Psalm 30: "Daddy! Up!"

Psalm 30:1-3

"I will extol you,

O Lord, for you have drawn me up

    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,

    and you have healed me.

O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;

    you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit." (ESV)

Comments:

King David had cried out to God to pick him up, rescue him from his foes and deliver him up from the grave. God had answered and David testified that the Lord had “drawn him up.” Further, David admits that his strength and success before the time of trouble were also due to the Lord preserving him, though he had begun to think that his success was because of his own strength. As a result, David saw the time of testing as a gift for it revealed to him his dependence on the Lord (v. 6-7). He saw the Lord not as normally angry but as One who showed a lifetime of favor. Even moments of discipline are an act of love and favor to those who are taught by them.

Ironically, this psalm was to be sung at the dedication of the temple, after David was dead. Perhaps in this light, it is a plea for the resurrection… the ultimate “Daddy, Up!”

Parents can usually remember times when their children were very young and scared and needed to be picked up and comforted. Perhaps we can remember times when we had to snatch them up into our arms to protect them from a very real danger to their lives—lifting them above sneaker waves, out of swimming pools, away from poisonous snakes, broken glass, snarling dogs, wood stoves and campfires are a few that come to mind. Most of these situations have happened down through the generations in my own family. What have you faced in yours?

Despite the failures of our biological parents, we have a Heavenly Father who does not fail, and is neither mean nor demeaning. He is a Father who doesn’t mock us for our weaknesses but is always working for our good. He is with us no matter what we face. His love changes us, but it doesn’t stop there. He has sent us to continue his mission as his hands and feet on the earth.

There are people around the world who face much worse things than the dangers I listed. There are also many children who had no loving parent to lift them to safety in such moments and there are some moments when even a loving parent has no power to rescue their child. There are far too many children who have been abandoned or abused by a parent, many are even sold into economic or sexual slavery. What an unthinkable idea to most of us…and yet it is all too real, especially for young women.  Such situations make clear the depravity of a darkened mankind. It is in the darkest times that the light can shine brightest, but will we?

At Christmas (as I write this post), perhaps we have heard the haunting lyrics of O Come, O Come Emmanuel which depicts the darkness and prayerful longing into which Christ came as heaven’s answer. Or perhaps we wrestle with the contemporary cruelty of people to each other and the apparent lack of “peace on earth” as the author of I heard the Bells on Christmas Day did. The lyrics to this carol were written by the great American poet H.W. Longfellow, in 1863, after his wife died in a fire and his son was seriously injured fighting for the Union (in the Civil War). The song climaxes with these verses,

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Longfellow's conclusion is right, but it doesn't happen automatically. So how can we participate in the Father’s work of deliverance? As one who believes in a miracle-working God, it is my tendency to pray and expect a miracle rather than get personally involved in being part of the answer. There is nothing wrong with praying and expecting a miracle…however, he may want me to be part of the miracle that he plans to work. In which case, I need to assume that the first miracle that results from my prayer is that of the Lord changing my heart to help the oppressed...to advocate with them in their plight.

Our mourning, along with theirs, can be changed to joy by the loving, protecting, delivering, life-giving work of God…even that which comes through us.

Psalm 29 "The Throne Would Fit You Ill"

It is my custom to only address a limited section of each psalm for brevity's sake. However, with Psalm 29 I would like to briefly trace the whole psalm. As I read it, this psalm easily falls into three sections, delineated by their repeated words: “Ascribe” which is used three times (v. 1-2), the “Voice of the Lord” is repeated six times (v.3-9), and “Enthroned” is used twice in the climax of the psalm (v. 10-11). One other word that appears four times throughout the psalm is “glory” and it factors strongly into the message of this psalm.

1. Ascribe to the Lord (v.1-2)

This is the Hebrew word yahab (ya-hav) which means to give what should be given or to put something where it should be put. Often it is in regards to giving God the glory and honor he in keeping with his character. Yahab is only used in the imperative mood and thus carries the weight of command.

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
  ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
          worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. (v. 1-2)

On a literary note, in this psalm, David uses a repetitive (or iterative) structure throughout. It causes us to take more notice of the line that doesn't sound the same in each stanza. This is like the old Sesame Street song, “One of these things is not like the others.” Notice how auditory the imagery is! Our God is awesome on every level!

A very similar idea and structure is found in 1 Chronicles 16:28-29 where King David sings a song of thanksgiving upon putting the ark of the Lord in the Tabernacle where it belonged. His song of worship is repeated nearly verbatim in Psalm 96 as you can see from this excerpt,

“Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

  ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

    bring an offering, and come into his courts!

    Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

    tremble before him, all the earth! (Psalm 96:7-9)

So, I have to ask. Do we “give” or “put” glory where it belongs, or are we given to serve lesser “puny gods” in the pantheon of self? Do we, like the psalmist, have the spiritual insight to tremble before him and to see the beauty of holiness?

2. The voice of the Lord (v. 3-9)

Photo: Greg K Dueker

In this section, we see “the voice” of God turned up even “thundering” and producing dramatic results in the realm of nature. Here is an example in 29:3-4,

"The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

                     the Lord, over many waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful;

 the voice of the Lord is full of majesty."

In the past, I thought about calling this psalm post "When God Raises His Voice" because it mentions the "voice" of God at least six times as a demonstration of his power. We see the "voice" of God doing powerful things in this psalm that affect the natural world. This psalm is an example of “theophany”—a physical manifestation of the power and glory of God—but it is not so much about God raising his voice as our raising our awareness to see his active involvement in all things. Will we like the psalmist, cry "Glory!" to the One who is beyond our control, or will we simply turn up the electronic voices we can control? If only we were as responsive as nature, the world would be a much better place.

Forest after Columbus Day Storm 1962

If God's voice can work such amazingly powerful things in nature, what do we expect his voice to work in our lives? I am reminded of the Bethel version of the worship song, “It is Well” that starts like this,

Grander earth has quaked before

Moved by the sound of His voice

Seas that are shaken and stirred

Can be calmed and broken for my regard

Chorus:

Through it all, through it all, My eyes are on You

Through it all, through it all, It is well

Through it all, through it all, My eyes are on You

It is well with me¹ 

How closely do we watch? How attentively do we listen? This psalm poetically reminds us to turn down our inner soundtracks and listen up to “the voice of the Lord.”

Verse 9 transitions into the climax of the psalm as we see that “in his temple all cry, “Glory!” Those who recognize they are in the presence of the Lord, who observe his voice in action, are the ones who obey the initial command to “ascribe” glory to God alone. It is in this context that we see God as he is and trust him as we should.

3. The Lord sits enthroned (v. 10-11)

God is sovereign over nature and over his people. As the psalmist wrote,

            The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
             the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
    May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless                 his people with peace!

It is when we see the Lord enthroned that we can trust him to strengthen us and bless us with the peace we desire. How different than the way humans act when they have tremendous power. 

I am reminded of a cinematic encounter between the alien half-brothers, Thor and Loki, in Marvel’s The Avengers, speaking about humans…

Loki: I mean to rule them. And why should I not?

Thor: You think yourself above them?

Loki: Well, yes.

Thor: Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother. A throne would suit you ill.

Oval Office, 2010

I have to agree with Thor on that point, Loki’s arrogant attitude disqualifies him, but the same is true of us as well. We can see oppression and abuse of power are rampant in the world. Even when we advocate for the oppressed (and we should) we need to be wary of any level of personal power we might obtain lest we think too highly of ourselves. Until we have enthroned the Lord in our hearts and become conformed to the image and attitude of his Son (Romans 8:29; Phil. 2:1-11) all thrones "fit us ill". I am thankful to join the psalmist in abdicating and ascribing!

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
          worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. (v. 2)

[1] Written by Kristene DiMarco. © 2013 Bethel Music Publishing (ASCAP).

Psalm 28: Judgment in 3-D--“Dragged off, Due Reward, Torn Down

Psalm 28:3-5
Do not drag me off with the wicked,

                                      with the workers of evil,
            who speak peace with their neighbors
                           while evil is in their hearts.
        Give to them according to their work
                      and according to the evil of their deeds;
        give to them according to the   work of their hands;
                                        render them their due reward.
       Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
                                               or the work of his hands,
                                he will tear them down

                                    and build them up no more.

This passage starts with the psalmist expressing his dependence on the mercy of God for deliverance, then turns toward prayer for the Lord to judge the wicked in the sure knowledge that God will do so, and by verse 6 he is once again praising God for answering his prayer.

Dragged Off (v. 3)

David's request, "Do not drag me off with the wicked" can only be depended on if we are not the same as the wicked workers of evil.  We should not be self-deceived into thinking that we can be wicked and not suffer the wrath of a holy and loving God. 

Marley & Marley in
A Muppet Christmas Carol

Verse three's use of the word "drag" reminds me of several scenes in the old Whoopi Goldberg' 1990 movie "Ghost."It powerfully depicted the moment when an evil person died and demons came up out of the sidewalk and dragged their screaming soul off to hell. It was a graphic and memorable image in the midst of an otherwise forgettable movie. A more wholesome illustration is the scene from the Muppet Christmas Carole in which the Marley brothers appear to Scrooge...wrapped in the chains of their own misdeeds and warn him to repent. David's request to not be dragged off was not a request for an exception in God's justice, but a poetic commitment to follow in the ways of the Lord by faith.

God is our saving refuge, our shepherd! To paraphrase Romans 8:37-39, nothing can drag us away from his love. Similarly, Jesus made it clear that if we hear and respond to his voice, none can snatch us from his hand! As it is written,

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)

Due Reward (v.4)

The Lord’s cycle of reward and recompense is sure…though it may not come full circle in this life. What remains will be settled completely in the next. This reward (or recompence in this case) is just because it is “according to”. God will match his response to the person “according to” the three synonymous phrases “their work”, “the evil of their deeds”, and “the work of their hands”, the bill of sin is due and judgment will come.

However, if we think we can approach God and demand justice to be meted out we may be setting ourselves up for a fall since what we need personally is mercy. Our own righteousness is insufficient and we can only fall before a holy God and ask for forgiveness. Jesus taught that “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) However, those who refuse the mercy of God and show no mercy to others but instead oppress and abuse them will receive their due reward. It will not be one that anyone in their right mind wants to collect and in fact, many spend their life self-medicating in an effort to forget for another hour that such a judgment is coming. It is so much easier to cry out to God like David did and allow God to call forth the response of faithful love in our hearts.

So should we advocate for justice? Absolutely. However the justice we should work for as flawed human beings is restorative rather than retributive. It is not our place to condemn others to an eternal fate but to call them to repentance. It is a merciful justice that advocates for mercy to be extended to those who are oppressed and marginalized by the selfishness of our society.

Downward Destruction (v.5)

God will not regard the work of the wicked and proud person but will oppose it. Verse 5 says,

      Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
                                                or the work of his hands,
                                he will tear them down

                                    and build them up no more.

There are some people who don’t value what God has created, sustained, and redeemed. They deny the existence (or at least the relevance) of God in the creation of the universe. They mock the redemptive work of God in the lives of former sinners. Their actions, attitudes, and words work to tear down what God has raised from the dust. But God will finally respond in kind by opposing their work and tearing it down.

Throughout ancient history, we can see God tearing down empires, nations, and social structures that do not regard his works: Babel, Egypt, Canaan, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and even Israel at times. Is it not still the way of things...that oppressive regimes are judged as God raises up a justice movement from within or by other nations from without? 

While it is easy to see the sin in the lives of other individuals, other churches, other cities, and other countries, we need to take a second look at our own lives, etc., and make sure that we approach God and others in the humility of faith and the purity of merciful justice.

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5b-7)

If we don't then we will collectively be at risk of receiving the kind of message from God that Pharaoh once did.

Locust Swarm in Australia

So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh. (Exodus 10:3-6)

If we lift ourselves up then God in his love will bring us down, and if we are low in our own eyes then God will lift us up…higher than we would ever have imagined. We can trust him with our lives! And in that trust, we will pursue justice on behalf of others.

Psalm 27: A Short Shopping List

 

I recently wrote a blog post on the beatitude found in Matthew 5:6,

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

                                                                     for they will be filled."

 

In that post, I tied kingdom justice to kingdom righteousness. The impact we have on the world has a lot to do with that for which we genuinely hunger. Jesus suggests that the true disciple is hungry for “righteousness”, but what is that? It is not the legalism of the Pharisee that draws many boundaries not in an effort to draw near to God in love, but actually in looking for what it can get away with. Pharisaic righteousness defines what things are God's and what things are ours. The righteousness the disciple seeks is greater than that, for it is not so much a behavioral standard to which we attempt to adhere, as it is a loving relationship to which we respond. The true disciple's hunger, their one controlling desire, their burning passion, is to be pleasing to and in the presence of their loving Savior and King. The cry of the psalmist continues to echo through the millennia, from caves and cathedrals, camp meetings, and church services...

 

One thing have I asked 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 gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

        and to inquire              in his temple.

  For he will hide me in his shelter

                                 in the day of trouble;

        he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

        he will lift   me high upon a rock…

You have said, “Seek my face.”

My heart says to you,

                               “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:4-5, 8)

 

This passage speaks not so much about living in a cool building 24/7 as it does about desiring the abiding presence of God in their life. From this relational center, flows a fountain of divine compassion and advocacy that brings the disciple alongside those who bear the burden of a fallen world’s injustice to bring healing. Ezekiel used just such imagery in prophetically describing the effects of kingdom righteousness (47:1-12).

 

One thing I have noticed is that if we relationally seek the presence of God then not only will we find him, but he will begin to rub off on us. His desires will become our desires, and his way of working will become more our way of working. So what is it that God wants; what is it he seeks? In Isaiah 5:1-7 the Lord goes looking in his vineyard (Israel/Judah) for “good fruit” (justice/righteousness) but only found a riotous outcry and bloodshed. If our desire is to live consciously in the presence of God then we will long to see the justice of grace at work in the world. If we want to be with the self-giving, self-humbling, Trinitarian God, then we will become more meek and more committed to advocating for the glory and honor of others than we are about seeking our own.

 

Psalm 27 is partly a psalm of confidence (in the Lord) and partly a personal lament (prayer request). When seeking the Lord is our priority then we can be confident no matter what army we face because we will have seen the faithfulness of the Lord at work in our lives. If we choose to abide in Christ, in his love, and his words abide in us (John 15:1-17) then Jesus says to us,

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:16)

Isn’t this the answer to the psalmist’s prayer? Doesn’t it bring us to the same exclamation that we will observe the work of God in the world and give us the confident determination to wait for it and be part of it?

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:13-14)

 

 Will you join me?
 

Psalm 26: King David vs.Jesus?

Let’s start by considering two very different passages of scripture, one from the Old Testament written by a king, and the other from the New Testament proclaimed as the message of the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 26:1-3

¹ Vindicate me, O Lord,
    for I have walked in my integrity,
    and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
² Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and my mind.
³ For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in your faithfulness.

Matthew 5:1-3

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain,

and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’”

How can we walk as King David claimed “in our integrity” and still be blessed as the “poor in spirit” or the “spiritually bankrupt” at the same time? Is it even possible for both to be true in us, or are these attitudes mutually exclusive? Or perhaps we just chalk it up to the differences due to progressive revelation from the mid-Old Testament to the early New Testament as is so often done and walk on by such issues.

Let’s be honest, sometimes King David’s claims in the Psalms seem almost arrogant and self-righteous at first glance…especially given our knowledge of his own personal and public failures. Certainly he was gifted with a completely honest approach to communicating with God and thus some of his statements may offend our more nuanced religious sensibilities. But before we are too hard on David, we need to get the log of self-promotion out of at least one of our own eyes. How often do we mentally make the same argument as David…that we deserve better? That we are not like “them”? That we have integrity in ourselves?

Let me say, in a stage-whisper aside, that it is in our corrupted nature to compare ourselves favorably with others. [Even those who despise themselves and compare themselves unfavorably to others do so with the thought that they should be better or have better in a kind of backwards pride—for if they really despised themselves then they would be happy that their life is miserable.]

We often don’t really feel the deep need for God to vindicate and redeem us because we either see no need for either vindication or redemption, or we are committed to vindicating ourselves. We think we are Superman rescuing our own lives from the gutters of both personal failures and religious superstitions. If God exists, then he must certainly accept us…but more often than not the spiritually confident live as though God

David’s request for God to “vindicate” him is actually a statement of humility. It demonstrates that he knows that he needs to be vindicated (to justify, maintain, support, defend, uphold, prove correct or right) and cannot deliver himself.

In the Expositors’ Bible Commentary Vol. 5, Willem A. VanGemeren writes, “Vindication is here the act of God whereby he declares his servant to be innocent and avenges himself of the wicked (false accusers, enemies).”[1] Note that vindication here is “the act of God” not the act of self-righteous humanity.

The integrity, to which David clung, was faithfully dependent upon the steadfast love and mercy of God (v.3). His integrity is seen in the coherence between his inner life of faith and his outward walk of faithfulness. He shunned everything that smacked of a lie or deceitfulness. He chooses not to enjoy the temporal benefits of those who oppress others. He has weighed the cost of following the Lord and does so with equal parts enthusiastic abandon steadfast endurance. So we see that to “walk in integrity” demands not perfection, but requires the honesty and humility to admit that we desperately need a gracious redeemer!

It has been said that “a life of faith” is one which serves a dream/mission so big that it requires God to miraculously bring it to pass or it is not a life of faith. If, in our integrity, we know that we need God to vindicate and redeem us and we put our whole-hearted hope in his doing so, then perhaps we are living by faith indeed as the “poor in spirit”.

Psalm 26, from which these verses are taken, is described as a psalm of entrance…that might have been used by the worshipper entering into the temple complex seeking both the clean hands and pure heart necessary to come before the presence of the Lord. The psalmist asked God to search and to test him, not because of an elevated sense of self-righteousness, but from the response of a heart captured by the steadfast love of the Lord! He wants to be able be in the presence of God.

He consciously distances himself from the oppressor and draws near to God in whom true freedom is found. For as Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)  This psalm testifies that the psalmist was a “one master” kind of guy. To quote VanGemeren again, “The psalmist's concern with integrity, acts of devotion, and words of praise flows out of a heart filled with love for the Lord and for God's house. It is motivated by a zeal for the Lord.”[2] 

So can I say the same thing about myself? A couple of years ago, in commenting on this same passage, I wrote,

I hope that one day I will be able to look back and say with the psalmist that “I have trusted the Lord without wavering.” Yet I am not so sure that I want to ask the questions of God that David asks in v.2. But I wonder if it is possible to experience unwavering trust (v.1) without asking God to test us (v.2). Maybe the key is in verse 3…where I keep God’s steadfast love before my eyes (which makes it a lot easier to trust) and I live in his perfect faithfulness (not my own).

So we see that David’s integrity caused him to cry out to the Lord for redemption, vindication, and relational access to the Lord. Perhaps David is actually a pretty good case study in the blessedness of being poor in spirit.

What do you think?

This post is also published at Compelled2 my cultural engagement blog.

---

[1] Expositors Bible Commentary Vol. 8

[2] Ibid.

Psalm 25 Remembered Mercy, Forgotten Sins

I have posted commentary on parts of this psalm five times over the years but this is my first blog post on Psalm 25. For followers of this blog, you know I have been stuck on 25 for a long time while my writing time was directed elsewhere. Here are more than a few verses from Psalm 25 that I am considering in this season...

 

⁶ Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
⁹ He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

 

The psalmist recognizes not only his own need for mercy but that the Lord is the only one who can provide it. He asks no less than three times for forgiveness in this psalm. Spiritually, the psalmist is humbling himself in this manner, admitting that he needs forgiveness from God as well as deliverance from his enemies. So what about us? Will we learn from the Lord in humility or continue on in our pride? No one else can say that “all their paths…are steadfast love and faithfulness” like God can. If we are honest with ourselves and not totally clueless we must admit that we all have a history that needs to be forgiven, a litany of stuff we are not proud of. I recently told my students that, “demanding law for others and grace for ourselves is the first sign of self-deception.”

 

The end of Psalm 25 continues to resonate with Israel’s cry for deliverance in Egypt, from oppression so deep and so intense that we can hardly imagine it in the comfort of the west. Where it is said that,

 

"God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.  So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them." (Exodus 2:24-25)

 

When God remembers, it is not like he forgot, but it is the moment when he manifests his loving character into the circumstances of his people. Will we look to him to remember us in our situation? Psalm 25 continues... 

 

¹⁵ My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
    for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
    bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸ Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹ Consider how many are my foes,
    and with what violent hatred they hate me.
²⁰ Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
²¹ May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
    for I wait for you.

²² Redeem Israel, O God,
    out of all his troubles. 

 

What do we do in times of trouble? Do we pray first? The psalmist advocates for God to redeem Israel, not just from the guilt of sin but from the “causeless hatred” of man that always seeks to tear down.

Rabbi Johanan said: "What was the cause of the first destruction of Jerusalem? Idolatry. And of the second destruction? Causeless hatred." He continues by explaining that causeless hatred "is more grievous than idolatry." '['The Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Kallah Rabbati 54b]

Much could be said in response to the quote above. I think the Rabbi spoke of more than even he knew. However, I would like to just briefly address v. 15 which reminds me of the person today who may be stuck in whatever trap of “causeless hatred” that has been set for him/her be it physical, economic, or spiritual, and who have no hope of extricating themselves. Can you picture yourself in the midst of a minefield or stepping on the tripwire to an IED where if you move it will go off? Something that we can’t free ourselves from is the consequences of sin (ours or another’s). David was in a situation like that…feeling and actually being ambushed on so many levels. In those situations, he trusted that the Lord was the only one who could rescue him…whether from external enemies or internal ones (sins). And, the Lord is trustworthy—Jesus said,

 

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 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. (John 10:9-11)

 

Jesus set us free taking the blast for us…and he is no less committed to our life today than he was then!

 

As my son’s unit returns from a year’s deployment in Afghanistan, I thank the Lord for his answered prayer. He has guarded and he has delivered. In this case, delivered all the way back to Oregon. Thanks be to God, for He is faithful!

Psalm 24 "That the King of Glory May Come In"

Psalm for Today = 24:9-10
"Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!"


Across the Kidron, looking at the wall

Comments: This psalm speaks of the Messianic entrance into Jerusalem, the King of Kings in triumph. He did it on Palm Sunday...not that he won’t do it again someday. However, the gates and doors that need to open to him are the doors of churches where he is desperately needed in their midst (Revelation 3:20). By the way, Lord of Hosts paraphrased is "Lord of Angel Armies" as in the song that is so popular. But what about the stronghold of our hearts? Have we thrown wide the doors for the King?

We are not able to ascend the "holy hill" into the presence of God for we cannot atone for our own sin, yet Jesus who is the forsaken and pierced Messiah (Ps. 22), and our Good Shepherd (Ps. 23), is also the "King of glory" (Ps. 24) who brings us up the hill with him. Sovereign love, amazing grace!

In 2011, on a trip to Israel, we shot a short sermon-bumper video about the East Gate for the "Jesus for Everyone" (Luke) Series. We entitled it, Presumption. Since the video is no longer available online, here are some of the notes that went into the production of that video.

This current east wall of the city is right where Solomon’s Temple wall would have been. It is built right on the ridge above the Kidron Valley. We are looking across from the Mt. of Olives. Notice the gate in the wall across from us. This is the East Gate, also called the Golden Gate; the most iconic of all the gates of Jerusalem.

The Golden Gate is the most important and most impressive gate in Jerusalem and the only visible entrance to the city of Jerusalem from the East. This oldest of all the gates to the city was the only one not rebuilt by Suleiman the Magnificent in AD 1539-42. Monolithic stones in the wall just above ground have been identified as 6th Century BC masonry from the time of Nehemiah.[1]

But it is walled up. Why is it walled up? Inquiring minds want to know!  Sultan Suleiman of the Ottoman Turks walled it up to prevent the entry of the Messiah of course. The Muslim cemetery just in front of the wall was intentionally built outside the gate to prevent the forerunner of the Messiah from entering. The thinking was that the forerunner, being a priest, would not enter the cemetery for fear of being made unclean.



Inside view of the "Golden Gate"

What an example of medieval thinking! To think that literal stones could prevent the Messiah’s entry into the city. Yet, we modern and post-modern thinkers do the same when we compartmentalize our lives in an effort to deny Jesus the Messiah access to our hearts.

It was also a bit of “locking the barn door after the horse gets out” Too late to seal it up… the Messiah already went through that Gate…most likely on Palm Sunday!

But will we open the gates of our hearts to allow the King of Glory to enter in?

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[1] Biblical Archaeological Review [BAR], Mar/Apr 1992, p. 40.