about the perils of coming in contact with a lion. The prophet Daniel almost became lion lunchmeat in the lion's den, except God stopped the mouth of the lions. And in Ps. 22:21 we read below that David asks to be saved from the lion's mouth.

Psalm 22 is a prophetic Psalm. It intermingles David's life with Christ's life, so sometimes you wonder which of their two lives you are reading about.

In our look at Psalm 22, we have just come through the verses that represent one of the clearest picture of Christ's death in the Old Testament. Now David goes from talking about Christ to talking to the nation of Israel. He is transitioning from talking about Christ's death to talking about the last days.

Psa 22:21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.  (22)  I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.  (23)  Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.  (24)  For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.  (25)  My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

We know he is talking to the nation of Israel because he addresses the seed of Jacob and the seed of Israel, the Jewish people. They will need to be saved from the lion's mouth in the last days. But praise will arise out of affliction. Praise arose from the affliction of Christ, after he rose again and conquered death. He will conquer again.

On a note of personal application, the light affliction you face now is only for a time. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:17-18) The main thing we see that is eternal is eternity. Compare whatever you're going through to eternity future. We are in a speck of time that will be gone in a flash.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

The Gospel According to Psalm 22

Today we're looking at the heart of one of the most obvious and well-recognized prophesies of Christ's death. We're looking at a second piece of Ps. 22 and marveling at how closely this ties in to the facts of Christ's death, which happened about 1,000 years after the Psalm was written. Anyone who can read Ps. 22 and then the accounts of Christ's death in the gospels and not be convinced that Jesus was/is the Messiah has a spiritually blind and deaf heart. Fortunately, blindness and deafness aren't fatal flaws. It's possible to be healed from those maladies by praying and asking God for help in seeing and hearing. But first you have to recognize you don't see or hear well. Read the following verses and ask God to show you the truth.

 

Psa 22:9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.  (10)  I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.	David certainly had an understanding that God started His great work in his life before he was even born, and specifically, while in his mother's womb. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. Psa 139:13  By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. Psa 71:6. It's a fact we can't miss, considering David was an inspired prophet of God. Psalm 22 is a prophetic Psalm regarding Christ. So, while David referred to himself in this Psalm, he also referred to Christ, born of a virgin. It's interesting that Jesus is considered as coming from the seed of David, and both are anointed ones. He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore. 2Sa 22:51. God worked uniquely in the womb in both cases.
(11)  Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.  (12)  Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.  (13)  They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.  (14)  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.  (15)  My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.  (16)  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.  (17)  I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.  (18)  They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.	As Ps. 22 moves along, I can't help but wonder what went through David's mind as he wrote it. Because, though he suffered in his life, he didn't suffer in the way he describes here. Only Jesus did. Did David know he was describing a descendent of his? They mocked Jesus (Matt 27:39-44); when He died, they pierced his side, and out came water and blood (John 19:34); He was thirsty as he hung on the cross (John 19:28-29); they pierced his hands and his feet (John 20:25); they parted his garments and cast lots for them (Matt. 27:35). David wrote about all this as if he was there. Did he have a dream of his future descendent, his anointed seed? Did God transport him to the future? All we know for sure is God led him to write what he did, and because he wrote it, we have the strongest proof that Jesus was who He said He was, and the Bible is the supreme book, above books written by other so-called prophets. David was uniquely qualified to know and write about it, because God's covenant to the Jews came through him: Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Isa 55:3
(19)  But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.  (20)  Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.	And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Luk 23:46  While the Gospel account of Christ's death is short, I wonder if Ps. 22:19-20 gives a glimpse into what was going on in Christ's heart as he died. We don't know. Perhaps there was too much agony for Christ to have David-like thoughts and prayers.

After reading all these verses, understand why Jesus went through all that. He was taking the death penalty that we deserve for our sin. Remember, we sinned, but Jesus never did. God wanted perfection out of us, but He didn't get it from any of us, since Adam and Eve. So He came down and lived that perfect life, then died, so His perfect life could be transferred to us, while our sin was transferred to Him on the cross. See if this verse makes more sense now:  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Trust what He did on the cross. Admit you are a sinner, Believe Jesus died for you, Confess your sin and ask Him into your life to forgive your sins and be your Lord and Savior.