Gloria - Psalm 35

17 How long, Lord, will you look on?

Rescue me from their ravages,

my precious life from these lions.

22 Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent.

Do not be far from me, Lord.

23 Awake, and rise to my defense!

Contend for me, my God and Lord.

24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;

do not let them gloat over me.

This is a pretty heavy psalm. Justice is theme we hear much about in the world with the “social” prefix where the emphasis is helping the less fortunate at best and at worst just virtue signaling. I have always been confused why in a naturalistic/survival of the fittest world view, that would occur…but we’ll leave that to someone else somewhere else. In many churches, especially in reformed ones, justice comes up only as a reference to the Law, and how unworthy we are under its just judgment, as the cause and predecessor to Jesus’ coming. I do stand with Paul in Romans 7 in saying it is good and necessary, but can this really be the only real justice that the Bible has to say anything about? Of course not! David is feeling unjustly put upon and he is appealing to the one he knows is the ultimate arbiter of justice, God. Under psalms like this you get a sample of what the less fortunate have to say when they appeal to God. Do we think because they may or may not be of “the faith” that God doesn’t hear them or that we shouldn’t be concerned with them? Of course not. Those that are victims of sexual assault, systematic and in person racism, and the poor/orphaned should be our concern. Many in the church just claim that if we wave the gospel wand over them, everything will be ok. That is the equivalent of James 2:16 where he says:

If one of you says to them, 
"Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,"
but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

This plea of the oppressed included in scripture should be convicting to us in our search to reach the world. It must include not only a desire to see their spirit restored and made alive, but that their bodies and lives be restored as well. David says:

27 May those who delight in my vindication

shout for joy and gladness;

may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,

who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,

your praises all day long.

Whether we are well or that in need, we should work to help each other and seek the elevation and wellness of those around us, and even more [like 1 Peter 4:8-11] for those in the body of Christ. We are to praise to glorify and worship Him when they are restored; glorifying Him out loud, visible and seen/heard by those around us.  Augustine says it well when he says:

See how I have made a discourse something longer; you are wearied. 
Who endures to praise God all the day long? 
I will suggest a remedy whereby you may praise God all the day long, if you will. 
Whatever you do, do well, and you have praised God.

How much more is the Lord glorified by serving and helping the poor, oppressed, orphan, widow, and those put upon by racism and sexual abuse, than just building a house well or doing good at your job? Let us seek to elevate those around us hurt by systems, people and themselves, and do it to the glory and praise of our Father in heaven.

In Christ,

paul

music for the week (as usual: no claim of being not "offensive" but it is really good):

This Is A Fire Door Never Leave Open - Psalm 31

Honesty and transparency is hard some come by. We can really hardly ever find it in others much less ourselves. We are so unwilling to open up and say we are at a deficit and are hurting; that we are struggling to move on forward. I even stutter when I know I need to be and reluctantly relent to the truth. David says:

9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.

Prayer is powerful. It helps us to understand ourselves in relation to God and pushes us to be honest. I find it harder to lie to myself when I'm praying than any other time. I really think it isn't possible to worship the Lord, to reach to grasp the master, until we have let go of ourselves. Pain and struggles have a tendency to show us ourselves. It shakes our foundations of self confidence. I believe it is there to wake us to conscientiousness, to wake us from our selfish slumber, in order for us to seek out something (really someONE) that is trustworthy to hold onto. Unfortunately in a society of defiant self-reliance, we are told to scream our uniqueness and toughness over the proverbial affliction. We wear shirts that say "I beat cancer" or post things about "proudly being an introvert" that subtly (or not so subtly) imply "I will gladly sacrifice my brothers and sisters in Christ on the alter of my self comfort." Is it awesome that you have recovered from a disease? Yes! Did you really beat it? Is it cool that you know something about yourself? I think it is. But is it really something to be celebrated? No. It has a set of strengths and a set of weaknesses that need to be overcome same as being an extrovert. When we celebrate impediments, or suffering we've "overcome" we really defeat the Divine purpose of it. I want to admit my failings and my need, thereby freeing my hands of myself to grasp on to Him. Think about this line of thinking looking at the concluding verses of this psalm.

21 Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people! (the call)
The Lord preserves those who are true to him, (the promise)
but the proud he pays back in full. (the warning)
24 Be strong and take heart (in Him),
all you who hope in the Lord

Let us abandon ourselves and grasp on to Him. Confess, repent and praise Him for He loves us and has forgiven us!

In Christ,
paul



music for the week (as usual: no claim of being not "offensive" but it is really good):

Psalm 22

I just want to share, since my weekly psalm reading landed on 22 that we read last week, a little of a message I heard at the Canvas conference 2 weeks ago from Cole Brown. David wrote this psalm about how he felt so see this first how he wrote it...

Suffering feels like:

1) Abandonment: vs 1, 2

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, but I find no rest.

2) Condemnation: vs 7, 8

All who see me mock me;

they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,

“let the Lord rescue him.

Let him deliver him,

since he delights in him.”

3) Worthlessness: vs 6

But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

4) Loneliness: vs 11

Do not be far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is no one to help.

5) Prison: vs 12,13

Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Roaring lions that tear their prey

open their mouths wide against me.

6) Death: vs 14, 15

I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has turned to wax;

it has melted within me.

My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

you lay me in the dust of death.

These are all the things suffering feels like. It reminds me of Isaiah where he names Jesus as "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Think about it, if David says all of this is what suffering feels like, when we apply it like we see the story of Jesus unfolds in Matthew...suffering feels like all the things Jesus suffered for us. It feels like abandonment, but He was totally abandoned: it feels like death and He actually died, etc. He knows what suffering feels like in total. How we feel falls somewhere in the middle on a scale of 1-10, but He has gone all the way to 10 in every category....and He did that for US!!! Finally, suffering ends praise: vs 22-26

I will declare your name to my people;

in the assembly I will praise you.

You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised or scorned

the suffering of the afflicted one;

he has not hidden his face from him

but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear you, I will fulfill my vows.

The poor will eat and be satisfied;

those who seek the Lord will praise him—

may your hearts live forever!

in Christ,

paul