Let's Pick Up Our Toys

"I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Ps 40:8 AV)

David is not professing perfect sanctification here.  It is a statement of his general attitude towards the law of God.  David, by no means, was perfect.  He had adultery and involuntary manslaughter in his record.  David was by no means blameless before God.  Yet, the Bible tells us David was a man after God’s own heart.  This is true because of his character as stated above.  David is not misrepresenting himself here.  He sincerely enjoyed walking in obedience to the best of his ability.  He strove to learn and hide the word of God in his heart.  These things he did.  He was not always successful.  But I can tell you this.  Had he not written the law on his heart and delighted to walk in obedience to it, the failures of life would have been far more frequent.

What a joy it is to work with very young children who have not learned the art of disobedience.  Having raised three of my own, and having countless nephews and nieces, I can tell you there is an age where they love to prove themselves by being obedient.  We had a toy box in our living room.  Over the years, it was replaced by a gang box that I painted and decorated for my grandkids.  Every day, without exception, that box would be emptied all over the floor.  There would be building blocks, dolls, trucks, and puzzles all over the place.  There wouldn’t be a square foot without some toy, or part of a toy, occupying that space.  Well, they do have to be picked up.  I have seen parents yell and spank their children towards this goal when there is no need.  I have seen them threaten their children with starvation.  At least from dessert.  I have seen them get the paddle in anticipation of having to use it.  However, there is a better way.  Having countless hours of experience in this event, I have discovered that affirmation works far better than the paddle.  By making a big deal of their initiative in picking up after themselves, and humbly thanking them for their labor, young children will cheerfully pick up the mess they have caused.  By affirming they have accomplished a difficult task and show great maturity in doing so, they will run around looking for something to put back in the toy box.  They delight to do Dad’s will.  It pleases them to please Dad.

This is the child-like spirit David had.  This is the spirit we should have as well.  But something has happened along the way.  Like our little toddlers, we have grown up.  We have gotten more sophisticated.  We have learned that selfish pleasure can be more fun than pleasing our authority.  We have desired to please the flesh rather than to please someone else.  David was a man after God’s own heart because he wanted to please that heart.  He never grew up wherein the law was concerned.  He desired to please the one who gave him life and purpose.  With a heart of gratitude, he served the LORD the best he could and obeyed the LORD with equal dedication.  David was after the heart of God because the heart of God could be attained.  His statement is not one of sinless perfection.  Rather, it is his confession of his purpose in life.  Fall time and again he may.  But he gets right back up again and strives more earnestly towards obedience.  This heart of David should be our heart. We should delight to do the will of God because His law is written on our hearts.

What Do We Really Expect?

“And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.” (Ps 39:7 AV)

This psalm starts out with an impatient and frustrated writer.  He muses over the actions of the wicked and finds himself getting angrier and more frustrated.  He vows to keep silent and not in with his lips.  Then his prayer turns to himself.  He wants to see the reality of who he is.  He is quick to see the faults of the wicked but has not spent the time to know his own heart.  He asked the LORD to show him how human he is.  Not that excuses the actions of others.  They are still wrong and cause great harm.  What David seeks is a balanced view.  Then he asks the question above.  What is he waiting for and is that which he waits for realistic?  Does he hope the world makes all things right?  David muses over the real cause of his frustration.  He wants a perfect world.  Then he answers his own question with the solution.  Hope in God.

I subscribe to a website called Nextdoor.  It is a service that organizes subscribers by location.  We can then share threads, job opportunities, sell items, etc.  I appreciate the service because it keeps me informed about the issues that prevail in our neighborhoods.  Most of the threads are concerns of one nature or another.  The majority are reports of crimes in the area.  From time to time, there are threads concerning prevalent social issues that tend to be on the minds of most Americans.  To the original writer, the issue at hand is very important to him or her.  As the thread progresses, some share the same concern and those who do not.  Comments are rather enlightening.  Just this morning, a thread was started that is sure to get a lot of feedback.  Responses from the greater prism of opinion will no doubt be shared.  However, like most threads, the nature of them are still the same.  Someone wants their world to be different.  Someone wants their world to be perfect.  Not that the issue at hand is not legitimate.  Almost all of them are.  The problem is problems.  There will always be problems.  There is no magic pill that will take all the wrong away.  As long as man is on the earth, there will be issues.  This is the life we have chosen because of the choices we as a race have chosen.  What are we waiting for?

David’s solution is the only one that works.  That solution is hope in God.  We cannot, as hard as we might try, right every wrong.  We could put police at every street corner and crime would still occur.  We could find a magic pill that cures all known diseases, and mankind will still pass from one cause or another.  Mankind ruined the paradise God created for them.  We chose to disobey and no we are reaping the consequences.  Living in frustration over something mankind cannot fix is wasted emotional reserves.  The answer is to do the best we can in mitigating all that ails us.  But there will be more that will take its place.  The only hope is hope in God.  Eternity is our final state.  And if we have trusted Christ, then our existence will be absolute perfection.  No more need for services such as Nextdoor because there will be no issues to solve.  Do what you can to make our world better.  Absolutely.  But we will never, and can never, make it perfect.  This is reality.  The only solution to sanity and contentment is faith.  Faith in a God who knows all and will eventually make all things right.  Come, LORD Jesus!

The Danger of Fretting

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.” (Ps 37:8 AV)

Psalm 37 is a new favorite psalm of mine!  The entire psalm is an encouragement towards patience as the LORD deals with the wickedness of the world.  Our writer, David, does not elude to a specific event in his life.  Rather, he complains of the effect which the wicked inflict on him.  He is fighting the agitation that comes with the wicked ever before him.  Perhaps he is referencing Saul and all his nonsense.  Perhaps he is thinking of Joab and his foolishness.  We don't know.  What we do know is David's observation that fretting can, and often does, lead to sin.  This requires some meditation.  Fretting can lead to wrong actions.  In the advice of David, we should let it go lest sin spreads from those who cause the fretting to those who experience it.

Just the other day, I was three feet away from the grave.  I have to go to our accountant twice a month to pick up my paycheck.  Leaving his office, I walked to my car.  To my right, I hear a car horn and an engine increasing its power.  Then I heard it again, not a second later.  Looking to my right, I seek a brown sedan slowing down for a red light.  Behind that car is a black Jeep-like vehicle swerving back and forth and racing headlong towards the car stopped at the red light.  Mind you, I am parked on the right side of the street as well.  This black Jeep blew the red light and went around the sedan stopped for the light.  When he did, he started to lose control of his car.  This Jeep was headed right for me.  It happened so quickly I couldn't move.  If I opened the door, he would have taken it right off.  If I tried to jump in front of my car, I would have been crushed.  I couldn't move in the direction of the oncoming battering ram or I risk getting hit as he swerved.  all I could do was to press myself as tightly against my car and pray for the best.  This driver missed me by less than three feet.  It was not a good ordeal.  In my youth, I would have jumped in my car and sped off to try to get the license plate of that Jeep.  I would have been as reckless as he was.  I would have chased him down and perhaps even confronted him.  However, years of experience have taught me to let things go.  In my youth, I would have let this experience dictate the remainder of my day.  I would have treated those around me with less respect and appreciation they deserved.  However, my years have taught me to simply let it go.

We live in a world that is making victims of us all.  No one is safe.  Injustice abounds.  Wickedness abounds.  We should fight it as much as we possibly can.  We can speak out.  We can vote for candidates who know the difference between right and wrong.  We can pray for our leaders and our nation.  We can preach the truth.  We can speak to our neighbors about the LORD and the forgiveness that is theirs for the asking.  We can do a lot of things.  But what we should not do is fret.  When we allow our anger, frustration, anxiety, or fear to rule our lives, we often fall into wickedness ourselves.  We need to learn to let it go.  Give it over to the LORD and let Him handle it.  This is what David practiced all his life.  Sometimes he was not successful.  Most of the time he was.  This is what made David such a great leader.  He was able to compartmentalize and let things go.  So, let it go!  Give it to the LORD.  He knows what He is doing and will balance the scales.  Just let God be God!

All Means All

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” (Ps 34:19 AV)

Several thoughts come to mind.  First, many are the afflictions of the righteous.  It is rather impractical and naïve to think we can get through life without afflictions.  These afflictions are a way of life.  We are in constant pursuit of a trouble-free life because the world wants us to think it is possible.  The Devil advertises all those things he wants us to think will solve all our problems.  This only leads to discouragement because we are in pursuit of something that cannot be attained.  We are disillusioned with God because we thought if we did everything right, then all our troubles would go away.  The problem is, we live in a sin-filled world.  Trouble abounds because of Adam’s curse.  So, afflictions are the way of life.  Yet, there is a promise that follows the undesirable reality of afflictions.  That is, God delivers us out of all our afflictions.  This may not be done immediately.  We know we will have issues for the remainder of our natural life.  Some of these afflictions will be short-lived.  In fact, most of them are.  Other afflictions will last a lifetime.  Health issues will only increase as our age increases.  The promise, however, still stands.  God will deliver us out of every one of them!  By life or by death, there is coming a day when our afflictions will cease.

That word ‘all’ really has me captivated.  The last two weeks have been a bit of a trial of faith.  My dear Lisa has a physical condition that must be monitored at the very least, every six months.  She needs a repeat test in six months to determine more fully that which we are facing.  For the moment, and the foreseeable future, there is little with which to be concerned.  The doctors have told us there is no cause for alarm.  However, we did not know this until about a week ago.  This is one of those afflictions that will last a lifetime.  That, coupled with a situation I am dealing with, has caused us both to look mortality in the face.  Like every other human being ever born, we are not impervious to death.  It is the curse which we have been endowed with and we have also earned.  Each couple has had to face these issues.  As we age, we come hard-pressed to face the reality of life.  That being, natural life ends.  That word, ‘all’, comes to mind.  God will not deliver us out of most.  He will deliver us out of all.  I have been on the other side of these unfortunate realities of life.  I have had to console many spouses who have had to say goodbye.  What I noticed is those who know the LORD and walk with Him seem to bounce back pretty well.  Their faith and the power of the Holy Spirit delivered them from all their afflictions.

Not that I am concerned with the homegoing of the best friend  I have ever, or will ever have.  That is not even on the radar screen.  But it was.  Even if but for a brief few months.  We still have several decades to look forward to.  At least that is the plan.  What I can say is that these situations cause one to look life right in the face and acknowledge there are difficult times ahead.  Preparing for these times is part of walking with God.  Allowing Him to strengthen us through these times rather than to automatically wish them away is our goal.  He will deliver us.  That is if we give Him half a chance.  When the LORD promises all of our afflictions we cease, that is exactly what He means.  Most in this life, all in the next.  All means all.  Not most.  Not a few.  Not many.  All means all.  David speaks from experience.  He had a lifetime of trouble.  Yet, the LORD delivered him out of all of them.  And He will do the same for us.

How Blessed We Are

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Ps 32:1 AV)

How often do we dwell on the simple truth of divine forgiveness?  Forgiveness is so common, we often take it for granted.  We have offended a holy God who created us for His pleasure.  He had given us a will that may be exercised contrary to His.  He commands righteousness.  That is His will for us.  He has created us to exist to walk in His perfect will by the gift of faith.  He gave Adam and Eve instructions to not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The sentence was death if they failed.  They had never seen death.  Therefore, it must be taken by faith that God is a God of His word.  They were to walk in obedience to His instruction trusting if they failed, there would be consequences of which they had never seen.  Because of their choice, we all suffer the same temptations.  We all fail.  This is not God’s wish.  He does not wish mankind to suffer in sin.  So, in His great love and foreknowledge, He provided the way of forgiveness and restoration through the sacrifice of His Son.  Of this, words fail to express how blessed the saved saint truly is.  By his exercise of faith in what God has promised in His Word, the sinner becomes a saint and his sins are forgiven.  That forgiveness continues through practical living.  All our sins are forgiven as it applies to our eternal soul.  However, there must still be confession, forsaking, and forgiveness for a closer walk with God in this present life.  Of this, we want to entertain how common forgiveness has become.

I’ve had to stand before a judge a couple of times.  Both times, it was for traffic violations.  Nothing serious, mind you.  But for someone who is easily impressed by authority figures, anxiety was a big part of the experience.  In one of these experiences, it was almost intolerable.  However, when it was all over, it was exhilarating.  I was involved in a minor fender-bender that was totally my fault.  Living in Illinois at the time, I tried to get through a yellow light when the person in front of me bailed, a third of the way through the intersection.  A little context might help.  This was back in the day when traffic cameras were going up.  The natural reaction of some would be to overreact to a situation for fear of getting their picture taken.  This is what happened.  I was in the church van and this driver in front of me began to enter the intersection when the light changed to yellow.  I sped up a bit to make it through.  Then, all of a sudden, she slams on her brakes and stops!  She had already crossed the solid white line.  Legally, she was in the intersection and was required to finish her progress.  Not able to stop, I hit her.  Because of this, the police gave me a ticket for failure to drive safely in adverse weather conditions.  The most minor of all tickets.  He understood my plea.  In Illinois, they confiscate your physical driver’s license until your court date.  You drive on the ticket.  The citation is your license until a verdict is reacted.

My court date came and I checked in with the clerk.  A got there slightly before the 9:00 am date and sat in the back.  You sit there until your name is called.  I sat there from nine until noon.  My name was not called.  The court required I return at one o’clock in the afternoon.  So I did.  I sat there until four.  I was the last case called.  I sat there all day thinking my life was over.  What made this worse was I was struggling with sin and I knew this was the LORD’s way of chastening me out of it.  So, I thought the hammer was coming down.  Then I realized something.  I have a brother or two in the police force.  They have had to go to court and testify against a citation they issued.  As four o-clock came, there was no one else in the courtroom but me, the clerk, the prosecutor, and the judge.  No one else.  No witnesses.  No officer.  No victim.  No one.  It dawned on me I may just escape this thing.  Sure enough, my name was called and I stood before the judge.  He stated since there were no witnesses present, he could not decide a case.  Therefore, I was free to go!  No points.  No fines.  Nothing.  I was forgiven.  I cannot even begin to tell you the load that was lifted off my shoulders. 

I wonder how many times we have felt that way after we confess our faults to a forgiving God.  I wonder how much we live in the truth of divine forgiveness.  How much do we stop and think that God has forgiven us for everything?  How grateful are we at the remembrance of God’s mercy and grace?  Are we grateful enough to honestly strive against sin?  When we look at the above verse we see sin forgiven and covered.  It is no longer there.  Praise be to God for His wonderful mercy towards the children of men!

God Favors Life

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Ps 30:5 AV)

I thought this quote was very appropriate. “We die like withered flowers when the Lord frowns, but his sweet smile revives us as the dews refresh the fields. His favour not only sweetens and cheers life, but it is life itself, the very essence of life. Who would know life, let him seek the favour of the Lord.” – R.A.Torrey.  Yet, there is another way of looking at the underlined portion of our text.  Many commentators look at the underlined portion comparing it to the moment of anger.  In other words, God’s pleasure is to give life.  Or, anger might be for a moment, but it is the LORD’s favor to give life as opposed to anger.  This may be the better way of looking at it.  Or, at least that is how we will look at it this morning.

As children, we all those teachers we didn’t understand.  We thought they were authoritative and overbearing.  We believed them to be unreasonable and enjoyed making the lives of their students a miserable experience.  They never smiled.  They never laughed.  They never use a curve to grade papers, tests, or final grades.  We wondered if they had any joy at all.  I went to Catholic schools most of my childhood.  If there were any teachers like the above, they were probably nuns.  Nuns had the reputation of being stern and without and happiness about them.  As a whole, they didn’t like their calling and of all creatures, the most miserable.  At least that is what I thought until we had a class picnic.  Our teacher took us on a field trip to a nearby historic landmark home that was several hundred years old.  It had a stunning flower garden in the back.  The work that went into that garden was mind-blowing.  After our picnic, our teacher took us back to the sister’s house and we hung out while she went and got changed.  She came down the stairs and gone was her black dress with a collar.  Gone was her habit.  That weird headdress they wear.  She was normal!  From her home, we went to a park.  There, our class had several activities in which she fully participated.  It was not a rare occurrence to see her plastered with water balloons.  Imagine!  A nun who laughed!  A nun who ran around like a silly school girl!  A nun who wanted her class to have fun!  This was not at all normal!

If we are not careful, we can imagine a God who is only stern and authoritarian.  We can see Him as a Creator preoccupied with judgment and punishment as though these pursuits are His pleasure.  We can think of God as an ogre who wishes only to torment His creation because of all their wickedness.  He would be justified in doing so.  But that is not God’s heartbeat.  In His pleasure is life.  He loves life.  Otherwise, He would not have created.  The very act of creating speaks to God’s priority to life.  Life is His pleasure.  This may seem obvious.  Yet, when adverse circumstances enter life, the first thing that comes to mind is an angry God.  His anger is but for a moment.  Our life should be defined by His favor.  This is the meaning above.  We tend to look only at the negative and fail to see the positive.  In His favor is life.  He desires the blessings of life to abound to our account.  He is not trying to make our lives horrible.  Adversity cannot be avoided.  It is part of our human experience.  It was introduced because of Adam’s sin.  But through that adversity is life.  Life because of God’s favor.

Help From Faith

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” (Ps 28:7 AV)

 

There is no escaping the fact that trust and attaining help from God are inseparably united.  One cannot attain help from God without exercising some level of faith.  James states,  “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” (Jas 1:6-7 AV)  The intimation here is clear.  Without believing, there is no chance we will receive that which we ask for.  What is especially pertinent in our verse for the day is exactly what it was that was granted.  Or, that which David needed help with.  The heart was David’s greatest need and concern.  His emotional challenge amid adversity was his greatest need.  When he decided to surrender those emotions to the LORD and the heart along with them, God helped him!

On a personal note, our emotions have been tested.  My wife and I will have to go through a particular time of testing once or twice a year.  It comes with getting older.  Each time we go through this time of testing, our emotions often elevate.  We are asked to trust the LORD anew and afresh.  Each time we are asked to trust Him a little bit more.  We often wait on pins and needles until we know the outcome of our testing and we pray for the best.  Sometimes it is not as we hoped and we have to adjust our expectations.  In the meantime, our hearts go through summersaults as we have to redefine what normal is.  Life changes.  Not always for the better.  At least in some areas.  Other areas to change for the better.  We can become fixated on those areas that seem to be degrading while ignoring those areas in which God has blessed us.  Our emotions can get the better of us and our hearts can become our worst enemies.  When my dear Lisa and I are asked to get through these times, our hearts are not always as steadfast as we wish they were.  We are challenged just like everyone else is.  Yet, we have the answer above.

What I wish to do is simply give a word of testimony.  I can honestly agree with David.  When I trusted, then I was helped.  This was not easy.  It is not easy for anyone.  God is who and what He is.  He has never changed.  He is greater than all our circumstances.  This does not mean they will turn out as we had hoped.  Certain things are inevitable.  Life cannot continue as it always has.  This does not mean God lacks mercy or does not care.  These things are the way of life.  What we can know is if we trust the LORD in all things, no matter how hard that might be, He can and will help.  The circumstances may not improve.  But that is not the objective.  The objective is to live with the circumstances of life which He has determined while learning to trust Him through them.  After all, eternity is our permanent set of circumstances.  The things of this life are temporary.  What I can do is share that I have learned, by experience, that David is exactly right here.  When I learned to trust the LORD and discipline the emotions of the heart, I was helped.  The Holy Spirit became more real to me than He ever has in the past.  I am helped!

A Heart of Preservation

“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.” (Ps 25:21 AV)

What a request!  David is surrendered to the will of God.  He so desperately wants his character to preserve him.  Yet, he knows he cannot do so without the ministry of God in his life.  This is the cause for the second half of the verse.  If David waits on (serves) the LORD, then his uprightness and integrity will preserve him.  Every child of God who desires to walk with God cannot do so unless he or she has a genuine and sincere desire for godly character.  David was not perfect.  But what separates David from all others is his constant battle with himself.  Even when he failed miserably, he did not tarry his confession.  As soon as the Holy Spirit dealt with him, he went to God for forgiveness and reconciliation.  What we want to consider this morning is one little word.  Preserve.

My sweet Lisa and I had to get a new refrigerator recently.  We are really pleased with it.  My sweet darling cleaned it out and lined the inside with all sorts of things to keep the food fresh and the inside clean.  Then we had the exciting adventure of stocking the new frig.  Off we went to the grocers.  Going down the cheese aisle, I spotted smoked gouda.  I love aromatic cheese.  Smoked gouda is right up there.  In the new frig, my prized purchase went.  Grating it in my eggs is awesome.  However, I noticed my lovely gouda did not take to the frig all that well.  It was only about ten days with it that little furys began to take up residence on my cheese.  Not wanting to waste this lovely cheese, I scraped off the cultures and it anyway.  Each time I went to use the cheese, I scraped off new cultures.  After a while, it was way too much and the growth way too deep to overcome.  As wonderful as our new frig was, it could not preserve my awesome cheese.  I had to throw out what was left and it broke my heart to do so.

I think we live in a generation that is satisfied with whatever passes.  We are not obsessed with the best.  We tolerate imperfection.  We allow the mold to grow and it is ok.  As long as it is usable, then we are satisfied.  David wanted to be preserved.  This does not mean merely keeping from corruption.  To preserve something is to keep it in its best form.  Our spiritual life should consist of a goal to be transformed into Christlikeness.  Once God has given us a victory, it should stay that way.  David wanted to be preserved in his integrity.  He was laser-focused on his faults.  He worked hard to be right with God.  His life was defined by a struggle with the old David versus the new David.  He wanted his God to be pleased with him.  When He was not, it bothered him.  I feel as though many saints are rotting away.  We have come to a place where we accept what we once would not.  We feel it is ok to be a bit worldly.  We think it is acceptable to fail and live that way.  Not David.  Nor should we either.

Access By Christ Alone

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Ps 24:3-5 AV)

So, a puzzle entered the mind here.  If one approaching the holy place has clean hands and a pure heart, why would he need righteousness from the LORD?  It was quite interesting reading the different commentaries on this issue.  Almost all danced around this apparent contradiction.  Some spiritualized it.  Only one actually pointed out the problem but didn’t offer a concrete and clear answer.  When we read the Bible, we have to be aware of the dispensational view of the passage which we are reading.  This is an old testament passage.  The holy place would have been the inner room of the tabernacle.  The only one permitted would have been the high priest and that, once a year.  He would first offer a sacrifice for himself and the nation as a whole.  Upon entering the holy place, he would apply the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant.  If he had any sin in his heart, upon entering the holy place, he would be struck dead by the power of God.  He had to enter the holy place with clean hands and a pure heart.  This was accomplished by the blood of the sacrifice.  Not by his own efforts.  This granted him temporary righteousness.  Applying the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat is what granted more permanent righteousness.  Or, it sealed for a time, the efficacy of the atoning sacrifice offered earlier.  This was all a picture of what Christ would do hundreds of years later.

A clue to this passage is the question of verse three.  Who can approach the hill of God?  Who can enter the holy place?  The obvious answer is no one.  At least not in our own power.  Not even the high priest could simply walk up the tabernacle hill and walk into the holy place.  He would have been struck dead at the first step into it.  Confession of sin alone was not sufficient.  The high priest could not place his hands on the beast, confess his sin, and then walk into the holy place.  He would have lost his life.  The high priest could not have killed the ox, entered the tabernacle and shared the shewbread, then tried to enter the holy place.  He would have died.  There must be an atoning sacrifice.  There must be blood spilled.  There is no way the high priest could enter the holy place under the credentials of his own character.  Psalm five, verses four and five teach us that God cannot dwell with unrighteousness.  As long as there was any hint of sin on the hands or in the heart of the high priest, God would not entertain his presence.  The priest would have been slain.

When Paul tells us to approach the throne of God with boldness, he does so in the context of the blood of Christ.  What is seen here is the great doctrine of the atoning work of Christ’s offering.  The old testament system of sacrifice and atonement was temporary.  Old Testament saints had to trust Christ just as we do today.  Their faith was proven as they participated in the law, foreshadowing the object of their faith.  That being, their redeemer and Messiah.  The whole point of our passage is simple and liberating.  You and I cannot come into the tabernacle.  We cannot enter the presence of the LORD.  We do not have clean hands and a pure heart.  Not in our selves we do not.  But the sacrifice of Christ does make this possible.  The result is the God of our salvation bestows the righteousness of Christ upon us because He has made our hands clean and our hearts pure.  What was accomplished at Calvary is in force today.  We still have no merit of our own.  The only access to the presence of God we have is through the shed blood of Christ.  As we do enter, having been cleansed from our wickedness, the Father bestowed His righteousness in us.  What a wonderful picture of the atoning and intercessory work of our Lord and Savior!

Most Blessed By His Countenance

“For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.” (Ps 21:6 AV)

Such a simple statement.  David makes this statement while serving as king.  He reflects just how much God means to him as he serves in the important office.  Being a king, he realizes the LORD’s hand is on him in ways that others will never experience.  At least to the degree he is.  However, what is true of him as a king is also true of all saints.  Just not to the same degree.  Note here why David considers himself blessed forever.  It is not his family relationships.  It is not his success as ruler of God’s people.  It is not his amassed wealth.  It is not his testimony among the heathen.  It is not in the love his nation has for him.  He is blessed forever because God’s countenance is ever before him.  The fact that God walks with him and he with God is why David feels blessed.  This enables David to endure hardships like no other.  He can face down lions, bears, and Goliath because God’s countenance is ever before him.  He can flee his father-in-law because the countenance of God is before him.  He can survive disloyalty from his wife and uncle because God is with him.  He can overcome his own son’s treachery and treason resulting in his son’s death because the countenance of God is ever before him.  David feels blessed because God is with him.

My wife and I have dates at the supermarket.  I know.  We are getting older.  Part of the ritual is to send me off to find an item and then play hide-and-seek.  I have to go aisle by aisle to find her.  I may be off on a mission to find some obscure item that is never in the aisle one would expect to find it.  What should be in the condiment aisle is somehow in the sauce aisle.  Or what should be with the pickles is somehow in the canned vegetable aisle.  Then there are the two completely separate locations for frozen meats.  Some are in the freezer section while others are near the butcher section.  Off I go, like the dutiful husband that I am, in search of our hidden treasure.  Finding my dear Lisa is sometimes challenging.  I know she is in the store somewhere.  The last time I saw her, she was in the produce.  She said she was going to the dairy next.  Checking those two places I come up empty.  If you are a steps counter, just go to the supermarket with your wife and go on an errand.  No doubt you will reach your two-mile goal.  I try to remember what she is wearing and look for her that way.  But more times than not, it is her hair that I look for.  Attached to her wonderful hair is her face.  That countenance that no one else comes close to matching.  It is that countenance that reminds me I am most blessed of all.

As special as my best friend is, I have a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  He never leaves me nor forsakes me.  I am so blessed to have Jesus as my Savior and experience His countenance every waking moment of my day.  Even when I mess up and sin against Him, He is quick to forgive.  He hastily restores my wandering heart and lets me know that His love for me has not changed.  Life may be difficult.  We may not have out of life what we truly desire.  However, if we know Jesus as our Savior, we are blessed forever.  There is no reason to be downtrodden over the limits of this life.  He is the greatest of all our possessions.  His countenance is that which brightens every day.  It is His face that brings security, fulfillment, and peace.  It is His countenance that never leaves even though there are times we may not sense Him.  He is still there and for that reason alone, we are most blessed forever.

The Obvious Answer is No One

“Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Pr 20:9 AV)

 

The obvious answer is no one.  There is nothing we can do to make ourselves clean.  This is an operation of the Holy Spirit.  There is no penance we can do.  No good works to cancel out the bad.  There are no contrite words that will cleanse away our sin.  As the father of the above author said,  “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” (Ps 51:2 AV)  There isn’t a soul ever born that could say they had made themselves clean from their sin.   I can honestly answer to the question above, “Not me!”  Not by a long shot.  There is no price that I could ever humanly pay that would absolve me from all my sin.  The account is simply too overwhelming.  It is too large.  The list would go on for eternity.  The only hope I have is the same as anyone else has.  They only hope we have in the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all our sin!

What strikes me as odd is the audacity it would take for someone to suggest that.  Who in the world would be so bold as to say they were completely clean from all their sin?  No one who is honest can.  Have you ever tried to simply wipe off a motor oil spill from your entire body?  No matter how many rags one uses, there is still a residual slick that remains.  The more one tries to wipe it off, the more it merely smears.  Only when we disrobe and jump in the shower with a soap that can cut oil do we feel clean.  Until then, all our efforts to be absolutely clean are in vain.  There must be an outside agent introduced to get that oil off.  One cannot scrap it off.  One cannot evaporate it off.  There has to be a detergent applied with the ability to dissolve the oil to be clean from it. 

The same is true of our sin.  There is nothing we can do to wipe it off.  Only by the cleansing agent of the blood of Jesus can be we completely cleansed from our unrighteousness.  Like a defendant standing before a judge, he cannot plead innocent.  Not guilty is the more appropriate plea.  No one is innocent.  He may or may not have done the crime of which he is accused, but he by no means is innocent.  He stands before the judge and pleads his case.  Only the judge had the power to declare him absolved of all wrongdoing.  Jesus Christ is our advocate.  He stands before the Father and when we are accused of the adversary, He shows the Father His nail-scarred hands.  His blood covers that, too.  We cannot say what the writer asks.  We cannot claim innocence.   We are guilty as the day is long.  We cannot wipe away our own sin.  We cannot undo a wicked choice.  But there is One who can and His name is JESUS!

He Is Our Strength

“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (Ps 16:8 AV)

There are two phrases here that are common to the scriptures but may not be in the course of our modern-day language.  To have the LORD always set before a person means to have the presence of the LORD constantly part of the saint’s experience.  The right hand is the hand of prominence or honor.  But that would make the saint the center, as in a king, and the LORD as the place of honor subject to the king.  The right hand is also the place of strength and protection.  This statement from David is a statement consistent with someone tasked with great responsibility.  He has been tasked with ridding the land of all of God’s enemies.  David would serve his God and his country by waging warfare with all those who threatened the covenants God made with his forefathers. As a commander in chief who also took to the field, David was not naïve enough to believe he could wage war all by himself.  He knew the only way in which to experience success was if God was his strength and protection.

Have you ever noticed after a service station rotates your tires or replaced them, the next time you get a flat it is almost impossible to remove those lug nuts?  Several years back, we lived in this house that felt it was its duty to flatten our tires as often as it could.  Actually, it was the church building.  The roofers who replaced the church roof several years earlier did not do a good job, and so it was common to find roofing nails in the parking lot.  Along with shingles or parts of them, these materials were not strangers to our lot.  This meant a flat tire was common.  About every three months or so, one of our cars would have a nail in it.  On one such occasion, both my son and I tried to loosen a lug nut and couldn’t get it to budge.  Remembering my High School physics class, I looked for something I could use as a lever.  Searching high and low, we finally found a brass pipe about eight feet long.  We placed the wrench on the nut and the pipe over the wrench.  Grabbing hold of the pipe at the very end, we bounced it a little.  Sure enough, this lever added the strength we did not have alone.  Even the combined strength of my son and I could not budge that nut.  Standing on the wrench without the lever couldn’t loosen that lug.  Only when we added the lever did the nut begin to turn. 

God calls us to all sorts of difficult tasks.  Many, if not most, cannot be accomplished in our own strength.  He asks us to do things beyond our capability that He might show Himself both real and mighty.  God desires to have a relationship with us.  But this relationship must be based on truth.  This truth includes His nature.  His nature is omnipotent.  The only way we can truly fellowship with God in knowledge and in truth is if we are placed in situations wherein God shows Himself as He is.  This means we have to go through hardships too difficult for us to handle all by ourselves.  Like the lever, God is there to ease an impossible task.  In fact, looking back on how well that lever worked, we were astounded at how little force we were required to exert.  I know there is math involved, but to me, it seemed like a miracle.  It was effortless.  The same is true of God.  If we keep in in the forefront of our hearts, then He is able to guide us, enable us, and strengthen us so that our tasks seem far less weighty than they actually are.  It is foolish to try to loosen a lug, pulling muscles and not budging it, as we go.  Why not humble ourselves and admit we cannot do this.  Why not look for that lever?  Why not rely upon God?  He alone is our strength.