Psalm 120
120:1-2 In my trouble I cried to the Lord,
and He answered me.
Deliver my soul, O Lord,
from lying lips.
This psalmist speaks for everyone who’s ever been lied about or to. There’s no telling how many people who’ve had their reputations heavily impacted, or even ruined, by deceitful and lying speech of others. Every day people lose jobs, spouses, reputations, freedom, and peace of mind because of the deceitfulness of the human heart apart from God.
Sometimes lies are perpetrated because the one who’s doing the deceiving has something to gain. Maybe a person in a company wants a job someone else has, so he lies about the employee’s performance. I wonder how many people are behind bars, or have been executed because someone was a false-witness.
Lies are also motivated by revenge. When someone believes an injustice has been done to her, she may justify perpetrating a lie since the person actually has it coming. Words can easily become sharp arrows (Verse 4), whizzing through the air until they reach their mark. And like arrows, once words are released they can’t be grabbed and put back in the bow.
Other lies are made up or repeated simply because people are busybodies. And there’s just something about repeating a juicy tidbit of gossip, whether it’s true or not.
Jesus called Satan the father of lies. He said when Satan lies he speaks his native tongue. No wonder the Bible lists deceitfulness as one of sins most despised by God. Now I realize that in some ways sin is sin. It is self-centered and prideful and in opposition to God. I get that. But there is a difference in trying to do the right thing and falling short (“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rom. 3:23), and deliberately deceiving. There is a certain evil about deception and lies.
By contrast, Jesus is the personification of Truth (John 14:6). He always told the truth, no matter what. He expects the same from me, His disciple.
May I never want something so badly that I’m willing to lie to get it.
Psalm 119:129-144
119:133 Establish my footsteps in your word,
And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.
The thought of being someone’s slave is completely foreign to me. I’ve lived my entire life in the United States and experienced liberty as a citizen of this Republic. I can only imagine what it must have been like for slaves who lived prior to and during the Civil War (or as people from the South refer to it, The War of Northern Aggression). Slavery didn’t end when it was abolished in the United States. Tragically, many people are enslaved today in countries where it’s legal or where government officials turn their backs.
Sadly, people in oppressive countries aren’t the only ones who suffer from slavery. There’s another kind of slavery; that is, slavery to sin. The psalmist calls this kind of sin iniquity. Iniquity is a specific kind of sin. The English word “iniquity” comes from two words that mean “not equal.” Iniquity is something that is wicked or unjust. So the psalmist is praying that the Lord not allow wickedness to have dominion over him. He’s praying, “Lord, don’t allow me to be sin’s slave.” And in his appeal, the writer also gives the prescription for avoiding the domination of sin–”Establish my footsteps in your word.”
He didn’t ask God to allow him to understand His word, to believe His word, or even to obey His word. Any of those requests would have been wise. But his appeal was, “Establish my footsteps in your word.”
Here’s the image I see as I read this psalm. Designers of golf courses place hazards in strategic places to offer challenges to golfers and force them to think strategically as they approach the green. In the past, sand bunkers have given me problems galore. But after I learned and practiced a few principles, my play from the sand has improved dramatically. I learned that one of the keys is to really dig into the sand with your feet. It’s not enough to have spikes on your shoes. A good sand player digs in. If a player’s feet slide in the sand he can’t control how the clubhead strikes the ball and whether the ball even gets out of the sand.
Plenty of hazards exist in the world as well. The question is not, “Will I ever find myself in a hazard or in a treacherous place?” The important questions are “How long will I be in the hazard?” and “What will I do to get out?” The writer of Psalm 119 gives me the answer: Dig those feet into God’s word.” Establish my footsteps.
I will certainly fall into the bunkers of sin periodically; but I should never be dominated. I serve one Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing nor no one else should ever pull my strings.
John 8:34, “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”
Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Psalm 119:113-128
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and it’s one of the most unusual. It has twenty-two sections, one for each letter in the Hebrew alphabet. In the Hebrew Bible, every verse in the each section starts with the corresponding letter of the alphabet. For example, in the first section the first word of each verse starts with the Hebrew letter Aleph (like our letter A). In the second section, the first word in each verse starts with a Beth (like our B); and so on. It’s beautiful Hebrew poetry, but it doesn’t come across in other translations.
The rigid structure of Psalm 119 seems appropriate. Throughout the lengthy poem, the author sometimes is a bit rigid in abiding by the Law of God. Primarily the psalm includes meditations and prayers relating to the Law of God. Psalm 119:1 reads, “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the Lord.”
Verses 113-128 include part of a prayer in which the author pours out his heart to God concerning His love for God’s law and his disgust for those who reject it.
Psalm 119:113-114 I hate those who are double-minded,
But I love Your law.
You are my hiding place and my shield:
I wait for Your word.
Verse 118 You have rejected all those who wander from Your statutes
For their deceitfulness is useless.
Some of the language of this psalm sounds awkward to me as New Testament Christian. We who live in the age of the church are usually big on God’s mercy and grace and compassion. People often embrace either the mercy of God or the justice of God, but it’s hard to strike a complete balance of both. And if I were honest, I’d have to admit that when I seek God’s justice, it’s usually for someone else, and when I seek God’s mercy, it’s normally for me.
The psalmists seems to follow a similar pattern. Check out some of his prayer:
121 I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
124 Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness
And teach me Your statutes.
128 Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything,
I hate every false way.
I love God’s word, too. And Psalm 119 is inspired by the Holy Spirit, just as the rest of Scripture is. I’m certain the writer loved God’s law just as much as he claimed. This is a sincere prayer from someone who’s obviously been burned by an enemy and has a righteous indignation for anyone who rejects God’s law. But I have to be careful when I have a similar attitude. I must remember that just as I long for God’s compassion and forgiveness when I mess up and when I sin, other people probably do as well. I may want swift justice for those I perceive to be God’s enemies, but John 3:16 records that Jesus said God sent Him into the world because He loved the world, not only me, and not only those who think as I think.
So, my desire should be to “esteem right” all the precepts and commands of God, and even to hate every false way, but to allow God to handle disobedience. Hopefully as I grow as a disciple of Jesus, I will long for such righteousness in my own life that I’m not as concerned about the sin of others.
Psalm 104
As the writer of Psalm 104 sat in his chair and took out his writing instrument, he contemplated the constant, ongoing care God shows over all His works. Some part of God’s creation is awake at all times.
104:21-23 The young lions roar after
their prey.
And they seek their food from
God.
When the sun rises they
withdraw
And lie down in their dens.
Man goes forth to his work
And to his labor until evening.
There is a rhythm in creation that reminds me of God’s constant watchcare over and provision for His creation. During the night, as I sleep, God provides for the lion as it prowls for food. As the lion does its thing (hunts), God does His (provides).
About the time the lion is lying down to rest from his nocturnal labor, I’m arising from my night of rest. Throughout the day as I do my thing (work), God does His (provide). So God continues, day by day, with infinite consistency. He gives us the ability to work and feel gratified that we’ve taken part in the process of providing, but without Him all our work would be in vain.
Psalm 103
103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me,
bless His holy name.
What a great way to start any day, no matter what that day has in store. According to the psalmist, there are plenty of reasons for me to bless the Lord: He pardons my wrongdoing; He heals my diseases; He pulled me up from the spiritual pit; He places His compassion and kindness on me like a crown, He satisfies my years with good things; He performs righteous acts; He judges rightly; He makes known His ways to human beings; and my favorite, He has removed all my sins from me as far as the east is from the west.
But as I read this psalm this morning, I noticed something I haven’t seen before. David, the poet, speaks in the second person. “Who pardons all YOUR iniquities. Who heals all YOUR diseases” (verse 3). Who’s he addressing? Not God. The answer is actually in verses 1 and 2. “Bless the Lord, O MY SOUL.” He’s talking to himself—to his soul–to the part of Him that processes spiritual truth. The soul is the part of the individual that communicates with God and others on a deeper level than the flesh, or even superficial dealings of the mind; such as when someone asks me, “How are you?” and I respond, “Fine,” without really thinking about a genuine response. My soul is the real me. It’s who I am. It’s why I can communicate with God and others on an intimate level—a real level. We even use terms such as “bare the soul” to describe a level of honesty and openness that makes us vulnerable to other people.
The soul is what God sees even when I try to hide what’s in there. God has a way of penetrating the veneer and seeing the real me. He sees my soul, and He pardons anyway; heals anyway; and crowns me with compassion anyway. Sometimes in church we sing the song, “Jesus, lover of my soul.” God does love my soul; but my soul, the real part of me, the part that has fellowship with Him, must also have a healthy fear and awe of Him. I must not forget His benefits. “But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him” (verse 17). To forget any of God’s benefits, and take them for granted, is like slapping away the hand of someone trying to rescue me from drowning.
Father, thank you for all your benefits. Your lovingkindness lasts forever. I will never forget.
Psalm 102
It doesn’t always happen, but sometimes when I’m praying and listening to God, it’s as if God is actually answering my prayers and questions while I’m praying. This seems to be what the psalmist experienced as he wrote and prayed in Psalm 102.
He prays,
“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” (102:2).
Wouldn’t most of us like for God to answer our prayers quickly?
But as the psalmist prays, God seems to answer him and give him assurance. The poet recounts times of anguish and affliction, then writes,
“But you, O Lord, abide forever, and your name to all generations… For the Lord has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory. He has regarded the prayer of the destitute and has not despised their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created will praise the Lord. For He looked down from His holy height; from heaven the Lord gazed upon the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner; to set free those who were doomed to death,” (verses 12-13, 15-20).
God may not answer quickly, but He does hear, and He does answer. The answer to our prayers can even be seen in future generations. God will do things today that will cause even people not yet created to praise His name. I don’t normally think about my world after I’m gone. I see the world so much from my own perspective. And even when I contemplate my own death, I think about my existence in heaven, not what earth will be like without me. What an awesome thought to consider that my grown children will call up the same God as I do. My grandchildren will see the same wonders of God (and hopefully more) as I have. My great grandchildren will call out to the God who has a long history with me. When God intervenes in their lives, He’ll remember how He interacted with me in the same way. I wonder what will be going through the mind of God. When my grandson asks for the same things as I did at his age will God smile and think, “I’ve seen all this before”?
I hope the generations that follow me will see even more and experience more of God’s grace than I have; but if God never answers another prayer of mine, He’s done plenty already.
Psalm 101
101:2-3a I will give heed to the blameless way.
When will you come to me?
I will walk within my house
in the integrity of my heart.
I will set not worthless thing before my eyes.
Blamelessness and integrity are often mentioned in Scripture as qualities that bring God’s approval. Blamelessness, in the New Testament sometimes referred to as staying above reproach, has to do with how another person views me. My blamelessness, or lack thereof, affects my reputation as a person who honors God with his life or someone who brings dishonor upon the Lord. In other words, blamelessness is a virtue noticed more in public than in private. Integrity carries with it public and private implications. Maybe that’s why the psalmist writes, “I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart” (verse 2). Integrity does the right thing and lives blamelessly when no one is around.
Blamelessness and integrity have the potential every day to play themselves out in the life of the disciple of Christ. For example, when I’m in a crowd of religious people, I may espouse my beliefs that it’s a sin to get drunk. But if I have too much to drink at a company Christmas party, I’ve not been blameless in that area of my life. But let’s say I pass that test and resist the temptation in public. Then later, when I get home I tie one on. I’m not being blameless and I’m certainly not walking in integrity.
Here’s another scenario. Suppose a person would never go to a public theatre to watch a pornographic movie, but doesn’t hesitate to watch it in the privacy of his own home. That’s not living a life of integrity. Integrity is doing the right thing and living the right way even when no one’s around. The psalmist said, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes” (verse 3).
The bottom line is that God is our audience of One. Whether we’re in a public setting or within the walls of our own home, he sees us. He watches over us. There’s no escaping Him. That’s encouraging when we need His protection. It’s sobering. when it comes to our accountability.
Psalm 100
I love the attitude of joy expressed by the psalmist in Psalm 100. I don’t know for certain why people get the impression that a life completely devoted to God through Christ is a life of sorrow, misery, and a lack of joy. I suppose there are a couple of possible reasons. (1) Jesus is sometimes referred to as the Suffering Savior, and He certainly suffered during the anguish and pain He experienced on the cross. But He also demonstrated throughout His life that true peace and joy are results of a person’s relationship with God, not their particular circumstances. (2) Another possible reason is the countenance of people who claim to be followers of Christ. Christians can be negative, pessimistic, and hyper-critical of others. But nowhere in the Bible does God forbid people to have fun and have a positive outlook on life.
100:1-3 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
After this proclamation of joy, the writer tells the reasons for his outburst. He says that the Lord made us, and we are His special people—the sheep of His pasture. Normally, it wouldn’t be much of a complement to be called a sheep. Sheep aren’t very smart, and they’re completely helpless—totally dependent upon the shepherd. But considering that our Shepherd is the King of kings and Lord of lords, being a sheep in His pasture is a high honor and blessing.
God also allows us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Think about how intimate these privileges are. As I enter the gate of God, I approach the outer parameter of His presence. Gates normally mark the outskirts of someone’s property. If I drive through an owner’s gated property, I’m in the vicinity of the main residence, but not in the courts. If I’m allowed to come into the inner court, or residence, I’ve probably received a personal invitation to spend some time with the owner. The inner court is reserved for friends, not people who are only taking a tour of the property.
God invites me, not only to enter His gates, but to come into His inner court, to thank Him, to bless Him, and to praise His name.
Psalm 99
99:1 “The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble.”
The fear of the Lord. That’s something I don’t hear people talk about much any more. I did when I was a child and teenager. My pastor was a “hell-fire and brimstone” preacher. He preached about heaven, but he also preached about hell. He proclaimed the love of God, but was just as quick to speak of the wrath of God. I wonder why we don’t hear that kind of preaching as much anymore. Passages such as Psalm 99 remind us of the many places in the Bible that describe people who trembled in the presence of God. And the biblical writers never say that fear isn’t a proper response for people to have in His presence. The reason given in this chapter is the holiness of God.
3 “Let them praise your great and awesome name; Holy is He.”
5 “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; Holy is He.”
9 “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy hill, for holy is the Lord our God.”
Three times in this brief passage the psalmist mentions the holiness of God. And the people trembled.
But something even more amazing than the holiness of God is tucked away in these verses. One fact about God almost goes unnoticed in the Hebrew poetry. The fact? God, in all His holiness and majesty, listens to us.
6b “They called upon the Lord and He answered them.”
8 “O Lord our God, You answered them.”
How amazing is God that with all His might and power and authority, He still listens to us, and He answers us? On one hand, when I am out of God’s will there is reason to have a healthy fear of Him, just as when I was a child, I had a healthy fear of my earthly father when I’d disobeyed him. I knew he would discipline me, but like God, my dad’s discipline was remedial. “Whom the Lord loves He chastens.” On the other hand, when I go to God and confess my sin and repent, that is change direction, He hears me and forgives me. Because He is holy, and awesome is His name (verse 3).
Psalm 98
98:1 O sing to the Lord a new song,
For He has done wonderful things, . . .
2 The Lord has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 . . . All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Our mission team just returned from Brazil. We went to the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to a community that didn’t have access to dental and medical care. It was also infiltrated with drug lords and crime. Every person who came had an opportunity to see a doctor, dentist, dental hygienist, or an optometrist. I served on the evangelism team who spoke to our guests not about their physical needs, but about their spiritual condition.
One member of our team was a man from Tennessee named Scott. Scott is an amazing servant of Christ. I was so impressed by his compassion for the people of Brazil. Scott sat down with person after person to patiently talk to them about their relationship with God. He specifically asked each person if they wanted to trust in Christ Jesus as their only way of salvation. Scott spoke with three people at a time in one group. When Scott asked the question, “Today, do you want to receive God’s gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.” All three coldly shook their heads, “No.” Scott was disappointed, but He recognized his role. God’s command to him was to tell. The Holy Spirit’s role is to convict the heart. The trio moved on to their respective stations.
Then three more Brazilians took the place of the three who’d just left. Scott explained to them the same message. He patiently walked through the same plan of salvation. He told it as if it was the first time he’d given the speech all week. That particular day was later in the week, so he might have talked to a hundred people by that time. Still, Scott showed genuine enthusiasm as he told the three the best news he’d ever heard, about the greatest gift ever given. Then Scott asked the all-important question, “Would you like to receive God’s gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ?”
Scott looked up to notice big tears streaming down the face of one of the ladies. With an expression of amazement on her face, the woman gave her answer in Portuguese. Scott waited for his interpreter to decipher her answer, but the interpreter sat in silence for a moment. Then she translated the woman’s response for Scott. “She said, ‘Oh, who wouldn’t want to receive such a wonderful gift?’” The interpreter smiled. Right then and there, all three confessed Jesus Christ as their one and only Lord and Savior.
Since Scott told me that story several days ago, I’ve thought of that same question about every day. “Who would not want to receive such a wonderful gift?” And today when I read Psalm 98 I thought of the question again. “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” We certainly saw that in Brazil. I long to see it more and more here in the United States of America as well. And we will, as God uses us to “make known His salvation” (verse 2) and “reveal His righteousness” (verse 3) in the sight of our nation.
