Nehemiah 8 - Joy

We don’t celebrate enough. We don’t. We’re so critical of ourselves and suspicious of how short term victories are that we fail to celebrate. Maybe this is in line with how we respond to most things, we make them about us. If we thought about victories as being God’s more than ours, we might release ourselves to celebrate them more. We might recognize God’s hand more, see His work as more obvious, and find more joy in the fact that God is good - and He is at work - in and around us.

“Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." – Nehemiah8:10

I love that Nehemiah not only gives permission to celebrate with food and drink, but to also bring others into the celebration. A sacred day to the Lord… is a day in which celebration is appropriate. And we honor God when we live in that freedom.

And here’s the kicker: The JOY of the LORD becomes our strength, not just our luxury, but our strength. The phrase, “is your strength”, comes from the Hebrew word ma`owz which literally means a “fortified place” and figuratively, “a defense”. It’s used interchangeably throughout scripture with the word “rock”.

Awesome.

Nehemiah 7 - Succession

Here's a leadership thought from a friend of mine on Nehemiah 7.

"I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do." Nehemiah 7:2

Nehemiah was not in this for political or personal fame and glory. He could have stayed on and I am sure that the people would have elected him their ruler. However, the task was done and it was time to move on.

Leaving a job you have poured your heart and soul into is difficult. Yet, we always should spend time in our current role planning to leave. We need to know at any moment the person (s) that will take over, whether they are ready and what they have left to learn to be effective. We have to rest knowing the next person will do it a different way and if the succession is successful, people will forget the original leader and in fact find faults with the way we lead as change occurs.

Nehemiah gives us two great models of people to pick; Getting it Done and Doing it Right. He picks his bother who set the entire chain of events in motion – Nehemiah 1:2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. And he selects a man with integrity and the fear of God within him.

Then when it is time the leader should bless the team and leave as we will see in Nehemiah 8.

Nehemiah 6 – Inevitable

Last night I watched an interesting documentary about Air Force One. What an amazing display of technology. What struck me as amazing was the fact that I was awed with just the things that they were willing to show on television. I could only imagine the capabilities they did not reveal. The bottom line is that the aircraft is designed with every threat in mind. When they learn of a new threat, or a possible weakness, they simply eliminate it with an immediate upgrade. They are constantly looking because there is constant opposition.

In light of the recent election and presidential inauguration I couldn’t help but think about the opposition that comes with such a heavy task. For every President winning an election, nearly half of all Americans did not vote for him and disagree with the majority of his ideals. No matter his successes, he can expect a season of opposition and criticism. Opposition is inherent such a position.

“Then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.

So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” – Nehemiah 6:2-3

The rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem was an amazing feat. It was accomplished through the leading and provision of God. And it came with much opposition. Direct, indirect, and covert. God was at work. So was the enemy. There will always be great opposition when great things are happening.

The key is to be ready and expecting it without allowing it to derail or distract us. This is hard for most of us. Although we know opposition is possible, we forget that it’s inevitable. Just another great reason to lean on His strength and understanding, another great reason to focus on His work and not our work, another great reason to make sure we are in His wake. Hopefully, then, we can be like Nehemiah and see the attack for what it is: A distraction from the great work God is doing.

So let’s take a moment to think about the tasks we have. The enemy plans against us in our attempt to love God and others. He plots against us as husbands, as fathers, as friends, and as neighbors. He encourages the ways of neglect, complacency, selfishness, and pride. He stands in opposition directly, indirectly, and covertly. He attacks our insecurity, our history, and he knows how to make it personal.

Be prayerful. Be expectant. Be ready.

Nehemiah 5 - House Divided

Chapter four ended right. They were doing the work of God. Although it came with great opposition, they worked with a sword in one hand. I would imagine working with one hand would slow down their pace, but none-the-less they pressed on. However, in chapter 5 there is no mention of work, only strife.

One commentary read, “A great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren meant one group fought against another. When God’s people fight one another they certainly are neither fighting the REAL enemy nor getting God’s work done. The enemy could not stop the work of God by direct attack, but the work stopped when God’s people weren’t unified and working together.”

So there is no mention of advance in chapter 5, only mention of internal fighting. I wonder today what their greatest sin was, the controversy among themselves, or the fact that it kept them from doing what they were called to do. This is an eye opening part of the journey.

“Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."

Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine." Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."- Nehemiah 5:1-5

So they were in a famine. People were trying to mortgage their property (and I would imagine taking 2nd mortgages). Taxes had to be paid. Money was slim. Sounds like January 2009. And it was following a season in which they had given much of their money and time to this service project of faith. Seemed like the most inopportune time for a provisional downturn and almost foolish to continue making such sacrifices for the greater good. Yet God is proven a faithful provider (again) through giving Nehemiah favor among the nobles and officials.

“For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” – Psalm 50:10

I'm thinking today about the greater good we are vested in. Whatever that may be in the Kingdom. We may not be building the wall around Jerusalem, but our mission is great. Strife will come, in fact it's here for many, maybe now is not the time to back off and get cautious. Maybe now is the time to truly trust in God's provision:

“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:10-11

"Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10

Nehemiah 4 – Rally Point

In 1998 I went through the Primary Leadership and Development Course (PLDC) at the NCO Academy. It’s a two-week course required for all Non-Commissioned Officers. While the first week of leadership training was primarily academic, the second was held “in the field”, and consisted of a number of mission type scenarios. That week was one of the first opportunities we had to put into practice some of the critical elements we learned at Basic Combat Training.

It was there that I first realized the value of a “rally point”. When on a mission, if a platoon gets separated, their goal is to reassemble at a designated point along the way. It’s a critical part of the default game plan. There’s no personal “Rambo” mission that anyone goes on. There are no decisions to be made in a moment of isolation, fear, or desperation. You simply do whatever you have to do to get to the rally point. And from that place together, you’ll act. It’s amazing how comforting it is to know that if everything goes crazy, you know exactly what to do and where to go.

“Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" – Nehemiah 4:19-20

This has so many applications in life. Whether it’s about focus, mission, or recovery, it’s always about doing so together and in a certain way (“Way” is God’s expertise by the way). It’s about (1) the power of community in mission and recovery, (2) the responsibility of the leader to make sure everyone knows the “standard operating procedures” and rally points, (3) the responsibility of the individual to get to that place of refuge when they hear the trumpet sound, and (4) the role of the informed to help the uninformed, confused, or possibly wounded.

Much can be done from this place. So the question is, what’s your trumpet sound and where’s your rally point?

“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.” – Isaiah 11:10

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:25

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.” – 2 Samuel 2:31

Nehemiah 3 – Team

The story of Nehemiah is a story of team. It’s a story of individuals who believed in a common task. They believed it was worthy of the sacrifices. They believed it was worthy of their time and money. It was literally worthy of their blood, sweat, and tears.

It was a worthy task because it was God’s task.

In chapter three we see that most of their work was that of “repair”. The word is used 35 times in this chapter alone. However, this was not the kind of repair we might normally think of. The word for “repairs” is the Hebrew word chazaq. It has the idea of strengthening, encouraging, of making something strong. These are principles that have application to far more than material gates and walls.

These are the benefits of team. When the sum is greater than the whole. Strengthening, encouraging, and accomplishing something together we never could have done as individuals.

“The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.” – Nehemiah 3:3-5

But not everyone pitched in. It’s interesting to me that it was the “nobles” who failed to be a part of the team. Shows you what pride and position can do to us. Maybe they thought they had a better plan, maybe they didn’t like how Nehemiah was doing it. Whatever their reason, I bet they regretted it later. They stand in infamy as the only people mentioned in this chapter who did not join in the work.

I wonder how their leadership suffered as a result. Also makes me wonder what part of the big picture I’m not “putting my shoulder to” that I should be.

Nehemiah 2 - Moral Imperative

“So the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." – Nehemiah 2:2

The Book of Nehemiah is filled with leadership and faith lessons. But verse 2 shows the heart behind his journey. It shows the fact that Nehemiah’s desire to rebuild the wall was so strong, that it impacted his demeanor beyond his ability to conceal it. His passion was great.

We all have passions. Some are personal and self-serving. Some come from within ourselves and are for the greater good. And others are simply God ordained. How do we know the difference?

There are times we must take steps in the unknown, hoping that in faith we find our way. That’s part of the journey. But I also firmly believe that there is a place where faith in the unknown can be overtaken by a simple opportunity to follow in obedience. What I mean by that is when God makes it so obvious He is leading, that follow through becomes a moral imperative.

This is the place where passion is found. The place where the conviction is so strong, His hand is so evident, and His Word so clear, that it consumes us.

So what are we praying for? Are our prayers filled with the simple, mundane, or even selfish? While I believe God cares about the intimate details of our lives… we do not thrive in those things. We thrive in the areas of God’s great movement. We thrive in the areas where our passion focuses on something beyond us. We thrive in finding such a worthy calling as rebuilding the wall.

My wall has become obvious. It’s the bricks, the mortar, and the workers who have become my daily passion, and the city within.

“There was an immediate answer to his prayer; for the seed of Jacob never sought the God of Jacob in vain.” – M. Henry

Nehemiah 1 - Passion

When was the last time you were moved to tears about something? Maybe it was from a tragedy in your family or a great disappointment. Maybe they were tears of joy or even tears of appreciation. Whatever they were from, can you remember them? What were the circumstances surrounding them? Ever notice that they always seem to include other people? Maybe they were tears shed for someone else or about someone else. That may not feel very profound, but it is. We are wired like this. To relate with passion.

“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” – Nehemiah 1:4

In Nehemiah, we see a God given vision birthed through a passion for people. And when Nehemiah “heard”, he wept. He mourned. He fasted. And best of all, he prayed.

When was the last time you wept before God?

Yes, the God of the universe, when was the last time you wept before Him? I find that the things that I allow to stay surface and cordial do not move me to tears. The things that become rote to me do not move me to tears. The things in which I am prideful, I do not allow to move me to tears. It’s only the things that break me or make me gut-level thankful that move me to tears.

We can easily say, well, I’m not the kind of guy or girl that is like that. If that is me, I should then take on the tough journey of figuring out why not. If we’re all created in the image of God, if I’m truly thankful, broken, humbled before God, why not? I would argue that there is freedom found at the end of that journey.

Psalm 18 – Don’t Forget

Worship is interesting. How we do it is even more interesting. If we don’t get into it, an observer might see it as completely powerless. If we sell out to it, we might seem like a crazy. It’s amazing the emotion and insecurity that can flood our mind during worship. And it’s amazing the criticism that can come from the outside world (let’s be honest, even other Christians) when we do sell out to it. Many of us are scared to worship with everything we’ve got.

But we have a natural leaning towards worship. We are emotional beings. When we love something, we tend to worship it. On the tail end of all the College Bowl games, I can’t help but think about how far we’ll go for our team. I know its kind of cliché to make the connection between sports and faith, but really, think about it. We’ll spend hundreds of dollars on tickets, sometimes thousands if not millions on donations, pay to park, walk a mile to the stadium, then sit there and go absolutely wild for our team (whether it be in freezing weather or blazing heat). We wear t-shirts and hats supporting the team. We scream to the point of losing our voice. We pump our hands in the air and yell out chants together. We sit on hard metal chairs literally for hours. Our goal is to get as close to the front as possible. And we feel the experience. We really feel it. We cry when we lose and we are pumped when we win. And we’ll defend our teams to the point of fighting.

With literally billions of dollars made in the entertainment industry, we act the same way at a concert, get star struck with a celebrity, and can be obsessed with even a TV show. Ryan Seacrest announced 97.5 millions votes came in for the season finale of the 2008 American Idol season.

I’m not saying that ALL this is wrong. I’m a huge sports fan and am pretty uninhibited when it comes to some of these things. But in light of them, I’m pondering today how and why our worship of God is so inhibited.

Something’s wrong.

“It’s crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe – the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor – loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.” – Francis Chan, Author of Crazy Love

I know Chan is speaking about a life of worship, something bigger than just worship through song. But it certainly applies here too.

I find myself in a seemingly constant season of learning what it means to worship to God. What it means to worship as a response to His Grace and His movement in our lives. And how we respond to His leading. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always turn into me responding the correct way, which typically leads to more opportunities to learn, but nonetheless the season continues.

Responding appropriately seems to start with a perspective and leads to a posture. Hopefully a perspective that God is simply amazing and we are not. That perspective will lead to a posture towards Him and others. But it’s a process. David constantly gives an example of this response. Psalm 18 is no different.

Here we find him singing to the LORD as a response to the LORD delivering him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He’s literally worshipping. He’s known for being pretty undignified in his worship. Here’s a play by play of David’s song:

1. Expresses how much he loves God.
2. Expresses who God is to him.
3. Expresses all that God has done for him.
4. Expresses his confidence in God.
5. Exalts him as above all others.

We may find ourselves feeling and even wanting to express our love towards God. That may be a common experience for us. But we often fall short of meditating on and expressing to God who He is to us, that He’s our foundation. Rarely do we remind God all that He’s done for us as an expression of thanks. And while we may have confidence, how often do we express our confidence in God? David did all of these things. Constantly.

When I think about worship, physical sing out loud worship, I can feel the difference between when I really mean it and when I’m going through the motions. We often try to go straight from step 1 to step 5, from “I love God” to therefore “I worship God”, neglecting or just forgetting steps 2-3. When a lyric, a scripture, a thought goes through my mind reminding me of those things, my worship changes.

“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." – Luke 7:47

We should take the example of David. We should remind God more about who He is to us. We should remind Him more all that He’s done in our lives. We should remind Him more of the confidence we have in Him. NOT because He might forget, but because WE forget. I think it will change the way we worship.

“I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

He is the God who avenges me, 

who subdues nations under me,
who saves me from my enemies. 


You exalted me above my foes; 

from violent men you rescued me.

Therefore I will praise you among
the nations, O LORD; 

I will sing praises to your name.”

– Psalm 18:1-2, 47-49

Psalm 17 - Hey dad.

My boys are 6 and 10. My little girl is 8. The difference is remarkable. Not only in age and gender, but mostly in personality. And I love the differences. I love how I relate and wrestle with Gavin and Caleb and snuggle with Sydney Beth. But I love even more when, every now and then, Gavin and Caleb want to snuggle too. Mostly at bed time. Mostly through a request like, “Hey dad, will you scratch my back?”

It takes about 15 seconds for Caleb to fall asleep once I start. Gavin could somehow will himself to stay up all night if I’d keep scratching.

I love it when they run into the house after a bus ride home, slam open the front door, throw down their backpacks and offer a quick, “Hey dad”, as if we were just a couple of fellas working together at the factory. We’re buds. While there is respect, there is also a comfort, a trust, a love, and an unspoken confidence that exists between us.

And when they want something, they ask me for it. They know I can provide it, they know I love them and want my best for them, and they unconsciously cherish the fact that I cherish them. Sounds like David in verse 8:

“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” – Psalm 17:8

When I read this today, I could almost hear him saying “daddy” in front of it. We know that Jesus called God “daddy”. If our sins are forgiven, if there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, why wouldn’t we come to him as our daddy as well?

Psalm 16 - Magic Bullet

I’m not a huge fan of the magic bullet. Mostly because when we put everything into one bucket it typically leaves blind spots. Thus nullifying the reality that it is a true “magic bullet” and offering more and more proof that one may not even exist. This will always be the case as long as we think of the bullet as a “thing” instead of a “who” and a “what”. This may be at the heart of our struggle with circumstance. David knew this. For him, the “who” was God and the “what”, was finding refuge.

“Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” – Psalm 16:1

If we lived life from the position of a found refuge in God, life would change. If we were constantly aware that our refuge comes from Him, if we made decisions based on that protection, relief, and comfort, if we sought Him as our primary source of help, and if we allowed everything to flow out of that reality, we’d find the magic bullet for life. We’d find it in Christ. It would saturate everything and offer a new confidence. Anything not covered by this “bullet” would not only seem insignificant, it would be proven so.

I love that this is verse 1. It’s an opening statement for David as much as it is a prayer or request. He has the confidence to make the request to God only because his statement of refuge is true. And he was known as a man after God’s own heart.

It makes me wonder how great God’s desire is for us to find refuge in Him. How close is it to His heart? Is it possible that this is one of His greatest offerings through Christ? For many, faith has become anything but refuge. It has become powerless, rote, or even daunting. It has become something to be done instead of something you are. It has become a part of life instead of life itself.

If our foundation is refuge, true refuge, this would never be the case.

Psalm 15 – Deal with it

We are a people of lists. We have to do lists, shopping lists, lists of things we want, lists of best restaurants in town, lists of potential names for babies, bucket lists, the list goes on and on (get it?). Lists help us organize our lives.

Throughout the Psalms we are given lists of things that lead to blessing, lead to God’s favor, are considered righteous, and help keep judgment at arms length. While how we think (attitude of the heart and mind) is certainly important, most often the lists are about how we act. Here we see it manifest in things we say and do for or about other people.

1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart

3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,

4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath even when it hurts.”

– Psalm 15:1-4

There really is a ton of evil in the world. It’s amazing how deep rooted some of it is. Typically we can trace it back to a person, a leader, or an organization that has standards or values opposite to ours. As a Christian, I’ve felt guilt before for feeling disdain for those people. I’ve felt like I was being judgmental and possibly showing a shortage of love. But that’s a guilt I can often put on myself. And it’s not always wrong.

Scripture is clear that we don’t have to hold those who do great wrong with any type of esteem. We don’t have to respect them. In fact, the Hebrew uses two words to describe this person and how we should respond in verse 4. The first means to disesteem or disdain, and the second means to cast off or reject.

The Hebrew Lexicon translated directly in Verse 4 says, “In whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not.”

This is saying that as we see the deficiency in others that it’s okay to find disdain in it. But instead of taking action against them in response to our disdain or even “sweeping it under the table” in blind love, we should charge ourselves with what disdain we find in our own actions. And simply remove them.

Psalm 14 – No Hope

This is a sad chapter. Often I think about those who do evil things and feel no pain for them. Unless, of course, it’s the evil things I struggle with myself, then I feel uncomfortable in our commonality. Verse three puts it in perspective:

“All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” – Psalm 14:3

If this is our condition, a condition of depravity, then our only hope is reconciliation with our God. How sad a moment to not only believe that there is no God, and thus have no hope, but even worse to find pleasure in that belief.

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
There is no one who does good.” – Psalm 14:1

We have all failed to meet the requirements of standing before a righteous God on our own. But we still have hope. We always have hope. It makes sense, doesn’t it, to pursue that hope.

“Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ… without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” – Ephesians 2:12-13

Psalm 13 – Desperate

Chapter 13 seems to show David at one of his most desperate and lonely places. You can hear it in his words:

“How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death”
– Psalm 13:1-3

I guess in a weird way I find some comfort in David’s season of unknown. Although such seasons can be excruciating, each of us will experience them. With that in mind, there are some great lessons to be learned in studying how David addresses God during this time. First he takes a moment to be “real”, to lament and express the depth of his position (vs1-2). Then he literally asks, tells, begs God to “Look on” him and “answer” (vs.3). Reminds me of Luke 11:

“Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'

"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” – Luke 11

How does David have the confidence to come to God so bodly? I think it’s shown through the response of his heart. He knows God is faithful. He trusts God because he recalls God’s faithfulness. This allows him to rejoice and even sing.

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.” Psalm 13:5

No matter the situation, we can do the same.

Psalm 12 - Success

I had a great conversation with two contemporaries (and friends) today; one is a church planter here in Austin, the other the founder of a non-profit focusing on the fight to help end local poverty. Our conversation somehow made it to a discussion about how as believers we should measure success, and how when measured properly, is often accompanied with a peace that might not typically make sense.

While obviously, we should measure success by the standards in which we think God measures success, our nature is to measure it by the things that typically bring us honor in the minds of our contemporaries. Wanting to be honored among men is an amazingly powerful temptation and thus shape a majority of our lives. Made me think how important it is that we choose wisely those we allow to influence our pursuits. It also made this final thought from Psalm 12 come alive for me today:

“The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.” – Psalm 12:8

Psalm 11 - Bad Things

We are all capable of bad things, even those of us who are searching out the good things. We are still capable of bad. I would imagine that to be one of the reasons David was constantly asking God to search his heart. Maybe Jeremiah put it best when he said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

“For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.” – Psalm 11:2

Even for evil, there is a time of preparation. We dig in our heels and consider the best course of action. We bend our bows, we set the arrow against the strings, and we shoot. Who can understand it? Even in our “evil”, Psychologists say that each of us want to be right. With that want comes an innate need for someone else to be wrong. Many times we sabotage the scenario, see the experience through filtered lens, and do whatever we have to do to be right… although our actions may be filled with self, greed, pride, neglect… evil. Sometimes when we don’t even know it.

This is bad news, but there is hope. That time of preparation gives us a moment to fight the action.

“In your anger do not sin…” Psalm 4:4

“…Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” – James 1:14-15

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

When we are angry, we can choose not to sin. When we are tempted, we can choose not to sin. When we are enticed, we can choose not to sin. In the same way, we can bend our bows, and still choose to stop. We can set our arrow against the string, and still choose to stop. It’s not too late, as long as we have yet to release the string. Here’s the rest of the Psalm 4 reference:

“In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD. –Psalm 4:4-5

Psalm 10 - Just a Taste

Just a quick word today on Psalm 10 from Matthew Henry. I hope you are all having an amazing New Year!

The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto him for it. Let the poor, afflicted, persecuted, or tempted believer recollect, that Satan is the prince of this world, and that he is the father of all the ungodly. The children of God cannot expect kindness, truth, or justice from such persons as crucified the Lord of glory. But this once suffering Jesus, now reigns as King over all the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end. Let us commit ourselves unto him, humbly trusting in his mercy. He will rescue the believer from every temptation, and break the arm of every wicked oppressor, and bruise Satan under our feet shortly. But in heaven alone will all sin and temptation be shut out, though in this life the believer has a foretaste of deliverance.

Psalm 9 – Limited Perspective

The first few verses of Psalm 9 give us a reminder of what God has done in regards to his justice. It speaks of rebuking and destroying. It speaks of blotting out names and endless ruin. This is His response to evil nations and the wicked.

When we see an example of the power and judgment of God according to His ways it is always profound.

It’s interesting to me those who claim the absence of God when he “allows” evil in our world today. And I’m reminded through Psalm 9 that our timing is not His timing. That He is righteous. And that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The issue of Him “allowing” is not an issue of what, but more so an issue of when. Stand firm child of God, He will judge righteously. As the scripture claims (vs.10), He has never forsaken those who seek Him.

While our timeline is everything to us, it is but a blip on the radar of God’s agenda. Today is so small in respect to Eternity. We should be mindful not to allow our way of thinking and limited perspective to create doubt or concern in our faith. Instead, in considering His timelessness, we should find comfort.

“The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” – Psalm 9:7-10