Psalm 102 -- Divine Conversation between Father and Son continued, Part 4 of 4 -- The Dilemma Resolved

--continuing from where we left off-- 

Psalm 102:25 "Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 "Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.  

Hebrews 1:10 And, "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands;
11 they will perish, but You remain; and they all will become old like a garment,
12 and like a mantle you will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end."

Where is Christ in Psalm 102 itself? One thing is clear--we know with certainty that He is in verses 25 through 27. We know this because Hebrews 1 tells us. And, in these verses Hebrews tells us that God is directly addressing Christ. Psalm 102:25-27 is written in second person. The writer to the Hebrews is quoting from the Septuagint version, "You, Lord, in the beginning..."

Moving forward in our explanation, two characters are clearly evident in Psalm 102. Character one is the person I have been naming as "the psalmist". His is the first person voice. The second character is God. The psalmist addresses God by using the second person--You. In Psalm 102, God's nature is clearly distinct and different from that of the distressed psalmist.

When we read the psalm straight through as literature, those are the only two characters we find--God and the psalmist.

(Verses 16 through 22 may be an extension of the second person voice found in verses 12 through 15, or they may be a kind of third person generalized narrator's voice. The voice used in verses 16 through 22 reminds me of John 3:16-21. There we are not completely sure if Jesus is still addressing Nicodemus, or perhaps if the apostle who is writing steps in with his own narrative voice. In Psalm 102, myself, I tend to hear the inhabitants of heaven saying these words, as a kind of heavenly chorus that knows, understands, and greatly appreciates all that is going on.

Additionally, the writer of the psalm, the one who penned the words onto paper, is anonymous. Because scholars do not know who wrote the psalm, the writer is invisible to us and not relevant to our understanding of the psalm.)

So, God and the psalmist are the only two well-defined characters in the psalm. But, Hebrews tells us that Christ is a character in the Psalm, because God is addressing Christ directly. Therefore, I conclude that the first person voice of the psalmist is the voice of Christ, from start to finish. I see in the entire psalm a holy conversation, a prayer in which both the pray-er--Christ--and Him to whom the prayer is addressed--God--speak back and forth to each other. The occasion might be Christ's prayer in the Garden, perhaps even the cross itself. The two voices are prophetic first and second person throughout, with the exception of the third person of verses 16 to 22 mentioned above.

It's frightening to say these things, because the ground on which we tread is holy ground, and we do not wish to profane it by our mere presence. But Jesus in his human nature is the most humble human being ever to live, and I hope, pray, and believe that the Holy Spirit bids us enter in to this most holy place within the veil; otherwise, why would this psalm be in the Bible?

I'm going to post the psalm again, with the actual scripture in italics, but narrating it very briefly as it unfolds--the narrated parts are in brackets. This is just to get you started. Please read the entire psalm again many times over, without interruption, no notes, just the Holy Spirit ministering to your heart. This is the New American Standard Bible, except where noted:

Psalm 102 

[Introduction:]

1a A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. 

[The voice of Christ in his full humanity--perhaps face down in the garden sweating blood, perhaps on the cross:]

1b Hear my prayer, O LORD! And let my cry for help come to You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; Incline Your ear to me; In the day when I call answer me quickly.
3 For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the loudness of my groaning My bones cling to my flesh.
6 I resemble a pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the waste places.
7 I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 My enemies have reproached me all day long; Those who deride me have used my name as a curse.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread And mingled my drink with weeping
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath, For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a lengthened shadow, And I wither away like grass.

[The voice of God the Father, or perhaps the Holy Spirit, ministering to Christ in his discouraged, suffering humanity. It is the voice of comfort, reminding Christ of who He is eternally. It's an animated voice of strength, reminding the man Jesus of His identity as Lord and Savior, head of Zion. It's the voice of encouragement, pointing the suffering Man to the future outcome. When read this way, both God and Christ share the same name, Jehovah:]

12 But You, O LORD, abide forever, And Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise [see Mark 8:31; Luke 18:33; John 11:23; and 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 16 for the same Greek verb used in the same way] and have compassion on Zion; For it is time to be gracious to her, For the appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants find pleasure in her stones And feel pity for her dust.
15 So the nations will fear the name of the LORD And all the kings of the earth Your glory.

[Narrator, or the voice of God continuing, describing the incarnation--its motives and outcome:]

16 For the LORD has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
17 He has regarded the prayer of the destitute And has not despised their prayer.
18 This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
19 For He looked down from His holy height; From heaven the LORD gazed upon the earth,
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To set free those who were doomed to death,
21 That men may tell of the name of the LORD in Zion And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

[Christ the suffering man]

23 He has weakened my strength in the way; He has shortened my days.
24a I say, "O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days,

[Septuagint]
[narrator:]

23a He answered him in the way of his strength: 

[Christ:]

tell me the fewness of my days.
24a Take me not away in the midst of my days:

[God replying:]

NASB 24b "Your years are throughout all generations.
25 "Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 "Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.
28 "The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You."

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Further thoughts and application:

When read this way, it is not hard to see and understand why the inspired writer to the Hebrews attributed verses 25 through 27 to God addressing Christ.

Further, reading the whole psalm as a divine conversation in two parts in no way compromises the exact text. One needs neither to add words to the text, nor to subtract them. Also, there is no concept, word, or line in the psalm, when read as a conversation, that contradicts any other portion of scripture. It's in complete agreement with all other parts of scripture.

When I first read Psalm 102, I knew nothing. I did not read it as a scholar. I simply read the psalm from start to finish. I read the psalm with my heart, not my head. Reading the psalm from start to finish in simple ignorance, without great learning, the psalm opened up to me in the way I just described. In the years since, everything I have come to know about scripture confirms for me that initial understanding.

This article was mostly written with my head. Over the years, I couldn't help but notice that not much is said concerning this psalm. So, I wrote it with my head, feeling that I had to "prove" scripturally the validity of what my heart saw in that first reading, and continues to see today. I'm writing it down, because this psalm is so very, very precious.

I see Psalm 102 as an invitation by God to us His children, the younger siblings of Christ, to enter in to the travail of His dearly beloved Son in the time He spent among us on earth. By doing so, our worship of Christ is magnified. Our love for God is increased. Our comprehension of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is deepened.
Further, our own walk is helped. We are encouraged in our travails, just as Christ was encouraged in His.

I have two other reasons for writing this article. The first is simple to explain. I want my children to have a written record of my heart. There may come a day in their lives when they would want to know, a day when I am gone and will be unable to tell them.

The second reason is that I want to encourage others to read, read, and read again their Bibles. Certain passages of scripture don't always open up to us the first or second time they are read. Frequently, it is after many readings that particular passages unfold in our hearts.

As I explained in the blog article titled, "How I Do Bible Study", posted on August 9, 2010, something happened to me in early 2009. I was reading through the entire psalter for the third complete time, when I heard the psalms speak extremely loudly and clearly to my own heart. During this period, I became absolutely convinced of the character and nature of God--God is good, and He loves His people. I further saw and knew that His goodness and love included me.

In the past, I had heard and known God's love in a real way, an intimate way, as I would often sit reading the written sermons of a certain preacher. But this was different--it was God's Word Himself telling me directly through scripture that He loves me.

Reading the writings of famous theologians, both present and past, helps us with our doctrine. Correct doctrine is of extreme importance, because it is both the backdrop and the stage upon which we act out our Christian walk. We base our choices and decisions in life on the doctrine concerning God that we believe.

But reading the writings of famous theologians is not a substitute for hearing God speak to us directly in His own Word, the Bible. Nothing on earth is quite like that.

So, I simply want to encourage you, by giving you an example in Psalm 102, of the wonderful fruit that can be found when we 1) pray to God for understanding, 2) and read His scripture many times over in the light that His own Holy Spirit sheds upon our hearts. There's nothing wrong with double checking Bible study notes and commentators for confirmation and/or correction. But these are supplements, not the food itself. And, God did give us--

Hebrews 8:11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

Thank-you for bearing with me.

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Father, I thank you for Your goodness poured out in Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your written word. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Father, I leave all this in Your hands. Thank You for helping me, allowing me, and I believe encouraging me to get this all written down. I pray that You would use it to the praise of Your glory, for Your kingdom's sake. I pray, Lord, that anything I've written that is not of You would simply die, and I know, Lord, that only by Your grace would it be read or benefit anyone, anyway. I love You, most holy heavenly Father. You have been good to me. I pray for the lost, that by Your grace You would open their hearts to Your love in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Psalm 102 -- Divine Conversation between Father and Son continued, Part 3 of 4 -- The Dilemma

--continuing from where we left off--

[author's note: I apologize for the seeming complexity of this post. What I see is clear in my mind, but it is hard to explain what I see simply. If you want to skip this one, please do, and just go to the next post, which has the main idea of all four posts in it.]

Explanation of Psalm 102 Part 3, The Dilemma 

Psalm 102:25 "Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 "Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.

Hebrews 1:10 And, "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands;
11 they will perish, but You remain; and they all will become old like a garment,
12 and like a mantle you will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end."

The verses in Hebrews above apply this passage to Christ. But Hebrews tells us that it was not the psalmist as a human in the psalm who was addressing Christ in this passage, "Of old, You founded the earth,..." but, it was God who was addressing Christ. The entire context in Hebrews 1, in which the closing verses of Psalm 102 (minus its very last verse) are embedded, is about words of God addressed to Christ in Old Testament scripture. For example-- 

Hebrews 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten You"? And again, "I will be a Father to Him and He shall be a Son to me"? (Psalm 2:7, 2 Samuel 7:14)

Going back to the quotation from Psalm 102, Hebrews tell us that the psalmist--the individual in the lament, the one praying to God--it was not his persona as a human who was addressing Christ, but God was addressing Christ. How did the psalmist know to speak this way, from God to Christ? And, how did the writer to the Hebrews know to apply this passage, almost completely out of context, as it were, as being spoken by God to Christ?

In other words, my question is this, if the whole of Psalm 102 represents a single speaker--who in some of the verses laments his own pitiable condition and in other verses praises the eternity and greatness of God--how did the writer to the Hebrews know to apply verses 25 through 27 to Christ? What is there in these verses that would cause us to think that the psalmist, who appears to be addressing God, in actual fact is really God addressing Christ?  

Hebrews 1:8 But of the Son He [God] says, ...Hebrews 1:10 And, "You, Lord, in the beginning..."

Or, if we say that the psalmist didn't know that he was speaking in the voice of God to Christ, we are still left with wondering how the writer to the Hebrews did know that there was a switch in these particular words, that these particular words are indeed to be seen as the words of God the Father to Christ the Son. How did he know this? There are many, many prayers of humans to God in the Old Testament. The vast majority of these prayers are nowhere seen in the New Testament as being God speaking to Christ.

Notice that the writer to the Hebrews does not say, "I am applying this passage as though God were speaking to His Son." Nor does he say, "This passage represents God speaking to His Son." No, the writer to the Hebrews is making a very strong case to struggling Jewish believers. He is working very hard to show them beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus is indeed the long awaited Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. And so he says to them quite definitely, This IS God speaking to His Son, and this is what He says.

But, I myself cannot find anything in the text of Psalm 102 that would cause me to see a shift from the psalmist addressing God to God addressing Christ. Well, we say that the writer to the Hebrews had a divine revelation which told him that this passage in the Old Testament applied to Christ. Yes, I wholeheartedly believe that the writer to the Hebrews was under divine inspiration in interpreting this passage to be God addressing Christ His Son.

But wait, are we to understand then, that divine volition planned, in the writing of scripture, to use this particular moment--in the psalmist's ardent plea for extended life--to switch persona from the psalmist addressing God to God addressing Christ? That God chose to employ these verses as the best moment and the exactly correct spot in scripture in which He God would address His Son? And that the writer to the Hebrews, without the aid of a New Testament interpretation as guide, was able to see this switch out of the myriad of other prayers to God in the Psalms? That is what we are saying, if we read the psalm as the voice of a single speaker throughout.

This passage, as Hebrews explicitly tells us, is actually the voice of God addressing Christ. That is not arguable. The Bible says it. But if we follow the usual interpretations, this would mean that God is addressing Christ through the voice of the lonely, beleaguered, dying psalmist, who for his part thinks that he is addressing God. This is what commentators tell us, if only indirectly through omission. We are being asked to understand that suddenly, the dying psalmist, whom we understood previously to be addressing God, is no longer addressing God, but that his voice is actually God addressing Christ. Way too complicated for me.

It's a dilemma. And it goes against the grain of how we normally read literature. There are not normally sudden changes of personae without warning. Even in prophecy; even in divinely revealed scripture. Generally, the rule is that we should read scripture as we read other literature. The words must make plain sense as written. As generally interpreted, this reading of Psalm 102 in light of Hebrews does not make sense to me.

to be continued

Psalm 102 -- Divine Conversation between Father and Son continued, Part 2 of 4

--continuing where we left off--

12 But You, O LORD, abide forever, And Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion; For it is time to be gracious to her, For the appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants find pleasure in her stones And feel pity for her dust.
15 So the nations will fear the name of the LORD And all the kings of the earth Your glory.

Verse 12 introduces the next section, from verse 12 to verse 15, with a sudden conjunction of contrast--"but"--and a sharp change of voice from "I" to "You".

Reading this section as it is normally read causes us to think that the psalmist has turned his attention to the Lord, which indeed, the words do in fact say. "But You, O LORD". The word for LORD here is the same as it was in verse 1, that is, Jehovah. Normally, we understand that the psalmist at this point is contrasting his own dire predicament with the eternality of his God.

The focus here, however, is now on Zion, rather than on the psalmist. What has changed the psalmist's heart so, that even while in the midst of his pain and agony--his bones visible through his flesh, his belly hungry, having had only the food of ashes mingled with tears, he being an outcast separated from his friends, his loneliness in the presence of his enemies, his life withering away in sorrow, and about to die--he now shifts his focus to Zion? Does he see his personal suffering as representative of the suffering of Zion as a whole? Yes. One can most assuredly read the psalm this way, especially at this point. I will have more to say on this later, that is, another direction from which to understand these same words.

16 For the LORD has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
17 He has regarded the prayer of the destitute And has not despised their prayer.
18 This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
19 For He looked down from His holy height; From heaven the LORD gazed upon the earth,
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To set free those who were doomed to death,
21 That men may tell of the name of the LORD in Zion And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

The psalm continues speaking of Zion in the section which encompasses verses 16 through 22, but in the third person. The vista has changed tremendously. It is almost as though the dying psalmist had been granted a vision of a vast panoramic nature. He is seeing God in His glory from a very great height, as it were from heaven itself, and the extent of the vision is unto the far distant future. It's nothing less than prophecy. Both prophetic past tense and future tense are being used.

There is messianic imagery within these verses, as well. When Jesus went into the temple after having been tempted in the wilderness, he stood and read these well-known words from Isaiah--

Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."

The words just above are the ones Jesus used to announce the beginning of his ministry. Compare Psalm 102:13-- 

13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion; For it is time to be gracious to her, For the appointed time has come.

Also, compare verse 20 of our psalm with the passage from Luke--

20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To set free those who were doomed to death,

But the Psalm continues, moving on to the next section, and back to the voice of first person.

23 He has weakened my strength in the way; He has shortened my days.
24a I say, "O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days,

The psalm makes a sudden, dramatic shift here, back to the original plight of the first person speaker, about to die, which we saw in verses 1 to 11. The "he" referred to might seem to be the same "he" of the previous section, which would be God. Then, the psalmist does indeed address God directly in verse 24a.

This is where the Septuagint throws an entirely different light on the whole passage. Brenton's translation of this passage says--

23 He answered him in the way of his strength: tell me the fewness of my days.
24a Take me not away in the midst of my days:

But before I explain this in detail, let's move on to hear what comes next--

NAU 24b "Your years are throughout all generations.
25 "Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 "Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.
28 "The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You."

 LXX Brenton 24b thy years are through all generations.
25 In the beginning thou, O Lord, didst lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou remainest: and they all shall wax old as a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them, and they shall be changed.
27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
28 The children of thy servants shall dwell securely, and their seed shall prosper for ever.

If we continue, as we have been doing, on the assumption that there is but one speaker throughout the entire psalm, a single speaker who is speaking all the parts, then, we have in this section another great jump in his frame of mind. Verse 23 NAU describes his immediate condition--he is about to die. In verse 24a he pleads with God not to let this happen, because he is in the "midst of" his "days". In other words, chronologically and ordinarily he would still have many years yet to live. He's only lived out half of his life. If, as scripture says, a man has about 70 years in his lifespan, Psalm 90:10, then, that would put the psalmist at about 35 years of age when he was about to die here. Verse 24a tells us that he doesn't want to die.

But then verse 24b has this enormous jump again, the speaker switches his point of view away from himself and onto the eternality of God, just as happened previously in the shift from verse 11 to verse 12. This is the way the psalm is generally read, and this is the way the commentaries are written, including that of Spurgeon.

With regard to verse 24a, the NAU says, "Take me not away". There is a note in Treasury of David by Henry Cowles in the Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings section. He says, "'Take me not away' is more exactly, 'Take me not up'". This agrees with Green's Interlinear Hebrew Bible, which also says, "O my God, do not take me up in the half of my days;"

The commentators say that the psalm ends on a high note of faith, the psalmist by faith expressing the greatness of God in contrast to his own frailty.

to be continued

Psalm 102 -- Divine Conversation between Father and Son Part 1 of 4

I have always been jealous of the two unnamed disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus that special day following His resurrection. The Bible says concerning what Jesus did during that wonderful time of fellowship they had with Him, the risen Lord--

Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

It is good for us as Christians to pray to God and ask Him by His Holy Spirit to open to our understanding all the scriptures concerning Christ in the Old Testament.

One of the greatest blessings of my Christian life has been seeing Christ in the Psalms. I attribute this to the Holy Spirit opening them to my heart that way.

The first time this happened to me was when I was reading Psalm 102 many years ago, as a fairly young Christian. In those days, I had just discovered the Septuagint Bible, and I would read in it from time to time. While the Septuagint is not looked upon by modern scholars and exegetes as a reliable translation, it was the Bible that many of the Jewish folk of Jesus' day used. I like it for the simple reason that it does speak plainly of the Redeemer. So much of our current translations, accurate to the Hebrew as they may be, lose the flavor and passion of real speech. They seem formalized to abstraction, and the passionate point of God's word is often muted and neutralized. Be all this as it may, it was the Septuagint text (English translation) which brought the words of Psalm 102 alive in my heart.

Psalm 102 is fairly long, but I'm going to post it here for easy reference. I'm using the New American Standard, and I'm dividing it into four sections, according to the voice of the speaker, either first person--"I", second person--"you", or third person--"he".

Psalm 102 opens in the first person--the psalmist is using the word "I".

Psalm 102:1 A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD! And let my cry for help come to You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; Incline Your ear to me; In the day when I call answer me quickly.
3 For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the loudness of my groaning My bones cling to my flesh.
6 I resemble a pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the waste places.
7 I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 My enemies have reproached me all day long; Those who deride me have used my name as a curse.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread And mingled my drink with weeping
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath, For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a lengthened shadow, And I wither away like grass.
 
The psalm switches to second person--"you"--in verse 12.

12 But You, O LORD, abide forever, And Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion; For it is time to be gracious to her, For the appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants find pleasure in her stones And feel pity for her dust.
15 So the nations will fear the name of the LORD And all the kings of the earth Your glory.

 Verses 16 through 22 are in third person, as though a narrator were speaking--"he, his".

16 For the LORD has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
17 He has regarded the prayer of the destitute And has not despised their prayer.
18 This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
19 For He looked down from His holy height; From heaven the LORD gazed upon the earth,
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To set free those who were doomed to death,
21 That men may tell of the name of the LORD in Zion And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

Verses 23 and 24a are in first person again--"I, my".

23 He has weakened my strength in the way; He has shortened my days.
24a I say, "O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days,

Verse 24b returns to second person, which remains to the end of the psalm--"you, your".

24b Your years are throughout all generations.
25 "Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 "Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.
28 "The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You."

Explanation of Psalm 102

The introduction to the whole psalm says--

1a A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD.

Here we learn that the psalmist is praying to the Lord. He is afflicted, faint, and he is pouring out--passionately--his complaint.

1b Hear my prayer, O LORD! And let my cry for help come to You.

In the second half of verse 1 above, the prayer begins. We see the psalmist crying to the Lord for help. Both occurrences of "Lord" in this first verse are the Hebrew word for Jehovah, the personal God of the Israelites.

2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; Incline Your ear to me; In the day when I call answer me quickly.

In verse 2, the psalmist identifies the time frame of his prayer as "the day of my distress". It is a calamitous day, a singular day, a certain day. It's the day when the psalmist calls upon the Lord and needs help quickly. Delayed help will be no help, for the psalmist is at a crisis point.

Verses 3-11 describe further the distress of the psalmist. It is a physical distress and an emotional distress brought about by the physical.

3 For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.

The imagery of verse 3 is that of burning, destruction. The psalmist's life is being destroyed before his eyes, and his bones have the great pain of fire in them.

4 My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.

Verse 4 speaks of the psalmist's heart, which is also being destroyed like grass in the heat of a very hot day. Although bread seems to be available to the psalmist, his distress and suffering are so great that he has forgotten to eat it. The Septuagint uses an explanatory conjunction between heart and bread. "My heart is dried up; for I have forgotten to eat my bread."

5 Because of the loudness of my groaning My bones cling to my flesh.

In verse 5, the psalmist is groaning so loudly and vehemently that his bones are clinging to his flesh. Anyone who happened to see the psalmist at this time would see his bones sticking out from inside his flesh. Because the psalmist had not been eating regularly, his body is most likely very thin, which would add to the effect of the visible tension that is causing his bones to cling to his flesh.

6 I resemble a pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the waste places.

In verse 6, the psalmist sees himself as being alone in a remote and wasted place. He has no friends with him. Further, the birds that the psalmist names are birds of prey or carrion eaters. Leviticus 11:13 names them as an abomination. So, even if the psalmist had friends who wanted to be with him at this time, they could not minister to him by touch without breaking the Law.

7 I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.

Verse 7 adds sleepless watchfulness to the list of his ailments, with the loneliness directly named.

8 My enemies have reproached me all day long; Those who deride me have used my name as a curse.

In verse 8, the psalmist tells us that indeed he is not alone. Some translations (KJV and others) use present tense, "My enemies curse me all the day long; those who rave against me have sworn against me." (Green)

9 For I have eaten ashes like bread And mingled my drink with weeping

Verse 9 takes the psalmist back to the burning motif with which he began in verse 3. Ashes, produced by fire, are his food. These ashes might signify repentance, or mourning, but definitely humiliation and shame. Ashes for food do not make the heart glad, nor are they nourishing. Ashes for food do not signify the freedom of joy in the Lord's presence, but the opposite.

10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath, For You have lifted me up and cast me away.

Verse 10 reveals the cause of the psalmist's suffering--it is the indignation and wrath of God Himself. Indignation means intense anger. Wrath signifies God's intense displeasure concerning the the actions of someone. God has "lifted" the psalmist "up" and cast him away from Himself.

"Lifted me up" is interesting. In Genesis 7:17 the waters of the flood, symbolic of God's wrath upon the entire sinful human race, "lifted up" the ark above the waters, symbolic of God's grace displayed on the cross. Although it is a different verb entirely, Moses "lifted up" the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14), and in the same verse, Jesus said that He Himself must be "lifted up".

The same is with "cast me away". Although the verbs in the original are not the same as each other, the thought is very close, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)


11 My days are like a lengthened shadow, And I wither away like grass.

Verse 11 summarizes the psalmist's thought that his life is ebbing away and soon to reach its end.

To be continued

Signature in the Cell by Stephen C. Meyer

Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design; Stephen C. Meyer; Copyright 2009; HarperCollins, publishers.


Signature in the Cell by Dr. Stephen C. Meyer is a great book. Although Cambridge educated Dr. Meyer is a relatively young man, the book can be described as a life work.

In the book Dr. Meyer records chronologically his personal quest for the best scientific explanation of the origin of life. His field of science is what he terms historical. He defines and describes this branch of science in detail and identifies its principles of operation as being similar to the principles Darwin used in arriving at his conclusions.

The historical sciences, as opposed to the experimental sciences, include geology, evolutionary biology, and paleontology. Physics and chemistry, on the other hand, are experimental sciences. While experimental sciences perform experiments under controlled laboratory conditions, the theories of historical sciences are tested by evaluating their explanatory power, that is, their ability to causally explain the phenomena of nature we see around us.

Dr. Meyer presents the argument for intelligent design historically; that is, he seeks to prove that intelligent design provides the best explanation for the extremely high levels of chemical and informational complexity which recent science has discovered in the DNA of all living cells, including the simplest.

As Dr. Meyer unfolds his own personal search for the best explanation of the origin of life, he takes the reader along on a comprehensive and in-depth journey into the history of the life sciences over the past century, including the famous Watson-Crick model of the double helix in DNA. The autobiographical elements make the otherwise technical text read like a "whodunit?" of molecular cellular biology.

Dr. Meyer is also an educator, and in his book he uses a teacher's techniques of repetition and analogy to develop his points. But, after using an analogy as a springboard to illustrate a scientific concept, he always teaches the science the analogy is meant to illustrate. Because of his down-home style of writing, Signature in the Cell presents the main principles of the explanations of origin of life research in a way that both scientists and lay people can readily understand.

One of the main premises of origin of life theory that Dr. Meyer establishes is that modern, molecular-cellular biological research has shown a complexity of form and information that all the probabilistic resources of the entire universe from its initial inception to the present can not account for. In other words, in order for non-living material to get to even the most elementary, most simple living cell by means of random, non-intelligent, naturally occurring events would require a probability so small that in the entire history of the universe there is neither enough time nor matter for such a probability to occur. Dr. Meyer explains this fact of existence in the greatest of detail. His book is long.

His book is also complete. He covers the many explanations for the origin of life from many different angles and multiple perspectives. He leaves no leaf, no major experiment unturned. He explains how evolution does not address the issue of life's origin, simply because natural selection can only begin to operate after life is already reproducing itself. Before life, there is no natural selection, only random processes or an intelligent designer.

Dr. Meyer shows just how it is that recent laboratory and computer based experiments that attempt to recreate a possible random-only scenario for a pathway from non-living to living fall short of being the best explanation. He shows in great detail just why intelligent design remains the best explanation for the origin of life.

Critics of intelligent design often say that it is not science. Dr. Meyer holds a PhD from Cambridge University, which he earned as he studied the various theories and experiments dealing with the origin of the first life. He is not a stupid man. He devotes an entire chapter in his book to addressing and correcting the criticisms which deny that intelligent design is a science. 

Dr. Meyer applies and compares the scientific principles inherent in the explanatory power of intelligent design with the very same scientific principles used by theorists of life's origin by non-intelligent means. In doing so, he logically proves and demonstrates how a consistent, fair use of the same scientific principles favors an intelligent cause as the best explanation for the origin of life.

In comparing Dr. Meyer's Signature in the Cell  with Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, I can find no positive comparisons. While Dawkins insults, rants, raves, and asserts, Dr. Meyer explains, defines, illustrates, and uses painstakingly consistent logic to prove his points according to the strictest of pre-defined historical scientific principles. While Dawkins uses analogy, he does not always explain the actual science the analogy is meant to describe. Dr. Meyer does give scientific explanations of the science behind the analogies he uses. While Dawkins' book is full of arrogant pomposity and emotional attacks, the lowest Dr. Meyer stoops is to quote a mild but very witty You-Tube video that pokes fun at Dawkins [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QERyh9YYEis ].

Anyone subscribing to intelligent design who has ever felt intimidated by the published attacks and bashing on the part of so-called scientists, those who define science as only that which produces conclusions that match their own worldview, should find Dr. Meyer's book absolutely refreshing. Here is a scientific work by an intellectual giant who uses the same methods and definitions which the materialistic-only scientists themselves use, but with far different results. Dr. Meyer's book Signature in the Cell is a great book. It's very enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

Psalm 71:3 The Little Word "Always"

NIV Psalm 71:3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

NASB Psalm 71:3 Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come; You have given commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.

In this Psalm, the psalmist is in a tight place...again. Indeed, the Psalms as a whole, if considered as it were the voice of a single individual, portray a person who is most often in a tight place. He has many very active enemies who direct their malice at him specifically.

But the most important person in the psalmist's life is God. The psalmist is on intimate terms with God. Here in verse 3, it is as though the psalmist has completely free, unlimited, total access to God. It is the psalmist who is asking God to perform a service, rather than vice versa. "Be my rock of refuge." "Be to me a rock of habitation".

Across the street from the house where my children grew up there used to be a very large (especially to them) black rock, upon which they always played. "Bye, Mom." "Where are you going?"  "Black Rock." They went there so often that one could say they lived there. It was home to them. They enjoyed its comforts in many different seasons, both externally and internally speaking.

God is such a rock to believers. He is a refuge, a hiding place, a protector, a shelter, a comfort, and a peace. He is also the believer's habitation, where the believer lives, spends most of his time, camps down for the night to sleep and rest, and always returns to.

The rock is always there. That's the nice thing about rocks--they don't move! They stay right where they were the last time we left them.

In verse 3 the Psalmist is confident that this Rock will never move. The rock will always be there for him. People in our lives, those to whom we turn for help or comfort in time of need, do move. Their situation changes, or their availability; their moods change, plus they have needs of their own which frequently take precedence over their helping us in our needs.

Not so this rock of refuge. To this rock the Psalmist can always come, continually. Indeed, Jesus said that the wisest thing to do is to actually build our house on the Rock (Matthew 7:24).

Jesus built His house on the rock. In His life, Jesus continually prayed and cried out to His Father, who alone was able to help Him.

Hebrews 5:7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.

"Always." "Continually." God made sure that these words would be in the Bible to both welcome and bid us come to Him.

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Father, yesterday I avoided You because I did not want to talk about what I knew needed to be talked about, but this morning You greeted me with this most gentle of all reminders that You are "always" my Rock of Refuge, even when I have goofed up. You are not the one who condemns the person coming to You for refuge. It is the destroyer who condemns. Thank-You, most holy Father. Thank You for Your patience, and for the time You give us to live and to learn. Thank You for Your Word. In Jesus, Amen.

How I Do Bible Study

Biography: I've been a "born-again" Christian some 30+ years. I've always studied the Bible during this time. I clearly remember that before I became a Christian, I could not read the Bible. First, it had no appeal to me. Second, I could not understand it, even when I tried to read it. It may as well have been written in Swahili. Third, I found it very depressing, since the verses that kept coming to my attention were Jesus' words, "There men shall weep and gnash their teeth."

After bowing my knee to God through Jesus Christ, having been drawn by the Holy Spirit to Him, giving Christ my full allegiance, I was amazed to discover that I could read the Bible; it made sense to me; and it spoke to my heart! It became a living book in which I could hear the voice of God.

I have no formal Bible training, other than attending both church and a mid-week service throughout these years, extremely regularly.

My theology has mostly been formed through my own reading of scripture. Over the years I have relied heavily upon the works of D. M. Lloyd-Jones, whom I love with all my heart, and Arthur Pink. My own understanding of scripture parallels their presentation. Spurgeon is a great friend.

I have studied beginning Greek, kitchen table self-taught style, using tapes, texts, and workbooks by authors such as Machen and Zodhiates.

I have several Bible reference works. My favorites are the Interlinear New Testament, the Septuagint Old Testament, my Greek Analytical Lexicon, The Amplified Bible, 26 Translations, Hebrew Interlinear, and of course, Strong's Concordance. I read the study notes at the foot of my Bible pages. I have Bibleworks 5, which is a great convenience.

"Psalm 119: A Meditative Prayer" was just that. It was a prayer, a dramatization, for which I used nothing at all except the text. I wrote this some years before this blog began, but I posted it on the blog later.

Everything else on the blog is recent. Something amazing happened to me in 2009. I had gone through the worst of a spiritual crisis, but was still in a state of turmoil and struggle. In January, I began reading Zondervan's little pocket book, "31 Days of Wisdom and Praise." This book is NIV, pure biblical text, no commentary, no references to other scripture, no notes. It covers the entire Psalms and Proverbs in one month.

In March, during my third reading of this book, something amazing happened to me on my insides. I came to totally believe in the goodness and love of God and that I was one of the many to whom His goodness and love were directed. I went through an entire week on a magnificent crest of joy and peace such as I had never experienced in my entire life. Although the peak eventually passed in a few months, my entire life has been changed ever since. If I didn't know and believe myself and my friends that I had already been "born-again", I would say that I had been "born-again". It was that good. I guess in heaven I'll find out for sure exactly when I was born-again.

Later that year, I began this blog. I pray and meditate on the Word during quiet time and throughout the day. I ask the Lord to show me His heart and to help me understand.

Mostly for my blog, I just write down what I get out of my quiet times with the Lord in the morning using my 31 Days NIV Psalms. I do not check commentaries, nor do I base my writing on the study notes in other Bibles, although out of curiosity and to double check I may confer with them. I mostly use cross-references to other scripture and the various translations I have available. I sometimes check the meaning of the original languages, and I may double-check with Spurgeon to see if what I see may be something he saw as well. I consider him a greatly beloved authority.

Mostly, however, the gleanings are my own, just me and the Lord--praise Him and all glory to His name. I owe everything I have to Him; He is my all-in-all; He is my life and the light of my countenance. He's great!

Psalm 36 Who Are the Wicked?

Psalm 36:1 For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. 
2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. 
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. 
4 Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong. 
5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. 
7 How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. 
8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. 
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. 
10 Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. 
11 May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 
12 See how the evildoers lie fallen-- thrown down, not able to rise!

Psalm 1 introduces the "righteous" and the "wicked" as a major theme of the whole Psalter. Psalm 32 talks about who the righteous are. Psalm 32 also teaches that it is God who gets to decide who is righteous and who is wicked. This is because He is God. As such, He created; He sustains; He will judge, condemn, punish, justify, and reward. It is also by His Spirit that the Bible was written; i.e., God wrote the Bible.

Moving on, Psalm 36 describes the wicked--

1...concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. 
2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. 
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. 
4 Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.

Just as the righteous are defined by their attitude toward God, so are the wicked. Verse 1 says it all--"There is no fear of God before his eyes." The righteous, by way of contrast, "fear" God. They believe He exists; they acknowledge Him. The righteous see God as being all-powerful. They realize that they must one day, perhaps right now, give an account of themselves to God. They recognize that God is their own personal judge. He will indeed judge them. They recognize that God sets the rules. They further submit to God's rule and seek to please Him. They are on God's side. The righteous are blessed of God. He rewards them greatly with His protection, comfort, guidance, salvation, forgiveness, great joy, and peace. All of this is developed in Psalm 32.

The wicked, again, has no fear of God before his eyes. This could mean that the wicked person denies the existence of God at at some level of His being. Paul in Romans 1:18 forward, teaches that all men know innately that God exists. People are hard-wired with this knowledge. But a wicked person has no fear of God before his eyes, in his front-most consciousness, the place where decisions are made and actions are born.

The phrase could also mean that a wicked person does indeed believe that God exists, but just doesn't care. He doesn't fear God, literally. He doesn't fear the punishment that God announces on nearly every page of Scripture. He throws himself against God and opposes Him to His face. Perhaps he feels himself to be more powerful than God. He hates God. Such a one would be Satan.

Verses 2-4 develop the thought introduced in verse 1, that the wicked have no fear of God before their eyes. Verse 2 gives us the reason why this is so--

2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.

The wicked person loves himself! His eyes are on himself! The word "flatter" in scripture always refers to pleasant-sounding speech that is false. Flattery is never true. Satan fell in love with himself. He admired his own beauty more than the beauty of God, and he forgot that it was God who had created him, not he himself. Satan wanted the power and glory of God, and he fell. (Isaiah 14:12-14). He is the model and father of all wickedness. Just as Satan wanted his own way rather than God's way, so does the wicked man. The Bible describes this heart-attitude with the phrase in verse 1, "There is no fear of God before his eyes."

Verses 3-4 continue with a description of what a wicked person says and does, of how he spends his time.

3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. 
4 Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.

Do these verses mean that a wicked person never does what we would call good? No, because it is the heart attitude that primarily defines wickedness, verse 1. Because a wicked person has no fear, no love, of God, all that he does is wicked. Just as God considers a righteous person to be righteous in His eyes, even when the person sins, so He considers a wicked person to be wicked even when he does what may appear to our eyes to be good.

I find it very interesting that Psalm 32, in its development of who a righteous person is, did not compare the righteous with the wicked. There in that psalm, a righteous person was righteous with respect of God, not by comparison with the wicked. Just so, here in this psalm, the wicked are not wicked with respect to the righteous, but with respect to God. Verses 5-6 tell the character and righteousness of God. It is His righteousness which defines the wickedness of the wicked. 

5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

Verses 7-9 declare the blessings which God bestows upon the righteous. 

7 How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. 
8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. 
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

Verses 10 and 11 are a prayer uttered by one of the righteous. Verse 12 tells the final outcome of the wicked.   

10 Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. 
11 May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 See how the evildoers lie fallen-- thrown down, not able to rise!

Application: Nowhere in the Bible do I find any verses that tell me to judge someone else. In fact, I find this in the book of Romans:

Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Yet, the Bible does teach what a wicked person looks like. How am I to use this knowledge? 1) To examine my own heart, and 2) for discretion. If I see a person who appears to be what the Bible describes as wicked, I should use great discretion that I do not throw in my lot with that person (not to become unequally yoked), nor to believe everything they say.

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Father, thank-You so much for verses 7-9 of this Psalm. Help me, Lord, in my own life, to use all the wisdom Scripture imparts wisely and according to Your will, especially in my dealings with those who do not seem to fear You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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[* Note: A Pharisee once made the mistake of defining his own righteousness by comparing himself with the seemingly wicked person standing next to him. Jesus really condemned that heart attitude. God does not look at externals, but the "internals" of each person. And what interests God is the person's attitude and relationship towards Himself. A righteous person fears, worships, and obeys God. A wicked person does not.

Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-- robbers, evildoers, adulterers-- or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."]

Psalm 32--Who Are the Righteous? C't'd No Deceit = Saying It with God

2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. 
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Because the blessing of God falls upon "the righteous", but God's woe falls upon the "wicked" (Ps 32:10), it is important to me to know which I am in God's eyes--does God number me with "the righteous" or with "the wicked"?

Verse 2 tells me again that a righteous person is not one who never sins--all people sin--but there are some "whose sin the LORD does not count against him". I surely want to be one of these, so I continue reading, "and in whose spirit is no deceit." What does this mean? As I look back upon my heart over many years, I find that indeed I did tell lies, both to myself, to others, and to God. There were entire years of moral confusion, in which I could not tell if certain actions were right or wrong. Surely, I have a deceitful spirit? 

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Verse three explains that the psalmist had a period of time when he suffered greatly. He kept silent towards God. He experienced decay and misery, which resulted in groaning all day long. The psalmist had no relief day or night, and he attributed his suffering to the hand of God pressing heavily upon him. He had no strength; he was wasted, as on a hot summer day. Although we don't know how long this condition lasted, we can assume it was for awhile.

In verse 3 the psalmist "kept" silent. The verb seems to imply volition on the psalmist's part; his will was involved. Silence can have several causes. Someone can be silent from having nothing to say, being neutral, at rest, at peace. Such is not the case here, since the psalmist is wasting away and groaning constantly. Therefore, we can assume that the psalmist does have something to say to God, but it is dammed up, held back, willfully not expressed.

Verse 5a is the turning point--

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"...

The psalmist talked to God about his sin. He covered it up no longer. When the psalmist kept quiet, he was covering his iniquity. When he could bear God's heavy hand no longer, he turned and talked to God. About what? His sin. He quit covering it up. He had been covering his sin from God's sight (much like Adam and Eve, like Cain). Would it be fair to assume that at some point in the process he had covered his sin from his own sight?

Verses 5b through 7 tell us what happened after the psalmist's confession:

5b  -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.  
7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

God forgave the guilt of his sin. Then--Joy! Refuge and safety in the Lord, protection, peace, songs of deliverance.

Going back to verse 3 and the word deceit, I now see that at one point the psalmist did have a deceitful heart. This was his period of silence, when God's hand was heavy upon him. At that time he was miserable, not blessed at all. Then, when he confessed his sin, his deceitfulness ended, and God blessed him, verses 6 and 7.

God knew all along about the psalmist's iniquity. That's why God's hand was pressing heavily upon him. Therefore, God is He who wanted the psalmist to repent. God was He who was telling the psalmist of his sin. When the psalmist turned and spoke his sin aloud to God, then God was pleased.

I therefore conclude that a "righteous" person is not one who never sins, but a righteous person is one who "says it with God". The person who "says it with God"--i.e., the person who sees his own heart the same way God sees it--this is the person who has no deceit. He is the one who sees both himself (herself) and God the same way God does. The person with no deceit is the one who is in agreement with God, trusting in God, and following God's way. *See note below.

God is quick to forgive anyone and everyone who confesses to Him. This is righteousness--agreeing with God that I have sinned; specifically naming and declaring my sin to God; asking Him to forgive me; then trusting that He does forgive and receiving His blessing. How like a father is our God?

Verses 8 and 9 are God's admonition in His very own voice--

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.  
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

Verses 10 and 11 recap the entire psalm and invite all those who have gone through the process of repentance and forgiveness to rejoice with song.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.  
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

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Father, I know that You are a gracious God. I know that You have very clear standards of right and wrong and that You hate all sin. But I also know that You love sinners and have provided a Way of blessing. I have heard the criticisms of You by those who reject You and Your standards, laid out in the Ten Commandments of the Bible. But as for me and my own heart, I have seen You in the form of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. I have thought about and examined all that I know of You from scripture and from my own experience, and I find no fault in You.

I pray, Lord, that those who are suffering in silence toward You, those who are wasting away and groaning day and night because of Your hand being heavy upon them due to their unconfessed sin, that they would turn--by Your grace, guidance, and help--that they would turn and confess their iniquity to You, asking You for forgiveness in Jesus Christ. And, Father, according to the words of Psalm 32, I know that You will forgive them, declare them righteous in Your sight, and bless them. Thank-You dearest Father. In Christ, Christina, amen.

*Note from above: I am not at all saying that I am "righteous" today and "unrighteous"  the very next time I have unconfessed sin. Once made righteous in Christ by initial repentance and turning to Him in faith--always righteous, legally, in God's court of law, His judgment. I do, however, have periods of more or less intimacy with God and personal well-being depending upon whether or not I am harboring unconfessed sin in my heart.

Psalm 32--Who Are the Righteous? Verse One

Psalm 32:1 Of David. A maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. 
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. 
7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. 
10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. 
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Two of the main actors in the Psalms are the righteous and the wicked. Psalms 1 and 2 tell us this. They also tell us that the righteous are blessed of God, but the wicked come under His wrath. So, what distinguishes the people in these two groups? How do I know which of the two groups I am in? Psalm 32 helps me understand more about who a righteous person is.

1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 

Because God blesses the righteous but not the wicked, I learn from the first words that this psalm is about a righteous person. I also learn several things about a righteous person.  1) He is blessed. 2) His transgressions are forgiven. 3) His sins are covered.

1) A righteous person is one who is blessed. Well, who blesses? God. Because it is God who blesses a righteous person, it is therefore God who ultimately determines who is righteous and who is wicked.  We as people do not make the determination of whether or not we are righteous in God's eyes. He makes that determination. God is judge. His is the only word that counts! We ourselves can tell God whether or not we think we are righteous, but God does not always agree with our own assessment of ourselves:

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

So, if I want to find out which of the two groups--the righteous or the wicked--I am in, I need to ask God. Only He can tell me that, because only He determines who is which. And God tells me which group I am in as I study and meditate on His word.

2) Is the righteous person one who never sins? No-- 

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Psalm 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Everyone, according to God's word, sins. Everyone sins. How then can the scripture call a person righteous? When I read a Psalm of blessing such as this one is, a Psalm that blesses a righteous person, I want to know that this Psalm applies to ME, that I am blessed of God. But, I don't have to look very far into my own heart to see and know that indeed I have very grave sins there. Even after being a "Christian" many years, I sin daily. I have besetting sins and I strongly suspect that my most grievous sins of heart, attitude, and motivation are sins of which I am completely unaware. How can I not become discouraged and mentally exclude myself from the blessings of this Psalm?

Point 1 already given is the first assurance: it is God Himself who labels the righteous as being righteous. He is far more gracious and merciful than I will ever be, even towards myself.

Point 2 explains how God can count sinners, which we all of us are, as being righteous--they are forgiven. God has forgiven them. He whom God has forgiven is now righteous in His eyes. But what about when I go on sinning, try as I do to stop?

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."

Point 3 "whose sins are covered" tells us that he who is righteous in God's eyes does indeed have sin, but that these sins are covered. Covered from whose gaze? Covered from the gaze of God, the judge, the sentencer, the One who pours out His wrath on all unrighteousness. My sin is covered; it is invisible to God. Wow! [Selah] My sins are covered. Who covered them? Not I, surely; the verb is passive. The covering is an action done to and for me, once in point of time, but not by me.

But the covering is not like being covered with a blanket by someone who loves us while we are asleep. According to this Psalm, there is a process in the covering in which I am an active player. The rest of the Psalm tells us more. 

Summary: The righteous are blessed; God is the One who both blesses and determines who are the righteous and who the wicked; everyone sins--both the righteous and the wicked; the righteous are forgiven, their sins are covered. Questions: I want to be blessed; I want to be counted among God's righteous. So how do I get my sins forgiven? Then, how can I be sure that my sins are covered?

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Gracious Father, Please lead and guide and open to our understanding Your thought in this Psalm and Your purpose in disclosing it to us. Thank-You, Almighty God.

[to be continued]

Psalm 2--The Son Speaks

Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 
2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. 
3 "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." 
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 
6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." 
7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." 
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 
11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 1 specifies two groups of people: the righteous and the wicked. Here in Psalm 2 the writer discloses more about these two groups. He casts the wicked (not using that specific word) as the "nations" and the righteous come into the sharpest and clearest of all focuses as the person of the Son of God, who is ultimately the one and only Righteous One. What excites me about this Psalm is that the Son of God speaks; we hear His voice!

2:1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 
2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. 
3 "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." 

Every day when I pick up the newspaper, or turn on the radio, or watch television, or see a movie, or engage in the entire election process in our state and nation, or have a conversation with a non-believer, or read a book or magazine, I hear these first three verses fulfilled. Our nation and the other historic nations of the Western world are indeed raging against what they call the "chains" of Christendom. The boundary lines of society are being changed at almost lightening speed.

Yes, my heart does become dismayed, possibly frightened, certainly discouraged. But then I read the following verses:

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 
6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."

The One enthroned in heaven is of course God. He sees what the nations and rulers of this world order are doing and saying, and He laughs. Then He rebukes and terrifies. Finally, He speaks of His King on His holy hill. Who is this King? The very next verses tell us:

7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." 

Verse 7 begins in first person, the "I". This is new for this Psalm. Who is speaking? The one to whom the Lord spoke when He says, "You are my Son". In Old Testament times, the person of the Son was yet hidden, history not yet having unfolded His identity. But today, of course, we know that the Son is none other than Jesus Christ. The New Testament has revealed Him.

Verse 8 shows that the Father has given the Son all the nations as His inheritance, all the ends of the earth His possession. To the Son the Father gives the power and authority to rule them all, including the right of judgment--to judge and pass sentence on them. The wicked, according to the prophecy in this Psalm, will be destroyed.

Verse 7 is foundational to the entire Psalter. The Son, Jesus Christ, is introduced here, but seldom is He referred to so directly again throughout the remainder of the Psalms. But the reader has heard His voice. The reader knows that the person of the Son is present in these Psalms, and so much treasure and wheat can be gleaned by looking throughout the remainder of the Psalms for His voice. His voice dominates the entire Psalter from beginning to end, though not often as directly identified as here. 

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 
11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Verse 10 switches back to the narrator, or the chorus. Verses 10 through 12 give us God's divine advice on how we should respond to the situation described in the preceding verses. Here is this great drama: the nations and rulers of the world--which is where we live; this is our very own neighborhood and workplace--these rulers, that is, the people with the power, these have openly rebelled against God Almighty, baring their fists upward towards Him.

God, however, just laughs. He has His own King installed on His holy hill. How should we respond? Which side should we take? Verses 10-12 inform us. We are to be wise, to heed God's warning. We are to serve the Lord with respect and gladness. We are to kiss the Son, to bow our hearts in allegiance to Him. If we join His ranks and make our hiding place in Him, He will bless us. The others will be destroyed in the Son's wrath.

Comment: the Bible very simply makes us very uncomfortable in the stark nakedness and clarity of its words. There is no neutral ground. There is no middle place where we can stand and cry, "Safe!" while we observe the battle and seek to determine in advance who the winner will be. No, those who are not with Him are indeed against Him. Only those who take refuge in Him will be blessed.

Let me ask, in the day of your own personal trouble, your own personal disaster, who will there be to help you? Will the unrighteous throw out a net to save you? Will the unrighteous come knocking at your door to bring you comfort, peace, and hope? Never. The unrighteous, in my observation, only attack and destroy. The idols of the media are worshiped on day one, but on day two, when the idol stumbles, the media are the first to gloat in glee. Only Jesus Christ looks upon all our sin of having rejected Him for so long, and yet says, "Come to me, you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." God is always ready to forgive the humble heart, and He still has the power.

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Lord, only You can bring a broken, troubled life to repentance. This little blog is like casting bread upon the waters. Only you know if even one unsaved person will read this. But I pray, Lord, that someone might, and I pray that even today one heart might turn to you in repentance for having rejected you up until now. Forgive them, Lord, in your precious, holy name, and bring them new life in You, simply because they believe that You live, that You are love, that You paid their penalty of condemnation upon the cross. Thank-You, Lord! You are good! Your word reveals You as the One who blesses all who believe. Help us, Lord, in our non-belief to trust You more. In Jesus' name, amen.

[Note: For further reading on Psalm 2, please see:  http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps002.htm]

Psalm 1

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.



Overview:

Here at the beginning of the Psalter, God sets the major themes for the rest of the book, indeed for all the Bible.

I.  There are two groups of people--1) those who are blessed, verses 1-3; and 2) those who are not blessed--verses 4-5. Verse 6 contrasts the two together.

II. There is a supreme being, the Lord, who is above both groups, to whom both groups must give account, to whom both groups must appeal for benefits, and who will judge both groups.

III. The one group God's word calls "the righteous"; the other group God labels "the wicked".

Implied, but not spoken in the text, is the necessity of choice. Each human falls into one of these two categories--which category will it be for my own life?

Verse 1: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

At the beginning of the Psalter, in the very first verse, is the idea of separation, a calling out. The man (woman) of God is to be separated, distinct, different, identifiable from the rest.  The child of God is to behave differently from others. He (she) hears a different song, has a different fountain, goes by a different set of principles than the others, than the former friends. A newborn babe in Christ will not progress far at all until separation occurs, a tearing of the placenta from the womb of the world. It is the first great test of the Christian walk--whom will I follow? With whom will I associate myself? Do I dare leave the crowd and stand alone? Do I trust my God this much?

Verse 2: But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

In verse 2, the child of God wants to leave behind his association with the people of the world. He has a new delight, a new love. God's child delights in learning more and more and more about God. He wants to hear the Lord's voice; he no longer finds satisfaction in "hanging out" with the world. It is God's word he loves; he cannot get enough of it. God's word is such a delight to him that he turns to it day and night. He camps out upon it, reading and re-reading, thinking about, meditating upon, experiencing, living the word of God.

Verse 3: He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Verse 3 implicitly tells what God does. God is the planter of the tree. God is the gardener, the husbandman, the caretaker. Trees, unlike other plants, are permanent, long lasting, durable, fixed, unmoving, solid. This tree God plants by a stream of water, His word, on which the young believer meditates day and night.

Verse 3 does not promise fair skies, nor easy going, nor a problem free life. But it does promise endurance and stability. The same skies are above the tree planted by the streams of water as the tree planted in a rocky, dry place. The same storms and winds assail the tree planted by the water as the other trees not planted there. But while the other trees wither and die from lack of water in times of drought, while the attacks of insects and disease may kill them, while harsh winds may stunt their growth, the tree planted by the water survives. It does more than survive. God's planting grows continually, always fed by waters of abundance, until a time of ripe maturity, fruit, that feeds others and proves to be a great blessing. There is no old age of uselessness for this tree; this tree always is in the green; its leaves never wither; it always prospers. There is no specific occupation that a child of God must pursue--whatever the child of God does, he prospers in it. Why? Because the child of God is always walking in the will of God, being fed night and day by the law of God, His word. God is free to bless abundantly such a one, because this person wants for himself (herself) whatever it is that God wants. Night will not fall upon  this tree. It will always be day in the believer's heart, no matter what the weather.

Verse 4: Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Not so the wicked. The wicked, in contrast, are temporary. They have no permanent place either in God's kingdom or in the world, or in the age to come. Even housewives and little children come out with their brooms to sweep away the chaff. Sweep the chaff away from the doorstep and let the wind do its job of blowing it away, only to be scattered, never to be seen nor heard of nor thought of ever again.

Verse 5: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 

Sinners will be crushed by God in the judgment. He will blow them away, just like chaff is driven before the wind, dry, crusty, empty, hollow. No-counts. God's judgment will be harsh and the wicked will not survive it.

The righteous will survive the judgment of God. God's wrath and fury will pass by, and there the righteous are, still standing in His presence; still assembled as a joyous, glad throng before him. Not one single wicked person will be among them. They have all perished and been removed by the condemnation of God.

Verse 6: For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

God is the Lord; He is the caretaker, the caregiver, the gardener, the watchman, the protector, the savior of the righteous. They are His, and He protects them. The righteous will never perish from before the Lord. He Himself will see to that. But the wicked and their way will perish. They will be gone. 

Conclusion: What am I going to do in response to this Psalm? Am I going to mock, scorn, and ignore it like the wicked in verse 1? Or am I going to humble my heart before the Lord, confess my faults to Him, tell Him of my need and my utter inability to either read and study His word faithfully, profitably, or walk according to it? Am I going to play the part of the fool and sing a drunken ditty alone in the solitude of my own destitute heart as I pursue the path that leads to death? Oh, Lord, help me please by Your mercy and grace to choose rightly this day.

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Thank-You, Lord, for the words of this Psalm, Your word. I marvel, Lord, at Your justice. You do not hide Your way. You do not write requirements for us to follow but then keep them hidden. You have written the game and you have given us the rules of the game. You want men and women to be saved. You place warning signs directly in front of our feet and shine your beacon square upon the letters telling of the danger before us. Such is this Psalm, Lord. Help me, O Lord, my God, to use Your word as my compass, my map, to lead and guide me through this dark, quiet night. I love You, Lord. Thanking You, in Jesus' name, Christina, amen.