Category Archives: Psalms

Singing with the King (45) – Glory

Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; let the LORD be glad in His works. (Psalm 104:31)

Cross and Stars You ever wonder about the personal pronouns in the Bible? They are there for several reasons (and not just grammatical), and here are a few:

When God uses them, they become a way for us to relate to Him, because they reveal a very personal perspective of a Holy, transcendent God.

They are there because we are largely self-centered and selfish creatures.

They are there to allow us to identify with the authors, so when they say “I”, or “me” or “my” or “mine”, we can find ourselves in “their” shoes, saying or doing the same thing.

But the absence of personal pronouns can be telling. Take Psalm 104. It is a song of God’s glory, and His works, and how all creation declares the same. And we don’t get around to a personal pronoun until verse 33. Why is that?

The psalmist (probably David) is completely caught up in Who God is and What He has done. And when he is finally able to gather himself, what does he do? He worships.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. (vs. 33)

Notice the extent of this singing and praising. And justifiably so, if we are considering the glory, the grandeur, and the greatness of The One True God.

There’s a scene in Carl Sagan’s movie Contact, where Ellie Arroway’s father talks about the size of the universe. And when he’s done, he states that if we are the only creatures in the universe, then that’s a lot of wasted space. My friend Dr. Ray Bohlin of Probe Ministries made a great comment when we saw the movie, reminding me, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” So it’s not a matter of wasted space. The universe is just doing what it is supposed to be doing. Declaring the glory of God.

Take some time and read Psalm 104. Get caught up in the LORD; join with David and declare the glory of God. Then do it for a lifetime!

Singing with the King (44) – A Psalm of Extremes (3)

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For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12

The past couple of weeks we’ve considered the extremes illustrated in the Psalm. The Rabbi4 distance between heaven and earth as an illustration of how great God’s mercy is. And the distance between east and west, an illustration of how far God has removed our sin from us.

But when I read this Psalm, I think about a story…

Once upon a time…

There was this old rabbi who had been serving his congregation at the synagogue in Cana for nearly 30 years. Every week he conducted worship on the Sabbath. He had started a school to teach the children to read and write, and to learn and obey the Law and the Prophets. And he loved music—he loved to sing (and to teach) the Psalms.

A couple of years back, a young Rabbi came through and spoke—he had such authority, and he even healed some people in his congregation. There had been talk he may have been Messiah, but then he got entangled with the Pharisees and the Romans down in Jerusalem, and a few months ago, He was crucified. Well, life goes on, and so does the Sabbath.

One Sabbath service they were singing Psalm 103, and he decided to teach on part of it. He opened the scroll and read: For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. And to make the point, He raised his arm, pointing to the Heavens, then slowly lowered it down to the earth. Then he read the next passage: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. And to make his point again, he raised him arm, and traced a line from east to west. And then he froze.

empty cross2

For he just realized, he had traced a cross. A cross where heaven’s mercy came down to earth; a cross which removed our sins. The cross of Jesus. And as he stood there frozen, his hand still pointing to the west, he realized Yeshua was Messiah. And so he must teach his congregation.

Like I said, this is just an illustration, a little story. But take your hand, and trace the line of lovingkindness from heaven to earth. Then trace the line of sins removed, from east to west. You just traced the cross of Christ.

Singing with the King (43) – A Psalm of Extremes (2)

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As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.Psalm 103:12

Cross and Stars Here is the next verse which also reveals the scope of His actions.

David uses another distance metaphor not to illustrate a navigational feat, but how measureless His mercy really is. East and west, unlike north and south, and not fixed points—they are headings. They are in opposite directions, and they never meet. They are, in the extreme from one another.

Another way this could be stated is: as far as the sunrise is from the sunset. When using this variation, more analogies come into play.

The difference of day and night
The extreme opposites of our 24 hour day
The hope of a new day
Even death and resurrection (darkness and light)

And those extremes are how far our sins, and therefore the associated punishment, are removed from us.

The Hebrew word for removed means to set or put far away, and to be gone. So the verb is consistent with the picture.

The question arises: How forgiven do you feel? How far are you delivered from your past sins? If you feel that they are lurking around the corner, then you have a problem with the extent of God’s forgiveness. May you find strength and comfort that your sins have been removed, put far away, and are gone.

Father, help me to abide in you, and far away from my sins. Amen.

Singing with the King (42) – A Psalm of Extremes (1)

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For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. Psalm 103:11

How great is His lovingkindness (mercy)? For as high as the heavens are above the earth. This shows how lofty His nature, and how low He will stoop for us to receive His mercy.

So, how much higher are the heavens—the dwelling place of God—above the earth? Imagine if we were to progress even beyond Star Trek levels, and could travel to the ends of the universe. Still, no amount of time, no traversing of any distance, will get us to the heavenly realms. They are completely beyond our access and capability. And this is the extreme from which His great mercy is measured.

Even though David is using distance as a metaphor, this is not just a matter of navigation. This also reveals the vast and impassable chasm between creation and Creator. Indeed there is nothing we can mount, build or design to cross this great expanse. But His mercy crossed it.

It also illustrates the contrasts in nature—one being the natural, the other being the supernatural. One is God’s dwelling place, the other is ours. And in keeping with the previous point, God is the One Who must cross, if we are to receive His mercy.

There’s not enough room in all of heaven for you, Lord God. How could you possibly live on earth in this temple I have built? But I ask you to answer my prayer. This is the temple where you have chosen to be worshiped. Please watch over it day and night and listen when I turn toward it and pray. (1 Kings 8:27-30)

God has crossed the great divide, for He has chosen a place for to be worshipped.

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. (Isaiah 55:9-11)

God did indeed cross the uncrossable. He sent forth His Word. And this does not mean only His Holy Scriptures which He gave to us, but more critically it means He gave us the Incarnate Word, His One and Only Son.

This is how great His mercy, or lovingkindness, is. He gave us His Son. And perhaps this metaphor really isn’t one; for Christ literally dwelt with the Father in Heaven, and He loved us enough to go to the extreme, and come down to us.

Perhaps now we understand how great His lovingkindness is toward us.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. ( 1 John 1:3)

Singing with the King (41) – A Lock on Religion

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He has revealed his words to Jacob, His decrees and regulations to Israel. He has not done this for any other nation; they do not know his regulations. (Psalm 147:19-20)

lock and key It’s easy to understand why the Pharisees we so comfortable with their religion—they believed they had a lock on access to the One True God. The also believed they had a lock on the location: For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. (2 Chronicles 7:16)

In fact, they believed all nations would only come to His mountain (Jerusalem) to worship: Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:22-3)

And: All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name. (Psalm 86:9)

And they were right…

But then something wondrous happened: Jesus came. And in a rather significant conversation with someone He shouldn’t have had a conversation with (a Samaritan woman), Christ changes all that exclusivity talk: Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:21-24)

lock and key 2 We see, as Christ said, that salvation comes through the Jews, it starts with the Jews. But it’s no longer about the Mosaic ritual; rather it’s about worshiping in spirit and truth, for God is spirit. Those who will worship in spirit and truth Lord may do so from any where. This was great news for the Samaritans (see John 4:39-42) and for us Gentiles. This then gives a different interpretation to the above passage from Psalm 86. We can now come and worship before You, O Lord, any where and at any time. This is what Christ has accomplished for us. Why not worship Him now?

Singing with the King (40) – The Right Perspective

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O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Psalm 131:1

Daddy and daughter 40 years ago I was in a Bible study with the pianist from the Christian band Glad, Bob Kauflin, and occasionally he’d teach us some new songs. One that he taught us was the above Psalm. I can still sing and play it, but I don’t know who wrote the music.

This is another of the “Song of Ascents”, and it is only three verses long:

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters,
or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.

Understand, this is King David, a reasonably (if not wildly) successful king, and of whom it was said that he was a man after God’s own heart. And he’s saying, his heart is not proud, his eyes are not haughty. And he doesn’t get involved in great matters or difficult things.

Now we could consider his battles and victories; his plans for building God a house; and how he set up all the care and maintenance for the temple and its ministries. Great matters? Difficult things? Hmm.

But it really is a matter of having the right perspective–God’s Perspective. Where did David’s skill, strength, and victories come from? The LORD. What about his art and creativity? From the LORD. What about his legacy of worship? From the LORD. And his greatness? Compared to God’s he had none.

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You. (1 Chronicles 29:11-14)

David knew all that he had and all that he was had come from God, and without Him, he was nothing. In this Psalm, David saw himself as a child leaning up against his Heavenly Father. And for all the things he did, and all the victories he had gained, this was where he wanted to be.

May you find that same comfort, leaning up against your Heavenly Father.

Singing with the King (39) – I Was Glad

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I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” (Psalm 122:1)

Church Worship4 This Psalm was written by David, and it is one of 15 “Songs of Ascents”. And although there is no way to know the actual meaning of this term, many believe these were the Psalms the priests and pilgrims sang as they made their way through Jerusalem up to the Temple.

When David composed this, there was no Temple, just the Tabernacle. But don’t you hear his enthusiasm in this verse? I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” Here is David with his family, friends, advisers, officers, etc., etc., and for a time, the intrigue, the infighting, the jockeying for position, the plans for peace, the plans for war—all have been put on hold because they are on their way to come before the LORD; and the worship begins when they start singing these Psalms. I believe David gave his whole heart when he went to the house of the LORD. That kind of example is infectious.

Are you glad to go to the house of the LORD? Are you excited to worship and exalt the Lord together with other believers? Or has it become Ritual? Habitual? All the joy and gladness has been squeezed out and replaced by the ordinary and routine.

Find the joy and gladness again. Understand that this enthusiasm which David exhibited and proclaimed was not about singing, or sacrifices, or service. It was about meeting with the Most High.

Unlike the people of the Old Testament, You have God’s Spirit within you. The Everlasting, Almighty, All-Knowing and Infinite God lives within you. He has given you eternal and abundant life. If all these limitless and unending characteristics and graces have touched you, are all around you, and abide in you, how can you be bored (or boring)?

May you be ignited by His glory and His presence. May others see you are glad to go to the house of the LORD.

Singing with the King (38) – Context (2)

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Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. (Psalm 57:5)

night sky Last week I mentioned how context is critical to understanding and applying Scripture. I then showed the what the above verse was sandwiched in between:

My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; They dug a pit before me. (vs. 4-6)

Now how is it that David could exalt the LORD in the midst of a dangerous and desperate position? The words of another Psalm provides insight:

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:11-12)

If we truly do trust the LORD, then hopefully we can say along with David, “What can man do to me?” But I also said last time, I wanted to go a little further—and I meant that literally. Here’s more context to the “exalted” passage.

They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they dug a pit before me; they themselves have fallen into the midst of it.

And what did we learn from the additional context? Deliverance! And David goes on further:

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth. (vs. 7-11)

David recaps this verse at the end of the Psalm (there is no more) because he has been delivered; those who thought to do ill to him, fell into their own traps. He then sings praise to the LORD all the way to the end. He sings praise because God answered His prayer; he sings praise because He is thankful.

The story ends well here, and David sings the Lord’s praise. But don’t forget, when he exalted the Lord the first time, he was still in the middle of it. So regardless of the context, of what’s going on around you, exalt the LORD. And should He deliver you, remember to be thankful.

One other thing regarding context. Who did David see when He looked up, even when he was in the midst of his troubles? Who did David see when He looked up after his deliverance? The LORD. We must always see our lives and live our lives in the context of the LORD.

Singing with the King (37) – Context (1)

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Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. (Psalm 57:5)

Context is critical when it comes to discerning the actual meaning of the Scriptural passage, and how we are to apply it to our lives. I love getting wrapped up in individual words with their meanings, definitions, and nuances; and sometimes, if I lose sight of the context, then I have committed a grave error as described in the idiom: “Can’t see the forest for the trees”, which reminds us that we need perspective, we need context.

So here is David crying out a reality about God’s existence, His presence and His glory. He IS exalted above the heavens; and His glory IS above all the earth. That is His nature, and David is sharing with us, that he gets it. But what is interesting about this Psalm, is what this verse is sandwiched in between.

David is a dangerous place, surrounded by lions and dragons; and men whose teeth are like spears and arrows, and their tongues like sharp swords. And in the midst of this dangerous and even deadly place, David exalts the Lord. So an obvious question here would be, is there ever a time when it is NOT appropriate to worship the Lord? Oh by the way, David is weighed down, bent down, making it difficult to navigate around nets and pits, as well as lions, dragons and scary men.

Are you surrounded by enemies, by sickness, by loss, by sin? In the midst of all that, take David’s example to heart, and exalt the LORD.

Next time, we go a little further.

Singing with the King (36) – Vulnerable

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He makes me lie down in green pastures… Psalm 23:2a

When you look up the Hebrew word for lie down, it has a sense of comfort attached to it; it means to stretch out. Now that position although comfortable, is also very vulnerable. Are you willing to be that vulnerable before the Lord?

Vulnerability is the appropriate condition for us to be in; He is after all omniscient—nothing escapes His gaze. Thus, whether we choose to be vulnerable or not, is a moot point, since He sees all. So thinking you can escape His all-seeing gaze is delusional, a waste of time, futile, and perilous.

Now why would I say perilous? Consider the following verses:

They say, “How does God know? And is their knowledge with the Most High?” (Psalm 73:11)

He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.” (Psalm 10:11)

They have said, “The LORD does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.” (Psalm 94:7)

“You say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?’” (Job 22:13)

Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are like to You. (Psalm 139:11)

And they do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face. (Hosea 7:2)

Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. (Ephesians 5:11-14)

And actually is not just a matter of omniscience, it’s also a matter of omnipresence. There is no place you can go that He is not. Now, you can try to hide from Him, deny his existence, or outright reject Him, and curse His existence. But that changes nothing. You are being foolish, and you will die without Him. And that’s why it’s perilous.

Finally, don’t forget the context. The LORD is your shepherd. Why not accept Him as such? You are vulnerable to Him whether you admit it or not; so why not be vulnerable because of your relationship to Him as your shepherd, rather than as your judge.