A Psalm of David.
1 Judge me, O LORD;
for I have walked in mine integrity;
I have trusted also in the LORD;
therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;
try my reins and my heart.
3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes;
and I have walked in thy truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons,
neither will I go in with dissemblers.
5 I have hated the congregation of evildoers;
and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash mine hands in innocency;
so will I compass thine altar, O LORD.
7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving,
and tell of all thy wondrous works.
8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house,
and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
9 Gather not my soul with sinners,
nor my life with bloody men:
10 In whose hands is mischief,
and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity;
redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth in an even place;
in the congregations will I bless the LORD.
JW: David professes his integrity, ver. 1-8; deprecates the doom of the wicked, ver. 9, 10; casts himself upon the mercy of God, ver. 11, 12.
3: 'For' - I dare appeal to thee, because thou knowest I have a deep sense of thy loving-kindness, by which I have been led to love and obey thee.
4: 'Sat' - Continued with them. I have been so far from an imitation of their wicked courses, that I have avoided their company.
12: 'Standeth' - I stand upon a sure and solid foundation, being under the protection of God's promise, and his almighty and watchful providence. 'Congregations' - I will not only privately, but in the assemblies of thy people celebrate thy praise.
It took me a couple of times reading through it to notice, but you can see in this psalm that a life of worship and discipleship is a living that employs your whole body: eyes, heart, hands, mouth, and especially the feet (notice all the references to walking). [Well almost your whole body...not your butt (see 'sit' and 'sat' in v. 4-5), no place for laziness or complacency!]
Our eyes should constantly be aware of and looking for the love of God, which is ever before us. We should guard our heart, for as Jesus tells us it is the well-spring of life, knowing that God ever examines it and wants it directed toward himself and others. The importance of clean hands appears here in similar fashion as Psalm 24, which has it as a requisite for entrance into the sanctuary. In order of appearance, the last body part that shows up is the mouth. I don't know if there's an intention in that, but it would make sense if so. Notice that the psalmist publishes (proclaims/speaks) with thanksgiving. Chances are that if we have the rest of our body aligned with the right purpose, our publishing of good news will likely be well-received...or at least it will be heard. I saw someone quip recently something about this idea, but that ultimately, we are still called to 'publish,' or present in word, our faith. The statement was meant as tongue-in-cheek (at least I think so) to the quote from St. Francis of Assisi that is perhaps quoted too frequently: "Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." The response I heard was, "To those who [espouse this idea], note that Jesus was not a mime." Too many of us speak before we should; but there are also many who should speak because their eyes, their hearts, their feet, and their hands are all rightly-oriented. Those are exactly the type of people who should speak, and the type of people we would do well to listen to.
How many of us can honestly say to God, of all beings, "I have walked in integrity"? I mean I might be able to slip that one past you, but God knows where I've been walking. David expresses this. But it's not like he's proud or sanctimonious about it. He's just confessing, in my view, that he's living/walking in accordance to the truth of God's loving-kindness. I think that is what Wesley was picking up on, too: I have a deep sense of thy loving-kindness, by which I have been led to love and obey thee. It's living and walking in the love of God so described in 1 John 4 - In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another...So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in that person. By this is love perfected in us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. God's love made manifest to and in us so that we, with David, can cry to God, "I have walked in my integrity." But note that this is also a confidence that isn't independent or self-sufficient; David still cries in the end for God to redeem and be merciful to him. Let us not forget that even as we pursue holiness.
28 February 2011
26 February 2011
Psalm 25
A Psalm of David.
1 Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I trust in thee; let me not be ashamed,
let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed;
let them be ashamed that transgress without cause.
4 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me;
for thou art the God of my salvation;
on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindness;
for they have been ever of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
according to thy mercy remember thou me
for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he will teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek he will guide in judgment;
and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth
unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name's sake, O LORD,
pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the LORD?
Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease;
and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him;
and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD;
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me;
for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain;
and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies, for they are many;
and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me;
let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me;
for I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
JW: David distrest, takes refuge in God, ver. 1-7; shews the goodness of God to them that fear him, ver. 8-15; prays for help against his enemies, and for the church, ver. 16-22.
2: 'Ashamed' - disappointed of my hope.
8: 'Upright' - Holy and true in all his declarations and offers of mercy to sinners.
10: 'Paths' - All the dealings of God with them, yea even those that are afflictive, are done in kindness and faithfulness to them.
13: 'At ease' - Heb. in Good; in the enjoyment and possession of the true good.
14: 'The secret' - His love and favour, which is called his secret, Job 29.4, Prov. 3.32, because it is known to none but him that enjoyeth it.
15: 'Pluck' - He will deliver me out of all my troubles.
20: 'Soul' - [Keep] my life.
22: 'Israel' - If thou wilt not help me, yet spare thy people who suffer for my sake, and in my sufferings.
How would you define 'ashamed'? Shame and guilt are obviously not the same thing. I typically think of shame in terms of embarrassment or alienation. So when I hear the psalmist cry (and when I repeat), "Do not let me be ashamed/put to shame" I'm thinking, "God, I'm trusting in you, so don't embarrass me in front of my enemies (or other audience)." That's what I think of when I hear Third Day's rendition of this psalm:
But when reading Wesley's brief definition, I'm drawn toward what he says: "...Let me not be disappointed of my hope." Embarrassment may play into that, but there's so much more riding on shame than just my emotional feelings/reactions today. It's about the future, too. St. Paul prays this for the Colossians: We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Do you see the connection of faith (or trust) and hope there, too?
We'll get to Psalm 51, the token psalm for confession/repentance, down the road, but this psalm is (at least in part) a cry of contrition. I didn't include it above, but Wesley indicates that David may be referring to his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba in this Psalm (something that is indicated in the prescript of Psalm 51). After making his appeal to the mercies and lovingkindness of God, David asks for these to be applied by God forgiving and forgetting his sins. He pleads for forgiveness on several occasions in this psalm. In fact there's a unique clause in this Psalm that appears here that should be good news to us sinners: therefore he will teach sinners in the way. I think this is unique because in the Psalms we often find the Lord teaching his paths to the faithful and thwarting the plans of the wicked/sinners. David recognizes here that he is a sinner and God's mercy and goodness is what brought him back to the path of righteousness.
Confession: a couple of terms in verses 13 and 14 bothered me - "...shall dwell at ease" and "The secret of the LORD..." My thought with the first one was: "Really? The one who walks the path of righteousness shall dwell at ease? What is easy about being a faithful follower of Jesus? Didn't he say it wouldn't be easy and that suffering would be part of what it meant to be his follower, to pursue holiness?" But Wesley's words helped me to see that 'ease' here is not about comfort or lack of resistance, per se, but in the enjoyment and possession of the true good. In other words, the followers of Jesus dwell in the delight of the presence of God. That's ease, or peace.
As for 'the secret,' I got bothered too because my heresy radar starting screaming "Gnosticism! Gnosticism! Secret knowledge? ACK!" That's the thing about heresy. It uses the words of truth but twists their meaning. But there is something good and redeeming about secrets. When I tell Sam, my nearly 4 year old son, that I have a secret to tell him, he leans in closely to hear what it is. The secret is often telling him I love him, but it is sometimes about a surprise plan for Carrie, my wife, so that he can be "in on" the plan of showering love on my wife/his mother and help out. Wesley says the 'secret' that God shares with 'those that fear him' is God's love and favor. The thing I enjoy about the Wesleyan approach to the message is that God wants us to let the secret out because he wants everyone to know his love and favor. It's not reserved for the elect to keep to themselves.
1 Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I trust in thee; let me not be ashamed,
let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed;
let them be ashamed that transgress without cause.
4 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me;
for thou art the God of my salvation;
on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindness;
for they have been ever of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
according to thy mercy remember thou me
for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he will teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek he will guide in judgment;
and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth
unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name's sake, O LORD,
pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the LORD?
Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease;
and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him;
and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD;
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me;
for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain;
and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies, for they are many;
and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me;
let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me;
for I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
JW: David distrest, takes refuge in God, ver. 1-7; shews the goodness of God to them that fear him, ver. 8-15; prays for help against his enemies, and for the church, ver. 16-22.
2: 'Ashamed' - disappointed of my hope.
8: 'Upright' - Holy and true in all his declarations and offers of mercy to sinners.
10: 'Paths' - All the dealings of God with them, yea even those that are afflictive, are done in kindness and faithfulness to them.
13: 'At ease' - Heb. in Good; in the enjoyment and possession of the true good.
14: 'The secret' - His love and favour, which is called his secret, Job 29.4, Prov. 3.32, because it is known to none but him that enjoyeth it.
15: 'Pluck' - He will deliver me out of all my troubles.
20: 'Soul' - [Keep] my life.
22: 'Israel' - If thou wilt not help me, yet spare thy people who suffer for my sake, and in my sufferings.
How would you define 'ashamed'? Shame and guilt are obviously not the same thing. I typically think of shame in terms of embarrassment or alienation. So when I hear the psalmist cry (and when I repeat), "Do not let me be ashamed/put to shame" I'm thinking, "God, I'm trusting in you, so don't embarrass me in front of my enemies (or other audience)." That's what I think of when I hear Third Day's rendition of this psalm:
But when reading Wesley's brief definition, I'm drawn toward what he says: "...Let me not be disappointed of my hope." Embarrassment may play into that, but there's so much more riding on shame than just my emotional feelings/reactions today. It's about the future, too. St. Paul prays this for the Colossians: We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Do you see the connection of faith (or trust) and hope there, too?
We'll get to Psalm 51, the token psalm for confession/repentance, down the road, but this psalm is (at least in part) a cry of contrition. I didn't include it above, but Wesley indicates that David may be referring to his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba in this Psalm (something that is indicated in the prescript of Psalm 51). After making his appeal to the mercies and lovingkindness of God, David asks for these to be applied by God forgiving and forgetting his sins. He pleads for forgiveness on several occasions in this psalm. In fact there's a unique clause in this Psalm that appears here that should be good news to us sinners: therefore he will teach sinners in the way. I think this is unique because in the Psalms we often find the Lord teaching his paths to the faithful and thwarting the plans of the wicked/sinners. David recognizes here that he is a sinner and God's mercy and goodness is what brought him back to the path of righteousness.
Confession: a couple of terms in verses 13 and 14 bothered me - "...shall dwell at ease" and "The secret of the LORD..." My thought with the first one was: "Really? The one who walks the path of righteousness shall dwell at ease? What is easy about being a faithful follower of Jesus? Didn't he say it wouldn't be easy and that suffering would be part of what it meant to be his follower, to pursue holiness?" But Wesley's words helped me to see that 'ease' here is not about comfort or lack of resistance, per se, but in the enjoyment and possession of the true good. In other words, the followers of Jesus dwell in the delight of the presence of God. That's ease, or peace.
As for 'the secret,' I got bothered too because my heresy radar starting screaming "Gnosticism! Gnosticism! Secret knowledge? ACK!" That's the thing about heresy. It uses the words of truth but twists their meaning. But there is something good and redeeming about secrets. When I tell Sam, my nearly 4 year old son, that I have a secret to tell him, he leans in closely to hear what it is. The secret is often telling him I love him, but it is sometimes about a surprise plan for Carrie, my wife, so that he can be "in on" the plan of showering love on my wife/his mother and help out. Wesley says the 'secret' that God shares with 'those that fear him' is God's love and favor. The thing I enjoy about the Wesleyan approach to the message is that God wants us to let the secret out because he wants everyone to know his love and favor. It's not reserved for the elect to keep to themselves.
25 February 2011
Psalm 24
A Psalm of David.
1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands and a pure heart;
who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him,
that seek thy face, O [God of] Jacob. Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts, he is the King of Glory. Selah.
JW: This psalm is generally thought to have been composed by David, upon bringing the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom, into the tabernacle which David had built for it, 2 Sam. 6.12, 17. Wherein he hath a farther prospect to the temple, which he earnestly desired and intended to build. Moreover because the tabernacle, and temple, and ark, were types of Christ, and of his church and of heaven. David extended his thoughts to them also, or at least the Holy Ghost designed to comprehend them under these typical expressions. He shews God's sovereignty over the world, ver. 1, 2; who shall receive his blessing, ver. 3-6; an exhortation to receive Christ, ver. 7-10.
3: 'The hill' - Zion or Moriah, the place of God's sanctuary and special presence. Having asserted God's dominion over all mankind, he now proposes an important question, by whom God will be served, and his blessing enjoyed.
4: 'He' - whose actions and conversation are holy and unblameable. 'Pure heart' - careful to approve itself to God, as well as to men; ordering a man's very thoughts and affections according to God's word. 'Vanity' - Who doth not value or desire the vain things of this life, such as honours, riches, pleasures; but makes God his portion.
7: 'Lift up' - He speaks here of the gates and doors of the temple, which by faith and the spirit of prophecy, he beheld as already built, whose doors he calls 'Everlasting,' not so much because they were made of strong and durable materials, as in opposition to those of the tabernacle, which were removed from place to place. These gates he bids lift up their heads, or tops, by allusion to those gates which have a portcullis, which may be let down or taken up. And as the temple was a type of Christ, and of his church, and of heaven itself; so this place may also contain a representation, either of Christ's entrance into his church, or into the hearts of his faithful people, who are here commanded to set open their hearts and souls for his reception; or of his ascension into heaven, where the saints or angels are poetically introduced as preparing the way, and opening the heavenly gates to receive their Lord and king, returning to his royal habitation with triumph and glory. 'The king' - The Messiah, the king of Israel, and of his church, called the King, or Lord of glory, 1 Cor. 2.8, James 2.1, both for that glory which is inherent in him, and that which is purchased by him for his members.
8: 'The Lord' - He is no ordinary person, no other than Jehovah, who hath given so many proofs of his almightiness, who hath subdued all his enemies, and is now returned in triumph.
I wrote in this post on Charles Wesley's 'Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord' that this Psalm came to mind as we think about making preparations during the season of Advent for the arrival of the King. Jesus was born a king, after all. With that said, I really like what John Wesley wrote in his comments on verse 7 (see bold portion above). In a class I took on Psalms in college, I recall the professor going over this particular psalm. He elaborated on the 'heads' of the gates to describe them in like manner as Wesley does above. But the professor (Dr. Owen Dickens) also made the inference that the command for the 'heads' of the gates to be lifted up was a way of saying, remove them. Think of a top (horizontal) part of a door frame. To remove the gate's head means that as the King of glory enters, nothing is to be above Him. You can't box, or frame, or gate God in. Nothing is more glorious or has a higher status than the King of glory.
This is great preparation for the community to worship: Clean your hands; Purify your hearts; Seek the face of the God of Jacob because in Christ, the King, he has made it revealed.
As a final note, there is the reference to battle imagery, which strengthens the case that this at least has something to do with Christ's return to the right hand of God in his ascension. Wesley brought this out not only in his comments on verse 7, but also in verse 8: "...subdued all his enemies..." You may be aware of the various pictures, or theories, of the atonement. One of the more well-known is called Christus Victor (click here for some other posts related to this idea). What makes this picture so vital to our understanding of salvation is that it paints Christ's resurrection and ascension as central to the atonement in a way that other pictures/theories do not. This is illustrated by the belief that Christ, through his dying has battled and through his resurrection has defeated death and the powers of evil. While the battle continues for us, their demise is certain and has been guaranteed by Christ's bodily resurrection, which has foretold our own.
Nothing goes above Christ, but some really good news is that he brings us (or will bring us) to his dwelling place to enjoy the royal party forever.
3: 'The hill' - Zion or Moriah, the place of God's sanctuary and special presence. Having asserted God's dominion over all mankind, he now proposes an important question, by whom God will be served, and his blessing enjoyed.
4: 'He' - whose actions and conversation are holy and unblameable. 'Pure heart' - careful to approve itself to God, as well as to men; ordering a man's very thoughts and affections according to God's word. 'Vanity' - Who doth not value or desire the vain things of this life, such as honours, riches, pleasures; but makes God his portion.
7: 'Lift up' - He speaks here of the gates and doors of the temple, which by faith and the spirit of prophecy, he beheld as already built, whose doors he calls 'Everlasting,' not so much because they were made of strong and durable materials, as in opposition to those of the tabernacle, which were removed from place to place. These gates he bids lift up their heads, or tops, by allusion to those gates which have a portcullis, which may be let down or taken up. And as the temple was a type of Christ, and of his church, and of heaven itself; so this place may also contain a representation, either of Christ's entrance into his church, or into the hearts of his faithful people, who are here commanded to set open their hearts and souls for his reception; or of his ascension into heaven, where the saints or angels are poetically introduced as preparing the way, and opening the heavenly gates to receive their Lord and king, returning to his royal habitation with triumph and glory. 'The king' - The Messiah, the king of Israel, and of his church, called the King, or Lord of glory, 1 Cor. 2.8, James 2.1, both for that glory which is inherent in him, and that which is purchased by him for his members.
8: 'The Lord' - He is no ordinary person, no other than Jehovah, who hath given so many proofs of his almightiness, who hath subdued all his enemies, and is now returned in triumph.
I wrote in this post on Charles Wesley's 'Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord' that this Psalm came to mind as we think about making preparations during the season of Advent for the arrival of the King. Jesus was born a king, after all. With that said, I really like what John Wesley wrote in his comments on verse 7 (see bold portion above). In a class I took on Psalms in college, I recall the professor going over this particular psalm. He elaborated on the 'heads' of the gates to describe them in like manner as Wesley does above. But the professor (Dr. Owen Dickens) also made the inference that the command for the 'heads' of the gates to be lifted up was a way of saying, remove them. Think of a top (horizontal) part of a door frame. To remove the gate's head means that as the King of glory enters, nothing is to be above Him. You can't box, or frame, or gate God in. Nothing is more glorious or has a higher status than the King of glory.
This is great preparation for the community to worship: Clean your hands; Purify your hearts; Seek the face of the God of Jacob because in Christ, the King, he has made it revealed.
As a final note, there is the reference to battle imagery, which strengthens the case that this at least has something to do with Christ's return to the right hand of God in his ascension. Wesley brought this out not only in his comments on verse 7, but also in verse 8: "...subdued all his enemies..." You may be aware of the various pictures, or theories, of the atonement. One of the more well-known is called Christus Victor (click here for some other posts related to this idea). What makes this picture so vital to our understanding of salvation is that it paints Christ's resurrection and ascension as central to the atonement in a way that other pictures/theories do not. This is illustrated by the belief that Christ, through his dying has battled and through his resurrection has defeated death and the powers of evil. While the battle continues for us, their demise is certain and has been guaranteed by Christ's bodily resurrection, which has foretold our own.
Nothing goes above Christ, but some really good news is that he brings us (or will bring us) to his dwelling place to enjoy the royal party forever.
23 February 2011
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul;
he leadeth me in the path of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
JW: David extolls the goodness of God as his shepherd and expresses his confidence in him, ver. 1-6.
3: 'Restoreth' - Heb. He bringeth it back from its errors and wandering. 'For' - Not for any worth in me, but for the glory of his justice, and faithfulness, and goodness.
5: 'A table' - Thou furnishest me with plenty of provisions and comforts. 'Oil' - with aromatic ointments, which were then used at great feasts; thy comforts delight my soul. 'Runneth over' - Thou hast given me a plentiful portions, signified by the cup, given to the guests by the master of the feast.
I saw this comic years ago and chuckled a bit at it. For some reason it stood out to me. This is what we sign up for: God encompassing us in every direction - before us, with us, following us. That's the pattern of this Psalm. God is our Shepherd, which indicates going before us. David expresses confidence in the midst of the valley of death's shadow that he will not be afraid because God is with him. Goodness and mercy are certainly attributes of the Godhead. Everywhere we go, everyone whose paths we cross will encounter God and his goodness and mercy again. So in that sense God follows, or carries through on those encounters where we could not.
Now a shepherd isn't the world's most ritzy vocation. And among the cultures of the people of God in Scripture, shepherds weren't held in high esteem. Why is it that David would choose the analogy of a shepherd to describe God? Because there are things that shepherds do that others are too afraid to do, especially fending off predators. David knew this very well, seeing that he was a shepherd in his days prior to ascending to the throne. But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him."
My dad raises sheep in western Kentucky. Sam and I went to visit my family on weekend a couple of years ago and a shepherd moment occurred. On Sunday morning after Sam and I helped Dad fed the sheep, we went inside while Dad went to the road to retrieve the newspaper for my mom. As everyone else is sitting in the kitchen getting ready for breakfast, I see Dad quickly running through the utility room (at the back entrance of the house, adjacent to the kitchen) into his bedroom. Yeah, that grabbed my curiosity, but before I could make it to the utility room to see what he was doing, he was already on his way back outside with his 12-gauge shotgun. He said there was a fox out in the field with the sheep. Dad quietly scurried to the fence, raised the gun, and with the fox, who had a dead lamb that had recently been born hanging from his mouth, in his sights, he shot it down. That was the last time that fox disrupted my dad's flock (or any other flock, for that matter). Probably not as difficult of a battle that David faced, but nonetheless a shepherd fends off predators.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them...I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
With that coming from the mouth of Jesus, I can say with confidence that the Lord is my shepherd, and there's nothing else needed. He has gone before us and faced the valley of the shadow of death. When we face it, we don't have to fear because he is with us. He is the shepherd we can trust. And yes, we can count on those followers, goodness and mercy, stalking us for the rest of our lives as long as we proclaim that the Lord is our shepherd.
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul;
he leadeth me in the path of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
JW: David extolls the goodness of God as his shepherd and expresses his confidence in him, ver. 1-6.
3: 'Restoreth' - Heb. He bringeth it back from its errors and wandering. 'For' - Not for any worth in me, but for the glory of his justice, and faithfulness, and goodness.
5: 'A table' - Thou furnishest me with plenty of provisions and comforts. 'Oil' - with aromatic ointments, which were then used at great feasts; thy comforts delight my soul. 'Runneth over' - Thou hast given me a plentiful portions, signified by the cup, given to the guests by the master of the feast.
I saw this comic years ago and chuckled a bit at it. For some reason it stood out to me. This is what we sign up for: God encompassing us in every direction - before us, with us, following us. That's the pattern of this Psalm. God is our Shepherd, which indicates going before us. David expresses confidence in the midst of the valley of death's shadow that he will not be afraid because God is with him. Goodness and mercy are certainly attributes of the Godhead. Everywhere we go, everyone whose paths we cross will encounter God and his goodness and mercy again. So in that sense God follows, or carries through on those encounters where we could not.
Now a shepherd isn't the world's most ritzy vocation. And among the cultures of the people of God in Scripture, shepherds weren't held in high esteem. Why is it that David would choose the analogy of a shepherd to describe God? Because there are things that shepherds do that others are too afraid to do, especially fending off predators. David knew this very well, seeing that he was a shepherd in his days prior to ascending to the throne. But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him."
My dad raises sheep in western Kentucky. Sam and I went to visit my family on weekend a couple of years ago and a shepherd moment occurred. On Sunday morning after Sam and I helped Dad fed the sheep, we went inside while Dad went to the road to retrieve the newspaper for my mom. As everyone else is sitting in the kitchen getting ready for breakfast, I see Dad quickly running through the utility room (at the back entrance of the house, adjacent to the kitchen) into his bedroom. Yeah, that grabbed my curiosity, but before I could make it to the utility room to see what he was doing, he was already on his way back outside with his 12-gauge shotgun. He said there was a fox out in the field with the sheep. Dad quietly scurried to the fence, raised the gun, and with the fox, who had a dead lamb that had recently been born hanging from his mouth, in his sights, he shot it down. That was the last time that fox disrupted my dad's flock (or any other flock, for that matter). Probably not as difficult of a battle that David faced, but nonetheless a shepherd fends off predators.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them...I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
With that coming from the mouth of Jesus, I can say with confidence that the Lord is my shepherd, and there's nothing else needed. He has gone before us and faced the valley of the shadow of death. When we face it, we don't have to fear because he is with us. He is the shepherd we can trust. And yes, we can count on those followers, goodness and mercy, stalking us for the rest of our lives as long as we proclaim that the Lord is our shepherd.
22 February 2011
Psalm 22 (b): v. 22-31
To the chief musician upon Aijeleth Shahar,
A Psalm of David.
...
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren;
in the midst of the congregation I will 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.
26 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 the 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.
JW: In this psalm David speaks...of the exaltation of Christ, ver. 22-31.
22: 'Declare' - when thou hast delivered me. 'Thy name' - that power and faithfulness and goodness, which thou hast manifested on my behalf. 'Congregations' - Christ...extends this name to all his disciples, Matt. 12.48, 49, and to whom this very text is applied, Heb. 2.11, 12.
24: 'Abhorred' - he did not turn his face away from it, as men do from things which they abhor. '[God did not hide his face] From him' - for ever; tho' he did so for a time. (Sorry, Mr. Wesley, but I disagree.)
26: 'Satisfied' - This is doubtless to be understood of those spiritual blessings, that grace and peace, and comfort, which all believing souls have in the sense of God's love, the pardon of their sins, and the influence of God's spirit.
27: 'The world' - All nations from one end of the world to the other. So this is an evident prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles, and a clear proof that this psalm immediately speaks of Christ, to whom alone this and divers of other passages of it, belong. 'Remember' - They shall remember their former wickedness with grief and shame, and fear...their great manifold obligation to God, which they had quite forgotten, his patience in sparing them so long, in the midst of all their impieties, and in giving his son for them; they shall remember the gracious words and the glorious works of Christ, what he did, and suffered for them.
31: 'His' - God's righteousness: his wonderful grace and mercy unto mankind, in giving them Christ and the gospel; for righteousness is often put for mercy or kindness... 'That he' - They shall declare that this is the work of God, and not of man.
Click for parts "(a)" and "(a): Remix". Where verses 1-21 of Psalm 22 clearly are fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus, these verses find fulfillment in Jesus' resurrection and what follows it. Let's start with Wesley's last observation: that this is the work of God, and not of man. This is huge, not only for understanding that it is God who works for and in and through us, but even so in the person of Christ. Read the New Testament carefully and you'll see that it Jesus does not raise himself from the dead. Jesus does not glorify himself. "God raised Jesus from the dead." "Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name." This is in no way to deny the divinity of the Son from eternity, but it is to recognize that as the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct Persons in the Godhead that it is the Father and the Spirit who glorify the Son.
And this is a significant reason why I have taken issue with the notion (that Wesley holds to, though he's not alone on this) that the Father literally turned his face away from his Son on the cross. Verse 24 makes this clear that in retrospect, it may have seemed that God was looking away or was absent when that evil was being done, he in fact was there and grieved over it. Indeed if God had hid his face, then we have a God who looks the other way at injustice. I refuse to believe that. I think it's poor exegesis and has even worse pastoral implications.
...
This (part of the) Psalm is about praise, so...
I praise You, Father, for not turning your face away but for hearing your Son and the cries of your people who endure pain and suffering from every angle.
I praise You, Son, for tasting and enduring everything that is human, even death, so that we would not be alone in this life or the next.
I praise You, Spirit, for the work You are doing in the midst of your people and this world in preparation for the marriage of the one to come, where heaven and earth shall forever be joined and celebrate a wedding feast of the union of God and humanity in the Person of Christ.
Death is here, but we know the cure for death has been injected and we await the day where the cure becomes complete. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
A Psalm of David.
...
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren;
in the midst of the congregation I will 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.
26 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 the 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.
JW: In this psalm David speaks...of the exaltation of Christ, ver. 22-31.
22: 'Declare' - when thou hast delivered me. 'Thy name' - that power and faithfulness and goodness, which thou hast manifested on my behalf. 'Congregations' - Christ...extends this name to all his disciples, Matt. 12.48, 49, and to whom this very text is applied, Heb. 2.11, 12.
24: 'Abhorred' - he did not turn his face away from it, as men do from things which they abhor. '[God did not hide his face] From him' - for ever; tho' he did so for a time. (Sorry, Mr. Wesley, but I disagree.)
26: 'Satisfied' - This is doubtless to be understood of those spiritual blessings, that grace and peace, and comfort, which all believing souls have in the sense of God's love, the pardon of their sins, and the influence of God's spirit.
27: 'The world' - All nations from one end of the world to the other. So this is an evident prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles, and a clear proof that this psalm immediately speaks of Christ, to whom alone this and divers of other passages of it, belong. 'Remember' - They shall remember their former wickedness with grief and shame, and fear...their great manifold obligation to God, which they had quite forgotten, his patience in sparing them so long, in the midst of all their impieties, and in giving his son for them; they shall remember the gracious words and the glorious works of Christ, what he did, and suffered for them.
31: 'His' - God's righteousness: his wonderful grace and mercy unto mankind, in giving them Christ and the gospel; for righteousness is often put for mercy or kindness... 'That he' - They shall declare that this is the work of God, and not of man.
Click for parts "(a)" and "(a): Remix". Where verses 1-21 of Psalm 22 clearly are fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus, these verses find fulfillment in Jesus' resurrection and what follows it. Let's start with Wesley's last observation: that this is the work of God, and not of man. This is huge, not only for understanding that it is God who works for and in and through us, but even so in the person of Christ. Read the New Testament carefully and you'll see that it Jesus does not raise himself from the dead. Jesus does not glorify himself. "God raised Jesus from the dead." "Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name." This is in no way to deny the divinity of the Son from eternity, but it is to recognize that as the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct Persons in the Godhead that it is the Father and the Spirit who glorify the Son.
And this is a significant reason why I have taken issue with the notion (that Wesley holds to, though he's not alone on this) that the Father literally turned his face away from his Son on the cross. Verse 24 makes this clear that in retrospect, it may have seemed that God was looking away or was absent when that evil was being done, he in fact was there and grieved over it. Indeed if God had hid his face, then we have a God who looks the other way at injustice. I refuse to believe that. I think it's poor exegesis and has even worse pastoral implications.
...
This (part of the) Psalm is about praise, so...
I praise You, Father, for not turning your face away but for hearing your Son and the cries of your people who endure pain and suffering from every angle.
I praise You, Son, for tasting and enduring everything that is human, even death, so that we would not be alone in this life or the next.
I praise You, Spirit, for the work You are doing in the midst of your people and this world in preparation for the marriage of the one to come, where heaven and earth shall forever be joined and celebrate a wedding feast of the union of God and humanity in the Person of Christ.
Death is here, but we know the cure for death has been injected and we await the day where the cure becomes complete. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
21 February 2011
Psalm 22 (a): Remix
Then Abraham drew near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?"
...
But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring and they shall inherit it forever'."
...
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster."
...
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?...
All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads, [saying,]
"He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"...
Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
...
And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
______________________
These who petitioned the Father knew God's character: just/righteous, slow to anger and abounding in love, faithful to the promises made to his people. And they weren't afraid to call God out on it. That takes some guts! Jonah knew so well about God's slowness to anger and quickness to show mercy that he didn't want to give God that chance. And with a hat tip to one of my seminary profs, Joe Dongell, what the centurion saw in the manner of Jesus' death was not the wrath of the Father upon his Son, but the siding of the Father with his suffering Son. The darkness conveyed Divine sorrow for the suffering of the innocent. The tearing of the veil in two from top to bottom was the Father expressing grief by rending his cloak in like manner of Elisha at the departure of Elijah (see 2 Kings 2.12). It was just that the Son had to taste death in order to kill it. That didn't make it any easier nor take away the sensation for Jesus that God had seemingly deserted him; rather, that God had not come through for him. That's what I think Jesus meant by crying what he did from the cross. The deliverance would come, but not before he breathed his last. To that we'll turn next as we look at the 2nd part of the Psalm.
...
But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring and they shall inherit it forever'."
...
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster."
...
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?...
All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads, [saying,]
"He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"...
Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
...
And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
______________________
These who petitioned the Father knew God's character: just/righteous, slow to anger and abounding in love, faithful to the promises made to his people. And they weren't afraid to call God out on it. That takes some guts! Jonah knew so well about God's slowness to anger and quickness to show mercy that he didn't want to give God that chance. And with a hat tip to one of my seminary profs, Joe Dongell, what the centurion saw in the manner of Jesus' death was not the wrath of the Father upon his Son, but the siding of the Father with his suffering Son. The darkness conveyed Divine sorrow for the suffering of the innocent. The tearing of the veil in two from top to bottom was the Father expressing grief by rending his cloak in like manner of Elisha at the departure of Elijah (see 2 Kings 2.12). It was just that the Son had to taste death in order to kill it. That didn't make it any easier nor take away the sensation for Jesus that God had seemingly deserted him; rather, that God had not come through for him. That's what I think Jesus meant by crying what he did from the cross. The deliverance would come, but not before he breathed his last. To that we'll turn next as we look at the 2nd part of the Psalm.
19 February 2011
Wesley on the Prodigal(s)
Yesterday on twitter I streamed a few lines from John Wesley's comments on the story of the prodigal son(s) which is found in Luke 15.11-32. Although the story is typically referred to as the story of the return of the prodigal son, the main character in the story, and the character we are called to emulate, is the father, whose love for his child is unending and unashamed at having to lift his robe, shaming himself, to run toward his returning son and shower him with grace and a return to royalty. Wesley has notes throughout the story, but it's his summary in his lengthy note on verse 32 that grabbed my attention and which is where the quotes yesterday came from:
32. This thy brother was dead, and is alive. A thousand of these delicate touches in the inspired writings escape an inattentive reader. In verse 30, the elder son had unkindly and indecently said, "This thy son." The father in his reply mildly reproves him, and tenderly says, This thy brother. Amazing intimation, that the best of men ought to account the worst of sinners their brethren still; and should especially remember the relation, when they show any inclination to return.
Our Lord in this whole parable shows, not only that the Jews had no cause to murmur at the reception of the Gentiles (a point which did not at that time so directly fall under consideration), but that if the Pharisees were indeed as good as they fancied themselves to be, still they had no reason to murmur at the kind treatment of any sincere penitent. Thus does he condemn them on their own principles and so leaves them without excuse.
We have in this parable a lively emblem of the condition and behaviour of sinners in their natural state. Thus, when enriched by the bounty of the great common Father, do they ungratefully run from him (v. 12). Sensual pleasures are eagerly pursued, till they have squandered away all the grace of God (v. 13). And while these continue, not a serious thought of God can find a place in their minds. And even when afflictions come upon them (v. 14), still they will make hard shifts before they will let the grace of God, concurring with his providence, persuade them to think of a return (ver. 15, 16).
When they see themselves naked, indigent, and undone, then they recover the exercise of their reason (v. 17). Then they remember the blessings they have thrown away, and attend to the misery they have incurred. And hereupon they resolve to return to their father, and put the resolution immediately in practice (v. 18, 19). Behold with wonder and pleasure the gracious reception they find from the Divine, injured goodness! When such a prodigal comes to his father, he sees him afar off (v. 20). He pities, meets, embraces him, and interrupts his acknowledgments with the tokens of his returning favour (v. 21). He arrays him with the robe of a Redeemer's righteousness, with inward and outward holiness; adorns him with all his sanctifying graces, and honours him with the tokens of adopting love (v. 22). And all this he does with unutterable delight, in that he who was lost is now found (v. 23, 24).
Let no elder brother murmur at this indulgence, but rather welcome the prodigal back into the family. And let those who have been thus received wander no more, but emulate the strictest piety of those who for many years have served their heavenly Father, and not transgressed his commandments.
32. This thy brother was dead, and is alive. A thousand of these delicate touches in the inspired writings escape an inattentive reader. In verse 30, the elder son had unkindly and indecently said, "This thy son." The father in his reply mildly reproves him, and tenderly says, This thy brother. Amazing intimation, that the best of men ought to account the worst of sinners their brethren still; and should especially remember the relation, when they show any inclination to return.
Our Lord in this whole parable shows, not only that the Jews had no cause to murmur at the reception of the Gentiles (a point which did not at that time so directly fall under consideration), but that if the Pharisees were indeed as good as they fancied themselves to be, still they had no reason to murmur at the kind treatment of any sincere penitent. Thus does he condemn them on their own principles and so leaves them without excuse.
We have in this parable a lively emblem of the condition and behaviour of sinners in their natural state. Thus, when enriched by the bounty of the great common Father, do they ungratefully run from him (v. 12). Sensual pleasures are eagerly pursued, till they have squandered away all the grace of God (v. 13). And while these continue, not a serious thought of God can find a place in their minds. And even when afflictions come upon them (v. 14), still they will make hard shifts before they will let the grace of God, concurring with his providence, persuade them to think of a return (ver. 15, 16).
When they see themselves naked, indigent, and undone, then they recover the exercise of their reason (v. 17). Then they remember the blessings they have thrown away, and attend to the misery they have incurred. And hereupon they resolve to return to their father, and put the resolution immediately in practice (v. 18, 19). Behold with wonder and pleasure the gracious reception they find from the Divine, injured goodness! When such a prodigal comes to his father, he sees him afar off (v. 20). He pities, meets, embraces him, and interrupts his acknowledgments with the tokens of his returning favour (v. 21). He arrays him with the robe of a Redeemer's righteousness, with inward and outward holiness; adorns him with all his sanctifying graces, and honours him with the tokens of adopting love (v. 22). And all this he does with unutterable delight, in that he who was lost is now found (v. 23, 24).
Let no elder brother murmur at this indulgence, but rather welcome the prodigal back into the family. And let those who have been thus received wander no more, but emulate the strictest piety of those who for many years have served their heavenly Father, and not transgressed his commandments.
18 February 2011
Psalm 22 (a): v. 1-21
To the chief musician upon Aijeleth Shahar,
A Psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why art thou so far from helping me,
and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not;
and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy,
O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee;
they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered;
they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man;
a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn;
they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 "He trusted in the LORD that he would deliver him;
let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him."
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.
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 the earth.
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.
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.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth;
for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
JW: It is composed that David was a type of Christ, and that many passages of the Psalms, though literally understood of David, yet had a further and mystical reference to Christ. But there are some other passages, which were directly, and immediately intended for, and are properly to be understood of the Messiah; though withal there may be some respect and allusion to the state of the penman himself. And this seems to be the state of this Psalm, which is understood of the Messiah, by the Hebrew doctors themselves, and by Christ himself and by his apostles. And there are many passages in it, which were literally accomplished in him, and cannot be understood of any other. In this Psalm David speaks of the humiliation of Christ, ver. 1-21; of the exaltation of Christ, ver. 22-31.
1: 'My God' - Who art my friend and father, though now thou frownest upon me. The repetition denotes the depth of his distress, which made him cry so earnestly. 'Forsaken' - withdrawn the light of thy countenance, the supports and comforts of thy spirit, and filled me with the terrors of thy wrath: this was in part verified by David, but much more fully in Christ. 'Roaring' - my outcries forced from me, by my miseries.
3: 'But thou art' - just and true in all thy ways, this he adds to strengthen his faith, and to enforce his prayers, and prevail with God for the honour of his holy name, to hear and help him. 'Inhabitest' - whom thy people are perpetually praising.
6: 'A worm' - neglected and despised. 'People' - not only of the great men, but also of the common people, which doth not so truly agree to David as to Christ.
7: 'Shoot out' - They gape with their mouths, in mockery. This and the next verse are applied to Christ, Matt. 27.39, 43.
14: 'Water' - My spirits are spent and gone like water which once spilt can never be recovered; my very flesh is melted within me, and I am become as weak as water. 'Bones' - I am as unable to help myself, and as full of torment as if all my bones were disjointed. 'Wax' - melted, through fear and overwhelming grief.
20: 'Darling' - Heb. my only one; his soul, which he so calls because it was left alone and destitute of friends and helpers.
Because of its length I may need to even break this down into more posts than just two, but I wanted to include this whole section for context. It seems that no other Psalm in the Psalter has more darkness and despair yet more hope and thanksgiving than this one. Perhaps my thinking is only this way because it appears more vividly than any other Psalm to apply to Christ and his Passion. This section (v. 1-21) is the darkness and despair.
Now here I have a bit of a bone to pick with Wesley. Maybe not so much with him because he probably only relays here (as in many cases) what the tradition he was accustomed to had handed on to him. But I think there has often been a gross misreading of this Psalm, verse 1 in particular, because of how people read the cry of dereliction (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) from the cross. What is the picture that is drawn in (most) evangelical renderings of this statement? That the Father (literally) turned his back on the Son because he couldn't look at the sin that was on his Son. But if that's how we take what this means when Jesus roars it from the cross, then we have a divorce between verse 1 of this Psalm from the rest of the Psalm, verses 2-21, in particular. Can you show me where in this Psalm there is reference to the Lord not coming through because of any sinfulness or wrongdoing that the Psalmist has done? And if we have the image of a Father who literally turns his back on his Son in the moment of the Son's greatest despair, then what sort of portrayal of the Trinity are we advocating? I'm not suggesting that Jesus in the cross doesn't deal with God's wrath, but because that takes place, we shouldn't automatically read that into everything that pertains to Jesus' death. Let's let this Psalm and other passages that refer to the cross speak on their own terms. I think there's a better option.
Sure the Psalm was more literally fulfilled in Christ than any person or group in history. But this Psalm is the cry of the righteous innocent calling upon the faithfulness and justice of God and asking why He hasn't come through to the rescue in this case. The garments of the faithful are shredded and divided among the enemies of God all the time. Innocent people are and have been oppressed countless times in history. Many people die alone, being rejected and despised, or worse, ignored by the people. Maybe Jesus, in making such a loud cry in his greatest moment of desperation, is resonating/empathizing with the suffering of the righteous ones through all of time. "Where are you, God?" There's much more about this passage I want to wrestle with, but since this is a blog and not a thesis, I'll save some more for later. With that, watch this video from Jars of Clay's 'Oh My God'...notice that amongst those who say this, the artist says "Saviors always say..."
A Psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why art thou so far from helping me,
and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not;
and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy,
O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee;
they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered;
they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man;
a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn;
they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 "He trusted in the LORD that he would deliver him;
let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him."
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.
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 the earth.
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.
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.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth;
for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
JW: It is composed that David was a type of Christ, and that many passages of the Psalms, though literally understood of David, yet had a further and mystical reference to Christ. But there are some other passages, which were directly, and immediately intended for, and are properly to be understood of the Messiah; though withal there may be some respect and allusion to the state of the penman himself. And this seems to be the state of this Psalm, which is understood of the Messiah, by the Hebrew doctors themselves, and by Christ himself and by his apostles. And there are many passages in it, which were literally accomplished in him, and cannot be understood of any other. In this Psalm David speaks of the humiliation of Christ, ver. 1-21; of the exaltation of Christ, ver. 22-31.
1: 'My God' - Who art my friend and father, though now thou frownest upon me. The repetition denotes the depth of his distress, which made him cry so earnestly. 'Forsaken' - withdrawn the light of thy countenance, the supports and comforts of thy spirit, and filled me with the terrors of thy wrath: this was in part verified by David, but much more fully in Christ. 'Roaring' - my outcries forced from me, by my miseries.
3: 'But thou art' - just and true in all thy ways, this he adds to strengthen his faith, and to enforce his prayers, and prevail with God for the honour of his holy name, to hear and help him. 'Inhabitest' - whom thy people are perpetually praising.
6: 'A worm' - neglected and despised. 'People' - not only of the great men, but also of the common people, which doth not so truly agree to David as to Christ.
7: 'Shoot out' - They gape with their mouths, in mockery. This and the next verse are applied to Christ, Matt. 27.39, 43.
14: 'Water' - My spirits are spent and gone like water which once spilt can never be recovered; my very flesh is melted within me, and I am become as weak as water. 'Bones' - I am as unable to help myself, and as full of torment as if all my bones were disjointed. 'Wax' - melted, through fear and overwhelming grief.
20: 'Darling' - Heb. my only one; his soul, which he so calls because it was left alone and destitute of friends and helpers.
Because of its length I may need to even break this down into more posts than just two, but I wanted to include this whole section for context. It seems that no other Psalm in the Psalter has more darkness and despair yet more hope and thanksgiving than this one. Perhaps my thinking is only this way because it appears more vividly than any other Psalm to apply to Christ and his Passion. This section (v. 1-21) is the darkness and despair.
Now here I have a bit of a bone to pick with Wesley. Maybe not so much with him because he probably only relays here (as in many cases) what the tradition he was accustomed to had handed on to him. But I think there has often been a gross misreading of this Psalm, verse 1 in particular, because of how people read the cry of dereliction (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) from the cross. What is the picture that is drawn in (most) evangelical renderings of this statement? That the Father (literally) turned his back on the Son because he couldn't look at the sin that was on his Son. But if that's how we take what this means when Jesus roars it from the cross, then we have a divorce between verse 1 of this Psalm from the rest of the Psalm, verses 2-21, in particular. Can you show me where in this Psalm there is reference to the Lord not coming through because of any sinfulness or wrongdoing that the Psalmist has done? And if we have the image of a Father who literally turns his back on his Son in the moment of the Son's greatest despair, then what sort of portrayal of the Trinity are we advocating? I'm not suggesting that Jesus in the cross doesn't deal with God's wrath, but because that takes place, we shouldn't automatically read that into everything that pertains to Jesus' death. Let's let this Psalm and other passages that refer to the cross speak on their own terms. I think there's a better option.
Sure the Psalm was more literally fulfilled in Christ than any person or group in history. But this Psalm is the cry of the righteous innocent calling upon the faithfulness and justice of God and asking why He hasn't come through to the rescue in this case. The garments of the faithful are shredded and divided among the enemies of God all the time. Innocent people are and have been oppressed countless times in history. Many people die alone, being rejected and despised, or worse, ignored by the people. Maybe Jesus, in making such a loud cry in his greatest moment of desperation, is resonating/empathizing with the suffering of the righteous ones through all of time. "Where are you, God?" There's much more about this passage I want to wrestle with, but since this is a blog and not a thesis, I'll save some more for later. With that, watch this video from Jars of Clay's 'Oh My God'...notice that amongst those who say this, the artist says "Saviors always say..."
16 February 2011
Psalm 21
To the chief musician,
A Psalm of David.
1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD;
and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire,
and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou preventest him with the blessing of goodness;
thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it to him,
even length of days for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great in thy salvation;
honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever;
thou hast made him exceedingly glad with thy countenance.
7 For the king trusteth in the LORD,
and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies;
thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger;
the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth,
and their seed from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against thee;
they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back,
when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.
13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength;
so will we sing and praise thy power.
JW: A thanksgiving for blessings received, ver. 1-6; an expression of confidence in God, ver. 7-13.
The subject of this psalm is the same with the former, both being made for the peoples use, concerning the king. Only the prayers there used are here turned into praises for the blessings received in answer to their prayers. And as David was an illustrious type of Christ, so in many of these expressions he looks beyond himself to Christ, in whom they are properly, and fully accomplished.
3: 'Prevent' - Crowning him with manifold blessings, both more and sooner than he expected.
4: 'For ever' - Thou gavest him a long life and reign here, and after that didst translate him to live with thee for ever. But this was more eminently fulfilled in Christ, who asked of his father, life, or to be saved from death, Heb. 5.7, though with submission to his will: but his father, though he saw it necessary to take away his temporal life, yet instantly gave him another, far more noble, even the perfect possession of an everlasting life both in his soul and body, at his right hand.
5: 'Glory' - his fame or renown. 'Salvation' - by reason of those great and glorious deliverances which thou hast wrought both for him, and by him.
11: 'Thee' - against God, not directly, but by consequence, because it was against David, whom God had anointed, and against the Lord's people, whose injuries God takes as done to himself.
'Prevent' meant something quite different in the time that the King James was written and even when Wesley was writing than it does today. When you hear 'prevent' you're likely to conjure up the idea of keeping something from happening. Hence, it often carries with it a negative aspect in that an action is taken in order to avoid a certain situation or consequence. Now in some sense, this was true even in the 17th and 18th century English usage, but then there was often a positive sense, which we see in the case here. 'Prevent' literally has a positive sense, "Go before." If you're familiar with the theology of the Wesleys in any way, you're likely aware that we are immediately taken to 'prevenience' or 'prevenient grace.' John Wesley more frequently termed it 'preventing grace.' It's the grace that goes before. And here it went before the king, crowning him with manifold blessings, both more and sooner than he expected. Has God not done something similar to you? to me? to us? Take note of this: the blessing is older than and went before the curse. That's good news!
I wonder if St. Paul had this Psalm in mind, particularly verse 5, when he said the following: Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6.14). My mind was also brought to the last stanza of 'How Deep the Father's Love for Us':
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom,
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Wesley equated 'glory' in verse 5 with 'fame' or 'renown.' Our fame, our glory, our boast is only in God's salvation. It came from above, not from within ourselves. But the thing I believe we can do in light of this is to receive the honor and majesty that God has graced us with instead of groveling in our past sins. We should always have a readiness to repent, but if we only look to the past, then we will miss out on the future to which Christ wants to take us. That future is honor and majesty, for Christ has brought us into his royal lineage. Praise be unto God!
I also like what Wesley says on verse 11, that God takes actions done against his people as actions done against him. I think St. Paul was aware of this: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? I would imagine that the cross plays into this too. Christ, after all, was not just bearing our sins, but our pains, infirmities, and so on.
A Psalm of David.
1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD;
and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire,
and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou preventest him with the blessing of goodness;
thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it to him,
even length of days for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great in thy salvation;
honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever;
thou hast made him exceedingly glad with thy countenance.
7 For the king trusteth in the LORD,
and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies;
thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger;
the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth,
and their seed from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against thee;
they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back,
when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.
13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength;
so will we sing and praise thy power.
JW: A thanksgiving for blessings received, ver. 1-6; an expression of confidence in God, ver. 7-13.
The subject of this psalm is the same with the former, both being made for the peoples use, concerning the king. Only the prayers there used are here turned into praises for the blessings received in answer to their prayers. And as David was an illustrious type of Christ, so in many of these expressions he looks beyond himself to Christ, in whom they are properly, and fully accomplished.
3: 'Prevent' - Crowning him with manifold blessings, both more and sooner than he expected.
4: 'For ever' - Thou gavest him a long life and reign here, and after that didst translate him to live with thee for ever. But this was more eminently fulfilled in Christ, who asked of his father, life, or to be saved from death, Heb. 5.7, though with submission to his will: but his father, though he saw it necessary to take away his temporal life, yet instantly gave him another, far more noble, even the perfect possession of an everlasting life both in his soul and body, at his right hand.
5: 'Glory' - his fame or renown. 'Salvation' - by reason of those great and glorious deliverances which thou hast wrought both for him, and by him.
11: 'Thee' - against God, not directly, but by consequence, because it was against David, whom God had anointed, and against the Lord's people, whose injuries God takes as done to himself.
'Prevent' meant something quite different in the time that the King James was written and even when Wesley was writing than it does today. When you hear 'prevent' you're likely to conjure up the idea of keeping something from happening. Hence, it often carries with it a negative aspect in that an action is taken in order to avoid a certain situation or consequence. Now in some sense, this was true even in the 17th and 18th century English usage, but then there was often a positive sense, which we see in the case here. 'Prevent' literally has a positive sense, "Go before." If you're familiar with the theology of the Wesleys in any way, you're likely aware that we are immediately taken to 'prevenience' or 'prevenient grace.' John Wesley more frequently termed it 'preventing grace.' It's the grace that goes before. And here it went before the king, crowning him with manifold blessings, both more and sooner than he expected. Has God not done something similar to you? to me? to us? Take note of this: the blessing is older than and went before the curse. That's good news!
I wonder if St. Paul had this Psalm in mind, particularly verse 5, when he said the following: Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6.14). My mind was also brought to the last stanza of 'How Deep the Father's Love for Us':
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom,
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Wesley equated 'glory' in verse 5 with 'fame' or 'renown.' Our fame, our glory, our boast is only in God's salvation. It came from above, not from within ourselves. But the thing I believe we can do in light of this is to receive the honor and majesty that God has graced us with instead of groveling in our past sins. We should always have a readiness to repent, but if we only look to the past, then we will miss out on the future to which Christ wants to take us. That future is honor and majesty, for Christ has brought us into his royal lineage. Praise be unto God!
I also like what Wesley says on verse 11, that God takes actions done against his people as actions done against him. I think St. Paul was aware of this: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? I would imagine that the cross plays into this too. Christ, after all, was not just bearing our sins, but our pains, infirmities, and so on.
14 February 2011
Psalm 20
To the chief musician,
A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble;
the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary;
and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings;
and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart,
and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation,
and in the name of our God we will set up our banners;
the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the LORD saveth all his anointed;
he will hear him from his holy heaven
with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen;
but we are risen, and upright.
9 Save, LORD! Let the king hear us when we call.
JW: A prayer for the king, ver. 1-4; the king and the people rejoice in God, and pray for his help, ver. 5-9.
5: 'Rejoice' - Hereby they shew their confidence in God, and their assurance of the victory.
6: 'Now' - We are already sure of victory by the consideration of God's power and faithfulness and love to David, and to his people. They speak as one person, because they were unanimous in this prayer. 'Saveth' - will certainly save. 'Strength' - This shews how God will hear him, even by saving him with a strong hand.
7: 'Remember' - trust in it.
9: 'Let the king' - God, the supreme monarch, the king of kings, and in a peculiar manner the king of Israel.
Briefly, I'll echo Wesley's recognition of the spirit of the Psalm moving from confident petitions, to, dare I say, an audacious rejoicing in the knowledge of the forthcoming deliverance/salvation of God. Think about the audacity it takes for someone to rejoice in salvation and redemption in the midst of this broken world. Ungrounded in reality it can lead to escapism, but focused on the fact that there is still something to be done, this is the power of God in God's people!
Broadening the horizons beyond what Wesley saw immediately, I read this Psalm like many others: through the lens of the cross and resurrection of Christ. Call me a broken record if you will, but I think this is the best way for Christians to read Scripture, because ultimately Scripture points us to an event...a Person, rather. Scripture calls us to "Remember the name of the LORD our God."
In this Psalm I'm imagining the disciple whom Jesus loved, in his Gospel, 21.8-9: "The the other disciple [the one whom Jesus loved], who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead." Can't you hear John saying, "Now I know that the LORD saveth his Anointed...with the saving strength of his right hand"?
I love Wesley's very brief comment on the "remember" of verse 7: trust in it. Fred Craddock, in his commentary on Philippians for the Interpretation series, stated something I've not forgotten: To be a Christian is in large part an act of memory. When Jesus says, "When you partake of this bread...(and) cup, remember me," he's asking for something more than recollection. If it were recollection he were after, then we in the 21st century would have some difficulty, wouldn't we? It's an active remembrance that is calling us to trust in him, in his sacrifice, and ultimately in the deliverance that he has enjoyed from the grip of death and will bestow to us in the forthcoming resurrection of our own! Accordingly, we can have the audacity to rejoice in God's salvation and have the confidence that the King of kings indeed hears us when we call!
A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble;
the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary;
and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings;
and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart,
and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation,
and in the name of our God we will set up our banners;
the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the LORD saveth all his anointed;
he will hear him from his holy heaven
with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen;
but we are risen, and upright.
9 Save, LORD! Let the king hear us when we call.
JW: A prayer for the king, ver. 1-4; the king and the people rejoice in God, and pray for his help, ver. 5-9.
5: 'Rejoice' - Hereby they shew their confidence in God, and their assurance of the victory.
6: 'Now' - We are already sure of victory by the consideration of God's power and faithfulness and love to David, and to his people. They speak as one person, because they were unanimous in this prayer. 'Saveth' - will certainly save. 'Strength' - This shews how God will hear him, even by saving him with a strong hand.
7: 'Remember' - trust in it.
9: 'Let the king' - God, the supreme monarch, the king of kings, and in a peculiar manner the king of Israel.
Briefly, I'll echo Wesley's recognition of the spirit of the Psalm moving from confident petitions, to, dare I say, an audacious rejoicing in the knowledge of the forthcoming deliverance/salvation of God. Think about the audacity it takes for someone to rejoice in salvation and redemption in the midst of this broken world. Ungrounded in reality it can lead to escapism, but focused on the fact that there is still something to be done, this is the power of God in God's people!
Broadening the horizons beyond what Wesley saw immediately, I read this Psalm like many others: through the lens of the cross and resurrection of Christ. Call me a broken record if you will, but I think this is the best way for Christians to read Scripture, because ultimately Scripture points us to an event...a Person, rather. Scripture calls us to "Remember the name of the LORD our God."
In this Psalm I'm imagining the disciple whom Jesus loved, in his Gospel, 21.8-9: "The the other disciple [the one whom Jesus loved], who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead." Can't you hear John saying, "Now I know that the LORD saveth his Anointed...with the saving strength of his right hand"?
I love Wesley's very brief comment on the "remember" of verse 7: trust in it. Fred Craddock, in his commentary on Philippians for the Interpretation series, stated something I've not forgotten: To be a Christian is in large part an act of memory. When Jesus says, "When you partake of this bread...(and) cup, remember me," he's asking for something more than recollection. If it were recollection he were after, then we in the 21st century would have some difficulty, wouldn't we? It's an active remembrance that is calling us to trust in him, in his sacrifice, and ultimately in the deliverance that he has enjoyed from the grip of death and will bestow to us in the forthcoming resurrection of our own! Accordingly, we can have the audacity to rejoice in God's salvation and have the confidence that the King of kings indeed hears us when we call!
11 February 2011
Psalm 19
To the chief musician,
A Psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech,
and nigh unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven,
and his circuit unto the ends of it;
and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever;
the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold;
sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned;
and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors?
cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me;
then I shall be upright,
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.
JW: The book of the creatures shews us the power and Godhead of the Creator, ver. 1-6; the book of the scriptures shews us his will, the excellency thereof, ver. 7-11; a prayer against sin, ver. 12-14.
1: 'Heavens' - They are as a legible book, wherein he that runs may read it. 'The glory' - His eternal power and Godhead, his infinite wisdom and goodness.
3: 'Heard' - or understood...the heavens are such an universal teacher that they can speak to all people and be clearly understood by all.
4: 'Line' - This expression is very proper, because the heavens do not teach men audibly or by speaking to their ears, but visibly by propounding things to their eyes, which is done in lines or writings.
5: 'Bridegroom' - gloriously adorned with light as with a beautiful garment, and smiling upon the world with a pleasant countenance. 'Chamber' - in which he is poetically supposed to have rested all night, and thence to break forth as it were on a sudden.
6: 'The ends' - His course is constant from east to west, and thence to the east again. So that there is no part of the earth which doth not one time or other feel the benefit of his light and heat.
7: 'The law' - The doctrine delivered to his church, whether by Moses, or by other prophets. Having discoursed hitherto of the glory of God shining forth in the visible heavens, he now proceeds to another demonstration of God's glory, which he compares with and prefers before the former. 'Perfect' - completely discovering both the nature and will of God, and the whole duty of man, what he is to believe and practice, and whatsoever is necessary to his present and eternal happiness. Whereas the creation, although it did declare so much of God as left all men without excuse, yet did not fully manifest the will of God, nor bring men to eternal salvation. 'Converting' - from sin to God, from whom all men are naturally revolted. 'Testimony' - His law, so called because it is a witness between God and man, what God requires of man, and what upon the performance of that condition, he will do for man.
8: 'Rejoicing' - By the discoveries of God's love to sinful men, in offers and promises of mercy... 'The eyes' - of the mind, with a complete manifestation of God's will and man's duty, both of which the works of nature and all the writings of men discover but darkly and imperfectly.
12: 'Who' - Thy law, O Lord, is holy and just and good. But I fall infinitely short of it. 'Cleanse' - Both by justification, through the blood of thy Son, and by sanctification thro' thy Holy Spirit. Though the first may seem to be principally intended, because he speaks of his past sins. 'Secret' - from the guilt of such sins as were secret either: from others, such as none knows but God and my own conscience; or from myself, such as I never observed, or did not discern the evil of. Pardon my unknown sins, of which I never repented particularly, as I should have done.
13: 'Presumptuous' - from known and evident sins, such as are committed against knowledge, against the checks of conscience, and the motions of God's spirit. 'Dominion' - If I be at any time tempted to such sins, Lord let them not prevail over me, and if I do fall into them, let me speedily rise again.
14: 'Let' - Having prayed that God would keep him from sinful actions, he now prays that God would govern and sanctify his words and thoughts; and this was necessary to preserve him from presumptuous sins, which have their first rise in the thoughts. 'Redeemer' - this expression seems to be added emphatically, and with special reference to Christ, to whom alone this word (Goel) can properly belong.
This post has been lengthy enough, so I'm not going to add anything of significance. I thought it was worth posting each of the thoughts above by Wesley. I like especially how he couches his overview of the Psalm in terms of the "book" of creation and the "book" of Scripture. We would do well to realize that these two "books" are not in contrast with one another. All truth, including what is discovered through nature, is God's truth. So if something is discovered that seems contradictory to Scripture, then we need to assess our approach to interpreting both. We shouldn't force the Bible to say something that it is not. But the same also goes for study of the creation.
(Nerd alert: theological take - In reference to the question of whether or not Wesley has a stance on 'natural theology,' I think his interaction with this Psalm has an implicit understanding of prevenient grace. The way he describes the sun, in terms of everyone benefitting from its light and heat, sounds very much congruent with his understanding of prevenient grace, which he sees at work in John 1.9: 'the light which enlightens every man...' This note comes nowhere near to answering the question of 'natural theology' and Wesley, but this just stood out to me.)
04 February 2011
Psalm 18 (b): v. 20-50
To the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song, in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said:
...
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
26 with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
28 For thou wilt light my candle; the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken in my arms.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise; they are fallen under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen; a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me; the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies; yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me; thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
JW: David...takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had thereby cleared up, ver. 20-28; gives God the glory of all his victories, ver. 29-42; expresses his hope of what God would do farther, ver. 43-50.
[On verse 20:] 'Righteousness' - Just cause. The innocency of my actions towards Saul, from whose blood I kept my hands pure.
[On verse 23:] 'Iniquity' - from that sin which I was most inclined or tempted to.
[On verses 25-26:] 'Upright' - Thou metest to every one the same measure which he meteth out to others; and therefore thou wilt perform mercy and truth to those who are merciful and true to others. 'Pure' - free from the least mixture or appearance of unrighteousness, or unfaithfulness. 'Froward' - Thou wilt cross him and walk contrary to him.
[On verse 30:] 'Perfect' - His providence, though it may sometimes be dark, yet is always wise and just, and unblameable. 'Tried' - The truth of God's promises is approved by innumerable experiences.
[On verse 35:] 'Salvation' - Thy protection, which hath been to me like a shield. 'Held' - kept me from falling into those mischiefs which mine enemies designed. 'Gentleness' - Thy clemency, whereby thou hast pardoned my sins; thy grace and benignity.
[On verse 36:] 'Slip' - as [my feet] are apt to do in narrow and uneven ways.
[On verse 48:] 'Violent man' - from Saul, whom for honour's sake he forbears to mention.
[On verse 49:] 'Heathen' - David is here transported beyond himself and speaks this in special relation to Christ who was to be his seed, and of whom he was an eminent type, and by whom alone this was done. And therefore this is justly applied to him and to his calling of the Gentiles, Romans 15.9.
[On verse 50:] 'His king' - to the king whom God himself chose and anointed, and to all his posterity; and especially to the Messiah, who is called David's seed, Acts 13.23, Romans 1.3.
I suggested in the last post (on the first part of this Psalm) that it is quite appropriate to read this Psalm through the lens of Christ's cross, even though Wesley doesn't necessarily make the same connection. I think this is further demonstrated here, especially when it comes to the battle imagery that becomes quite vivid in this part of the Psalm. (Note: that the Psalms are in the poetic genre suggests that we should not be too rigid in our interpretation, to limit the range of possible meanings/interpretations to just one, but that there might be several ways of approaching it and each of those be valid.)
I took this picture in a visit to the hospital Carrie and I took when she was pregnant with Julianne. When I saw the sign, I thought about those places in Scripture that speak to the importance of 'clean hands,' one of which appears in verse 20 of this Psalm. Perhaps the most memorable is Psalm 24 (forthcoming post), on which a modern praise song is based. But I like in particular the way Wesley interprets 'clean hands' in this Psalm in reference to David not doing evil to Saul. This almost seems to set up a contradiction within this Psalm, doesn't it? That David doesn't actually do harm to someone aiming to harm him, yet there is the vivid battle imagery of pursuing enemies (esp. verses 37-42), using language of overtaken, consumed, wounded, fallen, subdued, given me the necks, destroy, beat, cast out...how do we reconcile these seemingly opposing ideas?
This is where I think the cross helps us. There were different sorts of enemies, weren't there? I mean on the one hand, there are the human agents that handed down and executed the death sentence (in which we have all taken part) upon Jesus. It is for these/us that Christ does not avenge himself, but cries, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." On the other hand, there is an unseen enemy that Christ pursues through his death: the evil one, the powers of darkness, death, sin... It is these that Christ overtakes, consumes, wounds, takes down, subdues, destroys, etc. Though Christ's hands were bloody in the battle, they remained clean in righteousness and forgiveness. Enemies surround us. The battle continues. But let's not forget this careful distinction. May we be the ones who, though we may be persecuted, cry 'Father, forgive!' yet also remain in hot pursuit to join Christ in the battle against evil and death, which we know will be finally extinguished. Forgiving and battling. Clean Hands Save Lives.
...
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
26 with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
28 For thou wilt light my candle; the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken in my arms.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise; they are fallen under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen; a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me; the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies; yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me; thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
JW: David...takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had thereby cleared up, ver. 20-28; gives God the glory of all his victories, ver. 29-42; expresses his hope of what God would do farther, ver. 43-50.
[On verse 20:] 'Righteousness' - Just cause. The innocency of my actions towards Saul, from whose blood I kept my hands pure.
[On verse 23:] 'Iniquity' - from that sin which I was most inclined or tempted to.
[On verses 25-26:] 'Upright' - Thou metest to every one the same measure which he meteth out to others; and therefore thou wilt perform mercy and truth to those who are merciful and true to others. 'Pure' - free from the least mixture or appearance of unrighteousness, or unfaithfulness. 'Froward' - Thou wilt cross him and walk contrary to him.
[On verse 30:] 'Perfect' - His providence, though it may sometimes be dark, yet is always wise and just, and unblameable. 'Tried' - The truth of God's promises is approved by innumerable experiences.
[On verse 35:] 'Salvation' - Thy protection, which hath been to me like a shield. 'Held' - kept me from falling into those mischiefs which mine enemies designed. 'Gentleness' - Thy clemency, whereby thou hast pardoned my sins; thy grace and benignity.
[On verse 36:] 'Slip' - as [my feet] are apt to do in narrow and uneven ways.
[On verse 48:] 'Violent man' - from Saul, whom for honour's sake he forbears to mention.
[On verse 49:] 'Heathen' - David is here transported beyond himself and speaks this in special relation to Christ who was to be his seed, and of whom he was an eminent type, and by whom alone this was done. And therefore this is justly applied to him and to his calling of the Gentiles, Romans 15.9.
[On verse 50:] 'His king' - to the king whom God himself chose and anointed, and to all his posterity; and especially to the Messiah, who is called David's seed, Acts 13.23, Romans 1.3.
I suggested in the last post (on the first part of this Psalm) that it is quite appropriate to read this Psalm through the lens of Christ's cross, even though Wesley doesn't necessarily make the same connection. I think this is further demonstrated here, especially when it comes to the battle imagery that becomes quite vivid in this part of the Psalm. (Note: that the Psalms are in the poetic genre suggests that we should not be too rigid in our interpretation, to limit the range of possible meanings/interpretations to just one, but that there might be several ways of approaching it and each of those be valid.)
I took this picture in a visit to the hospital Carrie and I took when she was pregnant with Julianne. When I saw the sign, I thought about those places in Scripture that speak to the importance of 'clean hands,' one of which appears in verse 20 of this Psalm. Perhaps the most memorable is Psalm 24 (forthcoming post), on which a modern praise song is based. But I like in particular the way Wesley interprets 'clean hands' in this Psalm in reference to David not doing evil to Saul. This almost seems to set up a contradiction within this Psalm, doesn't it? That David doesn't actually do harm to someone aiming to harm him, yet there is the vivid battle imagery of pursuing enemies (esp. verses 37-42), using language of overtaken, consumed, wounded, fallen, subdued, given me the necks, destroy, beat, cast out...how do we reconcile these seemingly opposing ideas?
This is where I think the cross helps us. There were different sorts of enemies, weren't there? I mean on the one hand, there are the human agents that handed down and executed the death sentence (in which we have all taken part) upon Jesus. It is for these/us that Christ does not avenge himself, but cries, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." On the other hand, there is an unseen enemy that Christ pursues through his death: the evil one, the powers of darkness, death, sin... It is these that Christ overtakes, consumes, wounds, takes down, subdues, destroys, etc. Though Christ's hands were bloody in the battle, they remained clean in righteousness and forgiveness. Enemies surround us. The battle continues. But let's not forget this careful distinction. May we be the ones who, though we may be persecuted, cry 'Father, forgive!' yet also remain in hot pursuit to join Christ in the battle against evil and death, which we know will be finally extinguished. Forgiving and battling. Clean Hands Save Lives.
02 February 2011
Psalm 18 (a): v. 1-19
This Psalm presents a challenge for blogging by its sheer size (50 verses). Therefore, I will try to break up larger Psalms such as this one into 2 or more posts. I realize the disadvantage of this approach is that it may disrupt the flow or I may miss the message of the entire Psalm, but I plan on addressing the Psalm as a whole in relation to Wesley's interaction with the Psalm as a whole, which he does in his Notes.
To the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song, in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said:
1 I love thee, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
my God, my strength in whom I will trust;
my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me,
and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about;
the snares of death prevented me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God;
he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled;
the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
and fire out of his mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down;
and darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;
yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place;
his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed,
hail stones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice;
hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen,
and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke,
O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me,
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me;
for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity;
but the LORD was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
...
JW: David triumphs in God, ver. 1-3; praises God for his past deliverance, ver. 4-19; takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had thereby cleared up, ver. 20-28; gives God the glory of all his victories, ver. 29-42; expresses his hope of what God would do farther, ver. 43-50. This Psalm with some few and small variations, is written, 2 Samuel 22.1-51. It was composed by David towards the end of his life, upon the occasion here mentioned...
Title of the psalm. 'Servant' - Who esteems it a greater honour to be thy servant, than to be the king of Israel. 'Saul' - after the death of Saul, and the conquest of all his succeeding enemies, and his own firm establishment in his kingdom.
[On verse 1:] 'Love' - most affectionately, and with my whole soul; as the Hebrew word signifies.
[On verse 2:] 'Rock' - to which I flee for refuge, as the Israelites did to their rocks.
[On verse 7:] 'Then' - then God appeared on my behalf in a glorious manner, to the terror and confusion of all mine enemies, which is here compared to an earthquake.
[On verse 8:] 'There went...' - All these seem to be figurative expressions, denoting the greatness of his anger.
[On verse 9:] 'Came' - not by change of place, but by the manifestation of his presence and power on my behalf.
[On verse 19:] 'Brought' - out of my straits and difficulties, into a state of freedom and comfort. So he ascribes all his mercies to God's good pleasure, as the first spring of them.
I haven't commented on any of the "titles" (or pre-scripts you may call them) of any of the Psalms on this series yet, but this one stands out to me on a couple of fronts. First is the entitlement of David as servant (or slave) as opposed to referring to him as king. Assuming this pre-script was added on by a later editor, I'm curious by this move. Perhaps it is a recognition that David really saw himself in this light; hence, the title would acknowledge David's humility. The second thing is "...enemies, and...Saul." Perhaps there's nothing to this and the extra mentioning of Saul's name is just to indicate that Saul was a significant enemy of David. But I'm inclined to think that David never put Saul in the category of "enemy" even after Saul's death (for instance, examine his kindness to Mephibosheth, a descendant of Saul). Even though Saul continually sought David's death, David always respected the king and even spared his life when he had the opportunity to take it. In any case, Saul pursued David as an enemy and that certainly plays into the context of this Psalm.
Look at the images of strength in the first three verses! I'm taken to Martin Luther's 'A Mighty Fortress is Our God' in these verses. And David expresses a tender response, "love," to this strong God who is like a rock, a high tower, etc. God's strength...God's right arm is how we are saved from our enemy. So we, like David here, like the enslaved Israelites in Egypt before him (see Exodus 3.7), and like Christ after him (see Matthew 27.46, Mark 15.34), can cry unto the Lord in our distress and know that our cries are heard...even into [God's] ears.
We'll get more into the cry of dereliction ('My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?') when we get to Psalm 22. But I do want to mention here that I think it's appropriate to read verses 4-15 of Psalm 18 through the lens of the cross, and more particularly, to view the phenomena of the earthquake and clouds NOT as divine wrath against Jesus who had taken on our sin, but as divine sympathy with the righteous One who was suffering unjustly. To me, this has a much more theological and pastoral payoff than the notion that darkness means that God was showing his wrath against Jesus. It's more participatory. And that's not to say that we are saving ourselves, or that dying a righteous death is enough to undo all the sins we've committed. Rather, it's merely emphasizing what Paul did in so many places...union with Christ, even in his death and resurrection (see Philippians chapter 3). In that, then, we can see that verse 16 is the turning point, where God brings victory and deliverance and vindicates the righteous One by raising him from the dead. Notice the reference to waters, a reference we can clearly link with baptism, which is certainly about death and resurrection! And we are united to God in Christ through this. Death, indeed is a strong enemy, but God, our deliverer, is much stronger, and how about this: He "delights in" us!
To the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song, in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said:
1 I love thee, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
my God, my strength in whom I will trust;
my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me,
and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about;
the snares of death prevented me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God;
he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled;
the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
and fire out of his mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down;
and darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;
yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place;
his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed,
hail stones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice;
hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen,
and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke,
O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me,
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me;
for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity;
but the LORD was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
...
JW: David triumphs in God, ver. 1-3; praises God for his past deliverance, ver. 4-19; takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had thereby cleared up, ver. 20-28; gives God the glory of all his victories, ver. 29-42; expresses his hope of what God would do farther, ver. 43-50. This Psalm with some few and small variations, is written, 2 Samuel 22.1-51. It was composed by David towards the end of his life, upon the occasion here mentioned...
Title of the psalm. 'Servant' - Who esteems it a greater honour to be thy servant, than to be the king of Israel. 'Saul' - after the death of Saul, and the conquest of all his succeeding enemies, and his own firm establishment in his kingdom.
[On verse 1:] 'Love' - most affectionately, and with my whole soul; as the Hebrew word signifies.
[On verse 2:] 'Rock' - to which I flee for refuge, as the Israelites did to their rocks.
[On verse 7:] 'Then' - then God appeared on my behalf in a glorious manner, to the terror and confusion of all mine enemies, which is here compared to an earthquake.
[On verse 8:] 'There went...' - All these seem to be figurative expressions, denoting the greatness of his anger.
[On verse 9:] 'Came' - not by change of place, but by the manifestation of his presence and power on my behalf.
[On verse 19:] 'Brought' - out of my straits and difficulties, into a state of freedom and comfort. So he ascribes all his mercies to God's good pleasure, as the first spring of them.
I haven't commented on any of the "titles" (or pre-scripts you may call them) of any of the Psalms on this series yet, but this one stands out to me on a couple of fronts. First is the entitlement of David as servant (or slave) as opposed to referring to him as king. Assuming this pre-script was added on by a later editor, I'm curious by this move. Perhaps it is a recognition that David really saw himself in this light; hence, the title would acknowledge David's humility. The second thing is "...enemies, and...Saul." Perhaps there's nothing to this and the extra mentioning of Saul's name is just to indicate that Saul was a significant enemy of David. But I'm inclined to think that David never put Saul in the category of "enemy" even after Saul's death (for instance, examine his kindness to Mephibosheth, a descendant of Saul). Even though Saul continually sought David's death, David always respected the king and even spared his life when he had the opportunity to take it. In any case, Saul pursued David as an enemy and that certainly plays into the context of this Psalm.
Look at the images of strength in the first three verses! I'm taken to Martin Luther's 'A Mighty Fortress is Our God' in these verses. And David expresses a tender response, "love," to this strong God who is like a rock, a high tower, etc. God's strength...God's right arm is how we are saved from our enemy. So we, like David here, like the enslaved Israelites in Egypt before him (see Exodus 3.7), and like Christ after him (see Matthew 27.46, Mark 15.34), can cry unto the Lord in our distress and know that our cries are heard...even into [God's] ears.
We'll get more into the cry of dereliction ('My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?') when we get to Psalm 22. But I do want to mention here that I think it's appropriate to read verses 4-15 of Psalm 18 through the lens of the cross, and more particularly, to view the phenomena of the earthquake and clouds NOT as divine wrath against Jesus who had taken on our sin, but as divine sympathy with the righteous One who was suffering unjustly. To me, this has a much more theological and pastoral payoff than the notion that darkness means that God was showing his wrath against Jesus. It's more participatory. And that's not to say that we are saving ourselves, or that dying a righteous death is enough to undo all the sins we've committed. Rather, it's merely emphasizing what Paul did in so many places...union with Christ, even in his death and resurrection (see Philippians chapter 3). In that, then, we can see that verse 16 is the turning point, where God brings victory and deliverance and vindicates the righteous One by raising him from the dead. Notice the reference to waters, a reference we can clearly link with baptism, which is certainly about death and resurrection! And we are united to God in Christ through this. Death, indeed is a strong enemy, but God, our deliverer, is much stronger, and how about this: He "delights in" us!
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