April 2 – 8 Daily Meditations in the Psalms
April 2
Psalms 30:1-4
1.
I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made
my foes to rejoice over me.
2.
O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3.
O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me
alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4.
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the
remembrance of his holiness.
This is a Psalm of celebration and
victory. If there is to be any lifting, God has to do it. Let us not be delving
into a work that belongs exclusively to Him. No amount of pep talks, positive
thinking, and motivational stimulus can do more than lift us by our bootstraps.
When
his battles were over, David stood as perhaps the greatest king of his day, a
testimony to the One in Whom he trusted. David cried unto the Lord. He saved
David from death, lifted and healed him. It was unquestionably a work of God,
without interference from man and therefore, He reaped the praise and man did
not. David invites his people to join him in honoring the Lord. They are holy
ones, who remember His holiness. What God desires to be the overriding
characteristic of men is also the most celebrated attribute of God. We can be
happy, when we see God takes steps in our lives, so that we might acquire
holiness, for that is a sign of His favor. An uncaring God would leave us as we
are.
April 3
Psalms 30:4-12
4.
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the
remembrance of his holiness.
5.
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may
endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6.
And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7.
LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou
didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8.
I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.
9.
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the
dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10.
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
11.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my
sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12.
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O
LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
God
chastens “for our profit, that we might
be partakers of HIS holiness.” David, as Peter, was self-confident in his
own righteousness, but Christ cannot allow such attitudes to continue. Both had
to be brought low for a night of weeping, as the Lord vented His anger and hid
His face. However, the joy that follows mourning is especially refreshing!
David’s prayer is for Jesus’ sake and his
help comes in answer to a desire to broadcast and exalt the name of the Lord.
Death will return the poor human back to dust. He asks, “Can the dust praise
you and be Your spokesman for truth to this generation?”
As we depend on the Lord, He: 1) Breaks
down our self-confidence 2) drives us to prayer and 3) lifts us up in holiness.
The discipline is complete, when God is exalted in the heart (not the mind, for
no true praise originates in the mind) and David exults in praise and
thanksgiving. God’s stories end on this note, for He delights in mercy.
April 4
Psalms 31:1-6, 24
1.
In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me
in thy righteousness.
2.
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock,
for an house of defence to save me.
3.
For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead
me, and guide me.
4.
Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art
my strength.
5.
Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of
truth.
6.
I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
24.
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope
in the LORD.
This is a Messianic Psalm, but I wonder if
all of them are. Some are more obviously so than others, but they all point to
Jesus, our perfect example, High Priest and Captain of our salvation. What is
true concerning Him, is true for us - his weaker, younger brethren - as well.
This Psalm is for “all ye that hope in the Lord.” Let us look then to Him, our
forerunner, for an example of perfect trust. God is very interested that we
learn to trust Him fully.
Trust and righteousness are coupled. God
must be righteous, by His very nature, in dealing with those that trust Him.
God cannot ignore trust. It is not right that a trusting soul, as a helpless
baby, should be dropped. He is righteous towards us and, when he takes
possession of us, He is righteous in and through us. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!” He
imparts His righteousness to those who trust Him, that He might deliver them in
righteousness. He will not have His name profaned by delivering those who
persist in being habitual scoundrels. The Lord will not side with evildoers;
therefore our testimony must exemplify righteousness.
April 5
Psalms 31:2-16
2.
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock,
for an house of defence to save me.
3.
For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead
me, and guide me.
4.
Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art
my strength.
5.
Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of
truth.
6.
I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
7.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my
trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
8.
And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my
feet in a large room.
9.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed
with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
10.
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength
faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
11.
I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my
neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled
from me.
12.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
13.
For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they
took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
14.
But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.
15.
My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and
from them that persecute me.
16. Make thy face to shine upon thy
servant: save me for thy mercies'
sake.
The Seed of David testifies
in the Holy Spirit through the Psalmist, “Into Thine hand I commit my spirit.”
Jesus is the greatest example of perfect trust and dependence in the Father
unto death. God is always trustworthy. Observe the kinds of defense, which He
provides. He is: 1) my strong rock, 2) a house of defense and 3) my strength.
Those who lean on His name (several names are given here) will be delivered for
His name’s sake. His name is truth
and therefore He will redeem them that hate lying vanities. When we realize
that He will care for us in trouble, then we are glad and rejoice in mercy. God’s honor is at stake, when we
make Him our rock and fortress. When we make Him our strength, it becomes His business to lift
us from our dilemma. When we commit to Him our spirit, it is His concern to
redeem us.
“In this world ye shall have
tribulation.” Adversities, trouble, grief, sighing, reproach, fear,
slander, persecution and lies were all persecutions that the Green Tree (see
Luke 23:31) experienced. What will the world do to the branches? Life for the
Christian on earth is by no means a picnic, but when our friends and loved ones
cut us off, it hurts the most. When Jesus was forgotten by His friends, as a
broken vessel, facing trial and crucifixion, it was a greater pain than the
slander and counsel of those against Him. He bore it all alone. There is no
companionship on the cross. All His followers must face that fact.
April 6
Psalms 31:17-24
17.
Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the
wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
18.
Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things
proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19.
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear
thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of
men!
20.
Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of
man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21.
Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a
strong city.
22.
For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes:
nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto
thee.
23.
O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the
faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your
heart, all ye that
hope in the LORD.
When we determine to call only upon God, when we are reduced to prayer
alone, then He delivers from shame.
He finally silences the proud, lying lips that sought to bring disgrace upon
God’s dependent servant. Goodness is a guarantee in all God’s contracts. You
can let your trust in Him be known publicly. Even the Jews recognized
concerning Jesus, “He trusted in God, let
Him now deliver Him.”
We are very quick, however, to forget His
goodness. We often see only the trouble, consider our sins, think He has
neglected to show mercy and has abandoned us. David writes a wonderful nevertheless. God overruled his hasty
conclusions and heard his cry in spite of his fears. How can we help but love
Him? He preserves those who are faithful in trusting Him. He says to them, “Arise, be not afraid.” This Psalm is
undying, the eternal word of God. It was fulfilled in Jesus centuries later and
lives today for all you that hope in
the Lord. The Holy Spirit inspired David, so that he could encourage us. We can know His goodness in
this dispensation of grace.
April 7
Psalms 32:1-2
1.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2.
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in
whose spirit there is no guile.
In Romans 4, Paul refers to
this Psalm, telling of a righteousness, which does not come through the law.
The verse does not say, “Blessed is the man who blamelessly keeps the law”, but
“blessed is the man, though he has broken the law (meaning he has committed
transgression), who finds forgiveness and whose iniquity is not laid to his
charge.” This man is a debtor, but his debt is covered freely, by grace, and he
is put into right standing before God. Blessed, indeed! All boasting is
excluded and all glory belongs to God in His mercy.
What fallible men and their
religions may do about forgiveness is of little consequence. Their systems may
try to take God’s place and provide some way to lift the burden of guilt from
their people. However, men may forgive, when forgiveness should be withheld for
the sake of God’s justice, or they may withhold forgiveness, when it should be
given. Blessed is the man, whom the LORD
in mercy and justice forgives. Blessed is the man who looks longingly
towards heaven for forgiveness and will be satisfied or comforted with nothing
less. Along with forgiveness, God gives a new spirit, which is guileless. It
will lead the forgiven in the paths of righteousness.
April 8
Psalms 32:3-7
3.
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day
long.
4.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into
the drought of summer. Selah.
5.
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I
said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the
iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6.
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when
thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come
nigh unto him.
7.
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou
shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Before forgiveness, anguish
of heart came to David. It was because the Lord’s hand lay heavily upon him.
His reluctant soul held to pride and rebellion and he could find no peace. He
was under conviction for his sin, but unwilling to confess and yield. His sin
was uncovered and he could find no cloak for it. He was disillusioned, until he
abandoned all resistance. Forgiveness came with honesty and open confession
without reservation. It is our business to confess and it is God’s to forgive.
“He
that doeth truth cometh to the light” and he must come in God’s time and
not at his own convenience. God always interrupts man’s schedule and demands
that man should come aside and submit to his bidding, as Matthew, the publican,
at the seat of custom, or as the fishermen, who left off mending the nets. A
salvation that fits God into our will and plans is false. True salvation comes
when we submit to the Lord and that being accomplished, God surely brings
deliverance.
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