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.
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