March 12 - 18 Daily Meditations in the Psalms
March 12
Psalms 22:1-16
1.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from
helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2.
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night
season, and am not silent.
3.
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5.
They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were
not confounded.
6.
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the
people.
7.
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying,
8.
He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him,
seeing he delighted in him.
9.
But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope
when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10.
I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's
belly.
11.
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12.
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13.
They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart
is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my
jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16.
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
they pierced my hands and my feet.
Jesus quoted this Psalm in His suffering,
being the One foreseen by David. A greater than the Psalmist is here, in Whom
all scripture is fulfilled.
Who wants to know the fellowship of His
sufferings? David had to know it in order to write this Psalm. Paul knew it and
bore in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus. He who identifies with Christ
crucified will find the events of this Psalm a reality in him.
The most significant fear of the believer,
as it was with Jesus, is the apparent absence of God. Prayer seems to fall to
the ground with no one to answer. There is also the fear of shame before men.
The Crucified One was not judged fairly as an equal; in fact, He was treated
inhumanely. Men reproached, despised, and laughed him to scorn. Can we expect
any more? They challenged His relationship to God again, as Satan’s temptation
challenged it in the beginning of His ministry. At the cross, as never before,
the devil got into the act. Bulls, lions, and dogs are names given to savage,
unmerciful and unreasonable spirits. They did their worst. It was literal,
physical suffering. The bodily condition seemed to confirm and strengthen the
distress of soul. “Thou hast brought me into the dust of death.”
March 13
Psalms 22:4-16
4.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5.
They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were
not confounded.
6.
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the
people.
7.
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying,
8.
He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him,
seeing he delighted in him.
9.
But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope
when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10.
I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's
belly.
11.
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12.
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me
round.
13.
They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart
is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my
jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16.
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
they pierced my hands and my feet.
David has frequently spoken
of the wicked and by the Gospels we can identify them. First, they are
religious leaders and their fanatical following. They are the whited sepulcres
and the camouflaged snakes, worthy of being carefully avoided. Add to this
number, the government sanctioned killers and you have assembled wicked men of
highest magnitude. There are also evil spirits. They destroy the righteous and
lick up his blood for diabolical nourishment.
In the midst of the horror, the one who
experiences Christ’s suffering gropes for faith: The fathers trusted and God
delivered them. They trusted and were not put to shame. He thinks, “Why then,
has deliverance not come to me?” He brings personal history to the foreground.
“I am Yours from birth.” The earliest experiences of life enliven hope in God.
There have been dangerous risks since birth and he overcame many obstacles in
order to survive to his present state. History and remembrance are tools of
faith.
March 14
Psalms 22:25-31
25.
My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows
before them that fear him.
26.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that
seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all
the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28.
For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.
29.
All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go
down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30.
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a
generation.
31.
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that
shall be born, that he hath done this.
The Psalm ends with a perfect lesson that Jesus Himself
taught: “Except a corn of wheat fall into
the ground and die; it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit.” He fulfilled vows of eternal consequences once and for all. He
could say, “It is finished!”
Contemplate the fruits of His death: Worldwide evangelization reaps a
tremendous harvest, as people around the globe turn to the Lord. Countless,
humbled souls profit from His work. Nothing less than eternal life has been won
for them. A numberless congregation, the church of all ages, gives
praise unto God. The ultimate result is that He is glorified in all nations.
Dead and living will bow in submission.
Jesus Christ perfectly and incomparably
demonstrated the power of the cross. His seed is passed from generation to
generation in a never-ending declaration of righteousness. The same
characteristics are inherent in everyone born of God. Though in a much lesser
degree, they learn also the fellowship of his sufferings.
March 15
Psalms 23:1a
1.
The LORD is my shepherd…
King David recognized the LORD. Throughout the Book of Psalms,
his prayers, praises, and exhortations are addressed to or concern the Lord
God. As commonly and clearly as inspired Biblical writers declared God to be
Lord, today it seems, the church generally thinks of Him in lower terms. From
time to time, people strain spiritual eyes to get a glimpse of His lordship,
but what is common in scripture, they only reach in rare moments. However, they
do make frequent use of the term, “Lord.” Jesus’ question is pertinent today, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the
things which I say?”
All godliness and true Christianity is
based upon the recognition and acceptance of Jesus as absolute, sovereign Lord.
Only under those terms does he become my
Shepherd. Otherwise, there will be conflict and confusion concerning my
direction in life. If I am my own shepherd, all the beauty of Psalms 23 is
meaningless to me. Sheep cannot lead themselves. We are as sheep, so that we
might need daily, moment-by-moment dependency upon a Shepherd. Christians, who
do not submit to His lordship in practical areas of life, deceive themselves in
their appropriation of Biblical promises.
March 16
Psalms 23:1-4
1.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the
still waters.
3.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
4.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
If the Lord is my Shepherd, I
shall not want. His supply is abundant and lush. “He giveth liberally and upbraideth not.” I will lie down in the
fatness of high, thick pastureland. He leads me to the quiet rest and
refreshment of pools of clear, pure water. He continually restores my soul.
For His name’s sake, He will never lead me
away from paths of righteousness. He will never bring disgrace upon Himself. Is
Christ the minister of sin? The acceptance of sin is a sure sign of a rejection
of Christ as Lord, for righteousness, above all else, typifies the true
followers of the Shepherd. Our greatest assurance comes in praying for the sake
of His name - for Jesus’ sake, we pray. The prayer that Jesus taught us to pray
begins, “Hallowed be Thy Name”. The
honor of God’s name is our chief pursuit on the earth. How sinners drag it in
the mud and ridicule it, because of the ways of many professors, who claim His name!
If I fear the Lord, I need not fear evil. If
God is with us, the Valley of the Shadow of Death, notwithstanding its extreme
pressures and temporary claims upon us, becomes a fertile growth agent for our
souls. God is especially real. We experience His rod of protection and staff of
guidance there more than in the high elevations of sterile, untested
Christendom. The enemy is also very real in the valley, sometimes taking us by
surprise. However, it turns into a banquet hall and a feast, the Lord Himself
preparing it and making enemies to serve the table.
March 17
Psalms 23:4-6
4.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest
my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I
will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
The Psalmist takes us through the Valley
of Death many times throughout the book, but in the end he refers to the
anointing oil that overcomes trials and brings the one, who trusts the Lord,
into joy.
Surely is an important word in God’s vocabulary and we can
only worthily use it in conjunction to His promises. Jesus often said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” The
scriptures assure us of goodness – “all
things work together for good” – and mercy – “His mercies are new every morning” – all the days of our earthly
life. If the Lord is my Shepherd he will surely
(the word still applies) lead me to the portals of glory and into the Lord’s
house for an eternal dwelling place. Even there, the Lord is my Shepherd, for
in the book of Revelation it states, “the Lamb shall lead them”.
March 18
Psalms 24:1-2
1.
The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they
that dwell therein.
2.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the
floods.
This Psalm begins with a plain and
unapologetic declaration of ownership. The Lord has Creator’s rights. There is
nothing that lies upon the face of the earth or in the heavens that is any more
than a loan from God to man. The earth itself, all that is upon it, and the
world of people -every individual– owe their existence to the Lord and will
give account to Him. He is the founder and establisher. Who are men to usurp
authority and maneuver without direction from the Creator?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Recommended Books
Post a Comment