Whatever

In November, I went to the Oregon Coast and beheld the most unbelievable sunset.

Amazing, isn’t it?

It made me think of Romans 1:18-20, where Paul says that everyone is without excuse, because God’s attributes shine through clearly in nature. I think David must have been watching a similar sunset when he wrote this Psalm, because he says about the same thing.

¹The heavens declare the glory of God,
   and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
²Day to day pours out speech,
   and night to night reveals knowledge.
³There is no speech, nor are there words,
   whose voice is not heard.
⁴Their voice goes out through all the earth,
   and their words to the end of the world.

Psalm 19:1-4 (ESV)

We don’t need to physically hear God’s voice thundering out of the sky or see Him levitate someone to believe He’s real. We can look around and know.

The second half of the Psalm talks about the Bible. David didn’t have the entire Bible, but what he did have satisfied him. The Bible spoke to him of God, just like nature spoke to him of God. We have God’s entire Word, so we should never complain. If David found rest for his soul in the limited portion of God’s Word he had available to him, we should find complete and total satisfaction knowing that God’s mysteries have been revealed to us.

David knew that in God’s Word life and contentment could be found. We rely on our “progressive” universities filled with all-wise professors, our enlightened media, and the latest scientific advances for our wisdom. Well, scrap all that crap. God’s Word contains all we need for life and contentment.

⁷The law of the LORD is perfect,
   reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
   making wise the simple;
⁸the precepts of the LORD are right,
   rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
   enlightening the eyes;
⁹the fear of the LORD is clean,
   enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
   and righteous altogether.
¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold,
   even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
   and drippings of the honeycomb.
¹¹Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
   in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11 (ESV)

I find five easy divisions in this Psalm.

• God is our refuge (Psalm 18:1-3)
• David tells God his troubles and pleads for help (Psalm 18:4-6
• God responds to David (Psalm 18:7-19)
• How God treats the righteous (Psalm 18:20-27)
• David tells what God has done for him (Psalm 18:28-50)

This Psalm reminds me that God isn’t always peaches and cream. He love us, yes, but He can be destructive, angry, judging.

⁷Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹He bowed the heavens and came down;
(N) thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
¹¹He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
¹²Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
¹³The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
¹⁵Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
Psalm 18:7-15

I think I’d rather be on His good side.

On another note, I don’t fully understand how David could say that he was blameless and pure (Psalm 18:20-24), unless he wrote this Psalm before the Bathsheba incident. Maybe David just understood that God’s forgiveness surpasses any sin. Forgiven sin, like an expunged crime, vanishes – never to be remembered.

My favorite verses are 20-27. If we live righteously, we can expect God’s favor. Haughty and crooked people should have no expectation of salvation. As Christians, we should live as David describes in verses 21-23. And then, as we strive to serve God, He makes us righteous (Psalm 18:24), which is something only He can do.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²²For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²³I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
²⁴So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
Psalm 18:21-24 (ESV)

The rest of this Psalm David rejoices in how he pounds his enemies into dust, and I appreciate him sharing such things, but I’m not sure that we, as Christians, should follow his example in this. If anyone disagrees with me, I’d love to hear about it.

I love this Psalm for multiple reasons.

David prayed earnestly, out of a sincere heart. Do we?

David purposed that his mouth would not transgress.

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
Psalm 17:3 (portion)

Some say avoiding sin is not simply a matter of making a decision. Being a former addict, I understand the thought process. Yet such thoughts are deceptions, some truth mixed with lies.

Life consists of a series of decisions. Will I swear? I choose. Will I pick up that joint? Will I light it? It’s up to me. Do I have the ability to stop my hand from reaching over to the bottle, unscrewing the cap and drinking? Did I look at the porn out of necessity? Every waking moment we make choices. We can purpose, like David, to not sin. We choose. So often we blame addiction, our partners, unforeseen circumstances, depression . . . we need to be like David and stop blaming everything around us. Our choices are our decisions. Plain and simple.

So often we think the concept of eternal life is only a New Testament concept. I’ve talked about it before, and I’ll say it again – it’s all over the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms. David talked about men whose satisfaction and treasure was here – in this life. He contrasted that with his vision of contentment . . .

¹³ Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
¹⁴ from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.
¹⁵ As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

David’s portion was with God. He understood that this life offers nothing. He had an eternal perspective. Do you?

This Psalm boosts my spirits. Why? Because I have a tendency to worry, to wonder why by bosses speak down to me, to obsess about potential illnesses . . . the list goes on forever.

This Psalm starts by reminding us that when we have troubles, our first line of defense should be God. I tend to yell, bang on things, exercise, sleep – anything to alleviate my frustrations – anything, that is, but go to God. Why? Stupidity, I guess. As my pastor put it this last Sunday, God should always be our first line of defense.

¹ Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord . . .
Psalm 16:1 (ESV)

The Psalm ends with the same type of reminder, with a little different twist. Not only should God be our first line of defense, but in Him we will discover eternal life.

¹¹You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

If we trust God and know Him, He will show us the path of life. David knew this, and Scripture affirms it. God will reveal Himself to us if we seek Him.

²¹Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.

Having a consistent refuge and access to eternal life seems like a no-brainer to me. Choose life.

Walk blamelessly, or perfectly, or with uprightness. Now, I can walk with uprightness, but I’ll tell you right now that I can’t walk blamelessly. I guarantee by the end of the day (53 minutes from right now) there will be something you’ll be able to blame me for.

Is God saying that only those who are perfect will able to go to heaven? Read what Psalm 115, verses 1 and 2 say:

¹ A Psalm of David. O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

² He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart . . .

When I read that, I shook my head. I looked up the original word for “blameless,” and found out that typically, when used in the Psalms, it’s translated “perfect.” Elsewhere in the Bible, the most common translation is “without blemish.” Give me a break. Like I can do that.

When I come across verses like this, it’s easy for me to try to find a way out. The word “perfect” can’t really mean “perfect.” It must mean “mostly perfect” or “able to avoid really serious sins” like adultery or murder. We can avoid those things, right?

But I think we do the Word of God a disservice when we discount what it says. It says that those who are blameless, or perfect, will dwell with God.

I can always go back to the verse in the New Testament . . . you know, the one that says it’s harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Right after that it says that things that are impossible with man are possible with God. So, with the help of the Spirit, perhaps I can be perfect! Hmmmm. I doubt it.

It’s not that I lack faith, but I know myself. I am not perfect. I will never be perfect. I’m human. I’m fallible. I have flaws. I get angry. I have pride. I’m over-competitive.

So what now? Have I just concluded that I’m headed for hell? I don’t think so. As I read this Psalm I don’t read that anyone who’s not perfect is condemned to hell. It’s not in the text. What I do read is that a person who achieves perfection will be able to dwell with God.

I suspect God wrote this to remind us to strive to be perfect. God expects us to read His Word, to listen to Him, and to become more like Him. We need to love our neighbors and hate evil.

The problem with all this is that none of us are perfect, or ever will be. We all sin. But God doesn’t say we can’t live with Him if we aren’t perfect. Yes, He wants us to be blameless. He wanted Israel to be blameless. Were they? Far from it. Yet He relented from destroying them. And He will continue to forgive us if we continue to return to Him.

So, I have hope.

And I also have Jesus, so I have life.

¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The one verse that really stands out for me in this Psalm is verse 3.

³ They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

What in the world does that mean? Am I incapable of doing anything good? Of course there’s the concept of universal depravity, but I want to know what this means for me. I want to understand the implication in my own life. Can I do good? What does this mean? Can’t I buy a mocha for the lady that works next to me that irritates me beyond belief? Isn’t that being good? Can’t I help an old lady fix her car tire? Isn’t that being good? Well, in our understanding of the word, of course it is. And anyone can do things like that. I think, in this context, the word “good” must mean something other than what I think it means.

Jesus said,

“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”
Mark 10:18 (ESV)

Oh great. Now, not only do I not know what “good” means, but nobody can be good but God. Yet I’m called to be perfect.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48 (ESV)

So, let’s see what we have here so far. Nobody is good. Not even one person. So I must not know what being good means, because I do nice things for people all the time. So, I feel like I’m good, but based on this Psalm, I’m not. Then Jesus reiterates that in Matthew when he says nobody is good but God. So obviously I’m not good. It appears our modern meaning of “good” must mean something other than what most people think it means. But regardless of what it means, I’m called to be perfect, and being perfect has to have something in common with being good, which I’m not. What’s the heck is going on?

A few verses after Jesus says that nobody is good but God, the disciples ask Him a question and He answers. The answer gives me some hope.

²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”
²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:26, 27 (ESV)

The disciples didn’t understand either. They wanted to know how in the world anyone could get to heaven if being good was impossible. And Jesus made it clear that with Him, all things are possible.

My conclusion is that I (along with everyone) was born incapable of being good. Sure, I can do nice things and be pleasant, but I can’t be good in God’s eyes, because He’s perfect. He’s the only one who is truly good. But through Jesus (since he makes impossible things possible), I have the ability to have a relationship with a holy, perfect God – even One who despises my sinful nature.

In this Psalm David begs to God to quit ignoring him. He pleads for God’s divine intervention. He despairs at God’s silence. He wonders why his enemies continue to profit while he suffers. I picture David crying, complaining, whining. “God, please! Help me out here! Quit ignoring me! Come on!” I find it easy to relate to his questions, to his seeming doubt.

I think to myself, “Yeah, God! Where are you? Why did it take me five hours to fix a toilet seat today? Why haven’t You been helping me out lately?”

Then I read a bit more and realize that David’s attitude differs from mine in a dramatic way. He still trusts God. He tells God his sorrows, but He never doubts God. He begs for help, for justice, but He still lays all He has at God’s feet.

⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

God called David a man after His own heart. Why? Because David had a relationship with Him. David called out to Him in times of trouble, but never doubted His omnipotence. David suffered, but didn’t blame God. David also didn’t forget God when life was easy. David knew God; he trusted Him; he stuck with Him through good times and bad. Do we?

When I first looked at this Psalm, I thought, “Save?” What does David mean? Save him from all the evil ones? Save Israel? Save the faithful? Then I kept reading. Later, the Psalm says that God will give refuge to the poor (verse 5), then David puts himself with them (verse 7). My thought is that David prayed for safety for himself, the poor, and all the righteous in Israel. David sounds depressed, but he handled it well – he prayed.

The way he described the environment reminds me of the world today.

¹ Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
² Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

⁸ On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

David’s black mood fits mine this morning. Godliness seems invisible at my workplace. Who is faithful? Don’t you know that fundamentalism stops a thinking mind? People utter lies for their own gain; people flatter to get themselves ahead.

When we feel this way, God wants us to look to Him. While it may seem that darkness encloses us on every side, He protects those who seek Him. In the midst of the onslaught of evil we can rely upon God’s pure, holy words.

⁶ The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

And what does God say?

⁵“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the LORD;
“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
Nahum 1:7 (ESV)

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 (ESV)

Don’t let the darkness overwhelm you.

. . . no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD
and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”
Isaiah 54:17 (ESV)

God tests us. He doesn’t let us float through life without adversity. It’s often a sign that we belong to Him. We see this concept here in Psalm 11, and throughout Scripture.

The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Psalm 11:5 (ESV)

Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous– you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!
Psalm 7:9 (ESV)

You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
Psalm 17:3 (ESV)

For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
Psalm 66:10 (ESV)

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”
Genesis 22:1 (ESV)

And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them . . .
Exodus 15:25 (ESV)

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
Exodus 16:4 (ESV)

And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
Deuteronomy 8:2 (ESV)

. . . who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.
Deuteronomy 8:16

. . . you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 13:3 (ESV)

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts.
Proverbs 17:3 (ESV)

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah 48:10 (ESV)

And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “They are my people”; and they will say, “The LORD is my God.”
Zechariah 13:9 (ESV)

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
I Peter 1:6-7 (ESV)

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:2 (ESV)

I haven’t covered all the places in Scripture where God says He tests those who love Him. Why did I give so many examples? Because I’m a bit tired of hearing the prosperity gospel; I’m tired of hearing pastors and preachers say that Christians don’t have to be sick, or poor, or depressed . . . that we can live this life victoriously! I agree that we can live victoriously, and that we have nothing to fear:

For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.
Psalm 11:7 (ESV)

Ultimately, if we trust God and take refuge in Him, we will see Him and defeat death. But we will face trials while on earth. There is a distinct possibility that we will be sick, or poor, or depressed, or even die. God’s not like a giant candy machine in the sky. He wants us to prove our love to Him. He wants to have a living, breathing, interactive relationship with us. So, if you’re trusting God with hopes of becoming rich or successful here on earth, don’t believe the lie. You might be successful by human standards, and you might not be. But one thing you can be sure of – if you love God, you will be tested.

David laments the fact that God often seems distant when trouble increases. Houses fall; people die; nations crumble. The rich gather yet more wealth; the poor continue in ruin. Why do some people live in luxury and mock God while others, who love and serve Him, live in squalor? These questions haunted David, and people ask them today. Where are You, God? Vindicate your people! Give those who mock You their due. When will justice be served?

³ For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.
⁴ In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
⁵ His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
⁶ He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.” (ESV)

But even though God often seems neglectful of our situations, the reality, as David notes before ending the Psalm, is that God upholds the righteous. He does observe; He does see all. He watches over the orphans. He cares for the poor. He even cares for animals; how much more does He care for us!

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
Luke 12:24 (ESV)

Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
Proverbs 12:10 (ESV)

It’s very easy to think that God has forgotten us. As we watch the rich ridicule God while their riches increase, as they malign the weak and take advantage of the poor, we start to wonder why God waits. Knowing why He waits doesn’t really matter. What matters is that God will vindicate His people. He will administer justice. He will come again, as He has said, and He will take His faithful home with Him.

Not being a warrior, I have a hard time relating to David’s rantings about the evil nations, and God’s judgment upon those nations. I think, though, that it’s important to remember that God will judge the nations, and everyone, based upon the lives they live and the decisions they make. I definitely don’t have the zeal that Davd had to see my enemies crumble. I think it’s a different viewpoint; one view is of a king living in a war-torn time, a king trying to protect his people from their violent enemies. My viewpoint stems more from a New Testament perspective, which is to “love your enemies.” I don’t believe that God ever intended for us to hate our enemies (even in David’s time), and I’m not sure that He condoned David’s zeal for revenge. But I do think He intended for us to rely upon Him for our protection and eternal security, and this is one of the reasons that David was a man after His own heart. Whoever doesn’t rely on Him will surely end up (ultimately) in big trouble.

¹⁷ The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God. (ESV)

⁹ The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. (ESV)

This Psalm also reminds me that we, as God’s people, are to praise Him. We forget (at least I forget) to do that. He created us; He gave us life; He deserves our praise! And apparently recounting God’s mercies in song was one of David’s favorite ways to offer up praise. I believe God loves music; there’s such an emphasis on praise through music in the Psalms.

¹ I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. (ESV)

I like the way David starts out this Psalm.

¹To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. (ESV)

How majestic in Israel? Yes, and also everywhere! I’m reminded of New Testament days, when Jesus established His kingdom upon this earth and His name was spread far and wide. Now, He is known and worshiped throughout the earth. Gentiles have been included in God’s plan since the beginning.

Psalm 8:2 reminds me of my Bible study. Kids run wild, making noise, knocking things over, even (gasp!) walking right up to Tim and sitting on his lap while he’s teaching! The nerve! But Jesus thinks quite highly of little children, as we see in Matthew 11:25, Matthew 21:16, Luke 10:21, and Matthew 19:14. We need to remember that God has chosen the weak things of this world to bring down the strong (I Corinthians 1:27). He did this when he chose lowly, uneducated fisherman to become the foundation upon which Christianity was built.

² Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. (ESV)

The rest of this Psalm makes me wonder why God has shown us favor. Why did He create us? We don’t treat Him well. Why did He bestow honor and glory upon us? Why did He give us dominion over the earth when He knew we’d be irresponsible keepers? (Did you recycle today?) It’s incomprehensible to me why God bothered with us at all.

⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (ESV)

But not only did He bother with us, He gave us everything. He gave us the ultimate gift – life – while sacrificing His own.

⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet . . . (ESV)

It’s so normal to complain, to be ungrateful, and to think that life isn’t fair. But when you think of God’s gift, all that goes down the drain. And when you compare God’s generosity to our regular rejection of Him, the argument of “A fair God wouldn’t send people to Hell,” looks quite petty. He’s given us dominion. He’s given us honor. He’s given glory. He’s given us life, here, and, if we choose to accept it, with Him forever.

⁹ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!