creation and renewal

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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creation and renewal

Psalm 51:10-11 (JDV)

Psalm 51:10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast breath within me.
Psalm 51:11 Do not banish me from your presence or take your Sacred Breath from me.

creation and renewal

God’s act of forgiveness is both the creation of something new and the renewal of something damaged. We ask him to create a new heart for us because our old heart has proven to be a traitor to Christ. Surgery or repair is not an option. He has to make us new. The prayer itself is a confession. It says “God, if you just fix this, I’ll do the same thing again. I need a new me, and you’re the only one who can do that.

But there is something being renewed when God forgives. That something is the ruach — the breath. The psalmist uses resurrection terminology here. In the original creation, God breathed the ruach into the lifeless body he had molded from the clay. Then that body came to life and became a living being.

So, David asks for a renewal of that steadfast breath. He wanted to breath faithfulness to God. He wanted to be restored not just to life, but to a life that counts.

Lord, recreate us today. Cast out our sin, and enter in.

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cleansing and joy

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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cleansing and joy

Psalm 51:7-9 (JDV)

Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Psalm 51:9 Turn your face away from my sins and wipe out all my guilt.

cleansing and joy

No cleansing, no joy. No forgiveness, no rejoicing.

The heart of a believer lives for a right relationship with God. We cannot rest in a universe where sin separates us from our Savior. So, we lose our joy when we sin, and we cannot get it back until our Lord comes to us and reverses its curse.

Lord, come to us today, and right the wrongs that we have done. Restore to us the joy you gave us when we first found you.

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war inside

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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war inside

Psalm 51:5-6 (JDV)

Psalm 51:5 Notice, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:6 Notice, you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within.

war inside

Here David lays out the problem of original sin and its consequential depravity. Sinners sin, and we are born with a sinful disposition like a genetic defect.

Every time someone I respect does something that shows lack of integrity, I remind myself of this fact, and it helps me to deal with the disappointment. The fact of innate depravity does not excuse our sinful choices, but it does help explain them.

There’s also a conscience at work here. David feels the compulsion to do the right thing. He inwardly knows what God wants. He literally feels it in his kidneys (tuchot).

So David admits he lost this round in the tug-of-war with himself. He has failed his God and proved himself a sinner. This is the first step to being reconciled and cleansed.

Lord, we need you because we know that within us there is a war being fought, and only you have the key to victory in that war.

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losing God

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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losing God

Psalm 51:3-4 (JDV)

Psalm 51:3 You see, I am aware of my rebellion, and my sin is always in front of me.
12 Superscription: For the choir director. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.
Psalm 51:4 Against you – you alone – I have failed and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge.

—
If the superscription to this psalm is accurate, the reason for this psalm is to record David’s confession publicly after his great misconduct resulting in the death of Uriah and the pregnancy of Bathsheba.

Anybody can see that David sinned against a lot of people when he did what he did. His choices changed the destiny of Uriah, Bathsheba, David’s family and even the whole nation.

So, is David still in denial when he claims to have failed God alone? Hardly. He knew about the consequences of his actions. But the one consequence on his mind at the moment is the barrier he had placed between himself and God.

Oh, if we only knew the depth of that barrier. It is bad enough to lose a friend, but to lose God is unimaginable loss. It is tragedy to lose a parent. But who can we go to when we lose our Heavenly Father? What pain it is when we lose a spouse, but who can bear losing the bridegroom Jesus?

Oh Lord, draw is back to you. We cannot bear the loss of our relationship with you.

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confession 101

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 51:1-2 (JDV)

Psalm 51:11 Show favor to me, God, according to your covenant faithfulness; according to your abundant compassion, erase my rebellion.
Psalm 51:2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my failure.

Our first course in confession begins with two theological truths. They are the reason why we can come to God and confess our sins to him. These two truths are:

  • God is faithful to his covenant.
  • God has an abundance of compassion for his people.

Then, we are introduced to the reasons why we need to address this sin, and not ignore it:

  • Sin is rebellion against the covenant, which needs to be erased.
  • Sin produces personal guilt, that needs to be washed away.
  • Sin flaws the sinner, creating a failure that needs to be cleansed.

The further we get from God, the less we tend to take our sin seriously, but the more serious it becomes. It is time for God’s people to learn the biblical discipline of regular confession, not because we are “so bad” we need it, but because God is so good. The better we understand God’s holiness, the more time we will spend confessing our impurity.

Lord, make us an army of confessors.

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don’t forget

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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don’t forget

Psalm 50:22-23 (JDV)

Psalm 50:22 “Understand this, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to rescue you.
Psalm 50:23 Whoever sacrifices a thank offering appreciates me, and whoever orders his conduct, I will show him the deliverance of God.”

don’t forget

Usually my mind is sharp, and I can remember most of the things I have learned, but I don’t remember things I have experienced. But I always remember people and their names usually come to mind when I see them.

When the psalmist talks about people who forget God, he’s referring to those who choose to forget him. There are lots of people today who know something about the God of the Bible, but who choose to live their lives as if he weren’t there.

There are two ways the psalmist gives in which a person can acknowledge God’s existence in his or her life. First, it is by worship. The thank offering was a means of worship for the Israelites. When was the last time you worshiped God?

The second way is what the psalmist calls ordering one’s conduct. This is a real tell. A person who has chosen to forget God lives a seesaw life — good and bad constantly fighting for dominance. Such a person is not all bad, but does not seem to have enough control of his or her life to be constant. Conduct is unpredictable.

Lord, we know you are there. Help us to remind ourselves by faithfully worshiping you, and to conduct our lives by means of your truth consistently.

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are we hypocrites?

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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are we hypocrites?

Psalm 50:16-21 (JDV)

Psalm 50:16 But God says to the wicked: “What right do you have to recite my prescriptions and to take my covenant on your lips?
Psalm 50:17 You hate instruction and toss my words behind you.
Psalm 50:18 When you see a thief, you make friends with him, and you partner with adulterers.
Psalm 50:19 You send your mouth to speak evil and harness your tongue for lying.
Psalm 50:20 You sit, maligning your brother, slandering your mother’s son.
Psalm 50:21 You have done these things, and I kept quiet; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you.

are we hypocrites?

The Lord who is coming will rescue those who sincerely trust and obey him. But he will expose those who pretend to follow him while living in wickedness. This time in which we live he mostly keeps quiet, but that often makes the wicked grow bolder.

We should examine ourselves against these words describing an unbeliever who pretends.

  • We should check our attitude towards God’s word. Are we seeking his correction, or do we just wear it like an ornamental necklace?
  • Who do we choose to partner with? Are they living the godly life we profess? [And please don’t tell me that you are just their friend so you can witness to them. Is that the case, or does their lifestyle actually draw you.]
  • We should check what we say. Our words reflect our character. How we choose to communicate declares our loyalty.

Lord, we need your changing grace. Deliver us from the hypocrisy that is making us unprepared for your return.

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what God will not do

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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what God will not do

Psalm 50:7-15 (JDV)

Psalm 50:7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel. I am God, your God.
Psalm 50:8 I do not rebuke you because of your sacrifices or because of your burnt offerings, which are continually before me.
Psalm 50:9 I will not take a bull from your household or male goats from your pens,
Psalm 50:10 because every animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
Psalm 50:11 I know every bird of the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.
Psalm 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, because the world and everything in it is mine.
Psalm 50:13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
Psalm 50:14 Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and pay your vows to the Most High.
Psalm 50:15 Call on me in a day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will appreciate me.”

what God will not do

The psalmist sounds like a prophet here, echoing the voice of God and reacting to something going on in the lives of his people. He is not discouraging the sacrificial system here as much as he is answering an excuse that seems to be prevalent at his time. The excuse probably went like this: “We have starved God by not giving him enough sacrifices, so now he ignores us. We might as well seek religion elsewhere.”

But the voice of God thunders from the psalm: “That is not the case!” He challenges his people to test him by staying true to their covenant vows, and then they will see his rescue. They will experience his presence.

But God will not force himself on a people who reject his counsel. If they refuse to cooperate with his purpose, he’s not going to raid their barns for bulls and goats. If they want to rest on their excuses instead of trusting in him, he will let them do just that.

Christian, you and I made vows to the Lord when he saved us from sin by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. His word to us today is the same. He wants us to pay our vows and we will see his rescue.

Lord, we will do as Christ commands. We trust you to do what we cannot.

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he judges us

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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he judges us

Psalm 50:4-6 (JDV)

Psalm 50:4 On high, he summons the sky and the land in order to judge his people:
Psalm 50:5 “Gather my faithful ones to me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
Psalm 50:6 The skies proclaim his righteousness, because God is the Judge. Selah

he judges us

God’s judgment over his people includes more than just punishing them for rebellion. Sometimes God judges like the judges in the Old Testament period before the kings. He judges by delivering. Sometimes a judge finds for the defendant. Sometimes he or she rules against the defendant.

It is that case with God’s righteous rule over us as well. If we have chosen to follow Christ, we have agreed to be faithfully obedient to his new covenant. Our Lord will hold us responsible for obeying his covenant commands. Our obedience cannot earn us a place in his kingdom, but it can help usher others into it, because it is our witness to his gospel.

Lord, thank you for judging us in your righteousness.

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radiance, fire and storm

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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radiance, fire and storm

Psalm 50:1-3 (JDV)

Psalm 50:1[1] The God of gods, Yahveh, speaks; he summons the land from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Psalm 50:2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God appears in radiance.
Psalm 50:3 Our God is coming; he will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes him, and a storm rages around him.

radiance, fire and storm

Do you really want to see God? My guess is, probably not. If you have ever seen such beauty that your breath stops, that’s is what he looks like. But there’s more. Have you ever been afraid of a raging fire, wondering if it was going to turn into your path, knowing that you would not be able to escape its destruction. Have you ever been in a storm so ferocious you wondered if it was going to sweep you away, with no place of refuge from its power? All of those images describe the presence of the God of the Bible.

For years, God’s people had been praying for him to show up. But the psalmist gently reminded them here that they might not be ready for what happens to them when he does.

Lord, build in us an appreciation for who you are. We long for your presence, but we want to be ready for you when you appear.

[1] Superscription: A psalm of Asaph.

 

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