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November 13, 2016
4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. 5 They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
The psalmist concludes that a good life has not brought him wealth or freedom from troubles (verse 12) and therefore has been “in vain” (verse 13). But this unmasks his heart. His obedience was not a way of pleasing God but rather a means of getting God to please him. When we say to God, “I’ll serve you only if X happens,” then it is X that we love, and God is just a necessary apparatus for obtaining it.
The first step out of the sinkhole of resentment and envy is worship. The psalmist enters the sanctuary, and in the presence of the true God his sight clears and he begins to get the long-term perspective (verses 16–17).
21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
finally he sees he has been as arrogant toward God as the people he despised.
Only when we see the depth of our sin will we be electrified by the wonder of grace.
Lord, the deeper the darkness, the more visible and beautiful the stars. And the more I admit my sin, the more your grace becomes a reality rather than an abstract idea. Only then does your grace humble me and affirm me, cleanse me and shape me.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
“God alone is the place of peace that cannot be disturbed—and He will not withhold Himself from your love unless you withhold your love from him.”
20 Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
1 We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds.
4 You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game.
The word “meditate” can be translated as “to muse,” a word related to “music.” When we put words to music, they go right to the heart. When we meditate, we work the truth down until it affects the heart.
The psalmist is not just being a stoic and gritting his teeth till the storm passes. Nor is he simply venting his feelings. He redirects his thoughts and feelings toward the truth about God.
Meditation consists in large part of asking the right questions. To meditate is to ask oneself questions about the truth, such as “What difference does this make? Am I taking this seriously? If I forget this, how will that affect me? Have I forgotten it? Am I living in light of this?”
Lord, thank you for being a God who takes questions!
11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” 13 Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? 14 You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. 15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
He muses on the might and love of God as shown in the past, in order to overwhelm his fears in the present.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
Christians too can stagnate because they “forget that they have been cleansed from their past sins” (2 Peter 1:9). The key is to have a heart constantly vitalized by deliberate remembering of the costly sacrifice of Jesus.
Lord, I worry because I forget your wisdom, I resent because I forget your mercy, I covet because I forget your beauty, I sin because I forget your holiness, I fear because I forget your sovereignty.
They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?
“Put[ting] God to the test” (verse 18) is one of the essential impulses of the human heart. No matter what God has done for us, our heart says, “But what have you done for me lately?” The evil of this is that we reverse places with God. We put him on probation, making our relationship conditional on how well we think he performs.
anything besides God that we get our meaning from or put our hopes in will, after an initial “rush,” increasingly bore us.
Only God and his love become more and more engaging, absorbing, and satisfying forever.
38 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. 39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
42 They did not remember his power—the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, 43 the day he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan.
50 He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.
The unraveling of nature in Egypt points to a crucial truth. God created the world, so when we disobey him we unleash forces of chaos and disorder. When you, a being created to live for God, live instead for yourself, you violate your design. The ultimate plague is sin, and it will disintegrate you without the antidote—the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Idolatry is foundational to what is wrong with the human race (Romans 1:21–25). Anything that is functionally more important to you than God is an idol. Anything you love more than God—even a good thing like a spouse or child or social cause—is a false god.
Until you can identify your idols you cannot understand yourself. Until you turn from them you can’t know and walk with God.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.
Paul speaks of having a “godly jealousy” for his friends (2 Corinthians 11:2). It is love angered by anything that is defacing or destroying the loved one. A parent’s love, for example, is “jealous” for a child’s success and happiness and is zealous to remove any sins that are barriers to these things.
9 Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. 10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants. 11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
To have light from God’s face (verses 3 and 7) is not just to believe in God but to experience his presence. It is also to have a life conformed to his, not merely by compulsion out of a sense of duty but by inner desire out of a sense of his beauty. Most believers live in the gray area between these two poles.
5 When God went out against Egypt, he established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say: 6 “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.
just where we expect him to list his commands, God makes a sheer promise: “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” (verse 10). God’s laws are not merely onerous busywork. They are for our good, that we may prosper (Deuteronomy 6:24); they reflect consummate wisdom; they help us live in such a way that fulfills our designed nature.
13 “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, 14 how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!
All sin is fighting God, usurping his authority, taking his place. Even believers must acknowledge that in every wrongdoing they are making themselves God’s enemies.
Psalm 84:1–4. 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
Psalm 84:9–12. 9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Church history is convicting and encouraging, showing how far we have fallen yet also what God can do.
Revivals always involve a fresh “seeing” of the Gospel of grace—grasping it theologically and knowing it experientially.
Psalm 85:9–13. 9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. 12 The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. 13 Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.
Christ reconciles all things in heaven and earth by making peace through his blood (Colossians 1:20).
Love without holiness is mere sentiment; righteousness and law without a grasp of grace is Pharisaism.
David is drilling his own heart to remember that God is in control. Discern how many of your most difficult emotions, bad attitudes, and foolish actions come from losing your grip, at that moment, on who God is.
Lord, I am constantly asking you to give me your strength, to change me and heal me. But nothing is more empowering and life transforming than simply adoring you. Inject the truth of your wisdom, love, holiness, and sovereignty down deep into my heart until it catches fire there and makes me new.
9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
11 Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
