Psalm 54 David's Data Breach in Ziph

Photo by Arif Riyanto on Unsplash

After the epigraph, which helps to set the specific context of this psalm, this short, seven-verse psalm gets right after it. There is no gradual build-up, no extended metaphors or subtle poetry. David had a problem and was quite direct in his prayer to the only one who could save him.

The initial epigram reminds us that the Ziphites took David’s personal information and sold it on the dark web to the bad actor, King Saul. They did it twice! The first time was recorded in 1 Samuel 23.

Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand.” (1 Sam. 23:19-20)

A Ziph-like shot of the Judean Mts. Photo: Greg K. Dueker2011

King Saul commended them for this breach and asked them to keep spying on David (v.22-24). This information dump allowed Saul to hotly pursue David ‘round the mountain until reports of a Philistine raid arrived and Saul had to break off the chase. David named that place seh'-lah hammakh-lek-oth' or “The rock of escape.”

Later, in 1 Samuel 26, the Ziphites informed Saul about David again.

Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. (1 Sam. 26:1-3)

The Ziphites, by their treachery, violated the universal law of hospitality they should have kept toward the anointed one who lived in their midst. Understandably, David felt utterly betrayed, yet his focus was on the help of the Lord being better than the help of humanity.

From the beginning of this psalm, he mentions “your name” in parallel with “your might” as the answer to his cry for salvation and longing to be heard.

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

If God doesn’t do anything in answer to our prayers, then why would David pray so fervently that God would hear his prayer? He prayed that God would “hear” his prayer and give ear to his words because he fully believed that when God hears us, he acts as is natural for him to act—by saving his people, sharing his goodness, and bringing justice down upon the wicked! As I was thinking about the parallel structure of David’s request in v.2, “Hear my prayer/ give ear to the words of my mouth” it caused me to wonder how much of what we say is prayer and even how much of what we say do we want the Lord to hear? Ouch! Instead of ignoring God in my speech, what if “all the words of my mouth” were a prayer?

In v.3 the psalmist refers to “strangers/ ruthless men” … not so much foreign adversaries but those in Israel who did not practice the protective hospitality of God. Instead, they seek to kill the supplicant, which in this case was the young pre-king David. Why would they be so unneighborly? I would say it was the natural result of their selfishness… “They do not set God before themselves.”

Photo by Maël BALLAND on Unsplash

Will we struggle alone trusting our own strength and wisdom to contend for our rights, the respect we feel we deserve, and even a good return on our retirement accounts? Or will we like David trust God to be our “helper/upholder” (v.4)?

Behold, God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.

Being a helper is not just women’s work (as some misinterpret Gen 2:18,20) it is the faithful work of God! We need more warrior-helpers today! We can all appreciate those who encourage us in our difficulties with their words and actions. What if we, as the body of Christ, were more concerned about upholding others than knocking them down?

Some people are evil and thus unjust. Some show themselves to be our enemies, but it is not our job to destroy them, God will bring their wicked plans back upon them. Their evil intentions will come back to bite them... hard! This is less a Davidic imprecation than a statement of fact about how God works in the lives of his people.

He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your faithfulness put an end to them. (v.5)

I am reminded of a verse in Proverbs that says, “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.” (Prov. 26:2) In their case there is cause in abundance!

The psalmist confidently declares that he will worship the Lord in an overflow of gratitude for deliverance… even though the deliverance has not happened yet. Let us not miss the “freewill offering” aspect of v. 6. The psalmist sees such sacrificial giving as joyful worship, not a begrudgingly compliant obligation.

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. (v.6)

If we wait for everything to be perfect before we worship with our giving, it will likely never happen. There will always be one more problem to face, one more crisis to conquer, one more debt to pay, one more day to wait. The blessing available to us is that we can enter into victorious living even amid hardship if we choose a life of generous gratitude! We can enter the joy of the Lord right now! To this point, Paul commended the glad generosity of the Philippian church in Macedonia who gave despite severe circumstances.

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord… (2 Cor. 8:1-3)

In concluding my comments on this psalm, I would say that once we confess, pray, put our trust in the Lord, gratefully worship, and by faith see the future victory we should not forget our testimony. We should be bold in telling the good things that God has done for us. Even if today’s issue has not yet been resolved in our experience, we can testify to how God has delivered us in the past.

For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. (v.7)

What the enemy intends for evil, God in his amazing love can coopt and use for good. Waiting is hardly ever enjoyable, but trusting the Lord can smuggle contentment into almost any difficulty... even this election season. 

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

How will we prepare for the coming week? 

Will we proactively ask for God’s help? 

Will we talk to the Lord about all that is happening in our lives? 

Will we respond to the challenges we face this week by committing them to the Lord’s justice and mercy? 

I hope so.

 

Psalm 37: Fret Not Yourself

The following poem is based on an extended teaching from Psalm 37...

The wisdom of a Father heavenly

Sitting, sharing, such things we long to hear.

How to do this thing we call adulting?

Faithfulness, fruitfulness for the foreseeable future.

Envy, anger, wrath, 

Kindled byproducts of bitterness turned violent

Char the landscape still, as at the first,

Paradise lost in uncontrolled desire for more.

A fire that never says, “Enough.” (Pro. 30:16)

A Spiritual Smokey Bear, the psalmist instructs,

Kindle not yourself, but

Embrace the fact-fueled feelings of security

Found in trusting the Trustworthy One

Who enables us to dwell in the land

Delighting in the divine community

Whether circumstances change or not.

Feed on faithfulness, refusing to go astray

Not even one bite at a time.

Wait on the Lord, not your circumstances

Noticing, in refreshing moments of silence

Pervasive goodness of his presence.

Inoculating us against evil, ire alike

We move purposefully forward

Trusting the Lord for our inheritance

Speaking justice for others

Marking the blameless ones, not the calendar, as

Worthy of following to unending joy,

                                         © Greg K. Dueker

21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #7)

Read Psalm 119:49-56

"Remember"

Does God need to be reminded about what he has said? This stanza, where all the verses start with the Hebrew letter Zayin, makes it sound that way. Sometimes amid troubling our circumstances we can feel that way. The verses that stood out to me today in my devotions were verses 49-50,

“Remember your word to your servant,

    in which you have made me hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction,

    that your promise gives me life.”

When the psalmist asks God to remember the word of promise that he had communicated, he is not suggesting that God had forgotten, or needed to be reminded, but was taking a stand in faith. It was because he trusted the word of the Lord that he calls on the Lord to remember it. The concept of remembering seems to have been used regularly in the sense of “call it to mind and act upon it.” The psalmist was asking God to bring to pass what had been promised. This is faith that prays. What has God said to us? Trust him enough to ask him to bring it to fruition!

If we read a little further, hopefully, we see that the psalmist also remembered and acted upon what he called to mind.

“I remember your name in the night, O Lord,

    and keep your law.” (v.55)

Tonight, as you think about the promises we have in Christ, remember his name (his entire nature and character) and act on it by both obeying what he has commanded and by trusting what he has promised—for life is the result of his promises being fulfilled, in his name, on our behalf. Doing this is truly a blessing!  “Just Zayin!”

O Lord, remember who you made me to be, and what you have called me to do. I cannot accomplish it in my own strength. Let my heart be filled with songs of trust and praise when I think of you and may you bring to harvest the seeds of promise you have sown in my heart. Amen.

Psalm 21 "Humble Glory & Deliverance from the Proud"

Psalm 21:5-7, 11-12

This is a psalm of David, presumably written by or for King David and using the third person "him" most likely to refer to himself and any godly descendants to follow. I like his statement in v. 6b and desire that I too might be glad today with the joy of the Lord's presence. So having sorted out the pronouns, the author is speaking of the king (David), and by extension of the people of the king, to God,

⁵ His [David’s] glory is great through your [God's] salvation;
    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
⁶ For you make him most blessed forever;
    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the Lord,
    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

The king’s glory was not in his own achievements so much as it was great through what God had done to save and deliver him time and time again. David didn’t have to promote himself but it was God who bestowed splendor and majesty on him. God’s consideration of us is usually better than anything we would honestly think of ourselves. Self-glory is always at the expense of others and in the end, poisons our own life. But the humble glory that God gives to those who trust in him and are “glad with the joy of your presence” results in our being firmly established. Following the plan of God is not some dour task demanding grim determination, though often difficult (as it was for David) it is filled with joy and the greatest of loves.

In this psalm David—the king—represents all who would trust the Lord for their honor and glory. David worked diligently as a shepherd—in obscurity even within his own family—until the time that Lord chose to elevate him. Saul persecuted David for years and yet David spared Saul’s life several times (see 1 Samuel 16-31) and though a proficient warrior he refused to take things into his own hands (his military advisors told him to kill Saul) trusting in the plan of God. Why? Because he knew the steadfast love of the Lord for him! The steadfast love of God is something we all need to be reminded of in the midst of a culture of self-promotion, self-esteem, and selfishness. Amazingly we matter more to God than we do to ourselves!  

I wrote a major paper in the first year of my doctoral program about the “humble glory of God” and this passage fits into that model. In that paper, I included an original poem, Scent of Glory, that begins like this,

Born to share glory, not seek it.

Yet sniffing, climbing, grasping, fighting, expecting,

We hunt along a different path

Twisted we claim it, kill it, and die

Poisoned by pride.

And then later,

Glory is given not grasped,

Belonging to God—Father, Son, Spirit—

Shared in Trinitarian community of love.

Yet he invites us in as family, to eat once again

What we once lost by taking.

His invitation to “come up” is far better than the humiliation of falling from our self-claimed glory (Luke 14:7-11). 

The second section of this Psalm that also stood out to me, in this reading, was v.11-12. While the king/person that trusts in the Lord is established and unmoved, the person who is filled with the pride of self-promotion will not ultimately succeed. These verses contain some very military language that we would like to be true of us in our conflict with our enemies today.

Though they plan evil against you,
    though they devise mischief,

                they will not succeed.
For you will put them to flight;
          you will aim at their faces with your bows.

When I read the phrase “aim at their faces with your bows” I can’t help but picture the humorous scene in the movie, Fellowship of the Ring, where Gimli the Dwarf covers his own fear of the forest by bragging about how stealthy he is, only to look up to see a bunch of Elfish bows pointed at his face. It seems that prideful people are like that…surprised to learn they’re not “all that.” 

The humble glory of God has a much better shelf-life than any work of human pride.

God is still in the business of confronting the pernicious idol of our own pride. In the midst of cultural discord, political campaigns, and sadly even church conflicts, pride is not absent. I pray that we might be delivered from the attacks of the proud, yet often that means we need to be delivered from ourselves. 

We are to be different, following the example of our gift-giving Saviour, Jesus Christ and consider others first. 

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phil. 2:3-4)

Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy!

Psalm 20:1, 6-8 "Pray First"

Psalm 20:1, 6-8

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! ...

Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;

    he will answer him from his holy heaven

    with the saving might of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright.

Comments:

This psalm is a seven-fold prayer delivered as a blessing directly to the person being prayed for (v.1-5) presumably the king. The psalmist is asking that God would hear the request [of the king] and bring deliverance. It is implied that those who sing this psalm strongly desire their king/leaders to actually make prayerful a request of the Lord before the day of battle comes.

These early verses culminate in a statement of trust (v.5) as the psalmist stands in solidarity with the afflicted as evidenced by his use of the plural pronoun “we”. Then in the familiar verses 7-8 he reveals where he puts his own trust. The psalmist is neither unprepared nor is he ill-equipped. He is realistically trusting in something/someone beyond the military might of the day.

In all of this that is being prayed, the psalmist reiterates how he could pray such things. He states emphatically, “Now I know that the Lord saves…he will answer.” Not only will God answer but it is how he will answer that we should not forget, “with the saving might of his right hand.”  The imagery is that of the Lord using his right hand to wield his sword in defense of the people in need. The “right hand” of the Lord was a very common and confident image in Psalms as the following verses indicate.

• Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
• Psalm 17:7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
• Psalm 18:35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
• Psalm 20:6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.
• Psalm 44:3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.
• Psalm 45:4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
• Psalm 48:10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
• Psalm 60:5 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
• Psalm 63:8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
• Psalm 73:23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
• Psalm 74:11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!
• Psalm 77:10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
• Psalm 78:54 And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.
• Psalm 80:15, 17 “…have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself…But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
• Psalm 89:13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.
• Psalm 98:1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
• Psalm 108:6 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!
• Psalm 110:1, 5 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool…The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
• Psalm 118:15-16 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
• Psalm 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.
• Psalm 139:9-10 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 

The sheer number of times the psalmists wrote of this divine deliverance is evidence that it was a message that needed to be repeated, for it was always ancient Israel’s temptation to put their trust in the number of horses, chariots, and soldiers in their army, and to be alarmed at the size of the enemy’s army. Both reactions would result in disaster unless they first took the time to ask for God’s direction and to place their ultimate trust in the Lord. This psalm stands against that trend and asks the king to pray and the Lord to answer. The late Peter C. Craigie wrote,

On the one hand, the necessities of historical existence imposed certain requirements upon the chosen people: the presence of enemies made warfare a necessity. On the one hand, human action which involved no divine participation was doomed from the beginning; at the heart of Hebrew theology lay the conviction that God was involved in their historical experience. So the preparation for war was twofold. First, there must be practical and military preparation, for it would be impossible to sit back and wait for a miracle to happen. Second, there must be religious preparation, which is here reflected in Psalm 20, for it would be equally irresponsible to hope that anything lasting could be achieved merely in human strength. (Peter C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 187-188)

It is a rare time when the world has not been faced with wars and rumors of wars. It is not uncommon for a nation to have to defend its people as it is its responsibility to do. But leaders can rush into battle without good planning (2 Kings 3) or without asking God if it is a good idea.

 

Leaders can make bad decisions that cost many lives. waste gains made previously, and even have to fight the battle over again. I personally agree with the appeal of this psalm and would prefer that my leaders would seek the Lord before they do what they do. When I see the raw evil of mankind towards each other I also cry out for the Lord to be our deliverer!

I recently wrote to my deployed son using the words of this psalm,

“I know you are well prepared and have great equipment—for which I am thankful, yet that is not where my final trust lies. It is the Lord who will answer you in the day of trouble! “Some trust in Helicopters and MRAPs…” but they can be shot down, blown up, and crashed. Snipers ambush, SAMs hunt and seek, IEDs lurk, but the Lord is the one who picks us up after the attack.”

This lesson doesn’t just apply to the physical battles we read about in the media. If we are to survive the spiritual battle that rages around us every day, and finish well, then we must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and the spiritual armor he provides (Eph. 6:10-20). And when we do place our trust in Christ, he says, "Fear not".

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’” (Revelation 1:17-18)

Psalm 11 "Refuge or Fleeing?"

Psalm for Today = 11:1-4

"In the Lord I take refuge;

     how can you say to my soul,

"Flee like a bird to your mountain,

     for behold, the wicked bend the bow;

they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;

     if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

    The Lord is in his holy temple;

     the Lord’s throne is in heaven

Comments:

This is a psalm of profound trust in the Lord. We need to see that our “refuge” is the place of our greatest trust, our ultimate hope for protection and deliverance from our enemies. In this case the refuge referred to is not a generally trustworthy place like Helm’s Deep (that could be overrun by a powerful enemy) but a faithful, loving, all-powerful, and ever-present person—the Lord himself!

I get the sense that the psalmist was shocked that someone thought that just because it was dangerous he should disengage and flee much the way the U.S. Secret Service agents spirit the American President and Vice President away in the face of imminent threats.

God’s people of both Testaments has been threatened and persecuted many times throughout history, but God has faithfully preserved a faithful remnant. It would seem that having the Lord as his refuge enables/empowers/emboldens the psalmist to stay in right where he was, doing what he had been doing—trusting the Lord.

But what about the fight over "the foundations?" It was not the psalmist that was concerned about the imminent collapse of “the foundations”, but the fearful. There have always been those that think that the best way to deal with the corruption that is in the world today is to retreat from the world and carve out some kind of insular community that would be safe from temptation, pollution, or attack. There are others who think that the best defense is a strong offense and tend to take the lead in any culture war that breaks out. They feel that if they don’t defend “the foundations” that surely they will be destroyed. But our foundation is none other than Christ himself (Psalm 118:22) and he doesn't need our protection. I don’t want to be like Uzzah and think that just because the ox-cart stumbles doesn't mean God is dependent upon us to catch the Ark (2 Samuel 6)!

The psalmist was neither of these extremes.

He felt no need to flee to his “mountain” for he was already actively trusting/taking refuge in the Lord right there where he was...in the midst of the community, doing what was right in the face of opposition. Neither did he feel the anxiety to protect the foundations for ultimately the true foundation cannot be destroyed because God is in His temple ruling the universe! This surely makes it easier for us to love those who are not like us.

I am siding with David and actively taking refuge in the Lord...right where I am. Will you join me?

Psalm 131 "Like a Weaned Child "

Psalm for Today = 131:2

¹O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
    my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me.
² But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

³ O Israel, hope in the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Comments:

I have commented on this psalm several times, tending to focus on verse 1. Verse 3 is very similar in content to yesterday’s post. Remember, these songs would have been sung on the way to Jerusalem, and the pilgrim is reminded to hope in the Lord…

Remember, this is a "Song of Ascents" that would be sung on the journeys to Jerusalem for the great feasts of the Lord. I can see this verse answering the impatience of some that might arise along the way. "Are we there yet? How much further do we need to walk today? When is dinner? I'm hungry!" Time to break out Psalm 131!

Today, I want to revisit v. 2 for what it tells me about the status of my life in Christ using the simile of a “weaned child.”

^“But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

Who “calmed and quieted” my soul? I did. It is my job to calm my soul…not someone else’s job to pamper me and coddle me because I am anxious and fussy! Too many today have not yet reached the “weaned child” stage of development, having been enabled by weak parents, teachers, and government. A child needs to learn early that while they are loved and protected, they are not the center of the universe, or to borrow my daughter’s phrase, “They are not the Queen of Narnia!” If a child learns that if they pitch a fit, they can get what they want, they will be insufferable by the time they are a teenager! Heaven help us if we are still living this way as adults! An inappropriate tantrum should disqualify our children from getting what they want, even if we had been prepared to provide it. However, a patient and loving trust is to be rewarded.

What is a weaned child? A weaned child has stopped nursing and is eating solid food. He has come to trust his mother to provide what he needs without having to scream and cry to be fed. There is a new level of patience and contentment that should be developed at this point. So have we begun to eat the solid food of the Word of God, or do we just want milk (nourishment without responsibility) and want it now?

What is the connection between this word picture and our lives today in Christ? The point is that God knows how to feed His children what they need and when they need it. We don't have to understand everything… we just need to journey with the Lord as those who trust. One of the prophets asked God some pressing questions about the timing of his plan in the world (i.e., How long? How come?) and got answers that weren't what he was expecting, yet he ended his writing with a prayer that epitomizes that attitude of a spiritually weaned child. After reading the prayer below, you might take the time to contextualize its rather agrarian word pictures into something drawn from your current economic/cultural situation.

A Prayer of a Weaned Child (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,

    nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

    and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

    and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength;

    he makes my feet like the deer's;

    he makes me tread on my high places.”

Psalm 127 "In Vain"

Psalm for Today = 127:1b-2

“Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.” 

It is vain that you rise up early

   and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

   for he gives his beloved sleep.”

Comments:

Photo by Toa Heftiba
on Unsplash

I was utterly exhausted last night (after a long week consisting of early mornings and days of helping at an outreach basketball camp and late nights of reading and writing) as I contemplated writing this Psalms devotional. Since this verse was in my head as I had gone through my day…I decided to go to bed instead, letting the Lord watch over the city.  

This whole psalm has been a foundational scripture for a new church that was planted out of Beaverton a year ago called “Generations,” and the whole church has been memorizing this psalm together. Beyond that, I think it is a powerful critique of our culture. Ironically, it is a psalm written by Solomon, the greatest builder of all time, who credits God as being the source of any success or security.

“Vain” is a word used in the Bible for something that is pointless, or a waste of time and effort. Here, the psalmist acknowledges that if the Lord is not the one who builds/ guards the house/ city, our labor and staying awake are in vain. 

Further in verse 2, we find that it is also in vain to allow our lives to be controlled by our own anxious activity to meet our own needs. Here are a couple of other passages regarding such anxiety/trust issues:

Worry can’t add anything to your life—it is in vain, as Jesus said in Matthew 6:27, 31-32:

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?...Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

Instead of anxiety, we can have peace as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7,

 “…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

The people of Israel had two major elements in their religious life that were intended to break the vanity cycle and remind them that their trust was in the Lord. The first was the weekly Sabbath, which was to provide rest for man and beast alike (Exodus 20:10). To take a day off from your constant labor to provide bread for your family is an act of profound trust that we might need to be reminded of. Secondly, they were to tithe (commit 10% of their income) back to the Lord as a token of their trust in him as their provider. To give back the tithe was with assets similar to what the Sabbath was with time. 

If we are not resting, we are vain (in the sense of pride) and not trusting the Lord. If we are not giving, we are vain in thinking what we have is actually ours alone. Both attitudes are ultimately in vain (a futile waste of time and resources).

What other god would say, “he gives his beloved sleep”? I rejoice to serve the Lord, who is not a harsh taskmaster but cares for my needs more than I do! He establishes and guards my life, my family, and my community in his abundant goodness. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 112 "Not Afraid of Bad News"

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Psalm for Today = 112:7-8    

He is not afraid of bad news;

    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,

    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

Comments:

In this psalm, the man “who fears the Lord” and the “upright” are used synonymously and such a person is blessed by God. Verses 4-5 describe his character (i.e., gracious, merciful, and righteous, and just) while verses 7-8 above describe his emotional state. This is what I would like to be! 

Because of his reverent and trusting relationship with the Lord, his character was changed and made godly. Flowing from such a redeemed character came consistently honorable and generous actions. The emotional result is a calm and settled trust. 

Don’t we all want to go through life without fearing bad news? Yet this man’s lack of fear was neither a denial of nor was it a result of there not being any bad news (he still had adversaries) but of his relationship with the good and very present Lord of All.

The very same Lord speaks the comforting words to his faithful that…

·       He will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

·       He will never let anyone snatch us out of his hand. (John 10:28-29)

·       He works all things together for good to those that love God and are called according to his purpose…and is committed to conforming us into the image of his Son. (Romans 8:28-29)

So there is really no "bad" news for me to fear! By the way, that will really tick the enemy off!

Psalm 81 "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it"

Psalm for Today = 81:6-10
“I relieved your shoulder of the burden; 
   your hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I delivered you;
   I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
   I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! 
   O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
There shall be no strange god among you; 
    you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
I am the Lord your God, 
   who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
   Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."

Comment: 
In this psalm, we see the heart of God for his people. 

Baby Swallows in the nest waiting to be fed.
Photo: Paula Garrett

He delivered them from the burdens of slavery, brought them out of Egypt, and provided food in the wilderness. They were helpless like birds in a nest waiting for their parents to stuff good things into their open mouths. God met their needs and cared for them miraculously, yet they stubbornly went their own way and missed out on God's loving best for them. With all the 10 Commandments summed up in the first... "no strange god among you" he reminds them of their covenant with him. 

I have to ask...are there ways that we have given false gods a place in our lives? 

Has God been put in a position of letting us go our own way? That is a terrifying thought!

"Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it" is God's promise to his people. But are we willing to eat what he is serving? Will we be content with what he knows is best for us? Too often we are not.

Today I am responding to his loving care for me. I really don't want to follow my own counsel, my own cooking...his way is better!