What are you looking for?

There are times in doing research in theology when something will start to dig not only into my mind for research and educational purposes, but also into the core of my very being and really search me. Reading from luminaries like Jeremy Taylor, author of The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and Holy Dying, will do this perhaps more frequently than others. (Taylor's work was an influence upon John Wesley, which is why I found it appropriate for this blog.) Today I'm reading through Taylor's treatise, Jesus Christ - The Great Exemplar. The section that grabbed me was his exposition of the passage of the magi's visit to the child Jesus (cf. Matthew 2). His statements on the joys of finding what you're looking for stood out to me and I thought I would share.

The wise men prosecuted the business of their journey, and "having heard the king, they departed; and the star" (which, as it seems, attended their motion) "went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was"; where "when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy"; such a joy as is usual to wearied travellers when they are entering into their inn; such a joy as when our hopes and greatest longings are laying hold upon the proper objects of their desires; a joy of certainty immediately before the possession: for that is the greatest joy which possesses before it is satisfied, and rejoices with a joy not abated by the surfeits of possession, but heightened with all the apprehensions and fancies of hope and the neighbourhood of fruition; a joy of nature, of wonder, and of religion.

With what I am pursuing in life, can I look into the future and say with surety or at least expectancy that when I achieve it or find it that I will be exceedingly joyful? What are you pursuing?

Psalm 34

A psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech: who drove him away, and he departed.

¹I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

²My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

³O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

⁴I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

⁵They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

⁶This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

⁸O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

⁹O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

¹⁰The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

¹¹Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹²What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

¹³Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

¹⁴Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

¹⁶The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

²⁰He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

²¹Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

²²The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

JW: David praises God for his goodness to himself and others, ver. 1 - 7; encourages the righteous to trust in him, ver. 8 - 10; exhorts them to fear God and depart from evil, ver. 11 - 14; God's favour to the righteous and displeasure at the wicked, ver. 15 - 22.

Title of the psalm. When - A psalm made upon that occasion, though not at that time, when he counterfeited madness. Wherein whether he sinned or not, is matter of dispute; but this is undoubted, that his deliverance deserved this solemn acknowledgment. Abimelech - Called Achish, 1Sam 21:10. But Abimelech seems to have been the common name of the kings of the Philistines, Gen 20:2 26:1, as Pharaoh was of the Egyptians.

3: 'Together' - Not in place, for David was no banished from the place of God's public worship, but in affection; let our souls meet, and let our praises meet in the ears of the all-hearing God.

5: 'Lightened' - Comforted and encouraged. 'Ashamed' - They were not disappointed of their hope.

8: 'O taste' - Make trial, of it by your own experience of it. 'Good' - Merciful and gracious.

9: 'Fear' - Reverence, serve, and trust him; for fear is commonly put for all the parts of God's worship.

14: 'Depart' - From all sin. 'Do good' - Be ready to perform all good offices to all men. 'Seek' - Study by all means possible to live peaceable with all men. 'Pursue it' - Do not only embrace it gladly when it is offered, but follow hard after it when it seems to flee away from thee.

16: 'The face' - His anger, which discovers itself in the face.

18: 'Nigh' - Ready to hear and succour them. 'To' - Those whose spirits are truly humbled under the hand of God, and the sense of their sins, whose hearts are subdued, and made obedient to God's will and submissive to his providence.

What a majestic psalm for the age and season of the resurrection! It is a psalm of hope for it looks to God's deliverance from affliction and trouble (which really came through affliction and trouble: think crucifixion/death) for those who put their trust in him and gives us hope for the future. They were not disappointed of their hope.

The command is to 'Depart!!' from evil, from all sin. This is why I came to verse 4 of 'And Can It Be?' when I thought of the resurrection and its sin-breaking, death-breaking power for us today and tomorrow! From the dark dungeon of death, God's face, God's eye diffused a quickening ray of light that bids 'Come awake!' and 'The grave no longer has a hold on you!' Jesus spoke of another 'Depart!' in the final judgment, but if we hear the 'Depart!' of this psalm, then we are in good company and we have hope. My chains fell off! My heart was free! I rose, went forth, and followed Thee!

But to what do we depart? That's why this psalm is so beautiful for it captures not only that from which we are saved but also that to which we are saved & sent: exalting, seeking, trusting and worshiping God! Doing good, seeking peace and pursuing it! It is, in short, what verse 12 describes as desiring life! From death to life! Praise be unto Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for 'the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you.'

Psalm 30

A Psalm and song,
at the dedication of the house of David.

1 I will extol thee, O LORD;
for thou hast lifted me up,
and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee,
and thou hast healed me.
3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave;
thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his,
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment;
in his favour is life;
weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning.

6 And in my prosperity I said,
"I shall never be moved."
7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong;
thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

8 I cried to thee, O LORD;
and unto the LORD I made supplication.
9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?
Shall the dust praise thee?
Shall it declare thy truth?
10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me;
LORD, be thou my helper.

11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;
thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent;
O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

JW: He praises God for delivering him, and exhorts others to praise him, ver. 1-5; recollects his former security, and his prayer when in trouble, ver. 6-10; and stirs himself up to thankfulness, ver. 11-12.

5: 'Cometh' - Speedily and in due season.

7: 'Mountain' - My kingdom.

9: 'The dust' - Shall they that are dead celebrate thy goodness in the land of the living (or), shall my dust praise thee?

11: 'Sackcloth' - Given me occasion to put off that sackcloth, which they used to wear in times of mourning, Esther 4.1, Psalm 35.13, Isaiah 32.11, Joel 1.13. 'Girded' - With joy, as with a garment, surrounding me on every side.

12: 'My glory' - My tongue.

On the prescript, Wesley adds: At the dedication of David's house, which was built, 2 Samuel 5.11, and doubtless was dedicated, as God had commanded.

The passage from 2 Samuel is in the context of David being anointed king over Israel by the people (post-Saul, so this is a different situation than when Samuel came to anoint David in 1 Samuel 16). I'm drawn toward what the Scripture says in the verse before and after the one Wesley pointed to.

And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him. And Hiram the king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house. And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

To be honest, I'm finding it difficult to write too much about this achieved prosperity, glory, and joy, being in the midst of Lenten season. Maybe I should be looking forward, anticipating the deliverance that is forthcoming...when mourning will turn to dancing...darkness, sorrow and death to Hallelujah. After all, Jesus endured the cross despising its shame all because of the joy that was set before him.

On the other hand, this Psalm displays a reflection upon past troubles and how God has responded, delivered, healed, etc. So in that reflection there is some resonance with this season of the life of the Church, esp. verses 7b-10.

Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. Boy, this phrase doesn't feel very comfortable does it? My pastor said on a couple of occasions a while back that "There are times when God hides from us." I'm not sure he ever heard the criticism directly, but I certainly heard a lot of negative reactions to those statements and even I had difficulty swallowing the way he said it. After all, we Wesleyans believe that God relentlessly pursues EVERYONE, right? God doesn't hide; God always pursues! Okay, yes, but what did David mean here? I think it's central to point to God's wooing (prevenient & convincing) grace...God's cosmic and grand pursuit of fallen humanity. But what of our pursuit of God? I mean if all we need to stress is God's pursuit of us then why go through seasons like Lent? Why learn what it means to be a disciple when, if God pursues me, he can find me sitting still in the pew? I don't think that's what is meant by our affirmation of God's pursuit, but we need to be careful not to let that belief talk us into sitting still so he doesn't miss. Remember, from Psalm 26, that discipleship involves the whole body...except for your butt (as in don't just sit there).

Remember this is poetry, too. Don't take everything to their logical extremes. That goes for both statements Thou didst hide thy face and "God pursues us." Truth is there are times when at least it seems like God is nowhere to be found. What do we do then? Surrounded by ashes. Surrounded by flooding waters and tsunamis. Surrounded by loss and destruction and death. I cried to thee, O LORD! What profit is there in my/our blood/death? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it tell of thy faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and have mercy! Be our helper!

Sackcloth: a sign of grief...and of solidarity. Praying for mercy upon Japan in the wake of earthquakes and tsunamis is the first and appropriate step. May it be accompanied with true empathy, just as Christ empathized with the entire human plight of a drama of the creation groaning in pangs of childbirth. It took death to get to resurrection. Otherwise, would death really be defeated? Would we really have any hope?

Psalm 27

A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes,
came upon me to eat up my flesh,
they stumbled and fell.

3 Though an host should encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war should rise against me,
in this will I be confident.

4 One thing I have desired of the LORD,
that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion;
in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
he shall set me upon a rock.

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up
above mine enemies round about me;
therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice;
have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, "Seek ye my face,"
my heart said unto thee, "Thy face, LORD, will I seek."
9 Hide not thy face far from me;
put not thy servant away in anger;
thou hast been my help;
leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
then the LORD will take me up.

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD,
and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not unto the will of mine enemies;
for false witnesses are risen up against me,
and such as breathe out cruelty.

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see
the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the LORD;
be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart;
wait, I say, on the LORD.

JW: David declares his confidence in God, ver. 1-3; his desire to be in the house of God, ver. 4-6; he prays for light and salvation, ver. 7-12; and exhorts others to wait upon God, ver. 13, 14.

1: 'Light' - My counsellor in all my difficulties, and my comforter and deliverer in all my distresses. 'Strength' - The supporter and preserver of my life.

4: 'Dwell...' - Have opportunity of constant attendance upon God. 'To behold' - That there I may delight myself in contemplation of thy amiable and glorious majesty, and of thy infinite wisdom, holiness, justice, truth, and mercy.

11: 'Because of' - That I may neither fall into their hands by my folly, nor give them any occasion of triumphing over me.

13: 'The living' - David was thus earnestly desirous of this mercy in this life, not because he placed his portion in these things, but because the truth and glory of God were highly concerned in making good the promise of the kingdom to him.

No experience or feeling builds up confidence like victory. Nothing. David's enemies came to kill him. They stumbled and fell. David, with confidence, expresses whom shall I fear?...of whom shall I be afraid?...my heart shall not fear...in this I will be confident. In what? That God is his light, salvation, and strength. When we have this confidence, we'll realize that God grants us grace and strength to endure the darts that the enemy throws at us. A pattern of defeat is demoralizing and exhausting, but just one victory can do a world of difference to turn the tide. There's a key here. God is the psalmist's 'salvation,' or put differently, God rescued and delivered him.

Nowhere here is there an intimation that the psalmist achieved the victory on his own. Christ needed the Father to bring him back to life to secure victory. Addiction is like death. We're trapped. We need someone to roll the stone away, breathe life into us and get us the hell out of there. I hope in this: 'death and all of his friends' are stumbling. One day they will be fallen for good. But we can taste that now...in the land of the living. Deliverance. We can't set ourselves free. Sanctification isn't sin management. It's being set free from it. It involves discipline, and we're called to follow and take up a cross, but we're not alone and we have a Captain. We have no need to fear. Be of good courage, and God shall strengthen your heart.

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.

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.

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!

Psalm 16

Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God;
for in thee do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, "Thou art my Lord;
my goodness extendeth not to thee."

3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent,
in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god;
their drink offerings of blood will I not offer,
nor take up their names into my lips.

5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup;
thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places;
yea, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel;
my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;
my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life:
in thy presence is fulness of joy;
at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

JW: David professes his trust in God, his adherence to him and love of his people, ver. 1-3; his satisfaction in God, ver. 4-7; he speaks in the person of Christ, of God's presence with him, of his resurrection and the glory that should follow, ver. 8-11.

As David was both a member, and an eminent type, of Christ, he speaks of himself sometimes in the one and sometimes in the other capacity: and therefore having spoken himself as a member of Christ in the former part of the psalm, he proceeds to consider himself as a type of Christ, and being inspired by the Holy Ghost: towards the close he speaks such things, as though they might be accommodated in a very imperfect sense, yet could not properly belong to any but Christ, to whom therefore they are justly appropriated in the New Testament.

[On verse 3:] 'But' - I bear a singular respect and love to all saints, for thy sake, whose friends and servants they are, and whose image they bear.

[On verse 5:] 'The Lord' - I rejoice in God as my portion, and desire no better, no other felicity. 'Cup' - the portion which is put into my cup, as the ancient matter was in feasts, where each had his portion of meat, and of wine allotted to him.

[On verse 8:] 'I have set' - I have always presented him to my mind, as my witness and judge, as my patron and protector. Hitherto David seems to have spoken with respect to himself, but now he is transported by the spirit of prophecy, and carried above himself, to speak as a type of Christ, in whom this and the following verses were truly accomplished. Christ as man did always set his father's will and glory before him. 'Right hand' - to strengthen, protect, assist, and comfort me: as this assistance of God was necessary to Christ as man.

[On verse 9:] 'My flesh' - my body shall quietly rest in the grave. 'Shall rest' - in confident assurance of its incorruption there, and of its resurrection to an immortal life.

More than in many other Psalms, Wesley's comments here resemble a test case that displays significant segments of his theology: a Christ-centered hermeneutic (typology), Christology, anthropology, and eschatology.

Staying true to what Wesley said in his introduction to the Book of Psalms, this Psalm is appropriately read through the lens of Christ, especially to the hope that we have in light of his resurrection. And it is in this light that I want to share with you an insight shared with me from a former professor.

If you've read many of my posts, you've likely come across the idea of the importance for Christians to maintain a faith and confidence in the bodily resurrection, as opposed to some notion of an immortal disembodied soul. The resurrection is something that not only happened for Jesus, but also will happen for us all. This is why David declares prophetically here, "my flesh shall rest in hope." It's also why Paul tells us that "we grieve, but not as those without hope." It is because death has been conquered in Christ's resurrection and will be ultimately destroyed in the general resurrection. If after death all that happens to me is that my soul goes to heaven, then death remains the victor. Some may question the pastoral application of this approach if spoken in the context of a funeral or recent loss of a close friend or family member. It is questioned because we're pressured to bring a word of happiness that will bring comfort for grievers NOW, that will cause them/us to be jubilant NOW! We're forced, essentially, into saying that "(fill in the blank) is in heaven, is no longer suffering, so everything is okay and great!" And this all too often leads to a troubling conclusion when you hear someone say of a corpse, "That's not really (fill in the blank)."

That is something I've heard from people many times. And it is what a friend and former professor of mine heard at his grandfather's funeral visitation. His grandfather was the first person he recalls dying with whom he had an intimate connection. Folks attempted to console him with that phrase. "That's not really your grandfather! He's in heaven now!" I'm not sure he actually said this to his "consolers" but his reply was, "I don't know my grandfather apart from that body. Those hands are the hands that held me. Those lips are the lips that read to me and told me stories...I don't know my grandfather apart from that body." Please don't mistake his reply for despair. It is a sobering reality. It is grief. But knowing my friend's confidence that his grandfather's body will one day be raised, it is NOT a grief without hope. I think that's what hope looks like in this "now and not yet" kingdom era we live in. A hope that is dissatisfied with pat answers. A hope that is dissatisfied that hurt still happens. A hope that is dissatisfied that death still stings. But a hope that confidently awaits a day when hurt and death will be no more, when it "shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" That is how we can rejoice! For "my flesh also shall rest in hope."

Psalm 13

To the chief musician,

A Psalm of David.

1 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever?

How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my own soul,

having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;

lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 Lest mine enemy say, "I have prevailed against him;"

and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in thy mercy;

my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

6 I will sing unto the LORD,

because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

JW: David complains to God - ver. 1, 2; prays for help - ver. 3, 4; rejoices in hope - ver. 5, 6.

[On verse 2:] 'How long' - shall I be in such perplexities, not knowing what course to take.

[On verse 3:] 'Lighten' - revive and comfort, and deliver me from the darkness of death, which is ready to come upon me.

[On verse 6:] 'I will sing' - It is a common thing for David and other prophets to speak of future deliverances as if they were already come, that so they may signify both the infallible certainty of the thing, and their firm assurance thereof.

I really like the way Wesley puts that: "David...speak(s) of future deliverances as if they were already come." Doesn't that express a great truth about this age in which we live. The age of the resurrection. Drew Causey had a great post yesterday, which you can see here, where he pointed out the power for today that 'Christ is risen!' That conveys some added significance for today than just 'Christ was raised!' Those statements aren't opposed because the former is a statement of the continuation of the latter. That Christ is risen (and ascended) is more than just a promise for our future deliverance, it gives us hope even for today, an ability to somehow participate in a foretaste of what is to come.

In that sense we can speak of our future deliverance as if it has already come because in some sense it has! And the guarantee of that, or the down-payment of sorts, is that Christ resides in us by the Holy Spirit. We have this 'good infection' that is a foretaste of the resurrected life. We still will die. There are times when we sense that God has forgotten us and that our enemies are exalted above us. But we can rejoice today, even today, in God's salvation and sing of the favor that God has poured upon us, his people. Let us live in the power of the resurrection, even as we await its final consummation!

Psalm 10

1 Why standest thou afar off, O LORD?

Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor;

let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire,

and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God;

God is not in all his thoughts.

5 His ways are always grievous;

thy judgments are far above out of his sight;

as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

6 He hath said in his heart, "I shall not be moved,

for I shall never be in adversity."

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud;

under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages;

in the secret places doth he murder the innocent;

his eyes are privily set against the poor.

9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den;

he lieth in wait to catch the poor;

he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself,

that the poor may fall by his strong ones.

11 He hath said in his heart, "God hath forgotten;

he hideth his face, he will never see it."

12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand;

forget not the humble.

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God?

He hath said in his heart, "Thou wilt not require it."

14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand;

the poor committeth himself unto thee;

thou art the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man;

seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16 The LORD is King for ever and ever;

the heathen are perished out of his land.

17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble;

thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause cause thine ear to hear

18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,

that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

JW: David complains of and describes the wicked, ver. 1-15; prays to God to appear against them, and rejoices in the prospect of it, ver. 12-18.

[On verse 5:] 'Ar far' - He doth not regard or fear them; yea he despises them, being confident that he can blow them away with a breath. This is a gesture of contempt or disdain, both in scripture and other authors.

[On verse 7:] 'Tongue' - Under his fair and plausible speeches, mischief is hid and covered. 'Vanity' - or injury, the vexation or oppression of other men.

[On verse 10:] 'Croucheth' - like a lion which lies close upon the ground, partly that he may not be discovered, and partly that he may more suddenly and surely lay hold on his prey.

[On verse 13:] 'Contemn' - Why dost thou by giving them impunity, suffer and occasion them to despise thee?

[On verse 14:] 'Requite' - Heb. to give (to restore or pay the mischief which they have done to others) with thy hand, by thy own extraordinary providence, because the oppressed were destitute of all other succours. 'Fatherless' - of such as have no friend or helper, one kind of them being put for all.

[On verse 16:] 'Is King' - To whom it belongs to protect his subjects. Therefore his peoples case is never desperate, seeing he ever lives to help them.

[On verse 18:] 'To judge' - to give sentence for them, and against their enemies. 'The man' - earthly and mortal men, who yet presume to contend with thee their maker.

Where are the songs today that defend the cause of the poor? That take up the case for the fatherless? That cry for the justice of God to excise the wickedness that enslaves the oppressed? Jonathan Powers started this conversation on his blog a few months ago in this post, which includes some powerful lyrics by Charles Wesley about defending the cause of the poor.

What strikes me in this psalm is the discernment and awareness of the psalmist to the schemes of the enemy whose intent is to oppress, rob, and kill. We lack that precision of discernment today: we're either too quick to condemn something as evil that really isn't or we're too naive about the intents of 'the world.' If you give me the choice of being judgmental or naive, I think erring on the side of naivety is perhaps best because in the end God will bring justice in setting free those who have been enslaved and taken advantage of. Still, this psalmist has a keen eye toward the enemy's ploys. Maybe she had been robbed in the outskirts of town. Maybe her naivety was exploited by someone. That seems reasonable. So she cries for God to bring justice to this evil.

The ploy that stands out most to me at this point is what is said in verse 10. The King James Version (as above) notes that the enemy "humbleth" himself. That seems odd, doesn't it? Everything in the Bible I am aware of that speaks of humility is a positive thing that leads to goodness and holiness. But here the enemy is only appearing to be humble. That is dangerous! Very dangerous! What appeals to us more than a picture of innocence? Most English translations of the Bible use the word crafty or something similar to describe the serpent in Genesis 3.1. But did you know the Hebrew word there is the same as what is rendered naked in Gen. 2.25? (Hat tip to Lawson Stone from OT Intro on that point.) Eden pre-fall is the common picture for 'innocence' & the enemy uses this to its advantage. I'm not suggesting we look for a demon under every bush, but being aware of the abuse of the appearance of innocence will be key in practicing discernment in a world that is easily enslaved to and enslaves us to the enemy.

We have a somewhat violent image in verse 15, which calls upon God to "break the arm" of the wicked and evil. It's a metaphor, for "arm" symbolizes strength. Break the source of the strength that enslaves the poor, oppressed, and fatherless, God! Disarm the enemy! It is because of verses like these that I think that Christus Victor atonement speaks so strongly to an oppressed, enslaved, seemingly hopeless people. The cry for justice here is not just a pleading that God would find the oppressors guilty, but that God would actually set the oppressed free from their bondage. That's why it's important to speak not only of being set free from condemnation & guilt but also from sin's grip. (Think justification & sanctification. More importantly, allow God to make these realities in our lives.) Break the power!

A Litany for Epiphany

Happy Epiphany everyone! I just returned to my study quarters from a chapel with a beautiful litany for Epiphany. Before sharing, there are a couple of things to point out about Epiphany. In many traditions, the storyline most associated with Epiphany is the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus as recounted in Matthew 2.1-12. In other traditions, Epiphany is associated with the revelation of Christ as the Son of God at his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptizer. The speaker this morning admitted that Epiphany unfortunately is found pretty low on the totem pole, if present at all, in the evangelical church. The first time he came across the word 'epiphany' was not in church but in a literature class where a story is told of a man who comes to a realization of his own identity and significance. The speaker then pointed out that this is not near what the Church understands by Epiphany. It is not about us, but about Christ's revelation as the Son of God! If anything pertaining to himself, John the Baptizer at Epiphany gets a realization of his own insignificance in comparison with Christ: "I should be baptized by you..." and "[Christ] must increase, I must decrease."

With that, here is the litany from this morning. Note, in particular, how the prayer moves from soteriology (theology of salvation) to missiology to dwelling at length in praying for the cause of justice and mercy and then to eternal joy in praising God:

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God, Alleluia!

Shout to the Lord, all the earth, Alleluia!

With joy let us pray to our Saviour,

the Son of God who became one of us, saying:

The grace of God be with us all.

O Christ,

let your gospel shine in every place

where the Word of life is not yet received.

Draw the whole creation to yourself

that your salvation may be known through all the earth.

The grace of God be with us all.

O Christ, Saviour and Lord,

extend your church to every place.

Make it a place of welcome for people of every race and tongue.

The grace of God be with us all.

O Christ, Ruler of rulers,

direct the work and thoughts of the leaders of nations

that they may seek justice,

and further peace and freedom for all.

The grace of God be with us all.

O Christ, Master of all,

support of the weak and comfort of the afflicted,

strengthen the tempted and raise the fallen.

Watch over the lonely and those in danger.

Give hope to the despairing

and sustain the faith of the persecuted.

The grace of God be with us all. Amen.

O Christ, light that made manifest as the true light of God,

gladden our hearts on the joyful morning of your glory;

call us by our name on the great Day of your coming;

and give us grace to offer,

with all the hosts of heaven,

unending praise to God

in whom all things find their ending,

now and forever. Amen.