April 16 - 22 Daily Meditations in the Psalms
I am sorry
that I am two days late posting these Psalms. I thought that this series
started on the 18th. My apologies…
April
16
Psalms 35:1-10
1.
Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against
them that fight against me.
2.
Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
3.
Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute
me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4.
Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let
them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
5.
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD
chase them.
6.
Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD
persecute them.
7.
For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without
cause they have digged for my soul.
8.
Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath
hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.
9.
And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his
salvation.
10.
All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest
the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from
him that spoileth him?
What we examine today is not self-defense
or self-vindication. The Bible exploits no such thing. Here is a man firmly and
intrinsically identified with his message and ministry. He was God’s man, His
ambassador, with His heart. Therefore, his enemies were God’s enemies. Jesus
said, “And these things will they do unto
you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.” It is clear also that
these are not common personal enemies with a simple grudge against another man.
These are mad, devilish rebels, who are using David in order to attack His God.
They pursue the eternal destruction of souls.
The
Almighty has a shield, buckler, and spear. Who can stand before Him? All the
threats of the enemy come to nothing and they are caught in their own net. It
is cause for joy for those, whom God defends, because victory is certain.
Salvation is of the Lord and He helps the poor and needy to triumph over the
strong spoiler. They have no other recourse, but to hope in the Lord. Are we
weak enough to qualify for divine help? It is a most fortunate position in
which to be.
April
17
Psalms 35:11-28
11.
False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew
not.
12.
They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
13.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled
my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
14.
I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed
down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
15.
But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together:
yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not;
they did tear me, and ceased not:
16.
With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their
teeth.
17.
Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their
destructions, my darling from the lions.
18.
I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee
among much people.
19.
Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither
let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
20.
For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them
that are quiet in the land.
21.
Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our
eye hath seen it.
22.
This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from
me.
23.
Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God
and my Lord.
24.
Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them
not rejoice over me.
25.
Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not
say, We have swallowed him up.
26.
Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at
mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves
against me.
27.
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause:
yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure
in the prosperity of his servant.
28.
And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the
day long.
This is a
Messianic Psalm, as evidenced especially in verses 11, 12, and 18. The
righteous purpose is the purpose of the ages – the cause of Christ – and this
is the cause that must and will triumph. All of heaven comes to support it.
Absolutely nothing is held back towards the progression of the Kingdom of Christ
We must not
think that David is referring to devils as enemies. One does not pray for
devils (verse 13). This man of God prayed for His human enemies, was merciful
to them in their distress and only desired their good. Yet, as they persisted
in opposition, he prayed for the Lord’s assistance on his own life and shame
for theirs. How otherwise can men distinguish that which is from God and His
sovereign purpose from that which is not? It is God’s purpose to manifest
Himself through His people. He must distinguish between them and the ungodly. “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to
recompense tribulation to them that trouble you” (2 Thess.1:6-10), “In flaming fire taking vengeance...who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction....when He shall come to be
glorified in His saints.”
The Captain
of our Salvation is not ashamed to identify with weak humans (Hebrews 2:12) and
joins with them in the victory songs of praise and thanksgiving. God is
actively involved on this earth and is working on behalf of His people. He has
brought about our salvation and now his presence is evident in our praise.
April 18
Psalms 36:1, 9
1.
The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no
fear of God before his eyes.
9.
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
From the New Testament in John 1:4 are
words which correspond with verse 9: “In
him was life: and the life was the light of men.” In John 4:29, we see light and life working
practically in a Samaritan woman: “Come, see a man, which told me all things
that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” We will adopt verse 9 as a text
over the next days.
Two of the versions I have in my parallel
Bible miss the point brought out in the King James, but the NIV simplifies and
clarifies it: “An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the
wicked.” We are all in a school and have the same Educator. The Lord is not
limited in the many avenues He will use to teach us. Here, he transforms the
transgression of the wicked into a heavenly oracle, as the man of God
contemplates it. The Spirit of God is
interested in conveying to him, as well as to us, the cause behind the erring
ways of this world’s people. We only need to pay attention.
April
19
Psalms 36:1-4, 9
1.
The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no
fear of God before his eyes.
2.
For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found
to be hateful.
3.
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be
wise, and to do good.
4.
He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is
not good; he abhorreth not evil.
9.
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
We will hold to verse one of
Psalms 36 as the King James Version translates it. God uses the wicked to teach
us. What possible good can God’s servants derive from observing evil people?
First, rarely a day goes by, but that we have some dealings with the
earth-bound crowd, so we need to be aware of what we are up against. We need to
know what precautions to take and with what care we need to handle ourselves in
our necessary contact with the ungodly. Then, we need to understand the nature
of the worldlings, in order to determine to separate ourselves wholly from them
in all our manner of living, thinking and motivation and adopt as a rule for
our lives the opposite viewpoint, which is God’s. Thirdly, if we are going to
be of any help in bringing these people into the Kingdom, we must know the
whole truth, as God sees it, as to their present state-of-being.
Now, it will do us little good to try to
meet and understand these people on their level. This is commonly called,
“relating” to them – an attempt to adapt our way of thinking and adjust to
their point of view. This will only bring confusion, if not deception. Opposite
natures cannot “relate”. If you are truly born of the Spirit of God, you will
never be able to comprehend that which motivates the unconverted, how he thinks
and what is behind his acts. He receives his drive and reason, or lack of it,
from a totally different source than that from which a Christian draws his.
April
20
Psalms 36:1
1.
The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no
fear of God before his eyes.
Who
are the souls that are so different from born-again creatures, so that there is
no common spiritual ground on which to meet? It’s the friendly neighbor, who
leans over the back-yard fence to speak to you. It’s the clerk, who smilingly
checks out your groceries at the corner store. It’s the familiar TV
commentator, who comes into your living room every evening with the news and do
not rule out some of the exciting preachers who wind their way into your life
over the airwaves. I think it was George Whitefield, who called these seemingly
harmless acquaintances, “Monsters of Iniquity”. Rotten to the core and in
league with the devil, they pursue a one-way course to the Lake of Fire
The simple oracle that the Lord placed
within the Psalmist’s heart is the foundation, or rather lack of foundation,
upon which every sinner reels: “There is no
fear of God before his eyes.” The wicked have inner eyes, but God is not in
the picture. His name may be upon their lips, many biblical stories and
concepts may be in their mind, but the eyes of their spirit have never captured
a revelation of His glorious person. They are without hope and without God.
April
21
Psalms 36:1
1.
The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no
fear of God before his eyes.
The first true concept of God must be,
necessarily, one of fear. “The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Our unsaved friend cannot take the
first wise step in God’s direction without fear. If you would have him “see”
God, go beyond simply informing him that God is love, He is merciful and is his
friend. Pray, talk, and labor so that the fear of God will enter his being.
How can we
define a fear of God and from where does it come? It is an awe that comes from
the spiritual comprehension of His glorious greatness. It is that which knocked
Saul of Tarsus off his high horse and sent him groveling sightless in the dirt.
It caused him to utter the one title that could save his soul – “Lord”. There
is a sense of personal filthiness and unworthiness that comes with the
realization of His holiness. It prompted Peter’s expression, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Oh
Lord.” It is the soul-shaking
conviction of His certain and terrible coming judgment. Conviction reduced the
Roman governor, Felix, to a trembling sinner and in panic he banished the
preacher, Paul, from his presence.
April
22
Psalms 36:1-2
1.
The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no
fear of God before his eyes.
2.
For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found
to be hateful.
The lack of holy fear leaves the wicked to
practice personal flattery: “He flattereth himself in his own eyes” (verse 2).
Rather than having the fear of God before his eyes, he paints a pretty picture
for himself to behold. He will paint it for you also, if you are gullible
enough. Many preachers fall for the trick. Far be it from them to bring the
fear of God upon the soul. They think that man’s problem is a lack of
self-worth or a poor self-image. If they can only teach him to love himself and
boost himself up with positive thoughts, it will melt the wickedness of his
heart and make him a lover of his neighbor.
God, who is truth, will not be party to
such a mirage. He knows it for the desert of human independence and rebellion
that it is. This facade only enhances the sinner’s inherent hatefulness:
“…until his iniquity be found to be hateful.” God knows him according to
Ephesians 2:1-3, dead in trespasses and sins, walking in the world’s course,
led by the prince of the power of the air, and, by nature, the child of wrath.
God knows it, you should know it and if you intend to help the poor soul, you
will bring him to acknowledge it.
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