what supports us as we wait

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 25:16-22

Psalm 25:16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am abandoned and afflicted.

Psalm 25:17 The distresses of my heart are increasing; bring me out of my sufferings.

Psalm 25:18 Consider my affliction and trouble, and forgive all my sins.

Psalm 25:19 Consider my enemies; they are numerous, and they hate me violently.

Psalm 25:20 Guard my soul and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, because I take refuge in you.

Psalm 25:21 May integrity and what is right watch over me, for I wait for you.

Psalm 25:22 God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses.

what supports us as we wait

Spurgeon guessed that “Perhaps the integrity and uprightness referred to are those righteous attributes of God, which faith rests upon as a guarantee that the Lord will not forfeit his word.” I think he may have been right, because David had already admitted to being a sinner in need of deliverance. If we have any hope of an answer to our prayers, it does not come from our own worthiness, but the one to whom we pray.

LORD, as we wait on you, we will trust in your integrity.

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deliverance and direction

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 25:12-15

Psalm 25:12 Who is this person who fears Yahveh? He will show him the road he should choose.

Psalm 25:13 His soul will live well, and his descendants will inherit the land.

Psalm 25:14 The secret counsel of Yahveh is for those who fear him, and he reveals his covenant to them.

Psalm 25:15 My eyes are always on Yahveh, because he will pull my feet out of the net.

deliverance and direction

I pondered over the meaning of this secret counsel of Yahveh. What particularly did the psalmist refer to? I see an emphasis on the feet here, as a symbol for the direction one should take in life (the road) and for deliverance from traps (the net). The secret counsel is a word from God that goes beyond the principles everyone should live by. It is information to rescue, and legacy.

LORD, deliver us, and set us on the right road.

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an enormous violation

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 25:8-11

Psalm 25:8 Yahveh is good and upright; that is why he shows sinners the road.

Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his road.

Psalm 25:10 All Yahveh’s ways show covenant faithfulness and truth to those who keep his covenant and decrees.

Psalm 25:11 Yahveh, for the sake of your name, forgive my violation, because it is enormous.

an enormous violation

Anyone who seriously considers the holiness of God can come to no other conclusion concerning himself than David did. He realized his sinfulness was not a mere stain, but an enormous violation. Although he was a “great” man in other peoples’ estimation, he could only approach God by humbly asking for forgiveness. He did not even seek forgiveness for his own sake, but sought it for the sake of the LORD’s name.

LORD, this is our starting point. We seek your forgiveness and your guidance. We want to know you and even to lead others to you, but our enormous violation keeps getting in the way. Forgive us, LORD. and change us.

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The king who waited for God

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 25:1-7

Psalm 25:11 Yahveh, I lift up my throat to you.

Psalm 25:2 My God, I trust in you. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me.

Psalm 25:3 No one who waits for you will be disgraced; those who act treacherously without cause will be disgraced.

Psalm 25:4 Make your roads known to me, Yahveh; teach me your paths.

Psalm 25:5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my rescue; I wait for you all day long.

Psalm 25:6 Remember, Yahveh, your compassion and your covenant faithfulness, for they have existed for an age.

Psalm 25:7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with your covenant faithfulness, remember me because of your goodness, Yahveh.

The king who waited for God

David is known for his courage and skill and passion. But it is his capacity to wait trustingly on God which is highlighted in this psalm. He waited on God both for rescue and guidance.

It was neither David’s indiscretions of youth nor his willful rebellion as an adult which indelibly marked his soul. It was his trust in God.

May that be our life story as well.

1superscription: of David.

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The coming King of glory

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 24:7-10

Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, permanent doors! Then the King of glory will come in.

Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of glory? Yahveh, strong and mighty, Yahveh, mighty in battle.

Psalm 24:9 Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, permanent doors! Then the King of glory will come in.

Psalm 24:10 Who is he, this King of glory? Yahveh of Armies, he is the King of glory. (Selah).

The coming King of glory

David wrote this psalm and he was not referring to himself.

Yahveh of armies is David’s God. Compared to this coming king — David is a nobody. When Jesus came to this planet, some wanted to make him a lesser king, like David was. But he is the King of glory. When he comes again, everyone will acknowledge that. But only those who acknowledge it now will share in his reign.

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permission to climb

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 24:1-6

Psalm 24:11 The land and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to Yahveh;

Psalm 24:2 because he built its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers.

Psalm 24:3 Who may climb up the mountain of Yahveh? Who may stand in his holy place?

Psalm 24:4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his throat to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully.

Psalm 24:5 He will receive blessing from Yahveh, and righteousness from the God of his rescue.

Psalm 24:6 This is what the lifetime of those who inquire of him looks like, those who seek the face of the God of Jacob. (Selah).

Permission to climb

This psalm is not very comforting if you approach it as a description of salvation by works. If you see It as saying that you have to keep pure and righteous— and still getting into the presence of God will be an uphill climb— you are bound to be frustrated.

You need to recognize that blessings and righteousness are both gifts from our holy God. The clean hands and pure heart and faithfulness in worship are all outcomes of seeking him.

It is the seeking God that the psalm describes as an uphill climb. It is hard work— all mountain climbing is. But it helps to see this psalm as an encouragement to (and permission to) get climbing.

The view at the top is worth it.

1superscription: A Psalm of David.

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what the tender allows

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 23:1-6

Psalm 23:11 Yahveh is my tender;2 I have no lack.

Psalm 23:2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside untroubled waters.

Psalm 23:3 He brings my soul back to life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23:4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, because you are with me; your rod and your staff– they comfort me.

Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 23:6 Only goodness and covenant faithfulness will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of Yahveh for the length of my days.

what the tender allows

The word rendered shepherd by most translations is not related to the word sheep, but the word see. David is saying that his God watches over him. God allows him to go through dark valley times, and even to have enemies. But God provides for David’s needs all the while. David might pass through a number of brown pastures, but he does not have to lie down there. He might see troubled waters, be God does not allow him to drown in them. God leads him beside untroubled waters. David did have enemies pursuing him some of the days of his life. But God only allowed goodness and covenant faithfulness to pursue him all the days of his life.

Lord, we accept what you will allow, because we trust you to lead us and provide for our needs.

1superscription: A Psalm of David.

2רָעָה

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everyone’s God

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 22:26-31

Psalm 22:26 The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek Yahveh will praise him. May your hearts live continually!

Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the land will remember and turn to Yahveh. All the families of the nations will bow down before you,

Psalm 22:28 because kingship belongs to Yahveh; he rules the nations.

Psalm 22:29 All who prosper on land will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before him– even the one who cannot preserve his soul.

Psalm 22:30 Their descendants will serve him; the next generation will be told about Yahveh .

Psalm 22:31 They will come and declare his righteousness; to a people yet to be born they will declare what he has done.

everyone’s God

At the beginning of this amazing psalm, David prayed to his God, because he felt forgotten by him. God answered his prayer and delivered him. Now, because of that divine deliverance, David asserts that God’s kingdom will extend beyond him, beyond his family and kingdom.

God’s influence will expand to include the humble (26) and the prosperous (29). In fact, even the dead will kneel before him. Those who cannot preserve their souls, and go down to the dust of death will acknowledge God’s greatness because their descendants will serve him. His influence will extend to the ends of the land, then families of the nations, all the nations (27-28). He will become everyone’s God.

We have seen how this psalm pertains to a particular rescue experienced by David. But we also know that Jesus adopted these words as he lay dying on the cross. Jesus implied that his own death on the cross would have a similar effect.

  • John 12:32 And me, when I am lifted up from the ground I will draw all people to myself.”

Because of his one act of rescue, our Lord has made eternal life possible for everyone.

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in the great assembly

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 22:22-25

Psalm 22:22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will praise you in the assembly.

Psalm 22:23 You who fear Yahveh, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! All you descendants of Israel, revere him!

Psalm 22:24 Because he has not despised or abhorred the torment of the oppressed. He did not hide his face from him but listened when he cried to him for help.

Psalm 22:25 I will give praise in the great assembly because of you; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear you.

in the great assembly

David’s prayers for rescue have been heard. He had felt abandoned at the beginning of the psalm, but now he knows that was not true. God did not hide his face, but was listening when he cried for help. Since God did not hide his face, David promises not to hide his. He plans to enter the great assembly, and give evidence of God’s faithfulness by public worship.

Lord, you have been faithful to us. We commit to showing our faithfulness to you, in consistent regular worship.

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reduced to nothing

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Psalm 22:17-21

Psalm 22:17 I can count all my bones; people gaze and stare at me.

Psalm 22:18 They divided my garments among themselves, and they gambled for my clothing.

Psalm 22:19 But you, Yahveh, don’t be far away. My strength, come quickly to help me.

Psalm 22:20 Rescue my throat from the sword, my abandoned throat from this dog’s hand.

Psalm 22:21 Save me from the lion’s mouth, from the horns of wild oxen. You answered me!

reduced to nothing

I imagine the particular incident David was referring to must have happened when he was forced to abandon his palace as he fled Absalom (2 Samuel 15). I can find no specific mention of it in the Old Testament. But all four Gospels quote the reference in conjunction with Christ’s ordeal at the cross (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24). Jesus was reduced to no possessions.

It also appears that Jesus quoted this entire chapter on the cross. Even though he knew he had to face the death before him, his pleading turned to an announcement of victory. He knew the cross was not the end.

Lord, thank you for giving everything so that all those who put there trust in you would have a future.

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